44: Taking Care of Teachers, So They Can Take Care of the Kids

12/14/23 • 63 min

Guest Dr. Debra Gustafson is the Associate Superintendent for the Geary County Unified School District 475 in Juncture City, Kansas. Deb’s primary responsibilities focus on providing leadership and expertise in developing, achieving, and maintaining the district’s educational programs and related services to increase student achievement. SummaryOur conversation focused on the challenges and opportunities of education leadership, particularly in the context of a military community and a high-poverty school district. We discussed the importance of supporting teachers' well-being, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, and highlighted strategies for addressing teacher stress and burnout. We also explored the role of school culture and teacher support in creating a positive and effective learning environment. Additionally, we delved into the flywheel concept for school improvement and discussed education leadership challenges such as teacher shortages and career guidance. Key Takeaways

Build and maintain a consistent strategic plan that eliminates adding flavor-of-the-month responsibilities to the faculty’s already considerable workload. this focus provides stability and avoids faculty burnout.
Understand that student behavior is a way of communicating. To counter ineffective behaviors, the district promotes training around social and emotional learning, making it as important as traditional academics in supporting student wellbeing.
Healing happens in the context of healthy relationships over time. Support staff across the district - nurture the nurturers - to help them best serve their students. Promote healthy school cultures by supporting everyone in the district.
Adopt a flywheel mentality. Build momentum by focusing on achieving a few things that get the achievement ball moving. We can't do everything at once, but we can build toward better.
Referenced Interview with Susan Engel Books by Susan Engel The Intellectual Lives of Children The Hungry Mind Book by Todd Whitaker What Great Principals Do Differently

Build and maintain a consistent strategic plan that eliminates adding flavor-of-the-month responsibilities to the faculty’s already considerable workload. this focus provides stability and avoids faculty burnout.
Understand that student behavior is a way of communicating. To counter ineffective behaviors, the district promotes training around social and emotional learning, making it as important as traditional academics in supporting student wellbeing.
Healing happens in the context of healthy relationships over time. Support staff across the district - nurture the nurturers - to help them best serve their students. Promote healthy school cultures by supporting everyone in the district.
Adopt a flywheel mentality. Build momentum by focusing on achieving a few things that get the achievement ball moving. We can't do everything at once, but we can build toward better.
Referenced Interview with Susan Engel Books by Susan Engel The Intellectual Lives of Children The Hungry Mind Book by Todd Whitaker What Great Principals Do Differently

Previous Episode

43: Developing Culturally Sensitive and Responsive Educators

Guest Gary R. Howard, Ph.D., has been supporting individuals and organizations in the deeper work of personal, professional, and systemic transformation for the purpose of achieving social justice and equity in our schools and our nation.

Howard is the president and founder of the REACH Center for Multicultural Education in Seattle, Washington. He is the author of We Can’t Teach What We Don’t Know 3rd Edition and We Can’t Lead Where We Won’t Go: An Educators’ Guide to Equity.

Summary

In this conversation, Gary Howard invites listeners to engage in reflective thinking about our racializing experiences. He begins by sharing his story of growing up as a White male in cultural isolation to becoming more culturally responsive during his collegiate years in New Haven, Connecticut. Howard emphasizes the importance of a multiethnic, multireligious, multigender teaching corps to understand that the work of personal transformation goes beyond just being culturally aware, beyond multicultural content, and conversations about differences. It is about the deeper work of acknowledging how our racializing experiences may impact our practice and how we relate to ‘others’ in ways we are not consciously aware of.

Next Episode

45: Following a Compassionate, Holistic Approach with Students

Summary Our discussion explored visioning and building schools through a more holistic, compassionate approach to working with students. The Rainbow Community School in Ashville, NC, was used as a case study. Drs. Renee Owen and Christine Mason led us into trauma-informed visioning, weaving understanding and support into the fabric of schools. We learned to craft visions prioritizing relationships, well-being, and spiritual connections, fostering student growth beyond traditional academic metrics. Our guests Dr. Christine Mason Executive Director, Center for Educational Improvement; Assistant Clinical Professor, Department of Psychiatry Yale University School of Medicine, Program for Recovery and Community Health; Chief Advisor, Childhood-Trauma Learning Collaborative; New England Mental Health Technology Transfer Center. Dr. Mason is also the co-author of a number of books, notably Visioning Onward and Compassionate School Practices. Dr. Renee Owen is a researcher, author, consultant and teacher in the fields of adult learning and educational leadership. Dr. Owen is Assistant Professor and Coordinator of Education Leadership at Southern Oregon University. She is also Editor of the Holistic Educational Review, an Open Access Journal. Renee was a school leader for over 20 years at unique public and private schools. As Director at Rainbow Community School in Asheville, NC, Renee was honored as an Ashoka Change Leader for her work in making holistic education more accessible. Dr. Owen’s life-long work is for education to be a vehicle for helping people to thrive. As you listen

What is visioning, and how does a vision help with creating a trauma-informed, safe school?
What is the main core value needed to focus on a compassionate school model?
What was the vision for Rainbow Community School and how was it implemented in the community?
Why is a constant discussion with school leaders and students necessary for following the visioning plan?
What are some examples of trauma held by students? How do group spaces help address these situations?
How does taking risks while feeling safe help with resilience?