Regenerative Ed

Short term solutions and instant gratification--our culture is totally bombarded and shaped by all of the messaging that points towards short-game decision making. While this is a thread that weaves through almost all of our episodes and our workshops at Grounded Teaching, let's take a little dive into the idea of playing the short game vs. the long game in education.

This week we're sharing a talk we gave last Friday for Botanical Colors where we talk about how using plant dyes (think: onion skins for yellows, avocado pits for pinks, indigo for blues) can be a portal to thinking about systemic change differently. Jess and I talk about our own experiences working in the public school system as well as a little more about what we do outside of Regenerative Ed. Take a listen and let us know what you think!

Today I'm talking about that delicious treat that belongs as an amazing punctuation point on your stack of pancakes: maple syrup. And, also: why maple syrup is not an entire diet. We're considering the living system that creates maple syrup and what we can learn about that living system, so we can apply it to our educational system in an effort to treat it more like a tree than a factory. Everyone wins!

In today's podcast, we're scratching the surface of our culture's obsession with "The Linear"... linear timelines, forward progress, the whole bit. And how thinking of things linear is not BAD, but it's certainly incomplete. And this obsession seeps its way into the way we do everything, including ed. Join me for the beginnings of a conversation about how we can recognize our obsession with The Linear and what we can do about it.

Today I'm chatting with Emily Pek in a new type of episode we'll be adding to the mix here on Regenerative Ed-- where we interview folks from OUTSIDE of education in order to learn more about how we can improve education. Emily shares a lot of knowledge, and I draw the connections to how we can improve ed! I hope you enjoy.

About Emily: Emily runs Frayed Knot Farm and is one of the stewards of the land which it's on, in Newbury township of Geauga County which is 30 miles from downtown Cleveland. Indigenous to the Erie and Mississugua nations.

Frayed Knot Farm as an enterprise, focuses on cut flower production, that is offered in a CSA style subscription service throughout the summer season, as well as providing blooms and foliage for celebratory arrangements and workshops. Frayed Knot has also been host to The Cleveland Flax Project.

Frayed Knot uses regenerative agricultural techniques that honor the land and its stewards and provide nourishment to the surrounding ecosystem.

Check her out @frayedknotfarm on instagram!

We're back after a little pandemic break--and if feels so good! In this episode, I chat about what in the world a teacher is to do when the world around us is moving at such a dizzying clip. How do we find our priorities and flex some agency to prepare our little (or sometimes big!) human students with the education they'll need to thrive in the future.

Find show notes and transcript at www.groundedteaching.com/podcast/episode13

Maybe your life- like mine- has completely lost most of the rhythm that you've been cultivating for several years. How do we find a new rhythm during this great time of transition? How do we use the concept of rhythm to help us deal with our grief of what's happening in this time? How can we find comfort in micro-moments of rhythm and be more aware of the rhythms in our lives when we feel like there's no real pattern anymore? I'm exploring all these questions in this episode. Show notes: https://www.groundedteaching.com/podcast/episode12

During this time of uncertainty, we're all mumbling "I don't know" probably a few more times than we're used to. If we allow ourselves to feel the I don't knows, to grieve the losses we're suffering with self-compassion, we'll be able to move through our emotions and balance what's activating our amygdala during this unprecedented time. Join Sarah as she goes through her own reflections on uncertainty, how she's allowing herself to grieve and hold space for self-compassion, and how you can help your students move through this uncertain time (and practice for uncertain times to come).

Show notes: https://www.groundedteaching.com/podcast/episode11

On today's show, we talk about something that ALL of us know is so important in our classrooms: relationships. We had such a great conversation with Es Swihart-- a current high school English teacher, teacher of the year, and founder of Worthy Self Edu. In this first-ever interview on Regenerative Ed, Es and Sarah discuss student worth, teacher worth, relational triggers, reciprocal relationships, and paradigms we can shift as educators.

You can check out Es's work at Worthy Self Edu and follow her @worthyselfedu on Instagram-- her IGTV stories are bite-sized inspiration for the way you move through the world.

You can check out the show notes at https://www.groundedteaching.com/podcast/episode10 and please leave us a voicemail with a comment or a question!

We're getting pretty good at throwing around the important C words in 21st century education: collaboration, creativity, and communication. They're top-of-mind for me, and I'm guessing it's the same for you.

At the same time, there are lots of words and concepts that education could potentially steal from other systems or beliefs. And, since I believe in the power of language, I know it's very beneficial to use exact terminology that gets us thinking more about how we help nourish and cultivate both the students in our room and ourselves.

The word I want to challenge us to start using more in our classroom today is... STEWARDSHIP. This podcast goes into the definition of stewardship, why I believe it's so important for today's learners, and how to start using it in your own life and your own room to create a more regenerative classroom culture.

Check out the show notes page, where you can also leave us a voicemail with a comment or a question! https://www.groundedteaching.com/podcast/episode9

If you like this podcast, don't hesitate to rate and review!