OEA Grow

Advice from a Veteran Educator

In the final episode of season four, Kayla talks with veteran educator Rob Hillhouse as he reflects on twenty years of wisdom, blunders, and learnings. Rob has accumulated experience as an educator across K-16 and currently serves as Secondary Multilingual Teacher on Special Assignment in the Beaverton School District.
Through sharing some of his stories as an educator, Rob describes lessons learned, such as not assuming we understand where a student or family is coming from, the importance of showing rather than telling a student that you are a trusted person, and the value of mentors for early career educators.
Kayla and Rob also discuss classroom climate, implicit bias, intention vs. impact, and the power of a strengths-based approach. In comparing his experience in Oregon with other places he’s taught, Rob also talks about the value of a strong union in supporting teachers.
 
Resources:
OEA New Educators of Oregon Network
5 things students require to build trusting relationships with their teachers - NWEA
Building Trust with Students—Even Before Class Starts: How to Promote Psychological Safety in Your Classroom - Harvard Business Publishing
Implicit Bias Defined - NEA
5 Ways Strong Educator Unions Help Public Schools - NEA

Engaging and Encouraging Community College Students

“Their success is my success” states Beth Aydelott, popular writing and literature instructor at Lane Community College. Kayla talks with Beth this week about engaging and encouraging community college students. For Beth, this process starts before the semester begins when she sends a welcome email with access to the syllabus, readings, and the assignment list. Beth thinks this helps them feel a bit more secure before the first day of class.
Beth and Kayla talk about many other strategies, most of which have relationship building at their core. Some of the strategies Beth explains include creating an informative yet concise syllabus, using a variety of formats for materials and communications in the learning management system, giving students choice, eliminating costly textbooks, and being available to students in-person, online, and over the phone. Students also feel supported by receiving prompt and thorough feedback on assignments.
In addition to building relationships with her students by sharing information about herself and expressing authentic interest in her students’ lives, Beth helps to build community between students. Because community college students vary greatly in age and life experience, they have a lot to learn from each other. Finally, Kayla and Beth discuss the importance of building confidence in K-12 students as a way of nurturing their success in college. 
 
Resources:
How and Why to Humanize Your Online Class - An infographic by Michelle Pacansky-Brock
How to Check in with Students - University of Oregon
Garrison’s Three Types of Presence - Pierce College
Library Resources as Course Materials - Open Oregon Educational Resources
Open Educational Resources information page - Lane Community College

Student Motivation (Extended Episode)

Student motivation is the topic of this extended episode conversation with host Kayla Potter and High School Language Arts Teacher Desmond Spann. At the foundation of the discussion is the concept that motivation is a skill that ultimately must align with students’ values and interests. Desmond acknowledges the difference between internal and external motivation in the classroom and why he strives for the former over the latter.
One strategy Desmond uses for increasing intrinsic motivation is being intentional about finding out what’s important to students and showing them how what is happening in the classroom aligns with their values. He also explains how creating classroom conditions where students feel it’s okay to take risks and make mistakes contributes to student engagement and motivation.
Kayla and Desmond additionally discuss giving students the language they need to express that they’re struggling with motivation and engagement, balancing academics with humanity, the pitfalls of solely using grades as a motivator, and the connection between equity and student motivation. 
 
Resources:
Worth Work podcast - Desmond Spann and Jesse Gardner
Atlas of the Heart - Brene Brown
Susan Fowler books on motivation

Establishing a Classroom Community

How do you build a classroom community? This is the question Kayla tackles with OEA member Rachel Hsieh. Rachel is a District Mentor and Coach and previously worked as a fourth-grade teacher. Rachel now spends her time mentoring new educators and classroom community is one thing she mentors them on. 
 
Rachel tells us that classroom community is all about belonging. Some strategies Rachel and Kayla talk about include class meetings, incorporating joy and humor, establishing and revisiting co-created classroom agreements/norms and routines, and spending some time with your students out of class, for example at lunchtime or recess. As a teacher, Rachel even wrote letters to her students. 
 
Community doesn’t mean people can’t disagree but that there’s a respectful way to approach disagreements, so Kayla and Rachel discuss options for repairing harm when something hurtful happens. They also emphasize the importance of creating a team with students’ families and establishing open communication with families.
 
Resources:
Designing for Care: Building + Maintaining a Humanized Classroom (video)- NEA/Jeffrey Austin & Kristal Jaaskelainen
Back to School with PBS KIDS: Design an Inclusive Classroom - Mike Lang
Instructional Equity: What, Why, and How in Equity in the Classroom - Rachel Hsieh
The Power of Literature | Lessons For Elementary and High School - Rachel Hsieh & others

Time Management and Reasonable Expectations

Education is a field that can require a lot of your time. It may feel like there’s always more to do. In this episode, Kayla talks with Clarissa Buchholz, a high school science teacher, about time management and setting reasonable expectations. While there’s so much to do as an educator it can be hard to leave work in the building, keeping ourselves happy and healthy allows us to do our jobs well.
One of the ideas Clarissa shares is setting an intention that you’re not going to give up your personal life. Day to day, with that intention, she suggests educators plan ahead of time, especially at the beginning of the school year, to manage their time with personal time in mind. Another strategy is setting reasonable expectations. The act of setting small goals and wins helps create a feeling of success.
In addition, Kayla and Clarissa discuss the importance of not compromising your personal life by setting additional goals that are not work related. In doing this, Clarissa recommends being prepared to have honest and hard conversations with colleagues when maintaining work-life boundaries and saying “no”. 
 
Resources:
Passion Planner website
5 Tips to Maintain a Healthy Work-Life Balance - National Education Association (NEA)
Teachers’ Use of Boundary Management Tactics to Maintain Work-Life Balance - Molly Austinson
 

What I Wish I Knew During My First Year

In the first interview of our Back to School season, OEA member host Kayla Potter interviews middle-school Social Studies Teacher, Malik White. Kayla and Malik, an early career educator, discuss what it has been like to be a new teacher. Malik’s first year of teaching occurred during the 2020-2021 school year and most of the year was in comprehensive distance learning (CDL) due to the Covid-19 pandemic. In his second year, he had the challenge of transitioning everything from online to in-person teaching. Malik found that his relationship skills and purposeful rapport-building style led to success in both CDL and in-person settings. Some of these strategies include asking students questions, holding classroom circles, and generally normalizing conversations so students feel more comfortable sharing about themselves. Malik also witnessed the benefits of being an authentic educator and showing your students your true self. Kayla and Malik also discuss ideas for how to establish a healthy work/life balance (hint: it’s okay to say “no”). Some tips Malik had for new teachers include: finding joy in the profession, being able to laugh at yourself, being unafraid to make mistakes, giving yourself grace, and setting realistic goals. And identify which school printers are least busy! 
 
Resources:
OEA New Educators of Oregon Network
'Authentic' teachers are better at engaging with their students - Science Daily
Six Paths to More Authentic Teaching - Faculty Focus

Season 4 Host Introduction

Season 4 host Kayla Potter shares about herself, and previews upcoming content for our Back to School season.  If you are interested in learning more about the New Educators of Oregon Network (NEON), visit bit.ly/NEONoregon.

Inclusive Behavior Interventions

Episode 10
Many educators have experienced increased student behavioral issues since the Covid-19 pandemic disrupted schools. In this final episode of Season 3, Leonne talks with Jodie Wyatt, a District Behavior Coach, about inclusive behavior interventions. Jodie has been an educator for more than 21 years. Her current role serves all 14 schools in the Corvallis district, which has embraced Collaborative Problem Solving (CPS). Jodie herself is a certified CPS coach. She works with staff in many different roles to coach them on addressing challenging behaviors. Jodie has found that traditional punishments don’t usually work because they don’t teach the behavior we’re expecting. At the foundation of CPS is building relationships with students and using empathy to build solutions collaboratively. Students of all ages are seeking connection which is why a relational approach often works. CPS is a restorative process that can also be used with staff. Jodie offers tips for those interested in implementing CPS. 
 
Resources:
Think:Kids: Rethinking Challenging Kids
Rethinking Challenging Kids-Where There's a Skill There's a Way (TED Talk)

Sources of Strength

In this episode on student mental health, Leonne talks with OEA member Lorin Reed and Corvallis High School (CHS) student Kaylee Pickering about Sources of Strength, a suicide, violence, and addiction prevention project based on peer relationships and community building. Lorin is a PE and health teacher at CHS as well as an instructor of Sources of Strength and a football coach. Kaylee is a student athlete who advocates for student mental health. In the Sources of Strength class, which is offered as an elective at CHS, students in the class learn about the strengths that can be relied on when things get tough. Some of these strengths include family relationships, physical health, positive friends, healthy activities, and spiritual health. In this way, students can identify strengths they already possess and which strengths they may need to develop. Community is built when students discuss their personal experiences in a trusted space. Students in the program also serve as peer leaders and engage in “campaigns” which are weeks-long projects to bring schoolwide awareness of a specific strength. Both Lorin and Kaylee have won awards for their work with Sources of Strength.     
 
Resources:
Sourcesofstrength.org
Corvallis, Albany leaders recognized for youth-led suicide prevention work - Albany Democrat-Herald 
What is Sources of Strength?
Matchstick Consulting

Inclusion for LGBTQ Students

This week’s episode is on safe, welcoming, and inclusive schools for LGBTQ+ students. Leonne discusses the topic with three staff members of Basic Rights Oregon:  Jo Xavier Doyle, Leadership Development & Training Program Manager, Gaby Gardiner, Statewide Engagment Manager, and Seth Johnstone, Transgender Justice Organizer & Trainer. Basic Rights Oregon works for legal and lived equality for LGBTQ+ Oregonians. To support LGBTQ+ students, educators are encouraged to start by building relationships with students and getting to know them. To affirm their identities, let go of assumptions when a student tells you about who they are and instead, believe them. Our guests have some additional suggestions for supporting LGBTQ+ students such as inclusive sex education, gender inclusive and neutral facilitaties, and visual display of support for marginalized students. Students themselves have wisdom we can learn from. Jo, Gaby, and Seth advise us to pay attention to the situations in schools that cayse anxiety for our LGBTQ+ students, then get creative about how to make those situations less stressful. Additionally, student-led efforts to make changes are important and powerful, such as Gender and Sexuality Alliances (GSAs). School staff can help by uplifting students involved in GSAs. Educators can also be prepared to interrupt biased or harmful comments or actions by having and practicing a clear plan of how to respond. And finally, we are reminded that one supportvie adult can significantly reduce suicidal ideation among LGBTQ+ youth. 
 
Resources:
Basic Rights Oregon
LGBTQ2SIA+ Student Success - Oregon Department of Education
Educator Resources - GLSEN
Health, Safety, and Wellness: Sexuality Education - Oregon Department of Education