Tea Time with A Teacher

This week is Part 2 with Diana Pacheco! If you are interested in teaching abroad or curious about the diversity of experiences Diana has had in Taiwan, Egypt, and the UAE, you can find her on LinkedIn and can connect with her about her obstacles and successes teaching in three different world regions as well as her time in Boston Public Schools!https://www.linkedin.com/in/diana-pacheco-ed-m-m-s-ed-72a370206/

Diana Pacheco is entering her 18th year in education. She began working in public and private institutions in Massachusetts with students with moderate to severe special needs. In the last 11 years, she has lived overseas, teaching diverse learners from early childhood to lower elementary in the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, and Taiwan. Originally from New York City, she attended the University of Buffalo and earned a B.A. in Cultural Anthropology with a concentration in the implication on culture on education and a Masters in Education through Simmons College with licensure in Special Education. In 2020, she earned a Masters of Education in Public School Leadership from Columbia University Teachers College.Over the course of her career, she has been an elementary and secondary teacher, Math Department Coordinator, ELA Liaison, and a cohort team leader who has led her colleagues through multiple school accreditation processes, collaborated in the development of school improvement plans, and designing and implementing professional development. Building capacity in teachers and team building is a high priority for her as it leads to providing high-quality education for students. In her free time, she loves to read, try new recipes, find time to stay connected to those who restore her spirit, and explore new places.If people are interested in getting more information about teaching and living overseas, then they can contact me via Linkedin.https://www.linkedin.com/in/diana-pacheco-ed-m-m-s-ed-72a370206/

Today's guest is Afshan Mirza. She is a highly accomplished school leader of the Junior School at the Learning Alliance School in Lahore, Pakistan. She received her initial education in Pakistan and University of Karachi before moving to Ireland to teach Montessori education. Upon her return to Pakistan, she has earned multiple degrees in Therapy and is in the process of shifting to a full time head of school for the Counseling Department at Learning Alliance. In this episode, she was able to share her huge swath of knowledge, specifically around soft skills young children need to succeed and how she fosters a school culture where students are faced with challenges and encouraged to show resilience. Afshan's work in Therapy: https://skillsdevelopment.co.uk/networks/cbt/

This episode focuses on concrete tips to help teachers live sustainable and healthy lives and have supportive workplace environments. Shout out to the fellow educators who submitted tips! This is just the epitome of how supportive the education world is to each other. 

October has been a rough month for educators. In this episode, I talk about creating a better system of partnerships between schools and families, the difficulties of staying education long term without burning out, and the need for teacher support before it is too late.Don't forget to follow us @teatimewithateacher!

This week's episode is with Kelsey Bull, an international teacher with experience in Egypt, Ghana, Taiwan, and now Saudi Arabia. In our conversation, we discuss the value of teachers gathering experience abroad to widen perspectives and Kelsey shares the differences in American schools abroad and the colonizing systems that abroad, for profit schools, often bring. Make sure to check out her website at kelseybull.weebly.com

This week's episode is with Sophie Bryant, a former History teacher and now Special Education and Disability Coordinator in Britain! In this episode, she brings her perspective on comparing the education systems of the US and Europe, fighting a broken system to better serve students with special needs, and why she still has the renewed energy to best support her school and her kids.

In this episode, I discuss the Delta Variant's impact on school's and possible future school closures in Texas due to the mismanagement of children's safety from the Governor.I also share my takeaways from my first weeks coaching teachers and how difficult it is for teachers to successfully provide the best for their students.Don't forget to follow us @teatimewithateacher!

This week's episode catches us up with all the changes over the summer. My graduate school experience, training for my new job, and thoughts on the current state of schools entering the Fall.Don't forget to follow the Pod @teatimewithateacher!

Today's episode is our Season 1 Finale! Thank you so much for listening this season as we were able to engage in discussions with a variety of guests on topics from getting quiet students' voices to be heard to dealing with difficult administrators. We end Season 1 with a solo episode, where I discuss the reaction in schools to the Derek Chauvin verdict, a terrible incident involving a teacher and student, and the sad reality of administrators undermining and doubting their teachers.We are breaking for the summer and will be back with Season 2 in August! Thank you so much for listening!

This week's guest is the amazing Jon Hinthorne (Host of An Unconventional Teacher Podcast). In this episode, we talk about the struggles with burnout during a pandemic school year, how teachers have adapted to being the best for their students, and the motivation to start a podcast to give a voice to great educators.Jon graduated with a BS from Principia College double majoring in History and Spanish. He studied a year abroad in Granada, Spain where he became fluent in Spanish. Jon then moved to Boston to join City Year Boston as a Corps Member, was a tutor and mentor for 7th and 8th grade students at the Maurice J. Tobin School K-8 in Mission Hill, Boston, MA. The next year he served another year as a National Teaching Fellow with Citizen Schools Massachusetts at the Orchard Gardens Pilot School K-8. He then moved to San Jose, California with his wife to work at City Year San Jose for three years as a Program Manager. He also completed his Masters in Education from Webster University during that time. After that he returned to teaching as a classroom teacher at the Charter School of Morgan Hill for three years. He fell in love with (PBL) Project Based Learning and decided to move to the central coast of California to start a family and work at another PBL school called Central Coast New Tech High School in Nipomo, CA. Jon has found his home on the central coast and at CCNTH. He also composes and produces solo piano music which can be found on iTunes and Spotify. He currently lives in Arroyo Grande, CA with his two young boys, Mason and Jacob and incredible wife, Jenny. You can find more about Jon, his podcast, and his great work at https://www.anunconventionalteacher.com/

We are back with Part 2 of Tea Time with Fernanda and Karla, two former YES Prep Fifth Ward students and 1st generation Latinas currently attending Lycoming and Texas A&M!Our amazing guest host, Andrea, speaks with them about the need for more representation in higher education with professors and material that matches their lived experiences. Fernanda and Karla also open up about their imposter syndrome struggles and their self-doubt as they navigate a new and uncomfortable space in college.Don't forget to follow us @teatimewithateacher and subscribe where you get your podcasts!

This week's HOST is Andrea Pedraza! She gives her unique perspective by speaking with her former classmates, Karla and Fernanda, about what it means to be a Latina woman and a 1st generation student in college. Fernanda is a 2nd year student at Texas A&M University, where she is studying biomedical engineering. Karla is a 2nd year student at Lycoming College in Pennsylvania, where she is majoring in Criminal Justice and exploring minors in sociology AND social & economic justice. Karla, Fernanda, and Andrea are alumni of YES Prep Fifth Ward.Don't forget to tune in next week for Part Two!

Our guest this week is Lisa Larson. Originally, from NJ, but moved to Florida 7 years ago to care for her dad. This enabled her to finish college and gain her Elementary Education degree. Her passion is reading, and as a reading teacher she believes that children need to fall in love with reading to be successful. Currently, she is a Reading Interventionist pulling small groups all day and has been teaching for 6 years!In this episode, Lisa and I talk about positive behavior support. The power of believing in a kid who struggles and the power of making a kid a simple sandwich for lunch. We also talk about teaching to a test and the failure of the school system to make reading accessible, relevant, and engaging for students to inspire them to read more! Don't forget to follow us @teatimewithateacher for weekly episodes with transformational educators!

We are back with Part Two of Tea Time with Kelsie of Remedial HERstory! In this Part Two, we discuss how to engage students in a deeper understanding of history and how to equip students with the skills to be critical of history from a one-sided lens!Make sure to check out her podcast and website at www.remedialherstory.com!Thanks for listening and see you next week!

This week's episode is Part 1 of a TWO Part Tea Time! I interview Kelsie, an amazing HS History teacher in New Hampshire and also co-hosts a podcast called Remedial HERstory (Find it: http://www.remedialherstory.com/). In this episode, we discuss how the way we teach history excludes women, the ways in which teachers can change the way students think of history, and how to facilitate discussions with students to not tell them to think a certain way, but empower them to develop skills for future discussions in their communities. Follow us @teatimewithateacher and subscribe so you do not miss next week's PART TWO with Kelsie!

We are back! This week's episode is with Sarah! Sarah is in her 9th year teaching in Texas, focusing on Reading and Literacy. In this episode, we dive into some great topics. We talk about the frustrations with holding virtual students accountable, engaging her students to improve their reading despite the pressure to teach reading through antiquated reading passages, and the need for college education classes to be more practical and realistic for what aspiring teachers will face in the classroom.Check out the episode and as always, follow us @teatimewithateacher!

We are modeling self-care this week! It is Spring Break and we are unplugging for the week! That means NO EPISODE next week! We will be back on Monday, March 29th for our final run of episodes until the conclusion of Season 1. Our goal was to have 20 quality episodes before taking a break and planning out topics and guests for Season 2! We are 4 episodes away from finishing a wonderful Season 1!Thank you for all the support and follow us @teatimewithateacher!Educators! Go enjoy your well-deserved break!

“How do I get all my students, especially the quiet students, to share out and feel comfortable in class?” This is a question we as teachers have all the time. Who better to bring on that an award winning middle school writer, Margot! Margot Kleinpeter is twelve years old and attends Kamiakin Middle School, in Kirkland, Washington. Her original short story, Butterflies, recently won Outstanding Interpretation in the literature category for her school district's Reflections competition. In her story, she talks about the butterflies students get when teachers use cold calling and defer to the louder students. In this episode, she gives advice to teachers on how to make sure all students feel heard and valued.You can find her amazing, award-winning short story here:https://drive.google.com/file/d/10eTArRkJOD3wGLj7OZjBd8FNw1WL3tWO/viewFollow us @teatimewithateacher and don't forget to subscribe for new episodes every Monday!

Alex Calderon is the host of the 1stgenteacherlens podcast that talks about issues that concern his identity and other 1st gen students and discuss topics within the education realm. He is also a 7th grade ELA teacher, 1st Generation Latinx American, and is a current MSEd student in NYC. In this episode, we discuss the Alex's desire to give a voice to 1st gen students, his advice for substitute teachers and 1st year teachers, and shares his funniest story and biggest pet peeves.Follow us @teatimewithateacher and join us weekly on Instagram Live at 5:45 Central on Thursdays!

This week's episode is a solo one!  I talk about two really important topics: 1. My response to the Daily Episode on School Reopening (episode linked here: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/10/podcasts/the-daily/school-reopening-teachers-unions-biden.html?smid=url-share)2. Biggest Pet Peeves of Teachers (submitted from the audience) It's been a crazy week with school closures and freezing roads, but we managed to get this one out. Let's hope ERCOT can figure it out and we can get back to school! Thank you for listening! We have hit 2K followers on instagram! Follow us @teatimewithateacher and don't forget to download and subscribe!

Alondra Carmona joins us this week for Tea Time with a Teacher. She is a HS Senior in Houston and will be attending Barnard College in the Fall. She was recently profiled in the Houston Chronicle and on ABC for her efforts to help her family when her mother lost her job with her college savings she earned from an internship with Rice University studying cervical cancer. She has since then started a GoFundMe which has earned over $160,000 towards her tuition. She hopes to earn an MD/PhD in Neuroscience from Barnard. https://abc13.com/alondra-carmona-yes-prep-east-end-college-savings-help-pay-for-her-moms-rent/10322295/https://gofund.me/72f6907fFollow us @teatimewithateacher and don't forget to subscribe!

Tea Time is with a hilarious educator this week! Bri Richardson is a 2nd year teacher in Mississippi. Originally from Jackson Tennessee, Bri started as an assistant basketball coach and moved into 6th grade ELA. She has over 180,000 followers on Tik Tok through her teacher skits and has use the money from Tik Tok to fund classroom supplies and high interest books for her library and for the entire school.In this episode, Bri shares her pet peeves, how she got into education, and of course her rise to Tik Tok fame and her inspiration for her teacher skits! Make to check out her Tik Tok Videos at Honest Teacher Vibes and her website with great merch! https://teespring.com/stores/honestteachervibes Follow us @teatimewithateacher and check out our website at https://linktr.ee/teatimewithateacher

In this episode, Greg shares what it is like being a new principal coming into an already existing school culture, the unique restorative justice system his school uses in building relationships between staff and students, and his experience going from teacher to manager within the same school.A native of Baltimore, Md., Little began his career in education as a 2010 Teach For America Corps member in Houston. He has a masters in educational leadership from University of St. Thomas and and undergrad degree from Ursinus college in Pennsylvania. He has worked as a social studies teacher in Houston ISD, worked multiple roles at YES Prep as a teacher, dean of students, director of students and is currently principal of YES Prep Northbrook HS. 

This week's episode is Tea Time with the amazing Barb Campbell!Not only is Barb an amazing person, she also hired me! She hired my 21 year old naïve self in 2016 and was my Principal for 3 years at YES Prep and now works as the Director for Family Engagement. I loved picking her brain as a school leader with a vast array of experiences from teaching Psychology at Kingwood HS in Houston and accidentally using nuts to describe a AP Psych term to leading a school through Hurricane Harvey and even bring profiled in the Houston Chronicle for Women Leaders in Educator and speaking at the TED talk conference in Houston. All the while raising 4 kids and earning an MBA from Rice. She is amazing role model and has influenced my educational career in so many ways. I hope you enjoy the episode and thanks for listening!Follows us @teatimewithateacher and find all the episodes https://wavve.link/teatimewithateacher

Jamie Downs is currently the Principal of YES Prep Southside. Originally from SC, Jamie was a 2007 Houston Teach For America Corps Member, who taught 6th grade English Language Arts at Fondren Middle School in the Houston Independent School District. He then worked for TFA in Kansas City before returning to Houston to attend the Rice Education Entrepreneurship Program. Jamie has worked as an Assistant Principal at Sharpstown High School in the Houston Independent School District and was the founding Principal for YES Prep Eisenhower.In this episode, Jamie and I talk about what transformational school leadership looks like, what he looks for when hiring teachers, the difficult of leading a school during a pandemic, and how transparency helps him connect with his staff.

My guest this week is Cindy LaRotta, a current College Counselor at YES Prep. She has been in education for 8 years, has taught various levels of college readiness classes. Cindy spoke to her work with kids at the most pivotal time in their lives and how she helps kids uncover their path: local colleges, top tier colleges, no college, the military, and finding what is best for each of her students and helping them through the journey. We also discussed life as an educator with kids and the benefits and difficulties of having a partner also in education. Thank you for all of the support, Thank you Cindy, and let me know what you think of this week's episode!

First episode of 2021! This week, I speak with Jordan, a 2nd year teacher in Baltimore City Public Schools, about her journey to finding education and how a spontaneous application to City Year wound up being her career path. From dermatologist to 9th grade English teacher, Jordan talks about her transition and the adjustment moving from Atlanta to New Hampshire to Baltimore! Enjoy!

This week's guest is....ME! I answer questions submitted by you, the audience. I talk about my own background, what influenced me to get into education, and the unique experiences I had that shaped my perspective on privilege. Let me know what you think!

Episode 5 of Tea Time with a Teacher was awesome! This time, it's tea with two college students and former students at my old stomping grounds, YPFW. Our two guests are Andrea Pedraza and Paul Cruz from UT Austin and Emory. I loved this episode because they brought everything: advice for high schoolers, shout outs to teachers, covid stories as a college student, and a bright future upon graduation. A future teacher and a future nurse. Follow us @teatimewithateacher and DM for future guests, ideas or topics!

Episode 4 brings a new perspective: Students! Two former students of mine, Lesli Govea and Lucy Meza, join the podcast to discuss the difficulties of learning in a pandemic, the impact a select few teachers had on them, and the advice they have for struggling teachers to connect with their students. Follow us @teatimewithateacher on Instagram and DM us with any suggestions!

In this episode, Mari and I talk about the trials and tribulations of a first year teacher in a pandemic, her own struggles with transitioning as a student from a charter high school to college, and the impact of her own teachers growing up on her view on the impact a teacher can make. Mari is a 1st year teacher in Dallas ISD, graduated from Davidson in 2020 and from YES Prep North Forest in 2016. She is currently getting her Masters in Education through Urban Teachers and has a dream of returning to YES Prep to teach at the school she attended. Follow us @teatimewithateacher and enjoy!

This week, I talk to Byron Hannah, a 3rd year teacher and TFA alumn, about experiencing a lockdown in his 1st year, being directly exposed to COVID in his first week back, the life changing moment where he changed career paths to education, and the impact an apology can have on your relationships with students.

This week, I talk to Shikah Kofie, an Achievement Specialist, former teacher and Dean of Instruction, about navigating a broken education system during the COVID pandemic and trying to bridge the gap between teachers and administration. We discuss the gaps in tech literacy for our students and the rigidity teachers face in aligning to a state test. Shikah shares her funny moments with students farting as well as her impactful memories of a group of black girls on the step team during her first year teaching. Follow us on Instagram at @TeaTime_with_a_teacher! 

Each week, we will be going into a deep dive into the school environment, having conversations and taking perspectives of teachers, administrators, parents and families. Join us weekly for an unfiltered, teacher-centered podcast that gives you both the silly and the serious inside our schools.