We Teach Inspired!!

We had the pleasure of interviewing Stephanie Edmonds (@class.disruption) for this episode of the VALUE ADDS VALUE PODCAST! We learned from Steph, who is a high school social studies teacher in Brooklyn, what it means to stay foolish. In part 1 of this 2 part interview we talked with her about her journey to the classroom, why Social Studies teachers have it the best, and why student interest have to take center stage in our classrooms!

Please take the time to check out Steph's work on Youtube!

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFsqeatY7gJGYLPYc-AXslQ

To learn more about the work we do through our non-profit LIGHTHOUSE EDUCATOR DEVELOPMENT visit us at theledproject.com!

If you'd like to support our work please head over to anchor.fm/valueaddsvalue and click the SUPPORT button or go to classy.org/valueaddsvalue!

We know that ego is meant to protect us from danger and to allow us to achieve more, but what happens when we teach purely driven by ego? In our experience the results haven't been good. We have been having a lot of conversations about humility over the last few weeks and flipped the conversation one day to ego.  In this episode we discussed what the dangers are of being an ego driven teacher and how your students will suffer if you are. The key word in this definition is DRIVEN. We all need to have ego, but we can't be driven by it.

Principal Amen Rahh (@principalrahh) runs University Pathways Public Service Academy in Compton, California. The mission of University Pathways Public Service Academy (The U) is to provide students with the opportunity to concurrently earn a high school diploma and an Associated Arts degree. The U’s commitment is to educate, empower, and enable all students to become agents of change that are equipped with strong foundations in reading, writing, mathematical, and leadership skills.

We had the chance to talk with Amen about his journey from promising college football player to educational assistant to social studies teacher and finally to principal! Along the way we had the chance to talk about the lasting impact of Kobe Bryant, why he chose to return to teach in the neighborhoods where he grew up, and why he puts relationships above everything else for his teachers and students. We hope this episode helps you turn your countdown to summer into a countdown of time to make a difference! 

To learn more about Principal Rahh and his work visit THE U's website! https://www.theupathways.com/

To learn more about our programs head over to theledproject.com! 

To try Nearpod for FREE visit go.nearpod.com/valueaddsvalue!

We wanted to share a presentation Kyle gave during the Educators 2 Educators Summer Conference (https://www.educators2educators.com) that is a message that Wilkie originally shared on the podcast about the importance of keeping it 100 with your students. The expanded version of this talk goes into why as teachers the most important person to be transparent with is yourself! This talk is about how your teaching practice can grow if you are willing to truly reflect on it. If you'd like to learn more about the professional developments we offer through our non-profit Lighthouse Educator Development please visit theledproject.com!

We had the great pleasure of meeting Lauren Roig on the Teach Your Heart Out Cruise and it was such a pleasure to reconnect with her! We found her journey to the classroom fascinating and her experiences truly shape her as an educator.  Lauren is an 8th grade ELA teacher in the suburbs of Houston who has visited 47 different countries, has a degree in International Relations and a Master's in International Business and had an internship at the U.S. Embassy in London! Add three years a flight attendant on international flights and you understand the dynamic experiences she brings to her classroom.

Lauren's message to students, "You can do anything you want if you're willing to work hard enough and understand that your path will be different than the path that others take." Much of what we talked with Lauren about was how her dad instilled in her the idea that anything is possible if you'll work hard enough for it. She reminds us to be careful of how we speak of challenges as teachers because our students are listening. Lauren challenges us to help kids break free from their thinking paths in order to see their roads to success!

If you want to connect with Lauren for teaching advice or travel advice find her on Instagram @therealtravelingteacher!

If you want to support the podcast visit anchor.fm/valueaddsvalue and hit the SUPPORT button!

To support our non-profit work through Lighthouse Educator Development visit classy.org/valueaddsvalue!

To learn more about all the projects we've got going visit theledproject.com!

To try Nearpod for free head over to go.nearpod.com/valueaddsvalue!

It was nice to have a fellow Texas State Bobcat on the podcast... Ms. Dailene Hendon!! (@cohortofcare on Instagram)We had the chance to talk about her experience student teaching abroad, the approach she takes in pursuing her PhD. in education, how she plans on using her doctorate when she gets it. Dailene also talked about the mindset needed and priorities that she has set in order to pursue her advanced degree while maintaining a self care routine. Here's a hint... you have to cut a lot of things out of your life! To hear this and so much more check out this episode of the Value Adds Value Podcast! If you want to reach out to use you can find us on Instagram and Twitter @valueaddsvalue or send us an email at [email protected]!

To learn more about the projects we are working on at Lighthouse Educator Development visit theledproject.com!

To support our podcast visit anchor.fm/valueaddsvalue and click the support button!

To support the work we do through our non-profit go to classy.org/valueaddsvalue!

To try Nearpod for free head over to go.nearpod.com/valueaddsvalue!

This is the second half of our fourth interview with Gary Gray Jr. (@garyrgrayjr) and we asked him how he has curated his classroom libraries with books that his students can see themselves in. Whenever we are in need of book recommendation or have questions on how we can be more culturally responsive in our teaching Gary is one of the first people we reach out to.  He always uses the metaphor of WINDOWS, MIRRORS, and DOORS when describing the books that students need. The need books that are mirrors they can see themselves in, books that are windows to see the world through, and doors for the to step through to grow in their understanding of others.

Throw in a little NBA talk and this episode is everything we hoped it would be!

Thanks again to our brother Gary Gray Jr. for spending time with us and thank you for listening! 

Find Gary on Twitter, Youtube and Instagram @garyrgrayjr!

To learn more about Lighthouse Educator Development and the projects we're pursuing head to theledproject.com!

Be sure to also check out our Youtube channel:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQ7hVS9BqW0OFOO5SFKxydA

You can support the podcast be heading to anchor.fm/valueaddsvalue and clicking the SUPPORT button!

You can support our nonprofit and our projects like THE MUSIC AND ARTS COLLECTIVE at classy.org/valueaddsvalue!

Throwback Thursday to our first episode with w/ Gary Gray Jr!

Over the course of this 2.5 year journey of creating a podcast we've been blessed with so many new relationships, but the one we have with Gary Gray Jr. is at the top of the list of most valued! Not only is he an incredible teacher who is providing amazing content to teachers across the world, but he is genuinely one of the most caring people we've ever met. He has continually been willing to be a sounding board for us and has provide perspective and wisdom at every turn. We hope you enjoy the first part of our conversation with Gary on the burdens of being a content creator as an educator, his move to Manila, and how we can grow in our practice of being culturally responsive as educators. We're sure you already follow Gary, but please go subscribe to his Youtube channel!! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUY2yhkrA78P6tfXV0Zfy8g If you are interested in getting PD hours on your own terms and improving your relationships at school then please visit theledproject.com!

We are happy to share with you part 1 of a 2 part interview with our good friend Gary Gray Jr. We are so blessed to call Gary and his wife Narin family and to have interviewed him four times for the podcast. On this episode we caught up with Gary for the first time since the summer of 2019 to discuss with him his move from Singapore to Manila, what it has been like to be off of Instagram, and how he has built a thriving professional development community on Twitter. 

Once again this conversation centers around helping teachers find their authenticity and voice so that we can help students do the same thing. Gary strives to make every student feel seen and be the curator of their own learning. It got super interesting when we talked about whether the traditional role of the teacher as "content expert" has become outdated when our students can fact check us with Alexa, Siri, and Google.

In the second part of the episode we'll be talking about how to create a library that is inclusive and so much more!

Thank you for listening the podcast! If you'd like to support us here are some ways to do it:

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As always you can find us on Instagram and Twitter @valueaddsvalue or at theledproject.com!

We had the privilege of being presenters in the Educators 2 Educators New Years Reboot Conference and for those of you that didn't attend we wanted to share our talk on making HALFTIME ADJUSTMENTS! Halftime adjustments are a key to the success of every great sports team. When you get ready for a game (READ GET READY TO TEACH A CLASS) we have a game plan for how we want to approach the class. 

What is your curriculum? 

Who are your students? 

What are your objectives? 

Which pedagogies will you use?

However, we know that classes will always present you with challenges you didn't anticipate. HALFTIME ADJUSTMENTS are how you apply what you learned in the first part of the year!! We share with you the questions we ask ourselves to reflect on our teaching and make the adjustments to be successful in the second part of the year. We hope this episode helps you become the teacher your kids deserve!

To learn more about Educators 2 Educators head to their website: www.educators2educators.com

To learn more about our projects head over to theledproject.com!

To join our learning community check out patreon.com/valueaddsvalue!

To try Nearpod for free head over to www.go.nearpod.com/valueaddsvalue!