Other Duties As Assigned

This one is a short one folks! All it takes is ten short minutes to listen in and see how you can help support all the educators in your lives this summer, fall, and probably beyond that!

This week's podcast is all about having fun! In addition to being the principal at St. Cecilia Cathedral Grade School, I am also a mom to four kids, three of which who attend school there. Since we are on summer break and social distancing rules still apply in our community, this week's Kid Segment is just two of my kids and I talking about, well...see for yourself!

How is the St. Cecilia community responding to the killing of George Floyd?  This week's episode I talk about how to recognize the phases of action/inaction that I have seen in the community around me.  I also share what parents in the white community can and should be doing right now to bring about change.

Thank you to Joe Truss (Twitter @trussleadership) for his support in having me share his tweets during the episode.  An article titled 'Advice for the Newly Woke White Teachers on Teaching Black Children' in Education Week can be found here where Mr. Truss was interviewed for.  

In this week's episode, I talk about the most honored part of Catholic education, family.  Well, I don't talk about it much but I have one of St. Cecilia's legends, Milly Garcia, discuss what it means to her.  Milly just turned in her keys to St. Cecilia and retired this year.  I wanted to "get her on tape" to talk about her teaching experiences, advice for colleagues, and anything else that came up!  Best of luck with retirement Milly and remember you can always come back home if you get bored!

Want to know what Mrs. Pick, a Catholic school principal, thinks about COVID-19?!  This episode is maybe not what you think.  We could all write a book on the negatives of this health pandemic but I am sharing with you three important take-aways and what this virus has taught me about education.

I am looking for topics for next week's podcast.  Please email me at [email protected] if you have something you would like for me to cover!

This week I introduce you to the most important part of Catholic education - tradition!  Each school has its' own thing, whether it's an event, fundraiser, or special day.  There is a reason we love our uniforms so much and it's because we've had them for 45 years!

Cathy Lyons, a 4th grade teacher at St. Cecilia Cathedral, is our special guest this week.  After a full career at St. Cecilia, she is turning in her keys and retiring at the end of next week.  Not only did she attend St. Cecilia as a kid, but so did her kids, and she has so much wisdom to offer all of us through this time of distance learning.  You'll love her, as everyone here at St. Cecilia does!  Lots of questions were submitted by her current 4th graders, fellow colleagues, and her first Kindergarten class from 1977.

*Please forgive the microphone goof this week.  I promise to make sure both are working next week so you can hear me more clearly.

This is the introduction to a podcast that pulls the curtain back on education.  Coming to you in the middle of the COVID-19 health pandemic, many parents are experiencing the growing pains of what it means to be a teacher.  How can I get this kid to listen to me?  Do they really have to know how to multiply fractions?  When was the last time I multiplied fractions as an adult?  When is an acceptable time to have wine?

Being a principal is weird.  You spend your day putting on so many different hats:  solving bathroom mysteries (what IS that in the corner), handwriting analysis on dropped notes, conflict resolution, and even vomit patrol.  I spend 90% of my day doing the last bullet point of my contract - other duties as assigned.

Join me on this journey to learn more about what happens in the principal's office because I'm guessing it's not what you expect.