Podcasts about east middle school

This week, Drewby and Yergy head down to Binghamton, New York, to discuss the case of Cheri Lindsey, a girl whose death still haunts her hometown decades later. Cheri was a 7th grader at East Middle School when she took on a part-time newspaper delivery route in her neighborhood. She was described as punctual, with one of her customers stating that “You could predict the exact second your paper would show up.” But then one day, Cheri never made it home from her route... Very quickly, all fingers started pointing to one of her customers - a man named James Wales - the same man who trained Sheri on her paper route.  Support Our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/themiserymachine PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/themiserymachine Join Our Facebook Group: https://t.co/DeSZIIMgXs?amp=1 Instagram: miserymachinepodcast Twitter: misery_podcast Discord: https://discord.gg/kCCzjZM #themiserymachine #podcast #truecrime Source Material: Cheri Lindsey Obituary (2021) - Binghamton, NY - Press & Sun-Bulletin (legacy.com) Cheri Lindsey Murder: Where is James Wales Now? Update (thecinemaholic.com) Unforgettable: The Cheri Lindsey Story by Tina Hartigan with David L. and Jean Lindsey The James Wales Murder Case: Unraveling the Mystery - DotComStories Cheri Lindsey's story: Her murder and its aftermath detailed - VoxBliss Grave Memorial Records - Find a Grave Incarcerated Lookup (ny.gov) Cheri Lindsey: 34 years later, slain Binghamton girl's memory endures (pressconnects.com) https://www.newspapers.com/image/256054750/?clipping_id=18469285&fcfToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJmcmVlLXZpZXctaWQiOjI1NjA1NDc1MCwiaWF0IjoxNzIxNDQ0NzY3LCJleHAiOjE3MjE1MzExNjd9.dMv-uwbC3jZtg-x9s7yN5Yknbi_GfNrl8ZH8aKYLj_o https://casetext.com/case/people-v-wales-2 https://www.newspapers.com/image/252972857/?match=1&terms=james%20wales https://pressconnects.newspapers.com/article/press-and-sun-bulletin/85271385/ https://www.pressconnects.com/story/news/2018/03/21/james-wales-parole-cheri-lindsey-murder-binghamton/420945002/ https://pressconnects.newspapers.com/image/674949288/?terms=james%20wales https://www.gobroomecounty.com/forgetmenotmemorialgarden https://www.pressconnects.com/story/news/2018/03/21/james-wales-parole-cheri-lindsey-murder-binghamton/420945002/ https://www.binghamtonhomepage.com/news/local-news/dave-lindsey-the-father-of-cheri-passes-away/ https://www.wbng.com/2023/09/27/child-killer-james-wales-denied-parole-5th-time/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Hd4IjAWdE4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lxBSZJjwGM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEdhw2T-MDQ

Carrie is an underpaid and under appreciated teacher in Noblesville... (Aren't they all) Here her story and help her out!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Even though visual signs of the pandemic are wearing off at Brockton's East Middle School, the reality of learning setbacks is still driving a lot of decisions by school leaders.

The Librarian Influencer of the Week is Kathy Lester! Kathy works as a school librarian at East Middle School in Plymouth, Michigan and is president-elect of AASL. Shownotes: https://www.laurasheneman.com/post/access-to-diverse-resources-and-services-with-kathy-lester 

It's summer break, so Christi had an opportunity to sit down with popular (and busy) District 51 music teachers, Jen Daigle from East Middle School and Isaac Lavadie from Grand Junction High School.  They discuss their passion for teaching, the importance of music in schools, teaching through COVID, and their hopes for the future.  An inspiring talk with these community leaders who mean so much to our kids!If you would like to support the music in our schools, reach out directly to the schools, District 51, or contact GJHS Band Parents at GJHSBandFundraising@gmail.com or check out their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/GJHSMusicParents/.You can watch a full video of the interview on our YouTube page at https://youtu.be/DHPJuHnIdAM.

Today's ride, while keeping with the theme of the possibly paranormal and cryptid, takes us on a more uplifting ride. While the story is rooted in tragedy, the discussion quickly turned to stories of help and hope. This is something that neither Moody nor myself knew about, and through discussing it with several people, doesn't seem to be a hugely popular topic in these circles. Despite this fact, we found it to be an intriguing topic so we decided to follow up on it. Today we are talking about the Butterfly people of Joplin Missouri. Before we get into what they are, we need to take a look at the incident that spawned the tales. So without further ado… Let's get into it! Between May 21 and May 26, 2011 the Midwestern and southern United States experienced the largest tornado outbreak on record, with a total of 1,894 tornadoes causing 551 fatalities. Most of the tornadoes developed in a corridor from Lake Superior southwest to central Texas; isolated tornadoes occurred in other areas.          On May 21, a small system of thunderstorms developed in Brown County, Kansas while another system formed to the southeast of Emporia, Kansas. The Brown county system spawned a brief tornado over Topeka, Kansas, causing minor damage. This system also caused significant damage in Oskaloosa, Kansas, and other communities. Meanwhile, the Emporia system spawned an EF3 tornado that struck Reading, Kansas; one person was killed, several others were injured, and at least 20 houses were destroyed. These two systems developed several other tornadoes throughout the evening. A moderate risk of severe weather was issued for much of the Midwest, as well as further south to Oklahoma for May 22. The first tornadic supercell developed in the mid-afternoon hours over the western Twin Cities in Minnesota, and caused moderate damage in the Minneapolis area. Shortly thereafter, an intense tornado crept towards Harmony, Minnesota, prompting the National Weather Service to issue the first tornado emergency of the outbreak. Late that afternoon, a large, intense EF5 multiple-vortex tornado left catastrophic destruction in Joplin, Missouri. This is the tornado that we are looking at in this episode. After the Joplin tornado there would be many more throughout the next few days. In fact the cell would spawn a total of 241 tornadoes total. Out of those 241 only 2 reached EF5 status, the Joplin tornado and one dubbed El Reno. El Reno was actually the more violent of the two, but luckily it landed in a rural area and there were considerably less fatalities. To give you an idea of the strength of these guys, he's an example of some of the damage of the El Reno twister which reached a max velocity of 295 mph!: As it approached and crossed Interstate 40 west of El Reno, it reached its maximum intensity. Three people were killed as two vehicles were tossed more than 1,093 yards from the road and obliterated, the victims being found stripped of clothing 1⁄4 mile from the interstate and left "unrecognizable". Only pieces of the vehicle's frames were reportedly recovered. A nearby 20,000-pound oil tanker truck that was parked at an oil production site near the interstate was thrown approximately one mile  into a wooded gully. Several homes were swept completely away along I-40, trees were completely debarked, and the ground was heavily scoured in some areas. At the nearby Cactus-117 oil rig site, a 1,900,000-pound oil derrick was blown over and rolled three times. That shit is intense! Imagine if that had hit a major city. And that was only a portion of the damage and impact. The El Reno tornado had a 63 mile long path through 4 counties in Oklahoma killing 9 and injuring 161. While that tornado was devastating, we're looking at the Joplin tornado, the one that saw incredible stories of butterfly people helping to save the lives of townspeople. The tornado itself could honestly be an entire episode because of its craziness. The Joplin tornado was a powerful and catastrophic EF5-rated multiple-vortex tornado that struck Joplin, Missouri, United States, on the evening of Sunday, May 22, 2011. The tornado initially touched down just east of the Missouri-Kansas state line near the end of 32nd Street at 5:34 pm CDT and tracked due east, downing a few trees at EF0 intensity. Eyewitnesses and storm chasers reported multiple vortices rotating around the parent circulation in that area. Civil defense sirens sounded in Joplin twenty minutes before the tornado struck in response to a tornado warning issued by the National Weather Service (NWS) at 5:17 pm CDT for northwestern Newton and southwestern Jasper counties in Missouri, and southeastern portions of Cherokee County, Kansas, but many Joplin residents did not heed them. The tornado strengthened to EF1 intensity as it continued through rural areas towards Joplin, snapping trees and power poles and damaging outbuildings. Widening, the tornado then tracked into the more densely populated southwest corner of the city near the Twin Hills Country Club. It heavily damaged several homes at a subdivision in this area at EF1 to EF2 strength. The tornado continued to strengthen as it ripped through another subdivision just east of Iron Gates Road. Numerous homes were destroyed at EF2 to EF3 strength at that location, and multiple vehicles were tossed around, some of which were thrown on or rolled into homes. The now massive wedge tornado then crossed S. Schifferdecker Ave., producing its first area of EF4 damage as several small but well-built commercial buildings were flattened. Consistent EF4 to EF5 damage was noted east of S. Schifferdecker Ave. and continued through most of southern Joplin. Numerous homes, businesses, and medical buildings were flattened in this area, with concrete walls collapsed and crushed into the foundations. A large steel-reinforced step and floor structure leading to a completely destroyed medical building was "deflected upward several inches and cracked". Steel trusses from some of the buildings were "rolled up like paper", and deformation/twisting of the main support beams was noted. Multiple vehicles were thrown and mangled or wrapped around trees nearby. Several 300-pound concrete parking stops anchored with rebar were torn from a parking lot in this area and were thrown up to 60 yards away. Iowa State University wind engineer Partha Sarkar was able to calculate the force needed to remove the parking stops and found that winds exceeding 200 mph were needed to tear them from the parking lot. Damage became remarkably widespread and catastrophic at and around the nearby St. John's Regional Medical Center, which lost many windows, interior walls, ceilings, and part of its roof; its life flight helicopter was also blown away and destroyed. Five fatalities were caused by loss of backup power, and the nine-story building was so damaged that it was deemed structurally compromised, and was later torn down. According to the NWS office in Springfield, Missouri, such extreme structural damage to such a large and well-built structure was likely indicative of winds at or exceeding 200 mph. Vehicles in the hospital parking lot were thrown into the air and mangled beyond recognition, including a semi-truck that was tossed 125 yards and wrapped completely around a debarked tree. Wind-rowing of debris was noted in this area, and additional concrete parking stops were removed from the St. John's parking lot as well. Virtually every house near McClelland Boulevard and 26th Street was flattened; some were swept completely away, and trees sustained severe debarking.As the tornado tracked eastward, it maintained EF5 strength as it crossed Main Street (SR 43) between 20th and 26th Streets. It heavily damaged every business along that stretch and several institutional buildings were virtually destroyed. It tracked just south of downtown, narrowly missing it. Entire neighborhoods were leveled in this area with some more homes swept away, and trees were stripped completely of their bark. At some residences, reinforced concrete porches were deformed, or in some cases completely torn away. Damage to driveways was noted at some residences as well. Numerous vehicles were tossed up to several blocks away from the residences where they originated, and a few homeowners never located their vehicles.  A large church, Greenbriar Nursing Home, Franklin Technology Center, St. Mary's Catholic Church and School, and Joplin High School were all destroyed along this corridor. The Greenbriar Nursing Home was completely leveled, with 21 fatalities occurring there alone.  As the tornado crossed Connecticut Ave further to the east, it destroyed several large apartment buildings, a Dillon's grocery store, and a bank. Only the concrete vault remained at the bank, and a wooden 2x4 was found speared completely through a concrete curb at one location as well. No one was in the high school at the time; the high school graduation ceremonies held about 3 miles (4.8 km) to the north at Missouri Southern State University had concluded shortly before the storm. Pieces of cardboard were found embedded sideways into stucco walls that remained standing at Joplin High School. Steel beams and pieces of fencing were deeply embedded into the ground in fields near the high school as well, steel fence posts were bent to the ground in opposite directions, and a school bus was thrown into a nearby bus garage. The tornado then approached Range Line Road, the main commercial strip in the eastern part of Joplin, affecting additional neighborhoods along 20th Street. The now heavily rain-wrapped tornado continued at EF5 intensity as it crossed Range Line Road. In that corridor between about 13th and 32nd Streets, the tornado continued producing catastrophic damage as it was at its widest at this point, being nearly 1 mile (1.6 km) wide. As the tornado hit the Pizza Hut at 1901 South Range Line Road, store manager Christopher Lucas herded four employees and 15 customers into a walk-in freezer. With difficulty closing the door, he wrapped a bungee cable holding the door shut around his arm until he was sucked out and killed by the tornado. The tornado completely destroyed Walmart Supercenter No. 59, a Home Depot, and numerous other businesses and restaurants in this area, many of which were flattened. Numerous metal roof trusses were torn from the Home Depot building and were found broken and mangled in nearby fields. Cars that originated at the Home Depot parking lot were found hundreds of yards away. Asphalt was scoured from parking lots at Walmart and a nearby pizza restaurant, and large tractor-trailers were thrown up to 200 yards away. An Academy Sports + Outdoors store along Range Line sustained major structural damage, and a chair was found impaled legs-first through an exterior stucco wall at that location. A nearby three-story apartment complex was also devastated, and two cell phone towers were found collapsed onto the remains of the apartments. Numerous cars were thrown and piled on top of each other, 100-pound manhole covers were removed from roads and thrown, ground scouring occurred, and a Pepsi distribution plant was completely leveled in this area as well. Additional calculations of the manhole covers in Joplin by Parka Sarkar revealed that winds had to have exceeded 200 mph for the manhole covers to be removed. Many fatalities occurred in this area, and damage was rated as EF5.Extreme damage continued in the area of Duquesne Road in southeast Joplin. Many houses and industrial and commercial buildings were flattened in this area as well. The industrial park near the corner of 20th and Duquesne was especially hard hit with nearly every building flattened. Several large metal warehouse structures were swept cleanly from their foundations, and several heavy industrial vehicles were thrown up to 400 yards away in this area. One of the many warehouses affected was a Cummins warehouse, a concrete block and steel building that was destroyed. The last area of EF5 damage occurred in the industrial park, and a nearby Fastrip gas station and convenience store was completely destroyed. Many homes were destroyed further to the east at EF3 to EF4 strength in a nearby subdivision, and East Middle School sustained major damage. The tornado then continued on an east to east-southeast trajectory towards Interstate 44 where it weakened; nonetheless, vehicles were blown off the highway and mangled near the U.S. Route 71 interchange. The damage at and around the interchange was rated EF2 to EF3. The weakening tornado continued to track into the rural areas of southeastern Jasper County and northeastern Newton County where damage was generally minor to moderate, with trees, mobile homes, outbuildings, and frame homes damaged mainly at EF0 to EF1 strength. The tornado lifted east of Diamond at 6:12 pm CDT (23:12 UTC) according to aerial surveys. The tornado's total track length was at least 22.1 miles (35.6 km) long. Overall, 6,954 homes were destroyed, 359 homes had major damage and 516 had minor damage, 158 people were killed, and 1,150 others were injured along the path. A separate EF2 tornado touched down near Wentworth from the same supercell about 25 miles (40 km) east-southeast of Joplin. So that's the story of this incredible tornado. But something more came from this. In the aftermath of this devastating event, tales began to emerge of strange beings described as butterfly people, appearing to help and protect the citizens of Joplin. This is why we are talking about this event! What were they? Was it mass hysteria? Was it a cooking mechanism for the many children affected? If they were real, where did they come from? Extraterrestrial? Interdimensional? Let's look at some stories and then explore some theories! So we'll start with some of the stories from the people that were there. One woman, arriving home with her children, ran inside her home with great hurry. Together, they sheltered inside a small closet and the family started praying when, suddenly, the full force of the F5 tornado ripped their home to shreds. Inside the fury of wind and hail, the family thought it was the end. The winds were so fierce even the daughter’s glasses shattered as the roof was ripped off above them. Then, strangely, the son saw something in the sky. Amidst the pain and anguish, there was something above them, amongst the winds. A white woman with wings, hovering over them, as if she was protecting them from harm. Had madness set in? Was it a religious vision? The son  described what he saw as a ‘butterfly woman’, who stayed and stayed, protecting the family from harm. Moreover, the rest of the family also saw the vision. As the tornado passed by, the family were left unharmed. In fact, the closet was the only thing left without damage. The entire rest of the house, everything, was destroyed, yet that humble closet, with no additional protection to the rest of the house, survived. All this served to reinforce the belief for the family that an angel had protected them on that day. Medical aid soon arrived and the search began for the injured and the trapped. Rumours began to circulate amongst the crowds. One nurse, looking rather confused, told the family she saw an angel and when pressed, she described the exact same vision the family had seen. Down to the last detail. The nurse said the ‘butterfly woman’ was larger than the average human, with wings. She wasn’t sure what to make of what she saw, but she didn’t fear it. She said she saw it whilst tending to a man who had been impaled on a wooden stake. She knew he was dying and then she saw it. Something standing nearby. As if it was comforting the man. If this was a religious vision of the dying, then why did the nurse see it? And it wasn’t the only one. Rather than some strange being protecting the town, the nurse said that she saw many. Not a ‘butterfly woman’… butterfly people. Over the following weeks, counsellors spoke to dozens and dozens of traumatised children across the town, none of whom knew each other, and every single one spoke of the Butterfly People, and how they ‘saved them’ on that day. And time and time again, the descriptions matched. Joplin was no longer just the scene of a tragedy. No longer just a war zone steeped in loss and billions of dollars worth of damage. It was now also home to something strange. Something unexplainable. Lage Grigsby was believed to be near death when he arrived at Freeman Hospital West after being pulled from debris in the May 22, 2011, tornado. In fact he was actually taken to the hospital's fucking morgue. Mason Lillard would have died, her surgeon said, if a metal rod driven through her body would have shifted an inch either direction. Despite critical injuries suffered when their grandparents' truck was thrown more than 300 feet across the Home Depot parking lot, the two cousins say they don't think that often about the EF5 twister. "You kind of forget about it unless you look at the scars," said Mason. On the night of the tornado, Mason was rushed to surgery, but Lage had been black tagged — meaning he was thought to be dying.  That same night Freeman Hospital West ER nurse Tracy Dye arrived at the hospital after she heard the tornado had hit St. John's Regional Medical Center. She had considered not going to work because she was watching the storm develop and didn't want to leave her sons. When Dye arrived at the hospital, she was sent down to the morgue. Walking through, she touched Lage's arm and... get this shit..."he let out a scream. I ran and got a doctor and we got him out of there," she said. Dye stayed with him until surgery, which lasted six hours. For him, those actions were lifesaving, Lage reminded the nurse Wednesday. "I owe you my life," he said. Sharon Lillard calls Dye "our angel," adding, "I was at the hospital the other day and I dropped a little gift by for her." According to Mason's account of the storm, Dye was not the only angel on duty that night. She saw them just before the storm hit, Mason said, and after... she felt a touch on her shoulder. "I thought it was Lage, but when I turned I saw two angels in robes, one with brown hair and one with blond hair," she said. "It was kinda calming. I knew God was with us and that he'd take us to be with him, or leave us to do something great."  Elsewhere, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch recounted another story of a mother and daughter. When the storm hit, the mother, holding her little child, ran for shelter. The force of the winds knocked them to the ground. Terrifyingly, the mother looked back to see a car picked up by the tornado and flung right in their direction. She couldn’t escape, she didn’t have the time. So she curled up and cradled her daughter, hoping to protect her from the impact of the car that was literally right above them. But it didn’t hit. She had closed her eyes, but her daughter didn’t. When the seconds passed by turned into minutes, she opened her eyes and the car was nowhere to be seen. “What happened?” she asked her daughter. “Didn’t you see the butterfly people mommy?” Her daughter was sure the Butterfly People were carrying humans through the sky. “They were beautiful”, the little girl said smiling!  Crazy shit! That literally gave me goosebumps as I read it. The stories were mounting up. A grandfather and two young boys trapped outside during the tornado. The grandfather lost his shoes as the tornado passed over them, when the two young boys looked up they saw the ‘Butterfly People’ watching over them. Over the weeks, more and more people came forward, from all over the town. All reporting the same thing. People with wings, always described as butterflies. And most of the time, the reports were coming from children. One little girl with her mother said she wasn’t afraid because the ‘butterfly people were with them’. Another four-year-old boy said two Butterfly People ‘held’ his father’s car to stop it being taken away. And yet another little boy, who was picked up by the winds and flung some six miles through the air, told rescuers that angels caught him and sat him down safely on the ground.  The local hospital was inundated with the injured and soon, every ward, every room, every nurse, every patient, were filled with stories of these “Butterfly People”... angels protecting them during the worst of the storm. And not just there, but in the lines waiting for donated food, all anyone was talking about were the Butterfly People. It was one of the worst tornado strikes in living memory. For the months that followed, people gathered all over town and told their stories. Stories of how they survived and stories of those they lost. And, above all, stories of the Butterfly People. This sounds incredible… But this isn't the first instance of this sort of thing happening. Take a look at the 1978 Freiberg mine disaster. All the miners, every one of them, saw a man standing in front of the mine at Freiberg, Germany. When the workers approached the man, they discovered huge wings covering his body. They stood in shock for a moment when, suddenly, the ‘angel’ let out a series of shrieks described as similar to a train’s emergency brakes. The miner’s fled and around one hour later, the mine exploded. A huge plume of smoke covered Freiberg. For many of the miners, what they saw was an angel, warning them of the danger. If they hadn’t fled, they’d all be dead after all… The same thing happened in 1986 in Chernobyl. Dozens and dozens of people saw winged creatures, which many described as ‘angels’, hovering above the land moments before the disaster, leading many to believe these ‘angels’ were signs that a horrific event was coming. Even as recently as 2001, many people claim to have seen winged creatures around the Twin Towers shortly before the disaster.  So what are they?  Well the obvious first choice is… Angels. Joplin is at the centre of America’s religious heartland. Deep in the religious heartland, people of great faith claim to see an angel before they think they’re about to die. It does happen. Quite a lot, in fact. Near-death experiences often sound strange to those of us who haven’t had them. The one hole in this theory is that they didn’t say ‘angels’. Only a few did, but most people who saw the Butterfly People of Joplin described what they saw as the name implies, ‘butterfly people’ and not angels. Of course, many were children. Maybe the simple answer is that children have a better idea of what a butterfly is than an angel. This leads into another explanation. NDEs, or near death experiences. Now since we know you guys are avid listeners, we know that you've already listened to our episode on NDE. Without getting deep into that subject again, basically some are saying that these people were simply experiencing NDE. Their brains were helping them cope with the fact they were about to die. But that doesn't explain why they all saw the same thing. Or why some that were literally about to die ended up safe.  Another interesting theory is that they were interdimensional beings. The theory basically states that because of the storm being so massive, the electricity in the atmosphere was ramped up considerably. This added to all of the energy of the storm somehow managing to rip open a portal or gateway that allowed these beings to pass through. The thought is that the beings, when confronted with the scene before them, came through the portal to help as many people as they could before the portal closed again. So there's that… Interdimensional beings. With all of the stories it's hard to doubt that something strange truly happened. The people of Joplin stand by what they claim to have seen and with great conviction. During the summer, a mural was painted in downtown Joplin. Public meetings were held to gather ideas for the mural, how the city's history and the tornado should be depicted. While they resisted the inclusion of the butterfly people at first, they eventually decided on including butterflies in the mural. Big, colorful butterflies flutter across the scene, while two small angels can be seen, too. The murals artist said the butterflies represented metamorphosis, how the city is being reborn. The mural was titled "The Butterfly Effect" to represent how the mural could inspire others to do good in this world. It has nothing to do with butterfly people, he said. But everyone wasn't convinced. "Even on that mural," one resident said, "there's butterflies because they've heard of the butterfly people." Butterflies have long held symbolic value. The ancient Greek word "psyche" refers to both butterflies and the human soul. Butterflies are depicted in Egyptian hieroglyphics. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, author of the book "On Death and Dying," said her study of death was influenced by a visit to a former Nazi concentration camp in Poland where she saw images of hundreds of butterflies carved into walls by prisoners. So, what did they see? Could it have been mass hysteria? Interdimensional beings that crossed over during one of the most powerful natural events our world can create? Why was it mainly children that saw them? Are children just more susceptible to being able to see spirits? We’ve all seen “The Sixth Sense”, right? The Bruce Willis movie where the little boy is tormented by the ghosts he and ONLY he sees. Well, not to go COMPLETELY off the rails, here are some stories about creepy kids seeing some creepy shit.  The pajama-clad boy“When we were looking at condos to purchase our first place, Claire was just shy of her third birthday. We brought her with us to all of our showings because we wanted to see how comfortable she was as it would be her home too. When we walked through the door of the place we ultimately bought, the second floor of a 1911 Chicago brick three-flat, we all knew immediately that it was the right place. That evening, I asked Claire if she thought that place would be a good home for her, and her response was, ‘Yes! And the little boy that lives there is really nice too.’This took me aback, but I tried to remain calm. I asked her what she meant, and she said there was a little boy in his pajamas that she saw in the dining room. She said he had waved at her, he was about her age, and he was only in the dining room. She knew his name (which I don’t remember now) and that he was afraid of water. After she went to bed that night, I looked up ways to clear the energy of a home, how to communicate with a ghost so they don’t bother your family, and anything else I could find to make sure at least I could be comfortable living in this otherwise perfect condo. Claire never talked about him again, not even the next day when I asked her to tell my husband.” —Ashlie M., mom of two The cemetery sightingTrigger Warning: This next anecdote touches on the subject of the loss of a child and could be potentially triggering for some. Please skip ahead if you feel it might not be for you.“My son was around 2 at the time. We were driving past the cemetery when he said, ‘Look, mama! Dead people.’ Yes, darling, I responded. ‘Kids!’ he continued, matter-of-factly. And sure enough, we were passing by the children’s section. Curious, I asked if the kids were happy or sad. ‘Happy, mama!’ he said. ‘They are running around that daddy.’ All I saw was a man standing alone with his head dropped. It warmed my heart, honestly.” —Erin T., mom of two The lingering grandmother“We bought our current house from a man who was married for 40+ years. His wife passed away a couple of years before we bought the house. One evening, while tucking my 2.5-year-old into bed, he said, ‘Mama, night-night to the grandma,’ while pointing to the hallway between his room and mine—what was her room back then.” —Priscilla A., mom of one The ghost friend“When we moved into our house, Leo (2.5) was seeing a ghost. He would say ‘ghost’ and point to the dining room table. One day, I mentioned ‘Mr. Hutchinson’ to someone while giving a history of the house, and Leo said, ‘Mr. Hutchinson, my ghost friend?’ We confirmed with a house cleanser that someone attached to the home, like a grandfather figure was here, and attracted to Leo’s light and innocence. We have since had our house cleansed twice!” —Amy F., mom of two The midnight playmate“My then 4-year-old would tell me about a little girl who wanted to play with her. She apparently wanted to play all hours of the day and night. When I was finally able to sort out what was up with my daughter, in the middle of the night, I left this little ghost some toys in an upstairs closet so she could play by herself. She had a stuffed lamb and a stuffed duck, and I used to find them moved most mornings. The 4-year-old shared a room with her sibling, so I know it wasn’t her moving the toys.” —Tracy B., mom of three The door-slammer“Ender, my 4-year-old, will tell us stories about the little girl who shuts doors and turns off the lights. He can’t tell us what she looks like or where she goes. I don’t talk about ghosts or anything that would give Ender this idea. The last time the little girl was here, I heard the door slam. I ran in and asked him if he had closed it. He told me ‘No, the little girl did because she didn’t want to play.’” —Dee Dee A., mom of twoThe visit from grandpa“My husband’s father passed away several years before my son was born. He died from the flu, and my husband had always felt guilty because he had been the one to share the sickness with him. We never talked to our son about his grandpa, but one morning he woke and said point-blank, ‘Daddy, Papa Don wanted me to tell you he’s doing fine.’ We asked him to describe his grandpa and he did so to a T, despite never having seen a photo of him. He said he was standing by a fast car with a cloud of smoke around him. This made perfect sense because my father-in-law raced sports cars and smoked heavily all his life.” —Michelle K., mom of two So, there ya go! I only have one last question to ask… butterflies can often look like moths, right? Could these sightings have been the one and only Mothman? If you’re not familiar with his (or her) story, go all the way back to episode number five, from June 11, 2019 and listen to the train ride on THE MOTHMAN! Now, it’s everyone’s favorite time! The Movies! In order to keep this episode more uplifting than horrific, we’ve decided to discuss the top movies about kids with powers! 15 Exciting Movies About Kids With Powers | ScreenRant  The Midnight Train Podcast is sponsored by VOUDOUX VODKA.www.voudoux.com Ace’s Depothttp://www.aces-depot.com BECOME A PRODUCER!http://www.patreon.com/themidnighttrainpodcast Find The Midnight Train Podcast:www.themidnighttrainpodcast.comwww.facebook.com/themidnighttrainpodcastwww.twitter.com/themidnighttrainpcwww.instagram.com/themidnighttrainpodcastwww.discord.com/themidnighttrainpodcastwww.tiktok.com/themidnighttrainp And wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts. Subscribe to our official YouTube channel:OUR YOUTUBE

14 year old Conner Svingen has been charged with negligent homicide for the shooting death of Antonio Carlos Thierry Jr. Both boys were 8th graders at East Middle School in Great Falls, Montana. Anna-Marie Pablo, 23, and her boyfriend, Zachary Foor, 27, both entered guilty pleas Friday in Madison Circuit Court Division 6 to the murder of Pablo’s 11-month-old daughter, Emmarie. Madison County Coroner Danielle Noone said the autopsy showed Emmarie had signs of both suffocation and strangulation. A five-year-old cold case involving the disappearance of a Fort Jackson soldier has been ruled a suicide. Sergeant 1st Class Johnnie Johnson was first reported missing on December 10, 2015. He was 36-years-old when he disappeared. It wasn't until the fall of 2019 when his jawbone was discovered about a half-mile from his house. From there the authorities were able to find more human remains and get a DNA test to solve the missing persons case. patreon.com/mattjarbo facebook.com/groups/themilkcarton instagram.com/milkcartoncast --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/milkcartonmysteries/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/milkcartonmysteries/support

SPM News 404 11.13.20 The Sioux City Community School District this week has 11 reports of positive COVID-19 cases from students that attended school, and 21 reports of positive COVID-19 cases from staff that attended school. The district moved several classrooms and one entire middle school to virtual learning this wee. East Middle School and Sunnyside Elementary each had one classroom go virtual, Morningside STEM Elementary had two classrooms closed down, and West Middle School will hold only virtual classes through November 25, the day before Thanksgiving. Sioux City school board member Taylor Goodvin says he recommends the district move to a hybrid learning model between Thanksgiving and Winter Break. Goodvin posted his comments on social media late last night after the announcement about West Middle. Two other members of the board Monique Scarlett and Perla Alarcon-Flory have previously advocated for hybrid learning. Sioux City Community Schools started the academic year with the

This week we sit down with Bryant Shaw, principal of East Middle School in Aurora, CO. Bryant talks about growing up in a military family, his eight years in pro football, and the lessons he learned that have translated into education and running a middle school. We also explore Bryant’s leadership strategies, how he overcomes “learned helplessness” in his schools, and how he casts a vision for his students and their futures. Check out Bryant’s school: https://east.aurorak12.org/home To learn more about Colorado UpLift visit us here: https://coloradouplift.org/ Read the full show notes: https://coloradouplift.org/2019/11/26/leading-on-purpose-ep4-bryant-shaw-show-notes/

We know the elementary school media center is a safe, magical place for many kiddos to explore "Mirrors and Windows." We also know transitioning to Middle School can be pretty overwhelming at the start of the school year. We attempt to draw a Media Center Map for that new Middle School student who just forgot their locker combination, couldn’t find their 2nd hour class and is having a bad hair day (and now surprisingly cares)?Useful LinksTCAPS Online CatalogResearch in ContextEast Middle School Library Media Center Website   Show TranscriptMelissa Baumann  0:11  What do I need to know about a podcast? Larry Burden  0:13  If there's something that we don't want I go through and edit it. Larry Burden  0:16  Usually it's editing me. Larry Burden  0:20  It is episode eight of BiblioTech podcast, my name is Larry Burden and she's more than ready to delve into the awkward preteen phase, it's Stephie Luyt with our special guest, the better Baumann, Melissa Baumann,  Melissa Baumann  0:32  Appreciate that. Thank you.  Larry Burden  0:33  We know the elementary school Media Center is a safe magical place for many kiddos to explore mirrors and windows. We also know transitioning to middle school can be pretty overwhelming at the start of the school year. Can we draw a middle school map for our new middle school students who just forgot their locker combinations, couldn't find their second hour class and are having a bad hair day, and now surprisingly, actually care. So, you know, I was thinking about this and I was going way way back into my days in middle school which, you know, it's kind of hazy, and there's kind of a sepia tone. And I remember going from that elementary school library which is so safe and so comforting and you know is the place to go into middle school and already panicked about everything and then there's a huge space, and where do I start, where do I go. What does that look like for for a sixth grade student? Maybe this isn't the direction you're going but that was the first thing that I thought about.  Melissa Baumann  1:27  Well, one thing that I'm doing this year is focusing on the sixth grade students so that they feel more comfortable so I've spent the last couple weeks having orientation for the sixth grade classes I just finished up at West Middle School, all the students came down with their teacher we went over the policies and procedures and then I had a scavenger hunt that was created for them, and they worked with a partner to explore the different spaces of the library, to examine how the collection, collection is arranged. And then we'll follow it up with the online resources, during their second visits to the library which will happen in two weeks. So I hope that they feel more comfortable already.  Stephie Luyt  2:04  And those, you know the move from our elementary spaces, yes smaller space, let fewer kids but our middle school libraries are just as welcoming and just as friendly and working on those same things mirrors and windows and once our kiddos get acclimated with the schedule and find feel comfortable with their classes and all that the library is just another wonderful place with lots of amazing resources both middle schools. So we're excited to have our sixth graders up in the middle schools and really excited to have Melissa in the middle schools. Melissa is new with us last year into the middle school but if you want to just tell us a little bit about what worlds you came from.  Melissa Baumann  2:42  Sure, I am definitely very familiar with middle school. I spent seven years in Chicago teaching at the middle school level, then I took some time off and then when I came back, and was hired by TCAPS I was doing a little bit of elementary Spanish, and then made my way back to middle school, because that's where I feel happiest. So I spent seven years teaching Spanish at West Middle School and then when the position in the library opened up I was extremely intrigued by that and wanted something new. And now I'm working on my degree so I think it's been the perfect choice for me. Stephie Luyt  3:16  And Melissa is splitting time between both schools so kiddos will see her in both buildings east and west and. As well as our LMP's that are in both buildings who are there to help students with all sorts of check-out, check-in, book recommendations, anything. Those libraries are really top notch and functioning, really, with students needs first and doing an amazing job so.  Melissa Baumann  3:39  Absolutely. Stephie Luyt  3:40  We're thrilled. Melissa Baumann  3:40  Completely agree about that.  Larry Burden  3:41  So what are the, what are some of the differences between that elementary school library, and the middle school library? What can they expect that's maybe, maybe the same that will comfort them in, and what are some of the differences that might expand what they expect from a library. I think in terms of what would be the same, the access to all the literature and all the nonfiction and all the resources that kids would be looking for for their own exploration and interests and personal learning as well as in school learning. The logistics of how they visit the library has changed when they move into middle school they are much more individual focused in terms of they're going on their own time more often. Sometimes they're visiting with classes. But in elementary they're always for the most part accessing the library with their classes with exceptions they do go down a little bit, but I would say that they are more independent users with, and I would say that's the same for a lot of middle school, I mean they become more independent students, they're visiting classes you know, switching classes, making that switch. So it falls into that same sort of shift that they make in middle school. But I think all the things that they love about the library, are there, and even multiplied when they move up into the older grades.  Melissa Baumann  4:53  And I think that, especially the ELA teachers are committed to having those library visits with their students at the middle school, it just might not be as frequently. I think most of them are on a bi-weekly visit. But I have already started working with those teachers that have been coming in. And they do tend to bring their students in for maybe the first half of the period or the second half of the period so maybe a little bit shorter visit as well, when they come into the class but they are still committed to bringing their students down. Larry Burden  5:20  I have these questions so I'm just going to float them out there and feel free to say Larry I've got my own and I would like to actually throw those in there to. Larry Burden  5:27  So what are you guys doing to promote the middle school library?  Melissa Baumann  5:31  Yeah, that's a great question, um, the first thing that I noticed when I arrived on the scene last November was that there really wasn't an online presence for the library. So I followed the model of both of the high schools and worked with ReaAnn to create a web page for both East and West Middle Schools. It has access to the online catalog and the students can have access through the, to the databases. It has other great resources that are available on the web for them. And it also showcases what's coming up in the library so we're featuring the author visit that will be happening on the 30th at East Middle School, and at West Middle School we have a display going on to honor Banned Books Week,  Stephie Luyt  6:11  And it looks fabulous.  Melissa Baumann  6:12  Oh, thank you.  Stephie Luyt  6:13  Finding that online presence, is it in the cloud? Is it on the TCAPS web page?  Melissa Baumann  6:18  Right, so I wanted to make it as simple as possible for the students. So when they come to the cloud, they have a tile that they can access the online catalog specifically, or they have a tile that will take them to the web page for each Middle School. So it's, it's one click.  Stephie Luyt  6:34  I have a question just going back a little bit. When the kids are coming into the middle school and as we're talking about they're accessing the library sometimes more independently. When are the middle school libraries available for kids to use?  Melissa Baumann  6:45  Yeah, we covered this during orientation, and it's exciting because most of the sixth graders have already been utilizing the space, even though they didn't really know how to navigate the space. So pretty much around 7:15 in the morning, they're welcome to come in before school. Both libraries stay open for about 15 minutes after school, and then the students are welcome to come in during lunch, as long as there isn't a class that has the space checked out. They can stay for the entire time after they've been in the cafeteria, eating.  Stephie Luyt  7:13  So there's lots of access.  Melissa Baumann  7:14  Yes, and then of course, if a teacher independently wants to send a student down as long as they have a pass they're welcome to come in and use the space.  Stephie Luyt  7:22  And just because I know they'll be listeners who may not have been in our middle schools. This space can be used in lots of different ways but both sites have like, a really comfortable, like welcoming reading area, kind of like a bookstore. You know that feeling of some really neat comfortable chairs, some reading spaces, some learning spaces, some whole group learning, you know, there's this, this space accommodates lots of different needs, and I think there's a spot for everybody in the library. Melissa Baumann  7:48  I full y agree, yes.  Larry Burden  7:50  If you were marketing to a student right now. What would a student not expect going into a middle school library. If they have the traditional mindset of what a media center, a library is, you had mentioned one thing already, the kind of book storey type of feel.  Stephie Luyt  8:05  yeah,  Larry Burden  8:06  What else, what else would they be surprised, maybe, or would surprise them?  Melissa Baumann  8:09  I think many of the students during the orientations have expressed that they're just surprised at how many books there are. They're not, they're just not used to having a collection that's as large as what we have at the middle schools.  Stephie Luyt  8:21  Maybe they'd be surprised to find the number of PlayAways, that some of the sites have. The PlayAways are another format to listen to an audiobook. It's everything's right there it's kind of like an mp3 player, which is kind of a fun technology for, for as a little bit like, I would say almost vintage a little bit. Melissa Baumann  8:37  Yes. Stephie Luyt  8:38  It's kind of like a Walkman. That's not for the middle school kids to know what I'm talking about. But East in particular has a really large collection of PlayAways, which have been very popular with students. I think our students would be pleasantly surprised to find all of the extra activities that happen through the library. I know that the book clubs have been really popular. Lots of contests and reading motivation and the author visit. I mean there's, they would be surprised by all the activities that, and would fit different niches, and kinda like some maker activities, puzzles, all sorts of things that you can, you can explore in the libraries.  Melissa Baumann  9:16  Yeah, East Middle School, last year, purchased a button maker. So on Wednesday, students can come down to the library in the Maker Space area and create buttons. They're 50 cents each, but that's been extremely popular. The book groups, at West we call it a book group at East we call it a book club. But those have been extremely popular. So much so that this year at East we have to have three separate groups rather than just one that we had last year. So we're going to do those by grade level. And at West, I've already had quite a few entries, especially since I was advertising the Book, Book Group during the orientation, so many students signed up while they were in the library, and I feel that that's going to be extremely popular as well.  Stephie Luyt  9:58  I have peeked at some of those Book Group titles and they are some amazing books that were selected for those groups and it's pretty exciting. I have a question and it's kind of a just from like looking at your side of the day. Is there a typical day for you, at all? Melissa Baumann  10:15  I haven't found it Stephie Luyt  10:16  I didn't think so, no two days are the same, right?  Melissa Baumann  10:19  No, in fact, not at all. Maybe a little bit these past couple weeks because I've really been focusing on the orientations with the sixth graders but other than that, I would say no. I'm in the classroom a lot doing presentations on the databases. I'm doing book talks in the library for classes that come down that complement the unit that they're working on in their ELA class. I'm working on behind the scene projects like the web page and Overdrive. So, I, I pretty much just am doing whatever I need to do on a daily basis to tackle about 20 different things.  Larry Burden  10:53  How do we or do we tie what happens in the media center to the classroom. And I'm guessing the database, the databases are that answer. So how does that communication take place?  Melissa Baumann  11:04  Well, prior to last year, nobody really was using the databases because they weren't aware that they were available to them so. Larry Burden  11:11  That's a problem. Melissa Baumann  11:12  That's a problem. That's why I wanted to make sure that we knew what resources were available and we had an easy place for them to be, all be stored. So now that the, most of the teachers are aware, because I spent a lot of time in the history classes last year, the language arts classes, some of the sixth and seventh grade social studies classes. So I think that now there's just this general awareness of the database and people are hungry for it. So I spent a lot of time in the classroom because showing the students the tools that are available when they use the research database. And they are extremely slick, they're awesome. I mean they align with our Google Drive, they can take notes right in the database, they can highlight, they can send things directly to their Google Drive. So I think that most have been extremely impressed with how easy it makes the research process. And it's all vetted materials so students don't have to take those necessary steps when they're just doing a search online to prove the authenticity, check the author's credentials, and, which are steps that they're unfortunately not taking on their own. So I feel they are extremely happy to have somebody doing that job for them. Stephie Luyt  12:20  And then, and also you mentioned but integrating what choice books the kids are reading in alignment with their units for ELA.  Melissa Baumann  12:27  Right,  Stephie Luyt  12:27  So when they're making a choice book selection there's options that are given that have similar themes that complement what they're learning in ELA. So ELA is a main focus and, in terms of working with the library, but getting into all the other subject areas as well through the databases and through research projects that the kids are working on.  Larry Burden  12:45  So is the database available, just within the TCAPS network or does it kind of go with you with your Chromebook.  Melissa Baumann  12:53  Actually it's available. Two of the databases are funded by the district, and then I made the decision last year to purchase one specifically for the two middle school sites. And that one is called Research and Context, and it is designed for middle school students. So all of the content is very age appropriate, and the topics go along with the curriculum that is generally studied in the middle schools. So there's people, cultures, government, history, literature. It's just, there's a wide variety.  Larry Burden  13:22  We've talked about this on many of the EdTech Loop podcasts in the past and BiblioTech as well, curation is so important because when you have all that information out there, it's really is overwhelming. And as we were mentioning earlier in the open, middle school students don't need to be more overwhelmed. They're plenty, they're plenty overwhelmed so...  Melissa Baumann  13:42  Totally agree.  Larry Burden  13:43  To have a database that's, that sounds super user friendly and you guys have vetted it well. That's got it, just make their lives a little bit easier.  Stephie Luyt  13:53  It's a fabulous research... Melissa Baumann  13:54  You know I'd like to think that they know how, how wonderful of a gift it is but I don't think they really remember like doing the stacks of note cards where you had to put the author, and highlight, and organize them by topic. So unfortunately I just don't think they they realize what a gift it is.  Larry Burden  14:09  I think, I think it's not only a gift, they don't have that perspective...  Melissa Baumann  14:13  Right. Larry Burden  14:14  of that. But going into the online environment, and just doing research there where you have so much information and to not have some level of curation and vetting before you step into it, it stops people's research there, or their research is just poor because... Melissa Baumann  14:32  Right  Larry Burden  14:32  You know, they're going to sites that have maybe less than credible information. It really can send somebody down the wrong path.  Melissa Baumann  14:39  Right.  Larry Burden  14:40  Or stop them immediately to have some vetted research and curated research for them, where they can go and just kind of do a one stop shop, really simplifies that process.  Danelle Brostrom  14:52  Absolutely. Stephie Luyt  14:52  It takes out that whole element of, the need to doing all those steps, that making sure that the information is valid, and...  Melissa Baumann  15:00  I think the students are surprised, because one of my slides in my presentation is showing them the checklist of what they're supposed to be doing if they're going to do research just doing a Google search. And they're surprised to see how many steps they're supposed to be taking. And they fully admit, "I never do this, I never do this," and I, my follow-up is, okay, if you're not going to do that then, in order to be somebody who is doing good research, you need to rely on the database.  Stephie Luyt  15:26  You know, just being able to even know to access the database and to select the database so it's a good fit for your research and having those available to our kids. Like it's just setting them up for those research skills moving into high school, and then into college. And, and, and accessing the database which is so user friendly, but being able to access those tools so you're not having to do all of the, by hand making out, in writing out the way the resource needs to be cited and all of that. Like it, it really simplifies the process.  Larry Burden  15:55  Almost feel like we should have a different name the database for Middle School students. We're like, database, database, middle school kids going...  Stephie Luyt  16:03  Super Cool Research Tool.  Melissa Baumann  16:04  Yes, that looks like some of my students in my presentation. I can't say it's the most lively presentation to talk databases with middle school students, but I try to throw in some jokes when I can.  Larry Burden  16:14  I like the Super Cool Research Tool. Can we find some alliteration in there. Melissa Baumann  16:18  I'll try and work that into my next one.  Larry Burden  16:21  The other aspect of this, the other partner in this, is the parent, is the parents. Do they have access to that, that slide show? Are we sharing that information? So when the student actually does get home with their Chromebook, again, because that's the great thing about these, these tools, is they can bring it home. If the parent isn't there to prompt, necessarily, those students, that's that's a partner that we were missing. So, are we communicating with them on the database on the Super Cool Research Tool. Melissa Baumann  16:53  I think at this point, Most of the students would probably have that responsibility simply because they would be able to show their parents through the cloud, how they access those. I know that when I do the presentation, I'm always clear with the students that they can access this off site, they do not need to be on a TCAPS property. They might be prompted with a password, but it's clearly stated what that password is. And hopefully that their teachers are requiring them to do the research outside of school as well. And the parents would then come in contact with it. I don't think that we're necessarily putting anything out there directly to the parents at this time. But that would be a great, a great way to move in that direction.  Stephie Luyt  17:31  Share all of that with what's you know, all the resources and all the libraries. Melissa Baumann  17:34  I would assume that their daily updates or their weekly update communication with parents might include, we had a research presentation over the databases this week, and so forth. Stephie Luyt  17:44  Right, and if you know, if parents are accessing assignments in Powerschool and can see something like that coming up, they may prompt them to ask their student about, you know, what does this entail? And what are you using for research and hopefully, the students will remember that they have this great resource, and they're already using it at home to share. Larry Burden  18:01  The super cool research tool Melissa Baumann  18:03  That's the one. Stephie Luyt  18:03  Yes. Larry Burden  18:03  I'm patenting that by the way, it's trademarked. Stephie Luyt  18:03  Trademarked, yes Melissa Baumann  18:07  Yeah, I'm switching the title on my web page right now. Larry Burden  18:13  You need like a little character, an avatar. Stephie Luyt  18:17  I can see it. Melissa Baumann  18:17  Superhero. Larry Burden  18:17  I may have gone too far, I apologize. Stephie Luyt  18:17  My only other question was, I mean, you know, your days are very full and no, two days are the same. But are there any upcoming events or projects or anything that you're excited about or that you want to share? Melissa Baumann  18:29  Well, we do have the author visit that I mentioned that's taking place on September 30th at East Middle School. We were lucky enough to secure a couple of times in Peter Lerangis's afternoon. So he'll be coming and speaking to two different groups of students. We're going to host that in the library. Students were made aware of books that they could purchase, that they could get signed copies of his work any work, not just the one he's promoting, which will be coming out in October, which is Throwback. So I hope that that communication went out to the families and that students are making those purchases and can actually have a conversation with him when they go to get the book signed, following the presentation. So that's taking place on the 30th. The book clubs are gearing up. We have East Middle School, the preliminary meeting will be this week. And then West, we will be doing our first meeting mid October. We are looking at perhaps Girls Stolen, for the East Middle School selection for eighth grade. And for the selections that's West Middle School, I have to, I have to figure that out yet, because I just need to know what the numbers are to see how many we're going to have and how many copies I can secure, so.  Stephie Luyt  19:40  I know you have great choices.  Melissa Baumann  19:42  Yes. Oh, yes, I'm not gonna have any problem selecting a book. Larry Burden  19:45  Do you have a Tech Tool of the Week? Tech Tool of the Week  19:50  I would say our Tech Tool of the Week is the, the databases and specifically Research and Context that is Middle School specific and not subject specific. And that can be accessed on the cloud through the tile. And it is a resource for all subject areas in the middle school and very, as Melissa said, Middle School specific. So we'll include the link and more information about the Tech Tool of the Week in the show notes. Larry Burden  20:16  To close it out. Updates, Latest EdTech Loop podcast was out, I think Wednesday it dropped, on Parent Communication, which is kind of nice, that's why I brought up the parent communication thing. Stephie Luyt  20:28  Yeah, Perfect.  Larry Burden  20:28  We're recording a new one On Thursday. And then the TechNollergist has one I think next week as well. David Noller. He also dropped a tutorial on YouTube on the TechNollergist YouTube channel, TCAPS Communication Protocols. So, very district specific if you're interested in how a large district like ours or any small district communicates and manages keep all the craziness under control, we try, there's some good ideas there. So I think everybody use that. In closing Follow us on Facebook, Twitter @TCAPSLoop  Stephie Luyt  21:01  @StephieLuyt Larry Burden  21:04  Subscribe to the podcast on Podbean, iTunes, Stitcher, the Google Play Store, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts, leave reviews, love the feedback. Exercise your mind, read a book. Melissa Baumann  21:18  It was fun. 

The school year is about to begin and the EdTech Loop crew is about ready to get back into the studio. Though I considered attempting to convince Danelle to record a new podcast over the Labour Day weekend, I instead recognized that I value our friendship and decided one more Best Of Episode is a more promising and healthy option. So pop in the earbuds, lay back on the beach towel and soak up the sun one more time before the school bell rings and join our “Digital Parenting,” conversation and as always thanks for listening and inspiring!  Danelle Brostrom  3:27  So I turned my phone off so that way it didn't brrrrr in the middle instead of playing video games and just sit on the couch and veg. Why are you always recording Larry Burden  3:35  That will be the intro to the pod...and done. Oops. It is Episode 38 of the TCAPSLoopweekly podcast. My name is Larry Burden and she's convinced Al Bundy was actually a highly enlightened Cyborg. It's Daniel Brostrom.  Danelle Brostrom  4:08  I know the reference this week, Larry. Larry Burden  4:12  Oddly, I had to go farther back. Carl Sagan was actually farther back, but still I had to go pretty far back. So well. How you doing?  Danelle Brostrom  4:22  Okay. It was great  Larry Burden  4:23  doing the Olympics watching. Danelle Brostrom  4:25  Um, a little. We like curling. Larry Burden  4:26  Who doens't like curling. There was a tweet that I ran into on curling or how you watch how somebody watches curling, they had some explicit language, but it was pretty funny. It starts out the first minute, you're like, this is kind of boring. The 10th minute you're going you're like, ooh, he could have curled that stone a little bit better, maybe. The third one was like this highly like after like an hour and a half. You've got like this highly considered opinion on, you know, the tactics of curling. And by the end, you're just completely emotionally invested in it and screaming at the TV "Sweep!, Sweep!" Danelle Brostrom  5:04  accurate.  Larry Burden  5:04  It's pretty funny. curling is your sport, anything else? Danelle Brostrom  5:08  No, just curling. Larry Burden  5:13  high levels of athleticism, and curling. I did the opening ceremonies and I haven't really I haven't, I haven't, dove, dove in. Once you dive into the... with what I've learned is once you dive into the Olympics, you're you're into all the sports. But I haven't I haven't gone there yet, which is a bummer. We watched one curling match. Okay, that was that was quite, that was enough.  Danelle Brostrom  5:36  Close enough enough.  Larry Burden  5:37  I have a feeling sooner or later the figure skating is going to take over my household because I have a lot of girls, Danelle Brostrom  5:43  I do like the figure skating too. That is pretty cool. Larry Burden  5:45  Moving on, it's time, to get into the downward dog position, Your lotus position. clear your mind. It's our moment of Zen. Don't try to waste a lifetime by trying to banish all danger. Just spend a moment now and then to banish fear. Relatively apt, As we dig into the meat of the show, Parenting in the digital age. And I wanted to start by asking this question, we hit this topic, you have your email, do we want to do this? Again? We've kind of done this. I don't think we can do this enough.  Danelle Brostrom  6:26  I know.  Larry Burden  6:26  I really don't i don't think it's going away. I don't think it's gone away. So, why do we keep coming back to this? Danelle Brostrom  6:32  Well, it's really hard to parent, a digital kid, when you've never been a digital kid. You know, I when I grew up,  Larry Burden  6:39  The Wii doesn't count? Danelle Brostrom  6:40  No, the Wii doesn't help. When I grew up. We I mean, we didn't have computers. I mean, we had computers, but nothing, nothing like we do today, until I got into college. And then we were able to use things like the internet for research, you know. Things have changed so much. And they changed so quickly. And our kids know how to do it. And they're on top of it. And they've got ways to get around how we think we've controlled it. So, the more help we can give families and the more we can get families talking about this, I think the better off our kids are going to be. Larry Burden  7:13  Absolutely. So let's talk about this. You and Steffi are doing some presentations, and you dusted off an old Google slideshow. And I was going through it and Oh, wow. This is, you know, we've always talked, I think early on when we're having these discussions we were, finding it hard to find actionable things. Where this is, these are the things that parents, teachers can do. And I was going through the slideshow, and it was like, Oh, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. Um, the first one that hit me was make a plan. And If you want to give us some tips abroad, actually the slide show up, If you want to go through why making a plan is so important, because that I think that's, there's a reason why it's number one. Yeah, no, I think making a plan is important making that plan before you actually give your child that device. This isn't like, you know, if my kid wants a finger laying, I go to the store and I buy one, they give it to her, whatever. This this, this is this is the most powerful computer in the world, and they can have it and be connected to everything. 24/7, so making this plan before you give them that device is really important. So think about things like timing, How old should your kids be? And we talked about that, wait until eighth," pledge and another podcast that some families are choosing to wait until the eighth grade point. And then thinking about like, what kinds of activities are you okay with your kids doing online? What kinds of time limits are you going to set? Can kids use media during homework time? Or is that kind of a know you're 100% focused on homework, nothing else? So trying to come up with this, this plan? What are your non negotiables? What are the things that are definitely unacceptable to you and communicate those with your kids. They have to know, this is the line, you do not cross it. And you can consider using a contract such as the 18 point iPhone contract, which is really, really good. It goes through things like I own your phone, I have the right to look at it anytime I want. Things like that. And then having you and your child sign it. Again, that communication with your kid is key. Definitely a non negotiable in our house is going to be the device free dinners. There's a lot of really great Will Ferrell commercials, where they're all sitting around a table and all the kids are like, I Miss Daddy, I Miss Daddy, too. I miss Daddy the most and they're like all sad. And then all of a sudden, you see that Will Ferrell is actually at the table with them, but he's on his phone. And He's like, like, like, like, like, oh, sorry, just five minutes, like, like, like. So you can see that they've I mean, they're trying to put it in a funny way. But in a lot of our families, you know, those devices are taking over that dinner table. And there's so much conversation and bonding that is missed when people are distracted. So I know that's a non negotiable in our house. And that is in our plan that we've made before we give our child a device. Things like rule breaking, you know, decide what the consequences will be when they break the rules. And then kind of plan ahead. The, your kids are going to do some curious searches, we call them. How are you going to address that? How are you going to address explicit text? How having a plan for what you're going to say what you're going to do? Are they going to lose their device? Are they not? Is it going to be punishment elsewhere. And then just staying connected, you know, the more you can foster your relationship with your kids, the more they're going to come to you when they have problems and run into something and I say when because they're going to run into something they don't know how to handle. That's, that's being a kid. That goes back to the the failure podcast, that mindset, you know, the mistakes they're going to make with the digital device aren't necessarily bad, they're going to happen, it's going to happen. Being prepared for when it does happen, is showing good parenting skills. You know, having that plan is saying, okay, when this does happen, this is how we're going to react and not being surprised by it or taken aback or reacting out of fear. Danelle Brostrom  11:13  Yeah, we can't react out of fear. And we can't say, we can't say I'm never going to give my kid a device, or I'm never going to let them connect to the internet. Because that's not realistic, you have to come from a place of, kind of, understanding and recognizing and setting them up in a safe way. So that way when they fail, you're kind of there to help them. Catch them.  Larry Burden  11:33  You mentioned it earlier is the modeling.  Yeah,  Don't be Will Ferrell. And I think we get caught in that a lot. That is...with making a plan, modeling, good digital citizenship or behavior with your device or self control is so important. You know, getting back to the mindfulness thing, we talked about these topics, all these topics, and they all kind of dovetail together into being good stewards of digital, our digital lives. And then modeling, stewardship and good behavior with those devices. And it's not a, If you, if you allow yourself to live your life on your device, your device, and the people that create apps for your device will be more than happy to allow you to do that, they're not going to say, Oh, you really shouldn't be using my app. So it really is up to you to make the decision. And as an adult, you're much more capable, you should be much more capable of making that decision, than your, your students, your kids. So It's really, you know, very, very important for you to do that modeling so that when your kid gets in that situation, then go, this is the right way to interact with my device. Being up, out in front of it, so that they know what correct usage looks like.  Danelle Brostrom  13:04  Yeah, they're always watc hing us. And that's scary. But yeah, the whole idea of modeling. And I worry a lot about plugged-in parents. That's what, that's what Common Sense Media calls it. They did a great research project a couple years ago called plugged-in parents and some of the statistics that came from that. Things like parents spend more than nine hours a day with their screens. But 78% of parents believe they're good role models for their children. So we don't see how much time we spend on our screens. And one of the, so my husband I last night and doing some research for this, I made him go on his phone, and you can look and see. It's under "Settings," and then your "battery life." And you can see what your battery life has been spent on in the last 24 hours, in the last seven days. And I was like, look at this. Do you see how much time you spent on Twitter? He's like, Oh, That's not right. Like it is right? That is, that is right.  Larry Burden  14:06  Trust me. It's right.  Danelle Brostrom  14:07  It is right. So just, but that whole idea of being that, that, that model for balance and mindfulness and being with the people who you're with, but, but it's also it's you need to know, like, if we just go with, Oh, I'm fine, I think I'm fine. No, you need to see those hard numbers and see how long you're on Twitter and how long you're on Facebook. So you can say, Whoa, that is almost a full day of my life that I spend. No I didn't. But I didn't I swear. It's embarrassing. But, But you need to have, you need to see it to be able to recognize how much time we're spending, doing things like that  Larry Burden  14:48  Self reflection is a good thing.  Danelle Brostrom  14:50  Self reflection. That's what we call it. But you know, when when 41% of our teens and our kids are feeling that our, that their parents are distracted, their parents aren't there with them, when they're on their device, I think that's a problem. Larry Burden  15:04  Well, they'll find somebody to parent them, Danelle Brostrom  15:07  The device will parent them and media will parent them. Larry Burden  15:09  You're You're we were talking about the the wait until eighth pledge. And I think that's, I don't think that's a bad thing. I don't know...You were definitely swimming against the stream with that. You see a lot of the lot of the the iPads with with the with the babies with the kids with the, If it's not their phone, It's the parents phone. If it's not their iPad, It's their parents iPad. You know, allowing the device to be the parent, because we, we believe that we're very, very busy. And we're doing these things. And sometimes it's easier just to do that. That's another that's another role model. That's another modeling situation that you gotta gotta catch yourself, even though it is it is very easy. You hand a child an iPad and your, your parenting job is done. It'll come back later. But at that moment, it's you know, that situation is taken care of  Danelle Brostrom  16:13  Yeah but, as a parent, you have to think of the whole picture, like there are definitely times in Meijer where my kids are throwing stuff into the cart and messing with each other. And I'm like, here, you play Daniel Tiger, and here you read a book on the phone, just just, we just have to get through Meijer or, you know, we get home and I'm trying to make dinner and do all the things you need to do. And they're fighting, like here guys, go sit and watch Phineas and Ferb, I'm going to go in the kitchen and do dinner. Like, there are definitely times when that happens as a parent, that's just life. But there's also, we've made choices about what kinds of apps and games and TV shows we allow. And then we make choices on the amount of time, which is a lot smaller than it could be. Larry Burden  16:52  And if you have that plan beforehand, it's going to be a lot easier to make appropriate decisions. So when you do allow for digital device usage, because you have a plan, you're not just giving them the world. At that point in time. You're giving them what you feel as a parent is the appropriate amount of the world. So that, you know, you understand the sandbox that they're playing in.  Danelle Brostrom  17:18  For sure, for sure. That and that's another thing that we tell parents is to get, get in that sandbox, you know. Do, do random spot checks of their phone and kind of see, see what what's on there. Make sure that you're the filter for downloading apps, you know, they don't get to just download any apps without you. But get in there. And if they want to download Instagram, you get on Instagram first and see what you think about it and see, see how easy it is to get into trouble or how hard it is and, and then you decide as a parent, whether you want them to have that on their device or not. And, you know, if there's a new video game that they want to play, you know, media has really changed I think about, and like the 1950s, when everyone would kind of gather together around the tiny little TV and you would have conversations, like media was that shared experience. And most living rooms now everybody's kind of on their own device, and nobody's really doing that interacting. So getting in that game yourself. So your kids want to play the video game, pick up the controller and play with them and see, see, see what that just try to recreate that shared experience and be in the game with them and know that they're going to move. You know, if they're on, they're not on Facebook, because we're on Facebook, but if they are on Facebook, it's because they have a nice, perfect version of themselves on Facebook for you, and family. But they're actually on Instagram. So you moved to Instagram, and then they moved to Snapchat. So you move to Snapchat. Like you need to follow and keep up with them, which is a full time job in itself, but you need to do as best that you can do to stay in the game with them.  Larry Burden  18:54  And when you do see, your parenting radar goes off because you see a post that they have, or a comment that they have that isn't appropriate, or it doesn't seem quite right. It is then thier, they will fight you on this. But it is your responsibility and your prerogative to say you need to delete this. This is not appropriate and isn't is not representative of, of you as a person and will probably get you in some level of trouble down the road. But really it is your call. As a parent thing, going back to what you were said, you said about, It's your device, you paid for it. And even beyond that, you know, throwing out the, "I paid for it," you know, saying is if you saw your child doing something inappropriate outside of their digital life, you would call them out for it and there would be, you know, repercussions or a conversation. The same thing should should hold for their digital lives as well. So when you do see something, It's a great, it's a great teachable moment. Danelle Brostrom  20:00  For sure.  Larry Burden  20:01  You know, and those are in there, their digital life is not going to be stopping anytime soon. So it's just as important to call those moments out. If, If Little Johnny punches little Jill in the face, you're going to, obviously, there's going to be repercussions there. If little Jill snapchats inappropriate comments to little Johnny, the same holds true. There's damage done. We need to be able to look at those as equal situations and you know, treat them the same because they are the effects, you know, student you know, our kids very similarly. Danelle Brostrom  20:40  So we need to remember to be having those conversations with our kids that the internet is loud, and the internet is permanent. So everything that you do, like I can only work hands, all the mistakes that we made weren't videoed, they weren't out for everyone to see. We were able to fail and make those mistakes and kind of be sheltered. But it's not that way anymore, their digital footprint is out there and it's not going away. So those inappropriate comments that they do make, could very well follow them and could affect them in the future in and jobs, and colleges, and the ramifications are just ridiculously crazy for our kids. Larry Burden  21:17  And even there, there frame of reference is considerably smaller, you're telling them that they're going to, their text, or their Snapchat is going to affect their college career, it's probably gonna go right over their head, because I'm not really thinking about it. But letting them know that, that Snapchat was screenshot and though it was screenshot by a friend. You have a, you have a, you know, a bad day with that friend, and suddenly that screenshot is shared everywhere. And that's, you know, that's affecting them in the now and you will probably get there is much more likely to get their attention even though you're looking as a as a parent, you know, three, four or five 6, 10 years down the road. That's not where their field of vision is. So you, they might miss that point. It's not saying that that's not the important point. But whether or not they're going to be hearing that point. Eh, might not be close enough to home. Danelle Brostrom  22:19  Yep. And that's okay. And one of the things that we definitely advocate for are short, repeated conversations, your kids need your guidance. They might not seem like they ever want your guidance, but just that's okay. Just keep keep hitting them with that, you know, they might not be listening now. But it might come back later. And we talked about some different conversation ideas like talking with kids about what does it mean, when your friend doesn't answer right away? Because the kids think, Oh, my gosh, she didn't answer my text, she must hate me. And they go into these little spirals. But maybe she's out playing basketball with her dad, like it's okay that she doesn't answer right away. And the whole idea that behind every online interaction, there's a real person. We talked before about how tech companies use like, some streaks to get you addicted, I think it's important for kids to have that knowledge. How the media reinforces gender stereotypes, impact versus intent with some of the language that happens online. Even just finding examples of kind and unkind comments, you can go on any social media site and see that and talking with your kids about that kind of stuff. We just need to continue to have these conversations. And one of the resources that we share with families is the screenagers website, they have something called Tech Talk Tuesdays, and every single Tuesday, they email you different conversation topics that you can have with your kids at the dinner table. And it's amazing, because I never, I mean, this list is awesome. But I never, I never think about it in the moment. But then on Tuesday, I get that email and I'm like, Oh, okay. Tonight, we're going to talk about these six topics. And I've got three conversation starters. And it's, it's a perfect reminder, and it's a perfect shell of what I should be doing. Larry Burden  23:57  When we're going through this list. And you're you're mentioning resources, my thought was, this is not just for nerds.  Danelle Brostrom  24:15  Do you think thsi is just for nerds Larry? You are. I am!  Larry Burden  24:21  No, but, you know, I think a lot of times, you might think that, you know, doing these deep digital dives, that going to Common Sense Media, going to, what was the last one that you. Danelle Brostrom  24:36  The Screenagers Tech Talk Tuesday. Larry Burden  24:37  Tech Talk Tuesday, although I'm not, you know, that's not really my bag, you know, I'm not a I'm not a digital person, even though you're on your phone, checking Twitter, you know, 10-15 hours a day. Everybody is, everybody is a nerd now, certainly your kids, you know, the definition may have changed a little bit or a concept of it. We have to recognize that, that even though you're not coding, You are living a digital life. Everybody is living, living a digital life. So we have to be prepared for that. And we weren't taught in school, we weren't given the tools. You know, as parents, we were not given the tools, it wasn't part of our growing up process. You know, a lot of that a lot of the common sense stuff, m ost of the common sense stuff we received, just through growing up that was part of the process is kind of baked in the digital stuff was not. So we do need to kind of kind of backfill those resources, and it isn't going to necessarily be an, you know, obvious, because the playing fields changed. So we kind of have to relearn the rules or learn new rules. And check out those resources, even though it might not be your bag is probably a really wise thing to do.  Danelle Brostrom  26:00  For sure. Common Sense Media is one of my favorites. I love that. So, So ideally you should be having these conversations with. But with other parents, you should be talking to the parents of the kids in the houses where your your kid spends time. You know, my kid always has the best, my kid has the best friend, she spends time over there, I should be talking to her mom about media roles in their house. And we should just be having that conversation with the parents that are around us. But if we can't, or we don't feel like we have a parent group around us Common Sense, Media is great for that. Because there's a whole entire section on parent concerns. There's a whole entire section on parenting advice blog, so you can go on and you can get advice for how to deal with curious searches, or when to get your kid a cell phone or one the other day, it was just different things you can do to your own phone to help you be more in the moment. And I mean, there's the reviews and the ratings. And those are amazing, because you can go on and find reviews and ratings for any book, movie games, apps, any of that stuff, but the whole parenting section that you can join this online community and kind of lurk and see what's going on. And that you can have this group of knowledgeable parents around you as you go into the media digital battlefield. That's what it feels like sometimes, but it's just it's nice to have Common Sense Media in your bag. Larry Burden  27:21  I think sometimes our kids think it's a battlefield. Danelle Brostrom  27:22  It is a battlefield Larry Burden  27:25  Give them helmets. Go on out there, get into the trenches! Danelle Brostrom  27:28  It is.  Larry Burden  27:29  So You know, when I was thinking about this earlier, I thought less is more. But it's more better than none. I'm saying that as far as you know, less screen time is better, You know, but is more better than not isolating them from?  Danelle Brostrom  27:50  You can't isolate them from.  Larry Burden  27:52  I think that's what I was getting to. That ship has sailed.  Danelle Brostrom  27:56  Yeah.  Larry Burden  27:56  So at some point in time, they're going to live in the digital world. Unknown Speaker  28:02  Larry, I saw a statistic yesterday, from a research paper that 98% of our kids ages two and over have access to a device Larry Burden  28:11  ages 2, 2 and over Danelle Brostrom  28:14  They can barely talk but they have access to a device. That's sailed.  Larry Burden  28:18  Yeah. So you can't, do the ostrich you put your head in the sand. Danelle Brostrom  28:24  I want to. Larry Burden  28:26  and say this is going away? It's not. You can say that we don't live that type of lifestyle. You probably do. So, and your kids certainly are. So educate yourself. Yeah, make sure that you're educated and that you have, I loved what you said about you know, talk about this with your friends, with your fellow parents, it doesn't necessarily have to be doing a bunch of research online. You know, find your peers and talk with them about it. I think that's a great idea. Danelle Brostrom  28:58  Yeah. Because you can guarantee that they have the same concerns and the same frustrations and the same, "nobody knows what they're doing." That's like, that's like the secret of parenting that I found out recently. Nobody knows what they're doing. We're all just trying to figure it out as we go. But if I listened to like, what you know, and what you know, and what you know, and what, you know, I can kind of put it all together and, okay, I feel a little bit better, you know. Larry Burden  29:17  And you know, we when we talk about our own social media environments, we tend not to Facebook, Twitter, whatever might be a great resource. Or Instagram might be a great resource for asking those questions. Except we don't, we don't we don't we don't actually you tend to use that we tend to paint paint a pretty picture of our lives, Instead of asking the tough questions, that those spaces might actually be useful, that. Though I would argue that sometimes those spaces don't lead to the conversations you'd like to have on those topics. Danelle Brostrom  29:50  Now have it in person, have it around the coffee table? Just be with people?  Larry Burden  29:56  Absolutely. So what else you got? Danelle Brostrom  29:57  What else I got.   Larry Burden  29:57  There's a lot of slides. Danelle Brostrom  30:00  There's a lot of really good information on here. And I would like to link this up, but like, okay, so we talked before that I'm a nerd. And yes, I am a nerd. But there's a bunch of really, really good books out right now that I would recommend, "The Art of Screen Time," how your family can balance digital media and real life, "Unselfie," why empathetic kids succeed in an all about me world, "Irresistible." We talked about that before the rise of addictive technology and the business of keeping us hooked. "Social Media Wellness," helping teens and tweens thrive in an unbalanced digital world. And then you know, we, we've talked about it sometimes on the Loop weekly podcast. So keeping in tune with what we're doing. And then the Common Sense Media and the Screenagers website, Those are my, my, if you want to branch out and do other reading, That's where I would recommend going to. Larry Burden  30:48  Reading?  Danelle Brostrom  30:49  Reading. I read so many books. Yeah, Larry Burden  30:52  that's a good thing.  Danelle Brostrom  30:52  It's a good thing.  Larry Burden  30:53  All right, anything else, or we're gonna be over. This conversation could go on much longer. I don't think we got to a quarter of the slides.  Danelle Brostrom  31:03  Are you saying I have too many slides? Larry Burden  31:04  So again, going back to the email earlier, when you asked, "have we beaten this to death?"  No, no, there'll be a no! we could do this every week. And I don't think it'd be enough to be honest. But I am cutting you off. So Tech Tool of the Week,  Danelle Brostrom  31:24  Tech Tool of the Week, I want to share with you this really cool thing that my daughter got from the Public Library. I know some of our secondary schools at TCAPS and a couple of elementary schools have have these in their library, too. So this is called a Play Away. She's currently listening to Sarah Penny Packers novel called, "Packs." And This is the entire novel on this little device. So she plugs headphones into it. And she starts it and she can start and stop, she can play, She can change the speed of the reading, which I really like that kids that want to listen to a little faster, a little slower can have it. But what I like about this is it offers, it offers our kids access to novels that maybe they couldn't read themselves. We know that, that's why we give kids books on tape. But these are really, really cool. They're really tiny, they can fit in the pocket. She's listening to them in the car, this is the only way I can get her to do chores. because she'll put it on while she's doing things around the house. And my kid's a big reader, she walks into walls, let's be honest, she holds her book up and she walks into walls. Well, now she's listening. So she doesn't walk into walls all the time. So, we love Play Aways. But they have these for adults too. And I just think this is a really cool way to like I said, I'm a big reader, but I don't always have time to sit and physically read books, Play Aways are great for that. They're awesome. They have like I said they haven't for adults, but on the Public Library has quite a big selection. And our secondary schools have a selection as well. So... Larry Burden  32:51  Little updates, tutorials and updates. Actually, I haven't checked the tutorial situation. So I don't know if anybody's put anything on there. Wanted to let you know, we recorded a "Gamification" pod with the TechNollerGist, yesterday that was a lot of fun. Was in Traverse Heights last week and did a fun actually Danielle was there, did a fun Maker Space Launch Pad little video that's that's posted. If you want to get a maker space going and you're wondering, what does it look like? That's a it's a nice little one minute video to kind of give you a brief, brief glimpse. They haven't got the Tech Tool a playlist up yet, but still want to do that. So all your tech tools of the week will be in one spot. And I wanted to bring up something that maybe isn't tech focused, but I thought was really important. East Middle School did a documentary on opioid use. And it is, it's a hard watch. And it was put together by the middle school students. It was the digital media class over at East Middle School. And I highly advise any parent to to watch it and sit down with their kids and watch. It's about 15 minutes long. But we'll have the link to that in the show notes, show notes. It's you know, digital citizenship and digital literacy is very important. This is kind of another side that's as far as parenting goes. It's kind of an ugly truth that I think a lot of times we want to avoid, But it is a problem. So I highly recommend watching that. Danelle Brostrom  34:26  What class Larry did you say did that? Larry Burden  34:28  It's the digital media class. Danelle Brostrom  34:29  Awesome. They were trying to make...  TrojanTV  and community or something like that.  Larry Burden  34:34  Yeah, So I want to make the segue. Our Superintendent spoke about this at last night's board meeting, and he attempted to make a positive segue out of it. And it didn't work so I'm not even gonna try. So I'm just gonna say Follow us on Facebook and Twitter @TCAPSLoop Danelle Brostrom  34:54  @brostromda  Larry Burden  34:56  Check out the TCAPSloop blog at tcapsloop.tcaps.net. Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, SoundCloud and the Google Play Store, leave a review. We love the feedback. Any advice that you have that you might want to share? Feel free to leave that to. So we'd love to have a conversation about this. What are you doing with your kids to help them deal with thier digital lives. Thanks for listening and inspiring. Danelle Brostrom  35:27  That was good. Larry Burden  35:28  That was good. 

In this special episode of Average Brentwood Teens we interview State Senator Monica Martinez.  Ms. Martinez is a Brentwood High School graduate, former Vice Principal at East Middle School, and previously held the position of Suffolk County Legislator. We talked to her via Skype about her background, politics, and the Brentwood community.  

As part of its community schools model, Erie School District is renovating rooms at five of its schools to set aside space for parents and students. Hear from Jamilia Gates, the community schools director at East Middle School, and sixth-grader Mikhail Lauris, who uses the room at East. 

On June 18th, 2008, Assemblymember de la Torre visited students in Mr. Ulmer's class at South East Middle School. The Assemblymember was in Sacramento and the students were in their classroom in South Gate. They connected via video-conference through the free California State Parks program, PORTS (Parks Online Resources for Teachers). This program offers connections and standards aligned curriculum to all schools for free. Assemblymember de la Torre takes time throughout the year to connect with students throughout our community via this program. His advice, humor, and experiences provide authentic learning opportuntiies for our students. What an incredible experience for our students. Enjoy this recording of yesterday's visit.Thanks to all involved in making this videoconference possible.