Podcast appearances and mentions of Elizabeth Smith

As Christians, we believe that Jesus died for our sins. Even more importantly, the Bible tells us that Jesus did not stay dead. He came back to life and rose from the grave! Today in the Word has a Family Study for parents who want to share this truth with young children. on Tuesday's Mornings with Eric and Brigitte, Elizabeth Smith will tell us all about it. https://www.todayintheword.org/family-studies/Donate to Moody Radio: http://moodyradio.org/donateto/morningshow/wrmbSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this special sermon on Compassion Sunday, Pastor Jon Ewton highlights Woodlands Church's mission to release children from poverty through Compassion International. Drawing from personal experiences, he emphasizes that sponsorship is a meaningful expression of our Christian identity. Guest speakers Don and Elizabeth Smith share their transformative experiences as sponsors, and Owen Gathinga, a Compassion alumnus from Kenya, shares his incredible journey from poverty to becoming an accountant, thanks to sponsorship's support and the love of Christ. This week, we aim to sponsor 250 children—each sponsorship is a step toward changing lives.

Fighting temptation is not an either/or activity: it is a "both/and". As adults, it is hard for us to daily battle temptation, so how are we to instruct our kids to do so? Wednesday on Mornings With Eric and Brigitte, Moody Bible Institute professor, Elizabeth Smith will show us how both we and our family can together resist temptation. Daily Devotional | Today in the WordDonate to Moody Radio: http://moodyradio.org/donateto/morningshow/wrmbSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The skills to engage and bridge differences are needed in higher education and our world today. Kristi Clemens and Dr. Elizabeth Smith share about how the Dartmouth Dialogue Project emerged, how it is structured, and what they have learned through the process thus far. They discuss the key elements of relationship building and empathy, viewing dialogue as a practice, and yearning for and obstacles to dialogue. 

Overwhelmed by an unexpected vacancy on your team? Struggling with how to get the work done now that you're leading your own team? Too many of us fall into a trap thinking we have to "do it ourselves" and don't ask for help. But research shows that effective leaders delegate. In this episode, Elizabeth Smith and Michael Albino of Major, Lindsey & Africa share why delegating is critical in The Legal Department and how interim talent can help you keep your head above water. Elizabeth and Michael lead interim placements for MLA and have seen hundreds of legal teams. They share best practices for onboarding, how temporary help refreshes a legal team and brings a consultant's mindset to the department, and how interim work can be an on-ramp to an in-house career. If you're feeling overwhelmed and need an extra set of hands, this episode is for you.

The MLA for Cumberland North became the only independent candidate ever to be re-elected in Nova Scotia.

In episode 93 of “How Do You Say That?!” sponsored by Voxbox, John Last joins Sam and Mark to talk about changing styles in continuity, how writing your own material has pros and cons, the speed of sports commentators - and in this show between Halloween and Bonfire Night we create some unholy wildcards.Our VO question this week is all about our favourite areas of voiceover - and why we like them so much!Get involved! Have you got a Wildcard suggestion that we should try or an idea for the show? Send it to us via Mark or Sam's social media or email it directly to podcast@britishvoiceover.co.ukScript 1Let's see if Elizabeth Smith can turn it on here in this final , it's the gold medal that is up for grabs, the women's 100m fly S9, Smith is being closed down now, Spain, watch Gascon, she's got an incredible finish - is she finally going to take this gold she desires? But Ju looks to be going for it in lane four! Ju against Gascon, Smith trying to hang on, Konkoly making a mad dash - who will claim it at the wall?!”Script 2Ladies, Gentlemen and everyone in between. Welcome to a weekend of delightful delectations. A weekend designed to thrill, titillate and make your hair stand on end. Oh no, this is no ordinary weekend, this is the Classic Horror Weekend and it starts with a classic movie, the first sound production of Bram Stoker's novel and the adaptation which inspired many others. Bella Lugosi is Dracula next on Horror. Boo!**Listen to all of our podcasts here - you can also watch on YouTube, or say to your smart speaker "Play How Do You Say That?!"About our guest: John Last is an actor, voiceover and writer who has recently narrated World's Greatest Inventions on Channel 5 and also commercials for TalkTalk's 'Future Fibre' campaign. He has also provided character voices for Audible's radio play version of Assassin's Creed, alongside Riz Ahmed and narrated the Nick Paris series of audiobooks by Andy Redsmith. He features regularly in the horror comedy podcast, Ramon Fear's Terror Tapes which has just been nominated for 5 Independent Podcast Awards.Though, John's cheeky voice is most recognisable from his 20 year stint as a Continuity Announcer, working across the board for various channels ranging from ITV, Channel 5, Channel 4, Discovery and currently Legend (formerly known as Horror).John is a four time nominated voiceover for the ONE VOICE AWARDS being nominated for DOCUMENTARY BEST PERFORMANCE and BEST OVERALL CONTINUITY PERFORMANCE 3 times. JOHN's Website @johnlast on Instagram @johnlastactor on Twitter JOHN on YouTube Resources:Check out our sponsor Voxbox - the portable, foldable, storable audio booth.https://www.voxbox.studio/ Now you can get 10% off a Voxbox by using the code HDYST24

Professor Mohammadi and Elizabeth Smith discuss the significance and importance of World Environment Day, as well as share their stories. 

Send Mike a Text!Mike chats with Dr. Elizabeth Smith...a conversation that had to be rerecorded, and rescheduled twice! Long story, listen to hear it all. Also hear about the travels of Dr. Smith from her Carolinas upbringing to the halls of accademia to the vineyards in California, and on to Croatia. It's quite a journey. Also Nikola Tesla and Dalmatians, and tasting notes on a handful of wines and more.How about a stack of "official" TallMikeWine Podcast coasters? Just email Mike and he'll send them your way. And PLEASE follow along on Instagram, you'll be glad you did.Wines discussed this episode:2018 Fekete Pince Juhfark Nagy-Somló2018 Terra Madre Plavac Mali Barrique2018 Koch Pálma Syrah Classicus2019 Tajna Winery Cabernet Franc Support the showIMPORTANT!! Please "follow" or "subscribe" to the podcast, so you don't miss an episode. If you listen on Apple Podcasts take a moment to rate (5 stars please!) and write a review. They tell me it helps A LOT!

Today on Karl and Crew Mornings, we did things a little differently! Summer is more than halfway over, and we want to know what you hope to do before Labor Day. More than that, we want to know what you hope for God to do! Karl gave some great counsel and prayer for the Boom Crew who called in with their desires for the future. Our guest this morning was Elizabeth Smith, program head of Children and Family Ministry at MBI. Listen as she shares some of her insights about how to build a strong Church, and hear all the highlights of today's program on the Karl and Crew Showcast. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week we sit down with MLA Elizabeth Smith-McCrossin to explore the transformative potential of political culture in Canada. Elizabeth shares her insights on a range of critical issues, from healthcare reform to the dynamics of party politics. We begin by delving into the urgent need for healthcare reform. Elizabeth discusses innovative solutions and practical strategies to address the challenges facing our healthcare system, aiming to ensure better access and quality care for all Canadians. Next, we navigate the often contentious world of party politics. Elizabeth offers a candid perspective on how party dynamics influence policy-making and governance, and what can be done to foster a more collaborative and less divisive political environment. Our conversation then shifts to the role of independent candidates working alongside party members. Elizabeth highlights the unique contributions of independents and the importance of bridging partisan divides to achieve common goals.  0:00 - Intro 2:40 - Healthcare Reform 12:01 - Advantage of Independent Candidates vs Party Candidates 17:55 - How Independent Candidates can work with Party Members 22:45 - When Elizabeth went toe to toe with her Party 27:20 - Advice to those who want to go against the political status quo 32:05 - Carbon Tax Border Protests and Tax Legislation 43:59 - Conclusion

This week, I talk with Sara Koffi about her addictive domestic suspense While We Were Burning.  We dive into her inspiration for the book, how she ended up writing thrillers, and her favorite part of writing the book.While We Were Burning SynopsisAfter her best friend's mysterious death, Elizabeth Smith's picture-perfect life in the Memphis suburbs has spiraled out of control—so much so that she hires a personal assistant to keep her on track. Composed and elegant, Brianna is exactly who she needs—she slides so neatly into Elizabeth's life it's almost like she belonged there from the start, and proves herself indispensable. Soon, the assistant Elizabeth hired to distract her from her obsession with her friend's death is the same person working with her to uncover the truth behind it.Because Brianna has questions, too.She wants to know why the police killed her young Black son. Why someone in Elizabeth's neighborhood called the cops on him that day. Who took that first step that stole her child away from her. And the only way she's ever going to be able to find out is to entwine herself deep into Elizabeth's life, where the answers to her questions lie. As the two women hurtle towards an electrifying final showdown, and the lines between employer and friend blur, it becomes clear that neither of them is what they first appear.

It's Freedom Friday on Karl and Crew Mornings! Today we wrapped up our weekly them, "Three Anchors." Our Scripture reference was Galatians 1:22-24. The Apostle Paul's life was so radically changed and others could see it! We asked callers what aspect of their lives were so radically changed that only God could get the credit. Our guest this morning was lawyer and pastor Sam Mendenhall. He talked with us about how those two very different jobs have influenced each other in a positive way. We also talked with Elizabeth Smith, Program Head of Children and Family Ministry at MBI. Right now, we are offering an exclusive Boom Crew promo code: BOOMCREW24. You can hear all the highlights of today's program on the Karl and Crew Showcast. You can hear all the highlights of today's program on the Karl and Crew Showcast.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Elizabeth is the Program Head for Children and Family Ministry. She founded Teachable Moments with Elizabeth Smith and is the author of “God Never Changes…But My Family Always Does”. She has a Master’s Degree in Counseling Psychology with an emphasis in Systematic Theology. She is completing her Doctoral of Educational Ministry in Children and Family Studies in the context of crisis and trauma. She joins us to discuss an article titled "Lies you've been told about children's ministry." See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When we fail to intentionally process our uncomfortable emotions, they pile up and come out later at unexpected times and in inappropriate ways, and we can become dull and jaded. Listen in as Elizabeth Smith, COO of www.tcktraining.com and author of The Practice of Processing, shares how to establish rhythms for naming and sorting our emotions, and then proceeding in healthy ways. 

Professor Elizabeth Smith is the Field Chair of Education and Counseling; Program Head and Associate Professor of Children and Family Ministry at Moody Bible Institute. She joins Kelli and Steve to talk about Why young men in the west are failing to launce. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Loving God is the most important things we do! We can show our love for God in many ways, such as praying, going to church, and loving other people. This Bible study will help to teach children what it means to love God with all our strength! A Family Study--The Greatest Commandment.pdf  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today, on Karl and Crew Mornings, we continued our discussion in Colossians 3:12-17 and emphasized what the Word tells us to "put on" as Christ believers. Because you are follower of Christ, you have the power to take off that which hinders you're relationship with God, and with that same power put on what sets you apart as a believer. We also talked with MBI Professor, Elizabeth Smith. She is the Program Head of Children and Family Ministry at MBI and helped initiate a new family study connected with the free devotional, Today in the Word. Finally, for the month of January, it's New for You from Karl and Crew! This is the last day for a chance to win a copy of Karl's book. Click below to enter. You can hear the highlights of today's show on the Karl and Crew podcast. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How do we help children know what Immanuel means and how it changes our lives every day?  We discussed several different ways that we can teach children the true meaning of Christmas: God With Us! Copyright WGNR Radio 2023See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Elizabeth Smith and Melanie Hester discuss the need for multigenerational investment in child discipleship, giving kids “someone to love” in […] The post Elizabeth Smith: Being a Disciple While Also Being a Disciplemaker appeared first on Child Discipleship.

Samuel Laird Cregar (1914-1944) was the youngest of six sons of Edward Matthews Cregar, a cricketer and member of a team called the Gentlemen of Philadelphia. They toured internationally in the late 1890s and early 1900s. Laird's mother was the former Elizabeth Smith.Laird Cregar was educated at Winchester College in England, spending his summers as a page boy and bit player with the Stratford-upon-Avon theatrical troupe. Upon completing his schooling, Cregar won a scholarship at California's Pasadena Playhouse, supporting himself as a nightclub bouncer when funds ran out. So broke that at times he had to sleep in his car, Cregar forced Hollywood to pay attention to him by staging his own one-man show, in which he portrayed Oscar Wilde.After a few minor film roles, Cregar was signed to a 20th Century-Fox contract; among his first major roles was the middle-aged Francis Chesney in Charley's Aunt, the first of several showcases for the actor's delightful comic flair. With his sinister portrayal of the psychopathic detective in I Wake Up Screaming, he followed that up with the successful screwball comedy Rings on Her Fingers playing a con artist opposite Gene Tierney. Cregar became one of filmdom's top “heavies” ? both figuratively and literally. Seldom weighing less than 300 pounds throughout his adult life, Cregar became obsessed with his weight.After top billing in The Lodger, who may or may not be Jack the Ripper, the increasingly sensitive Cregar was growing tired of being thought of as merely a hulking villain. ...from: https://walkoffame.com/laird-cregar/(From here the story takes a dramatic and tragic turn)For more information:https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0187284/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1

Professor Elizabeth Smith from Moody Bible Institute joins us to talk about giving thanks this November.  Copyright WGNR Radio 2023See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today, We have Elizabeth Smith on the podcast. Elizabeth Smith is a professor at Moody Bible and an author. In this conversation, Brook and Elizabeth cover transparency with your kids, humility, and allowing shame to propel us to repair our relationships. Elizabeth shares the question she is researching in her doctorate: Is the Church a spiritually supportive community for children or families recovering from trauma? You will hear a few of her perspectives on crucial characteristics like empathy, fear of failure, and being faithful. Enjoy!  Follow us on Instagram:@intentional_parents@brook_mosser@Emosser@philmcomer@dianewcomer FREE TEXT Message Daily Devotional

Professor Elizabeth Smith from Moody Bible Institute joins us to talk about How we can talk to our Children about War and Conflict? Copyright WGNR Radio 2023See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Elizabeth Smith is the Field Chair of Education and Counseling; Program Head and Associate Professor of Children and Family Ministry. She joins us to talk about the importance of talking about the Doctrine of Heaven with your kids.  Copyright WGNR Radio 2023See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Recorded Wednesday, August 16, 2023 Book talk begins at 23:04 Our annual Mother Bear KAL is ending soon!  To find out all about this wonderful charity, please go to Mother Bear Project website.  Talk bears with us in the Mother Bear Chatter thread and post your finished bears in the FOs thread. We have a listener who has come up with 3 incentive prizes for increasing your bear count!  For more info, please check out the Mother Bear Incentive Prizes thread.   Virtual Knitting Group via Zoom EVENTS Tracie and Barb will be at: Lambtown - October 7-8, 2023 at the Dixon May Fairgrounds in Dixon, CA The TKGA Retreat 2023 - November 2-5, 2023 at the Hilton Charlotte University Place Hotel in Charlotte, North Carolina   KNITTING Barb finished Mother Bears 278-283 6600K (Striped Hoodie) by Barry Klein, using 4 colors of Lana Grossa Ecopuno Degrade Carley by Elizabeth Smith, using Berroco Remix Light in the Mist colorway   Tracie finished: Mother Bear 314 Rock It Tee by Tanis Lavallee in Alchemy: Yarns of Transformation Silken Straw in 6 different color ways   Barb is working on: Razzle Dazzle Scarf in Leading Men Fiber Arts Show Stopper Gradient Set in the Razzle Dazzle #22 colorwayMother Bear 284 Hungry Horse Hat by Aimee Alexander using Polka Dot Sheep Stumptown DK in the Aurora, Depths, Juneberry color ways   And has cast on: Ribbed Beanie by Vanessa Ewing, using Western Sky Knits Biggie in the Fishbowl Colorway Vanilla socks using Patons Kroy Socks Stripes in the Meadow Stripes colorway Miles Tee by Ozetta: Hailey Smedley   Tracie has cast on: Morning Ritual Top by Olga Putano Designs OR Marklee DK by Elizabeth Dorherty with colorwork chart from Women's Kerbstone by Heather Pfeifer OR Dawning Top by Ainur Berkimbayeva   And continues working on: Lightweight Raglan Pullover by Purl Soho in Leading Men Fiber Arts Show Stopper in Shantay, You Stay! Socks in Tosh Merino Light Glitter in T'Challa colorway   BOOKS Barb read: Love Me or Else: The True Story of a Devoted Pastor, a Fatal Jealousy, and the Murder that Rocked a Small Town by Colin McEvoy and Lynn Olanoff  - 4 stars Couple Found Slain: After a Family Murder by Mikita Brottman - 3 stars From Below by Darcy Coates - 5 stars The Truth About Melody Browne by Lisa Jewell - 3 stars The Dream Job by Kiersten Modgin - 3 stars Living the Dream by M. J. Hardy - 3 stars Too Close to the Falls: a Memoir by Catherine Gildener - 5 stars Blood Brother: 33 Reasons My Brother Scott Peterson is Guilty - 4 stars   Tracie read: The Locals by Jonathan Dee - 4 stars Too Close to Breathe by Olivia Kiernan - 3 stars If Looks Could Kill by M. William Phelps - 2 stars

Professor Smith joins us to talk about younger kids, how they learn what their emotions are, and how they can learn empathy and self control. Copyright WGNR Radio 2023See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Elizabeth Smith, Branch Manager of Mariners Harbor Library in Staten Island, speaks with Suzanne Colucci on Newsline with Brigitte Quinn about how they found the owner of $1200 left in a returned library book.

This week we dive deep into the realm of astrocartography, a powerful tool that allows us to explore the impact of celestial bodies on all aspects of our lives in different locations. Our guest, Elizabeth Smith, is a master astrologer and astrocartographer who has helped thousands of clients find their ideal locations for love, wealth, health, career success, public recognition, spiritual development and more! Discover how the alignment of planets and asteroids influences our destinies and how this ancient practice has evolved in the modern age. Highlights: * What's the difference between astocartography and astrology?
 * When was the modern version of astrocartography developed and by whom?
 * How does astrocartography help us to better utilize our time on Earth to fulfill our purpose?
 * Can this tool be used to gain insights into business ventures, such as choosing a location for a new business?
 * How does astrocartography provide valuable information for travel and relocation decisions?
 * What are some of the mystical and spiritual experiences that have shaped Elizabeth's understanding of astrology?
 * How does the integration of data and intuition contribute to a deeper understanding of astrocartography as a mystical science?
 * What are its potential benefits in terms of personal and spiritual growth?
 * How has Elizabeth's personal journey and spiritual development influenced her approach to astrology?
 * What is the consequence of the increased availability but reduced quality of astrology due to the internet?
 * How are many millenials who grew up with astrology taking it to the next level?
 * Which planets and celestial bodies are the main focus of astrocartography and are asteroids of interest and ongoing research?
 * How is astrocartography, a computer age tool, evolving and advancing with new programs and discoveries?
 With more than 40 years experience, master astrologer and astrocartography expert, Elizabeth Smith has offered thousands of readings where she shares her passion for facilitating liberation with this life-changing knowledge. Through an integrated understanding of people and planets, her proven skills, intuitive abilities and wisdom centered approach invoke inspiration, clarity and healing of mind, body and spirit for clients and students from around the globe who seek to improve quality of life through the power of location astrology. www.elizabethsmithastro.com If you're enjoying listening to Beyond the Illusion Podcast, please leave a rating on Apple or Google Podcasts. This helps other people to find us.

At the beginning of this season in episode 1, you heard clips from three different conversations to set the stage for the podcast. In this episode, you’ll hear a conversation all about cognitive development with Professor Elizabeth Smith. Elizabeth Smith, MA, LCPC, is MBI’s Program Head for Children and Family Ministry and Field Chair of Education and Counseling. She is also the author of, “God Never Changes But My Family Always Does”. Elizabeth has loved training churches and families to reach the next generation for Christ in theologically grounded and developmentally innovative ways for over 30 years. Elizabeth is married to Pastor Brian Smith and loves doing ministry alongside him. She is the proud mother of 3 adult children and their wonderful spouses.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Elizabeth Smith joins us to talk about how we keep structure in our children's lives during the summer. Elizabeth smith is the Field Chair of Education and Counseling; Program Head and Associate Professor of Children and Family Ministry at the Moody Bible Institute. Copyright WGNR Radio 2023See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Legendary fitness icon, Elizabeth Andrews sits down to talk about the good ole days with Crystal Light/Reebok butt floss wearing competitions, how breast cancer has changed her life and why EVERY BODY should build resilience, learn how to move properly and play. You MUST watch Elizabeth and her husband Steve in their glory here: https://youtu.be/ICzJ0QRZZkQ Go check out Elizabeth's work, tips and advice at elizabeth.s.andrews Thanks for listening whether you were folding laundry, going for a walk or whatever other multi-tasking you were getting after. I am having so much fun sharing and connecting with you, badass! Be sure to hit subscribe and get notified of the next impactful episode of The Badass Reset Club which drops every other Monday! Follow me on Instagram @coachheatheryancey Ladies, join our private facebook for lunch & learns and more! https://www.facebook.com/groups/badassresetclub And for more info, you can find us here : https://www.heatheryanceyfitness.com/

Recorded on April 5, 2023 Book Talk starts at 19:25 Come join us knitting or crocheting your projects with CABLES! That's right, cables.  Come on over to the Cables KAL Chatter Thread to check out the rules and chat about your plans.  Dates are now until 5/15/23.   Virtual Knitting Group via Zoom EVENTS Tracie and Barb will be at: The Northern California Knitting Retreat (NoCKRs) - April 27-30, 2023 at the St Francis Retreat Center in San Juan Bautista, California.  The retreat is now full, but we generally have spots that will open as we get close to the dates.  If you would like to be on the waiting list,  message Tracie at 2knitlitchicks@gmail.com for info and the registration form. Fiber Frolic - Saturday, May 27, 2023, 10 am – 4 pm at Soul Food Farm in Vacaville, CA.  There will be no food vendors, so bring your own lunch and a chair.  The entry fee is $10 per person, and parking will be in a field and not limited. The TKGA Retreat 2023 - November 2-5, 2023 at the Hilton Charlotte University Place Hotel in Charlotte, North Carolina   KNITTING Tracie finished: Tiny Dancer top by Laura Dean in Shaggy Bear Farms SW Merino & Tussah Silk Fingering for Lexi 2 Knitted Knockers Barb finished Low-key Cowl by Elizabeth Smith, using Cascade 220 in the green colorway (very old stash) Ilha pullover by Orlane Sucche, using Greenwood Fiber Indulgence (merino, cashmere and silk). 3  Knockers Tracie has cast on: Summer Sorrel by Wood & Pine in Despondent Dyes OMG Glitter! in the Even My Attorney Says “Let It Go” colorway And continues to work on: Donner by Elizabeth Doherty in Cloudborn Fibers Pima Cotton DK in Spring  Barb is working on: Low-key Cowl by Elizabeth Smith, using Cascade 220 in the green colorway (very old stash) Knitted Knockers WYS Vanilla Socks, using West Yorkshire Spinners Signature 4-ply Self-Striping in the Peacock colorway Razzle Dazzle Scarf in Leading Men Fiber Arts Show Stopper Gradient Set in the Razzle Dazzle #22 colorway And has cast on: Rock It Tee by Tanis Lavalee, using Anzula Breeze in the Fern and Gravity colorways   BOOKS Barb read: Fatty Fatty Boom Boom: A Memoir of Food, Fat and Family by Rabia Chaudry - 5 stars Mothered by Zoje Stage - 3.5 stars The Substitution Order by Martin Clark - 3.5 stars Last Seen (Detective Bernadette Noel #1) by Joy Kluver - 3 stars Tracie read: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey - 4.5 stars Snap by Belinda Bauer - 4.5 stars Kellynch: The Sequel to Jane Austen's Persuasion - 2.5 stars  

Recorded on April 5, 2023 Book Talk starts at 33:00 Come join us knitting or crocheting your projects with CABLES! That's right, cables.  Come on over to the Cables KAL Chatter Thread to check out the rules and chat about your plans.  Dates are now until 5/15/23.   Virtual Knitting Group via Zoom EVENTS Tracie and Barb will be at: The Northern California Knitting Retreat (NoCKRs) - April 27-30, 2023 at the St Francis Retreat Center in San Juan Bautista, California.  The retreat is now full, but we generally have spots that will open as we get close to the dates.  If you would like to be on the waiting list,  message Tracie at 2knitlitchicks@gmail.com for info and the registration form. Fiber Frolic - Saturday, May 27, 2023, 10 am – 4 pm at Soul Food Farm in Vacaville, CA The TKGA Retreat 2023 - November 2-5, 2023 at the Hilton Charlotte University Place Hotel in Charlotte, North Carolina KNITTING   Tracie has finished: Zephyr Mark II by Celia Cahill in Laneras Barefoot in Coral Vanilla socks in Emma's Yarn Super Silky in Hot Tamale Barb has finished: Barley Hat by Tin Can Knits using worsted weight bear yarn 3 Knockers        Tracie's Sweater Surgery: She added length to her Colorful Geometry pullover Transformed her Velvet Pullover from a round Yoke to raglan, then added length Tracie is working on: Donner by Elizabeth Doherty in Cloudborn Fibers Pima Cotton DK in Spring Tiny Dancer top by Laura Dean in Shaggy Bear Farms SW Merino & Tussah Silk Fingering for Lexi Barb is working on: Low-key Cowl by Elizabeth Smith, using Cascade 220 in the green colorway (very old stash) Knitted Knockers Ilha pullover by Orlane Sucche, using Greenwood Fiber Indulgence (merino, cashmere and silk). WYS Vanilla Socks, using West Yorkshire Spinners Signature 4-ply Self-Striping in the Peacock colorway   BOOKS   Tracie has read: Moonlight Mile (Kenzie & Gennaro #6) by Dennis Lehane - 4 stars Starring Sally J. Friedman as Herself by Judy Blume - 5 stars Boar Island (Anna Pigeon #19) by Nevada Barr - 4 stars   Barb has read: The End of Temperance Dare by Wendy Webb.- 3 stars The Lost Girls of Willowbrook by Ellen Marie Wiseman - 4 stars Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mount Everest Disaster by Jon Krakauer - 5 stars      

Mark Twain reportedly said, "Everybody Talks About the Weather, But Nobody Does Anything About It." The weather really has changed history, and we talk about it with Dr. Vladimir Jankovic of the University of Manchester and Dr. Elizabeth Smith of the University of Oklahoma. Weather affects culture, politics, economics, and architecture as well as our plans for the day. This was a popluar conversation when we dropped it last February. With all the current weather events- we want to keep our focus on the skies and learn from the experts!  

Where do I start when discerning how to answer my kids' questions? About the world? About God? About what goes on around them? In this first episode of the Car Seat Questions podcast, we set the table with three important developmental categories: hearts, minds and souls - otherwise known as emotional development, cognitive development, and spiritual development. We answer key questions like: why are kids' emotions so big? What are the major stages of development? What are spiritual patterns we see in kids? In order to answer these questions we are joined by three experts on "all things kid" - Elizabeth Smith, Brooke Ervin , and Randy Isola.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Recorded on March 22, 2023 Book talk starts at 29:20 Come join us knitting or crocheting your projects with CABLES! That's right, cables.  Come on over to the Cables KAL Chatter Thread to check out the rules and chat about your plans.  Dates are now until 5/15/23.   Virtual Knitting Group via Zoom EVENTS Tracie and Barb will be at: The Northern California Knitting Retreat (NoCKRs) - April 27-30, 2023 at the St Francis Retreat Center in San Juan Bautista, California.  We have 1 open spot - message Tracie at 2knitlitchicks@gmail.com for info and the registration form. Fiber Frolic - Saturday, May 27, 2023, 10 am – 4 pm at Soul Food Farm in Vacaville, CA The TKGA Retreat 2023 - November 2-5, 2023 at the Hilton Charlotte University Place Hotel in Charlotte, North Carolina   KNITTING Tracie finished: 2 Knitted Knockers in Cascade Ultra Pima Vanilla socks in Western Sky Knits Merino 17 Light held double 10 knitted headbands, all knit from stash - patterns used: Smidge Headband by Angela Tennant Lova by Chicory Sticks Fiana by Connie Stults Godmother Headband by Amanda Rosa Star Stitch Headband by Jessica Flowers and various patterns from 150 Knitted Trims by Lesley Stanfield   Barb finished: Hermione's Everyday Socks by Erica Leuder using Canon Hand Dyes sock set Blushing Braids Beanie by Amy Kate Sutherland, using Valley Yarns Northampton 4 Knockers   Tracie cast on: Donner by Elizabeth Doherty in Cloudborn Fibers Pima Cotton DK in Spring Tiny Dancer top by Laura Dean in Shaggy Bear Farms SW Merino & Tussah Silk Fingering for Lexi   And continues to work on: Zephyr Mark II by Celia Cahill in Laneras Barefoot in Coral Vanilla socks in Emma's Yarn Super Silky in Hot Tamale   Barb is working on: Low-key Cowl by Elizabeth Smith, using Cascade 220 in the green colorway (very old stash) Knitted Knockers   And has cast on: WYS Vanilla Socks, using West Yorkshire Spinners Signature 4-Ply Self Striping in the Peacock colorway Ilha pullover by Orlane Sucche, using Greenwood Fiber Indulgence (merino, cashmere and silk). Barley Hat by Tin Can Knits using worsted weight bear yarn   She frogged: Winters Beach by Andrea Mowry, using Madelinetosh Tosh DK in the Tart colorway    BOOKS Tracie read: The Decision to Kill: A True Crime Story of a Teenage Killer and the Mother Who Loved Him by Leslie Ghiglieri - 3 stars Edge of Normal by Carla Norton - 4 stars (but 1 star for narration!) The Dentist by Tim Sullivan - 4.5 stars The Cyclist by Tim Sullivan - 4 stars A Girl Returned by Ann Goldstein - 4.5 stars Girls Who Lie by Eva Björg Ægisdóttir - 4 stars   Tracie and Barb highly recommend: Trailed: One Woman's Quest to Solve the Shenandoah Murders by Kathryn Miles - 5 stars   Barb read: Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt - 3.5 stars Other Parents by Sarah Stovell - 4 stars A Slow Fire Burning by Paula Hawkins - 4 stars The Perfect Son by Freida McFadden - 4 stars   Tracie recommends AMC+ app/channel - subscribe through Amazon Prime or go to amcplus.com

A conversation with Helen Frankenthaler Foundation Executive Director Elizabeth Smith about a new exhibit of Frankethaler's work currently on display at Gagosian's 24th Street gallery in New York. “Drawing within Nature: Paintings from the 1990s” features more than a dozen works by Frankenthaler made during a period when she took inspiration from the environment near her Connecticut studio on Long Island Sound. The conversation touches on Frankenthaler's life, career and this latest exhibit.https://gagosian.com/exhibitions/2023/helen-frankenthaler-drawing-within-nature-paintings-from-the-1990s/https://www.frankenthalerfoundation.org/

Recorded Wednesday, February 22, 2023 Book talk begins at 32:25 Come join us knitting or crocheting your projects with CABLES! That's right, cables.  Come on over to the Cables KAL Chatter Thread to check out the rules and chat about your plans.  Dates are now until 5/15/23.   Virtual Knitting Group via Zoom Events Tracie and Barb will be at: Stitches West 2023 - March 2-5 at the Sacramento Convention Center in Sacramento, California.  Stay tuned for Episode 263, which will be our Stitches recap! The Northern California Knitting Retreat (NoCKRs) - April 27-30, 2023 at the St Francis Retreat Center in San Juan Bautista, California.  The retreat is now full, but you can still be put on the waiting list - message Tracie at 2knitlitchicks@gmail.com for info and the registration form. The TKGA Retreat 2023 - November 2-5, 2023 at the Hilton Charlotte University Place Hotel in Charlotte, North Carolina   KNITTING Finished Tracie has finished: Velvet Pullover by EweKnit Toronto (discontinued online) in Western Sky Knits Merino 17 Light dyed by Kim and me Penelope Romper by Linnea Nyman with a different cable pattern substituted in Berroco Pure Pima Soizic Headband by Along avec Anna in Plymouth Encore 4 Knitted Knockers in Cascade Ultra Pima and  Cloudborn Fibers Pima Cotton DK Barb has finished: Colourwheel DK 1 Ball Scarf, using a Sirdar Colourwheel in the Perfectly Pretty colorway Burgos vest by Rosa Pomar, using Plymouth Galway Worsted in the Grey Heather colorway Koko Bean Hat, using 5 colors of acrylic bear yarn   Tracie has frogged: Calyx by Elizabeth Doherty in Cloudborn Fibers Pima Cotton DK, knit in 2021   She has cast on: Zephyr Mark II by Celia Cahill in Laneras Barefoot in Coral Vanilla socks in Emma's Yarn Super Silky in Hot Tamale Vanilla socks in Western Sky Knits Merino 17 Light held double   Barb continues to work on: Hermione's Everyday Socks by Erica Leuder using Canon Hand Dyes sock set Blushing Braids Beanie by Amy Kate Sutherland, using Red Heart bear yarn in a light gray color   She has cast on: Low-key Cowl by Elizabeth Smith, using Cascade 220 in the green colorway (very old stash) Winters Beach by Andrea Mowry, using Madelinetosh Tosh DK in the Tart colorway.   And frogged: Citadel by Joji Locatelli, using Rowan RYC Wool Tweed   BOOKS Tracie read: The Good Wife: The Shocking Betrayal and Brutal Murder of a Godly Woman in Texas by Clint Richmond - 4 stars All That Fall by Kris Calvin - 3 stars Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty - 4 stars The Liar's Club by Mary Karr - 5 stars Stiff Arm Steal by AJ Stewart   Barb read: Y is for Yesterday by Sue Grafton - 4 stars Sunburn by Laura Lipman - 3.5 stars The Couple on Cedar Close by Anna-Lou Weatherley - 3.5 stars West with Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge - 5 stars Dead to Her by Sarah Pinborough - 3 stars   Barb recommends the film She Said on Peacock Premium or available to buy or rent on other streaming services

EPISODE 4: As the trial approaches, a key witness goes missing and another is murdered. CreditsHost: Yohance LacourProducers: Bill Healy, Dana Brozost-Kelleher, Erisa Apantaku, Sarah GeisSound Design/Mixing and Music Supervision: Steven Jackson and Phil Dmochowski at the Audio Non-Visual CompanyOriginal Music: Taka YasuzawaExecutive Producers: Alison Flowers and Jamie Kalven (Invisible Institute) and Josh Bloch (USG Audio)Production Support: Jennifer Sears and Josh LaolagiFact-checking: Angely MercadoKey Art: Kenneth L. Copeland, Jr.Special Thanks: James Cutler, Steve Bogira, Elizabeth Smith and the Cook Clerk of the Circuit CourtArchival audio in this episode include (in order of appearance): WMAQ, Fox Chicago, Dateline, and WBEZ. For more information, go to usgaudio.com. To learn about the Invisible Institute's human rights reporting, visit invisible.institute.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The first step to solving the problem of teacher attrition is to admit that there is a problem. Some groups have already taken this step, and they are listening to teachers in order to create solutions that will retain teachers. These programs make a big difference, but their approach isn't the norm. In this episode, we hear about successful efforts to keep teachers in education, and we'll ask the question: Who should have the responsibility of keeping teachers in education?  Music:  Theme Song By Julian Saporiti  “Sunlight” by Nul Tiel Records is licensed under a CC BY-NC-SA license. “I'm Fat” by Blanket Music is licensed under a CC BY-NC license. “Keep The Prices Down” by Blanket Music is licensed under a CC BY-NC license. “Kaptan Hayvanlar Alemi” by Hayvanlar Alemi  is licensed under a CC BY-NC-SA license. “Grab a Bargain” by Scott Holmes Music is licensed under a CC  BY license. “Place on my Bonfire” by Lobo Loco is licensed under a CC BY-NC-SA license. “Your Paradigm Dial” by Origami Repetika  is licensed under a CC  BY license.  Transcipt My third grade teacher had a phone booth in his classroom. It was a full size, glass booth that was mostly sound-proof. The phone booth was the choice place to spend any indoor recess, but during class, it was used as the equivalent of a time-out. Our teacher was a mustachioed man who called his facial hair his “cookie duster” and wore tinted-glasses and thick collared polyester shirts,  If a student was misbehaving, he would point that student to the phone booth, and that's where the student would remain for the rest of the lesson.  Discipline reigned in his class. I'm not sure if this is a quality of 3rd grade teachers in general, but both of the 3rd grade teachers at my school at the time were strict, and my parents loved it. I appreciate  some of it now, but at the time I thought it was downright oppressive - especially disciplining groups of kids together, which I'm still not a fan of.  There was a week-stretch in particular where our class lost out on several recesses because a core group of kids were acting out. I don't remember what they were doing, but I remember the sinking feeling of losing out on the chance to play tetherball or football or to climb on those tractor tires that were half buried in the ground and always had a faint smell of urine. We were stuck indoors.  I complained to my dad about the injustice when he picked me up from school. I ranted about inequity and being punished for something I didn't do. And I remember his response clearly. He asked me if I was part of the problem or part of the solution. He had to explain what “solution”meant, and then he told me that I needed to think about whether I was helping or hurting the situation.  I realized that even if I wasn't doing anything wrong, I still might not be part of the solution. Like a whole gaggle of my parents' other truisms that I didn't want to hear at the time, this has stuck with me. We've spent the last 5 episodes looking at what factors, what problems, might be contributing to teachers leaving education. Over half of all teachers are considering leaving the profession, but there are teachers who are staying, some of them stay thanks to efforts made by organizations to convince teachers to remain in education. So, today, we're going to think about solutions that keep brilliant teachers in education, but we'll also ask the question, whose responsibility is it to keep teachers in education? This is Those Who Can't Teach Anymore, a 7-part podcast series exploring why teachers are leaving education and what can be done to stop the exodus. I'm Charles Fournier. Here is part 6: “Those Who Stay” Elizabeth Smith: I brought mimosas. I hope you don't mind. I met Elizabeth on the back patio of the Middle Fork restaurant in Lander, Wyoming. If her voice sounds familiar, it's because we heard from her earlier in the series. She wore a blue dress with flower print and she carried a binder and a tote bag. The binder had a copy of her research thesis about retention of teachers on reservations and from the bag she pulled two flute champagne glasses, a jug of orange juice, and a bottle of champagne. Elizabeth is a veteran teacher, she loves teaching, and part of why she loves it might have to do some with her background. As we drank mimosas under the shade of a tree, she told me about her unique upbringing. Elizabeth Smith: I have a very, very crazy back story. I was raised in a cult. And I dropped out of school in seventh grade. And I never went to high school. And we were raised in a situation in which we didn't have television or outside influence. So I was very isolated and programmed to believe a certain way. And so I got my GED when I was 19, the same year, I got my driver's license, I ran away from home twice, and was successfully out of the house and the religion, the high control, the second time that I left, and so my understanding of educators is completely different.   A quality of early American education that we learned about in the second episode was the idea that teachers would be taught in the education system themselves and so the education hierarchy would be ingrained into them – it was almost a pre-teacher training. Elizabeth didn't go to public school, so some of these stereotypical expectations aren't perpetuated in her teaching practice, which might contribute to why she loves it. Elizabeth Smith: I love what I do. I love teaching, I have high respect for myself, in the work that I do. I know the mistakes that I make, in reflection, for the most part, I'm sure there's some that I'm unaware of, but I enjoy helping people understand themselves, you know, because it's been a huge chore of mine to be able to get to the point where I have undone all the programming that I have experienced in life. And because of her youth, she was drawn to a sense of spirituality she found in teaching. Elizabeth Smith: Coming from a really hardcore, high control, religious background. I feel like I suffered spiritual abuse. And so disconnected me from myself, in a lot of ways. And so my whole life, like I told you has been spent trying to figure out who I am. And one of the things in teaching that you'll, especially if you read my research, you'll see that the spiritual connection with making relationships with other people and knowing that what you're doing is valued is a big part of spirituality. The research Elizabeth points to was tied to her Masters Thesis. She focused on why teachers stay, especially non-native teachers, in reservation schools. What Elizabeth found is that those who stay feel a sense of acceptance, a sense of appreciation that what they bring to a community is valuable. And this is why Elizabeth stays too. She feels like what she does matters. She feels a connection to her students and, for the most part, she feels valued as a teacher.  Elizabeth Smith: I've only taught on reservation schools. So I've only taught in Indian country and there is a cultural perception from Native communities that really value teachers. So that's one of the reasons why non-native teachers decided to stay and have such longevity in reservation country because there is an old school respect for teachers.  I want to be transparent here. Elizabeth isn't totally satisfied with her job - we're drinking mimosas because she just finished up the school day and wanted to wind down. During our conversation, Elizabeth pointed out her frustrations, which echo many of the frustrations that we've heard in this podcast. She explained situations where she felt devalued or not listened to or stretched thin. She admitted that after teaching for 20 years, the thought of leaving education has crossed her mind, but she said that as long as this year feels like things are getting better, she plans on staying in education. And this is worth pointing out - even teachers that are staying in education by choice have frustrations. I say by choice because there are the teachers that feel stuck because they are close to retirement, need the insurance, or need the immediate income. Part of what's keeping Elizabeth, even when she has frustrations, is the fact that she feels like what she does matters and that she feels valued in her community.  Those things might seem small, but we're at a point where many teachers are frustrated and feel neither value nor purpose.  I have felt that. The past few years especially - it didn't feel like anything I did in my classroom mattered, and too often when I met someone new and told them I was a teacher, they'd tell me a story about how bad their kid's teachers were or how they had chewed out some teacher for something that, when they explained it to me, was just a terrible reason. They acted righteous and I felt devalued by association.  What picked me up was this project - the one that you're listening to right now. A podcast that explores why teachers were leaving education was a thought I have talked with my wife about since she left teaching, but I never pursued it. Not until I saw and applied for a Fund for Teachers Fellowship, which is a grant for teachers who want to create their own form of professional development. This seems small, but it's kind of mind-blowing and has made a world of difference for me. Stephanie Ascherl:  Teachers don't usually get a lot of choice. Professional development is determined for them, it's very top down.  This is Stephanie Ascherl, she is the Chief of Staff at Fund for Teachers, and she's worked for the organization going on 18 years.  Stephanie Ascherl: What's unique about Fund For Teachers is that we empower the teacher to tell us, no one at Fund for Teachers will ever tell you what you should do to be a better teacher because we really trust that you know yourself and your students better than anybody. Stephanie was not a teacher herself though she wanted to be a teacher when she was younger.   Stephanie Ascherl: I wanted to be a teacher until I was in high school. As you can tell I'm soft spoken. And I had a teacher who just was like, You're gonna have to learn how to talk a little bit louder, or find another way to give back.  When she started with Fund for Teachers, she really loved it, and I can see why. What stands out about Fund for Teachers as an organization is that they listen to teachers. Even though Stephanie wasn't a teacher herself, she does exactly what we asked of legislators last episode, she, and the rest of her organization trust educators.  Stephanie Ascherl: I think, you know, here in Houston, we see think tanks, you know, may have a conversation with a group of teachers that then they take what they think they heard to the state legislator who then makes policy change, but why can't the teacher just talk directly to the legislature, like there's, we don't need all these middlemen, we need to invite teachers to the conversation and to participate actively in and with the people who are making decisions, and maybe how we're choosing the people who make decisions also needs to be looked at. Fund for Teachers is not a government organization. They are a non-profit, and Stephanie acknowledges they can't be the saviors of the American Educational system all on their own, but she knows that they are at least making a difference.  Stephanie Ascherl: I'm not naive, I know, there's bigger problems that we don't have control over. But I do hope that the, you know, we award about 350 to 400 teachers a year that those 300 to 400, people feel like they can do it another year, that they can keep moving forward, not just for their students, because that's what we hear so often is I don't want to leave the kids but that we really make them feel like they can do this for themselves. And that there are people that care, there are people that are invested.  I felt this tremendously. This fellowship did so much to make me feel valued, that there was someone out there who was rooting for teachers, and it makes a difference in teachers wanting to continue teaching - even if it's just for one more year.  Stephanie Ascherl: In a very small study we did regionally that teachers who received Fund for Teachers, fellowships are more likely to stay in the classroom than their counterparts who did not receive a fellowship. And this study is incomplete. But it also showed that teachers who just applied so people who could feel like there is opportunity, there is hope. And even just thinking about their practice, maybe in a different way. That even they stayed a little bit longer.  Even with their positive impact, Stephanie pointed out that people in academics or other educational bodies have been somewhat dismissive of what Fund for Teachers is doing for educators.  Stephanie Ascherl: Somebody referred to us, like as a warm hug once and I was like, You know what, I don't even care because we are a hug, and people need a hug. And people need that encouragement. And that's not going to make everyone happy. But I care about those three or 400 people I interact with a year, and that's really my priority.  For a teacher feeling burned out and devalued, a hug is pretty dang nice. I needed that acknowledgement that I am a professional and enough of an expert to recognize what I need to be happy and successful in the classroom for another year. Policymakers, School Boards, Districts! Take note! When trying to solve the problem of teacher attrition, think WWFFTD. What would Fund for Teachers Do? Start by listening to teachers, let them decide what they need, and be encouraging and supportive - teachers need both a metaphorical and literal hug right now.  Acknowledgement is validating, and it gets at the heart of what Fund for Teachers wants to do despite how teachers are being treated across the country. As we've heard before, teachers haven't been treated like professionals. Stephanie thinks it is in part because non-educators don't want to think about it.  Stephanie Ascherl: I just think that, generally, as a society, we choose not to understand what happens in schools.  Stephanie Ascherl: People put their blinders on. And they don't want to acknowledge that there is an issue that needs to be solved. And they don't want to know any different because then you'd have to take action. When there's this kind of like, monolithic, almost problem. It's almost like you just don't know where to begin to help. And so you don't know what to do. And then you're almost frozen to inaction.  For Stephanie, for Fund for Teachers, this shift towards action and treating teachers as professionals to be valued begins with valuing education, which means inviting teachers to the table when decisions about education are being made. They are doing this by awarding grants for projects that are created by teachers. To get teachers feeling invested, they need to be involved, they need to be invested in.  Stephanie Ascherl: Fund For Teachers, invests in teachers, and we invest in their self designed professional development. Why should we treat teachers any different than any other professional. If I want to go learn more about marketing, or how to engage my board or things like that, I can do that. And why would we deprive teachers of that opportunity? And districts aren't meeting that need? And that's where fund for teachers kind of comes in? Along with giving teachers the resources and freedom to design professional development that is individualized, Fund For Teachers also puts a lot of faith in what teachers get out of the fellowship. Remember a few episodes back when we talked about authentic experiences feeling superficial once they are measured? A part of why Fund for Teachers helps keep teachers in education and excited about learning is because they remove the barriers that teachers typically run into: like a lack of autonomy, feeling devalued, and being held to inauthentic standards Stephanie Ascherl: We're not really into data. So we're not some we're not, we're very different from a lot of organizations that, you know, while we're trying to get there, it's never really been about improving test scores. It's really about what your problem is today, and how we can help you solve it. And so when we talk about impact, it can come in many forms is a teacher feeling renewed, and recognized for their efforts, and they want to stay in the classroom for another year. That then it kind of morphs into students seeing what could happen if I had my own agency, if I took control of my learning, what kind of change could I make in my community or my, just my school or my life. So it has this this wide like spectrum of benefits. And they're really dependent on the teacher themselves in the project that they did. In simpler terms, Stephanie said their organization wants teachers to feel good about themselves, which is an absolute need for teachers at the moment.  Stephanie Ascherl: But I think holistically as an organization, we want teachers to walk away feeling trusted, respected, and encouraged because we know they're not getting that.  I'm proof - this approach works. But again, they're a small non-profit organization. What Fund for Teachers is doing, is not a national solution to teacher attrition on their own, but it could serve as a model. And Stephanie hopes that's what happens. Stephanie Ascherl:  I really look forward to the day that Fund for Teachers doesn't have to exist, because that would mean that teachers are getting the resources they need. And professional development that is meaningful and authentic is just happening. It's not this really unique thing, because Fund for Teachers is the only organization in the country that allows teachers to design their own professional development.  But until schools have the funding and willingness to give teachers the freedom for authentic teacher-driven professional development, Fund For Teachers will be here, and they can be a spark or a lifeline for teachers that want to stay. And even if they're that warm hug for teachers, they're a warm hug that offers resources too. Here's what Stephanie has to say to teachers that might need that something extra to keep their morale up and to keep their interest in teaching. Stephanie Ascherl: We're offering you up to $5,000 an individual to do something during the summer that you know is going to make you a better teacher. And that's going to have a great the greatest impact on your students and school community. And we'd really encourage you to take advantage of that. Not only for yourself, but for your students.  As Stephanie pointed out, the fellowship gives teachers a ton of freedom - more than I've ever experienced as a high school teacher. I got to choose what I wanted to do. So, I focused on research, writing, and activism through podcasting, so that I could create authentic units tied to each of those things back to my classroom. And it has been an amazing experience. It feels so good to be trusted as an expert and a professional. So much so, that I got emotional when I told Stephanie this. The start of this year was the best I have felt coming back to school in several years. I had a sense of confidence and purpose that are a direct result of this fellowship.  Other teachers who have received their own fellowships reported similar reactions. They were thrilled to be treated like professionals. And these kinds of experiences can translate to effectiveness in the classroom when teachers are trusted to apply what they've learned into the classroom. When teachers feel confident and trusted and excited about what they do, that has a direct result on the experiences of students.  Lindsey Freeman, a former High School Agriculture Teacher, has a great example of the impact teachers can have on students when they feel good about what they are doing. Lindsey Freeman: And when you're traveling with students, you've got to make sure that they're fed and watered and taken care of, and it's a little ag pun Ag can provide those unique opportunities for lots of adventures, field trips, and activities because they are often associated with the Future Farmers of America, or FFA, which is a club that has events and competitions that kids can take part in.  Lindsey Freeman: So that's a lot of pressure for the teacher to make sure that not only they have their basic needs taken care of, but they're having the experience that maybe I had when I was in their shoes. And so we went on a trip one time, and I had some students with me, and I can remember I'm driving the suburban, and I'm just thinking, like, we're listening to music here. But these kids aren't really talking to each other. Are they having a good time? I don't know if I'm doing my job, right. And then so we go, and we do our thing. And then we come back, and we're on our way back. And this kid is sitting in the passenger seat, and he says, This has been the best week of my life.  This has stuck with Lindsey as a highlight of her teaching career. And for this student to have had the best week of his life, he needed a teacher like Lindsey who felt supported in her role and who had the resources to take her students on an adventure.  Lindsey liked teaching high school, but she took advantage of an opportunity to work at the University of Wyoming on a whim. She is still active in Wyoming education, and when I sat down with her, she had just been hired on as the Ag Program Director at Laramie County Community College. We sat in her new classroom surrounded by Cow Anatomy Flip Charts and diagrams explaining different pork and beef cuts, and Lindsey pointed out that as we work towards change that will help keep teachers, it can't just be policy-based. Lindsey Freeman: I think policy can go a long ways to help do some things, but it can only go so far. And so I think we have to think beyond policy to try to find, and because there's many factors to the problem, there's probably many solutions to the problem.  As we heard multiple teachers point out throughout this series, there isn't a single factor that is pushing teachers out of education - it's a layering of factors. So, Lindsey thinks there needs to be a multitude of solutions. Lindsey Freeman: I don't think you can pinpoint one thing. And I think that maybe we're kind of spinning our wheels where we're trying to combat this teacher shortage, is we're trying to pinpoint the one thing, or the handful of things. But there are a few things that would help. Lindsey kept coming back to one thing that could do a lot to help teachers want to become teachers and to stay once they are teachers.  Lindsey Freeman:  I hate to say that it's all about the money. But it's hard even to recruit young people to enter the teaching profession, when they could go with the same set of skills and competencies and make a lot more money. I don't think teachers go into teaching to get rich, but they have to they have to be able to maintain a decent lifestyle, or they're gonna go do something else. And then and then they can so I don't think it's, I don't think it's realistic to expect teachers to, you know, live in poverty and continue to do this job.  Every time the call to pay teachers more comes up, we hear the rebuttal, “Well, where will that money come from?” and Lindsey acknowledges that that is a problem that needs to be solved. Lindsey Freeman: Because like, where does that extra funding come from, to, you know, support, teacher salaries. But I totally understand that, that if there was an easy solution, we would have probably found it by now. With this said, there are efforts to raise the wages of teachers at a national level. Most recently, Florida Congresswoman Frederica Wilson introduced the American Teacher Act, which would raise the minimum starting teacher salary to $60,000 and adjust for inflation. To put this into perspective, the United States' average starting  teacher salary, according to the National Education Association in the 2020-2021 school year, was just below $42,000. This Act, if passed, would help. Lindsey pointed to one more adjustment that needs to occur as we recruit and train teachers.  Lindsey Freeman: We have to do a better job of showing young people how hard teaching is, and still encouraging them to pursue teaching as a profession in spite of that, because it's not going to be easy. And I think maybe that's part of the reason why we lose so many teachers early on, is because they're, we didn't we were upfront with them and honest with them about how hard it actually is because, like, personally, for me, I'm afraid that they're going to not want to teach after like I, you know, tell them and this is hard, this is hard.  People go into education with misconceptions about what teaching is going to be. Like we talked about in an earlier episode, teaching isn't a movie. Lindsey wants to have a system that helps people recognize just how difficult teaching will be and to support and help teachers through the difficulties of teaching. Lindsey has been working with a group of people trying to address these difficulties in teaching.  Lindsey Freeman: Yeah, so I've been working at the University of Wyoming, with a group of faculty and well, a large group, actually, that they're developing a Wyoming Educator Mentor Corps. And so there's a lot of work going into mentoring. And hopefully, that can eventually and we might have to be patient, but hopefully, that can eventually trickle down into helping early and mid career teachers. Not just survive, you know, but actually be successful in like their job.  The Wyoming Teacher-Mentor Corps is  a program designed by the University of Wyoming to, quote, “foster teacher excellence and provide expert support for emerging teachers.”  The idea behind the program is that teachers, especially new teachers, need support, and veteran teachers often want to take a new step in their career. Currently, if a veteran teacher wants to progress their career that usually means becoming an administrator. This program hopes to give veteran teachers some agency and purpose by helping other teachers.  To learn more about the Teacher-Mentor Corps, I met up with Colby Gull, who is the Managing Director for the trustees education initiative in the College of Education at the University of Wyoming, and is a part of the Mentor Corps. Colby Gull: So really, the idea behind the Mentor Corps is we want teachers to be happy in their job.  Colby has five kids, and he explained that he wants his kids to be with teachers who are happy and who love them. Colby Gull: If they get teachers who are unhappy and feel unsupported and don't love their jobs, and don't love the kids, because they don't love the work, then that's not a that's not a good place for anybody. And so we hope that the Mentor Corps can help provide that support, so that teachers do feel supported and loved, and they do have a place to get additional support. And they can so that we will build a community of teachers who can support each other, whether you're in the same school or the same district or the same state. We want to have that support system built and structured. Colby was a high school teacher, a principal, and a superintendent. He has a good idea of what it feels like to be an educator, and he wants a system that would have supported someone like him who felt overwhelmed when he got into the classroom.  Colby Gull: And then I got in the classroom, and it wasn't what I expected. And the kids weren't all eager to learn and excited for me to be there, they did not love me and think I was amazing. And I would just, I would get home, I'd wrap up the school day and just feel downtrodden.  Because teaching is hard. This is a theme. Colby emphasizes the difficulty of education because it isn't something that seems to get a lot of legitimate attention. For Colby, we can help prevent teachers from leaving education by starting in teacher preparation programs, which might need a little adjustment themselves.  Colby Gull: In teacher prep programs, our faculty are like, they went through a teacher prep program, they were classroom teachers, and this is how it's been done. So somebody's probably gonna get mad at me. But we've always had this same mindset of this is how it's done. But I think fear, I think, discomfort on students part on teachers part on parents part. Well, that's not how we did it. This, that's not how I've ever done my classroom, why would I change now. And the legislature wants a little more control over things than that. And it's easy, it's easy to measure, seat time, it's a little harder to measure some of the other things that we're trying to measure. So Colby wants to see a shift in what we value, maybe this would mean a shift towards the joy of learning, like Chris Rothfuss said last episode. This is where the Mentor Corps will help. Colby Gull: I think that when we're new in a position, we don't know what we don't know. So we don't know what questions to ask. And having somebody that has some experience that has some training in mentoring. We will be helpful to just preemptively say, here's something that's coming up. When I spoke with Colby this summer, they were just getting ready to train a cohort of teachers to be mentors. In many of these episodes, we've discussed the value of expertise. When thinking about what teachers need, it's worth speaking with teachers. With this said, in order to train mentors to help other teachers, the Mentor Corps has sought the expertise of entities outside of education to address some of the issues educators are having within education.  Colby Gull:  And we're not focusing on any K-12 skills that you would technically think about as K-12 . But we're going to focus on how to communicate effectively how to talk to somebody, and how to listen to somebody so that when you're sitting with your mentor and mentee having a conversation, it's meaningful, and there's good feedback going both ways, which is another skill we're going to work on is, is giving and receiving feedback.  Along with better communication, the program will help train mentors, with the help of Leadership Wyoming, to find a better work-life balance, which is a major struggle for teachers. Colby Gull: We get out of balance really easily. And I think to a large measure that is to the detriment of our mental emotional health. And so we have, we have a strand on work life balance. And so we'll get introduced into that. And then we'll do a little piece about friendships and building relationships and having a trusting relationship, and confidentiality so that when they walk away, they'll have an introduction, all of those skills. And that's what we'll focus on over the 18 months are those skills and how they develop them.  So mentors will work through the mentorship program over the course of 18 months.  Colby Gull: And that's what our funding is for is for those three cohorts of mentors. So by the end, we'll have trained 60 mentors, 60 or so mentors. And then we'll develop a model of how that gets spread down through the state. So we can have a bigger impact than just 60. Because there are 350, some odd teacher opening jobs in Wyoming. So we need to have enough mentors to support all of those new teachers. The goal of the Teaching-Mentor Corps is to help teachers support teachers. They want to give teachers some agency and help construct a support system that will hopefully help both new and veteran teachers stay in education. This is a noble goal. Fund for Teachers and the Teaching-Mentor Corps won't solve teacher attrition on their own, but they will help keep some teachers in education. But as Lindsey pointed out, we still need solutions that result in valuing teachers, which means paying teachers better. When I asked Colby if the mentors participating in the Teacher-Mentor program will be paid for their mentorship of other teachers, he said no, not at this time. The program is a pilot and they could only get enough funding to pay for the training for the mentors. This is no fault of Colby or the program. I think this program is wonderful, and I would encourage anyone in Wyoming interested to apply to become a mentor.  But I do want to pause and draw attention at the larger reality this points to. When it comes to keeping teachers in education, the burden often lands right back on teachers.  The solutions to keeping teachers often requires more work, more time, and more stress, all for minimal to no compensation. Whether this is mentoring other teachers, going to legislative sessions or school board meetings, being on committees or task forces, writing for grants or fellowships, or making a podcast, it all takes time and almost all of it is done during a teacher's “free time.” When will the burden of keeping teachers in education fall to non-educators? Will it be when enough teachers leave? Will it be when teacher attrition gets to a point that becomes inconvenient for non-educators? I honestly don't know that we'll get to this point because people that teach care so much - that might be their tragic flaw. Several of the teachers that I spoke with over the course of this project were working on their own projects or going back to school to try to be part of the solution. And they do it because they care. These are people like Gary Martin who taught on the Wind River Reservation and went back to school for education. His dissertation is looking at how student trauma is being transferred to teachers and contributing to their attrition rate.  Gary Martin: Well, the attrition is crazy, because it's like, there's no stability, like teachers are staying like one or two years. And then next, you know, they're going to another district and I don't know about a lot of the students in, in other areas of state, but it's just like, students in general need, like stability. I mean, it's, the stability factor is lacking, especially when teacher that attrition is so high.  He knows that teachers leaving is hurting kids, but the onus should not be placed on teachers to stay so that kids aren't hurt. That rhetoric is used often, and it's tremendously manipulative. The programs that are trying to support teachers need to be funded and supported, and the burden of keeping teachers can't be placed solely on teachers. Meanwhile teachers are realizing that they have a lot of really great skills that can be applied in other careers - contrary to the thought that those who can't do, teach. So if we want to keep teachers from leaving education, it might mean shaking up the way things have been done and taking some notes from groups like Fund for Teachers or the Teacher Mentor Corps who are actively trying to help teachers by asking teachers what they need, so that maybe we can have a system where teachers want to stay. Or, teachers will keep leaving because they can. Next time, we will be hearing from teachers who have left teaching, how they left, and how their lives are now.   That will be next time, in the conclusion of Those Who Can't Teach Anymore. With only one episode left, we want to hear from you. We want to hear your reactions to the podcast, or personal stories about education.  If you are interested, please record a voice message that includes your name, background, and message, and send your recording to those who can't teach anymore at gmail.com for the chance to be included in a bonus episode. As always, thank you so much for listening. Be sure to subscribe to our podcast, leave a review, and share episodes with everyone you can think of. Word of mouth has done wonders for getting this podcast to people who need to hear it.  This episode was produced by me, Charles Fournier. It was edited by Melodie Edwards. Other editing help came from Noa Greenspan, Sarah-Ann Leverette, and Jennica Fournier. Our theme song is by Julian Saporiti. All other music can be found on our website. A special thanks to Stephanie Ascherl, Lindsey Freeman, Colby Gull, Elizabeth Smith, and Gary Martin for taking time to sit down and chat with me. If you are interested in applying for a Fund for Teachers Fellowship you can find their website at fund for teachers dot org. If you are interested in learning more about the Wyoming Teacher-Mentor Corps, there is a link in the transcript to this episode, and I will provide a link on our instagram page @thosewhocantteachanymore.  This podcast is funded in part by the Fund for Teachers Fellowship.  

What's the purpose of education? If you were to ask 10 different people this question, you may get 10 different answers. Education shouldn't be this complex, but getting people to come to a consensus on anything right now is a challenge. This can be a problem. If teachers are expected to meet ambiguous goals, it can lead to burnout and frustration.  In this episode, we hear how conflicting values in education may be contributing to teachers' decisions to leave.   Music:  Theme Song By Julian Saporiti  “Your Paradigm Dial” by Origami Repetika is licensed under a CC  BY license.   “Room With a View” by Jahzzar is licensed under a CC BY-SA license.  “Business Getaway  ” by Scott Holmes Music is licensed under a  CC BY-NC license. “I Was Different” by Ov Moi Omm is licensed under a CC  BY license.   “Sunny Afternoon” by HoliznaCC0 is in the Public Domain. Transcript: In the spring of 2016, Julian Saporiti, the guy that made the theme song for this podcast, asked me if I wanted to help him teach a summer road trip class for the University of Wyoming. It was easy to say yes, and this class ended up being one of the most influential educational experiences that I've ever had.  Many of our students felt the same way. One of them, Sam Mallory, even talked about it in his graduation speech.  Sam Mallory: Two years ago about this time of year, I was officially enrolled in the most influential course in my college experience And what made this class so significant likely had to do with the fact that we valued experience over product, which is a pretty non-traditional approach to a college course.. Our Syllabus included the following:  Introductions: Julian Saporiti -  Instructor /Guitarist. Charles Fournier Advisor/ Contemplation Mentor Books: Jack Kerouak's On The Road and John Steinbeck's Travels with Charlie Music: Songs and lyrics for sing-alongs Assignments: This list included items like helping a stranger, keeping a journal, and dancing in the moonlight Safety Measures: Information about bear country, how to react if lost, and how to create a cross-draft in your vehicle to fart rather than holding it in and risking feeling sick  Traveling Recommendations for Women: A list focused on hygiene and affirmations created by wife, Jennie, who is a brilliant traveler but opted to stay home to plan for classes and manage our new ornery dog Lastly: “Be Amazed. Be Present.” We set out for two weeks across Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana. We danced to music by firelight in the Tetons under the Milky Way. I taught a pair of girls how to build a fire and when they asked what I thought about feminism, we read parts of The Vagina Monologues while lighting things on fire- one of those girls just wrote an award-winning screenplay. We observed the wildlife of national parks and saw some animals as well.  I love this model for education. A kind of structure of non-structure that gives students a chance to grow autonomy and learn on the go. It was an experience, and the students were, if not changed, greatly impacted by that course. Julian and I were too.  I tried to apply some of the elements of this course to my high school classes the next school year. I wanted kids to sit around a fire and have conversations, to worry less about grades or tests, and to focus on collaborative experiences that result in knowledge acquisition.  Then the school year started. My fire pit idea was struck down, and the weight of standardized assessments, and everything else settled into place. My idealism was smothered by bureaucratic reality. There's nothing quite like having your grand plan for the new school year get deflated by October. And this brings me to a question that I have continuously returned to as a teacher when this happens - What's the point of education? Why are we here? The answer is ambiguous, and that uncertainty has led to conflict and confusion in education. So on the show today, we will ask “What's the purpose of education?” Because if we can't come to a consensus, teachers will continue to be expected to meet all of the competing thoughts about for what education is for. This is frustrating and adds to the stress and burnout that is leading teachers to find careers that might have more clearly defined parameters.  This is Those Who Can't Teach Anymore, a 7-part podcast series exploring why teachers are leaving education and what can be done to stop the exodus. I'm Charles Fournier. Here is part 4: “Why Are We Here?” Why we educate kids seems like it should be an easily answered question. But in my conversations with all levels of people involved in and around education, there wasn't a clear consistent answer:  Gary Martin:We have to work on their cognitive skills, you know, the critical thinking. Christy Chadwick: I think we have this idea that the purpose of education is to raise the next generation. But now, it sort of feels like a control factor. It feels like we're just controlling society through education.   Caskey Russell: Fostering creativity in the students, critical thinking, removing kind of cultural blind spots, providing kind of an equal access all across the board, regardless of class race, getting an idea of community, American community as the kind of multicultural tapestry. Lindsey Freeman: I mean, that's a big part of it is workforce development. But just citizens, I mean, our government or politicians, like everything that our world needs to continue starts in the classroom.  Jaye Wacker: Oh, my gosh, to protect a democratic republic. You know, pure and simple. We have to be educated, we have to be able to see through the bullshit, you know.  Jennica Fournier: I thought my role was to teach students about chemistry and biology. But I think sometimes there's the expectation that you're babysitting them. or that you're keeping them safe.  Shane Atkinson: I really tried to make it about the human connection.  Elizabeth Smith: The purpose of education is to train our people to be worker bees, and to have the skills necessary to devote their entire lives towards the betterment of a few elite versus the greater good of all.  It's a lot, and that can be a problem. And there is a split between the ideal for what education is for and the reality that often stifles idealism. What we do know is that an educational system is inherently political because it reflects a country's values. But what is valued in the US is continuously evolving and hard to pin down.  Education started in the Americas as a way to teach kids how to be a part of their community. Then it started to shift with colonization. Education went from being morality focused - teaching literacy so that people could read the Bible. To Democracy and assimilation focused - forcing people to fit a standard ideal while emphasizing being an active citizen. To worker focused - creating industrialized systems to set people up to enter the workforce. To academic and standards focused - standardizing curriculum with the intent to compete on the global scale.  But now, as demonstrated by the crazy political climate, what we value as a country is unclear, so what education should look like is also unclear.   This lack of clarity is landing at the feet of teachers. And having a job with no clear and agreed upon objective is frustrating. Should teachers be focused on standardized tests, on learning, on mental health, on social health, on morality, on graduation rates? It's not clear. But what is clear, is that having more of a shared value system would be valuable. A shared vision of what education is for. This would give teachers a clear objective that does not leave room for the petty arguments that are at the heart of so many educational dilemmas that are driving teachers out.  I think we can get there. I spoke with people from all over the political spectrum for this podcast, and I am certain that we can get to a shared set of values.   Juan Laden: Fundamentally, we need to make available within our teaching environment the understanding of other people and the possibilities for children to do so many things. Juan Laden sat down with me at the Lander Bake Shop. I had set up a microphone and taped up a sign with two questions: Why are teachers leaving Education? And What is the Purpose of Education? Because I don't want to hassle folks, I sat quietly with my dirty chai and waited for people to come to me. Juan sidled over in a dutch cap, still chewing on a pastry, and starting answering questions before he even sat down.  Juan Laden: I think they're good teachers, and that's why they're leaving. And so that's, are you recording this? Good, good? Juan is a lot of things. He has never been a public school teacher, but he was an experiential climbing instructor for the National Outdoor Leadership School or NOLS, he has traveled around and lived in Europe, he is knowledgeable in many things including plumbing and photography, and he knows a lot about pedagogy, this is a word educators use to talk about the method or practice of teaching: Juan Laden: And basically, I think the concept in America of education is filling a receptacle, and that is not what it's about.  What Juan is referring to is also called the banking method - the idea is that a student's educational experience is to get packed full of information, and that's it. The banking method is not a popular pedagogy because it lacks a need for critical thinking and creativity and disregards the fact that students come to school already possessing knowledge. Many folks I spoke with push against this focus of education - to pack kids full of information. Juan agrees, and he explained that he thinks education should feel more like caving.  Juan Laden:  I'm a caver and talk about exploration. Most people don't like the idea of caving. I tell them they just had a difficult birth and never got over it. But you know, it's like, what a trip. You're exploring to the max. When you find a new cave…the dream of all cavers is to find the big, going cave, like, “Wow, there's a hole and you go in there, and it goes, and it goes, and there's more.” The idea that you're actually going where no one's been before, and that's what exploration is. It is a very deep drive in all humans to start out with - that curiosity, that emotional need to explore is driven by curiosity. Exploration was a tenet of that Road Trip class, and something I wish my high school classroom had more of now. We gave the students the freedom to choose where they wanted to go and how they wanted to get there. This is how we ended up at a hot spring called Chicken Soup in Idaho. Idaho wasn't even in our original plan.  The desire to explore was also an ideal across many of my conversations with teachers about what education is for - to help students jump into a metaphorical or literal cave. But the reality of teaching in a public school setting is that this ability to delve into curiosity is often devalued by what is required in the curriculum, community pressures, or a lack of resources. And the breadth of information that needs to be covered in a curriculum sometimes does not allow for depth or the chance for student exploration.  I know of several projects that students would learn from and enjoy that were dead on arrival because they did not meet a curricular requirement or wouldn't work for a specific standardized assessment. Such limits can take away from the joy of teaching and we've already seen that it can lead to teachers quitting.  Exploration is something worth valuing, but based on how our system is currently structured, it isn't valued enough.  To get another idea about this question, we're going to take a step back and start with what an educational jack-of-all-trades says about the purpose of education. I met up with Colby Gull at his office. Colby is the Managing Director for the trustees education initiative in the College of Education at the University of Wyoming. I asked him what the purpose of education is: Colby Gull: That is too complex of a question for your podcast, probably.  This shouldn't be the case. To me, this is part of the problem. I wish education could be simpler. For instance, for their final project during the road trip class, a pair of students designed and printed a t-shirt for the class. And they created a slogan for each person in the course. Mine read “Just trying to teach people not to be assholes.” And you know, that sums up my pedagogy pretty well.  But Colby's right. Our country's current view of education is very complex. We can't easily say that education should be for exploration like Juan says, or that education is trying to teach people not to be assholes like my t-shirt motto says. And our system might be too complex. We might be trying to layer in too much.  And Colby, who was a teacher, principal, and superintendent, is aware of that. Here he is again with another answer that tries to better address the complexities for what he sees as the purpose of education: Colby Gull: I think we have to help our students to gain some basic knowledge, some basic skills around academic areas. We want them to understand how to read and to ask good questions. And we want them to understand some mathematical things and solve problems. But we also want to give them opportunities to explore new ideas and new ways of thinking about things and to analyze their own thinking, and , ”Why is my opinion that? Maybe it should be something else?” But I think the purpose of all of that is to help students to be prepared to go out and reach their potential, and to do great things and challenge thinking and make things better for themselves and for the people around them. Colby's answers show his expertise. He is a guy that spends his life thinking about education and helping to train and retain teachers, and through all of his roles, he has had to deal with the bureaucracy and politics of education more intimately than most teachers ever do. What a teacher might value does not include the political nature of education And this is where the conflict comes in. Something like the Road Trip Class, is my ideal education structure because it also reflects my values. But that does not work in public education. Teacher values and idealism often collapse against the layers of the education system's bureaucracy. And it's disheartening. So we end up with statements like Colby's second answer.  It covers a lot but it is also pretty generalized. It sounds like an institutional response to the question, or a mission statement - their purpose of education proclamation. To compare, here is the mission statement from the United States Department of education:  “The United States Department of Education's  mission is to promote student achievement and preparation for global competitiveness by fostering educational excellence and ensuring equal access.” And here are a few more mission statements to compare to from districts across the country. Try to guess where they're from: “We ensure equitable access to a transformative educational experience grounded in the assets of our students, staff, and community.” Here's Another: “To ensure high levels of learning for all students. To continuously develop our capacity to function as a collaborative culture.”  One more: “Our commitment is to prepare each student to become a career and college ready citizen. We will partner with families and the community to provide an engaging and challenging education in a safe and positive environment.” Each of these mission statements, from the US Department of Education to districts from three different time zones across the US have similar and vague declarations. They feel like a fortune - “You are about to rediscover a lost connection to your past.”  I get why the mission statements are vague. They are meant for a diverse population, and each family within that population should be able to see some value in these mission statements because public education is for everyone.  But this is also where we can run into problems. The way I read “preparing each student to become a career and college ready citizen” is unique from what the administration, or students, or parents, or even other teachers may think. Do I think a person needs to avoid spaghetti straps to be a productive citizen? Not really, but I do think knowing how to work towards and meet a deadline would help. So why does a vague purpose of education lead to teachers leaving the profession? Because many educators are finding that their interpretation of these missions and goals are in conflict with those of the administration, school board, or community. Values are not aligning. Which creates stress and sometimes forces a choice, do what they believe in and create conflict, or compromise their values and feel miserable.   Every now and then there are times when idealism aligns within the classroom, which can create amazing moments.  For Allison Lash, who was an art teacher in New York City that we heard from last episode, building community and learning in her mind require providing students with new experiences and opportunities. Allison Lash: That's the kind of thing that I love bringing to kids like these little snippets and experiences that they might not get in the classroom.  When her second graders were learning about rocks and gemstones from books, Allison organized a field trip to the Museum of Natural History because she knew they had an amazing collection. Allison Lash: And I took all the kids out of the Bronx and into Manhattan. And as we're and I rev them up, like for the field trip, and I told them we're leaving the Bronx, we're leaving the Bronx because so many of them have never left the Bronx are there. So many of them never left like many of them lived in the projects, the building. And so they only traveled from the building to school a block away in the supermarket like this. These like four streets, basically. And the kids when we were driving over the water and on the bridge to get to Manhattan, they were all screaming when they said we're leaving the Bronx. So I love, I love being able to do that. The ability to leave the space of the school often creates authentic learning experiences for students. These are experiences that connect students to their communities, which is a common value presented in school district mission statements. But there are limiting factors to leaving the space of the school. This is where idealism can be deflated because much of the modern purpose of education is now tied to keeping kids safe. This is why we practice having lockdowns.  Lauren Schumacher spoke to me about how fear and wanting to keep kids safe impacts how we view the purpose of education. Lauren Schumacher: And I think, sadly, with all the violence, you know, the school shootings situations, continue to make our country want to fence our buildings in and put doorbells on and all that which I understand. But in the same breath, we need to be removing them from the fences and getting them out into communities. I think that is more of the direction we need to move education. I was really excited to talk to Lauren. I set up an interview station outside next to the Valley Bookstore in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. I didn't meet Lauren first, I met her whole family. Her daughter saw my signs about teachers leaving and said, “My mom is going to want to talk to you” before she ran back from the direction she came to get her mom.  Lauren was on vacation with her family. She is an administrator in Florida, and she had previously taught in both Missouri and Florida, but everything she talked about matched what teachers in my home state brought up. In terms of the purpose of education, Lauren echoes the idea of wanting more experiential learning that gets kids into their communities. Lauren Schumacher: I think we need to step away from the traditional brick and mortar, and get our kids out and learning.  But, as Lauren pointed out earlier, with threats of violence in schools, education might be moving the other direction. I hate this. We desperately need to be moving towards mobility and freedom and exploration - not away from it. When I reflect on that road trip class, there were elements of risk - absolutely - but we didn't structure our educational experience around fear. Nor did threats feel looming like they do in modern education.  When I answer my classroom door, I always have a pen in hand - it's the sharpest object in my room, and I look through the window to check who is at my door, and what is in their hands before I let them in. Every time I answer the door, I play through a scenario of an active shooter. Our doors stay locked and shut because the statistics show that locked and shut doors save lives, and we value student lives. But this is the setting in which we are trying to teach exploration and wonder. It's hard to have idealistic values and believe the purpose of education is for exploration in a locked room. So I have to return to the question, “What is the purpose of education?” Because if it's to protect kids from violence and shootings, this is a heavy burden to ask teachers to carry. And the weight of it is becoming too much for many educators. Such expectations make teachers feel like their job descriptions have shifted. And this is where more complexity comes in. Rather than being facilitators of learning, critical thinking, and exploration, teachers are having to do any number of things. Ron Ruckman: I think that's the awesome part of teaching is that you get to be all those things, you know, but it puts a huge mental drain on teachers.  This is Ron Ruckman, we heard a little bit from him in the second episode. Ron taught for 23 years and quit to run his construction business that he has with a friend. A business that does not require Ron to have to engage with much other than completing projects. Part of why Ron left had to do with a purpose of education that required too much from him. Ron Ruckman:That's the problem. I think that for me that that has finally just kind of wore me out. The needs of kids beyond way beyond science, just the stuff I teach my subject matter. I do so much more. I spend so much time and it seems like I've spent more and more time as my teaching career has gone on. Kids seem to be a lot more needy of that kind of attention, and then we have one counselor. She can only do so much. She's got a line at her office most days, and it's like, you just have to wear all those hats to be the teacher, be the counselor, be the be mom and dad. That's the reality for some kids. Ron recognizes that these kids need more than content. Mental health matters, even more so with the pandemic. In 2021, the CDC reported that nearly half of teenagers reported feeling sad or hopeless over the last year, and schools are a great resource for students who are struggling, but most school counselors are constantly busy because they have so many students needing help. Some of that overflow lands on teachers. For some teachers, who are not qualified or professional counselors, this is too emotionally taxing. So is this the purpose of education? To support the mental health of students? If it is, how does this match the structure of our education system?  For Ron, he knows students need support, and he also believes that education needs to focus on things that are relevant to his content.   Ron Ruckman: It's important that we keep teaching critical thinking. My district recently held a professional development day where local business people explained what they want our schools to prepare students for. One of the things they pointed to was the ability to think critically and problem solve. Another was the ability to value and communicate with other people. To actively engage in a civilized manner and recognize not everyone shares the same perspective.  Ron Ruckman: If you're not willing to feel cognitive dissonance, if you're not willing to feel that uncomfortable feeling of what you thought, and then realizing that maybe that wasn't the truth. I had an uncle that always taught me you can learn something from everybody. And that includes every little fifth grader that I've ever had come through my room. Every single person I meet, I learned something from. That's what a teacher should be doing is teaching kids that you need to make your own opinion, but you need to consider all the data and all the opinions of others and put it all together and then make your own educated opinion. Ron values critical thinkers that have a growth mindset. He does not want learning to stop for people once they graduate. For Ron, if the purpose of education is to grow an active and informed citizenry, which harkens back to what the founding fathers wanted of education, then learning should be lifelong.  Ron Ruckman: It's okay to change what you believe in. When you consider more evidence, you know, and as you go through life, you learn more things and you see more things and, you know, and that I think a lot of people don't like that. We can't just be stuck in one way of thinking all of our life, otherwise, you're just gonna be very unhappy. So through science, Ron was helping students think critically and communicate with one another and form opinions all while addressing students' other needs - which ended up wearing him out by the time he left his job. For Ron, the purpose of education isn't finite,  and it became too much for him to continue.  One last thing about Ron. When considering the purpose of education, there is some speculation that teachers are using education as a place to spew a political agenda. Ron is adamant that this is incorrect. Ron Ruckman: Well, and that's part of the part of my, just kind of my disgust with the public right now is the image of teachers being, you know, we're out there to indoctrinate kids or whatever that bullshit is. And I'm sorry to use that word, but that it is, it's bullshit. That one will get me fired up more than anything else, you know, we're there to just teach them about the subjects that, you know, that we're in, you know, and we're not out there to indoctrinate. No teacher that I spoke with or know of is actively trying to indoctrinate students. That is not the purpose of education in their minds. Some teachers even joked that they wished they could indoctrinate students - then maybe students would do their homework and turn things in on time. But this fear of indoctrination from non-educators is a problem, making it more difficult to define the purpose of education simply. In my ideal for education, I get to act as a facilitator of curiosity. I help students explore their interests by guiding them towards relevant resources, and I feel like it's my job to not be offended. I want students to be able to ask honest questions about whatever they're interested in. And at no point will I stop a curious student and say, “I'm sorry, you cannot address that in this room. This room is for English content only.” or “That does not fit within our mission statement.”  I want to be able to stray from content in my classroom, but it does not match a view of education that is content specific and easily measured. There seems to be a fear that anything outside of a content area is indoctrination or a deviant plot to warp the minds of children - muwahahaha. It's asinine and disregards the fact that expecting teachers to only teach content and nothing more is missing a big part of what education is. Ron Ruckman: I think the expectation, honestly, is that that's all you do is teach your subject, and that's all you should ever, you know, and what they don't realize is, these kids need so much more. And I think there's so much more on our plate as a teacher than what the public thinks is there or even expects us to do, but we don't have a choice. We, you know, we would have, you know, we'd have no, we'd have utter chaos. You know, if we didn't wear all those hats Going into a classroom and only trying to teach content, while addressing nothing else, rarely works. This is why guest speakers sometimes flounder - they assume their expertise is enough to engage students - and they get eaten alive. But the focus on content can't be dismissed. Standards and standardized assessments are a constant quality of modern education. Is this what we value? Content that will be assessed on a standardized assessment? In reality, assessments are the main measurable expectations that are placed onto schools. And for many teachers, if the purpose of education is to only have students do well on a test, then that is enough of a reason to quit teaching. Teachers are having to balance teaching content that students will be tested on with their values and ideas about the social, emotional or cultural things that are harder to measure but necessary for a well-functioning classroom. And having to be responsible for a list of ambiguous immeasurables is draining and pushing teachers out. Ron Ruckman: I mean, now we are basically caretakers of those kids.  We met Rachael Esh last episode, she left teaching to write children's books, and she felt like the foundation of her teaching experience was based on relationships:  Rachaeel Esh: And even when you learn when you go into teaching, you know this. The number one thing they teach you is relationships, build relationships, don't worry about the content until you have the relationships because we know they're not going to listen to you if they don't respect you or care about you to get that other information. So you've got to build that. You've got to have your expectations.The purpose of education, I mean, it's just, it's all encompassing. Raising a kid takes a community and I feel like teachers are a big part of that community. Rachael wants to foster kindness and curiosity and empathy. This sounds like it would fit the tenets from the mission statements from earlier, but what stands out to me is her point that content is secondary. Many teachers recognize that without a relationship, it's very difficult to teach any sort of content. Relationships are part of what made that road trip class so successful. Relationships are what those guest speakers are lacking. I've even heard kids specifically say, they will refuse to do work or try to learn from a teacher they don't like. So to get to content, some of these other things are having to be addressed, which adds to what teachers are already doing and are hard to measure or track. There are also a few differing views on what makes up content. Several teachers drew a line between content tied to learning and exploration and content for standardized assessments.  Rachael Esh: So just being like, hey, good job on all your hard work. We're number one for our scores again, and it's like, I don't care. And so if that's what we're celebrating, I don't really want to work here. Because that's not what's important to me. And so like, how about we celebrate this the teacher that tried a new lesson and fell on their face? Like Good job family? Because that's what we teach our kids. But do we let our teachers fail? No. So I just don't agree with it. Rachael wanted to teach in a space that allowed for teachers to experiment in their classrooms. To try things and fail, but she felt like the test scores were what her district valued. They prioritized high scores over experiences and what Rachael thought of as authentic learning.  I understand this. Getting a taste of a structure like the road trip class that allowed for authentic learning because it was exploration based makes it really hard to go back to prioritizing high scores. Rachael Esh:  I cannot stand another freakin meeting talking about. But does the standard say that? What does modeling mean? What does this mean? I don't care. I'm sorry, I don't need to break down the exact definition of a word in order to teach the general concept. And I am going to make time to teach what these kids really need to know in life, which is not that. The focus on standards hasn't always been the norm. As I said earlier, education has shifted its focus as our country's values have shifted.  And part of the confusion could have to do with modern education holding onto outdated values for   public education. Values that don't match a modern world or modern ideals. Though that may be true, teachers are still having to work in this environment that lacks clear objectives. This is stressful.  We often hear, just do what's best for kids when it feels like bureaucracy is getting heavy. But what I think is best for kids might include calling them by their chosen name, holding them accountable for their actions, pushing them to reach high expectations, or providing them with various pieces of text that give unique perspectives.  These might sound great, but for each of the examples I just listed, I have had a situation where a parent, student, administrator, or fellow teacher disagreed with me to the point that we needed to have a meeting about our perspectives. And the reality is, I can't say who is right or wrong based on our educational system, there's no clear answer. For many teachers, having to defend why, in their professional opinion, their view of education is valid, is just not worth it. And being accosted by parents or administrators or school boards gets old really quickly. Ron  talked about the lasting impact of these conflicts: Ron Ruckman: Yeah, it's scary to me still, I mean, parents, parents, I, when I have parents get in my face, I hate it even now. And most of the time, and well, like, I would say, 99% of the time parent goes away happy. And I sit there and dwell on it for the next five days, you know, and it totally wrecks my whole mental state for a long time. You know, and I just don't think parents realize, you know, they come in, and they're fired up, because they hear one story from their kid, and then they come in, and they're all fired up, and they leave and they're, they're fine. But I've, you know, it's, it's almost like, you know, you're almost traumatized by it for a little bit, you know, and that I know, that sounds dumb, but that, that is something that just kind of happens, you know, and I feel like because I like to make everybody I'm kind of a people pleaser, you know, I like everybody to be happy with me all the time.   Every teacher I know has a getting chewed out story - when a parent cornered and then screamed at them in their own classroom or demanded retribution because they refused to believe their child would ever lie to them so the teacher must be lying. These moments leave scars And this shows that even if there isn't a shared view for the purpose of education, there might be a consensus that devalues teachers making it acceptable to treat them this way.  And when it comes to making changes to keep teachers, I don't know what the answer is. But I know that valuing teachers and education would help. Because I do know that a lot of teachers that left education love teaching, but many of them didn't feel like they or their work were valued.  I also know that education is for students. So to identify what the purpose of education should be, it might be worth asking  students what they need? What do they value? Jonah Zeimens: I feel like education has lost real world application in a lot of things.  This is Jonah Zeimans. Jonah was a student of mine a few years ago. He took my college level English course, and we've stayed in contact since. Jonah is currently going to college to become an Ag teacher. He was a high achieving student. He was involved with FFA at a national level. He even spoke at graduation. And with all of these accolades, he still wishes his high school experience could have been a little different.  Jonah Zeimens: I wish it was a lot more individualized. What I don't love about our school system right now is that we're so standardized and trying to get everyone to meet the same requirements every step of the way. And I can understand maybe while students are younger, the importance of that, but once folks start figuring out what they want to do with their life a little bit more, it'd be nice to have a little bit more experimentation there. I think about this a lot going, the ag education, I would have loved to have taken more ag classes while in high school.  Jonah hit on an issue many teachers talked about in frustration with standards and standardized tests. Students value individualization. With individualization comes exploration and the ability to get excited about their futures.  Teachers love fostering this work, and if we look back to the mission statements from earlier, individualized instruction meets several of their requirements. But this is not  feasible in our current approach to education. Even if teachers want to create individualized instruction, they often run into the issue of navigating standards, or having time, or managing huge classes. But what Jonah is saying is an ideal. I would get behind a purpose of education that focused on students' individual goals, and I know of a lot of teachers that would do the same.. But a few things would have to change to make this approach feasible and not burn teachers out.  Teachers would need smaller class sizes. Building in-depth individualized learning plans for 150 students isn't practical or healthy. So if we value teacher well-being and individualized learning, education needs funding for more teachers and more facilities so classes can be smaller. That would be a start to reaching a consensus on what education  is for.  I spoke with another recent graduate about the same issues. Landon Trujillo was a wrestler of mine. I coached with his dad for several years, and when Landon graduated he gave me a picture from state wrestling. Someone caught the moment when Landon melted into my chest right after he won the state championship. The picture frame says family on it. It's on my desk as I work on this podcast. Landon didn't love the structure of school.  Landon Trujillo: Um, I'm a pretty social person. So I really liked the social aspect. And just a bunch of friends there people to talk to all the time. Some things I didn't like is like, how, by the book, everything is. 90% of teachers teach the same, in my opinion. It's just work for a grade, and then get your grades and that's pretty much it. I can see why Landon thinks education is about getting a good grade. As a teacher, this is disheartening. When working towards standards is the priority, the things that foster the joy of learning feel like they get pushed aside. Grades become more valuable than experiences or individualized instruction. These are the times when I look back to that road trip class I told you about and think about how far away I am from that wonderfully structured course. From the things I value as a teacher. From being in a setting with a shared purpose - to explore and not be assholes.  If teachers do not think what they do has purpose, it will be hard to keep them in a job. Part of what gives teachers purpose is autonomy and trust and an ability to explore authentic learning experiences. Things that everyone I spoke with values. But teachers are having to prioritize things that are considered measurable. Assessments and standards are used as tools of measurement, but the things I and many teachers value are hard to measure. I could not measure the impact that roadtrip class had on students in any tangible way, but I know it had an impact. I can't measure my relationships, and if I tried, they would feel superficial. This is why some education feels superficial, because it values measurement over authenticity. And teachers are leaving this system, but our country can keep teachers if we shift our values to what teachers and students already value, which does not include high stakes testing or standardization. Next time, we will take a look at the impact standardization and high stakes testing have on the classroom, and how this impact plays a role in teachers' decisions to leave education. Chris Rothfuss: They switched to a standards oriented approach where they were targeting competency and individual standards as their evaluative structure for student success, as opposed to a grading format. And I think that's a more sophisticated and more thoughtful approach to evaluating educational needs and educational accomplishment.   That will be next time on Those Who Can't Teach Anymore. Thank you for listening. Be sure to subscribe to our podcast, leave a review, and share episodes with everyone you can think of. This episode was produced by me, Charles Fournier. It was edited by Melodie Edwards. Other editing help came from Noa Greenspan, Sarah-Ann Leverette, and Jennica Fournier. Voice Acting by Chris and Haylee Brayton, Britni Shipman, and Ben Zoller. Our theme song is by Julian Saporiti. Road Trip songs were performed  by the Great American Roadtrip class of 2016. All other music can be found on our website. A special thanks to Elizabeth Smith, Juan Laden, Colby Gull, Allison Lash, Lauren Schumacker, Ron Ruckman, Jonah Zeimans, Landon Trujillo, Gary Martin, Caskey Russell, Jaye Wacker, Jennica Fournier, Shane Atkinson, Lindsey Freeman, Christy Chadwick, and Rachael Esh for taking time to sit down and chat with me. If you are interested in hearing more about Rachel Esh and her books, check out our instagram page @thosewhocantteachanymore to see a video of her.  This podcast is funded in part by the Fund for Teachers Fellowship.

Kurt interviews Elizabeth Smith, Senior Director of Product Marketing at HydraFacial. Elizabeth discusses the importance of understanding the competitor landscape in your industry, personalizing products based upon data and feedback, and how HydraFacial equips estheticians with innovative tools.

Many of the problems modern teachers are facing aren't new, so we're going back in time to find out how our education system became a system that teachers are currently fleeing. Come to find out, modern teachers inherited low pay, limited respect, and a system that strips communities of their cultural traditions. In this episode, hear how Indian Boarding Schools and the American Industrial Revolution have left traces on modern education, and how these traces are contributing to teachers' decisions to leave education.   Music:  Theme Song By Julian Saporiti “Sonata No.13 in E Flat Major, Op. 24 No. 1-II. Allegro, Molto, e Vivace” by Daniel Veesey is in the Public Domain. “Railroad's Whisky Co” by Jahzzar is Licensed under a CC BY-SA license. “Ugly Truth” by HoliznaCC0 is in the Public Domain. “Upsurge” by Jonah Dempcy is  a  CC BY-NC license. “Green Lights”  by Jahzzar is licensed under a CC BY-SA license. “Pizz” by Andrew Christopher Smith is licensed under a CC BY-NC-SA Transcript: I had a band teacher once hold me after class and force me eat a beef and bean burrito. He sat in front of me on the piano bench to make sure that I ate it. I was a freshman, in the middle of the high school wrestling season, and I was cutting weight for my first varsity tournament – where I'd end up getting my lips knocked off. My teacher, Mr. Duran, was short, wiry, wore jeans with a braided leather belt and a button-down shirt. He had round-framed glasses, combed his hair to the side, and more than once told me to listen to the greats like Chick Webb and not just the white guys that made it on the radio.  He was in his 30th year of teaching, and he was not shy about giving advice. While I ate the burrito, Duran talked about playing baseball in college and how abruptly a life of sports could come to an end but how long a life of music could last. This was mature guidance, albeit, guidance that I see more value in now than I did then. Duran would garnish each class with stories that worked to guide us towards being kind human beings. There were days in Jazz band where he would sit in the center of the tiered room, legs crossed, saxophone neck strap still on, and tell us about his past. When Mr. Duran was in college at the University of Northern Colorado in the 1960s, the Count Basie Orchestra went through town and stopped at the university. UNC was known for its jazz programs and one of Basie's saxophone players dropped out and they needed a replacement. Count Basie was one of the most influential musicians from the Swing Era – he was like a swing minimalist. Duran jumped at the opportunity. He got to travel and play with the band and experience life as a musician – more specifically as a musician of color. One time he and a buddy from the orchestra went into a diner and were refused anything more than water. Duran was Mexican and his friend was Black, and it was the middle of the 1960s. In protest, they sat in the big window of the diner for 3 hours, sipping their water, putting themselves on display for anyone who walked by. I love that story – this man, my teacher, saw inequity and faced it with defiance. Duran's lessons were eye-opening. I didn't realize that those stories served as parables on ethics and kindness until I became a teacher and started telling stories of my own to serve the same ends. Duran used his history to help us become better humans. And isn't that why we turn to history? Well, today, we're going to take a lesson from Duran and examine the history of education in the U.S. And because the history of education is tremendous, we have to narrow it down. So we'll focus on two aspects of history that set precedents for modern education, for the current system from which modern teachers are exiting.. We are going to start with Indian Boarding Schools, and then we'll take a look at the American Industrial Revolution. This is Those Who Can't Teach Anymore, a 7-part podcast series exploring why teachers are leaving education and what can be done to stop the exodus. I'm Charles Fournier. Here is part 2: “Inheritance” Caskey Russell:  I'm going crabbing this weekend. I own a boat with my brothers. And yeah, we go out and catch crab. And there'll be salmon season soon. So I kind of got back into the ocean style lifestyle. This is Caskey Russel. I got to catch up with him over a zoom call this summer. He is the Dean of Fairhaven College at Western Washington University. He grew up in Washington and is from the Tlingit tribe. I know Caskey because he taught for 17 years at the University of Wyoming, he was a dean of American Indian Studies, and he was my thesis chair and educational guide when I was at the university. Some of Caskey's research for his PhD program dug into the history of Indian Education, specifically Indian boarding schools. Caskey Russell: My grandmother and her brothers, aunts and uncles, all went to Chemawa Indian School, in Salem. And it was a mixed bag. If you are asking yourself, wait, who's this Caskey guy and what do Indian Boarding Schools have to do with teachers quitting? Here's how. We know that historical atrocities leave a trace on modern institutions, so we need to recognize that Indian boarding schools have left their mark on modern education. They are a  part of the system of inequity modern teachers have inherited. Indian Boarding Schools are an example of the deculturalization that has occurred in education. One of many. Attempts to strip communities of their cultures happened with just about everyone in this country at some point that didn't fit into the male, able-bodied, straight, white, Anglo Saxon Protestant category. Traces of these inequities remain in education, deculturalization still happens, and teachers working towards inclusion in a system that was based on exclusion often run into roadblocks – think book bans or accusations that teachers are trying to indoctrinate kids - and these roadblocks are pushing teachers out of education. So to better understand the inequities in modern education, this thing that is frustrating teachers to the point of quitting, we need to look at where some of those attempts at deculturalization originated. We need to look at Indian Boarding Schools. And we need to listen to someone like Caskey.  Caskey Russell: They liked the sports. They like some of the music, but my uncle Stanley Pradovic, I remember he said, “I used to dream of feasts, seafood feasts that they had in Alaska.” And  my grandmother was able to keep the Tlingit  language because she didn't go to boarding school, but her brothers did not.  You step back and look at the whole system and how destructive and just kind of the cultural genocide aspect. My grandmother would say she didn't know her brothers because when she was born, her brothers were gone away from her earliest memories. And so she didn't get to know her brothers right away. It did break families up. And I was just chatting with my mom last night. My mom said the other family had no control over what it was determined for them. And again, not having control over that seems to be the key to it, nor having input in the education nor valuing…and then having a different model, different cultural notion of success. And then the military and the Christianization, all that together, just adds problem on top of problem, instead of being empowering and enlightening, that really becomes conforming, sort of thing. What happened to Caskey's family was a result of centuries of efforts to deculturalize tribes. Early European colonizers of the US  set a precedent of trying to assimilate tribes into a single monolithic culture. Colonizers disregarded tribal traditions and languages and failed to see that tribes already valued education for their youth. So the assumption that public education started with Horace Mann in 1837 is an assumption that values eurocentric education over the public education that was already in the Americas.  Part of this is because the purposes of education differed. Many Native communities saw educating children as a means to pass on generational knowledge and teach children how to be a successful part of the community. 17th-century Plymouth settlers specifically saw education and literacy as a method to keep Satan away. Children needed to be able to read so they could read the Bible. A pilgrim minister explained: “[There] is in all children, though no alike, a stubbornness, and stoutness of mind arising from natural pride, which must, in the first place, be broken and beaten down; that so the foundation of their education being laid in humility and tractableness, other virtues may, in their time, be built thereon” (42). But tribes did not beat down their children, did not read the Bible, and were able to survive and thrive in what Pilgrims saw as wilderness. So Pilgrims worked to impose their educational priorities onto tribes as a way to cast out Satan, and ultimately gain control of Indigenous people. This effort to assimilate and control only compounded over the next few centuries By the 19th century, congress was also making efforts to deculturalize and assimilate tribes. Thomas Jefferson who had a big role in the removal of Native Americans from their lands also had a One Nation idea when it came to Native Americans – an assumption that required assimilation through education. In 1816, Jefferson explained the value of education: “Enlighten the people generally and tyranny and oppressions of body and mind will vanish like evil spirits at the dawn of day. Although I do not, with some enthusiasts, believe that the human condition will ever advance to such a state of perfection as that there shall no longer be pain or vice in the world, yet I believe it susceptible of much improvement, and most of all in matters of government and religion; and that the diffusion of knowledge among the people is to be the instrument by which it is to be effected” (101)). Jefferson believed a democratic, not a moral education which was what kids were getting at the time, was essential to democracy and he's right, but his One Nation idea required a monolithic ideal that did not value other cultures. He wanted tribes to conform to his image of being American. This focus on conformity was baked into the American educational philosophy. The Civilization Act of 1819 saw Thomas McKenney, the first head of the Office of Indian Affairs begin a process of Native American deculturization  – they created a tribal school system run by white missionary teachers hoping to gain control of tribes through the power of education and assimilation. When Andrew Jackson became president in 1829, he saw some of the educational progress made by tribes as dangerous to America's goals of gaining control of lands.   So, in 1830, America passed the Indian Removal Act, which brutally uprooted tribes and relocated them. Thirty years later, the Indian Peace Commission began reservation schools or day schools. But again, the cultural genocide that all of these acts and efforts had hoped for weren't as effective as the government Wanted. This is when the government stepped in again. Paired with the Dawes Act of 1877 that worked to split reservation lands into private property began the start of the boarding school movement in 1879. Each step was a process working towards killing cultures in an attempt to control land, people, and ideas – all largely through some form of education. The start of the boarding school experiment can  be attributed to Captain Richard Henry Pratt. Caskey Russell: Pratt actually had a number of prisoners of war under his charge at St. Augustine, Florida. Besides being given military uniforms, they would teach them. And so the way he sold the first  boarding schools was that instead of being at war with natives, you can educate them. The US could educate them, and kind of eradicate native culture through educating towards whiteness. Caskey explained that the thought was that education would help the government avoid the expenses of war. Caskey Russell: So there are a group of Plains Natives that were transported to St. Augustine, that was his kind of first experiment. And then he was able to go to Congress and get some money. And he took them to The Hampton Institute and eventually to the Carlisle Indian Industrial School So Pratt's experiment led to the establishment of the Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Pennsylvania in 1879. This was around the same time that Pratt made a famous statement to congress: Caskey Russell: He says to Congress, “You have heard Sherman say the only good Indian's a Dead Indian. I would agree with this one kind of difference that you can kill the Indian save the man.” That's what education can do. That's the motto. And so, there was based on military kind of military boarding school style, and they opened up across the country. And they were often religiously affiliated, and religious institutions given  them control of them. Which, you know, was another part of the boarding schools was the religious education, the eradication of tribal cultures, tribal religions, and the inculcation of Christianity, the various sects of Christianity across the country. Each step taken by congress, in the name of education, was an effort to prioritize one culture over others, one idea of success over others - often through religious means, because again, early education was morality based. And they did this through legislation and through educational policy. Even though many of these efforts are pretty old, we still feel the educational effects of prioritizing a single culture or single idea of success.. Elizabeth Smith, a veteran teacher of 20 years who teaches on a reservation still sees this today.  Elizabeth Smith: Even though I can count on my hand, the number of students that I've taught that have graduated and have a white culture, sort of experience with what would be known as success, quote, unquote   Caskey sees this idea in what is tested or valued as a bottom line in public education. These are things that dismiss differentiated cultural values. Caskey Russell: Did the schools reward students let's say for instance, this the schools Wind River  reward students for knowing the traditional clan system,  speaking Arapaho or Shoshone for knowing traditional ways, whether it's kind hunting, traditional use of land, traditional plants respond medicine, knowing being prepare, or being an apprentice for ceremony, none of that none of that culturally important stuff that was really important to Native people, especially young people they could dream of, you know, I'm going to fulfill these goals, these roles, these social roles one day, none of that's important, it seems like an American school system, right? When you're going to take the SAT or the ACT, are they going to value the hours you spent with your grandparents trying to learn the language or learning stories or learning traditional ways? Of course not. This is a part of the inheritance of modern education, something teachers have to grapple with consistently. How can we educate students to be a part of a community that through legislation or policy doesn't seem to value all traditions and cultures within that community? Or how to reach a measure of success that isn't culturally misaligned or based on morality? Caskey Russell:A handful of them might be successful in kind of the white American ideal. But that's not the only measure of success, nor is it maybe a healthy measure of success, right, for Native people. It would be wonderful to let other ideas of success, community success, success as a human being within a community flourish in the school setting. This question of how to honor a diverse spectrum of students lands on teachers in the classroom. Though legislators and school boards may make efforts to dictate what can and can't be taught in the classroom, the reality is it's teachers and administrators who are working with kids – and kids from a wide spectrum of communities who have often been forced into a specific, standardized idea of success, which might not be culturally conscious. This is exactly how Indian boarding schools started, they forced kids from diverse tribes into a standardized idea of success initially using arguments for morality to do so. We recognize this as bad now, so why are forms of it still happening?   A big concern of some of the teachers who have decided to leave teaching was the start of limits and  restrictions about what can and can't be taught in the classroom. Many of these limits originate from argument about morality that are backed by religious groups that want to dictate what is happening in the classroom. Think of Mr. Wacker from last episode who is still frustrated with the banning of Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye for moral arguments or Mr. Atkinson who felt his curriculum being squeezed by people who didn't appreciate class conversations about varying cultural perspectives on current events.  And, as we saw with the history of Native American education, this is not new – even though many founding fathers, who were deists themselves, advocated for the separation of church and state and were adamant that education focus on democratic values rather than religious values. John Adams wrote to his wife Abigail:  “I must study Politicks and War that my sons may have liberty to study Mathematicks and Philosophy. My sons ought to study Mathematicks and Philosophy, Geography, natural History, Naval Architecture, navigation, Commerce and Agriculture, in order to give their Children a right to study Painting, Poetry, Musick, Architecture, Statuary, Tapestry and Porcelaine.” John Adams does not reference education and say study the Bible. And fellow former president James Madison did not mince words in a letter that pushed against church use of government land, which would later include schools: “The purpose of separation of church and state is to keep forever from these shores the ceaseless strife that has soaked the soil of Europe with blood for centuries.” And these beliefs worked their way into legislation with the inclusion of the Establishment Clause in the First Amendment, which Thomas Jefferson said was “A wall of separation between the church and state.” And though we know Jefferson's view of education wasn't very inclusive, if we combine this idea of the separation of church and state with a modern inclusive reading of Jefferson's thoughts that education is to “Educate and inform the whole mass of the people. They are the only sure reliance for the preservation of our liberty,” We get a pretty good idea that education is a means to inform a free-thinking, diverse population that has different belief systems.  The founders knew the danger of letting religion seep its way into government - they just broke free of a country that allowed that to happen. So to have a system of education that would inform the whole mass of people without perpetuating the deculturalization we saw with the Indian Boarding schools, which have their origins in religious schooling, that system would need to accommodate the diversity of that mass of people.  This means that teachers would need the trust of the public and  freedom to use their expertise to do their jobs, which would likely include selecting a wide range of materials to accommodate a diverse student population. This freedom and trust is not something being granted to modern teachers. There is currently a trend of parents, legislators, and school board members criticizing teacher efforts to support diverse student needs, often through moral critiques. Which stems from a lack of trust and the same morality based fear that sparked early deculturalization efforts in the United States. So, this isn't new. This is another part of what teachers have inherited from previous generations of educators, a lack of professional respect that translates to a lack of autonomy in the classroom, low pay, and a smattering of other things that are driving teachers from their jobs. Here's Elizabeth again: Elizabeth Smith: And let me clarify, you know, when I say I love teaching, I do love teaching. To say that I love where I'm at right now, no, I do not. I am not satisfied with the way my job is going. I'm not satisfied with the way I feel inside every single day coming home from work. It's like a battlefield. It is intense. It is stressful. My family has noticed it and made comments on it, you know, and I don't have the patience to deal with my own children. And what am I going to do if I don't do this? I've got 20 years of expertise invested in this. And I've spent a lot of time learning how to do the things that I do and I enjoy improving it. As of now, she is planning on staying in education. And all of those 20 years have been spent teaching on reservations. She attributes this in part to why she loves her work so much, why she's planning on staying. There is a different level of respect that she sees in these schools and a higher level of appreciation, which goes a long way. But this doesn't mean that there still isn't a lack of professional trust or respect that she feels from being a teacher.  Elizabeth Smith: There's so much micromanaging and so many expectations that are put on us that are really insulting, actually, to our intelligence and to our professionalism. And I understand that there are teachers who are unaware of the ways that they're doing things are unprofessional and unintelligent. So I get the admin has to make some allowances and come up with some plans for how to deal with teachers that are not as aware of themselves and their skills as they should be, you know, so I understand that but the blanket statements.. To address where these blanket solutions may originate from, we are going to take another look at history through a little different lens than what we've been using so far.  When I asked teachers about what pushed them out of education, they echoed Elizabeth's frustrations. Lack of respect was a major reason people left. But this is not new, like the history of inequity in education, the lack of professional respect has been a thread through public education's history. So we are going to pull on that thread and look at the tradition of not valuing or respecting teachers.   Stephanie Reese: As a teacher, you're going to be marginalized, and you're not going to be taken seriously. Ron Ruckman: I think a lot of administrators, They just don't have any idea there, and they don't really think of us as professionals, you know, they don't really think of us as being able to do our job. Christie Chadwick: As a teacher, we're managing all these expectations. And I think that that's not acknowledged by the general population. Teachers want to be seen as professionals. This came up in interviews in reference to being trusted to make decisions about curriculum, in being more autonomous, and in getting paid better. When thinking about why teachers have inherited a lack of professional respect in the present, it might have to do with the American Industrial Revolution: Colby Gull: We were built on an industrial model. Get them in, stick the widget on him and get him out the other side of the door. Right. And that's just not how humans work. This is Colby Gull, he is the managing director for the Trustees education Initiative in the College of Education at the University of Wyoming. Colby has been a teacher, a coach, a principal, and a superintendent. He's run the educational gamut. And he points out that the structure of education does not necessarily promote the growing and sharing of ideas. Colby Gull: And we live in now the idea economy. And we're still not teaching in the idea economy. We're teaching in the industrial economy where you buying and selling goods. But our economy now is based on ideas and sharing of ideas and debating and discussing, and I don't know, people make a lot of money with their ideas.  And this structure of education, this factory style model, which looks similar to the military approach seen with Indian Boarding Schools, started and gained popularity during the American Industrial Revolution at the end of the 19th century. Along with this more industrial model the precedent for the amount of respect teachers received was set. I see several ways in which history has handed down a dismissive attitude toward teachers.  As Common Schools gained popularity in the mid-19th century, young women were also moving to cities for better economic opportunities. And these women were hired as teachers in droves because they could be paid substantially less than men. This compounded since teaching was seen as respectable employment for women - it matched the stereotype that women were naturally nurturing. Both the image of teachers as nurturers and the trouble with pay is consistent with what we see today.  Here's Stephanie Reese, a former PE teacher who left education and became the general manager of Blacktooth Brewing Company. Stephanie Reese: Absolutely money matters. I was in so much debt. You know, with loans, whether they're student loans, or just credit card, or whatever it is, I had a lot in college, had a lot while I was teaching. and teaching just doesn't give you that opportunity.. And  level increases are a fucking joke. Unless you've been in, you've been in I call it like, like you've been in the pen. You've been in for 34 years, you've given one kidney, you have four degrees, master's degrees, preferably doctorate even better, and you've given up your will to live, and those those things will give you more money. Part of the consistently poor pay has to do with the hierarchical structure in education. After the Civil War, the first iteration of the department of education was created, in order to track what the nation's schools were doing. So there was an expectation for the availability of public schooling. Once the American Industrial Revolution hit towards the end of the 19th century, factory jobs boomed. More people flocked to cities meaning there were more kids and more of a need for teachers. With more men transitioning to better paying factory jobs, even more women were moving to the classroom. The large number of women serving as teachers was accepted at a time when women weren't given many professional opportunities. Administrative roles – principals, superintendents, and the like – were held by men. And many high school positions were still held by men. So a hierarchy that prioritized male control and male decision making was very clearly in place. Mark Perkins, a former teacher and administrator and current parent and professor of Educational Research methods at the University of Wyoming, points out that this hierarchy has remained even if the original gendered reasons for its creation haven't. Mark Perkins:  I think there's a power hierarchy. And I don't think that teachers have been empowered enough to express their professional expertise. I think that teachers are approached as a service industry. And so, we want teachers to parrot curriculums. We want them to be experts in their content, as long as their expertise doesn't contradict with our preconceived notions of reality. So I think there's a sociological phenomenon that goes on in schools.  I think it's a common phenomenon. The system of becoming an administrator in some cases  was once based on seniority. So the most senior teacher would inherit the role of principal. This changed when a degree was required to become a principal or superintendent, which also prevented women from gaining access to these administrative positions by making them require a degree because women weren't often able to access such an education. So these days, some administrators are in the position without having had a tremendous amount of time in education, which can make administrator impact or insight into the classroom difficult. Ron Ruckman, who just left teaching after 23 years, explains that the lack of experience can be glaringly obvious for some administrators who are disconnected from the teachers. Ron Ruckman:  You know, and then there's other administrators that just don't want to have anything to do with your classroom, you know, and they want to make decisions, but they don't want to, they don't communicate with you or ask you things. There's a lot of that especially in rural districts. We've spent so much time and money in this district doing initiatives and buying products. And, you know, I can't imagine how much money we've just wasted, you know, buying stuff that, you know, on, based on a good salesman that convinced somebody that they needed it. Whereas had they come and asked us would have been like, no, no, that that would be a really dumb thing to do. That's not going to work. You know, but there's just that kind of an apt idea that teachers really are, you know, don't really know what they're what, you know, they don't really know anything other than their subject. And we're, we're pretty smart. Most of us, you know. (Beeping) This was perfect timing. That beeping was for a fire. Ron is the Battalion Chief for the Pinedale fire department - he has a lot of roles in his community because he is intelligent and capable and because of not being respected for being intelligent and capable, he quit teaching to pursue the other things he's good at.  Some of the ways teachers are not seen as capable has to do with how education is standardized. In the late 19th century, as cities got larger and more and more kids were put into schools, urban schools started to split students into grade levels. Around this time and into the early 20th century, there was a development of what historian David Tyack (Tie-yak) described as the One Best System of education – this saw a focus on specific, easily assessed, and easily sequenced subjects of study. This also did more to highlight non-academic items like good attendance, behavior, and willingness to follow directions, which all aid in creating people who would fit into an industrial economy. This structure was useful when more and more students were placed into a class. And by the early 20th century, politicians and administrators were seeing schools as being a solution to the nation's woes. Traces of these industrialized values are very present in modern classrooms, and it makes Allison Lash, who taught art in New York City and Austin, Texas, sad at what she sees. Allison Lash: A friend of mine had said one thing about why he's doesn't like education is just that you go to school to learn how to work, basically, to get you ready to go out in the world and work. And that's sad. Like, I just want to live. I don't want to worry about working and how to make money and pay your school loans and your bills. It used to bother me that kids would get rewarded for being in school every day. And it's all about money. It's all about how many kids are in their seats every day for the school district to make money. And it was sad, it was sad that kids would win awards for like, being their everyday awards. Like who really cares? They're totally ignoring mental health and even if the kid is sick, you stay home. It's really sad when you go into elementary school and you see the kids quiet and lined up in a line and like “shhhhh,” and I remember teaching that and  I know that I guess order is not wanted, and I don't know if needed is even the right answer. Teach kids to be a good person. The rise of industry during the American industrial revolution also saw a rise in unions and strikes. Because teachers were mostly women, and many of the strikes of the time were more militant and potentially violent, women were less likely to take part in strikes and efforts to gain better pay. This was not helped by the fact that men held leadership positions in education, so they did not make efforts to better the work environments of teachers because these men just weren't affected. The  National Education Association, which was founded in 1857, wasn't just for teachers, so administrators, men, were also in charge of Union happenings. It wasn't until 1910 when Ella Flagg Young was elected as the NEA president that the union started taking more steps to help teachers. But the difficulty in changing and revising educational structures is still present. Chris Rothfuss, a parent and Wyoming State Senator and member of the Senate Education committee, knows this all too well. While we have a coffee in Laramie, Wyoming, Chris explains that change may require a cultural shift inspired by younger generations .  Chris Rothfuss:  I think a large part of the reason why we develop into what we are really is the way this country industrialized and grew and had a middle-class work ethic through the mid-20th century, that shaped a lot of the way things are done. And the philosophy about why things are done, the way they're done, where there is a common viewpoint that I think is handed down from generation to generation that if you just work hard, put your nose to the grindstone, that you will be successful, and things will go your way, and you'll have a good life. I think part of what's changing that, is that this emerging generation is realizing that while that may have been true, a lot of what allowed that to be true, was frankly, taking on debt that is generational debt and handing that debt down to the next generation. So effectively exploiting the future for the benefit of the present. This younger generation isn't enthused about that as they're learning more about it, and rightly so. And they don't see a path to a traditional life as being what they aspire to. A potential reason for major shifts not having occurred in the past might have to do with economic uncertainties. For every economic depression and war to occur in the 20th century, money was pulled from education to help the war or economic problems, but that money was not necessarily given back to education. Teacher pay was often cut when other unionized jobs like factory work was not cut because there was an assumption that teachers, being mostly women, would not need to support their families. During WWII, when more women went to work in factories, those women who were still teaching saw how much better the pay was for the women who went to work in factories. The impact of war and economic troubles also resulted in  a more factory-like structure in the classroom. This was often a result of trying to accommodate a larger student population with less resources, and it was also an easier way to measure student achievement. This created an educational structure that overwhelms teachers, which makes best practices more difficult and stretches teachers thin. Molly Waterworth, who just left teaching this year after 8 years in the classroom, explains the reality of being overwhelmed as a teacher.   Molly Waterworth:  The reality is that if you have 150 kids, there's no way that you're going to grade all of their work in seven and a half hours that you have with them during the day. There's no way. It's just a mathematical impossibility.  The truth is, teachers have inherited being paid poorly, being overworked, and not being treated with respect. Sadly, much of this is associated with the trend of women in the profession within a patriarchal society. And the teaching profession is still dominated by women. The NEA reports that about 3 quarters of teachers are women, and teachers still get payed about 74% of what equivalent degreed professions earn.  So, teachers are leaving education, but the reasons they are leaving are a result of problems that have been percolating since the start of public education in the United States. Efforts at deculturalization seen with the Indian Boarding Schools have left an impact and pattern on modern education, just like the treatment of women and industrialization of education has left an impact on how teachers are currently treated.  This does not mean that public education needs to end, but like any inheritance, we need to acknowledge and deal with the problems. We need to see that there have been attempts to address inequity in education with efforts like Brown v Board in 1954, Title IX in 1972,  and the disabilities act of 1975. But continuing to return to a standardized, one-size-fits-all approach that matches an industrial structure of education just does not work – it doesn't value teacher expertise, nor does it meet the students with unique cultural backgrounds or needs where they are. And because teachers have been tasked with addressing these inequities with limited freedom and trust and resources, many are calling it quits. This needs to change – teachers need to be able to disclaim this inheritance for their sake and for the sake of their students.  Next time, we will look at how the perception of teachers might be influenced by pop-culture.  TEASE: “Robin Williams isn't going to do that.” That will be next time on Those Who Can't Teach Anymore. Thank you for listening. Be sure to subscribe to our podcast, leave a review, and share episodes with everyone you can think of. This episode was produced by me, Charles Fournier. It was edited by Melodie Edwards. Other editing help came from Noa Greenspan, Sarah-Ann Leverette, and Tennesee Watson. Voice Acting by Rory Mack, David Whisker, Rick Simineo, and Markus Viney who also offered editing help. Our theme song is by Julian Saporiti. All other music can be found on our website. A special thanks to Elizabeth Smith, Caskey Russell, Stephanie Reese, Ron Ruckman, Molly Waterworth, Christy Chadwick, Colby Gull, Mark Perkins, and Allison Lash for taking time to sit down and chat with me. This dive into history was greatly aided by two books: American Education: A History by Wayne J. Urban and Jennings L. Wagoner, Jr. and Deculturalization and the Struggle for Equality: A Brief History of the Education of Dominated Cultures in the United States by Joel Spring……This podcast is funded in part by the Fund for Teachers Fellowship.

Field Chair of Education and Counseling and Program Head of Children and Family Ministry at Moody Bible Institute, Elizabeth Smith, […] The post Elizabeth Smith: Rethinking Spiritual Formation appeared first on Child Discipleship.

Elizabeth Smith is a Realtor with Martha Turner Sotheby's in Houston, TX. In this episode, she shares insight on the home buying/selling process, offers wisdom for young parents, and shares her story of faith. To contact Elizabeth for real estate needs in the Houston area, you can find her information at https://www.sothebysrealty.com/eng/associate/180-a-df21082713031035081/elizabeth-smith Make sure to rate, review, and subscribe!

God is our heavenly father. However, our view of Him can often be impacted by the imperfections of our earthly father. How do we sort out the differences? In this week's episode, Brian and Jannelle talk about this with Moody Bible Institute professor Elizabeth Smith.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Recorded Monday, May 2, 2022 Book talk starts at 31:25 Virtual get-together via Zoom on Saturdays, 12 noon  PST - Details here Our 2 Knit Lit Chicks Mini Skein KAL has ended.  Be sure to listen until the end to find out the prize winners!  Our three very generous prize donors for the KAL are: Brenda Castiel, from her Ravelry store and Etsy shop martaschmarta - her Pride and Toebeans pattern Susan Cochran, from her stash   And now, it's almost time for our annual Mother Bear KAL!  Come join us by knitting or crocheting Mother Bears.  Our KAL runs from June 1 to September 1, 2022.  But...if you have knit or crocheted any bears in 2022, please plan on posting pictures of them in our FO thread.  The FO and chatter threads will be up after June 1st.   Here is the Mother Bear Project website, where you can find out all about the charity, buy a pattern and overload on the picture gallery cuteness!   12 in 22 - Unofficial KAL/challenge to knit 12 (or however many you want) sweaters in 2022. Details here! The 2KLC 2022 Swap is almost over!   Important dates:   May 1: final check in.  May 15th: Mail By Date   KNITTING Barb has finished: 1.   That's My Jam by Steven Fegert, using a kit bought from Learning Men Fiber Arts, using their MCN blend Show Stealer 2.  A project for her swap partner 3.  May(be)Queen by La Maison Rililie, using Blue Moon Fiber Arts Gaea in the Falcon's Eye colorway   Tracie has Finished 1.  Colorful Geometry Sweater by Petra Machová Kouřilová in Invictus Yarns Reward in Olive, a gradient set of Koigu American Merino, and 2 Emma's Yarn Practically Perfect Smalls 2.  Mother Bears 270 & 271 Barb continues working on: 1. Ribs and Wave Poncho by Great Yarns! Using Cascade Superwash Wave in the 106 Blue colorway 2.  That's My Jam shawl by Steve Fegert using a kit she bought from Leading Men Fiber Arts 3.  Hipster Shawl by Joji Locatelli, using Malabrigo Rios in the 880 Hojas colorway   Barb has cast on: 1.  forager lite by Isabel Kraemer, using Inner Yarn Zen Superwash Fingering in the Lupine colorway   Barb has frogged: Brookdale Vest by Elizabeth Smith, using Berroco Ultra Wool  in the purple colorway   Tracie continues working on: 1.  Socks to match my Swallowtail pullover in Psych Ward Yarns Joy Sock - using hem/cuff chart from Swallowtail by Jamie Hoffman 2.  Moon of My Life by Nadia Crétin-Léchenne adapted by Celia McAdam Cahill for a man in worsted weight yarn - in Universal Yarns Uptown Worsted  in Granite and Berroco Vintage in Cotton Candy   BOOKS Barb read: 1.  Blind Faith by Joe McGinniss - 5 stars 2.  The Surrogate by Toni Halleen - 4 stars   Tracie has read: 1.  Dying for Daddy: The True Story of a Family's Worst Nightmare by Carlton Smith - 4 stars 2.  The Wonder Test by Michelle Richmond - 4 stars   Websites mentioned: Heads or Tails (book that Barb talked about) https://us.whogivesacrap.org https://www.tru.earth/? https://www.grove.co/g/how-grove-works/ https://viori.com            

Martin ended up falling in love with a redheaded American woman named Elizabeth Smith, and eventually the couple decided to have a family. Never in their wildest dreams could they have imagined what would come next: Four out of their seven children were born with blue skin.In this episode of the American English Podcast, you'll learn about THE BLUE PEOPLE OF KENTUCKY. In the first part of the episode, you'll learn how to use the common English expression OUT OF THE BLUE. Premium ContentThis episode is part of Season 3.  By purchasing Season 3 transcripts, you'll be able to access the full episodes, the full PDF transcripts for episodes 101 - 150, an Mp3 download  and the premium podcast player to work on your pronunciation.Follow along with the Season 3 audio (episodes 101-150) as episodes are released. Season 3..Other Links!Get ALL PREMIUM CONTENT FOR SEASONS 1-3  (including transcripts + mp3s)Get ONLY the Transcripts for Episodes 001 - 100. Get the Free E-Book: 101 American English Slang WordsConnect on InstagramGet updated when new episodes are posted via Instagram.Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/americanenglish)

If you have ever felt “under the weather" or experienced a “breath of fresh air,” then you know the personal impact of meteorological science in everyday life.   Dr. Elizabeth Smith, research meteorologist at NOAA and board member for the National Weather Museum, along with  Dr. Vladimir Jankovic, professor at University of Manchester, shares how weather and health overlap. We learn from these experts that the industrial revolution was the beginning of how human pollution integrated with weather events. Drs. Smith and Jankovic explain that climate impacts every aspect of every area of our lives, past, present and future.  National Weather Museum Reading the Skies Every Little Thing Why does the wind make me angry?