#EduCrush

Who is the greatest lever for change in our education system? Teachers? Parents? Students? In this episode, Natalie connects with three former students and their mentor teacher from Prince George, Canada, to explore how students can become visionary catalysts who spark learning in an entire community.

Video #1 - Stories and Experiences: https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=PyX81hRIVgA#dialog&ab_channel=SchoolDistrictNo.57

Video #2 - Impact: https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=7Q00FZfoqjM&ab_channel=SchoolDistrictNo.57

Video #3 - Hope and Allyship: https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=1T7P3tRDrLM&ab_channel=SchoolDistrictNo.57

Video #4 - For Educators: https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=tOKUlkcPNMY&ab_channel=SchoolDistrictNo.57

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Show Notes:

• Who is the greatest lever for change in our education system? (1:30)
• The inciting incident; a polarizing costume at Halloween following the renaming of a school. (11:50)
• The collective decision by the DSAC students in response to the racism they witnessed in their community. (22:03)
• The critical difference between "student voice" and agency. (27:03)
• Grounding themselves in the first persons' principles to navigate the process. (32:40)
• The brave conversations, pushback, and productive discomfort in the SD57 community as a result of the learning series videos. (34:58)
• Key insights and learnings that emerged from each journey. (44:33)
• Student advice for teachers about how to develop their own agency to make change in the education system. (51:15)
• The purpose(s) of education. (55:04)

Description:

This week on #Educrush we hear from Calgary's Current and the first ever Black Poet Laureate of the city, Wakefield Brewster as he shares with us the importance of story and poetry and education.

Wakefield on Twitter @LyricalPitpull

Wakefield on Instagram @Wakefield_Brewster

Alex on Twitter: @MrAlexNoel

Natalie on Twitter: @natabasso

Podcast on Twitter: @educrushpod

Podcast on Instagram: @educrushpod

Links Mentioned:

https://wakefieldbrewster.com/

What is community? How do we build it, and break it? Who are we as a wider education community? Natalie connects with former teacher and current community engagement strategist, Melody McAllister, to unpack the complexities of both youth and adult communities in the age of social media.

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Follow Melody: Twitter | Instagramv | LinkedIn

Email: [email protected]

Show Notes:

· Melody's education journey thus far. (6:25)

· What is community? (9:45))

· How to tell the story of a classroom community; building a classroom community with parents. (13:30)

· The power of co-creation to build community. (20:00)

· Leveraging music and check-in questions to make everyone welcome immediately. (20:20)

· Who are we as an education community? (30:25)

· We need to stop attacking each other on social media and giving ammunition to the critics. (39:15)

· How can we honor one another as whole people and get back to a place of unity? (48:35)

· A hopeful note about the purpose of education. (55:15)

Description:

This week Alex talks to Multimedia Specialist and Search and Rescue volunteer Nick Hughes. He share how his experiences with high school influenced his passions today. What does it look like for teachers to nurture the interests and passions of students and where might that start lead them in their lives?

Alex on Twitter: @MrAlexNoel

Natalie on Twitter: @natabasso

Podcast on Twitter: @educrushpod

Podcast on Instagram: @educrushpod

Fresh off the first-ever Empowerment Ecosystem Summit in Vancouver, BC, Natalie sits down with co-hosts Katie White and Tom Schimmer to reflect on highlights, insights, and next steps for the innovative event.

Show Notes:

· What's sticking with each of us immediately after the event. (10:25)

· Rethinking the concept of the "middle" in education and how tension shows up in creative work. (19:45)

· Tweaks to the event design to better meet the vision. (23:30)

· Moments that will stick with us. (27:00)

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Email: [email protected]

This week on #Educrush, our guest Alora Popow shares the importance of both the Physical and Education portion of Physical Education. As a PE teacher herself, Alora shares her Philosophy of education, how classroom outcomes intertwine with outcomes in the gym space and how we can better utilize physical education to aid our instruction of class outcomes.

Don't forget to sign up the Empowerment Ecosystem Summit! https://sites.google.com/view/empowermentecosystemsummit/home

Alex on Twitter: @MrAlexNoel

Natalie on Twitter: @natabasso

Podcast on Twitter: @educrushpod

Podcast on Instagram: @educrushpod

Wellness is so much more than a pizza party or a coffee cart; it's deep, personal excavation and ruthless time management. Jonathan Erickson is currently the principal of Parras Middle School in Redondo Beach, California, and he joins Natalie to share what he learned about the discipline of wellness when he studied it during his PhD, and how he's bringing it to life in his school.

Show Notes:

· Jonathan's journey through innovative teaching contexts and a PhD in mindfulness and workplace outcomes. (5:50)

· Wellness; the story being told and how we can rewrite the narrative. (11:30)

· Rethinking teacher education and after-school care to build collective capacity in social-emotional learning. (16:00)

· Th importance of designing for academic engagement as a facet of social-emotional learning for all. (25:35)

· Determining a defensible position to inspire rethinking. (33:20)

· How a principal can create the conditions for wellness on their campus. (37:25)

· Managing your time so you can show up for people. (44:00)

· The purpose of education (53:50)

Register for the Empowerment Ecosystem Summit: https://sites.google.com/view/empowermentecosystemsummit/home

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Follow Jonathan: Linkedin

Email: [email protected]

This week we further explore what we started in Ep 72, where Natalie and Alex talked about what it means to "craft a public narrative" in education. Welcome to part of Alex's public Narrative. "Cross Curricular Conversations to energize your time."

Don't forget to sign up the Empowerment Ecosystem Summit! https://sites.google.com/view/empowermentecosystemsummit/home

Alex on Twitter: @MrAlexNoel

Natalie on Twitter: @natabasso

Podcast on Twitter: @educrushpod

Podcast on Instagram: @educrushpod

Links Mentioned:

https://open.spotify.com/episode/3b3q7KO62YBCDgRdvBwtgT?si=11eb0df263704caa

https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/crafting-a-public-narrative/id1529486348?i=1000600616054

This season, we have explored many stories of education here in the present, but what is the future of education? Join Natalie to play within two future simulations that will stretch your capacity to discover creative opportunities, today.

Empowerment Ecosystem Summit website: https://sites.google.com/view/empowermentecosystemsummit/home

Follow Natalie: Twitter | Instagram

Follow the Podcast: Twitter | Instagram

Email: [email protected]

Show Notes:

· When does the future start? (4:45)

· Jane McGonigal, SuperStruct, and the power of a future simulation to build our capacity for creativity today. (7:00)

· Future simulation #1: CurriculumGPT (15:00)

· Future simulation #2: IncorporatED (24:30)

· 10 ways anything can be different in the future. (32:00)

This week on #Educrush we dive into how our expectations of students change the stories that they get to tell about themselves. Kelsey Brown talks a bit about a restorative justice program run out of the Calgary Youth Justice society.

Don't forget to sign up the Empowerment Ecosystem Summit! https://sites.google.com/view/empowermentecosystemsummit/home

Alex on Twitter: @MrAlexNoel

Natalie on Twitter: @natabasso

Podcast on Twitter: @educrushpod

Podcast on Instagram: @educrushpod

Show Notes:

10:45 Introduction

15:30 Community mentorship

17:08 How students have negative interactions with their school communities.

20:00 Students participating in risk behaviors.

23:14 Schools allowing students to be a part of their communities.

27:48 The importance of community

30:14 The purpose of education

Links Mentioned:

https://calgaryyouthjustice.ca/

https://calgaryyouthjustice.ca/programs-services/cyjc/

https://calgaryyouthjustice.ca/get-involved/volunteer/