you're listening to Finding Joy in Education the podcast that focuses on what brings us joy in the field of education Each show you'll hear joy stories from teachers of the year educators from all walks of life and
leaders as well as hear hacks to enhance the teaching and learning in our classrooms This is finding joy in education [Music] [Music]
Hello and welcome to the Finding Joy in Education podcast I'm your host Sarah Painter and joining me in the studio today we have some very very special guests First we have Robin Ford senior professional development coordinator here for Panelis County Schools She's
kind of hitching in on this podcast We just wrapped up an episode on aha moments where we talked about the exact same topic So we are piggybacking on that today and continuing in this segment I also have Miss Becca Gross Teter Becca is the director of public
policy for the juvenile welfare board So Becca thank you for joining us and being here in the studio today And then I have Miss Risel Turner She is a parent of some Panelis County students as well as a good friend of mine and just somebody that I've grown close to over the last
few years and has really helped me find joy in my classroom and just just all around great great human being and just someone who encourages me and continues to help me find joy So ladies welcome to the podcast
Um so you know before we get started I always ask my guests to tell me their story I want to hear what brought you to this table today where you've been and where you are right now So Becca what's your story Okay in in brief out of
respect for viewers and listeners time I am fun fact a native Flidian a native to Penelis County a graduate of the district Oh my gosh a belchure buff Woohoo Also Oak Grove and Penelis Park High
School Uh went on to the University of West Florida because one of my teachers encouraged me to attend their alma mater uh started my own company ran that for the better part of two decades working in higher education in the military uh on policy reforms
advocacy fused that on my journey with politics because just like sometimes people are like "How can y'all do education?" Yeah that's what they say to me How can you do politics And I go cuz it's life's a team sport and that's it And um now at
the juvenile welfare board I get to fuse the two I get to do advocacy and strengthening community And it is not lost on me that there are times that it would have been very easy I was not an easy child and educators always stood in
the doorway and challenged me to do and be more and now I get to do that on behalf of the kids and families of Penllis County So I love that It's a pretty awesome gig and so I'm honored to be here Thank you I'm so glad you're here I cannot wait to pick your brain and and hear some of your insights on on
what we're talking about today Risal what's your story Okay so um I was married very young 19 I had my first kid at 19 And then fast forward into 2009 We decided as a family to move
to the Philippines That's actually where Maya was born Um that's she was in your fifth grade class Um and when we moved back to or excuse me yeah Washington state we moved back
to Washington State back in 2010 Um and we were low income It was really hard having one income that was seasonal And then I just decided I really want to go to school to become a nurse but I don't know if I'm smart enough But then I just
started feeling better about myself working out and I started to get confidence So I applied for school and at the time having three children going in a prerequisite to nursing it was like okay I don't know if I can do this but mentorship is so important like the
pathway for mentorship I had um a lady who was pretty much paving the way for me um finding resources for me and my family child care um rent vouchers like it was very hard but I looked at my kids every time and I said they deserve a
life a strong foundation for them to have a fulfilling life And then back in [Applause] 2018 we moved to Florida We have nobody here no family no nothing It was like we're moving here out of faith And um
then co hit and just um their dad had to stay home with them I was the only one bringing an income It was very hard very stressful And then um my ended up so all my kids just very
different personalities but Maya's the one that was directly you know in your classroom in grade And I remember the first picture you ever sent me was you and Maya and a goofball I loved her And then from there it just kind of rolled into this relationship and I said "I've
never had a teacher who actually went above and beyond and made it feel like a family." Mhm And it was in those moments I saw this blossoming of Maya Yes And it's like this is beautiful And it's right before they enter into a middle
school So this flourishing was happening with her And just over time I've seen it trickle into just the relationship she has with her siblings And then she'll say "My friend this friend." I said "Who is that?" Like she's has so many amazing friends good influences
And as far as school she gets into she's very focused She is very artistic and um right now she um grade wise she has to keep her grades up for flag football So she's a great motivator She's very
focused on that and she's I really feel like had it not been for the way that you bring joy into your students lives that I don't think she would have flourished to the kid she is now because it truly made a difference Like it truly
made a difference So I love it I love you guys I love um that that was my last year in the classroom and that happened to be the year I was recognized for teacher of the year I was gone a lot but to hear you know looking back I think I I could have done so much more So what
you're saying fills my bucket that that it was enough So I I appreciate that So we're going to talk about joy today and you're going to hear that kind of um woven throughout all of my questions and and your responses today So recently our school superintendent um Kevin Hendrickk
he proposed this question to some leaders in the district He said "What if nurturing joy was our ultimate purpose in education What would that look like?" So Becca what would that look like if that was the ultimate goal of education
nurturing joy I think what it does is it shifts the mindset right It's kind of like I think when we're trying to solve problems that are hard it's like looking through a kaleidoscope and and it's okay to see things differently and instead of what we have to do it's what the
opportunity presents for us to do And I think that is where that joy and creativity and the flexibility within the guard rails of the classroom comes alive And I think that's the difference between a good teacher and a great
teacher Yeah is it's that opportunity to enter those moments We just had a couple teachers on and when we posed the opening question to them it was basically them knowing their why and that's what drove that is the teachers knowing their why in the classroom And
so hearing you reflect that is just um that resonates It's affirming heard Yeah Right So what would nurturing joy look like then if that was the sole purpose in education I think it's really important to communicate
with kids talk about your feelings understand I mean there are a lot of things at home that we don't know about are happening Absolutely And so when we use communication to talk to them and also nurture how they learn it shows one
they're actually paying attention to how I learn Two they're actually communicating with me and not at me And that builds kids up And I try to practice that at home And I just see a huge shift in my kids when communication is open like that And and when students
feel that they've been heard and that they have a voice get more buy in And the joy just kind of is is a fruit of that right It makes us that Robin what if nurturing joy was our ultimate purpose in education What do you think this would look like Well I it's it's
interesting because I was looking at it from an education like an educator standpoint and then my you just took me to the parent standpoint and just pulling on those like emotional heartstrings of like you you need your child to be seen right and like and how
that as a parent has been uh the times that I've been the happiest with my children in school and then the most heartbroken with my children in school is about not like they got an A on this test or they they didn't they missed
something but it was like how have they been received in that environment right and and is it a place where they're growing and is it building and so that's what I feel like is like if we think about it since If I'm putting on the lens of like from a parent it's like
it's it's like fertilizing our children right We're trying to help develop them into like respectful and loving human beings because the PE the school and the teachers and everyone around sees and cares about like all of our children
Yeah Yeah Absolutely Becca your role allows you to see multiple lenses of education You have the community lens you have the family lens you do see students So can you share an example of a time when you witnessed joy in education making a real difference in a
student's life or in the broader community Can you give us one of those examples I have to say this is one of the harder questions because I've had so many so many so whittling it down but I would say as the parent of two children in the
district um and two very different children although the one that's tougher at home is the one that the teachers are always telling and you're always like wait what I'm like did you get the wrong number but um but I would have to say that you know y'all mentioned middle
school and how how scary that was when you think of that launch and and as I tell my children those are the three least attractive years of your life because they're just so difficult But my youngest child's in eighth grade right now and when he was in sixth grade and he has always he's a child of absolutes
He either likes something or he doesn't And he did not think he liked ELA And the teacher he had in sixth grade Miss Noella set his world on fire and showed him that he can love something that he doesn't think he loves And I just am so
grateful for that And and because that's what education really is It's the art of our individual possibility and figuring out that we're all players in that community I love that you said possibility because that's really you know these are little humans and they're
not fully formed yet right And so like showing and exposing them the possibilities of what what they could be I think is really powerful in terms of putting joy at the heart of education I think about our role too as models for our students and for anyone we come into
contact with right like when we show frustration and how we work through that or disappointment right So it's not always joy but it's how you handle those that can turn into joy And I think that's what's really important is to like not ever lose that that lens that
you you're also modeling for everyone that you interact with how to turn it to joy because at the end of the day that is a choice right We talk about finding joy and choosing joy You don't wait for it to come to you you find opportunities to create it and it kind of takes you
into that empowerment role where you can you can create that for yourself and for those around you Well and I think when you extrapolate those lessons you move off of regret and shame into growth and that's kind of like if we can't think of education as ever ending and that's true
for us Sure Yep Yep So Raiselle when have you seen one of your children any of them experience true joy in learning and what made that moment special I think it comes down to experiences in the classroom More times
than not it's usually just the thoughtful interaction So what I noticed with Crew he's in fourth grade um he really responds a lot to humor and just being goofy and he'll come home and he
just has all these stories and that has fostered a love for math because he loves the humor of his math teacher and he said "Mom can we see if we can switch him to my first teacher of the day?" Like I don't think we can do that but I love your enthusiasm So I really think
it's the cues and the kids Uh Maya is very artistic driven so and she she can get lost in it and she's very very creative and to me it's just humor creativity um free form flow for each of
them is really important It goes back to that communication though that you talked about because I won't be able to infuse that if I don't know your child So it's communicating it's building relationships We hear about building relationships all the time but like on a more practical level what does that look like It looks like talking to them It
looks like listening and finding out what drives them what interests them And we talked about that on the a segment in AHA moments just about finding what drives those kids What are they interested in and putting every ounce of that into your planning into your lessons into your moments and your
experience and understanding that there's not one one way that you're going to show your learning or to show your participation and that and yeah knowing your students and what what they can bring to the table and recognize that they bring those differences they
have those different strengths I think is really important So I'm going to ask you guys to kind of go back now into your own um educational journeys I want you to picture yourself as a student I want you to think of a moment when you felt that joy was successfully nurtured
and what did that teacher do that caused you to feel joy in that moment Robin I'm going to have you go first and then we'll go to our guests So think of yourself as a student Do you have a moment you can recall where that was pure joy in that classroom that you
were in Wow It could be elementary middle high could even be college Just think of a time where there was pure joy in that classroom And what did that teacher do to foster that joy
So I love science and I'm kind of a bit of a science nerd I I so it's hard for me to pinpoint one experience but my seventh grade science teacher um we we we like did science and and he people
would come in and he would feed snakes during like feed the nice the snake during lunch and we dissected things like I I I like have distinct memories of of of like some immature boys like shooting the frog eyeballs across the room and like even though they I mean
I'm sure they got you know in trouble but It wasn't it didn't take away from the experience of what we were doing He didn't let that like stop it you know I don't know It was but it but that class specifically because we got to actually like get in there and do It was like
there was so much sit and get in in my um elementary school I went to a a proial school so it was through grade but um it was my seventh grade Mr McGowan and just like us doing all of active engagement and actually he was
the art teacher also and I loved the way I had joy in art I'm a wannabe artist I have no talent I have no skill but he made it mathematical So I can draw a profile and I can do because it's all fractions and um I think so but I he
hooked me with with science and being able to do it and then that opened the door for me to actually like get sort of like interested in like another another field and those techniques are timeless like we have teachers that still do that like that is what we do you get your
hands in there you do the work you let the kids when it when it's teacherdirected and you know I always say whoever's doing all the talking is doing all the learning So when we have those teachers that lecture the person who's exhausted at the end of the day is the teacher not the students like you're doing it wrong Whoever is exhausted
should be the one that was doing all that learning right Becca what about you Take us back Tell us about a time that joy was fostered successfully in one of your classrooms In my head it was like this pageant and I'm like who am I going to go with Who am I going to go with Right like who's get and I guess I have
to go back to because I have a child who's about to enter high school and then my older son will be a senior next year I'm really in that high school mindset and high school's really where I figured out I was enough But my educators figured out first So
I'm going to give it up to my former assistant principal who went on to come work at the district and retired a few years ago uh Dave Barnes because before I was willing to believe in myself he believed in me and
and it just changes you you know the good and the bad changes you It stays with you and it's to the point where we've stayed in touch over the years And when my first child enrolled at Safety Harbor Elementary I called him and I said "Well sir you may want to
reallocate some some resources because I've got DNA enrolled in the district." Um but he saw and in that place and space what I could be And so every day when I show up and I advocate for the
good of all the children and families in Penllis County it's no accident And it's because of people like my principal Dave Barnes That's beautiful Riselle what about you Take us to your classroom Goodness So I think I always love this
saying that you don't remember what people really say you just remember how they made you feel And so I go back to high school my 9th grade language arts teacher like I do not like language arts Like math is my thing And so I think
what it was is she just had this open warm feeling to her Her classroom was just it really grounded me because my my house growing up was just chaotic dysfunctional and I felt like it was
that one place where I could go to and have that just peace and quiet And another part about when she would share about lessons she would infuse her personal life you know appropriately Yeah And it was almost like wow she's an adult and she's telling us about like
her vacation They can do that Okay So it gave me more respect for her And in essence it was like with that openness it fostered this openness for other people to share And it was a safe place to be able to open up So I'm huge on communication and I'm trying to get
better every single day And truly truly my kids come home and they teach me when I feel their body language and it's like what's going on It's not just about you know somebody shoved you There's something bigger going on there So communication Communication Absolutely
So for me it was the arts Um when I was at Largo Middle School my choir teacher Miss Hart um she incorporated a lot of movement when we warmed up We didn't just warm up our voices we warmed up our body And that set a love for music for me And then I went to Largo High School
and became a Largo High School magical singer And so I was part of that And we we toured and we sang And so it was it was full child right Not just language arts not just math not just science but I had a an avenue where I could also be myself because I was a very very shy
student I was very compliant I did all my work but this was an opportunity for me to showcase some talents that maybe didn't always come across because I was so quiet So for me it's the arts And I think the arts are so important You talk a lot about Maya loving art and loving to draw and just knowing children beyond
um the the content of ELA math and science I think is is super important All right so our we're out to our last question This is our joy story question Talk about a pageant in your head Okay this is it again Becca I want you to think about a story that you could share
We call these our joy stories So something that when you recount the story you it brings joy to you It grounds you back into your why Now they're usually centered around a student a teacher an administrator or a colleague in education but for you guys I'll let you go anywhere you want with
this So a joy story Do we have a volunteer to go first If not I will appoint one Okay Robin Joy story A joy story I think I
would go with as a teacher Um a joy story I had this group of students that I taught for three years um in high school So that's very unusual right So I had them um and they were phenomenal
students I mean just the chef's kiss But I mean I had them in honors chemistry and then I had them in IB bio and then I had them again in IB bio and it was like I I will just never forget going to their IB review session at like a Panera
Bread We're just there it's on the weekend and we're reviewing and I don't know why that sticks with me so much because I think it was like the amount of time we had invested you know and then it's like I still like keep in touch you know via like Facebook and
some I mean this is you know they're doctors and all this stuff now but it's just it it was it's just one of those things that it just it just touched my heart to know these children so well and then to just like see them they were putting in the work and it's I think I
had like a glimpse of just who they could be Do you know what I mean at that moment And like I had them when they were little sophomores and they were going off to do like amazing things you know and it's like you could you could feel that transition happening and it was just like it was just filling That is a joy story I love it Becca give us
your joy story All right I am going to stay on theme because I love a theme and y'all have shared a lot about the arts or the intersection of the arts Uh I am the outlier uh from from our other friends I actually my degree is in
theater and I kind of was trying to figure out you know who I wanted to be and what I wanted to become and the stage became such a safe place for me uh especially you know Miss Cochril who was my longtime theater teacher and I would
drive her nuts and she would scream Roberta and call me the which became a badge of honor but it was that environment created so many unexpected pathways and I was in many ways probably like a
student that a lot of folks saw like I had a lot of undiagnosed learning differences but was highly gifted right so I have pretty severe discalculus So math was never easy for me Um which is one of the reasons why I focus on my kids conduct and not their grades because that can always be good and not
everybody's great at everything But just having a place where you just felt alive Miss Conquer who I am proud to still be in touch with again it was just feeling at home in your own skin on a campus Yes
Once you find nothing like that Yeah You're golden It just reminds you It's it's like an unlimited gas in the tank I mean theater's a special place I was a thesbian Oh talent Talentless Listen but it was it was a home and they
were beautiful lovely people I again I loved it And you know we also I learned everything I needed to People were like "Oh you must have a law degree." And I'm like "No dog I learned everything." Cuz I learned how to do business how to negotiate contracts Like those hands-on
opportunities change us Absolutely Raiselle joy story Okay so this one goes back to nursing school I remember sitting in the orientation like "Oh I'm going to go into nursing This is going to be great." And then they pile on the information and I'm sitting there like
"I I don't know if I can do this." And then they mentioned something about a mentorship pathway So I reached out and then Cindy was my mentor And anytime I wanted to quit nursing I said "Well I can't I don't have childare." Well let me get with my lady in childare and
we'll get you this you know and figure this out Oh Cindy I can't figure this out My car broke down She would get me like just get three different estimates We'll pick one and then the pathway will pay for it Oh my god And it was just it it really changed my life because there
were so many times I almost gave up Yeah And I wouldn't be the person I am today Absolutely And striving through all that hardship not only going through that but having my children see that That's what I was going to say It's modeling it We talked about that It's having everyone
else watch you persevere There is power when we have eyes on us doing the thing So my mentor was like "Hey can you do like this your story in front of like the mayor?" And I've been like "Yeah."
So that's why when I got your text I'm like you know I think your answer was I know that because I want to say no I have to say yes So that's where the growth happens when you want to shy away and say no I just it teaches my kids and I say you see I didn't die
I made it I made it Yep So I have a recent joy story for for those that don't know I um just transitioned to a new school I've been at Eisenhower Elementary for 17 years So I got a call to ask to um serve as assistant principal at Belture Elementary for um
the rest of the school year And I of course said yes this is a great opportunity What I wasn't anticipating was that first day walking the halls and not being able to name a single student And that was a gut punch for me because I was at a school that I could name almost all 700 students first and last
name So I walked the halls and um it was an empty feeling of just saying hi good morning and waving and like you know not knowing And I'll never forget um one little girl got out of her car and I recognized her immediately It was a sibling to one of the students I had in
my classroom the very last year at Eisenhower and she um opens the door and goes mommy cuz she used to call me mommy and just ran over to me and I hugged her and I was like that's it I won I've got one and that's all I needed So then I went to the cafeteria that day and I
spent four hours in the cafeteria meeting every single class that came in and the next day I knew 10 names and the next day I knew 20 So my joy story was that just when I thought that I wasn't going to have that joy joy found me but I was open to that opportunity So um I
am just so so blessed to have had you guys here today Your stories have brought us to tears We have laughed We've cried Um I'm just so very thankful that my circle includes strong powerful women like you and I'm grateful that our
our circles have um intersected and I'm so grateful that our audience gets to know our guests today So thank you all for being here and for sharing your stories and for sharing your joy for everyone in Penelis County Schools to hear Thank you for tuning in to finding
joy in education in our very special episode on nurturing joy [Music]