0:01

Having this Friday works for

0:03

the teachers and the students to

0:05

be able to step back , which

0:07

allows for more creative work

0:09

. I can have actually time

0:11

without having to rush , without having students

0:14

come at me to really plan something and come

0:16

up with innovative ideas , where I really

0:18

can sit and think .

0:21

Welcome to Teachers in America , where we celebrate

0:23

teachers and their lasting impact on students'

0:25

learning , journeys and lives . I'm

0:27

Jen Carujo and I'm a content producer at HMH

0:29

. Across the country , more schools

0:32

are making the switch to a four-day school week

0:34

, but 20 years ago my

0:36

school , pompano Beach High , was already

0:38

operating on this now-trending schedule

0:40

. I decided to contact my

0:43

former high school science teacher , dr

0:45

Claudia Sinkornrat , to get her insight

0:47

on the four-day school week . In this episode

0:49

with host Noelle Morris , dr Sinkornrat

0:52

will share how she navigates the longer school

0:54

hours and how the shorter schedule

0:56

impacts students' learning . Now

0:58

let's get to the episode .

1:01

Well , welcome , dr Sinkornrat . We're

1:03

so excited to have you on Teachers in

1:05

America . I'm Noelle Morris , the host

1:08

. I've heard great things about you

1:10

from our producer , jen

1:12

, and so let's get the conversation

1:14

started with a topic that's actually being

1:18

discussed across the country right now , which

1:20

is your school . Is a four-day

1:22

school week correct ? Tell

1:25

us about that and what that means for

1:27

your schedule , and then I'll ask some

1:29

follow-up questions , but definitely

1:31

curious about how it works for you .

1:35

Gladly so . Our

1:37

school day is pretty long

1:40

. Monday through Thursdays we go from

1:42

7 in the morning and the

1:44

students end at 3.30 . The

1:46

teachers end at 4.10 with

1:49

half an hour lunch in there . Fridays

1:54

neither the students

1:56

nor the teachers have to come to school

1:58

. But that doesn't mean that nothing

2:01

is happening in the school . We many times

2:03

have some enrichment

2:05

going on , we have tutoring going

2:07

on . We have all kinds of activities going on

2:09

. If a teacher also would like to go and

2:12

plan at the school rather

2:14

than at home , that works too

2:16

. The classes

2:18

in themselves are also pretty long

2:21

. Mine is almost two hours

2:23

long . I teach four blocks

2:25

a day . We are on ABAB

2:28

block and they are 160

2:30

minutes long , which is almost two

2:32

hours .

2:33

Right , wow , so tell

2:35

me more about the . Explain

2:38

more about that enrichment . So , if I

2:40

heard what you're saying , you

2:42

and your students are on four days a week

2:44

, and Friday doesn't mean that the

2:46

school is closed . It's open

2:49

for all of those things that might generally

2:51

happen after school or

2:53

opportunities for students for enrichment

2:55

, tutoring or teacher planning it

3:01

actually is extra .

3:03

So we have clubs and everything going on every

3:05

day too , so the day becomes pretty long

3:07

, especially for our sports kids . Many

3:09

times they don't get home till 9 , 10

3:12

at night , but I think in other sports

3:14

it is that . But , for example

3:16

, when I will run my

3:18

AP biology extra sessions

3:20

, I do that in a Friday morning many

3:23

times to get the kids

3:25

in that need to . We have

3:27

several of the cheerleading

3:29

things going on . We have debate

3:32

tournaments going on , also

3:34

any other practices

3:37

, tutoring for the kids that are not doing

3:39

really well . We give them extra Friday

3:41

sessions . There's volunteer opportunities

3:44

and such , and , as I said

3:46

, it's not required but

3:48

a lot of us will do it .

3:51

That's the teacher way you

3:53

know for all of us , right ? That's

3:57

why we know it's like it's one of

3:59

those things . Now did you ? I

4:02

want to ask this question . Then we're going to talk about how it's

4:04

impacted learning , and you've already alluded

4:06

to the long day . Was

4:09

it a choice ? Did you all get a choice ? Was

4:11

it going to be Friday , the not

4:13

in brick and mortar , or was

4:15

it ? Were there other options

4:17

?

4:19

No , we were tagging

4:22

along another school that had started this and

4:24

the other school started it because that

4:27

would be our parent school . I'm in a full

4:30

magnet school and at the parent school

4:32

a lot of kids , because

4:34

of their socioeconomic

4:37

class being low and going to work they

4:41

started the day and they tried it as an experiment

4:43

and they wanted to Friday , Saturday so that they

4:45

could work . That school

4:47

has given this up long ago

4:50

because it didn't work for them Okay . And

4:52

that schedule just stuck

4:54

with us and actually everybody

4:57

at the school that I am at loves it .

4:59

And what are you noticing about the impact

5:01

on student learning ?

5:04

Okay , there

5:11

are pros and cons . Needless to say , I'm

5:17

going to go with the pros first . Number one having this Friday works for the teachers

5:19

and the students to be able to step back , which allows

5:21

for more creative work . I can

5:23

have actually time without having

5:25

to rush , without having students come at me

5:27

to really plan something and come up with innovative

5:30

ideas , where I really can sit and think . Also

5:33

, as I told you , the days are very long at

5:35

our school , so for students

5:38

to study after they did already all

5:40

their academics , sometimes it's very difficult

5:42

, and I think that may be true in general

5:44

, but especially if the day is that

5:46

long . So for them having the

5:48

time to be able to say , okay

5:56

, I'm going to do this Friday or Saturday , makes it much easier in that sense and I find

5:58

that they can work better . A lot of students will tell me that I already mentioned

6:00

the enrichment , so that there

6:02

is more independent learning , there's more , there

6:05

are more activities , and I

6:07

think one thing that we should also

6:09

think about is , in

6:12

the long run , because we're running teacher

6:14

shortage . It does attract teachers

6:16

because it is very acceptable

6:18

in that sense . I have to tell you that extra

6:20

time that I put on in the afternoon

6:22

is well worth it for me

6:24

to have this extra day off . Wow

6:29

.

6:29

Yeah , Whatever I could Right

6:31

, Whatever you define off as , but

6:34

I love what you're talking about

6:36

the innovative nature , the ability

6:38

to be creative , you

6:40

know , do more collaborative without

6:42

the rush right , Because when we're rushing

6:45

, collaboration is often the first

6:47

to go . What

6:50

have you ? Have y'all done any

6:52

data or analytics

6:55

around ?

7:15

how many students do come to the school

7:17

on Friday and how many

7:19

teachers AP exams come closer

7:21

, you're going to have more people . Also

7:24

, we have end-of-course exams

7:27

, so that will make a difference . Sometimes

7:29

, when we do big charity events

7:31

, like for Thanksgiving , you will see more .

7:34

And more collaboration

7:37

with the community . And how are families

7:40

? How have they made

7:42

the adjustment ?

7:45

families . How have they made the

7:47

adjustment ? Well , that goes maybe a little bit also

7:49

with the cons . When

7:58

you have that kind of schedule , Fridays can be a problem if you

8:00

have teenagers at home and the parents are

8:02

working and stuff even though I think it works okay for many of our

8:04

teenagers , but there

8:06

is no bus service . So when

8:09

the kids want to go , if they're not driving , if many

8:11

are not getting to school , may be an

8:13

issue . So it's not necessarily

8:16

the best for equality if you are

8:18

a magnet school , because

8:20

we get kids from all over , If

8:23

you are a neighborhood school , it may not

8:25

be a bad idea because also , again , they

8:27

can get there . Remember , also

8:29

free and reduced lunches need

8:32

to be somehow provided , and they would be

8:34

, but the students have to make it to school .

8:36

Okay , thank you . Thank you

8:38

for that insight . I'm sure listeners

8:41

you know will appreciate that

8:43

. I'm sure listeners will

8:46

appreciate that . Now

8:48

, how are you managing your instructional time , so 160 minutes

8:50

times four , even though it equates

8:52

to similarly in an A-B

8:55

schedule across five days ? What

8:57

adjustments did you make ? How

9:00

are you managing now ? And then I'm going

9:02

to love if you would share

9:04

one of your

9:07

thoughts when you first started this , because

9:09

I'm going to be honest , claudia

9:11

, I would go home probably exhausted

9:14

, like I might

9:16

sleep in my car for a little bit before I

9:18

even make it into my house .

9:21

Well , spoken like a true teacher

9:23

. You're not right . So

9:26

, yes , the classes are long and

9:28

I have to say you cannot

9:30

pack the same five days

9:32

into four days , because there is going

9:35

to be a point where in class the

9:37

kids are going to be fatigued . You

9:39

cannot just add on an extra

9:41

hour of lecturing when you

9:43

have them fatigued . So the day in that sense

9:46

is hard on the teachers but it's also

9:48

hard on the kids . So

9:50

you have to figure things out and I

9:52

feel that you have to be a lot more active

9:55

, which nowadays for me is

9:57

very important anyway , Because there

10:00

is so much input into their mind that

10:02

they easily tune you out . So

10:05

you cannot lecture all the time . I think

10:07

in a long class number one , you

10:09

can't Number two again with

10:12

them . Having overstimulation

10:15

is a problem . So

10:17

I try to maybe

10:19

do a little power lecture

10:22

15 , maximum 20 minutes , even

10:24

with my AP kids . I find that after that

10:26

I would lose them . And then

10:28

you add activities uh

10:30

, group discussions , uh , application

10:34

questions , activities where they're using

10:36

hands-on . I'm trying to incorporate as

10:38

much movement as I can and

10:40

as much active thinking so

10:43

that they're not sitting back and taking it

10:45

in like social media or movies , that

10:47

they're actually participating . I find

10:49

sometimes that that can be an

10:51

issue . And with the long blocks , especially

10:54

the last block , I have an AP bio class

10:56

. That is the nicest class

10:58

and they're trying

11:00

to participate . So I really have to

11:02

get them to move around and everything so

11:05

that they can get themselves

11:07

to do this and not feel that mental

11:09

fatigue . So a lot of activities

11:12

, a lot of change of pace

11:14

is , I think , extremely important

11:17

. And then I do the crazy

11:19

thing which my school allows me to I take

11:21

every single one of my classes for a

11:23

seven minute walk . School

11:25

allows me to . I take every single one of my classes for a seven minute walk . That time is very well

11:28

spent because when my kids come back they

11:30

are so much fresher and because they like

11:32

the walks and they're happy with me , they

11:34

got their social time in . I

11:37

can observe how the dynamics are

11:39

going . I can do one-on-ones

11:41

with the kids that don't need it , so when

11:43

they come back refreshed and with

11:45

goodwill , it makes it much better

11:48

.

11:48

Now I'm really now curious

11:50

about the seven-minute walk . But

11:53

I want to ask you a question , because

11:55

you mentioned student

11:57

fatigue like end of day fatigue . So

12:00

does that mean your A-B schedule is

12:03

it fixed times or does sometimes

12:05

this afternoon come

12:07

in the morning , or is it always

12:10

afternoon ?

12:11

In my district , the same classes

12:14

every day on a blue day and the

12:16

same classes on a gold day . So

12:19

my fourth period is always going to be my fourth

12:21

period and I would love to see what

12:23

you're saying , because I see such a difference

12:25

in my second period and my fourth

12:27

period for the same class .

12:29

Obviously , so now let's

12:31

unpack this seven-minute walk

12:33

, because the fact

12:35

that you figured out this

12:37

brain break , this need for

12:39

a mindfulness moment

12:42

with high school students how

12:44

did you set up those expectations

12:46

and

12:49

are we all walking together ? Tell

12:53

us more about that .

12:55

Yes , I have to tell you

12:58

I've been doing this work for maybe now

13:00

15 years . Oh , every

13:02

time before they go out of

13:04

the classroom , please shush in the hallway

13:06

, do not talk . And they make fun of me

13:08

because of my shush . They all try . Oh shush

13:10

, she said shush , but so I

13:12

sent them . Uh out there . Uh

13:14

, going down is usually because there's

13:17

not too much . Uh , there are not too many classes , they're

13:19

a little bit louder . Then it's a

13:21

group that is a loosely formed

13:23

group and I like that because it

13:25

gives me an idea to observe

13:27

the group dynamics . So if I see

13:29

that a group is working well

13:31

together , I will use it in a classroom

13:33

. If I see the kid that is being

13:36

left behind or that feels a little bit

13:38

left out , I will see into

13:40

what group I put them into . How

13:42

can I get them more involved so that they don't

13:45

feel awkward in class ? Because you've got to have everybody

13:47

feeling comfortable in class and

13:49

so many times I will

13:51

target different students and I will walk

13:53

with them . And the one oh , you

13:55

didn't do well on the test . When do you want

13:57

to do the retake ? What new learning

14:00

strategy are you going to try ? Let's do

14:02

this , or are you distressed ? So

14:04

? And look , I was

14:06

a chiropractor before . We're probably going to talk

14:08

about that later . For

14:14

me , I'm hoping that they take this

14:17

health skill to work , that they're not just sitting around but moving around , and

14:19

the goodwill , the lack of discipline issues , because

14:22

of something so simple is amazing .

14:22

Oh , I love that . I um . I

14:25

hope that our listeners like peeked in

14:27

. Even if you don't have a four day um

14:29

school week , that just seems to be

14:32

that you've incorporated into

14:34

almost a formative assessment

14:36

of getting to know and building this culture

14:39

within , I mean within your

14:41

classroom , outside of

14:43

the classroom . Hey

14:45

, teacher friends , if you're an HMH user

14:47

, did you know you have access to Teacher's Corner

14:50

on Ed Included with every

14:52

HMH program ? Teacher's Corner is

14:54

a community of teachers , learning experts

14:56

and coaches gathered in one place to

14:59

support you with a new kind of professional

15:01

learning bite-sized , teacher-selected

15:04

and teacher-driven , with on-demand

15:06

sessions , lesson demonstrations

15:08

, program support and practical

15:10

resources . Teacher's Corner lets

15:12

you choose how you interact with our content

15:14

. I like to think about it as inspiration

15:17

on demand with

15:19

our content . I like to

15:21

think about it as inspiration on demand . Now

15:24

let's talk about . You

15:31

mentioned lectures . You mentioned , you know , labs

15:33

. We have not specifically said what subject you teach

15:35

, so I hope everybody has inferred science is in Claudia'sudia's um

15:37

discipline , but , but , but

15:40

, dr , sink and rat . Let's like

15:42

tell everybody what you teach

15:44

every day . What are your

15:46

four classes ?

15:48

I teach . I teach ap biology

15:50

on one day and

15:53

anatomy and physiology on the other

15:55

day . It worked out really well because it makes it

15:57

easy . Anatomy and physiology

15:59

gets repetitive after a while . But

16:02

those are the two classes I teach and I

16:04

kind of liked it . I teach two classes

16:06

because even after all this time I

16:08

will always try to reinvent the

16:11

wheel in a way just to keep it fresh . I'm

16:13

constantly , and that's why I like my Fridays

16:15

, because then I can say , oh , let's do the

16:17

new , let's do this activity , let's

16:19

try that activity .

16:22

I love this . So

16:24

you were a chiropractor

16:26

before ? Yes , which

16:29

is probably also why you

16:31

are about the movement

16:34

staying stretch . You

16:36

know how . The ergonomics

16:38

of your classroom ? I would love to see

16:40

your classroom see if your

16:42

desk and chairs looked like mine

16:44

, or are you more ? You know thinking

16:46

about the ergonomics behind the learning

16:49

? Tell us how you went from being

16:51

a chiropractor to coming into

16:53

the classroom .

16:57

I practiced for 10 years but

16:59

to be honest , especially the business

17:01

part of chiropractic , I found it

17:03

to be very stressful and I didn't

17:06

really enjoy it . And I realized

17:08

that every time somebody said , would you give a guest

17:10

lecture ? Oh I was there , I was doing

17:12

the guest lecture and I

17:14

had taught while I was waiting

17:16

to get my license . In Florida

17:19

, I taught a semester at a

17:21

massage school and I loved it . So

17:24

I decided I'm going to make the switch and

17:27

I switched into this and it

17:29

actually worked out as a really

17:31

great switch for me because I absolutely

17:34

love teaching , I love my kids

17:36

, but it also gives me a lot

17:38

of real world experience that I can

17:40

bring to class , which is a lot of fun .

17:43

Do you run any of these

17:45

um mindfulness

17:48

and stretching with

17:50

your fellow faculty ? Like I would

17:53

totally have you at a faculty meeting

17:55

leading some

17:57

of this ?

17:58

at a faculty meeting

18:01

leading some of this we are doing . Time-wise

18:03

that may be a little bit of an issue , but

18:10

we've done , and little groups . We had our group that we were doing either some Tai Chi

18:12

or some meditation here and there , but I also bring it into

18:14

the classroom , especially with anatomy during

18:16

the nervous system . It's a little bit

18:19

iffy in the last period because

18:21

it would be easy to fall asleep , so you

18:23

do it just before you go for

18:26

the walk . But here and there

18:28

we are and we

18:31

started a couple of times a little

18:33

bit of exercise after school , but we're

18:35

busy with our students . It's difficult to get

18:37

that done .

18:38

And how are the skills from being a chiropractor

18:41

? What do you naturally

18:43

elevate within your

18:46

coursework ? That is

18:49

just . It's going to be special . Because

18:51

I was one of your students , I

18:53

know I'm going to get this little bit of extra

18:55

just because of your background .

18:59

I am such a fan of the human

19:02

body and how

19:04

to maintain it , so all the

19:06

things that lead to healthy habits mentally

19:09

and physically no , yes , mentally

19:12

and physically are important to me . So when

19:15

I talk about how to

19:17

eat healthier here , a lot

19:19

of stress . How

19:22

can you bring the stress down ? How can you study

19:24

so you have less stress ? How can you

19:26

keep the body and mind going so

19:28

that you can actually enjoy life

19:31

and actually get the most out of it ? I

19:34

can bring in a lot of stories of patients

19:36

that I had . The kids absolutely love that

19:38

. I bring in some of the skills we

19:41

do blood pressure . I show them how

19:43

to do some of the vision

19:45

tests and color vision and stigmatism

19:48

. They love all of that . So

19:51

there's a lot of these little

19:53

bit of hands-on you know

19:55

little fitness tests and all of that . It

19:57

really makes a big difference .

20:03

Now ? Have you been able to keep in touch with any of your former students ? I mean , have they reported

20:05

back to you , taking some of your additional

20:07

practices with them to their career

20:10

or college ?

20:12

Because of another

20:14

event . I got

20:17

a lot of emails

20:19

back from students lately

20:21

and they were telling me that

20:24

you know some oh my God , I ended

20:26

up going into the health care profession . I

20:28

also hear the kids when

20:31

they exercise a lot and say , see , I'm still

20:33

doing it , I didn't stop after

20:35

high school and I find that

20:37

very good . But

20:40

the things that probably even

20:43

excite me more is

20:46

when I hear back that I helped them

20:48

through a difficult or hard time . When

20:50

they felt maybe alone , or

20:52

when they didn't know what to do , or when

20:55

I just talked to them

20:57

because they needed and that they

20:59

felt supported in

21:01

that sense , because I think a lot of

21:03

our kids may not be getting enough

21:05

of that nowadays .

21:06

And is that something that is part

21:08

of your seven minute walk

21:11

? Do you also have those just

21:13

conversations walking ?

21:16

Absolutely . If I have a distressed kid

21:18

, I'm going to pull them a little bit

21:20

aside . As I said , we can walk a little bit loosely

21:23

. I just hold them back together

21:25

before we go back into the school so we don't

21:27

make too much noise . But they

21:30

know they have to stay around . But I have enough time

21:32

that I can pull them aside and we can talk . I

21:34

will also not mind

21:37

stopping

21:39

my class for a minute . If I see that a

21:41

kid is very distressed . I take them out

21:43

. We have a little hallway in the back

21:45

and I will talk to them . Because there are things that

21:47

are more important and it shows the kids

21:50

that you don't leave people

21:52

alone , that you help

21:54

them when they need help and that you

21:56

do it nicely and seamlessly

21:58

and that you just just you're there for

22:01

the people around you ?

22:02

I mean , you're already melting my heart

22:05

. What now ? Let's

22:07

talk about similar

22:09

to math , and even you

22:11

know reading and

22:13

writing . You know we all have students that

22:15

are intimidated by the discipline

22:18

that we love and are

22:20

passionate about . So how

22:22

do you recognize students that are intimidated

22:25

by science and what are some approaches

22:27

that you do to break that down , to change

22:29

the way that they're thinking about learning

22:32

science ?

22:35

I think the important thing

22:37

is that you build a good rapport with your students

22:40

so that they feel they can talk to you and that they

22:42

want to talk to you . And

22:44

so you will hear but I'm not good in

22:46

science . I've never did good in science

22:49

tests . I'm not going to study

22:51

science because I cannot handle

22:53

this , and I

22:55

think there are a couple of techniques that work

22:57

really well . With that Number

23:01

one , show

23:04

them study techniques and

23:07

then allow them to use them and to

23:09

try those techniques . Many times

23:11

I have 12th graders that I ask them so

23:13

how are you studying this ? And they tell me I read the

23:15

notes In 12th grade . Nobody

23:17

has really told them yet . There is this , this , this

23:19

, this , all these other techniques . Um

23:21

, it would be so much better when you do

23:23

this . So we go through

23:25

some of those . But then also

23:27

you need to allow them to

23:30

fail and to remediate

23:32

it so they don't feel so helpless . Many times

23:34

tests are given and , okay , you

23:36

got a 72 . That's all you're

23:38

going to ever get . But if somebody wants

23:40

to better themselves , yes , I will give you a

23:42

different test if you study and

23:44

let's try something else , so that they have the

23:47

safety and then

23:49

celebrate the success . Show

23:51

them that they're growing , show them that they can

23:54

handle it , and show them when they come

23:56

up with good ideas . When you have discussions

23:58

in class or group work , see you

24:00

figure this out , uh , but also

24:03

always tie it in with things

24:05

that they like . So you need to know your

24:07

students better and make sure that you that

24:10

you know . So if they like dancing and I

24:12

brought it up in a video I had to do uh

24:14

, and and this kid could not figure

24:17

out why we needed atp

24:19

in the cell and , and so I brought in the

24:21

dancing and I said , uh , do you get

24:23

tired when you dance ? And then he put things together

24:26

uh , so once you can bring

24:28

it to their level and attach

24:30

it to what they're passionate about , that

24:33

many times uh works , uh

24:35

tremendously well . So got

24:37

to see

24:39

what your audience is and work with

24:41

them in that sense and never , ever

24:44

let them think that

24:46

they can't do it and

24:48

show them that little by little , progress . It doesn't

24:50

have to be from an F to an

24:52

A in a day .

24:54

Oh , just those micro goals Was

24:56

another real-world practice

24:59

or a way that you bring the real world into

25:01

your classroom .

25:05

I have gotten

25:08

several guest speakers . I used

25:10

to go to a university here in Florida

25:12

and gotten the last biotechnology so

25:14

that I could show them , but I could

25:17

also borrow the equipment of the

25:19

university and sometimes

25:21

they would even send the speakers

25:23

plus the technology and oh

25:26

, did the kids feel wonderful because they

25:28

were interacting with it . I have

25:30

had students that were

25:32

in my class before that now are graduated

25:34

in the health field and in science field

25:36

come back and talk to them because they can

25:38

relate to that . I

25:41

am working with another teacher to do 3D

25:43

models , printing models

25:46

of some of the processes

25:48

and some of the concepts

25:51

that we are dealing with . And

25:54

then , because I like human

25:56

body and health so much , I always

25:59

get back to that and they can relate to

26:01

that fairly well .

26:03

The 3D printing has come

26:05

up a couple of times in some of our episodes

26:07

. Was

26:09

that a big process ? Was that just something

26:12

that your school already

26:14

was planning on getting , or was that an initiative

26:16

you and some of your peers

26:19

and fellow faculty put

26:21

in a grant or put in a request for ?

26:25

We're a technology school but I understand

26:27

there is a lot of now

26:29

that the 3D printing companies

26:32

are even looking for schools because they want

26:34

their kids to understand it so

26:36

that they get excited about using that technology

26:39

. But in that sense we

26:41

had it a little bit easier . But at

26:43

the beginning they were just making

26:46

models and some of them were already pre-programmed

26:48

in the machine . So the

26:51

teacher and I just said no , no , let's

26:53

try to do something different . And we had

26:55

them design something

26:57

and then some students took

26:59

it further and made

27:01

it even like movable models

27:03

. That was , I think , where

27:06

they then really saw , because then they saw

27:08

they can really do it different . It's not just pressing

27:10

some buttons and getting a beautiful skull . You

27:13

know , it's coming

27:16

up an idea , problem solving because

27:18

the first two or three times it's not going to work

27:20

, and then figuring out how

27:22

to do that .

27:25

And , as far as collaboration , it's

27:28

one of the top skills

27:31

that we all need to have . In fact , the workplace

27:34

is changing more and more . Even if

27:36

you are virtual remote , you're

27:39

collaborating , you're problem-solving with

27:41

others . How are you bringing that

27:44

and fostering collaboration and

27:46

the thought of collaborating before

27:48

isolating your thinking

27:51

? How are you approaching that in your

27:53

classroom ?

27:56

I do a lot of group work so

27:59

that they can discuss

28:02

together and figure out and do

28:04

creative thinking . Sometimes

28:07

they start on their own and then

28:09

they go into groups . I usually

28:12

let them go into their own groups most

28:14

of the time because I want them to be comfortable

28:16

and I want them to be in the level . Once in

28:18

a while I will guide students , but most of the

28:20

time I want them to form their own groups

28:22

because then they are more willing to talk and

28:25

to brainstorm . That means

28:27

you have to give them work where they

28:29

have to find something out . And

28:33

then at the beginning of

28:36

the year I may assign roles

28:38

, but more and more at

28:40

the end I try not to . And then I

28:42

observe the groups and if

28:44

somebody is disengaged then I

28:46

will maybe talk to them and

28:48

figure out what to do . Funnily

28:51

enough and we know that with women in science

28:53

, many times I will always

28:55

have one group somewhere where

28:58

the girls

29:00

end up having to write everything

29:02

and everything . And then I go and I make sure

29:04

that that is not the pattern and

29:07

that this could be done

29:09

differently , that everybody should be taking notes

29:11

, not just the girls . So

29:14

I think also giving them , empowering

29:17

them to no , don't be shy , your

29:19

ideas are supposed to

29:21

be there . I

29:27

think another big thing that we really have to work on is the soft skills . I find

29:29

that maybe it's because of the

29:31

phone or so that sometimes the

29:33

Curtis speaking waiting

29:37

for somebody to finish their sentence . All

29:41

of those skills , how you work together

29:43

and be also tolerant

29:45

and patient and

29:47

not think my opinion is the only

29:49

one and that's it . But how you work

29:51

together , even if you don't necessarily agree

29:54

, is extremely important , and

29:56

you can do that when you have this work

29:58

as long as you're walking around

30:00

and you are just guiding

30:02

them and they they're already in a classroom

30:05

that I don't allow even eye rolling

30:07

in my classroom right from the beginning , because

30:09

I don't want any judgment .

30:10

I would have gotten in so much trouble . Claudia

30:13

, I would get . I mean because I'm an

30:15

eye roller , but it's it's

30:17

more towards direction , like

30:19

, like a given being , given a

30:22

directive . That I'm just like , seriously

30:24

, you know , that's where my eye roll . But

30:26

I'm curious about , I love

30:28

, I love the conversation about the soft

30:30

, still the soft skills , um

30:33

one I . One of the things I was

30:35

just thinking about the other day , and so I would love

30:37

to hear your thoughts on it , is building

30:40

that confidence in

30:42

spaces where you know all

30:45

about innovation is brain

30:47

, is workshopping , brainstorming , throwing

30:50

things out there , and

30:52

you have to sometimes say , say

30:55

the things and even if others

30:57

like laugh at it at first or like

30:59

that sounds ridiculous , having

31:03

the building the confidence , confidence inside

31:05

, like all right , well , you might say it's ridiculous

31:07

, but here's why I'm throwing this

31:09

out there , or envisioning

31:11

how do you teach that ? Or how

31:13

do you recognize learners

31:16

who you know you do not want them

31:18

to hold themselves back at

31:20

the same time , how you're building that tolerance

31:23

to let things just be

31:25

thrown out there to be heard .

31:29

Taking those intellectual risks . I always

31:32

tell them to do that , but it is not

31:34

always easy and at the beginning sometimes

31:36

people will chuckle . But

31:40

what I tend to do is then I tend

31:42

to turn the comments maybe around

31:45

to where it made a lot of sense of what the

31:47

person said and that the other people may

31:49

not have seen it , and I make this like a learning

31:52

experience . I say , and

31:54

then I say you see , this wasn't what you meant

31:57

. But I also am

31:59

very good at laughing at myself

32:01

and when I make mistakes . So

32:05

I make it okay to make

32:07

mistakes and it is actually , you

32:09

know . I mean , if we didn't make the mistake , you

32:11

know number one we

32:13

wouldn't have the fun that we're having right now

32:15

. But also , this is what life takes

32:17

. You cannot grow unless you make mistakes

32:20

. Okay , and I go into life is one big mistake after another . You know , if you

32:22

keep learning , you're going to make mistakes . And I go into life is one big mistake

32:24

after another . If you

32:26

keep learning , you're going to make mistakes . But

32:29

building the tolerance and

32:32

having people keep

32:34

their opinions

32:37

a little bit to themselves , I'm

32:39

very big in teaching them not to characterize

32:42

people by one or two words , which we

32:44

humans are very good , that person is smart

32:46

, that person is stupid , that person . And

32:49

I show them that no

32:51

person just has one characteristic and

32:54

to respect that . So

32:56

that openness is very important

32:58

. Just

33:01

two days ago , I tell

33:03

my students I don't do math in public because I

33:05

will mess up all the math factors

33:07

that I did . And in that class I had

33:09

to do a lot of math and I had it even written

33:11

down and I was messing it all up and

33:14

I turned around and I said look , um

33:16

, and we were having fun , they were chuckling . I

33:18

turned around and said if this is the only thing about

33:20

that you knew about me , how would you

33:22

feel ? And I told them not to answer it , see

33:25

. So I told them you know we all have

33:27

different strengths , so look for

33:29

the strengths and then you just keep

33:31

reinforcing that . I think the

33:33

classroom environment is

33:36

very important and it takes a while to set it up

33:38

at the beginning so that you can and

33:40

then throw out ideas , and

33:46

when they throw it out at me , I'm always going to turn it around into something . Yeah , we can use

33:48

this , let's go a little bit further there , and never

33:50

. No , this is not acceptable

33:53

, because that's where kids , I think , shut

33:55

down , make them feel heard

33:57

, make them feel important , make

33:59

them feel like , oh , I do have something valuable

34:02

to contribute . That's what the feeling

34:04

that you need to give to the kids .

34:06

Oh well , I can tell , I

34:08

know why Jen still

34:11

thinks about you , because our producer , jen

34:13

, had you as a teacher and she

34:18

spoke so highly of you and so having

34:22

that imprint on someone like you

34:24

know you're opening my heart even more

34:26

than I think I have , you know , one

34:28

of the biggest hearts out there . I'm

34:30

, like I kind of like

34:32

am loving what you're saying , which

34:35

is why my

34:37

other understanding from my notes

34:39

is that you've just been announced the

34:41

Broward County Teacher of the Year

34:43

. How

34:46

did that feel when you got the news

34:48

? You know , how did you get nominated

34:51

? Because I can also see the

34:54

teacher in you . Like , sometimes we

34:56

have a hard time being praised

34:58

or being recognized because we want collectively

35:01

everybody to have that . But

35:04

I can tell you from this conversation

35:06

, I can understand why someone would

35:08

have nominated you , but tell

35:10

us how . What's going through your mind ? Because

35:12

it's just been recent .

35:14

Yes , yes , I will , I will and I will be

35:16

quite honest about this . In

35:18

my school , first the school

35:21

decides and usually you get

35:23

voted in by the rest

35:25

of the staff , and

35:30

that was not my first time . I was selected teacher of the year . I mean , you know 50 teachers , it's going

35:32

to happen here and there . And

35:34

then I got a whole

35:37

afternoon to do my whole application

35:39

for the county , okay

35:42

, so at one o'clock I had to start and by

35:44

four I had to have it ready with three

35:46

letters of recommendation . So

35:50

, going through it fast , I went and then

35:52

didn't think of it much more , and

35:55

then Broward first said that I

35:57

was a semi-finalist and then that I

35:59

was a finalist . When they

36:01

announced this finalist , they even came into , they visited each of the finalists and they that I was a finalist . When they announced

36:04

this finalist , they even came into , they visited each of the finalists

36:06

and they brought it back . And you

36:09

are right , I don't like . I like

36:11

being in front of my classroom , the

36:14

spotlight I am . I

36:16

had a hard time and , to be honest with you

36:18

, I felt a lot of imposter syndrome

36:20

because I do what I think I

36:22

should be doing . I don't think I'm doing this

36:25

above and beyond , which

36:27

is so valuable in so many

36:29

different ways that people do . They bring grants

36:31

in , they do all these different projects

36:33

which I think they're amazing . So

36:36

why am I there

36:38

? Type of idea , type

36:49

of idea and um , and then this spotlight here , video , their video , um , talk here , do this . That has been

36:51

, it's been , a learning experience to get there , uh

36:53

, but uh , on the other hand , it has

36:55

recharged me because I'm keep

36:57

thinking again about again , again

36:59

, what teaching is and it is

37:01

uh , just giving me again this renewed

37:04

energy to do more and maybe , maybe

37:06

, I should reach out to more people . You know

37:08

, I do some workshops in school . I , as

37:11

you know , they always ask me

37:13

to do some of the uh professional

37:15

uh , development and I usually and

37:18

classroom management or so , and it's

37:20

giving me more ideas why

37:22

this is necessary thing to do . So

37:24

it's , it's definitely been

37:26

, an interesting journey .

37:28

And it'll continue . I mean it

37:30

, you know it's , it's one of those things that it's

37:32

a um , but it sounds

37:34

like you're going to make the most of it . I'm sure

37:36

your students have been ecstatic and you

37:39

know , obviously , your former student , your former

37:41

students I'm still thinking about you . What's

37:45

your advice for somebody I

37:48

mean , we're always needing more teachers . I

37:50

mean we have a teaching shortage Like

37:53

, what's your advice for someone who is

37:55

in a career that might be considering

37:57

teaching ? Basically

38:00

, what's your advice for them and how would you get

38:02

them to think about , like , make the move

38:04

?

38:06

Yeah , um , and

38:08

and I think these questions should ask

38:10

should be asked from somebody that changed

38:12

careers , because when you look

38:15

from teaching from the outside , uh

38:17

, it looks very easy . You go in , you

38:20

you spend a couple of hours with your

38:22

kids and you go home and you have nothing to do , right , and

38:24

you don't necessarily think about all of

38:26

that . So I think it is good

38:29

that both sides are brought

38:31

in . You

38:34

can see , I have a passion for this and

38:36

I will tell people it is an amazing

38:39

, amazing career . You

38:42

can't get bored . You're

38:47

always learning something new . You know that you're making a difference one way or

38:49

the other If you want to . There is so many ways you can make

38:51

a difference and you

38:54

keep fresh with the world . Also

38:57

, you keep up with the technology . You keep

38:59

up with the news . You understand

39:01

where the teenagers are coming from . So

39:03

, um , very rewarding

39:05

career . Having said that , the

39:08

first year is going to be challenging because

39:10

you have no idea how to deal with kids

39:12

. When I first started , I

39:15

thought you teach , you deal with them like

39:17

, uh , they are , uh , adults

39:19

, okay , no , you can't

39:21

, but you also cannot treat them like kids . So you've

39:23

got to learn how to deal with them . You've

39:26

got to learn how to deal with the parents

39:28

and what to say , what not to say , and

39:31

how you can make the classes interesting

39:33

when you're just like 10

39:35

minutes ahead of the student that first year

39:38

, you know , or how

39:40

do you , how do you get ? And

39:42

I tell them that this

39:44

is all made easier if you have some really

39:47

good mentors around you . If you go into

39:49

some classrooms and look and ask

39:51

, and there is always , there are always these

39:53

teachers , because I think that is one of the characteristics

39:56

of teachers is that we like to help

39:58

each other , so there will always

40:00

be the one that will give you some techniques that you

40:02

can try and then slowly you make

40:04

your own techniques . Again

40:06

, I cannot stress enough how it's

40:08

important that they make the students feel

40:10

seen , make the students feel respected

40:13

, because then they can really start

40:15

figuring out how to do this without having

40:18

the experiences

40:20

that could be very negative in the first

40:22

year . So it's

40:24

going to take a little time , but it

40:26

is very satisfying and it is very

40:29

enlightening

40:31

and it's a great career .

40:33

Solid advice . Last

40:35

question why

40:38

teach science ?

40:41

Why teach science ? I will tell you why teach science

40:44

. Why teach science ? I will tell you

40:46

why teach science . To learn how to critically think about information

40:48

. Look at more than one side . Use

40:52

logic and not just take the

40:54

first comment that comes at you . To get into great

40:56

careers biotechnology , engineering , chemistry great

40:58

careers biotechnology , engineering

41:01

, chemistry , environmental science

41:03

, the medical field Again

41:12

, logic and critical thinking skills that make life so much better . To understand

41:14

the world better . If you need to fix your sink or your toilet , did you

41:16

understand a little bit about water flow and gravity

41:18

so you don't end up with too

41:21

many broken parts

41:23

and water all over the place ? So

41:27

to

41:29

get the part of thinking that is more

41:31

analytical . At

41:33

the same time , you're going to be also creative

41:35

, so that

41:37

you can really think and

41:40

apply information and

41:42

not fall for every little scam

41:45

that is out there as well .

41:47

Well , you are definitely no scam . You are

41:49

the true thing . I

41:52

have adored this conversation

41:54

, I have to admit . I have

41:56

to admit I'm like now , you

41:58

know , I need to go out into my pool and , you know

42:01

, do I float . What happens ?

42:02

You know I , you

42:04

know things that are coming

42:06

at me . I don't know if you've noticed this

42:08

whole time .

42:10

I'm like I'm watching you and not

42:12

that you are ever judging me

42:14

but I'm like , am I sitting up straight and

42:17

then I would like do this , and

42:19

then I would slouch and I'm like

42:22

, ooh , ooh , Like I need

42:24

that proper advice . I get that , but

42:28

I have enjoyed this conversation

42:30

, so have I . I know our

42:32

listeners will take a lot from

42:35

this and I hope you have an amazing

42:37

rest of the school year .

42:40

Thank you very much . I've enjoyed this tremendously

42:43

. I never talk about what I love , but thank

42:45

you . Thank you for the wonderful

42:47

questions . It was amazing .

42:49

You're welcome . If you or someone

42:52

you know would like to be a guest on the Teachers in America

42:54

podcast , please

43:01

email us at shaped at hmhcocom . Be the first to hear new episodes of Teachers in

43:03

America by subscribing on Apple Podcasts , spotify or wherever you listen

43:05

to podcasts . If you enjoyed

43:08

today's show , please rate , review

43:10

and share it with your network . You

43:12

can find the transcript of this episode

43:14

on our SHAPE blog by visiting hmhcocom

43:17

. Forward slash SHAPE . The

43:20

link is in the show notes . The

43:22

Teachers in America podcast is a production

43:24

of HMH . Executive producers

43:27

are Christine Condon and Tim Lee . Editorial

43:30

direction is by Christine Condon . It

43:32

is creatively directed and audio

43:34

engineered by Tim Lee . Our

43:37

producer and editor is Jennifer Carujo

43:39

. Production designers

43:41

are Mia Fry and Thomas Velazquez

43:43

. Shape blog post editors

43:45

for the podcast are Christine Condon

43:47

, jennifer Caruho and Alicia

43:50

Ivory . Thanks again for listening

43:52

.