Touro Synagogue

On October 20, 2018, I was honored to speak at Touro Synagogue, the oldest synagogue in the United States!

I shared my experiences of being a forever student--learning what I don't know, and getting involved in some of the state initiatives.

One of the true delights that I shared with the congregation is the opportunity to work with educators from around the state. I am constantly buoyed by the energy and expertise of those with whom I am working!

The audience was delighted to learn of all that is happening in education and many hope to get involved at their local schools.

Many thanks for the congregation for the honor of sharing my experience and the warm reception and support for education!

Milken Awards Ceremony

As I approached Mary Fogarty Elementary School in Providence, I was awed by their outside garden.  Above ground planters painted with vibrant colors were filled with plants ready for harvest.

I was not surprised that this was the home of the next Milken Awardee.

Michelle Johnson, Milken Award Winner being
congratulated by last year's winner., Lauren Hopkins

I was welcomed by student greeters and escorted into the secret holding room to later enter the whole school assembly. In a ceremony filled with sparkly blue and gold pom-poms, student-led cheers, and delighted children and staff, Michelle Johnson was awarded the Milken Award.

It is clear that this is a place where student ownership is the norm. Staff consistency facilitated events, but the students were the focus, with the exception, of course of their honoree--

Congratulations to Michelle Johnson!!!

Prepare RI Summit

Prepare RI Summit:

Hosted at Rhode Island College, the opening remarks focused on integrating work-based experiences for students to help them envision possibilities for their futures and being prepared and connected to realize this future in Rhode Island.

Commissioner Wagner noted that putting the students' needs and demands first means that we need to shift our schema of what the system looks like.

Andre Perry of the Brookings Institute, was clear that he is successful due to opportunities that were created for him. "If we want folks to get a quality job, there's no way that will happen without employers getting a glimpse of their potential employees."

The idea of affording people an opportunity that wouldn't otherwise be available to them is a key component in building community and a well-prepared workforce.

Apprenticeship Programs, and Implications of Student Teaching 

In one workshop run by Andrew Cortes, the idea of apprenticeship is explained.

I can't help but consider the student teacher model as an apprenticeship model. However, what pre-service teachers lack is a wage. Instead, student teachers meet the "on the job learning" requirement, but lack the "earn while you learn" component.

In addition, Cortes talks about the importance of the earned certificate at the end of the apprenticeship program and that in some sectors, like construction, this certificate is good all over the country. In education, teachers can earn their teaching certificate; however, the reciprocity is limited to specific states. 

How can we expand this so that all teacher credential programs are recognized in all states to afford teachers more options for teaching and to enlarge the pool of qualified teachers so that people from other states are encouraged to apply in high need areas in different states? How can we financially support pre-service teachers in their year of service? 

District Teacher of the Year Meeting

District Teacher of the Year Meeting

What a truly invigorating evening!

2019 RI District Teachers of the Year

I had the extreme pleasure of spending the evening with 2019 RI District Teachers of the Year. The energy, enthusiasm and expertise that filled the room were truly uplifting.

After Opening Remarks from Commissioner of Education Ken Wagner, we had a work session focused on increasing cross state collaboration. Several teams emerged with a plan to connect classrooms across the state.

I am so grateful that they were excited about the vision of building cross-district communities, and expanding our sense of what is possible in education across the state of Rhode Island.

I look forward to watching and supporting this growing vibrant community!!!

Golden Apple Awards

The former teachers of the year had mentioned that these celebrations are a wonderful opportunity to learn from other teachers and celebrate the profession of teaching.

They were right!! What a fantastic day, honoring teacher in RI.

The Golden Apple awards honor teachers from around the state. Rhode Island teachers can be nominated by their students, colleagues, parents, administrators.

There is a surprise celebration in the classroom, or elsewhere in the school, and the awardee is recognized by the Commissioner of Education and interviewed by Channel 10 news, to be aired on Thursday evenings in RI. They are also awarded $250 by the Ocean State Credit Union.

Jill Caruso, Golden Apple Award Announcement

Jill Caruso, Warwick Vets

First of the day was Jill Caruso of Warwick Veterans, grade 6 math. She empowers kids to take charge of their future. A colleague wrote that she has the ability to reach every child, instilling confidence and love. The students all agreed that she made math fun and they looked forward to their time with her!

Ms. Caruso's words about "just doing what she does" struck home with me. Oftentimes as teachers, we do what we do. Each day, each moment. We reach out, modify, find a way to connect to each child and bring them further along, helping to open future possibilities. We can sometimes forget what a powerful role we play and how vital teachers are in our society.

I am truly honored to have been able to participate in these ceremonies, being a witness to the great work, the daily transformation of lives that happen in RI.
Not only do I get to connect with the teachers, but get to see how schools use space to help inspire and teach.

Bethanie Pateneau, grade 2 teacher, speaks about her passion

Bethanie Parenteau, or Garden City Elementary School, was recognized for her constant collaboration with families and her ability to make writing relevant. The students were glad to sing us their rendition of "The Best Day of Your Life."
What a powerful reminder that our days are what we make them.





Next was Nancy Vitulli of Cranston West high school, theater teacher. A student wrote about how Ms. Vitulli's class made it easier to get out of bed every day and come to school. Ms. Vitulli spoke about the importance in keeping the arts alive in all children's education, providing an outlet for creativity and inspiration. Her students graced us with some of their stellar performance pieces!

Ms.Vitulli and one of her inspired students

These featured teachers represent the great work in the field of education in RI. Thank you for the excellence that you bring to your students each day.

Ms.Vitulli reminds us of how art inspires!

The Gift of a Rainbow

The Gift of a Rainbow

Scurrying to work in the rain
Lists of things to do on my mind

Right in Front of Me

Downpours delay my arrival
Stress level increases

Traffic delays slow me down
I take a "short cut"

Which isn't a shortcut
I miss the turn

I notice

The sky is clearing

I could really use a rainbow right now

Ah! Gasp.
Intake of air and awe.

There it is right in front of me.
My wrong turn leads me on a path with a clear view of the growing display of beauty in the sky.
Right in front of me.

I turn off and park in a green neighborhood.
I get out, lean against my car, and revel in the delight of the morning gift.

What a way to shift a morning.

Educator Recognition Event

Waterfire and Big Bang Science Fair and Brunch

Waterfire is a truly spectacular event, unique to RI. The river in downtown Providence, has metal containers which act as fireplaces, creating the experience of fires in the center of the river.

These fires are lit and kept burning for hours.

To have our RI Educator Recognition Event at Waterfire, is a real delight!!

Educators around the state were honored. It began as they and their guests were treated to delicious food prepared by students in culinary arts programs at our Career and Tech Schools.

Governor Raimondo talks about the
 importance of educators

Then, there were speeches by state dignitaries; among these were Governor Gina Raymond and Commissioner Wagner. All of the awardees were recognized individually and honored!

Towards the end of the ceremony, Kristin Hayes-Leite, 2018 RI Teacher of the Year, and one of my mentors, honored me with an introduction as this year's RI TOY.

Having prepared a speech, I was a little nervous, deeply humbled, and buoyant
to greet and recognize many of the innovative educators in the state that were representing!

With my mother and stepdad

With the support of my colleagues and my husband, I started off by asking the crowd to take a breath and notice. This then linked to our skill as educators to notice what's happening with our students and respond to that, providing all that we can for them--moments, people, opportunities, and inspiration.

We then served as the spark to light the flames of Waterfire. Each educator carried a torch, lighting the evening, a perfect representation of how educators light the flames of inspiration and learning in our classrooms and communities.

Superintendent Dr. Ken Duva,
librarian extraordinaire and 2019 Jamestown Teacher of the Year Lisa Casey,
me, and Nate Edmunds, principal of Lawn Avenue School,
Photo: Paulette Junge, Jamestown, RI

The evening was even more perfect because there were scientists hosting a Big Bang Science Fair at Waterfire that evening.

Once our celebratory crowd dispersed, I was able to geek out with new ideas on neutrinos, brain science, and Halidron Collider information!

Wow.

This continued to the next day, as I was invited to attend the Big Bang Science Fair brunch, I was overjoyed to join physicists and artists at brunch and discuss ways that the arts and sciences link and consider ways to connect more of our students to this. I am looking forward to following up on connections with scientists from Brown University to create opportunities of our students to keep learning and wondering!!

Photo Credits: Paulette Junge, Jamestown, RI

Mindfulness

Listening to Ellen Langer, Social Scientist, talk about Mindfulness on a podcast.

She defines it such:
"Mindfulness is the act of actively noticing. "
She expands on this and talks about the impact and shift that this active noticing can create in one's life.

She adds more about our ability to reduce anxiety and stress. "It is not an event that causes stress. It is our perception of an event."

As I reflect on these practices and my goal of integrating more "active noticing" in my life, I wonder if I can share this inspiration in my address to the RI Educators at Waterfire.

With the encouragement of family and friends, I decide that yes, I can and must integrate this. If we are truly committing to integrating SEL into our classrooms and having our students practice self awareness and self management, then we must also commit to self care and taking the time to shift our own perceptions, notice more, and reduce our stress levels by control our response to events.

This is a gift to our students, our profession, ourselves.

BIF Summit

Business Innovation Factory

Wow! Three days of inspiration, deep reflection, and personal stories of transformation and innovation.

Two full days of "Story Telling," where 32 speakers shared their stories. Among the topics were Genome Sequencing, orphanage reform in Uganda, spoken word to ignite political change, promoting careers for convicts coming out of prison, art to connect community, technology advances in transportation, and breast pump reform. An amazing array of visionaries that are changing the world.

In between the stories, the time was filled with "random collisions," a planned open time for people to connect, communicate, collaborate, and build. I can't wait to follow these threads and expand my sense of what is possible.

 

The first day was uplifting,inspirational.The second day broke me down with stories of explosions, sexism, prisons.

However, the third day allowed us to come together and synthesize ideas, make meaning and develop plans for our visions of transformation. To put the pieces back together and articulate our visions.

Mine took a clearer form.

My vision is to increase educational collaboration across the state, crossing district borders to expand our sense of community and share our resources.

Teachers and students working together to share ideas, compare their thinking, and build community. Together, we can transform our educational model.

I will present this to the RI District Teachers of the Year to see if they would like to start the process and expand from there, integrating community experts and organizations.

TV Appearance

Then came TV.

What do I wear?!?!
I did my best to look "professional" yet still retain my authenticity.

Of course, I had to bring some props too.

Once I arrived, I figured we would tape and edit later. I really shouldn't have asked because I was told that it is tape to live. No editing.
Uh-oh. Sweaty palms.

However, once I start talking about STEAM and how it ignites students to be engaged in their world, I'm off and running. I love being able to share stories of how it provides new pathways for all students!

Thanks to Dan Yorke and staff of "Dan Yorke State of Mind" for the opportunity to share student learning!

Media--oh my!

Then the media requests began.

Hmmm, I guess this is what happens next?

I experience a bit of nerves, but commit to doing my best to adequately represent the teaching profession and the innovation that is happening in classrooms every day.

I also commit to trying to enjoy the experiences as they come and see them for opportunities to learn and grow.

The WPRO Saturday Morning Radio Show with Steve Klambin was delightful. (June 9, 2018)

I realize that once I start talking about teaching, it's easy because I love teaching and I have been able to witness amazing things happen in the classroom!

I hope that community members were inspired to connect with their local schools and share their expertise!

The Honor and Awards Ceremony!

A surprise!

My community is amazing! They planned a super-secret "STEAM" ceremony.
The governor was coming, the Commissioner of Education, all of the students and staff to recognize the STEAM events that are an integral part of Jamestown Schools.

We did talk about STEAM.

However, the surprise was also announcing that I was the 2019 Rhode Island Teacher of the Year!

My family and friends, who had been sequestered, now appeared.
There were incredible speeches.

A special shout out to Brittany Anhrud, my ELA teammate, who was dressed in her "Wear Green to Show School Spirit."

The support of the staff and school is humbling!
I am truly honored to represent the students and teachers in the state of RI on this journey.

I know it will be a big growth year-personally and professionally and am truly blessed that I have strong supports in my community, colleagues, friends and family!
Thank you to all for this honor.