Teacher Breathe

Laurie Wurm is the rector of Grace Church Van Vorst in Jersey City,  an oasis of diversity. The homeless people pray next to millionaires; people from all over the world congregate to feel community.  An atheist who played in their church band, I was moved by Laurie's sermons.  I reached out to Laurie to help make sense of our disruption.  She has a gift for shining light in dark places.

https://www.gracecommunityjc.org/mission

Scott Rovner is a professional musician turned banker.  His health conditions make exposure to COVID-19 a death sentence.  What results is a high stakes discussion of distress at our national response and Scott's concrete strategies for dealing with the new normal.  In short, golf, music, and family has kept him afloat.

At the end of the podcast, Scott performs "The Tennessee Waltz," a touching country classic of heartbreak--appropriate during our age of disruption. 

Tony Coretto is a spark plug with a conscience, an autodidact with a sense of humor, and friend with a gift to inspire others when they are down. I reached out to Tony to ask him how he got through 2020.  His answer put wind in my sails: get outside in nature and get inside your mind by meditating. 

Learn about Tony Coretto by visiting his excellent website and blog: https://declaringfreedom.com 

Bill Brown discusses his journey from tormented youth to Navy SEAL, family man--family as comrades-in-arms and husband and father.  His story reveals the redemptive quality of deep grit as an equalizing force when given opportunity.  Bill Brown's teamwork with David Goggins on BoatCrew2 during Hell Week clarifies, when we grind we shine. 

The picture is of Bill Brown at the podium after Manhattan's Navy SEALS swim, a fundraiser to help end homelessness among veteran. 60 former SEALs swam three miles across the Hudson River from Ellis Island in Jersey City, to Statue of Liberty, and Manhattan 9-11 Memorial. At each stop they did 22 pull-ups in honor of the 22 veterans who commit suicide daily and 100 push-ups in honor of diversity.    

Need a lifeline? Jen Giffen is your answer. Skilled, smart, and spry, she was a lead ed-tech consultant to one of Canada's largest school districts--York Region in Ontario--serving over 140,000 students with approximately 12,000 teachers. Adorned with Google, Apple, and Microsoft certifications and honored for her innovations in the classroom, Jen is the real deal: a lover of ed-tech to humanize our profession, classroom, and life.

For more information: http://virtualgiff.blogspot.com/

Chin Chu is River Dell High School’s 2012-3 Teacher of the Year.  A chemistry teacher who was educated  in China’s elite preparatory schools near the top of his class and Ph.d. in chemistry at University of Minnesota, Chin has unique insights into the problems facing America’s schools.  A friend and colleague, we’ve spoken for hours about the challenges facing America’s schools. Simply said, we teach too much content--not so well--at the expense of communication skills.  

Dylan Huisken is Montana's 2019 Teacher of the Year.  We brainstormed the challenges of teaching amidst Corona, combatting false news in the classroom, and growing with the help of colleagues and administrators.  I was smitten by Dylan's quick mind, readiness to brainstorm, and genuine humility.  His award is a tribute to him, his family, and school.  Montana chose wisely. 

Vanessa Otero founded Ad Fontes Media in February of 2018 to help people navigate today's complex media news landscape. She and her team created the popular The Media Bias Chart to help librarians and teachers identify reliable new and publishers.  She is a highly sought after speaker and champion of reliable  journalism for public enlightenment.  Our conversation was a kind of therapy through my nightmare: B.S. Whac-A-Mole. 

More information can be found here: https://www.adfontesmedia.com/

Kelly Holstine has developed a system of compassion to reach some of Minnesota's most at risk students by creating a safe space for them to grow.  For this work, Kelly has received Minnesota's Teacher of the Year Award for 2018-19.  Since July 2019, Kelly has served as Director of Educational Equity at OutFront Minnesota to support and create school environments that help humans to feel safe, respected, and valued. 

For more information: https://www.outfront.org/holstine

Charlene sparks fire: smart, insightful, fearless, and driven.  She is also my friend of twenty years.  A math teacher at Pascack Hills High School in Montvale, NJ for over 24 years, she was awarded Teacher of the Year in 2016. Her goal for her students: give them a safe-place to fly. For herself, never stop learning and helping children.  You want her in the foxhole with you.