The many accomplishments of Joy Robinson (3:30)

Early thoughts about becoming a teacher (4:30)

My teachers were my role models (5:20)

Why students are the best part of my job (5:55)

I also come to school to learn from my students (6:15)

Peer tutoring as an elementary, middle, and high school student (7:10)

Understanding? “The more you read it…” (8:25)

Kindergarten? No.  (10:00)

Finding the right grade level (10:10)

Learning starts with relationships, not with lessons (11:30)

Truly knowing one’s students (11:45)

Stretch students to outside their comfort zone (12:30)

Pull things out of students that they didn’t know they could do (12:50)

When students use their learning in an authentic way (13:15)

Determining teacher effectiveness (14:00)

The most important gauge of student growth (14:40)

Kindness, maturity, participation as indicators of progress (14:55)

Passion, walk the talk, specific examples (15:45)

Visit my classroom (16:15)

Sense of community is huge in the classroom (16:30)

Professional learning must be specific, appropriate and applicable (18:50)

Adult learners must also be met at their point of interest, need, and motivation (19:30)

Teacher-leaders are passionate and vocal about things that matter (21:15)

Connection is a vital component of relationships and teaching (22:00)

Where we are now has a lot to do with where we came from (23:15)

The Sankofa bird’s message about blending the past and the future (23:30)

Growing up in a rough neighborhood in a “failing school district (24:00)

A graduating class of success stories (24:30)

The absolute best teachers, serving in the face of naysayers (25:00)

Collecting experiences and ideas from one’s teachers (26:00)

Great teachers, by grade level and name (26:50)

“Stretching” students, humor, competitive, music while journaling, conversational, authenticity (26:50)

Teaching and learning is give and take (29:45)

Learn from your students – be open-minded (30:00)

Why the passion, joy, and look to the future? Great teachers are born (30:45)

Don’t forget why you teach (31:30)

Teaching more than seventy students every day (33:00)

What next? Immediately, teaching! (34:30)

Board of Director Bio 

Joy Robinson, a fourth-grade teacher at Lake Park Elementary School in Lowndes County, represents District 8 on the PAGE (Professional Association of Georgia Educators) board of directors. As a board member, Robinson said she will be a voice on PAGE, representing and communicating the interests of educators and students in her southeastern Georgia district.

The life-long learner and participant in PAGE Professional learning maintains that knowing your students is at the core of effective lesson design. “Knowing one’s students and their families gives an educator great insight, enabling the teacher to truly design instruction that caters to each student’s needs,” she recently told PAGE One magazine. “Having a relationship with student families further reinforces trust that the educator will share helpful information about the student and that the information will be received well. When all the pieces are in place and operating smoothly, authentic learning will occur — and with it, the byproduct of increased student achievement.”

Considered a teacher leader and an influencer amongst her colleagues, Robinson takes an active role and interest in education at all levels. In her community, Robinson has served as a member of the Parent Action Committee and the Community Partners in Education committee, which she has chaired. She has also served on her school’s redesign and improvement teams. On the district level, the Google-certified educator has served on the system technology committee and learning management system committee, as well as on the district’s instructional framework committee and advanced ed strategic planning committee. On the state level, she presented at the Georgia Reading Association forum on standard implementation and served on the Georgia Milestones review team. She was instrumental in developing standards-based social studies units for her school leading to proficiency gains. And in her role as part of PAGE's South Georgia School District Network, she has fond memories of working closely with the late Dr. Allene Magill on Burke County’s district transformation initiative. 

Robinson is a career-long member of PAGE, beginning in college. She also serves as her school’s PAGE building representative. “All of my experiences with PAGE have aided in molding me as an effective educator,” she added.

Robinson earned a degree in early childhood education from Valdosta State University, graduating magna sum laude. In 2018, she was named her school’s teacher of the year.

Sankofa bird

Teacher website

Music for Lead. Learn. Change. is Sweet Adrenaline by Delicate Beats

Podcast cover art for Lead. Learn. Change. is a view from Brunnkogel (mountaintop) over the mountains of the Salzkammergut in Austria, courtesy of photographer Simon Berger, published on www.unsplash.com.

Professional Association of Georgia Educators:  www.pageinc.org

David’s LinkedIn page: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-w-reynolds-5a5b0a36/