Passion, purpose, and Pedagogy - Teachers

Praying for Our Water-Logged Louisiana School Systems

8/18/2016

Photo credit: Isaiah 53:5 Project https://thei535project.wordpress.com/2016/03/12/pray-for-louisiana/

This is a different type of post, but today my heart is still heavy for our fellow Louisianans not far from where we live. As you may have seen, a torrential and lengthy rainstorm caused massive flooding in south Louisiana. It reminds many of the devastation caused by Katrina in 2005.

We are heartbroken over the loss of our people, homes, and cars. Even though a house is considered a “thing” by all noun-teaching teachers, we all know that losing a house is like laying a piece of a person to rest. It’s a good thing the memories don’t leave us when our things do.
But in the midst of the chaos, there are students who need to be in school and teachers who need to teach. Unfortunately, many schools have been wrecked by floodwaters.

We’d like to take some time to ask for prayer for the leaders of school districts. There are many issues at hand. They need wisdom and guidance to know how to face the loss of school property. How do you begin to fix schools when the employees themselves have personally lost everything? What happens when your student population dramatically drops because families have been forced to move elsewhere?

I don’t have the answers, but I do know a God who does. I definitely don’t want to diminish the call to pray for our people. But I also don’t want to forget about the school systems at stake.

A prayer for Louisiana (adapted from Isaiah 61):
We proclaim the year of your favor, Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God. We pray that you will comfort all that mourn. We ask that you give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that you might be glorified. And may they build the ruins; may they raise up the former devastations; they shall repair the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations.
Please raise up leaders who will walk in honesty and wisdom, and provide our people with the resources they need to put their lives back together and to educate your children. Thank you, Lord!

Classroom Countdown: 1 Day Until School Starts

8/11/2016

Perspective

Right now there is a little girl sleeping in bed. Her hair was washed and blow-dried, ironed clothes draped over the chair. Shoes and bow placed on the table. It all matches, and it’s all new. The backpack is by the door, and she’s excited to walk with her dad to her new classroom tomorrow. That’s my daughter, Elle.

But there is another little girl somewhere in this very city who does not own a backpack and will be the only child in her class that does not bring supplies with her name printed neatly on each item. She sitting right now, bouncing a baby in her lap who has been crying all evening. She goes and digs in her drawer for school clothes. Maybe the ones that her mom brought home from the church clothes closet will fit. She smooths her hand over the stained shirt, making it look a bit less wrinkled. She’s too tired to take a bath. But she wipes her face with a washcloth and is angry that no one will be there to see her to school tomorrow. She wakes herself in the morning, waits for the bus with neighborhood kids, climbs on, and rides to school. When she gets to school, she has nothing in her hands, but notices all the smiling parents and kids walking together to classrooms. She does not even know what class to go to. Instead of crying like a baby, she grits her teeth and locks her jaw. She would rather be angry than cry. She would rather be bad than be stupid. She would rather bully than be weak. But what she would really rather is to be cared for and loved. And right now, her teacher is her only hope.

Next time you drive by the broken down homes, remember that our students live there. And next time you hear about a drug bust or a shooting in a neighborhood, remember that tiny eyes may have been watching the whole thing.

This is what our job is all about--giving students a chance.

Obviously, I love my daughter, and I’ll do whatever I can to help her succeed. But my calling is to make school better for that second little girl.

We have the future of our entire city in our classrooms.

Jesus, I know that Your will is to prosper my students.
I need your wisdom and your help to know how to teach my kids.
I pray that this year, no matter what the circumstances they face,
that I am an instrument of love, hope, and change in their lives.
May they be different when they leave my classroom.
For the students who are especially difficult,
please give me a compassion for them.
And lots of patience.
Help me to not write them off in the beginning.

Here's the younger sister, dreaming of being Tinkerbell. She still doesn't start school for a couple of days. : )

Classroom Countdown: 2 Days Until School Starts

8/11/2016

Teacher Grit (repost)

A couple of my friends (now in their 30s) have considered teaching as a temporary career. I am unashamedly vocal about the value of public schools and how we need passionate teachers, so I find myself trying to recruit those who have a charisma about them. Unfortunately, charisma will only take you so far.

Teaching takes grit. That double-down, white knuckle, determination mixed with passion. That’s what teaching kids requires.

Susan recently read an article that summarized a study about grit. The author defines grit as “passion and perseverance for long-term goals.” Angela Duckworth, a psychology professor at the University of Pennsylvania, studied Ivy League undergrads, spelling bee champions, and cadets at West Point, and she found that grit was the best predictor for success--more than talent! (Duckworth, Peterson, Matthews, & Kelly, 2007).

But then I started thinking: Teaching demands even more than that!

Teaching requires selfless grit.

Those Ivy League-ers had long-term goals for themselves.

I have a hunch that grit becomes grittier when it’s not for your own success.

Wow.

We teachers are very passionate people--those who aren’t passionate don’t last long--and we tend to vocally criticize policy changes and poor administrators, which is probably not always good.

But in the end, it’s always about someone else. The kids.

Few jobs in this world require you to spend large amounts of time outside of work planning, grading, going to sporting events, and decorating, while all the while creating relationships with kids, who quite often break your heart with the bad decisions they make or with the obstacles they are forced to overcome. I’ve cried many tears with students and for students. That’s grit.

Think about the people, excluding family members, in your life who made the most impact on who you are. Most likely those people are teachers, coaches, directors, or professors. They had grit. For you.

You chose to enter the most incredible profession in the world... Susan and I came up with several undeniable attributes of what “teacher grit” might look like in your classroom:

1. Driven. You would be driven by a deeply rooted moral purpose. This purpose would include touching the lives of children each and every day, helping them realize their potential as students, leaders, and responsible, compassionate citizens.

2. Focused. When things get tough, you would stay focused on what’s most important. Buzzwords, trends, and policy are ever-changing. The current landscape would not interfere with you doing what is best for your students.

3. Challenged. When a student struggles to understand, you would take this as a personal challenge to figure out different ways to teach them until they have a “lightbulb moment” and really get it.

4. No excuses. You would not let factors out of your control hinder student success. You would understand…. and accept, that parent involvement (too much or too little), home life, economic circumstances, and many other potential influences may indeed be out of your control.

You would not use those concerns that are out of your control as excuses or obstacles, rather, as opportunities to teach your students how to overcome adversity standing in the way of success.

So, do you have the grit that it takes?

What does teacher grit look like to you?

Instagram and tag @passionpurposeandpedagogy #teachergrit

Duckworth, A., Peterson, C., Matthews, M., & Kelly, D. (2007). Grit: Perseverance and passion for long-term goals. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 92(6), 1087-1101. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01781. Retrieved on January 3, 2015 from https://www.sas.upenn.edu/~duckwort/images/Grit%20JPSP.pdf

Classroom Countdown: 3 Days Until School Starts

8/10/2016

Talk about Whole Class Consequences: Plan B

This face that she makes reminds me of the face my students would make when I caught them eating!

I have to be honest. I’m a bit concerned that this post will be misunderstood by some, but I’m going to discuss a strategy that I used in my classroom that worked very well for me. However, I have to give you a disclaimer: I’ve also seen this strategy totally flop when it’s used the wrong way.

As a rule of thumb, if many students in a teacher’s class are misbehaving, it may not be a student problem. It may be a problem with the management and the discipline of the students.

However, even the best teachers must teach on Halloween, with a full moon during sixth block on Friday. (I had an observation on Halloween one time!)

So, when your students are getting rambunctious, and are not listening and following directions well enough, despite your air-tight procedures, you need a back up plan. You can call it Plan B.

At the beginning of the year, I explain to my students that each week, I write two sets of lesson plans. Plan A is my first choice. I explain that I like it when they collaborate, challenge on another, and think deeply. This is Plan A.

However, I also explain what my junior high English Language Arts class was like. We sat in rows, facing the teacher who lectured the entire time. We were expected to write and take tests silently. I remind them that I still learned in that manner. This is Plan B. (In my class, Plan B consisted of pulling out the textbook and working on the same skill, but using the textbook. Students sat without talking or moving around the room. They didn’t really even talk to me. It was completely silent.)

I discuss that, although my preference is not to teach in that manner, we can always do Plan B if they can’t handle Plan A.

A couple of norms for Plan A/Plan B:

Don’t use Plan B if just a few students are misbehaving. It must be a whole class issue for this to work.
Don’t use Plan B more than once a month. It will very quickly become ineffective.
Don’t use Plan B if you already teach like Plan B all the time.
Give the students something to work for during Plan B. In other words, when I did have to use Plan B, I made them work silently for a set number of minutes. If they talked once, I would add time. Once the minutes were done, we went back to normal. I did not act angry or hold grudges.
Don’t make Plan B meaningless work. Have them work on the same skill you were addressing. Remember, you don’t want the consequence to waste time. Time is just too precious for them to copy lines.
Don’t make Plan B fun. I always put the privacy folders up so they felt like they could not talk or look at one another.
If you have a few of those really good students who ended up in a rambunctious class, make them do something else silently during Plan B that they may enjoy. I hate it when teachers punish everyone at the same time. But remember, you can tell your students that Plan B is not a punishment. It’s simply a different way of learning the same skill, which will be used when they can’t seem to handle Plan A.
Don’t surprise them with Plan B. You need to have some type of system that would lead up to Plan B. I knew teachers who would just yell out, “You’re about to get on Plan B. That’s it! That’s it. Plan B!” This is not effective. Some teachers used it so often that they erased the letters P-L-A-N-B every time the class started talking. This also is not effective. If you have a talkative class year-round, consider changing your procedures.
You must follow through on what you say. And don’t constantly threaten Plan B. If you are going to do it, then do it.

The last year that I taught, I think I used Plan B only once. If you content is relevant and rigorous, the students will be engaged. They wanted to talk about literature and life. They wanted to write and debate. They wanted to create videos. So if they got close to Plan B, they quickly straightened up.

If they are engaged, then Plan B is something they absolutely do not want. If they are never engaged in your classroom, Plan B is not going to work.

I had one class period that had 31 students and the majority of them were football players. That was a fun year. It really was. But on game days, they were hyped! I would try to do discussions, and they were constantly getting off topic. When I gave them the signal to listen to instructions as they were working in groups, they did not listen. In my class, the first time they did not get quiet 5 seconds after the signal, it was automatic Plan B. Sounds harsh, but my kids always got silent as soon as they heard the signal. Well, that year during football season, they quickly found that they liked learning using my original lesson plan for the week--Plan A. It was not a problem the rest of the year.

Ironically, this was the class in which I was observed on Halloween--third block. I remember going to their PE class that morning (second block) and giving those big football players a pep talk about leadership. It’s funny what you’ll do when you know you are getting observed! ha!

Classroom Countdown: 4 Days Until School Starts

8/9/2016

It's the Little Things: Building Relationships with Your Students

I was recently looking through some of the letters my students have written me over the years, and this by far, is one of my favorite letters because it makes me laugh!

"Thank you for being pashint [patient] with the choir when we was goofing off and being disreaspect ful. The entire year I was just waiting for you to snap. Every time someone would be goofing off I would see the look on your face and I would think, now is the time shes going to snap, but you didn't, you cep your cool the intire time. And I thank you for it.

I also wanted to thank you for the caring teacher that you are. You have something that not every teacher has, a heart. Every time some one was sad or down you ask what was wrong and you helped as much as you could. That one day I was down you told me that if I wanted to talk to you about it I could. Thank you Mrs. Stokes..."

“Kids don’t learn from people they don’t like,” Rita Pearson bluntly stated.

How true.

Take a moment and think about a few of your teachers. Can you remember the nature of the interactions that you had with them? How many years ago was that?

It’s difficult to balance the business-like teacher with the caring, motherly or fatherly type of teacher. However, it can be done.

Here is a revelation that I had.

When addressing the entire class, always use your business-like tone.

When addressing students one-on-one, use your motherly or fatherly tone. This is when you can get down on their level and say, “Ok, sweetheart, I can tell you are not yourself today. What’s the matter?”

Relationships are an extremely important part of classroom management. If your students can trust you, they will fight for you. They will take up for you in front of other students.

Here are some really simple ways to begin to build trusting relationships with your students. Most of these are common sense, but it took me a couple of years to get into the habit of using them.

Ask students how they are doing. Really ask them in a meaningful way.
When students are acting strangely, address it one-on-one. Just showing them that you noticed that they were not acting the same as usual goes a long way, especially with middle school or high school students. Since secondary students switch classes several times in a day, they are more likely to not be noticed when something is bothering them.
If I didn’t have a moment to talk to the student, I would write them a message on a sticky note. Something like this: “Are you okay? Tell me what’s going on.” Almost always the student will respond on the sticky note and hand it back to you. Some students do it in front of other students, as if to say, “Yes, we are connecting because she noticed me.” And sometimes they hand it back as covertly as possible. Sometimes I think they are spies in training.
Try to talk to every student in your class at least once during the period in which you have them in your room.
Remember topics and events that are important to the students and ask them about it a week or two later. This is important for your more needy students, such as the one whose dad recently moved out of the home and got an apartment. Write notes to yourself if need be.
Connect with their families in positive ways. During one parent-teacher conference, the mother started pouring out everything with which she had been struggling. Between caring for a mother dying of cancer and caring for teenagers, she was at her limit. I stood in my classroom with parents waiting and prayed for her. That student never forgot that moment and continued to update me on her grandmother, who sadly died a year later.
Write letters and notes to your students and their parents. Every time a student showed much improvement or made a perfect score on a test, I would send tiny note home and tell the students to put it on their refrigerators. I had a template made on my computer, and I would write in their name and a little note at the bottom. It’s best to do an full handwritten note instead of using a template, but let’s face it, we are usually pressed for time!

Notice that none of these ideas involves gluing, glitter, or gifts. The things students remember most are the words that you say. Use them wisely. Words really are potent. In hindsight, I'm so glad I didn't "snap."

Classroom Countdown: 5 Days Until School Starts

8/8/2016

How to Tame the Blurter

I’ve never had a school year in which I didn’t have a blurter. Blurters usually never enhance the lesson, and typically, if left unchecked, they distract other students from learning. There are different types of blurters.

The excitable blurter is my favorite of all. This is the kid that is genuinely excited about what you are saying and just can’t keep it contained. He is usually the one that, when he isn’t blurting, is sitting on the edge of his seat, waving his hand frantically for you to call on him.

The know-it-all blurter can ruin the chance for other students to even think about the question you just asked. Other students seem to resent this blurter because this student likes to show a bit of dominance when she answers the questions. Even though you may feel the same way, don’t show it. We not only have to manage these blurters, but watch that other students don’t bully them.

The attention-seeking blurter is obviously motivated by attention, but the root behind it can be difficult to find. Sometimes these students have difficult home lives, or they have limited social skills.

The worst kind of blurter (at least in my opinion) is the dominating blurter. All blurters can dominate your class if you let them, but this type of blurter is motivated by controlling your class. This student is more rare than the others, and this type of blurter is usually a discipline issue. If you can get this student on your side at the beginning of the year, then you will have an easier time.

So, how do we tame the blurter?

Address the blurter quickly and move on with what you were saying. Do not ignore it. They will not stop unless you address them. You can say something like this, “Thank you, Andie, for your comment, but you need to remember our protocol for speaking. Please do not interrupt me. We can discuss this later.” If it happens again you can stop and say, “Andie, I’ve already addressed this. See me after class.”

One mistake that new teachers (including me) make is stopping to have a conversation with the blurter while the rest of the class is waiting for you to continue what you were saying. Do not allow students to draw you into conversations during the time in which you were addressing the entire class.

With all this being said, if you ever have a student that looks a bit green, don't make him wait for you to call on him! ha! (Made that mistake before...)

Classroom Countdown: 6 Days Until School Starts

8/7/2016

Making the Most of Your Classroom Space

Let’s face it, as teachers our classroom often becomes our “home away from home.” It should be a space in which we enjoy working and inspiring students to learn. As we approach the first day of school, students will be able to tell a lot about you when they enter your classroom. So what are the most important things to keep in mind when you are setting up your classroom space?

1) Spatial arrangement should support student flow of movement. Think about your daily schedule and the expectations that you have for your students. Arrange the furniture, materials, and supplies so that students can move about easily from desks, tables, stations, and/or whole group gathering areas. Sometimes, less is more. A space crowded with too much furniture can cause problems, so keep only the furniture that you need.

2) Label, label, label! The more you label spaces, material stations, etc., the less confusion you will have on the first day. If you have a procedure than requires students to do things in a certain way, make certain it is easy to follow that procedure. Labeling helps with this!

3) Make your classroom inviting. Students (and their parents) can walk in and immediately tell whether you care about your job as a teacher and about them as students based on the way your classroom looks. Your boss can also tell whether you care enough to invest the time needed to make your space an exciting, inviting place for students to learn. If you are in need of ideas, check out Pinterest. You can find so many creative ideas for decorating your classroom without breaking the bank.

4) Make each space in your classroom organized and purposeful. An organized classroom is one of the most proactive ways to avoid behavior problems. This involves having your materials and supplies in a designated space and procedures that support the procurement, usage, and return of these items. Also, use your bulletin boards, wall space, counter space, and any other space to support the daily activities and routines that will occur in your classroom.

5) Experiment with flexible seating. Students need to problem-solve, discuss, create, and build collaborative relationships. Sometimes traditional seating does not support this type of work. Flexible seating allows students to sit in the type of seating where they learn best. It mimics real-life work spaces and promotes collaboration among students. Several teachers at my school have added flexible seating for students as part of a student-centered initiative in our district. We are very excited to see how it improves the learning environment and student success. For more information about flexible seating, stay tuned. We will provide more about this soon.

Photo credits: Pictures are from the classrooms of Michelle Landry, Natalie Nettles, and Jessica Tarver from Tioga Junior High School. Thank you, ladies!

Classroom Countdown: 7 Days Until School Starts

8/7/2016

Rules vs. Procedures

“I have to admit, Austin, you are pretty stubborn,” I say as I lean in closer. In a low, whispering voice, I say, “But I have to warn you, I’m just as stubborn, if not more. The thing is, Austin, I’m running this classroom and I want what’s best for you. And quite frankly, it doesn’t matter who is more stubborn because I have the administrators backing me up on this. I’m going to come back in five minutes to see your progress. Thank you.”
Boy, he gave me fits that year. But he knew I loved him and I was not going to give up.
This post is how to survive kids like Austin (pseudonym) who can make or break your classroom.
You must quickly establish rules and procedures, and I suggest you review them every day for at least a week.

Your rules should be simple, written in positive statements, and limited to around five or less. Students who break rules should have consequences. Here’s an example: Respect your teacher and your peers.

Procedures can be more lengthy in description and you should have as many of these as you need. Students who break the procedure should practice doing the procedure correctly. Here’s an example: When finishing an assignment, walk to the table, highlight your name, and place your paper in the basket that corresponds with your block and read your book unless the teacher tells you otherwise.

Here is a list of things you should consider when planning procedures:

Attention signal
Walking into the classroom
Taking roll
Taking up money or other classroom business
Moving around the classroom
Asking and answering questions
Bell ringers
Exit tickets
Getting supplies/materials
Turning in supplies/materials
Sharpening pencils
Going to the bathroom (when and how often)
Transitions
Early finishers
Hall pass
Intercom
Classroom visitors
Writing in planners
Homework
Noise control
Getting a tissue
Writing a heading
Make-up work
Passing out papers
Picking up papers
How to work in groups
Emergency drills

Here’s a major point: Teach them how to do the procedure exactly the way you want it. And make them stick to it--all year long. When you let things slide, they will take advantage of it.

I’d love to collect ideas on these procedures for our readers. Email us if you have an idea you’d like for us to post, so we can give you credit.

Classroom Countdown: 8 Days Until School Starts

8/6/2016

A Potential “Things to Remember” List
for the First Day of School

Photo credit: My lovely sis-in-law, Johannah Stokes.

I have not been to too many elementary schools on the very first day of school. During college, I was a substitute teacher for second graders for the first week of school, and I remember thinking, “Ok. I’m not sure if these kids can even write.” ha!
Most of my “first days” have been at the junior high level. In case you don’t know, in most junior high schools, the first day can be, well, utter chaos. Most principals have things well under control, but the students who, are (1) figuring out where to eat breakfast, (2) learning to read their schedules, (3) learning to open lockers, (4) learning where their classes are, and (5) getting on a new bus to go home, tend to bring on the chaos. Not to mention, they are seventh graders. Mixed in with eighth graders. Poor babies.

So in the midst of the chaos, we wanted to give you a potential “things to remember” list for your first day.
Here goes:

Make sure the kids are in the correct room. (I have forgotten to do this. Then I have an embarrassed and freaked out student on my hands who doesn’t know where to go.) One way to double check this is to always have the seating chart ready to go on the first day. This also helps your students to know that you have a plan, you are in control, and that they were planned for and welcome to be there.
Plan ahead for what you want them to do when they come in your room. Don’t let them just sit there and chat. Have an activity of some sort. Many of them will be bringing supplies on the first day. They will be wondering what to do with the supplies, so have directions concerning school supplies, even if you just tell them to hold them at their desks. Have pencils already sharpened that they can use for the first day.
One of the first orders of business, especially for elementary and junior high students, should be to figure out how they are getting home from school. Some will be car riders, some will walk, some will ride old buses, some will ride a new bus, and some will have NO idea how they are getting home. Some students know they are riding a bus home, but they don’t know which one it is. This is always a stressful issue for you and for them. Your principal probably has a protocol to deal with this, but don’t forget to address this with your students in the morning so your administrators have plenty of time to work on the issue.
Tell the students about yourself. Whether they act like it or not, your students are anxious to see what kind of person you are. They are going to see you everyday for nine months. You are pretty important! I always made a powerpoint with pictures--older and recent--to tell them about myself. If you can find a picture of yourself from the grade that you currently teach, they would love it!
After your principal discusses how the first day of school should flow, you need to make yourself a detailed to-do-list type of lesson plan for that first day. My list would have probably looked like this:
1. Have activities already at desks with sharpened pencils!
2. Have your agenda for the day on the board
3. Greet students at door, tell them how to find their assigned seats
4. Tell students a bit about the class (short)
5. Get information cards from students
6. Get bus information from students (how to get home)
7. Go through powerpoint about myself
8. Bathroom break
9. Take up supplies
10. Go through informational packet to be sent home - put in backpacks
11. Bathroom break
12. Go through rules and procedures - glue in interactive notebook

(etc.)
6. Have about a week’s work ready for the first two days of school--just in case things go much faster than you anticipated!

I hope this helps! Please share with your co-workers who may be brand new teachers. The first day is always daunting!

Classroom Countdown: 9 Days Until School Starts

8/4/2016

The Teacher Stance - Use on first day of school

The first day of school is always kind of strange. You don’t want your kids to be afraid to come to school, yet you want them to fear you just a little bit. You want them to love you, but know that you are in control. You want to show dominance, but you want them to feel comfortable in your room. Teaching is so much harder than rocket science, right??

You’ll hear older educators use the phrase, “Don’t smile ‘till Christmas!” But that makes for a long first half of the year, doesn’t it?

Here’s what you need to portray on the first day of school.

You are valued and welcome here.
I have very high expectations of you.
You are in good hands in my classroom because I am an expert.
I will respect you and you will respect me.
We will do things my way unless you have a better suggestion, to which I will listen at the appropriate time.
I am not your friend. I am your teacher. I will choose to love you like my own child, which includes correcting you when need be.
This is a safe place.

You will see many personalities of teachers in your school. Some teachers will use the my-way-or-the-highway approach. “You WILL do what I say WHEN I say it.” Some will use the too-sweet-to-maintain-seriousness approach. “I am SO HAPPY you are here, my angels! We are going to have FUN! This is going to be a sweet class!” Some will use the I’m-your-friend approach. “Dude, love those shoes, man. You are going to be rockin’ this year.” (fist bump)

These approaches don’t exactly spell out disaster, but as a novice teacher you need to consider how you approach the first day.

Think business-like. Think about how you would lead a business meeting if you were a CEO of a company. Never rude, not sarcastic. You are a bit formal, to the point, and confident. Yes, you can smile. But it’s a professional smile: confident and controlled.

Here are some tips for your stance:

Wear professional clothes.
Keep your shoulders back and your head forward.
Walk with confidence everywhere you go.
Shake hands with your students.
Look at them in the eyes and mean what you say.
You should speak in a firm, calm tone. Make sure you are loud enough for all to hear you, but don't ever yell or scream.

Most importantly, do NOT act nervous--even if you are! They can smell fear. I really think they can.

Authors

About Susan
Susan Dewees, Ed.D. is an administrator at a large middle school. She also served as a Turnaround Team Coordinator for a public school district in Louisiana. She has 20 years of experience in public school education, and special education is one of her specialties.

About Erin

Erin Stokes, Ed.D. is a Title I Instructional Coordinator for a public school district in Louisiana. She has over 10 years of experience as a teacher and instructional coach. She is also an adjuct professor at Louisiana College. She loves students, teachers, and most of all--learning.

About Becky

Becky Pippen, Ed.D. is currently serving as principal of a large middle school in Louisiana. She has over 20 years experience in educational leadership. She is passionate about improving the teacher workforce so that all students have the quality of instruction they deserve.

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