So this episode is a little different. I attended the National Conference on Education in New Orleans this spring and knew it would provide a great opportunity to hear from the diverse array of superintendent from across the country. I asked them all the same question: "What great things are happening in your school district?" I wanted to sprinkle the stardust around. The variety of responses was truly inspiring. There are interesting, innovative, and wonderful things happening in public schools from around the country. I hope you enjoy listening to these brief annecdotes as much as I did.

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I visited several schools in Finland in 2015 as part of a school trip. There were a few things that really struck me. One was the fact that becoming a teacher in Finland was as competitive as becoming a doctor. Another was that students were in control of which teachers they had—they literally got to choose their teachers. And finally, I was impressed with the equal value and prestige placed on both the academic and vocational tracks. Something like 40% of students choose a vocational route and there was no stigma attached to it. 

For years in our society, a technical education has been viewed as less valuable than a college education. I will admit that there was even stigma attached within our own school system for those going to the tech school. For years we never even filled our seats that were allocated to us at our regional tech center. I’m proud to say that now our student interest outstrips our available seats. 

That stigma is fading, especially since the pandemic. Suddenly there was a shortage of plumbers, electricians, landscapers, and builders, and people realized how valuable those things are. Labor costs have soared. Many tradespeople are making more money than white color workers. The tide is shifting, and the question is whether we can keep up. All jobs in our economy and society play a role that help make the whole system work--they’re all valuable. 

My guest today is Bobby Deetjen, the director of the Mid-Coast School of Technology, which is the regional tech center that serves numerous school systems in midcoast Maine.

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A few years ago, we hired a teacher from Texas, who struggled for months to find housing in Camden or Rockport, Maine. Despite two house hunting trips she found nothing. With her Texas home sold, she temporarily moved to Minnesota to stay with her father, while continuing her search. In mid-July, she arrived in Maine with her family and all her belongings, but still didn’t have a home. By early August, she was still empty-handed and was on the verge of declining the position. At the 11th hour, we located a rental property owned by a student’s parent narrowly averting a crisis.

This story echoes across the nation. Teacher housing for new hires has become a critical issue in many communities. Today I’m joined by two superintendents from diverse regions to discuss this challenge. Brent Jayco from Pecos-Barstow-Toyah Independent School District in Texas and Debbie Jones from Bentonville Schools in Arkansas. This is the first episode that we are recording using Zoom. All prior episodes have been recorded from the comfort of my office, so hopefully the sound quality won’t be significantly compromised

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Today's guest is a woman in high demand this time of year. Clare Galloway is a college consultant who works with students mainly from the New England and New York area. She was an assistant dean of admissions at Colgate for two years, and then in the same position at Bates College for two more years, before becoming the Director of Overseas Admissions for the University of Saint Andrews in Scotland, where she served for eight years. Eventually she went into private practice, where she has been for the past twenty years.

Clare helps countless high school seniors thoughtfully prepare college applications, diminish the many myths that swirl around in the heads of anxious families, and she helps to bring out students authentic self. She has great insight into the application process, financial aid, and in helping students find a college where they will thrive.

My guest today is Camillo who is coming up on the end of first grade. I first met Camillo when I was visiting the elementary school last fall. He was friendly, outgoing, and dare I say dapper. A few months later he starred as the host in a video created for the school board to understand the elementary school schedule. Not long after that I was sitting at a high top in a local coffee shop one weekend when he came right up to me with a formal greeting. Again I had a great conversation with him. He is bright, charming and outgoing enough that I was convinced he would help us all see school through the eyes of a six-year-old.

Today’s guest is Jane Self. She has worked as the assistant to a string of four different principals over the past twenty years at Camden Hills Regional High School. She is acutely attune to school operations and many consider her to be the de facto second principal. She had two children go through the school system and she rides her bike to work most days. She’s been a force of strength, stability and stamina, and this is her last season with the district as she retires at the end of this year.

My guest today is Lucas who is currently an eighth grader in middle school. Most middle schoolers, at this point in the school year are ready to leave middle school behind and eager to start high school. That cycle happens all over again when they are seniors in high school and then again when they are seniors in college. Developmentally they are exactly where they should be, ready to move onto the next step in life. I don’t know Lucas, so I’m eager to find out what is important to him, what his hopes and fears for high school are and what he is most proud of.

My guest today is Tanya Young, a woman who has been a school counselor for over twenty years and has been in our middle school for over fifteen years. 

In that time, she has seen and heard at all. From teaching sex education to making home visits to supporting anxious students on overnight field trips, Tanya has extended herself in ways that many people are never required to. 

Her expertise and experience, her nurturing nature, and her ardent advocacy for students are instrumental in the success of our student body.

My guest today is Alison Babb-Brott. This is her second year teaching first grade in our school district though she’s been teaching for about a decade.

Her family has a rich history in our town. Her great great grandfather was superintendent of the Knox Woolen Mill in downtown Camden from 1889 to 1956. He worked at the mill for total of 70 years. When I moved to Camden as a child in 1974, Ali’s grandfather was superintendent of the very same mill. I became good friends with Ali‘s mother and her aunt. Her father also grew up locally. Though Ali was born and raised in Massachusetts, it’s no wonder she feels this place is home. I have no doubt she can feel the presence of her deep heritage here.

Our school district is so fortunate that she returned because she quickly became a beloved teacher at our elementary school.

On today’s episode I’m talking with two high school boys: Mac Pierce, a sophomore and Finlay Fitch, a junior. Both are on the soccer team and Mac is my cousin’s son. We’ve lived in the same community his whole life so he’s like a nephew to me. We are going to talk soccer, phones and get some insight into being a teenage boy in high school.