1 00:00:12,690 --> 00:00:16,680 Jethro Jones: Welcome to Transformative Principal, where I help you stop 2 00:00:16,680 --> 00:00:18,750 putting out fires and start leading. 3 00:00:19,260 --> 00:00:20,760 I'm your host, Jethro Jones. 4 00:00:20,765 --> 00:00:23,460 You can follow me on Twitter at Jethro Jones. 5 00:00:34,965 --> 00:00:36,885 Welcome to Transformative Principal. 6 00:00:36,885 --> 00:00:44,865 This is episode 537 and the last episode of this school year of coaching with Eric. 7 00:00:44,955 --> 00:00:50,325 And uh, if you have not been hearing all of these, definitely go to the show notes 8 00:00:50,330 --> 00:00:55,759 at Transformative Principal dot org where we have episodes, five oh one, five oh 9 00:00:55,759 --> 00:01:00,525 six five ten five fourteen five nineteen, five twenty three five twenty seven. 10 00:01:00,900 --> 00:01:06,510 5 32 and this episode there you can check out all of those conversations. 11 00:01:06,510 --> 00:01:08,460 This has been super fun, Eric. 12 00:01:08,460 --> 00:01:09,810 I'm so glad we've done this. 13 00:01:10,665 --> 00:01:14,115 Eric Makelky: Yeah, that as you list those off, it seems like even more 14 00:01:14,775 --> 00:01:16,125 coaching sessions than we've done. 15 00:01:16,125 --> 00:01:16,605 That's a lot. 16 00:01:16,635 --> 00:01:17,325 It's been a lot. 17 00:01:17,760 --> 00:01:19,770 Jethro Jones: Yeah, I mean, I think that's pretty cool. 18 00:01:19,800 --> 00:01:23,430 And what a testament to you of your dedication and willingness 19 00:01:23,430 --> 00:01:25,070 and desire to get better and. 20 00:01:26,385 --> 00:01:30,255 Continue to improve, you know, and I think that's awesome. 21 00:01:30,315 --> 00:01:31,305 So good for you. 22 00:01:31,935 --> 00:01:32,310 Eric Makelky: Yeah. 23 00:01:32,640 --> 00:01:33,030 Thank you. 24 00:01:33,030 --> 00:01:35,070 Thanks for being willing to do it and help me. 25 00:01:35,895 --> 00:01:39,255 Jethro Jones: Yeah, I think it's been a lot of fun and we have 26 00:01:39,260 --> 00:01:45,225 decided that we are, uh, going to write a book together, uh, on this, 27 00:01:45,285 --> 00:01:46,995 which is pretty exciting also. 28 00:01:46,995 --> 00:01:48,675 So we'll see what comes of that. 29 00:01:48,675 --> 00:01:51,015 That I think is gonna be the summer project, right? 30 00:01:52,075 --> 00:01:52,365 Eric Makelky: Yeah. 31 00:01:53,195 --> 00:01:53,485 Yeah. 32 00:01:54,555 --> 00:01:55,845 I don't think it's gonna happen in May. 33 00:01:55,985 --> 00:01:58,305 So maybe, maybe we can start that in June. 34 00:01:58,845 --> 00:01:59,325 Jethro Jones: Yeah. 35 00:02:00,075 --> 00:02:04,845 So, alright, so last time we talked about, uh, relationships with parents. 36 00:02:04,845 --> 00:02:08,295 Any follow up that you want to chat with about from that? 37 00:02:11,370 --> 00:02:13,770 Eric Makelky: No, it was a, it was a fun episode though. 38 00:02:13,770 --> 00:02:17,190 I wish, I wish I would've, would've brought the topic up sooner. 39 00:02:17,340 --> 00:02:22,020 Um, but there'll be more opportunities down the road to use, use some of 40 00:02:22,020 --> 00:02:24,780 the things that we talked about as far as framing the conversation. 41 00:02:25,770 --> 00:02:25,890 I. 42 00:02:25,995 --> 00:02:31,095 So I haven't had any real contentious ones as of late, but 43 00:02:31,575 --> 00:02:32,415 Jethro Jones: that's always good. 44 00:02:32,565 --> 00:02:33,225 I like that. 45 00:02:33,705 --> 00:02:34,185 Eric Makelky: yeah. 46 00:02:34,665 --> 00:02:40,185 Yeah, I was thinking, um, you know, for a topic this week, you and I 47 00:02:40,185 --> 00:02:41,955 had had mentioned a little bit. 48 00:02:42,270 --> 00:02:46,950 You've been focused on helping me and the kind of the theme of the 49 00:02:46,955 --> 00:02:50,940 Transformative Principal podcast episodes I've done is helping new principals. 50 00:02:50,940 --> 00:02:58,920 But how about the topic of, um, new teachers as we finish up the hiring 51 00:02:58,925 --> 00:03:02,520 season and think about what we need to have in place to help new, new 52 00:03:02,520 --> 00:03:04,290 teachers be successful in the fall. 53 00:03:04,755 --> 00:03:07,935 Jethro Jones: Yeah, I, I think that that's a great idea, um, and 54 00:03:07,935 --> 00:03:10,125 definitely a good topic to talk about. 55 00:03:10,635 --> 00:03:16,365 Uh, so first of all, let's look back at your experiences as a principal, both 56 00:03:16,365 --> 00:03:18,165 here and in your previous district. 57 00:03:18,505 --> 00:03:24,060 Um, What are some of the things that you have done that you feel like have 58 00:03:24,060 --> 00:03:29,400 been successful in helping new teachers, uh, enculturate into your school? 59 00:03:31,845 --> 00:03:32,065 Eric Makelky: Um, 60 00:03:35,070 --> 00:03:39,780 I think every district does kind of the standard, you know, the business 61 00:03:39,780 --> 00:03:46,440 office and the paperwork and uh, payroll and benefits and how all the 62 00:03:46,440 --> 00:03:49,020 programs and login information works. 63 00:03:50,280 --> 00:03:54,000 So let's just skip that cuz I think that's, I mean, I guess that's important, 64 00:03:54,000 --> 00:03:59,130 but it's not what makes people stick around and that's what I'm interested in. 65 00:03:59,730 --> 00:04:00,910 Um, I think having, 66 00:04:03,135 --> 00:04:06,015 The, the best thing that I've had in place, or that I've been a part 67 00:04:06,020 --> 00:04:09,135 of with new staff is we had a thing called the New Teacher Academy, 68 00:04:09,675 --> 00:04:15,465 where we had in-house, um, teachers come in and model and showcase and 69 00:04:15,470 --> 00:04:17,955 share practices from their classroom. 70 00:04:19,575 --> 00:04:25,815 So we would just take like our instructional framework, what we say 71 00:04:25,815 --> 00:04:30,765 is good teaching and learning in our district, and then we would bring in, uh, 72 00:04:31,230 --> 00:04:38,130 A current teacher, a returning teacher, which it was a nice perk to them, right? 73 00:04:38,130 --> 00:04:41,460 Because you get to come kind of be the model of, you know, routines and 74 00:04:41,465 --> 00:04:50,190 procedures or, um, some other strategy, and we would pay 'em, you know, a little 75 00:04:50,195 --> 00:04:51,690 extra for coming in and doing that. 76 00:04:52,050 --> 00:04:56,220 But I, I think that was a great system because it helped new teachers see, 77 00:04:56,640 --> 00:04:58,890 not just read a list of what we. 78 00:04:59,655 --> 00:05:01,125 Want to see in classrooms. 79 00:05:01,125 --> 00:05:06,015 And then having the in-house people lead it gave them connections in the 80 00:05:06,015 --> 00:05:11,355 district if they needed things or had questions, they knew, Hey, I can go 81 00:05:11,360 --> 00:05:15,885 watch that teacher do this, or email that teacher and, and share some resources. 82 00:05:15,885 --> 00:05:17,515 So I think that was pretty successful. 83 00:05:17,975 --> 00:05:20,755 Um, we worked on this a lot. 84 00:05:21,705 --> 00:05:26,085 In my last district, and one thing that seemed silly, but we started 85 00:05:26,085 --> 00:05:31,125 doing that, made a huge difference is like day one with new teachers. 86 00:05:31,215 --> 00:05:34,785 First thing in the morning, we thought about like, what 87 00:05:34,785 --> 00:05:36,345 do they really wanna know? 88 00:05:37,185 --> 00:05:42,405 It's not payroll and defensive driving classes online, and it's 89 00:05:42,405 --> 00:05:44,025 not instructional strategies. 90 00:05:44,115 --> 00:05:46,065 It's like, where's the printer? 91 00:05:46,545 --> 00:05:47,505 Where's my room? 92 00:05:48,270 --> 00:05:49,410 Where's the coffee machine? 93 00:05:49,410 --> 00:05:54,680 And we, we literally did like a half day around the building, the library, 94 00:05:55,890 --> 00:06:01,920 what doors kids come in and out of where staff park like a, just a real 95 00:06:02,520 --> 00:06:04,290 basic like, welcome to the building. 96 00:06:04,950 --> 00:06:07,800 And they really appreciated that cuz I think once you answered those things 97 00:06:07,940 --> 00:06:11,580 and they knew where they were, they could focus more on the other stuff. 98 00:06:13,575 --> 00:06:18,045 Jethro Jones: Yeah, that, that does seem like silly to think that you 99 00:06:18,045 --> 00:06:21,075 need to get that granular about like what door do kids come in. 100 00:06:21,465 --> 00:06:24,405 But those are things that people don't know and they take for 101 00:06:24,405 --> 00:06:26,205 granted once they do know. 102 00:06:28,478 --> 00:06:35,498 So the question to ask then is, Is that, is that a worthwhile use of your 103 00:06:35,498 --> 00:06:41,048 time when you have limited time with them, and is there a better way that 104 00:06:41,048 --> 00:06:44,048 you could get that information to them? 105 00:06:44,348 --> 00:06:45,368 What are your thoughts on that? 106 00:06:46,343 --> 00:06:49,403 Eric Makelky: Yeah, it's definitely not the best use of, like, if you only have 107 00:06:49,403 --> 00:06:52,883 one day with new teachers, you wouldn't wanna spend a half day doing that. 108 00:06:53,453 --> 00:06:56,453 But I guess if nothing else, you could kind of make a list. 109 00:06:56,453 --> 00:06:59,663 And then as teachers trickled in, in the summer to get their keys, 110 00:06:59,663 --> 00:07:02,623 most of them aren't gonna wait till that first day of contract time. 111 00:07:03,623 --> 00:07:08,603 Um, you could take 'em on a quick little tour and share a list with them of where 112 00:07:08,603 --> 00:07:12,833 things are and you know, who do I go to if I need more paper or we need more of this. 113 00:07:16,658 --> 00:07:20,408 Jethro Jones: I, I think that taking that, that time that you 114 00:07:20,408 --> 00:07:24,428 have is valuable and how do you make it as valuable as possible? 115 00:07:24,938 --> 00:07:31,178 Because those things also like the payroll and the login and how to 116 00:07:31,178 --> 00:07:34,288 access the tools, that's not what is gonna make people stick around. 117 00:07:34,288 --> 00:07:37,418 And that's really what you're trying to get at here is how do we make it 118 00:07:37,418 --> 00:07:41,828 so that people feel a connection to the school and to the people here 119 00:07:41,828 --> 00:07:43,958 and want to stick around so that. 120 00:07:44,393 --> 00:07:47,933 They're not just gonna take whatever other job comes along, 121 00:07:47,933 --> 00:07:50,333 but they're gonna feel like they're actually part of the community. 122 00:07:51,683 --> 00:07:51,983 Right? 123 00:07:52,378 --> 00:07:55,103 Eric Makelky: what do they really need to be ready for the first day of school? 124 00:07:55,133 --> 00:07:58,793 Because you have to prioritize all the stuff that everybody 125 00:07:58,798 --> 00:08:00,473 wants to cover with new teachers. 126 00:08:00,593 --> 00:08:00,953 Right? 127 00:08:01,663 --> 00:08:01,953 Jethro Jones: Yeah. 128 00:08:03,293 --> 00:08:05,093 Eric Makelky: That's a hard one cuz I think everybody who's 129 00:08:05,093 --> 00:08:10,133 involved thinks that, you know, they need this before day one. 130 00:08:11,063 --> 00:08:12,654 But if you really think about like what do they need? 131 00:08:14,283 --> 00:08:15,638 To be ready for day one. 132 00:08:15,728 --> 00:08:17,468 Resources, curriculum. 133 00:08:18,848 --> 00:08:25,358 Um, kind of a, a plan like if they're a brand new teacher, maybe a, some 134 00:08:25,358 --> 00:08:29,618 classroom management Harry Wong stuff to set up routines and procedures. 135 00:08:30,248 --> 00:08:32,588 Cause I've learned you can't just assume they know how to do that. 136 00:08:33,353 --> 00:08:33,698 Jethro Jones: Yeah. 137 00:08:33,788 --> 00:08:34,118 Yep. 138 00:08:34,748 --> 00:08:39,188 So I, I think that what you're getting at here is that truly every 139 00:08:39,188 --> 00:08:40,448 person's gonna need their own. 140 00:08:41,288 --> 00:08:41,858 Thing. 141 00:08:42,158 --> 00:08:46,448 But if we can focus it down to what the specific things are that 142 00:08:46,448 --> 00:08:50,828 people, that everybody needs, then we'll be in good shape. 143 00:08:50,828 --> 00:08:55,148 So as I'm, I'm hearing you talk, I'm hearing something that you're 144 00:08:55,148 --> 00:08:58,568 not specifically saying, and I might be putting words in your mouth 145 00:08:58,573 --> 00:09:02,558 because this is my own bias, but let me know if this is true or not. 146 00:09:03,128 --> 00:09:07,688 Um, the first day of school, you want to be successful. 147 00:09:08,208 --> 00:09:10,823 But it's not the last day of school. 148 00:09:10,883 --> 00:09:12,623 You want them to come back multiple days. 149 00:09:12,623 --> 00:09:12,893 Right. 150 00:09:13,313 --> 00:09:14,153 For the whole year. 151 00:09:14,498 --> 00:09:15,788 Eric Makelky: not just the first contract 152 00:09:15,863 --> 00:09:16,613 Jethro Jones: that's right. 153 00:09:17,123 --> 00:09:21,173 And so you, you want them to have success and to feel like 154 00:09:21,173 --> 00:09:22,943 it's going to be successful. 155 00:09:23,603 --> 00:09:28,763 Um, and do you want to give them like, just enough that they feel that, but 156 00:09:28,763 --> 00:09:30,533 not so much that they're overwhelmed? 157 00:09:30,713 --> 00:09:35,903 This is a hard balance and what that keeps coming back to me is, If they 158 00:09:35,903 --> 00:09:40,283 really understand the vision of what you're trying to do in your school, then 159 00:09:40,613 --> 00:09:45,443 they're probably going to be able to find success if they get what the vision is. 160 00:09:45,743 --> 00:09:47,123 Is that too simplistic? 161 00:09:47,123 --> 00:09:51,203 Do you think that that's like too basic and they need more than that? 162 00:09:51,203 --> 00:09:52,073 And please be honest. 163 00:09:52,073 --> 00:09:53,393 Don't, don't tell 'em 164 00:09:53,498 --> 00:09:57,968 Eric Makelky: I, I think that's the big picture and all the other things that I've 165 00:09:57,968 --> 00:10:01,388 been listing are the small pieces of that. 166 00:10:02,288 --> 00:10:03,698 But here's my question to you. 167 00:10:03,703 --> 00:10:04,748 How, how do you do that? 168 00:10:04,748 --> 00:10:08,828 Let's say you have one day with new teachers outside of 169 00:10:08,858 --> 00:10:10,328 everybody else's contract time. 170 00:10:11,603 --> 00:10:16,823 How, how do you help them understand what the vision is and feel connected 171 00:10:16,823 --> 00:10:21,203 to that and understand their role, and feel supported and feel ready 172 00:10:21,263 --> 00:10:22,463 with the stuff they're gonna need? 173 00:10:23,183 --> 00:10:23,483 Jethro Jones: Yeah. 174 00:10:24,248 --> 00:10:30,968 I think that's a, that is to me the real question because if you, if you just 175 00:10:30,968 --> 00:10:36,068 talk about vision and don't talk about any of the, the specifics, the brass 176 00:10:36,068 --> 00:10:40,598 tacks, the, the, the things they need to really be doing, then they're gonna 177 00:10:40,598 --> 00:10:42,158 think that you're not helpful at all. 178 00:10:42,638 --> 00:10:48,218 If you only spend time on the, on the practical aspects of it, then they're 179 00:10:48,218 --> 00:10:49,868 gonna wonder what all this is for. 180 00:10:49,868 --> 00:10:51,218 Is this just another school? 181 00:10:51,548 --> 00:10:55,718 And some of them will be totally fine with that, but that doesn't 182 00:10:55,718 --> 00:10:58,118 necessarily mean that everybody will. 183 00:10:58,178 --> 00:11:02,348 And so I think it's, it's about finding a balance between those things. 184 00:11:02,408 --> 00:11:08,708 So I, I have some ideas about that, um, that, that I'll share here. 185 00:11:08,713 --> 00:11:12,968 But I think that this is something that like, that everybody who's listening 186 00:11:12,968 --> 00:11:16,508 to this, you really need to take time and think about what it is that people 187 00:11:16,508 --> 00:11:20,168 actually need and not what you think. 188 00:11:20,498 --> 00:11:22,568 They need because there is a difference. 189 00:11:22,868 --> 00:11:27,398 For example, this is a, a tale as old as time, but it did actually happen to me. 190 00:11:28,058 --> 00:11:35,048 My, my, I got hired like a week and a half before school started, and, um, and so I 191 00:11:35,048 --> 00:11:41,648 could not attend all of the, the pre um, the pre-service, the training and stuff 192 00:11:41,648 --> 00:11:45,248 before school started because I, I was 193 00:11:45,273 --> 00:11:46,713 Eric Makelky: you're talking as a teacher, right? 194 00:11:46,838 --> 00:11:49,253 Jethro Jones: As a teacher, yes, as a teacher. 195 00:11:49,403 --> 00:11:54,143 Um, and so I, I couldn't attend everything because I was working another job and 196 00:11:54,143 --> 00:11:58,043 just got a job and so I had to take, you know, that little transition time. 197 00:11:59,303 --> 00:12:01,943 So what basically happened is I went in there at the end of one 198 00:12:01,943 --> 00:12:06,053 day and uh, the principal walked me in and said, there are your books. 199 00:12:06,523 --> 00:12:10,433 Your mentor is in this classroom, and good luck. 200 00:12:10,463 --> 00:12:12,683 I gotta go do something else. 201 00:12:13,073 --> 00:12:19,088 And like, That that happens way more often than any of us would like to 202 00:12:19,088 --> 00:12:24,908 advance, so we need to be more intentional than that Now, I actually thrived in 203 00:12:24,908 --> 00:12:28,988 that situation because I didn't want anybody to tell me anything to do. 204 00:12:28,988 --> 00:12:30,968 I wanted to be able to figure it out for myself. 205 00:12:31,328 --> 00:12:35,978 So I had questions and I needed help, and I was not as good a teacher as I 206 00:12:35,978 --> 00:12:41,978 thought I was, but, Uh, as much as I hated all those trainings in following 207 00:12:41,978 --> 00:12:45,368 years and what a waste of time they were for me, I was very grateful 208 00:12:45,368 --> 00:12:47,888 to not be burdened by any of that. 209 00:12:48,038 --> 00:12:49,778 Uh, my first, my first year. 210 00:12:50,498 --> 00:12:56,018 So, uh, so I didn't really have any guidance on this, and I don't remember 211 00:12:56,018 --> 00:12:58,478 my first day of school at all. 212 00:12:58,748 --> 00:13:00,008 The first day that I taught, I. 213 00:13:00,488 --> 00:13:06,338 I just remember going home in my calves aching incredibly from, uh, walking 214 00:13:06,338 --> 00:13:09,428 around the entire day on, on concrete. 215 00:13:10,238 --> 00:13:13,658 So that's, that's my first experience. 216 00:13:13,898 --> 00:13:18,008 I don't think that, uh, that that's good, but I think a lot of people 217 00:13:18,013 --> 00:13:19,119 experience something like that. 218 00:13:19,478 --> 00:13:24,578 So the first thing I wanna share is, um, is a Trello board, and I'll put a 219 00:13:24,578 --> 00:13:27,188 link to this in the, in the show notes. 220 00:13:27,458 --> 00:13:29,528 Have I shared this Trello board with you before? 221 00:13:30,793 --> 00:13:31,433 Eric Makelky: I don't think so. 222 00:13:31,598 --> 00:13:32,498 Jethro Jones: about onboarding. 223 00:13:33,128 --> 00:13:39,608 So when I was in Kodiak, um, uh, Damon Hargraves and I, uh, worked 224 00:13:39,608 --> 00:13:42,038 on this to make it for our teachers. 225 00:13:42,368 --> 00:13:47,048 Moving to Kodiak, Alaska was a big deal, and it was difficult 226 00:13:47,048 --> 00:13:47,858 for people to get there. 227 00:13:47,858 --> 00:13:53,558 So we needed people to understand so many things about working 228 00:13:53,558 --> 00:13:55,298 in Kodiak that they couldn't. 229 00:13:55,823 --> 00:13:59,843 That they couldn't understand without us providing a lot. 230 00:14:00,173 --> 00:14:06,503 So one of the things that we did is we did a series of emails to them and, uh, I'm 231 00:14:06,508 --> 00:14:10,973 showing Eric this Trello board right now, and you, if you click the link in the show 232 00:14:10,978 --> 00:14:14,993 notes at Transformative Principal dot org, you can look at this same thing and you 233 00:14:14,993 --> 00:14:16,613 can walk through it with us if you want. 234 00:14:17,663 --> 00:14:22,283 So what we did is we, we had a series of 10 emails going out to them. 235 00:14:22,628 --> 00:14:26,228 That would explain all these different things about our school 236 00:14:26,228 --> 00:14:27,548 and where they were gonna live. 237 00:14:28,688 --> 00:14:32,168 And we had a couple of things that were important. 238 00:14:32,318 --> 00:14:39,098 Number one, we wanted them to know about Kodiak itself and how it, how 239 00:14:39,098 --> 00:14:41,948 it worked, what kinds of things they could understand, how they would 240 00:14:41,948 --> 00:14:43,208 get there, all that kind of stuff. 241 00:14:43,208 --> 00:14:46,718 So in each letter we sent, we would have. 242 00:14:47,093 --> 00:14:51,083 Uh, something about life and something about work. 243 00:14:51,413 --> 00:14:55,583 And so we gave them these emails as a way for them to understand 244 00:14:55,853 --> 00:14:57,413 like what was really going on. 245 00:14:57,803 --> 00:15:03,683 So, so the, the first emails title is, yay, I'm part of Kodiak Middle School. 246 00:15:03,923 --> 00:15:04,293 Now what? 247 00:15:04,713 --> 00:15:08,393 And then we would say, here's, here's all this stuff. 248 00:15:08,483 --> 00:15:11,453 And, oh, mine and Damon's cell phone numbers are in there. 249 00:15:11,783 --> 00:15:12,923 Might want to adjust that. 250 00:15:13,328 --> 00:15:14,468 I'll, I'll do that. 251 00:15:15,008 --> 00:15:19,328 Um, but anyway, there's links to our social media, there's links to the, 252 00:15:19,478 --> 00:15:24,428 the staff workday, things that happen, enrollment, all that kind of stuff so the 253 00:15:24,428 --> 00:15:27,578 people could, could know what's going on. 254 00:15:27,848 --> 00:15:30,958 So we would send that and then after that we would talk about finding 255 00:15:30,958 --> 00:15:34,088 housing and then getting specific gear. 256 00:15:34,388 --> 00:15:37,688 Being a responsive educator, cuz that was important to us, our 257 00:15:37,688 --> 00:15:41,288 continuous improvement model, standards based instruction. 258 00:15:41,708 --> 00:15:44,018 P b i s trauma and more. 259 00:15:44,198 --> 00:15:48,308 And then it would, the next email, eight would be tools of the trade, 260 00:15:48,308 --> 00:15:50,258 how we get work done in Kodiak. 261 00:15:50,768 --> 00:15:53,408 Uh, email nine was the schedule. 262 00:15:53,858 --> 00:15:59,198 And then, uh, email 10 was, uh, planning your first year rollercoaster. 263 00:16:00,098 --> 00:16:05,978 And, and so each of those emails were, were designed to give them information 264 00:16:05,978 --> 00:16:08,828 and help them see what they could expect. 265 00:16:09,128 --> 00:16:14,138 So as a, as a starting point, I would say if you don't have a set of 266 00:16:14,143 --> 00:16:19,418 onboarding emails for new staff members, uh, it would be very wise to do that. 267 00:16:19,418 --> 00:16:22,808 And then we put them in MailChimp and we sent them out automatically. 268 00:16:22,808 --> 00:16:26,468 So when somebody got hired, we added them to this campaign and it sent 269 00:16:26,468 --> 00:16:27,778 all 10 emails out automatically. 270 00:16:27,838 --> 00:16:29,378 We set it and forget it. 271 00:16:29,378 --> 00:16:31,478 We never had to worry about that again. 272 00:16:31,958 --> 00:16:34,658 So that's, that's one way. 273 00:16:35,063 --> 00:16:38,123 Take advantage of the fact that you hired them early enough 274 00:16:38,123 --> 00:16:39,443 that they can get these emails. 275 00:16:39,713 --> 00:16:42,473 Here's the thing, if we hired someone, the week before school started like 276 00:16:42,473 --> 00:16:45,773 happened with me, we still sent these emails that are out every week 277 00:16:45,773 --> 00:16:48,023 to them going into the school year. 278 00:16:48,023 --> 00:16:51,743 So really if you got hired the week before, by the end of quarter one, 279 00:16:51,748 --> 00:16:54,863 you would've finally gotten all of the emails and most of them at 280 00:16:54,863 --> 00:16:57,983 that point, you would probably have already figured that stuff out. 281 00:16:58,313 --> 00:17:02,003 But it was really valuable for us to have a resource for people. 282 00:17:02,708 --> 00:17:05,768 To, to experience and, and learn about what we were doing. 283 00:17:08,003 --> 00:17:08,183 Eric Makelky: Yeah. 284 00:17:08,183 --> 00:17:08,723 That's great. 285 00:17:08,843 --> 00:17:09,383 That's great. 286 00:17:09,383 --> 00:17:11,573 They didn't send you all 10 that day you signed. 287 00:17:12,488 --> 00:17:12,708 Jethro Jones: No, 288 00:17:14,808 --> 00:17:15,028 no. 289 00:17:15,028 --> 00:17:16,948 That, that might be a little overwhelming. 290 00:17:18,098 --> 00:17:18,548 Eric Makelky: Yeah. 291 00:17:18,938 --> 00:17:24,548 Well, and that, that's one thing that I know I've been guilty of is when you're 292 00:17:24,548 --> 00:17:27,218 working with new hires, overwhelming 'em. 293 00:17:27,358 --> 00:17:27,648 Jethro Jones: yeah. 294 00:17:28,208 --> 00:17:32,438 Eric Makelky: And you know, thinking back to when I've been new, like 295 00:17:32,438 --> 00:17:36,788 how much of that stuff that you go through in a meeting at the start 296 00:17:36,788 --> 00:17:38,168 of the year, are you gonna remember? 297 00:17:38,228 --> 00:17:38,918 I know. 298 00:17:39,503 --> 00:17:42,743 I'll, I'll end up calling people and asking for help, even though 299 00:17:42,743 --> 00:17:44,783 they showed me how to do it because 300 00:17:45,288 --> 00:17:45,503 Jethro Jones: Yep. 301 00:17:45,923 --> 00:17:49,583 Eric Makelky: you, you just won't retain every single thing you read 302 00:17:49,583 --> 00:17:55,133 in the staff handbook and every app and list of everything, so, 303 00:17:56,633 --> 00:17:56,903 Jethro Jones: Yep. 304 00:17:57,473 --> 00:17:58,583 Uh, you won't. 305 00:17:58,733 --> 00:17:59,423 That is true. 306 00:17:59,813 --> 00:18:03,053 And so, uh, you want to make sure that you. 307 00:18:03,968 --> 00:18:06,068 Uh, don't expect that to happen. 308 00:18:06,698 --> 00:18:12,968 So, so I mean, it, it's, it's easy to, to start out thinking like, 309 00:18:13,028 --> 00:18:14,288 oh yeah, they really need this. 310 00:18:14,288 --> 00:18:18,398 When the reality is, is they don't actually need all of that. 311 00:18:18,578 --> 00:18:23,888 So we probably put too much information in there, but because it was dripped 312 00:18:23,888 --> 00:18:30,488 out over a course of 10 weeks and, uh, we knew that they wanted information. 313 00:18:31,283 --> 00:18:34,493 That was a pretty easy way to get that information out. 314 00:18:34,493 --> 00:18:41,063 That was manageable for us, and, and that's what really I, that's what I think 315 00:18:41,063 --> 00:18:45,683 really matters is figuring out a way to make it manageable for everybody and still 316 00:18:45,683 --> 00:18:47,243 get the information out that you need to. 317 00:18:49,023 --> 00:18:52,808 Eric Makelky: Yeah, and even if they already have answers, it's good to have 318 00:18:52,808 --> 00:18:57,368 that in there cuz some people will, it will be relevant and if not, they can just 319 00:18:57,368 --> 00:18:59,658 skip, skip to the relevant parts of those. 320 00:19:00,333 --> 00:19:00,578 Jethro Jones: Yep. 321 00:19:00,668 --> 00:19:05,408 And here's, here's the other thing, because we knew what was in those emails, 322 00:19:05,678 --> 00:19:10,238 we could refer them back to it or find it in the email and then resend it 323 00:19:10,243 --> 00:19:11,738 out to 'em so that they would have it. 324 00:19:12,278 --> 00:19:17,928 And then we were giving the same information to everybody and we, we 325 00:19:18,188 --> 00:19:23,408 weren't wasting time repeating things or retyping answers that we already had. 326 00:19:24,113 --> 00:19:27,113 So you saw on that troll board, I could just go in and copy the text 327 00:19:27,113 --> 00:19:30,713 and then paste it and send it to 'em, and, and that was really easy. 328 00:19:31,013 --> 00:19:33,143 You can also share something like that. 329 00:19:33,323 --> 00:19:38,753 This, uh, this is messy intentionally because that's how we, we set it up 330 00:19:38,963 --> 00:19:44,138 and, um, And in our brainstorm working through it, we created all these cards 331 00:19:44,138 --> 00:19:47,288 and then moved them to the appropriate things, including putting pictures 332 00:19:47,288 --> 00:19:48,578 and images in there and everything. 333 00:19:49,148 --> 00:19:53,468 And it was, it was worthwhile and valuable to set it up that way. 334 00:19:53,888 --> 00:20:00,178 Um, and it was not, it was not as hard as it seemed at first, nor was 335 00:20:00,178 --> 00:20:02,318 it as hard as it seems right now. 336 00:20:02,348 --> 00:20:05,528 Looking back on it, I'm like, oh my gosh, that looks like a lot of work. 337 00:20:05,858 --> 00:20:07,238 But in reality, it really. 338 00:20:07,583 --> 00:20:08,783 It really wasn't that difficult. 339 00:20:08,783 --> 00:20:12,113 It was all the stuff that was in my mind that I just needed to get out. 340 00:20:12,428 --> 00:20:12,848 Eric Makelky: Mm-hmm. 341 00:20:16,328 --> 00:20:19,838 Can you, can you share that board with me if you haven't already? 342 00:20:20,153 --> 00:20:20,663 Jethro Jones: Yes. 343 00:20:20,723 --> 00:20:20,993 Yep. 344 00:20:21,023 --> 00:20:23,963 I will, I'll send, send you a link to it so you got it. 345 00:20:24,338 --> 00:20:26,303 Eric Makelky: And you're saying, I can't leave your cell phone in there. 346 00:20:26,303 --> 00:20:27,383 If they have questions, 347 00:20:28,043 --> 00:20:31,553 Jethro Jones: Uh, I actually, I put my, my eight oh one seven Jethro cell 348 00:20:31,553 --> 00:20:32,873 phone in there instead of my other one. 349 00:20:33,143 --> 00:20:36,414 So, so they, they certainly can, if they want to. 350 00:20:36,533 --> 00:20:38,593 Eric Makelky: you're gonna put this live on the web and you're 351 00:20:38,598 --> 00:20:41,663 gonna be getting teacher, teacher calls from all over the country. 352 00:20:41,663 --> 00:20:45,033 Hey, I heard you're the guy to talk to about if I'm new in Arkansas or Wyoming, 353 00:20:45,038 --> 00:20:45,548 Jethro Jones: That's right. 354 00:20:45,553 --> 00:20:45,878 Yep. 355 00:20:46,088 --> 00:20:46,448 Yep. 356 00:20:46,478 --> 00:20:51,660 I will, I will help you out and yeah, uh, since my phone number is eight oh one 357 00:20:51,660 --> 00:20:54,098 seven Jethro, that's my public number. 358 00:20:54,578 --> 00:20:58,928 Uh, and that does go to my cell phone, but it's, it's kind of fun to, to have that so 359 00:20:58,928 --> 00:21:01,688 people, people can access that for sure. 360 00:21:01,748 --> 00:21:03,738 And please, yeah, email me, call me, text me. 361 00:21:04,118 --> 00:21:05,798 I'd be happy to chat with you more about it. 362 00:21:08,372 --> 00:21:12,662 the other thing that I would say about this is that if you have a clear vision, 363 00:21:12,662 --> 00:21:17,072 so for example, what I, after doing this in Kodiak, I went to Tana in, in 364 00:21:17,072 --> 00:21:24,572 Fairbanks, and I was so clear on what my vision was that I made it, it was so easy 365 00:21:24,782 --> 00:21:29,942 to talk to about people because my vision was we, we do personalized learning for 366 00:21:29,942 --> 00:21:32,672 students, which means that every student. 367 00:21:33,257 --> 00:21:37,697 Their learning is personalized to them rather than to a whole class. 368 00:21:37,697 --> 00:21:43,307 So my, my, my coaching to all new teachers was, you need to get to know your 369 00:21:43,307 --> 00:21:45,677 students the first two weeks of class. 370 00:21:45,977 --> 00:21:51,347 Nothing else matters, so don't, don't worry about any curriculum type stuff. 371 00:21:51,767 --> 00:21:53,297 You just get to know your students. 372 00:21:53,297 --> 00:21:54,917 And then we also did things to set. 373 00:21:55,577 --> 00:21:59,537 The whole school up for getting to know their students by doing different things 374 00:21:59,537 --> 00:22:01,277 the first three days of school as well. 375 00:22:01,787 --> 00:22:05,807 So we didn't, like, kids, didn't even get their schedule till the second or third 376 00:22:05,807 --> 00:22:11,447 day of school, and that was by design so that they would get to know each other, 377 00:22:11,537 --> 00:22:17,207 their teachers and other people at school before they worried about what their 378 00:22:17,207 --> 00:22:19,217 classes were and who their teachers were. 379 00:22:19,217 --> 00:22:24,782 So that ideally, hopefully, They've got connections and relationships 380 00:22:24,782 --> 00:22:29,012 with people in their classes before they even know who those people are. 381 00:22:29,492 --> 00:22:31,682 So that was, that was another thing that we did. 382 00:22:31,682 --> 00:22:37,022 We set up our school to be focused on providing support for everybody who is 383 00:22:37,022 --> 00:22:41,012 new, not just for the teachers, so that students understood what our vision 384 00:22:41,012 --> 00:22:42,482 was and what we were trying to do. 385 00:22:42,812 --> 00:22:45,002 And so the teachers understood it as well. 386 00:22:45,152 --> 00:22:50,402 And then new teachers could kind of like relax those first couple days. 387 00:22:50,687 --> 00:22:54,737 Because they're still not quite ready and so we gave them a little bit more 388 00:22:54,737 --> 00:22:57,497 time to To figure some things out. 389 00:22:59,372 --> 00:23:01,952 Eric Makelky: Can I ask you about mentoring with new teachers? 390 00:23:02,217 --> 00:23:02,507 Jethro Jones: Yeah. 391 00:23:03,032 --> 00:23:06,032 Eric Makelky: I've, I've seen mentor systems that I think are overdone, 392 00:23:06,092 --> 00:23:13,022 like over formalized and you know, every other week meeting and doing book 393 00:23:13,022 --> 00:23:17,162 studies with your mentor and paying your veteran teachers a stipend to 394 00:23:17,162 --> 00:23:19,022 do all these hours with new teachers. 395 00:23:20,192 --> 00:23:23,492 And I don't think that has been real effective cuz you're kind of trying 396 00:23:23,492 --> 00:23:29,372 to force a mentor mentee relationship, but especially high schools. 397 00:23:30,212 --> 00:23:35,492 Um, Where teachers a lot of times are singletons and kind of just in, in a cave. 398 00:23:36,062 --> 00:23:40,052 It's, it's hard to have a, like a natural way for new teachers 399 00:23:40,052 --> 00:23:43,322 to make that connection and have like a go-to colleague. 400 00:23:43,952 --> 00:23:50,162 So we're, we're, we're kind of ramping up some collaborative teams with our PLC 401 00:23:50,312 --> 00:23:56,672 work that I think is gonna help where they have a regular, um, Like weekly, 402 00:23:56,672 --> 00:24:00,632 at least collaborative team they can meet with, to share ideas and resources 403 00:24:00,632 --> 00:24:04,202 and help overcome some challenges. 404 00:24:04,202 --> 00:24:08,702 But what, what have you found effective with mentorship programs? 405 00:24:09,062 --> 00:24:13,202 Not over formalized, but not just kind of hoping they find a connection. 406 00:24:14,047 --> 00:24:14,402 Jethro Jones: Yeah. 407 00:24:14,642 --> 00:24:20,312 So there need to be, there need to be structures in place that give them a 408 00:24:20,317 --> 00:24:23,802 person to go to, but there shouldn't be. 409 00:24:24,437 --> 00:24:28,367 Uh, like requirements and things that force those things to happen. 410 00:24:28,787 --> 00:24:33,137 So what you ultimately want, and, and our problem in education is that we 411 00:24:33,142 --> 00:24:36,377 think that everything has to be the same for everybody, and it just doesn't. 412 00:24:36,797 --> 00:24:41,237 So we really should be personalizing the onboarding and the mentorship 413 00:24:41,507 --> 00:24:43,237 for each person individually. 414 00:24:43,967 --> 00:24:48,287 And that means that some things need to be really focused and structured. 415 00:24:48,287 --> 00:24:52,307 Number one, everyone should have a mentor that they can go to, and 416 00:24:52,307 --> 00:24:53,927 that that person doesn't get to say. 417 00:24:54,212 --> 00:24:55,802 I'm too busy to help you right now. 418 00:24:56,132 --> 00:25:00,122 Like my door is always open for you because I am your mentor. 419 00:25:00,122 --> 00:25:04,322 If that means we need to pay them them some money or do something else to 420 00:25:04,322 --> 00:25:07,892 make it worth their while, give them an extra prep period, I don't know. 421 00:25:08,012 --> 00:25:13,772 But they've got to know, this is the person I can go to for, for some support. 422 00:25:14,342 --> 00:25:16,472 That's gotta be absolutely there. 423 00:25:16,532 --> 00:25:18,422 And they need to know who that person is and they have to be 424 00:25:18,422 --> 00:25:19,442 comfortable with that person. 425 00:25:19,712 --> 00:25:23,852 So you may have to find a different person if they're not comfortable, but. 426 00:25:24,167 --> 00:25:28,397 W I believe that finding that mentor is one of the most essential things 427 00:25:28,397 --> 00:25:30,137 you can do after you hire someone. 428 00:25:30,557 --> 00:25:36,647 Because if they, if they one, get taught in a poor way of what things are about, 429 00:25:36,977 --> 00:25:39,587 then bad ideas are going to perpetuate. 430 00:25:40,037 --> 00:25:44,747 So, uh, one of the things that, that one of my mentors told me, I had two 431 00:25:44,747 --> 00:25:48,227 different mentors cause I went to two different schools, um, was that, 432 00:25:49,202 --> 00:25:53,972 I shouldn't smile until Christmas, which I think is just terrible advice. 433 00:25:54,032 --> 00:25:57,902 And yes, you should smile all year long and you should 434 00:25:57,902 --> 00:25:59,462 be happy and enjoy your job. 435 00:25:59,972 --> 00:26:06,992 But by by her saying that I learned that that's what she valued and what was 436 00:26:06,992 --> 00:26:12,302 important to her, and anything that I tried to do that was outside of that or 437 00:26:12,302 --> 00:26:16,562 that didn't follow, that she would go back to that and say, oh, well you shouldn't 438 00:26:16,562 --> 00:26:17,882 be smiling until Christmas anyway. 439 00:26:18,257 --> 00:26:22,097 And, you know, some other things happened where people said you shouldn't. 440 00:26:22,097 --> 00:26:26,447 Uh, and I heard this from teachers that, that were new in my schools, that you 441 00:26:26,447 --> 00:26:30,767 shouldn't say anything to disagree with the principal until you have tenure. 442 00:26:31,487 --> 00:26:35,117 Um, which then creates a habit over three to five years, however 443 00:26:35,122 --> 00:26:36,707 long tenure is in your district. 444 00:26:37,067 --> 00:26:42,197 And then you never say that you disagree and you, uh, just take the role of being 445 00:26:42,197 --> 00:26:44,387 a good soldier, which isn't good either. 446 00:26:44,387 --> 00:26:48,902 And so, You know, you need to really be intentional about who you choose 447 00:26:49,022 --> 00:26:51,902 as a mentor and make sure that it's a good fit for that person 448 00:26:52,262 --> 00:26:53,612 and a good fit for your school. 449 00:26:53,617 --> 00:26:58,862 Also, you don't want to choose a mentor who is badmouthing, complaining, 450 00:26:59,192 --> 00:27:00,902 talking bad about people all the time. 451 00:27:01,232 --> 00:27:05,002 And sometimes those people get chosen as mentors because they're 452 00:27:05,002 --> 00:27:06,722 good at other parts of the job. 453 00:27:07,082 --> 00:27:10,562 But we're talking about culture here, and those things are culture killers. 454 00:27:10,562 --> 00:27:11,222 To be sure. 455 00:27:11,972 --> 00:27:13,697 So be really tight on that. 456 00:27:13,727 --> 00:27:16,037 Have a great mentor for that person. 457 00:27:16,577 --> 00:27:22,487 The other thing that you need to be really tight on is that the mentoring happens 458 00:27:22,517 --> 00:27:28,647 according to what the mentee needs, not according to what the mentor needs. 459 00:27:29,357 --> 00:27:35,597 So if, if the mentee needs to go have coffee in the morning, then. 460 00:27:36,477 --> 00:27:37,292 That's the plan. 461 00:27:37,352 --> 00:27:39,452 That's what you do to make that happen. 462 00:27:39,722 --> 00:27:43,262 If they need to stay after school and have, uh, a mentor 463 00:27:43,262 --> 00:27:45,032 meeting, then that's what you do. 464 00:27:45,602 --> 00:27:49,382 And you can't say that everybody needs mentoring in the exact same way. 465 00:27:49,862 --> 00:27:57,122 So, uh, solid mentor happening as the mentee needs, even if they don't 466 00:27:57,122 --> 00:28:00,902 necessarily want it, but as they need, the mentoring happens with them. 467 00:28:02,537 --> 00:28:06,722 And then the third piece that I think is just super important is that you 468 00:28:06,722 --> 00:28:10,922 understand that mentoring is not just about pedagogical strategies, 469 00:28:11,222 --> 00:28:15,602 that it is about mentoring the culture of the school as well. 470 00:28:16,082 --> 00:28:19,562 And if you take those three things and focus on those three things, I think 471 00:28:19,562 --> 00:28:23,612 that you're gonna find success and the rest of it can figure itself out. 472 00:28:24,122 --> 00:28:25,142 What are your thoughts on that? 473 00:28:27,587 --> 00:28:28,337 Eric Makelky: I like that. 474 00:28:28,487 --> 00:28:31,997 I think a lot of times when we set up mentors, it's like, well, 475 00:28:31,997 --> 00:28:33,647 who else is in that department? 476 00:28:33,647 --> 00:28:36,107 You know, put a new math teacher with the other math teacher 477 00:28:36,167 --> 00:28:37,457 and that's the only option. 478 00:28:37,487 --> 00:28:42,767 And really that's part of why it becomes pedagogy instead of 479 00:28:42,817 --> 00:28:45,367 everything else that the mentee needs. 480 00:28:46,397 --> 00:28:47,117 Um, 481 00:28:49,187 --> 00:28:52,247 So I like that just feeling like, you know, you can get outside 482 00:28:52,247 --> 00:28:56,327 the box when you're trying to find the right person to mentor. 483 00:28:56,527 --> 00:28:56,817 Jethro Jones: Yeah. 484 00:28:57,227 --> 00:29:02,207 Eric Makelky: Um, I had heard some really interesting ideas. 485 00:29:02,207 --> 00:29:03,077 I don't know. 486 00:29:04,517 --> 00:29:09,978 We were at a, a training a couple weeks ago and they mentioned inviting in, 487 00:29:10,847 --> 00:29:16,547 um, your retired teacher population and doing like lunch with new teachers. 488 00:29:17,187 --> 00:29:18,632 Or coffee with new teachers. 489 00:29:18,632 --> 00:29:22,622 And I thought that was, uh, like a, a unique way to like, 490 00:29:22,622 --> 00:29:23,972 help 'em build a connection. 491 00:29:24,092 --> 00:29:27,092 I don't know how much, you know, they definitely wouldn't be doing pedagogy, 492 00:29:27,807 --> 00:29:28,082 Jethro Jones: Yeah. 493 00:29:28,112 --> 00:29:30,392 Eric Makelky: but, or technology or anything like that. 494 00:29:30,392 --> 00:29:35,102 But, um, we have a lot of retired teachers here that don't 495 00:29:35,102 --> 00:29:36,192 want to come back and sub or. 496 00:29:37,172 --> 00:29:40,982 Don't wanna, you know, work regularly, but that might be something that we 497 00:29:40,982 --> 00:29:46,802 said, Hey, you know, come in once a week if you can on a, a lunch period. 498 00:29:47,072 --> 00:29:51,032 And they had mentioned the importance of making sure new teachers 499 00:29:51,032 --> 00:29:52,472 have someone to eat lunch with, 500 00:29:53,582 --> 00:29:53,822 Jethro Jones: Mm-hmm. 501 00:29:54,092 --> 00:29:58,742 Eric Makelky: just like teachers lounge, which we all know can be a 502 00:29:58,742 --> 00:30:00,662 bad place sometimes to eat lunch. 503 00:30:00,962 --> 00:30:01,442 Um, 504 00:30:02,132 --> 00:30:03,512 Jethro Jones: I got funny stories about that. 505 00:30:03,872 --> 00:30:04,322 Oh boy. 506 00:30:06,062 --> 00:30:08,792 We, we go on for a while, but we won't today. 507 00:30:08,912 --> 00:30:11,552 But ask me in person about a good teacher's lounge story. 508 00:30:12,062 --> 00:30:16,592 Uh, the, the thing that I like about bringing in retired folks is that 509 00:30:16,952 --> 00:30:20,482 they have experience and hindsight. 510 00:30:21,452 --> 00:30:22,982 And they're done. 511 00:30:23,102 --> 00:30:25,112 So they don't really have a dog in the fight anymore. 512 00:30:25,352 --> 00:30:31,412 And so I think that if that person is, is a good person to be a mentor, 513 00:30:31,472 --> 00:30:34,862 you know, going back to the things that we already talked about, um, then 514 00:30:34,862 --> 00:30:36,422 that can be a really powerful thing. 515 00:30:36,692 --> 00:30:41,522 If, if they were somebody who was just dying to get out and and hated their last 516 00:30:41,522 --> 00:30:44,012 five years, you don't want that to happen. 517 00:30:44,312 --> 00:30:48,167 But if there's somebody who was like, Energized and engaged. 518 00:30:48,167 --> 00:30:52,727 You know, uh, for example, Kathy Krutz, I, I can't help but bring her up. 519 00:30:52,727 --> 00:30:56,477 Every time I think about a teacher retiring, she was ready to 520 00:30:56,477 --> 00:31:00,407 retire and she was a third grade teacher at a Title one school. 521 00:31:00,497 --> 00:31:06,617 She'd put in her years, she had done a great job, and she said, uh, instead 522 00:31:06,617 --> 00:31:10,187 of retiring, she said she wanted to come back one more year and try the new 523 00:31:10,187 --> 00:31:12,827 curriculum that we were adopting and. 524 00:31:13,187 --> 00:31:14,447 I was like, are you serious? 525 00:31:14,447 --> 00:31:17,957 Like you could leave and not learn something brand New year last year. 526 00:31:18,017 --> 00:31:23,507 And she's like, no, I just wanted to like, see what it was gonna look like. 527 00:31:23,627 --> 00:31:27,917 I, I was part of the implementation adoption process and I wanted 528 00:31:27,917 --> 00:31:29,897 to see how it all worked out. 529 00:31:29,897 --> 00:31:34,307 And so she did one more year and man, she was the best I would. 530 00:31:35,042 --> 00:31:38,822 Had I thought of that idea of bringing her back, I would've brought her back in a 531 00:31:38,822 --> 00:31:45,842 heartbeat because she was so positive and understood the work so well and like went 532 00:31:45,847 --> 00:31:50,372 out on a high note, even though that year was probably her hardest year ever and 533 00:31:50,372 --> 00:31:56,162 she had a lot of really challenging kids, but she was, she was great and didn't 534 00:31:56,162 --> 00:31:58,412 regret sticking around another year and. 535 00:31:58,977 --> 00:32:02,372 That's the kind of person that you want to have, be a mentor. 536 00:32:02,372 --> 00:32:07,412 And uh, I don't know what she did after that year, but uh, I know she retired, 537 00:32:07,412 --> 00:32:10,382 but while she was retired, I don't know if she stuck with the schools 538 00:32:10,382 --> 00:32:12,242 or did anything, but she was amazing. 539 00:32:12,242 --> 00:32:15,052 And that's the kind of person you wanna find for sure. 540 00:32:17,132 --> 00:32:19,802 Eric Makelky: Yeah, and I would think a lot of the like career 541 00:32:19,922 --> 00:32:21,632 teachers that retire, they miss. 542 00:32:22,022 --> 00:32:26,102 You know, one of the best parts of this job is like the camaraderie with the staff 543 00:32:26,102 --> 00:32:27,842 and feeling a part of, of the school. 544 00:32:27,842 --> 00:32:31,922 And if they don't wanna sub or they don't wanna like do some formal thing, 545 00:32:31,922 --> 00:32:35,942 it's a great way for them to still feel connected with what's going on at 546 00:32:35,942 --> 00:32:37,952 the school and who the new people are. 547 00:32:38,012 --> 00:32:41,942 You know, cuz as you retire you kinda, pretty soon it's like, oh, I 548 00:32:41,942 --> 00:32:43,382 don't even know half the staff there. 549 00:32:43,382 --> 00:32:45,002 I don't know the administrators. 550 00:32:45,002 --> 00:32:47,672 So I thought that was a, a great idea. 551 00:32:47,982 --> 00:32:48,287 Jethro Jones: Yeah. 552 00:32:48,347 --> 00:32:49,037 I like that. 553 00:32:50,297 --> 00:32:50,927 Very cool. 554 00:32:51,167 --> 00:32:53,087 Anything else before we wrap up? 555 00:33:02,477 --> 00:33:03,017 Good timing. 556 00:33:03,197 --> 00:33:03,907 I think we froze. 557 00:33:06,287 --> 00:33:07,397 We'll just cut that out. 558 00:33:08,327 --> 00:33:08,957 Are we back? 559 00:33:10,307 --> 00:33:11,657 And here we go. 560 00:33:13,517 --> 00:33:13,907 All right. 561 00:33:13,912 --> 00:33:14,507 We back. 562 00:33:14,937 --> 00:33:16,907 Eric Makelky: Yeah, you were frozen. 563 00:33:17,627 --> 00:33:18,857 Jethro Jones: Yeah, it happens. 564 00:33:19,067 --> 00:33:19,517 All right. 565 00:33:19,547 --> 00:33:22,337 Uh, anything else you want to add before we sign off? 566 00:33:22,652 --> 00:33:24,542 Eric Makelky: No, I was just saying I got a lot of work to do. 567 00:33:25,132 --> 00:33:25,187 Jethro Jones: Yeah, 568 00:33:26,222 --> 00:33:29,792 Eric Makelky: So, no, no new topics for a couple weeks, although this will 569 00:33:29,792 --> 00:33:31,262 be our last one of the school year. 570 00:33:31,577 --> 00:33:32,027 Jethro Jones: that's right. 571 00:33:32,032 --> 00:33:32,217 Yep. 572 00:33:32,222 --> 00:33:35,762 Eric Makelky: So principal coaching in June and July would 573 00:33:35,767 --> 00:33:37,562 be, um, fishing technique. 574 00:33:37,562 --> 00:33:39,752 So if you want to do those, maybe we'll put 'em on a different podcast. 575 00:33:40,637 --> 00:33:41,117 Jethro Jones: I like it. 576 00:33:41,117 --> 00:33:42,197 That sounds pretty good. 577 00:33:42,857 --> 00:33:43,337 All right. 578 00:33:43,487 --> 00:33:44,027 Thanks Eric. 579 00:33:44,027 --> 00:33:44,267 Have a 580 00:33:44,342 --> 00:33:44,702 Eric Makelky: Thanks. 581 00:33:44,942 --> 00:33:45,332 You too. 582 00:33:45,332 --> 00:33:46,142 See you Jethro. 583 00:33:46,372 --> 00:33:46,492 Jethro Jones: I.