"The Bulldog Educator" with Kirsten Wilson and Matthew Caston

In this episode Matt and Kirsten record together in person at the CALS (Central Arkansas Library System) Downtown Little Rock Library and recap Season 3 and our new adventure as co-hosts and bringing content to our listeners. Find out the sound that Season 3 was brought to you by (a little Sesame Street throwback), and our ask for guests in the upcoming Season 4.

Listeners please share your thoughts and ideas with us on our social media accounts on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook @thebulldogedu 

You can also follow Matt on instagram @CastIron or Twitter @MatthewCaston

and Kirsten on Instagram or Twitter @teachkiwi, or Facebook or LinkedIN as Kirsten Wilson.

Please subscribe to The Bulldog Educator to continue listening on your favorite podcast platform.

Note: We will be taking a break in August. We will return with Season 4 on Thursday, September 7th with Guest Dr. Jennifer Clifden.

In this episode The Bulldog Educator co-hosts, Matt and Kirsten, talk with guest Crystal Green-Braswell, educator, author, and wellness coach. She shares her experience, wisdom, and proven methods for wellness practices and how this works in the world of education.

Here are some of the resources discussed in the podcast:

"Thinking Fast and Slow" by Daniel Kahneman

"Rest is Resistance" by Tricia Hersey

"The Deepest Well" by Nadine Burke-Harris

The Copper Well- Energy Healing Massage, Chakra Balance, Physical Massage

The Embassy of Sound - Sound baths 

Me and McGee - Farmers market for fresh food options

The Greenshoe Foundation

Connect with Crystal Green-Braswell:

Instagram: @b_extremely_well  or @thecrystaldragonflyllc

Twitter: @Crystalbraswe15

LinkedIN: Crystal Green-Braswell

Living in Beta Mode segment:

Figma.com

Listeners please share your thoughts and ideas with us on our social media accounts on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook @thebulldogedu 

You can also follow Matt on instagram @CastIron or Twitter @MatthewCaston

and Kirsten on Instagram or Twitter @teachkiwi, or Facebook or LinkedIN as Kirsten Wilson.

Please subscribe to The Bulldog Educator to continue listening on your favorite podcast platform.

In this episode, Matthew takes The Bulldog Educator on the road to Savannah, Georgia where he chats with Kristin Poitras, former classroom teacher, now Director of Museum Programming and Operations at the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) Museum of Art. She shares with us some of the experiences, how art elevates our awareness of the world around us, and how art, history, and education can be integrated and also be a place of relaxation.

SCAD Museum of Art

SCAD Museum of Art Downloadable Curriculum Guides (Including "The Crafts: A Thousand Miles and Counting")

SCAD Museum of Art Social Media- Facebook, Twitter, Instagram

Living in Beta Mode:

5 Reasons Why Making Lists is Good for Your Mental Health, by Sean Grover, Psychology Today (April 19, 2023)

Listeners please share your thoughts and ideas with us on our social media accounts on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook @thebulldogedu 

You can also follow Matt on instagram @CastIron or Twitter @MatthewCaston

and Kirsten on Instagram or Twitter @teachkiwi, or Facebook or LinkedIN as Kirsten Wilson.

Please subscribe to The Bulldog Educator to continue listening on your favorite podcast platform.

Co-hosts Matt and Kirsten reflect over their travels in the first half of Season 3, how they are working on the practice of rest and rejuvenation, and what they are looking forward to both with the podcast and in the upcoming weeks.

Article on Arkansas' top 31 Attractions You Don't Want to Miss from attractionsofamerica.com

Living in Beta Mode Segment:

Tyler Tarver on Twitter: @tylertarver Instagram: @tylertarver Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tylersokay TikTok: @drtylertarver

Dr. Tyler Tarver's wonderful website: https://www.tarveracademy.com/

Listeners please share your thoughts and ideas with us on our social media accounts on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook @thebulldogedu 

You can also follow Matt on instagram @CastIron or Twitter @MatthewCaston

and Kirsten on Instagram or Twitter @teachkiwi, or Facebook or LinkedIN as Kirsten Wilson.

Please subscribe to The Bulldog Educator to continue listening on your favorite podcast platform.

In this episode of The Bulldog Educator, Kirsten talks with Carrie Rogers-Whitehead, author and founder of Digital ResponsAbility. She shares ideas and practical advice for managing screen time without robbing everyone of rest and rejuvenation, and shares some ways she guards her own rest and relaxation.

You can also find Digital ResponsAbility- Carrie’s mission based company focused on digital literacy, safety, and citizenship on Instagram @digitalrespons_ability, Twitter @Digital_Empower, Facebook “Digital Respons-Ability”, and LinkedIN Digital Respons-Ability

Link to Digital ResonsAbility webinars: https://respons-ability.net/category/webinars/

Book ‘Deepening Digtial Citizenship: A Guide to Systemwide Policy and Practice' by Carrie Rogers Whitehead and Dr. Vanessa Moterosa

https://carrotsandcake.com/

Listeners please share your thoughts and ideas with us on our social media accounts on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook @thebulldogedu 

You can also follow Matt on instagram @CastIron or Twitter @MatthewCaston

and Kirsten on Instagram or Twitter @teachkiwi, or Facebook or LinkedIN as Kirsten Wilson.

Please subscribe to The Bulldog Educator to continue listening on your favorite podcast platform.

Matt and Kirsten chat with UofA College of Education and Health Professions PhD Candidate, Krystle Merry. They dive into the challenges of being a doctoral student while managing all of the other responsibilities in life.

Contact Krystle Merry via LinkedIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kmerry/ or on Twitter @krystle_merry

Living in Beta Mode Segment: YouTube Productivity Expert- Thomas Frank

Listeners please share your thoughts and ideas with us on our social media accounts on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook @thebulldogedu 

You can also follow Matt on instagram @CastIron or Twitter @MatthewCaston

and Kirsten on Instagram or Twitter @teachkiwi, or Facebook or LinkedIN as Kirsten Wilson.

Please subscribe to The Bulldog Educator to continue listening on your favorite podcast platform.

In this episode, co-host Kirsten Wilson, while attending Arkansas ASCD "Whole Child Summit" in Northwest Arkansas chats with licensed social worker, Kelly Krout. Kelly, a mental health professional and community outreach specialist for Arisa Health, shares with listeners approaches for families ways to embrace the opportunity to rest, relax, and rejuvenate during the summer. She also shares how she finds ways to rest and relax.

Connect with Kelly Krout on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Living in Beta Mode: Google Add On Momentum

Listeners please share your thoughts and ideas with us on our social media accounts on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook @thebulldogedu 

You can also follow Matt on instagram @CastIron or Twitter @MatthewCaston

and Kirsten on Instagram or Twitter @teachkiwi, or Facebook or LinkedIN as Kirsten Wilson.

Please subscribe to The Bulldog Educator to continue listening on your favorite podcast platform.

In this episode The Bulldog Educator Podcast goes on the road with co-host Matthew Caston. At the Office of Innovation in Education- Innovation Rally, Matthew talks with Carissa Solomon, educator with Embark Education from Denver, Colorado. They talk about the innovative approach that Embark takes with a micro-middle school, how to integrate practices of yoga into every aspect of learning with students to support emotional regulation, and how Carissa recharges after the demands of teaching and parenting.

Embark Education: https://www.embarkeducation.org/

Carissa Solomon on LinkedIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carissa-solomon-54a6b122

Living in Beta Mode- Breathe for Change YouTube Channel

Listeners please share your thoughts and ideas with us on our social media accounts on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook @thebulldogedu 

You can also follow Matt on instagram @CastIron or Twitter @MatthewCaston

and Kirsten on Instagram or Twitter @teachkiwi, or Facebook or LinkedIN as Kirsten Wilson.

In this episode we launch Season 3, introduce that this will be a co-hosted podcast and introduce the host joining Kirsten Wilson, Matthew Caston. Matthew will share with listeners a little bit about himself, his connection to education, and his recent journey with rest and renewal, which is also the theme for Season 3. The episode will end with a new segment “Living in Beta Mode” where co-hosts share a “life-hack”, a great social media educational influencer to follow, a book they recently read, or a podcast to listen to.

Theme:Based on the books:  Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle By Emily Nagoski, Amelia Nagoski

Rest is Resistance by Tricia Hersey

link to article in the show notes taken from the book by Nagoski and Nagoski

“Engage For Success” blog in the article “WHY IT’S IMPORTANT TO SCHEDULE DOWNTIME IN YOUR WORKDAY” by author Debbie Lentz

Listeners please share your thoughts and ideas with us on our social media accounts on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook @thebulldogedu 

You can also follow Matt on instagram @CastIron or Twitter @MatthewCaston

and Kirsten on Instagram or Twitter @teachkiwi, or Facebook or LinkedIN as Kirsten Wilson.

This is the sixth and final episode of a  special series where the Bulldog Educator host, Kirsten Wilson, reflects on the past 5 episodes and how it has impacted her learning. Throughout the episode, there is her personal reflection of the series and excerpts of recordings from previous episodes in this series.

Resources referenced in the episode:

Definition of a Marginalized person:

Gehl, N. (2019, June 28). How to better support your marginalized students. The Art of Education University. Retrieved March 2, 2023, from https://theartofeducation.edu/2019/09/02/how-to-better-support-your-marginalized-students/

4 Essential Questions for the PLC:

Fischer, D., & Frey, N. (2015, February). That pesky fourth PLC question. Solution Tree Blog. Retrieved from https://www.solutiontree.com/blog/that-pesky-fourth-plc-question/

Characteristics of a PLC:

Bailey, K. (2010). 6 essential characteristics of a PLC. Retrieved from https://www-grms.stjohns.k12.fl.us/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/What-it-Means-to-be-a-Model-PLC-School.pdf

Examples of Schools with Effective PLCs that did not follow the PLC framework:

Amy, M. E., Pelligrino, M. J., Slaney, J. D., & Soria, L. R. (2020). Leadership Practices That Support Marginalized Students: How Leaders Support Teacher Leadership For Emergent Bilingual And Latinx Students (dissertation). Boston College University Libraries, Boston, MA. 

Bouffard, S., & Murray, L. (2020, February). Learning Is A Two-Way Street Middle School Strengthens Teaching By Focusing On Student Identity. The Learning Professional, 41(1), 28–31.

Jackson, Y. (2016, February 18). Transformational pedagogy: Cashing the promissory note of equity for all students – especially those who are marginalized. Equity-Centered Capacity Building: Retrieved March 2, 2023, from https://capacitybuildingnetwork.org/article8/ 

Support for including diverse voices in discussions about vulnerability and resilience and to intentionally embedding and protecting the voices of marginalized populations in PLCs:

Levine, T. H. (2019). Overcome 5 PLC Challenges. The Learning Professional, 40(3), 64–68. (https://learningforward.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Overcome-5-PLC-challenges-TOOL.pdf)

To discuss this topic, feel free to email us at [email protected], or connect with us on social media- Twitter: ⁠@thebulldogedu⁠, Facebook- ⁠The Bulldog Edu⁠, Instagram- ⁠@thebulldogedu⁠ or connect with our host, Kirsten Wilson on LinkdedIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kirsten-s-wilson/.