S9 Episode 17: Reflections on My First Year of Teaching with Brianna Winiesdorffer

05/06/21 • 19 min

Brianna Winiesdorffer returns to 3Ps in a Pod to talk with hosts Danielle and Kathleen about her first year of teaching as she nears the end of the school year.

3Ps in a Pod first featured Winiesdorffer in March 2020 as she neared her graduation from Northern Arizona University. Danielle and Kathleen then caught up with “Ms. Winnie” a few months into her teaching career last December. We’ve also been sharing about Winiesdorffer’s journey through her first year as a teacher in a collection of blog posts.

Now just weeks from the end of her first year as a teacher, Winiesdorffer shares with Danielle and Kathleen about the highlights, the challenges, and what she’s learned through the past year. She reflects on what she had expected and what she actually experienced as a new teacher. Winiesdorffer also talks about how she plans to use her summer break to both relax and plan for her next year when she’ll be teaching geometry instead of algebra, which she taught this year.

Winiesdorffer is a part of the Arizona Teachers Academy, which provides funding to support teachers throughout their career. This program’s initiatives include helping cover expenses at the pre-service level, providing mentoring and professional development for beginning teachers, and supporting teachers in pursuing National Board Certification. You can hear more about the multifaceted Arizona Teachers Academy in this 3Ps episode from earlier last fall.

All Arizona beginning teachers (those who will be in their first, second, or third year of teaching this fall) are invited to attend the Beginning Teacher Institute this June. The three-day, online event will feature several outstanding educators including Sarah Brown Wessling, the 2010 National Teacher of the Year; Cornelius Minor, a Brooklyn educator who established The Minor Collective, a community-based movement designed to foster sustainable change in schools; Julie Causton, founder and CEO of Inclusive Schooling; and Michelle Doherty, the 2017 Arizona Teacher of the Year.

Learn more about the Arizona K12 Center at azk12.org.

Brianna Winiesdorffer returns to 3Ps in a Pod to talk with hosts Danielle and Kathleen about her first year of teaching as she nears the end of the school year.

Learn more about the Arizona K12 Center at azk12.org.

Previous Episode

S9 Episode 16: Advancing Literacy in Arizona with Sophie Allen-Etchart

Sophie Allen-Etchart’s passion for literacy led her to create an Arizona organization to help develop a love of reading and learning in Arizona students.

In today’s episode of 3Ps in a Pod, hosts Danielle and Kathleen welcome Allen-Etchardt to the podcast to talk about the impact of literacy comprehension and the work of the organization she leads, Read Better Be Better. Allen-Etchart shares about Read Better Be Better’s work, how it has advanced since its start in 2014, and the meaningful change growing out of this work. She also talks about how the organization pivoted from providing an in-person after-school program to an at-home program because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

You can also find Read Better Be Better on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Learn more about the Arizona K12 Center at azk12.org.

Next Episode

S9 Episode 18: New Opportunities for Arizona Students with Jaime Casap

For our season finale, we welcome Jaime Casap, former Google Education Evangelist, to 3Ps in a Pod.

Hosts Angelia and Danielle share about the impact that Casap has had on their work before inviting him on to the show. Casap reflects on the past year in education, especially the amount everyone has learned and how to use that learning to create a more equitable future for everyone.

Looking to the future, Casap talks about the importance of supporting students in becoming the world’s problem solvers, moving from an emphasis on preparing students for college and career to developing students to be change agents and entrepreneurs.

Experience more with Jaime Casap at the 16th Annual Teacher Leadership Institute: Where Curiosity and Leadership Unite from June 21 to 23, 2021. Casap, Dr. Gholdy Muhammad, and Trevor MacKenzie are this year’s general session facilitators, leading this dynamic event along with members of the Arizona TeacherSolutions Team and other outstanding Arizona teacher leaders. Learn more and register at azk12.org/TLI2021.

Learn more about the Arizona K12 Center at azk12.org.