In this episode I'm joined by Nikki Jones. She has been an educator for 16 years teaching 1st and 3rd grade and is currently and instructional technology coach. 
Nikki is passionate about using technology to challenge students to think critically, problem solve and be creative. In this conversation we explore taking risks, creativity, connecting and being inspired by learning communities, one point rubrics, gratitude practices, and so much more!

Topics:
1. Choice and voice to empower students to share their learning that is best for them.
2. Microsoft Flip - extremely versatile and students can use it at any level
3. Middle of the year is a great time to rebuild those relationships especially coming off of break.
4. Whenever implementing new technology focus on three things that you want students to try. 
5. Single Point Rubric - There is one goal or one thing to create.
6. Use and borrow ideas that you see others doing. Make tweaks and make them your own.
7. Fear of failure holds people back.
8. Our littlest ones are ready to be creative and take chances and along the way it can get stifled out of them. 
9. Use technology to enhance instruction
10. Steal Like an Artist - People have great ideas 
11. Be on the look out for things that spark your ideas
12. Take one idea  that you’re looking at and turn it into multiple different designs
13. Teach students that if their first few ideas don’t work that’s alright. We take feedback and adjust.
14. Build resilience in your students.
15. Have a form of daily gratitude. Consider something like Flip to make nightly gratitude videos. 
16. Take risks as an educator.
17. Model what gratitude looks like. 
18. Use Flip to create folders that you can keep throughout the year. 
19. Use social to connect with communities such as Microsoft Flip and Adobe team. 20. You don’t have to be the smartest person in the room. Be around others that spark your creativity.
21. Take risk and try at least one thing.
22. Don’t compare yourself to others and steal your joy.
23. Give yourself credit for the things that you are great at. 

Connect with Nikki: @mrsjones72812 on Twitter

Nikki's Bio:
Nikki Jones is an Instructional Technology Coach in Northern Virginia. Prior to moving into her current role where she supports K-5 with meaningful tech integration, she taught 1st and 3rd grades. Nikki has a master's degree in education and 16 years of experience using technology to challenge students to think critically, problem solve and be creative. To educate future-ready students Nikki focuses on creativity, STEAM and computer science! She is passionate about helping, inspiring and training educators to integrate technology in ways that are innovative, highly engaging and promote student choice, voice and creation. She works closely with staff members to help them build their technology skills and become more confident while integrating technology that empowers student learning! Nikki is a  Flip Student Voice Ambassador, a SMART Ambassador, Novel Effect Ambassador, Ozobot Certified Educator, Adobe Creative Educator Leader, Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert, HP Fellow in Cohort 4, Quizizz Game-Changer and Class Dojo Mentor.

This episode is inspired by a chapter in Dear Teachers, written by Dr. Brad Johnson and Hal Bowman, that was title "Why Would a Kid Want to be Successful if He Doesn't Remember What Success Feels Like?". As we are deep into the midpoint of the school year it is important that we ask ourselves if all of our students have felt success lately. Do they remember what success feels like? 

This episode is a solo episode where we look to tap into the knowledge of others outside the teaching profession. Today's episode is about three lessons learned from Kobe Bryant. When you think of one of the greatest players of all time Kobe is one of the names at the top of this least. However, he was much more than just a basketball player. He was most importantly a proud girl dad, an individual who spoke three languages, an academy award winner, and so much more. This episode dives into three lessons that I have taken away from listening and watching countless episodes of this extremely wise man. 

Kobe Bryant on Valutainment - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9GvDekiJ9c

Jay Shetty w/Kobe Bryant - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/kobe-bryant-on-how-to-be-strategic-obsessive-to-find/id1450994021?i=1000449110208

Lewis Howes w/Kobe Bryant - https://lewishowes.com/podcast/kobe-bryant-mamba-mentality-nba-championships-and-oscars/

Relationships are at the core of teaching. One of the best ways to strengthen a relationship is by letting others know that you appreciate them. This mini episode is all about a strategy from Dr. Martin Seligman, the father of positive psychology, called gratitude visits. Learn what a gratitude visit is and how it can help strengthen relationships. 

Taking time to look back and reflect on what we've learned is important. Too often we take information in, but we fail to put it into practice. This episode takes a look back at some recent guests on the podcast and some of the wisdom that they have shared.  In this episode we talk about the power of the people we surround ourselves with from Phil Januszewski. The importance of letting our students know that we appreciate them early and often with Livia Chan.  Becoming a great storyteller and understanding on how others receive information with Dan Garrity. Recognizing that we can do so much with so little with Cari Matejka and the 8 pillars of belonging with Jessica Lander. 

Have you ever had a morning where you wake up and you just feel down. Where you can't shake that feeling no matter what you do. This episode is all about a simple strategy that you can use to help lift you up on those tough days. It's something that is simple. Something that any of us can do. It's something though that we have to be very intentional about. Check out this episode to help you maintain that positive mental state.

In this conversation Jessica Lander discusses educating immigrant and refugee students. We talk about her book Making Americans that is a wonderful book about the  exploration of immigrant education across the country. She talks about seeing these students for their energy, talents, and drive. Jessica discusses the lessons she learned from traveling around the country and meeting innovative schools who are leading the way in innovation for these students. The tips and knowledge that Jessica shares during this interview is something that is not limited to students who are new to the United States. The principles that she discusses is something that all students would benefit from. 

Topics discussed:
1.Think about the different strengths, gifts, and perspectives that the students bring.
2. Don’t lower standards and expectations for students. Keep high expectations
3. Sometimes we sell students short because we can associate language acquisition with intelligence.
4. Think thoughtfully and intentionally how you support immigrant students.
5. If we are serious about reimagining immigrant education we have to ask the young people who are attending out schools about what they need. 
6.How can schools foster a strong sense of belonging where students feel that this is their home and they can build a future there.
7.Schools need to think about how can we create a sense of belonging
8.Eight pillars of belonging - opportunities for new beginnings, supportive communities, assurance of securing, chances to dream, committed advocates, recognition of students strengths, acceptance, opportunities for students to develop their voice.
9.Schools can be a community hub. Connect school to the community. 
10. Collaborate with community partnerships.
11.Global Village Project - the only school in US dedicated to refugee girls who have spent a lot of time outside of school.
12. Honor students identity
13. Bring laughter and joy into the classroom
14. Create a community that is supportive 
15. Family engagement is pivotal - seeing it as an equal partnership
16. When meeting with parents lead with questions. For example What are hopes and dreams for your kid? How can we build trusting relationships together? 
17. Recognize that students might come to school with different sorts of trauma
18. Trauma sensitive garden 
19. Use complex and interesting language.
20. Meet teacher where they are and help them with what they need.
21. Get students involved in action civics. 
22. Help them develop their skills to share their voices.
23. The way that we learn from each other is extremely powerful.
24. Learn from each other’s history
25. We Are America Project

Jessica Lander Bio:
Jessica Lander is an award-winning teacher, writer and author. She teaches history and civics to recent immigrant students in a Massachusetts public high school and has won numerous awards for her teaching, including being named a Top 50 Finalist for the Global Teacher Prize in 2021, presented by the Varkey Foundation and being named a MA Teacher of the Year Finalist in 2022, presented by the MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Jessica writes frequently about education policy and teaching. She is the author of Making Americans: Stories of Historic Struggles, New Ideas, and Inspiration in Immigrant Education, a coauthor of Powerful Partnerships: A Teacher’s Guide to Engaging Families for Student Success and the author of Driving Backwards.

Book: 
Making Americans https://www.amazon.com/Making-Americans-Struggles-Inspiration-Immigrant-ebook/dp/B09PQM33FS/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1TV7F6ZB1Q3MO&keywords=making+americans&qid=1673760376&sprefix=making+americans%2Caps%2C568&sr=8-1

Website: https://www.jessicalander.com

One strategy that we can use to fuel gratitude and appreciation within the classroom can be to notice the great things that are happening, to name the great things that are happening, and that helps you nurture this. Past guest Livia Chan discussed this and how she uses this to fuel gratitude and appreciation in our classroom. We can use this strategy for ourselves as well to help spark these positive feelings in our own lives as well. This episode discusses this. 

In this conversation I'm joined by Phil Januszewski. He is a science teacher and a nationally renowned motivational speaker. In this conversation we discuss the power of taking healthy risks, how to protect our mental currency, different strategies that we can use to lead with positivity and so much more. 

1. We are a model for our students and our family. 

2. Take health risks. 

3. It’s good for your kids and students to see you try and fail. 

4. Find healthy people to feed off of the energy of others 

5. As soon as students walk into your classroom let them know that you are there to accept them for who they are and where they are and you are genuinely excited to see them. 

6. Keep healthy boundaries to keep yourself in a positive demeanor. 

7. Don’t be afraid to show your students your flaws, your human side. 

8. If we say it over and over again eventually it will stick. The more we say it the more likely their going to remember that and hopefully impact them. 

9. The more we talk about and practice making the best possible outcome from tough situations the more resilient we become 

 10. Build up your mind so that when failure comes your way you are able to handle it. 

11. Show students that failure can happen but we can learn from that 

12. Help students see all the little things that they have gained along the way. 

13. Empower with them by showing them they are growing everyday. 

14. More isn’t better, better is better 

15. Individual human conversation you have in the downtime are invaluable 

16. Let students know the path that others took because it can be empowering 

17. Look to schedule your day - include the things that fill you up 

18. Become more confident by getting more experience. The more you do it the more resilient and natural things become. 

19. Surround yourself with people who push you forward. 

20. Protect your mental  currency with the people you choose to be around.  Are they engines or anchors? 

21. Everyone we know is our teacher 

22. There are little things that we do that the students really look forward to. 

23. Surround yourself with positive people on social media feeds 

24. Build bonds through a human first approach 

25. Learn from others 

Bio:
Phil Januszewski resides in the Chicagoland area, where he is a proud high school Chemistry and Physics teacher; holding a degree in Chemistry and a Master's in Teaching Leadership. Phil has had experience with a microphone and a love of entertaining people starting back in high school. Fast forward through years of announcing local sporting events and DJing weddings; and Phil met his “brother from another mother,” Matt Matkovich, to form M&P Presentations.  When Phil is not teaching or speaking, he enjoys everyday adventures with his wife and two children or pursuing his personal passions of physical fitness, cooking/baking new recipes, and reading about self-improvement and positive psychology. If you ever meet Phil, be prepared for a great deal of positive energy and enthusiasm.

Social Media:
Twitter, Facebook, Instagram: @MPPresentations and @PhilJanuszewski

Winter break is over and educators are back to the grind. As the new year settles in this can be a very difficult time of the year for some. This episode discusses one simple way that can help you stay positive throughout the next few months.