Just Schools

Educational Pluralism for the Common Good: Deani Van Pelt

In this podcast episode, Jon Eckert interviews Deani Van Pelt, who leads an association of independent Christian schools in Ontario, Canada. They discuss trends in education, including increased parental engagement and the growth of alternative forms of education. They also touch on the work of Cardus, a think tank focused on education for the common good, and the importance of using industry best practices in education. Van Pelt highlights the ideas of Charlotte Mason, an educator from the early 20th century, who emphasized the importance of relationships and the development of the whole person in education. They also discuss the role of empathy and narration in learning, and the challenges and opportunities facing education today.To learn more, order Jon's book, Just Teaching: Feedback, Engagement, and Well-Being for Each Student.
 
The Just Schools Podcast is brought to you by the Baylor Center for School Leadership. Each week, we'll talk to catalytic educators who are doing amazing work.
 
Be encouraged.Connect with us:
Baylor MA in School Leadership
Jon Eckert: @eckertjon
Center for School Leadership at Baylor University: @baylorcsl
 
Mentioned:
Understanding by Design: Professional Development Workbook by Jay McTighe, Grant Wiggins
From Strength to Strength: Finding Success, Happiness, and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life by Arthur Brooks
The Whalebone Theatre: A Read with Jenna Pick by Joanna Quinn
 
Jon Eckert:
Welcome back to The Just Schools Podcast. Today we're here with good friend Deani Van Pelt, another friend from Canada. We've had some great insights from educators in Canada. So first of all, welcome, Deani. It's great to have you. And just tell us a little bit about what you do now and how you got to what you do right now. And then we'll jump into some trends that we're seeing and some cool ideas and how to better engage students.
Deani Van Pelt:
Great to be here, Jon. Always good to be in conversation with you. And greetings from Canada. I'm sitting here in a nice icy weather just outside of Toronto. Currently, I lead an association of independent Christian schools here in Ontario. We've got almost 100 private Christian schools that are part of our association. So many dynamic committed leaders and educators within the network, within there's about 20,000 students whose lives we're privileged to be part of through the work that we do in our association. We do some on learning, some on leadership, some on government advocacy and a lot of work on school support. Just helping schools to be the absolute best they can be, most professional, most effective in our times. So it's fantastic to be able to serve the independent school sector here in Canada in that way. We do lots of work as you know John, that's how you and I met, with leaders in Christian education across Canada but also across North America and across the pond with the UK and other countries.
And we've just learned so much from each other as we network and connect with one another. We're soon going to be bringing a whole cohort of Christian school leaders from Canada over to the UK. And just find that our optimism, our focus, our leadership abilities really increased through these engagements and just so privileged to be part of that.
Jon Eckert:
That's great. No, I was going to say I love what you do through Advance. And then we also get to overlap through Cardus as senior fellows because they're all looking at education for the common good. And what does that mean? To educate in ways that serve the public because sometimes, at least in the US, we think of public schools as obviously being for the public good. We want to do that. I spent 12 years teaching in public schools, but then how do other schools contribute to that public good? And so, Cardus is a think tank that does a lot of good work in one section is education, that's where we overlap. So just talk a little bit about your work there, how that ties into Advance and some of the cool things that you get to do, where you see some of that work going.
Deani Van Pelt:
One of my favorite short statements about education comes from Cardus and they say all education is public education. It doesn't matter where it's happening, it's all for the common good. It's all the education of the public for the common good. And for some it's government schools, for others it's in an independent school. And now we're seeing all of these out of system types or forms of education that are starting up. It's all education is public education. So along those lines, Cardus does a lot of work as looking at the independent school sector. They're really interested in the good that can come out of non-government schooling. So you and I we're both so privileged to be part of these research teams, looking at so many different aspects of the independent school sector. There's quite a few senior fellows at Cardus on the education file. And together with each one of us with our different areas of expertise, the whole school of thought out of Cardus is becoming increasingly sophisticated.
And if your listeners haven't taken a look lately at Cardus' education research, I highly recommend it. I scrolled through again yesterday. It's fantastic the number of studies that are coming out of Cardus through the collaboration across quite a few researchers.
Jon Eckert:
Well, and Cardus was great. They were able to publish a collective leadership paper that looks at what collective leadership looks like in independent schools that I had worked on. And I really appreciated them putting that white paper out. But they do have a number of amazing white papers. And then we survey educational outcomes for people 24 to 39. And I guess Cardus has been doing that for 13 years. I've been a part of it now for the last few. And we have that data. We just did another data collection that will be coming out with results from that relatively soon where we can just take an open-minded, even-handed look at what the data is showing for what kinds of outcomes we're getting from all of these kinds of education that contribute to the common good, which I think is important. And I think those are really useful conversations to have.
So with that said, what are some of the trends you're seeing in education in Canada they get you excited, and maybe some of the trends that you're a little more concerned about as you look ahead at what's coming? Since you get to work with so many different school leaders, you obviously have that and you place some in the policy space. So what are some trends you're excited about and maybe some you're concerned about?
Deani Van Pelt:
Yeah, so I would say the biggest trend is that parents are really dialed into their kids' education. COVID gave people a glimpse as to what was going on, and I think more and more parents started being involved, started asking questions. Some were pretty satisfied with what they saw and they were really contributing, some not so satisfied and started asking some other questions. But the point is, parents are probably more engaged in their kids' education than we've seen in quite a few decades. So that's a key trend and a number are making different choices for their children schooling. But it isn't just on that we call the demand side of choosing something different. It's also the provision, John, so many new independent or other sorts of out of system forms of education are starting up. And that is a significant trend, particularly here in the province of Ontario where I am.
A couple of 100 independent schools have opened just in the last two years in this province. That kind of growth it hasn't been seen before. So also growth in homeschooling, but homeschooling isn't what it used to be. It now takes this kind of hybrid form where there's a few days where you might be at home and then a few days of the week where you're out in a more group setting. Perhaps you're registered as part of a school, maybe it's delivered through hybrid means so you're part of a school but it's a virtual school. So just the diversity, the categories, I would say the trend in the categories no longer being so distinct, public school, independent school, homeschool, that's changing. And that's really fun. I love entrepreneurs. I love an entrepreneurial spirit. And you've heard the new word, entrepreneur, and I think that's exactly these are the days of entrepreneurship. And it's really exciting to see people with very high capacity individuals but also communities coming together and saying, "I think we can do this differently. We can do this better." And giving it a try, that's a fantastic trend and that's global.
Jon Eckert:
Yeah, I would agree that that is definitely pervasive. And as you see that, do you see any challenges or headwinds for education that give you pause, or that you feel like we really need to be focusing on to overcome?
Deani Van Pelt:
Yeah, exactly. There are a lot of industry standards as you and I know. There are best practices, there are some fantastic insights that we know about how children learn, about what optimal teaching and learning environments can be, that these entrepreneurs really should be considering. So at Advance, for example, we help schools with their operations. It's basic. You need these certain types of policies, all right, here they are. Take a look at all of these. Make sure you're at very minimum doing all of these things. You want to operate a safe, healthy school that follows whatever the requirements are, the legislative requirements are for the jurisdiction in which you find yourself. So get up to speed, find the organizations that can help you to operate safely and well. So don't try to do it all on your own, I guess is what I'm trying to say. And good entrepreneurs know that as well to use industry best standards, best practices. So that would be a challenge but the solution's available. There are fantastic associations like ours and other supports across every educational jurisdiction, and I think folks just want to seek those out.
Jon Eckert:
That's good. I like that your challenges even offer some hope and some ways forward. Well, one of the things that I think is interesting is you talk about these shifts that have been happening fairly rapidly since COVID. One of your deep passions is based on Charlotte Mason who was born in 1842. So has some timeless truths in some of the ways that she approached education and a liberal education, and what that means to really educate whole people. She is well known in some circles. And then many people that are listening may not have heard of Charlotte Mason. So tell us a little bit about where you find hope in Charlotte Mason for where we're at now as we have these, as you use the term entrepreneurs. As we think about that, well, how do we stick to these timeless truths with all these different delivery mechanisms and ways we can deliver education? Where do you see those things overlapping?
Deani Van Pelt:
Yeah, great question. And indeed, she died just over 100 years ago, so what on earth are we doing talking about a person... How on earth? The turn of the 20th century but indeed there are some timeless principles. And I love Charlotte Mason's idea about education being about relations, relationships or education being the science of relations. If you think of that as a metaphor for what it is we're actually trying to do as educators, it's a fruitful notion. So if you think about the purpose of education is to build relationships as Charlotte Mason would say, in four different areas. So relationship with self, relationship with others, so others being people who lived in the past, people who live now in other places maybe than your own context, but also your own context and thinking about people who'll live in the future. You say, "Oh yeah, this makes sense."
Well, and then the third type of relationship, relationship with the universe. Well, what's that? Nature, all of the aspects of the universe, science around us. And then fourthly, relationships with God, relationship with the divine. Understanding that the child has the whole person, does include the spiritual, the emotional, the intellectual aspects. So if you think about all of what we do under this umbrella of relationship building and that all of education is about, it has this relational feeling, that makes sense. But then on top of it, Mason says, "Students, people, children are born persons." And she doesn't say they're born individuals, she says they're born persons. So her anthropology talks about personhood. And I did some digging a little while ago because that just started bothering me, what does she mean by this? Why is this so revolutionary? In Canada women were declared persons in 1929. Okay, so legally we became persons less than 100 years ago. Is that-
Jon Eckert:
That's good to know, major jump.
Deani Van Pelt:
But it wasn't just that legal definition, it was more than that. What is personhood? If you hold that view of the human being that they are persons, it means that you hold to the fact that they are born into and born for relationship. So the idea is that the child as a person isn't an individual, lonely, isolated, autonomous, even just self-centered and sort of almost free floating. We can start getting pretty negative if we use the sense of the child as an individual. But if we think about the child as a person, they're born into something already preexisting. They're in a certain time and place, born into certain relationships, and then born for relationship. That's what I love about Mason. If you say your education philosophy is for a certain thing and then it's rooted in your anthropology or understanding of the human person, it's a pretty coherent philosophy. I like that. I love as well that it's got that whole theological side and well-rounded side. So obviously it has some practical implications. What does a relational education look like?
Jon Eckert:
Well, and I love that piece about it being relational. And when we think about the highest form of understanding in the US, Wiggins and McTighe wrote the book Understanding by Design. And they put at the top level of understanding empathy. And it makes a lot of sense because in order to understand anything, you have to understand yourself and your place in it. But to be able to understand the perspective of someone else, you understand the concept well enough that you can actually understand it from the perspective of another person, that feels like a timeless truth about what it is to truly understand and very much grounded in Charlotte Mason. One other thing that came to mind when you shared that is Arthur Brooks' book From Strength to Strength. He ends his book with this, basically this is his life motto, and it is to use things, love others and worship the divine. That's it. He's like, we don't use people, we use things. We don't love things, we love others. And ultimately our goal is to worship the divine. That feels like that would fit pretty nicely with Charlotte Mason, would you agree?
Deani Van Pelt:
Oh, absolutely. And then to go back to the first point that you made about empathy, Charlotte Mason would say, especially when you're introducing a subject to a child, teach it through literature, teach it through what she called living books. Textbooks are great. You want to drill down and learn more about a certain topic, but don't introduce it. Use living books, use a story, beautiful language to pull a child into a setting, a time, a place, build that empathy. And we've learned that if the amygdala is stimulated, learning's going to be more solid. So stimulate the emotions, draw the child into a topic area. And I just love that sense like that and many good educators use that practice. Of course, as you say, it's a timeless idea. Use the story, use great books, living books to bring a child into caring about ideas and things.
So the other aspect to build the full person, because you did talk about Arthur Brooks saying use things, is that education will happen by books and things. The child does have that intellectual, the emotional but they also have the physical. And if we include in our education, a lot of use of our hands, building, creating, making, that helps build another aspect of the personhood and creates obviously a certain kind of confidence and an engagement with the world that has many levels to it. So books and things as a full education in Charlotte Mason's approach. And I was looking at what some of your definitions are for engaged learning. I love your book, Just Teaching, and just so happy to be able to refer back to it. But you talk about the consolidation and creation as being part of being engaged. And Mason has this notion called narration.
So let's say think of a child early in their education, we read a living book, we read the story and then the child tells back. So verbally telling back what they just heard, retelling. And we've learned that narration it's not a test to see if you caught what was in the story, but it's by that very act of giving back you are consolidating the ideas, you're making them your own, you're verbalizing. So now we're developing oracy. And so the thoughts become the child's own, that is the process of learning. It's not the test but narration is the way of consolidating. Then the creation side is, okay, how do we verbally explain later on a child's education? Their narration will take written forms, but it can also take other forms. They create items that are ways of narrating their learning. So love your definition of engagement. And I think it does draw on timeless principles that Mason brought up
Jon Eckert:
Well, and so I would totally agree with that. And I say it's the four Cs. You got to have content. Kids have to be able to consolidate. They need to be able to collaborate with peers, with teachers. And then the creation piece, what I love about the narration piece and how it relates to creation is when you're narrating you're bringing yourself to it. And you're understanding fully the concepts that you're narrating. It's like a kid who reads Shakespeare and doesn't understand it. It's just reading words and phonemes and putting them together with no sense making. But that narration, they're creating meaning in the way they do the narration. So it's not summarization, it's not just a regurgitation, it's actual the way you just described it according to Mason, it is creation. And I always say in the book, it's feedback, engagement and wellbeing. To get to interesting feedback where you're giving purpose-driven wisdom for growth, that's how I define feedback, you've got to have that deep engagement.
Otherwise, what are you giving feedback on? If it's just surface level learning, it's not very interesting to give feedback on. You can't give very much. And so ultimately that kind of narration and creation of meaning as we pursue truth together becomes this powerful interchange between teacher and student. And I think is why most of us that love teaching keep coming back to it because that's the meaningful part. So yeah, I don't know if you'd add anything there because if you want to have a final thought on that, go ahead and then we'll jump into our lightning round to wrap things up.
Deani Van Pelt:
Well, that's fantastic. But Charlotte Mason did say, in the end, it's not how much a child knows it is how much they care. And building these relationships, building this care for many orders of things opens a full life for the child. And you talked about that. Charlotte Mason recommends a liberal education, a full liberal arts education. Some young children are having up to 20 subjects a day, just small amounts, beautiful poetry, some beautiful music, engagement with a variety of literature that touches a whole bunch of subjects, history, art, geography. So you keep the feast, the banquet is full, you engage a lot of ideas in really rich ways and that does open doors of not only knowledge but also care. And I just think that is a full education along the lines of what exactly what you talk about.
Jon Eckert:
Well, that's a perfect transition to the lightning round because I think in our TikTok generation, we may need to rethink how do we give kids bits and pieces in small amounts so that they can be drawn in and then they can develop the cognitive endurance. So for the lightning round, we're just going to give bits and pieces of what would be big answers, but we keep these to a word phrase or a sentence or so. We'll test your ability to do that and I'm terrible at this one. But first question, maybe an easy one, I know you read a lot. What's been your favorite book? It could be education related, doesn't have to be, but favorite book you've read in the last year?
Deani Van Pelt:
I have spent the last six months reading a lot of novels. And a girlfriend and I sat on a dock this past summer, and she was just sharing, "Deani, you don't read enough literature." So I made a decision to read a lot of contemporary literature that come recommended. So in the last few weeks I have read, it's not necessarily my favorite book but it's caught my attention. It's called the Whalebone Theater. And recently published, I'm blanking on the author, children raised in sort of unusual circumstances in an English manor house, but they love Shakespeare. And it's these children, there are all three half siblings. And how Shakespeare and their own navigation of the world leads to some really courageous acts during World War 11.
Jon Eckert:
All right. Well, that's Joanna Quinn is the author. Does that sound right to you?
Deani Van Pelt:
Yeah.
Jon Eckert:
Typically, I spend 95% of my time reading nonfiction, but I've been increasingly convicted that fiction and reading novels really builds empathy because it allows you to get in the heads of different characters. And so I have been encouraged to read more literature. My problem with that is I get so sucked into the story that I become a bad father, I become a bad husband, I become a bad employee. All I want to do is read the book. So I read nonfiction somewhat protectively because I can set that down. A good story, oh, it is rough. All right, well, that's good. Good recommendation. I'll file that one away. So if you were to say in a word, phrase, or sentence, what you see is the biggest challenge facing education right now, what would it be?
Deani Van Pelt:
Jon, I wish you would've asked me what the biggest hope is for education.
Jon Eckert:
Well, that's next. We can start with hope if you want, we can end with challenge. I usually like to start with the challenge first, but you can go with hope first and then we can talk about a challenge.
Deani Van Pelt:
The biggest hope that we have for education is that so many actors are caring about it right now. So many new providers, teachers, community members, thinking about... They're asking the question, could this be different? And if so, can we do it? And their answer is yes.
Jon Eckert:
Okay. So if you're struggling with the challenge, if that is the biggest opportunity, I would say the potential biggest challenge with that is how do you find coherence and how do you have any type of connectivity? Or is it just 1000 flowers blooming and you just see what it is. But I could see there being challenges. It's great to have that many people interested, that many people with ideas of what could work. But how do you try to make sure that there is quality in that and what would that look like? Do you see that as a challenge or are you just kind of like, let's just see what happens?
Deani Van Pelt:
So I love the let's see what happens, but we need to quickly get a balance. As our friend from Boston University, Charlie Glenn would say, "We've got to balance freedom, autonomy, and accountability in education." So I love pluralism in education. It is not a one size fits all. Thank you world for finally realizing we've got a wide diversity of needs and challenges, but let's balance the freedom, the autonomy with accountability. Are we going to get the accountability right? What does that look like state by state, jurisdiction by jurisdiction? That could be our biggest challenge.
Jon Eckert:
Yeah. No, I like that. And that's a great place to wrap up in that tension. So Deani, thank you for spending time with us today. Love the work you're doing. Really appreciate you taking the time and I'll let you contribute.
Deani Van Pelt:
Thanks for having me, Jon. It's great to be here.
 

Executive Functions for Each Student: Mitch Weathers

Mitch Weathers, the founder of Organized Binder, discusses his work and the importance of teaching executive functioning skills in schools. He explains that his program, Organized Binder, helps students develop organization and executive functioning skills, which are crucial for academic success. Weathers emphasizes the need for explicit instruction and modeling of these skills, as well as the importance of creating safe and predictable learning environments. He also discusses his new book, "Executive Functions for Every Classroom," which provides practical strategies for teachers to implement in their classrooms. Weathers believes that by prioritizing the teaching of executive functioning skills, schools can better support students and help them succeed academically.To learn more, order Jon's book, Just Teaching: Feedback, Engagement, and Well-Being for Each Student.
 
The Just Schools Podcast is brought to you by the Baylor Center for School Leadership. Each week, we'll talk to catalytic educators who are doing amazing work.
 
Be encouraged.Connect with us:
Baylor MA in School Leadership
Jon Eckert: @eckertjon
Center for School Leadership at Baylor University: @baylorcsl
 
Mentioned:
Organized BinderExecutive Functions for Every Classroom by Mitch WeathersThe Extended Mind: The Power of Thinking Outside the Brain by Annie Murphy PaulWhat I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki MurakamiEffortless by Greg McKeownHungry Authors Podcast 
 
 
Jon Eckert:
Welcome back to the Just Schools podcast. Today, we're here with Mitch Weathers, who started a really fascinating intervention for kids called Organized Binder. That is the dream of every parent, and as a foreign middle school teacher, as a middle school teacher, that was a dream for me. I did my best, but I think I would've loved this tool. So, we're going to welcome Mitch in and then let him introduce himself... Mitch, if you'd just give us a little bit of a sense of what brought you to this work of Organized Binder and what makes you hopeful about it.
Mitch Weathers:
Thank you, Jon. Super honored, thrilled, humbled to be here and chatting with you. This work came to me early on in my teaching career. I started in the nonprofit space. I was actually a director in a program called Young Life, which you might be familiar with, and I only bring that up to say, developing relationships with kids, young people, I had just really learned to do that and saw the value in leveraging relationships and education and learning.
So, when I got into the classroom and I found myself in a big comprehensive Title I public high school teaching for the first time, and I remember clearly my first year or two having more than 40 kids in the class, and these were tough kids, they had struggled academically, most of them multi-language learners. And I just liked being there, the management, the relationships. I just kind of had that in my toolkit. This is all in hindsight, looking back.
But I realize now after being in education for over 20 years, those first few years for most teachers, even if they're fresh out of college, it's kind of like learning to interact and communicate with a different species. It's like, "How do I do this part of it and yet I'm hired to do this?"
I think there was something there for me that allowed me to focus on, "Why aren't you achieving?" And I had spent a lot of time in graduate school and reading Paul Freire's work and critical pedagogy and equity, and I was just like, "Why aren't you achieving? You're incredibly capable. You've been viewed through a deficit lens, most of your academic experience, I get that. How do we change that narrative?" And then it kind of just dawned on me like, "Oh, you don't know how to do school in the sense that I think maybe you should and certainly you can."
And I just started trying to answer the question, what has the greatest impact on student learning and student success. Not that I was an expert. And maybe because I was so new, that being naive to just try stuff and not really know any better. But if I couldn't really have that through line and make that connection with... And I've learned as well, oftentimes in education, we do what was done to us. I get into the class, this is how I experienced it, and now I'm a teacher and I'm going to do some of those things. And it became clear to me, homework, for example, "How am I using homework? Why am I using homework? How is it guiding my instruction? How is it helping students be successful?" And I just tried to answer that question, and from that lace, over the next two years this program now called Organized Binder evolved.
Jon Eckert:
So, I think any teacher that has spent any time, especially with 40 kids in a classroom, we'll recognize that there is a wide range of executive functioning. And one of the most important things we can do, even more so than what we're doing with our content, I'm a huge proponent of teaching engaging content, because then what's the point of executive functioning? We don't want this to be a compliance exercise, but we do want them to be able to be functioning human beings.
And one of the frustrations, and you brought up some philosophers, and you talked about critical theory and Freire, I always got frustrated with the philosophers because it was, "What's the practical benefit of this?" You can write the pedagogy of the oppressed, but ultimately, what I want to know is how do I make that kid's life a little better because of the skills and tools that I've given. And I feel like Organized Binder is a very practical outcome of that. So now, it's a tool that you can sell, that you can go on, you can find it online for sure.
But what I love about what you've done is you've broadened that out and now you've got a book that's coming out from Corwin, and it's a new book, Executive Functions for Every Classroom, Creating Safe and Predictable Learning Environments, Grades 3-12. And so, I think when you hear, when a kid hears safe and predictable, or an adult hears that, like, "Oh, that's not very exciting," but in fact, that's the place where learning can really flourish. So, talk a little bit about those principles from Organized Binder that you're now writing about through this book. What would be two or three key takeaways that everyone could apply this week to their teaching?
Mitch Weathers:
Right. And you touched on it there, there was a bunch of things you said I wanted to respond to.
Jon Eckert:
Oh, and jump into anything. You know how these go. If you haven't listened to these podcasts before, it's kind of wherever we want them to go. So, Mitch, you feel free to answer whatever you want to answer.
Mitch Weathers:
Right. Yeah. And I think we're kindreds in the sense of... Here's the way I actually explain it, the idea of developing these skills and habits versus the content, and there's a tension there because teachers are hired to teach content. That's our job. There's no teacher I'm aware of that was hired to teach executive functioning skills and-
Jon Eckert:
Well, I think some kindergarten teachers, that's the main thing they do. The first grade teachers want those executive functions.
Mitch Weathers:
Those are the folks that just get it, right? When I'm in conversations with a kinder teacher, they're just like, "Yes." The older, we move up the grades, so you get it. And I like to say it this way, that it's not one's more important than the other. Of course, engaging content and curriculum, all of that. But there is an order of operations that we've missed historically and we've not explicitly taught these skills.
And so, yeah, the book was a fun exercise for me because my language and my speaking and teaching and et cetera, et cetera has been kind of through that Organized Binder lens. And I tried to back up from that and say, "Okay, what could we create and provide for teachers, a resource, or educators in general, and I even think parents, that may not be working with an Organized Binder program and they haven't brought it to their school in all of this work we do?"
And I will say that both of these, you hit the nail on the head. One thing that I did over and over and over, I went through this summer of, this Freirean summer, I'll call it, in graduate school. I just finished graduate school, and where I'd encountered all this, and I think in my first or second year teaching, and I literally read every book translated into English from him. I couldn't get enough of it.
Jon Eckert:
You're a better man than I am.
Mitch Weathers:
But the whole time I was asking myself the question, "So, what's this mean in the modern classroom?" It's amazing. I mean, it's great work. But like you said, how do I translate this? And that's part of that Organized Binder journey. And then, now the next kind of iteration of that is trying to write this book.
And I think there's three keys to teaching executive functions. And I'll stop there and say the irony is I don't actually believe that executive functions are taught in the traditional sense of the word. I think they're best learned when students see them modeled for them, hence an organized binder, something I can see. And I get routine practice using them or employing them by virtue of engaging in this predictable learning routine. So, the three keys for teaching executive functions, even though they're not taught, is clarity, routine and modeling.
And what I've done is translated... For those that don't know Organized Binder, or let me say it a different way, if you've ever been to an Organized Binder training, you know that we model for you and unpack and explain this daily learning routine, and it's very simple. It's got a very small-time footprint in the classroom. And the reason for that is, I mentioned before, teachers are hired to teach something and they never have enough time to get through that in the first place. So, if I come along with a curriculum on teaching executive functions, where are you going to fit it in? So, there's a time crunch for teachers.
So, if we can adopt, and there's a shared component to this, that remind me to come back to that, as sharing the routine, if you will, but if I can implement this really predictable learning routine, which is really just trying to exploit historically underutilized class time, which is the first few minutes and the last few moments of class, can be hard to really extract all we can out of those. But if by virtue, if I create this predictable learning routine... And that's where that safe piece comes in, Jon. I believe the more predictable the learning environment, the safer it is for students. And when students routinely or consistently feel safer, then they're more likely to take risks that are inherent to learning. And that's even truer for students who are navigating chaos outside of school. This profound impact of, "I feel safer here," and it might be one of the moments in my day that I get that experience because I might not at other times.Jon Eckert:
And I want to pause right there for a minute because this is one of the things I've been wrestling with. So, I completely agree that that predictability and the safety of knowing this is what the routine is, especially when they're in a world that dis-regulates them all the time, where nothing seems stable, that is safety. It is not boring routine. It's not something to be taken for granted.
I feel like though, in some cases, especially for kids that have been marginalized, we have oversold the idea of safety, especially when you get to middle school and high school, where if you're a marginalized kid that's been through a lot of trauma, school's rarely going to feel safe for you. And if you wait until it feels safe to take a risk, you're going to be waiting a long time, because it's really not going to be there for you.
So, I've been pushing on this a little bit, saying, "Hey, I think we really want these to be respectful spaces that have space for psychological safety, because it has to be, but we need to be celebrating the risks kids take that don't feel safe." So, how do we highlight that kid that when they're in that predictable, safe space, some of the routines that you're saying, "Hey, this creates this, I think that's right," but then, how do we as educators and with their peers celebrate the courage it takes to speak out when it doesn't feel safe? Because I feel like in some ways we've oversold terms like safe and wellbeing and these other things. If they start to believe that being safe and that their is attended to means that they're not going to be stretched, that's actually counter to what actual learning is.
Learning in itself is uncomfortable. It's going a little beyond what you thought you could do. It's a little beyond what you could do the day before. You don't become a better runner by running the same amount every day. You've got to stretch, you've got to speed up, you've got to... And so, we have to keep that in mind, where I think sometimes now we've oversold the wellbeing and the safety. Obviously, those are important. I'm not saying they're not important.
Mitch Weathers:
I hear you, 100%.
Jon Eckert:
You know what I mean?
Mitch Weathers:
Yep.
Jon Eckert:
So, how do you stretch? And I feel like some of the stuff you're saying is about stretching. Do you agree or disagree? I mean, do you feel like I'm just parsing words here. What are your thoughts?
Mitch Weathers:
I couldn't agree more. I think there's two words you said there. Well, one, there's the number runner. So, I get that discomfort if you're going to either learn to run longer or learn to run faster, there is that parallel. But celebrating not so much the discomfort, but the willingness to take the risk-Jon Eckert:
The courage.
Mitch Weathers:
Yeah. And celebrate it even if you didn't get the grade. I mean, whatever that context is. I think that celebration part is right. But I love the word you said, respectful spaces. I hit on this in the book, about just cultural competency and who's sitting in the room, what do you know about them as individuals, as cultures. Who's in this learning community, because you can't have respect... I mean, you can respect someone you don't know, I guess. But to really honor and respect them and create those spaces, which yes, have to be safe, but also celebrate that, I think I couldn't agree more. What safety's not, it's like fluffy posters on the wall of two bears hugging each other and some dumb slogan that... It just doesn't even register, especially for the kids you're talking about and the kids that I was working with.
Jon Eckert:
And so, you mentioned you wanted me to remind you to get back to the shared component of routine. To me, this is part of the shared component of routine because it's not about my individual routine, it's about our routine together. Because there's this social dynamic in a classroom where a teacher can be really efficient, an individual kid can be really efficient, but how do you function as a learning organization in a way that is respectful and celebrates the things that really matter. So, I want to make sure you get back to that shared routine part. But do you see an overlap with this idea of creating a respectful space with this shared routine? Or am I taking you down a tangent that's not helpful?
Mitch Weathers:
No, I like that because I think anytime a [inaudible 00:14:53], and I've personally experienced this, but the school I was working at, where I spent most of my career as a classroom teacher, the year after Organized Binder was fully baked, the ninth grade adopted it school-wide. And lots of things we can talk about happened there and collective teacher efficacy and all in this together. But what that means, a shared routine could talk about how that reduces cognitive load for kids, especially multi-language kids. But by virtue of something being shared or collective, we have to dialogue about it. What is the common language, what are the common expectations. If our goal as a teaching community or a school is to have respectful learning environments, well, we're all in that, what's that mean together. I think the conversations that come about inherent to that trajectory or that aim are where the real work is done. Where I was mentioning with the routine, that's just one of those shared components.
Jon Eckert:
Yeah, no, that's good. I mean, when you just described that, it made me think of this book that I had read a year or two ago. It's called The Extended Mind: The Power of Thinking Outside the Brain by Annie Murphy Paul. And it's the idea that we offload functions to people that we trust. So, it's that when somebody's been married to someone for 50 years and one of the partners passes away and they say it feels like a part of them died, and in fact, that is true. So, if you have had a partner, so my wife manages all our finances, so in my mind, I've offloaded that part of my brain to her. And so, she passes away, I have lost that part of my mind.
And so, in a classroom, I feel like we offload a lot of those things. And so, it doesn't make it so we don't have a high cognitive demand, but it makes it so that the classroom functions at a higher level for everyone because you have different people that are responsible for different components of it. And it's not that you don't learn what you're responsible for, but you function as more than the sum of your parts.
Do you see that playing out? Again, I don't know if you've even heard of the extended mind, but when you started sharing that shared routine part, it is this kind of, "How do we collectively do more than we thought we were capable of?" And I think that expands to the school. We're talking classroom, but you mentioned the teachers that you worked with and what happened when you did it at ninth grade. What does that free up for you? Have you seen any aspects where executive functioning is enhanced when you have others leaning into that?
Mitch Weathers:
Yeah, I think so. And I think it's also worth saying, when it's collective or shared, whether that be grade level, department, school-wide, it's a lot of the work we do, we're talking a lot about students, but there's a number of teachers that struggle with executive dysfunction as well. And just saying-
Jon Eckert:
I'm one of them at times.
Mitch Weathers:
I think we all are, right? But I'm just thinking of, and let me know if this answers what you're saying, if that is the teacher, I mean, we've walked into those classrooms where the teacher clearly struggles organizationally, you can just see it when you walk in. And when those teachers are coming together collectively as a community, and I love how you say sum of all the parts, I mention this in the book, that a learning community is the sum of all of its parts. And if someone's not there, then it's changed. It's not the same. It's all about belonging and having kids be a part of the class.
But when we come together and we commit and say, "Hey, we're going to implement this routine," let's say, whatever that is shared, if that's an Organized Binder school, and then the training and support that we provide coming in, those teachers, in some ways, I like the analogy, they've kind of offloaded that cognitive load because it's not in their wheelhouse. And all of a sudden, I'm telling you, I've seen this in real time, and I don't like to use the word better, but they're a better teacher. It's just that they haven't gotten around to getting organized or they're-
Jon Eckert:
Why do you not like using the word better? I mean, isn't that the whole goal? How do we keep-Mitch Weathers:
Yeah, I know. I just-
Jon Eckert:
... getting better. I mean, that's what I think your products and tools do. It helps us be better teachers, better learners. I mean, to me, we have an innate desire to be better. None of us want to be evaluated or judged, but we all want to get better, right?
Mitch Weathers:
Absolutely.Jon Eckert:
So, I love the word better, but yes, own it.
Mitch Weathers:
Yeah. I like that analogy, when you say, "Can I offload that?" Well, let's say it this way, I can't tell you how many teachers, veteran teachers that have come to me over the last 10 to 20 years and said, "One, this is all the things I always knew I need to be doing, and I either just don't know how to make it a reality or I don't have the time to get to it, and I'm focusing on my content." This is some of the most humbling experiences in this, it's saying, "This work literally saved my career. I was going to retire this year and I went to a presentation and I'm so invigorated again."
But here's the deal. This is maybe that offloading piece, is I don't ever want to be responsible for conducting a talk or a keynote or a presentation or a professional development training that inspires educators, but requires so much work on the backside to make it a reality. This is that Freirian thing you're saying, even if it's great, it's going to end up on the shelf and less likely to be implemented. So, it's back to that practical... If a teacher or a school leader reads this book tomorrow in class, there's things that can be started, there's conversations that can be had with the staff around those strategies. It's very practical and relevant in that sense.
Jon Eckert:
So, I'm kind of bummed Corwin didn't ask me to endorse the book, because then I would've already been able to read it. So, I'll have to pick it up on my own. But this will be a good read. I think there's a lot of overlap between what I write about and what you're doing, and so, love that. So, thank you for that.
I want to go to our lightning round here. So, one of the things that, I want to start with this one, so it's a word, sentence or phrase that a teacher could do tomorrow to help with executive functioning of their students that wouldn't take any extra work on their part, would just be a streamlining of something they already do or something... Is there something, because again, I'm all with you, I do not want teachers who already have overflowing plates to feel like whatever I share with them is adding another thing to the plate, so, can you think of something in the book that's like, "Hey, you can do this. It wouldn't actually take any more time, but it would be life-giving for you and your students." Anything that pops to mind?
Mitch Weathers:
What pops to mind is organization. Of the six skills, the six executive functions outlined in this book, the inherent Organized Binder, not one is more important than the other, but I do think the starting place is a simple table of contents and organizing the curriculum and content that's already there. It would take almost, I'm not going to say no extra time, but if you read that chapter, we're talking, especially once it's in place, if it's just a step in the routine, we do this and then we update our table of contents, what happens, and there's some stories that we don't have time for right now that I tell in the book. Students and teachers feel better when they're organized, and maybe it should just be humans feel better when we're organized.
And once I can get organized, then I kind of feel like I have the capacity to learn and practice some of these other skills. It's hard to engage with the learning community when I don't even know where my stuff is. I can't tell you as a parent, you've probably been there, every parent has, trying to help their kid with homework and it's like, "Do you have anything from school today from math?" But if you do, it's a starting place. So, I hope that answers your question.
Jon Eckert:
It does. And I have to tell you, and it just hit as you were sharing that, when I first started teaching, I started teaching fifth grade, and I had a veteran teacher who taught fifth grade right next to me, Priscilla Lane, who was one of the best teachers I ever worked with. And she walked in about two or three weeks before every unit, and she would hand me a binder that she had copied and made and had a cover for each of the major units we were going to do. And she told me, "The best gift I can give you as a new teacher is organization." And it totally made my beginning year-
Mitch Weathers:
You were lucky.
Jon Eckert:
I was so lucky because it was good stuff. And she shared it freely and she gave it to me in this organized way, where all of a sudden everything made sense. So then when I moved to Tennessee, I went to Vanderbilt for my doctoral work, and when I was there, I was going through a doctoral program and I started teaching middle school science, which I'd never taught before.
And what I did was I came in and I made a binder of, I took all of the standards for seventh grade science and I distilled them down into 25 essential questions, five main units. So, I had five binders for each of the units, and it made it so... By then, I'd been teaching for eight years and I could apply what she had done for me at the beginning. And it allowed me to not be overwhelmed in the middle of a doctoral program while I was coaching and teaching and doing all these things, because it was manageable and it was in a binder. So, there you go. So, the theme runs through.
All right, so we did a terrible job on that first lightning round question. And I'm always terrible at the lightning round, but it's an aspiration.
Mitch Weathers:
Is the lightning round meant to be a lightning response too, quick?
Jon Eckert:
Yes.
Mitch Weathers:
Okay. I'll try it this time.
Jon Eckert:
I'm terrible. This one's easier. Favorite book you've read in the last year?
Mitch Weathers:
Okay. I can only pick one?
Jon Eckert:
One of your top five. Just pick one.
Mitch Weathers:
Okay. I'm just going to go random on this because I really enjoyed it. What I Talk About When I Talk About Running, and I'm going to butcher the author's last name, he's a Japanese novelist who wrote this non-fiction kind of memoir book about running, What I Talk About When I Talk About Running. And it's just a great read, and keep in mind, Jon, and anyone listening, in the last year, I read more books in the last year, including I think your latest, Just Teaching, which I absolutely loved. And then left it at a house this summer, where I had holed up to finish off my manuscript, and I brought all these books that I had been reading over the last year and left them all at this house on the coast. And I've been working at the rental place. I don't know, they might be gone. Anyway, this book, I'm long distance trail runner and I'm always kind of pushing myself, again, through line. And this was just a great read.
Jon Eckert:
Okay. No, I just pulled it up, and I will not attempt to say the author's name either, but it looks fascinating. It's a memoir, so I love the course. That's great.
No, and when you're writing a book, you read so many things. I mean, I always read a lot, but when I'm in the middle of a book, I'm always trying to pull in like, "Okay, oh, there's that."
Mitch Weathers:
Constant.
Jon Eckert:
And then, your brain is just on overload, then you have to organize it, you have to dump. I have files where I've dumped all kinds of things, so I'm with you. All right.
Mitch Weathers:
Can I just say one thing about that because you said, "Then you have to organize it," it actually just released sometime, I'll say it released in mid-January, I was on a podcast with, it's called the Hungry Authors podcast, and we talked about book mapping. Basically, if I didn't have a map, there is no way I would've completed the task. And you probably know that better than me.
Jon Eckert:
Well, I've written a lot of stuff. I could have completed a task, no one would've wanted to read it.
Mitch Weathers:
Maybe that's the way.
Jon Eckert:
So, I could have written something, it just wouldn't have been intelligible. So, yeah, I'm with you. All right, so best advice you've ever received?
Mitch Weathers:
Oh, gosh, good one. You can't go wrong treating people right.
Jon Eckert:
Oh, I've not gotten that one before. I like that.
Mitch Weathers:
A friend of mine said that. I was listening to one of his webinars or a talk he was giving and he said it and didn't even remember saying it. And I wrote it down in my journal like, "Wow, let's just lean into that."
Jon Eckert:
Similar. I had a friend who's a pre-K teacher, and he shared once, he's like, "No profession can compete with the spark between souls that occurs between teachers and students." And it was just this offhanded comment. But ever since, I've just been like, "Oh, that's it."
Mitch Weathers:
If you've experienced that, that is true.
Jon Eckert:
That's what gets you coming back. So, I love those offhanded quotes of people who aren't famous and never will be famous, but just to have an insight that's like, "Oh," it's kind of a breakthrough moment.
So, all right, worst piece of advice you've ever received?
Mitch Weathers:
That's a tough one, Jon. I try to obviously not remember those.
Does anyone ever get stumped by these questions?
Jon Eckert:
I like the pauses because it feels authentic. I will say the one we get 80% of the time on that one is when they first started teaching, they were told not to smile until Thanksgiving. And that whole idea that you communicate that you're in charge by basically not communicating any immediacy or appreciation of another is horrific advice. So, our job is, teaching is one of the most human things we do. And to just take out any facial connection would be-
Mitch Weathers:
Oh, gosh.
Jon Eckert:
It was what was challenging during COVID, when we had masks covering half our faces, we could not read people. I mean, you can tell some from the eyes, but you're missing half of your visual cues on a face. And so, to tell people to not smile, I mean, what a horrific way to live and teach. So, I get that one a lot.
I'm glad you have a hard time remembering worst advice.
Mitch Weathers:
Well, yeah, I was thinking more like big life bad advice.
Jon Eckert:
Well, that's good too.
Mitch Weathers:
But I can tell you, if you want to stay in the teacher vein, I had a different experience with the veteran teacher down the hall, who was very caring and stopped by, and was there... I'm a pretty early riser. She would be there before me and she would be leaving with the custodial staff at night. And she had children at home and married. And I remember asking her about it, because even me as a new teacher, and again, I didn't get into the classroom until late twenties, early thirties, so I had these other experiences, but I was like, "I feel like you're," I didn't say this to her, "But you're working too much. This isn't a sustainable model." Yet she's this veteran teacher and she told me... I asked her about her family and whatnot and she said, "Well, the way I structure it, and I encourage you to think about this, is family time is summer and work time is the school year." And I was like, "Wow." And she just worked and worked and worked.
Here's what I gleaned from that, is just working hard and long hours is not necessarily being effective. We can be efficient and be effective, and that's that... What exactly is going to have an impact on students? And if it doesn't, why am I doing it and how can I shift and be more efficient, more effective, that kind of thing.
So, I guess, I'd lump that into some advice. I didn't take her advice. I mean, I definitely, of course, like any new teacher, was there with her quite a bit, which is why we had these conversations after dark and no one else on campus. But I love to become more efficient.
Jon Eckert:
Yeah, I think so many teachers do follow that burnout as a badge of honor and that everything requires the extra mile and they get into this exhausting framing. Greg McKeown talks about it in his book, Effortless, how do we make the work we do life giving. And a quick way to have more time for work is to continue that kind of principle because you all of a sudden aren't going to have a family. If nine months out of the year this is for school and you get the three months here, that obviously doesn't work in a sustainable way for many, many people. I lump that into bad advice.
The last question, we'll end on a positive note. What's your best hope for education as you look ahead right now?
Mitch Weathers:
I absolutely know what I want to say about that as opposed to the last question. I think we're just now beginning to see the impacts and effects and learn from what happened over the last four years, the first year of the pandemic on students in particular. If there's one silver lining for the work that I'm really passionate about is I've spent a lot of years, Jon, trying to, I wouldn't say convince, but a lot of years talking about, "Hey, all these skills and habits that we kind of formally hoped students developed on their own, we have to explicitly teach and model these. This is what lays the foundation for learning. This is what builds capacity and agency and all that."
It seems now, and especially in the last 12 months, there's a collective shift to like, "We need to be doing that." The number of inquiries that are coming in through the Organized Binder site or people interested about the book, and here's the crazy thing, on every continent, I'm fortunate enough to have these wonderful conversations and work with people literally on every continent and every school is saying almost the exact same thing, that there's these gaps or there's an impact from that time on students and, "What are we going to do?" And if they've fallen behind in math, just giving them two math classes to accelerate them, we all know that's not going to work. So, I see a very hope future if we'll all take the teaching of executive functioning skills as serious as we do our content, curriculum, testing and technology, all these things that have their place in education, don't get me wrong, but that's what I'm hopeful for.
Jon Eckert:
Love that. So, looking forward to reading your book, Executive Functions for Every Classroom, Creating Safe and Predictable Learning Environments, Grades 3-12. This is from Corwin. So, really appreciate you taking the time, Mitch. It's great to have you and look forward to seeing the work that you continue to do.
Mitch Weathers:
Appreciate it, Jon. Thanks for having me.

Invitation to Leadership: John Walker

I really hope that you will join me for this episode because I had a truly inspiring conversation with John Walker, the superintendent of Central Christian School in Kansas. John shares his nontraditional journey into education, emphasizing the importance of building a supportive community of leaders around him, and we delve into the challenges he faces as a school leader and how he leads with vulnerability, inviting others into messy conversations to solve problems and make decisions.
John's commitment to creating an affectionate school culture, where teachers, students, and parents flourish together, really stands out, and we also explore the idea that leadership doesn't have to be lonely; instead, it's about fostering collaboration and support!
Join us for insights into leadership, vulnerability, and the joy found in the lives of students. It's a conversation filled with wisdom and a refreshing perspective on the future of education!
To learn more, order Jon's book, Just Teaching: Feedback, Engagement, and Well-Being for Each Student.
The Just Schools Podcast is brought to you by the Baylor Center for School Leadership. Each week, we'll talk to catalytic educators who are doing amazing work.
Be encouraged.
 
Timestamps:
[0:37] - My guest today is John Walker, a humble education leader who exemplifies communal leadership.
[2:05] - John traces his path from public school to Bible college, discussing his higher education roles and being superintendent.
[5:30] - John humbly acknowledges his imperfections, sharing a recent parenting struggle and emphasizing vulnerability.
[8:12] - I humorously suggest that John became a school head to get parenting advice, highlighting vulnerability and humility.
[9:38] - John highlights the importance of team collaboration and seeking advice.
[11:56] - John emphasizes the value of seeking input from a supportive community when facing challenges.
[13:37] - We both agree that leadership does not need to be lonely.
[14:58] - John shares that he feels immense joy in witnessing the positive impact on students' lives at his school.
[17:46] - Learn what John's favorite book of 2023 is: The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer.
[18:14] - Hear both the worst advice and best advice that John has ever heard about being an educator.
[20:18] - John characterizes his optimistic view of education in 2024 as being affectionate.
 
Connect on Social Media:
Baylor MA in School Leadership
Jon Eckert: @eckertjon
Center for School Leadership at Baylor University: @baylorcsl
 
Books Mentioned:
John Mark Comer - The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry: How to Stay Emotionally Healthy and Spiritually Alive in the Chaos of the Modern World

Failing Well: Lauren Houser

I am so thrilled to introduce our latest episode featuring the incredible Lauren Houser, who brings seventeen years of experience as an assistant principal. Lauren shares her journey from unexpected twists, like taking a year off after graduation, to finding her true calling in education.
We also dive deep into topics like the power of building relationships through looping (did you know Finland does it for up to six years?), the importance of failing forward in education, and how to lead well even when values clash. Plus, we even explore Lauren's unique perspective on discipline as the "playground of life" and why creating a culture of trust is at the heart of overcoming challenges.
This is a candid conversation filled with incredible insights that will resonate with educators at all levels. You definitely won't want to miss this one!
To learn more, order Jon's book, Just Teaching: Feedback, Engagement, and Well-Being for Each Student.
The Just Schools Podcast is brought to you by the Baylor Center for School Leadership. Each week, we'll talk to catalytic educators who are doing amazing work.
Be encouraged.
 
Timestamps:
[0:37] - Hear an introduction providing some information about Lauren’s credentials.
[2:01] - Lauren's journey into education took an unexpected turn from traditional teaching to looping through grades.
[3:47] - Lauren shares how her educational journey continued as she transitioned from a teacher to an instructional coach.
[5:30] - I discuss the positive impact of looping in education, emphasizing the importance of deep student-teacher relationships.
[7:30] - Lauren highlights the significance of elementary teachers as experts in understanding and connecting with students.
[9:54] - Focusing on common values when working with diverse leadership styles is crucial.
[11:45] - Lauren emphasizes influential leadership, prioritizing relationships, and applies Leander's pillars—collaboration, ownership, improvement cycles, and resilience.
[13:20] - I underscore the importance of influence in leadership and explore the concept of strategic failure.
[15:04] - Lauren highlights the necessity of strategic failure in education, emphasizing the importance of reflection and growth.
[18:05] - How does Lauren lean into her core mission and calling in her role as an educational leader?
[20:23] - The role of sincerity in restoring community in education is discussed.
[22:00] - What is some good advice and bad advice that Lauren has received?
[25:08] - Lauren discusses the profound challenge of overcoming distrust and fear in education communities.
[26:12] - What makes Lauren most optimistic about the year ahead?
 
Connect on Social Media:
Baylor MA in School Leadership
Jon Eckert: @eckertjon
Center for School Leadership at Baylor University: @baylorcsl
 
Books Mentioned:
Clay Scroggins - How to Lead When You’re Not in Charge: Leveraging Influence When You Lack Authority
Amy C. Edmondson - Right Kind of Wrong: The Science of Failing Well

Lessons from New Zealand: Shaun Brooker

Join me for this episode of Just Schools as I have a fascinating conversation with Shaun Brooker, a former rugby player turned school leader from New Zealand!Listen in as we explore Shaun's journey into education, driven by his experiences at youth camps and his love for motivating students to push their limits. Shaun sheds light on his role in developing user-friendly systems for teachers, emphasizing the importance of meaningful engagement over mere busy work.The discussion also touches on the strategic use of technology in education, with Shaun sharing insights into a game plan approach to identify and address students' individual needs. Furthermore, Shaun provides a glimpse into the unique aspects of the New Zealand education system, including the freedom to design classroom spaces and the integration of Christian truths into the curriculum.I hope that you will join us as we dive into the nuances of education, engagement, and the distinctive features of New Zealand's educational landscape.To learn more, order Jon's book, Just Teaching: Feedback, Engagement, and Well-Being for Each Student.The Just Schools Podcast is brought to you by the Baylor Center for School Leadership. Each week, we'll talk to catalytic educators who are doing amazing work.Be encouraged.Timestamps:[0:37] - Today’s guest is Shaun Brooker![1:35] - Shaun's journey into education, inspired by youth camps, reflects a passion for motivating and teaching children.[2:56] - Shaun, shaped by rugby in New Zealand, took his passion overseas, playing and coaching various sports.[4:54] - Shaun advocates for user-friendly systems, prioritizing meaningful student engagement to ensure every classroom moment is purposeful.[6:48] - Shaun's game plan prioritizes individual recognition, zone of proximal development, and relational strategies for engagement.[8:47] - Shaun emphasizes the effectiveness of the game plan in addressing student engagement, leading to positive outcomes.[10:33] - Shaun draws parallels between church engagement and artificial intelligence, emphasizing the importance of emotional connection and human elements in learning.[13:23] - Shaun emphasizes the shift from knowledge to wisdom, highlighting the importance of a meaningful relationship with Christ and responsible technology use.[14:57] - Shaun aligns the SAMR model with a matrix for purposeful education technology integration.[17:33] - Shaun raises the bar for students by creating an engaging album, emphasizing meaningful technology use.[18:45] - I underscore education in wisdom tied to God, and I emphasize tech as tools for growth.[21:02] - Shaun values the New Zealand curriculum's flexibility, enabling teachers to tailor lessons based on competencies.[23:15] - Learn about New Zealand's education system, which is funded by taxpayers and fosters engaging, contextual learning.[27:02] - Shaun identifies Erin Meyer's The Culture Map as the best book he read in 2023.[27:49] - Hear the best advice and the worst advice that Shaun has heard as an educator.[29:18] - What encourages and gives hope to Shaun about education in the future?Connect on Social Media:Baylor MA in School LeadershipBaylor Doctorate in EducationJon Eckert: @eckertjonCenter for School Leadership at Baylor University: @baylorcslBooks Mentioned:Erin Meyer - The Culture Map

Seeing Whole People: Matt Hazenberg and Eric Bulthuis

I'm so thrilled to share today's episode with you. I am joined today by Matt and Eric as we dive deep into well-being, belonging, and the fascinating world of education. Matt and Eric are wonderful educators in Canada and are doing remarkable work in fostering a sense of belonging for international students and enhancing the well-being of every student in their respective schools.In this engaging conversation, we explore their unique approaches to creating a vibrant school culture, from multicultural clubs to innovative events like multicultural weeks. Matt, the Vice Principal and International Student Coordinator at Woodland Christian High School, shares his insights into redefining the narrative around international students, emphasizing the importance of fostering genuine relationships and a sense of belonging. Meanwhile, Eric, Athletic Director and teacher at King's Christian Collegiate, sheds light on the collective efforts to prioritize student well-being, especially in the post-pandemic landscape.As we delve into the challenges and triumphs of education, we touch upon the impactful concept of restorative justice and its varied implementations. Discover how these educators are navigating the evolving educational landscape, tackling issues such as technology barriers, and instilling empathy as a core value in students. Tune in, and join us for this enlightening educational discussion!To learn more, order Jon's book, Just Teaching: Feedback, Engagement, and Well-Being for Each Student.The Just Schools Podcast is brought to you by the Baylor Center for School Leadership. Each week, we'll talk to catalytic educators who are doing amazing work.Be encouraged.Timestamps:[0:37] - Today’s guests are Matt Hazenberg and Eric Bulthuis![1:43] - Matt is the vice principal international student coordinator at Woodland Christian High School in Kitchener, Ontario, inspired by childhood teachers and a passion for learning.[2:21] - Matt has been teaching since September 2015.[2:26] - Eric, at King's Christian Collegiate in Oakville, Ontario, embraces education inspired by his parents, both of whom were teachers.[3:58] - Matt explains how he transformed the international student program at his school, prioritizing belonging through a multicultural approach.[6:56] - Eric emphasizes the importance of student well-being and implementing diverse programs.[9:20] - Addressing student discipline, Matt emphasizes a restorative justice approach to mend relationships and build community.[11:31] - Eric notes the universal care and love in handling discipline, emphasizing shared values across diverse schools.[12:34] - Matt discusses alternatives to student removal, highlighting a Mennonite-inspired approach.[15:17] - Eric envisions a collective effort for student well-being, emphasizing unity and collaboration in achieving goals.[16:18] - Matt emphasizes the post-pandemic challenge of re-establishing school culture, aiming for renewed student interactions and engagement.[19:16] - Matt stresses the value of collective effort, acknowledging individual limitations and the need for collaboration.[19:37] - Eric received advice to avoid smiling until November for classroom management but disagrees, choosing to prioritize building connections.[20:33] - The best piece of advice that Matt received was about the importance of learning to say no and set boundaries for well-being.[21:00] - Eric advocates for the transformative power of loving first, erasing labels like "bad kids" for a better teaching experience.[21:44] - Addressing the challenge of technology barriers, Matt aims to foster present community engagement beyond just the classroom.[22:17] - Eric emphasizes the crucial task of teaching and fostering empathy for a more compassionate future.[22:37] - I emphasize leading with love and fostering empathy, viewing AI as an exciting yet challenging educational prospect.[23:37] - Matt envisions Christian school educators expanding their network, fostering collaboration and learning across North America and beyond.Connect on Social Media:Baylor MA in School LeadershipBaylor Doctorate in EducationJon Eckert: @eckertjonCenter for School Leadership at Baylor University: @baylorcslResources Mentioned:Rita Pierson - “Every kid needs a champion” TED TalkBob Goff - Love Does: Discover a Secretly Incredible Life in an Ordinary World

Fun in 2024: Erik Ellefsen

I am so excited to have my best friend Erik Ellefsen on the podcast today to reflect on the highlights of 2023 in education and set our sights on what excites us in 2024!Erik, with his extensive global school experiences, shares insights into the joy he finds in the brilliance of educators and the challenges they overcome. We delve into memorable school visits, from the historic Windsor Castle to the modest Reagan Ranch, sparking thoughts on the impact of educational experiences.We discuss the transformative power of engagement and how it resonates through the pages of my book Just Teaching, and we enthuse over a favorite school visit featuring fifth graders in England joyfully embracing hands-on learning despite the constant rain. As we look ahead to 2024, we ponder the importance of becoming more human in our work, emphasizing the value of genuine connection and collaboration in an era dominated by technological advancements.I can’t wait for you to join us in this engaging conversation, which is definitely one of my favorite episodes of the podcast so far. It’s filled with laughter, insights, and a touch of the ridiculousness that makes the journey of education all the more enjoyable!To learn more, order Jon's book, Just Teaching: Feedback, Engagement, and Well-Being for Each Student.The Just Schools Podcast is brought to you by the Baylor Center for School Leadership. Each week, we'll talk to catalytic educators who are doing amazing work.Be encouraged.Timestamps:[0:37] - Reflecting on positive developments in education in 2023, Erik Ellefson and I are discussing anticipated exciting prospects for 2024.[1:57] - What has brought me joy in 2023?[3:59] - I share the joy of meaningful work in Southeast Asia, highlighting family involvement and achieving balance.[4:40] - Erik highlights speaking at Windsor Castle and visiting Rancho del Cielo, noting the unique experiences.[6:51] - Erik expresses joy in working with a San Jose elementary school, emphasizing their commitment to improvement.[8:21] - Hear about a standout moment in England involving fifth graders' enthusiasm for hands-on, low-tech learning.[11:51] - What am I more convinced is important in schools after having written Just Schools?[14:26] - Erik agrees that engagement is important, emphasizing its priority over temporary provisions for wellbeing.[17:24] - Erik highlights the importance of cultivating a culture of celebration and support in professional settings.[19:26] - Erik doubles down on the importance of collaborative, collective leadership in addressing deep-rooted issues in education.[20:49] - I envision the next book focusing on catalytic leadership and building thriving learning communities collaboratively.[22:46] - I hope for a more human approach in the face of advancing technology, emphasizing grace, challenge, love, and fun in collaborative work.[25:54] - Hear Erik and I share our favorite books of 2023.[26:55] - Erik asserts that phones being used for non-educational purposes in schools is frustrating.[28:22] - Hear us discuss the positive, hopeful aspects of artificial intelligence.[29:31] - Have fun doing the work!Connect on Social Media:Baylor MA in School LeadershipBaylor Doctorate in EducationJon Eckert: @eckertjonCenter for School Leadership at Baylor University: @baylorcslBooks Mentioned:Jonathan Eckert - Just Teaching: Feedback, Engagement, and Well-Being for Each StudentBob Drury - The Heart of Everything That Is: The Untold Story of Red Cloud, An American LegendDavid Brooks - How to Know a Person: The Art of Seeing Others Deeply and Being Deeply Seen

Leading with Empathy: Anna Surratt

I hope that you will join me for this episode as I sit down with Anna Surratt, a remarkable educator with nearly two decades of teaching experience in both public and Christian schools. We delve into her expertise in empathy-based leadership and design thinking, exploring how these tools contribute to fostering strong relationships and creating positive change in the education landscape.Anna shares insightful stories from her journey, highlighting the importance of vulnerability and trust in building a culture of improvement. We also touch on the power of improvement networks, where schools come together to address shared challenges, emphasizing the courage that arises from vulnerability.As we navigate the complexities of education, our conversation reveals the transformative impact of focusing on relationships, understanding perspectives, and striving for continuous improvement. Please listen in for a conversation filled with wisdom and inspiration as we explore the heart of education and the pursuit of positive change!To learn more, order Jon's book, Just Teaching: Feedback, Engagement, and Well-Being for Each Student.The Just Schools Podcast is brought to you by the Baylor Center for School Leadership. Each week, we'll talk to catalytic educators who are doing amazing work.Be encouraged.Timestamps:[0:37] - Learn a bit about today’s guest, Anna Surratt.[2:05] - Anna dives deeper into her background.[4:40] - Anna describes a challenging hotel experience, highlighting discomfort and safety concerns during a work trip.[7:17] - Hear how Anna champions design thinking.[9:35] - Anna identifies clarity as crucial to fostering innovation.[12:52] - Anna strongly emphasizes the importance of trust.[14:27] - Vulnerability sparks courage, fostering deep empathy and collaborative progress toward shared goals.[16:23] - Anna highlights how a heartbreaking tale of an educator craving impactful feedback spurred a leadership quest for change.[18:16] - What is the best advice and worst advice that Anna has ever received?[19:47] - Staffing is what concerns Anna the most about the upcoming year.[21:32] - Anna argues that teachers need to be empowered by connecting actions to real student outcomes.Connect on Social Media:Baylor MA in School LeadershipBaylor Doctorate in EducationJon Eckert: @eckertjonCenter for School Leadership at Baylor University: @baylorcsl