Brianna Winiesdorffer returns to 3Ps in a Pod to talk with hosts Danielle and Kathleen about her first year of teaching as she nears the end of the school year.

3Ps in a Pod first featured Winiesdorffer in March 2020 as she neared her graduation from Northern Arizona University. Danielle and Kathleen then caught up with “Ms. Winnie” a few months into her teaching career last December. We’ve also been sharing about Winiesdorffer’s journey through her first year as a teacher in a collection of blog posts.

Now just weeks from the end of her first year as a teacher, Winiesdorffer shares with Danielle and Kathleen about the highlights, the challenges, and what she’s learned through the past year. She reflects on what she had expected and what she actually experienced as a new teacher. Winiesdorffer also talks about how she plans to use her summer break to both relax and plan for her next year when she’ll be teaching geometry instead of algebra, which she taught this year.

Winiesdorffer is a part of the Arizona Teachers Academy, which provides funding to support teachers throughout their career. This program’s initiatives include helping cover expenses at the pre-service level, providing mentoring and professional development for beginning teachers, and supporting teachers in pursuing National Board Certification. You can hear more about the multifaceted Arizona Teachers Academy in this 3Ps episode from earlier last fall.

All Arizona beginning teachers (those who will be in their first, second, or third year of teaching this fall) are invited to attend the Beginning Teacher Institute this June. The three-day, online event will feature several outstanding educators including Sarah Brown Wessling, the 2010 National Teacher of the Year; Cornelius Minor, a Brooklyn educator who established The Minor Collective, a community-based movement designed to foster sustainable change in schools; Julie Causton, founder and CEO of Inclusive Schooling; and Michelle Doherty, the 2017 Arizona Teacher of the Year.

Learn more about the Arizona K12 Center at azk12.org.