The Transformed Teacher

Lee-Ann Meredith is a veteran educator as well as a joyful and passionate edupreneur. In this episode, she shares her time-tested techniques and proven strategies to help you feel calmer and more balanced in whatever phase of life you are in or in whatever capacity you find yourself caring for young people. As the founder of Wise Mindful Meditation, Lee-Ann teaches families and teachers how to make mindfulness part of their daily lives. She is the author of Angels in My Classroom: How Second Graders Saved My Life and the author of Lake Lessons: A Journey Toward Joy. Lee-Ann is also a Usui Reiki Master-Teacher. Follow Lee-Ann on Instagram or join her "You Are Wise" Facebook group. Learn more at leeannmeredith.com.

In this interview, we're chatting with Jill Loesch - a mother, wife, and veteran educator whose experience helping students and teachers spans 25 years, Jill specializes in creating practical systems that can be integrated in content areas, daily scheduling, and teacher planning time with the intention to support student learning AND teachers in taking care of their needs in and out of the classroom to reduce stress and avoid burnout. The Self Nurtured Teacher™ was created out of her own self-nurturing practices after a life-threatening diagnosis of Addison’s Disease in 2017. She could no longer keep doing what she had been doing and stay alive. Something had to change. Jill focuses on helping other teachers create habits and mindsets that support them personally and professionally. In this episodes, she shares with us some practical habits and systems we can put in place to help us thrive.

Learn more about how Jill can help you at www.selfnurturedteacher.com

In this episode, you're in for a treat! Soak up the wisdom and encouragement from the big, beautiful heart of veteran educator Rita Wirtz.

Mrs. Wirtz served as Title I ESEA Program Evaluator in the California Penal System, Curriculum Consultant for Sacramento County Office of Education, School Principal, pre-6th, Reading Instructor, K‐Adult Teacher, and Special Needs Educator. 

She shared her experiences as Keynote Speaker and Seminar Leader traveling throughout the United States inspiring other educators and parents. She has volunteered on numerous boards in Sacramento, California including Homeless Coalition, SARB (School Attendance and Review), Neighborhood Study Center, Fantasy Theatre, Harmony Arts, etc. She also volunteered for Homeschool groups, offering Keynotes and workshops on reading instruction.  Rita taught about thirty neediest of the needy kiddos around her potbelly stove (literally) in their historic 1858 cabin house. Kids learned to read with Mark Twain maybe looking on. One became a rocket scientist!  

Rita Keynoted for a multitude of organizations including school districts, California School Boards Association, Chapman University Commencements, Child Welfare and Attendance, Migrant education‐ Mini Corps, Kindergarten Conferences, Head Start, CASCD and ASCD, U.S. and international. (Supervision and Curriculum groups). Also, Mentor Teachers, Learning Disabilities Conferences, ECE (Early Childhood Education), Special Education SELPAs (service areas), etc.  

Mrs. Wirtz holds a BA in English and Speech, Reading Specialist, Masters in Reading, and Administrative Services Credential, pre‐Adult. Because of her work with speed reading, she also became a certified Hypnotherapist and NLP (Neurolinguistics) practitioner. Rita also studied ‘Brain Gym’. She is devoted to helping other instructors by sharing extensive life-affirming experiences. Through her 'Housecalls’, she provided demonstration lessons in nearly 600 classrooms, with all ages, preschool‐adult. Walking the talk made her a sought-after personality, with rave reviews at each appearance.  

Besides teaching, her greatest love of all is writing. “Writing is like breathing.” She has written a number of reading books for parents and teachers including "Reading Champs: Teaching Reading Made Easy" published in 2014, and published her memoir about her life as a teacher, “Stories from a Teacher’s Heart: Memories of Love, Life and Family” (’19). Rita’s newest book, published March ’21, is “Reading Champions! Second Edition, Teaching Reading Made Easy! “  In addition, as a Featured blogger on Bam! Internet Radio’s Ed Words, Rita continues to bring fresh insights to the world of education and life. There are more than 150 blogs for you to select from, on reading topics and everyday life. 

Mrs. Wirtz reflects on her accomplished career with humility and reflections of how all working toward common goals make a difference. 

Click HERE to keep up with Rita on Twitter

Click HERE to read Rita's blog posts on BAM Education Network

Click HERE to learn more about Rita's books