In this episode, Jethro is joined by Paul Thiessen and we talk about a broad range of topics from Podcasting for the school community to AI and Personalized Learning. 

• The Daily - One topic, condensed in a short amount of time.
• Talking about events or different topics in our school (purple up and science of reading)
• Conversations with teachers about perceptions in the beginning, middle, and end of career. 
• Why focus on his specific community - parent coffees, video calls, etc. 20-30 people ended up showing up. Gave more flexibility
• The Puma Pawd
• Use Descript
• Jethro’s TEDxTalk about Attendance.
• Personalized Learning
  • Working with Education Elements
  • 32/40 educators really wanted to dive in to personalized learning. 
  • Synergy Podcast episodes on Transformative Principal
  • It’s about mindset
  • Change in education 
  • What impact can I make? 
• How does AI tie into personalized learning?
  • Embracing AI in education
  • Still need to have critical thinking to determine what is good information. 
  • AI can mark students’ progress in academic standards. 
  • It’s never going to be getting the students on board, it’s always about getting the adults on board. 
  • It’s not always easy to be successful. 
  • The unknown creates more anxiety than the known. 
  • The longer we push off the future, the less connected we will be with our kids. 
• How to be a transformative principal? Get into the classrooms. 

About Paul Thiessen

Paul is a passionate educator who is committed to providing students with a high-quality education. He is also a strong advocate for STEM education and believes that it is essential for students to be prepared for the 21st century workforce.Paul Thiessen is a 25-year veteran of the education field. He holds a Bachelor of Arts from Waynesburg University in Southwest Pennsylvania, which he earned in 1999. Thiessen began his career as a third-grade teacher at Rachel Carson Elementary in Gaithersburg, Maryland, where he taught for three years as part of Montgomery County Public Schools. In 2002, Thiessen moved to Loudoun County, Virginia, where he opened Hutchison Farm Elementary as a third-grade teacher. He later served as the Elementary Dean for LCPS at Hutchison Farm Elementary, which was his first administrator role. In 2008, Thiessen opened Liberty Elementary (South Riding, VA) as Assistant Principal. He was part of the team that started the STEM work at that school. In 2018, the school was named National STEM School of the year. In 2012, Thiessen became Principal of Pinebrook Elementary in Aldie, VA, where they have become a Personalized Learning School.

Thiessen is a passionate educator who is committed to providing students with a high-quality education. He is also a strong advocate for STEM education and believes that it is essential for students to be prepared for the 21st century workforce.