In this episode of the podcast we are focusing on the specific wellness needs of "specials" or intercore teachers in Washington DC. "Specials" covers the arts, like music and visual arts, as well as P.E., library/media, language programming, STEM activities, and more. As many parents can attest, specials are often what our kids talk about most at the end of the day, and can provide the kind of balanced education that can help students become life long lovers of learning. 

And yet, too often we leave the work of special teachers out of the conversation about educator wellness. Because these teachers have access to most grade-levels, they both have a different perspective and different wellness needs than classroom teachers. By taking time to understand their experiences, we can learn essential information for education policy and design. 

To explore their wellness needs further, we are joined by three specials teachers in DC. Rachel Hargreaves teaches art at Deal Middle School, Dr. Robert Bannister is Burroughs Elementary School's music teacher, and Kerri Richardson-Redding is Savoy Elementary School's library/media specialist. As you'll hear, they represent a wealth of education experience and human knowledge.

We discuss:

• The ways planning time and daily scheduling can look very different for specials teachers.
• The importance of specializing within specials to create a strong program. 
• How the education system could become stronger with a greater emphasis on intercore.
• And much more!

We are so grateful to our guests and for the rich topics that emerged in the conversation. We're also grateful to you for listening and sharing our podcast with others! As always, please take good care of yourself and reach out if you need anything!

Thank you for listening! Please learn more about our educator wellness work in schools at or email [email protected]