Transcript

Welcome to BLaST the Airwaves with BLaST Intermediate Unit 17. Here at BLaST Intermediate Unit 17, we strive to transform lives and communities through educational services. On this podcast, we will provide you with educational solutions for all, no matter the learning environment. So teachers, administrators, caregivers, what are you waiting for?

What would happen if we started questioning, what if? What if we had a positive perspective on education? What if we flip the switch on education? What if we were the solution?
Hello listeners. We are excited to BLaST the Airways with you today and provide educational solutions for all. My name is Rebecca Gibboney, and I am the Curriculum and Online Learning Specialist here at BLaST Intermediate Unit 17. I am thrilled to welcome you to episode five of BLaST the Airwaves. During this episode, we will discuss where we even begin in our bag of tricks. I mean, do we even have a bag of tricks? Of course, we do! You just might have to dig a little deeper this year in that bag of yours to find them. We have spent our first episodes discussing self-care, but now we are shifting gears to discuss how we plan for those first couple of days, weeks maybe even months of school. It’s time to start BLaSTing the Airwaves.

Let’s play a little bit of name that phrase (a twist of, let’s say, name that tune). Shall we? Who can name the movie?
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Let me play it one more time for you.
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How about, who can name the character?
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One more time.
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Who can name the year of the original movie? Just kidding. We don’t need to get that deep!

But if you said Mary Poppins, you are spot on! The movie is Mary Poppins and the character is Mary Poppins. Give yourself an air high five (high five).

I do not know about you, but I feel like these first couple of weeks of school I have been like Mary Poppins in more ways than one!

First of all, I feel like I have to carry around a bag of tricks everywhere I go, prepared for anything that might come my way. Not to mention, my real purse, that I actually carry, feels like a Mary Poppin’s purse, because I do not even have the time of day to organize it.

Secondly, supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. Try saying that 10 times fast. Better yet, try spelling it without looking in the show notes. Anyways, these first couple of days, weeks, days, have felt like I’m just mixing it all together and going with it. I think it is working, for now; and, then, is it? You know, just going with it and putting some things together, there’s nothing wrong with that right now.

However, I think that Fisher, Frey, and Hattie say it best in their playbook. They reiterate what Mary Poppins says, “well begun is half done.” In which case, they are emphasizing that no matter which way you are starting off your year (face-to-face, completely remote, hybrid), you want to make sure you start it off right. And, lucky for you, these next four episodes are going to help you with kicking off the first couple of days, weeks, and even months off right.

Because think about it, what you did when we were completely face-to-face, without social distancing and without masks, we still need to do that now. We still need to learn student names. We still need to personalize learning spaces. We still need to greet students. We still need to do all of these things.

You still need to create a personal and safe learning community. You need to make your students feel human and loved in any way you can. They need to feel part of something more than themselves. Part of your class. Part of your school. Part of your family. Those things never change.

All we need to do is rethink how we do it. Sometimes easy; sometimes hard. Yet, we need a plan and we need to be proactive.

So, grab your spoonful of sugar for some energy, and, together, let’s think about some ways we can make this happen!

For now, I want you to you re-root yourself. Take out your learning philosophy that you wrote back in Education 101. And, here, you might need to pause to try and find it. Maybe you know where it is, great! Maybe it’s buried in a filing cabinet, dust it off. Maybe you have no clue where the first place you would start to look for it, hmm, perhaps consider writing a new one.

Pull out that learning philosophy and review it. What are your views and beliefs? What are your values? What is your why? Hey, team, in case you have been too busy thinking about how to change everything (like me), take a deep breath and take ten steps backward.

This, 10 steps backward and a deep breath after, is where we start. This is where you started maybe thirty years ago or 15 years ago or maybe even last year, if it is your first year of teaching. And, this is where we will start today. From the beginning, because your views, your beliefs, and your values, your why, those do not change, either. Could they have evolved? Sure! I mean, I hope they have as education has evolved. But, my point is, they should not have changed overnight, just because we have the technology thing right in front of us.

For example, I used to believe that every student could learn; and, yes, I still believe every student can learn. I used to value teaching the whole student; and, look at that, I still believe in valuing and teaching the whole student.

Let’s think about how you decorate your classroom door? It is easy when you are face-to-face, but what happens if you aren’t? I’ve seen the virtual lockers floating around on social media. Perhaps you change your virtual background? I used to always have Spanish music playing, as students entered my classroom. Yes, I was that rowdy classroom and I’m sure that is why they put me at the end of the hallway. But, does this have to change? Of course not! Have music playing as students enter your virtual classroom. Play name that tune as they enter!

We all are like Mary Poppins; we have our bags of tricks. It may not feel like your bag is very full right now, but you still have those tricks. I promise you! And guess what, you are probably going to find some new ones along the way as well. It might take a little more brainstorming. It might take a little more research. It might take a call to your accountability partner, but those tricks are there, and these next three or four episodes will help you visualize what you used to do and find solutions to how you can do it now! Yes, we have flipped the world and flipped the education world right now; but, you can stay grounded.

So, you may be in week three or week 6 but start today. Start with your values and core beliefs because as Mary Poppins says, “the day is full of possibilities. It’s all in the way you look at things. After all, you carry the magic with you.”

This week BLaST Intermediate Unit 17 will be kicking off their Online Learning Hub with FREE 20-30 minute professional development offerings on Wednesdays and Fridays. All are welcome! Some sessions are live, but all sessions are recorded! Check out www.iu17.org for more information.

We would like to thank you for blasting the airwaves with us today. If you like the show, please subscribe or leave a review. If you want to know more, check out www.iu17.org for further resources and show notes. As always, we want to thank you for what you do every single day. Remember, keep shining. We’ll be back next episode to provide you another educational solution for all, as we continue to transform lives and communities through educational services.

Additional/Suggested resources mentioned in the episode:

The Distance Learning Playbook by Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey, and John Hattie

Mary Poppins Clip provided by 101Soundboards

How to Make a Virtual Locker

BLaST Intermediate Unit 17 – www.iu17.org 

Professional Learning Opportunities at BLaST IU 17 – https://www.iu17.org/professional-learning/ 

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