Episode 2

Maximizing the Impact of Your Contract Hours with Kelly Hicks

Published on: 9th April, 2025

In this episode Kait and Samantha sit down with Kelly Hicks, a sports loving, crafty mom and 5th grade teacher who is seemingly doing it all! Keely gives great perspective on working outside of contract time and common sense tips on how to maximize your paid time! The fact is, this is a pervasive issue that is leading to record breaking rates of teacher burn out and it is up to individuals and school communities to set boundaries and find solutions.

If you are listening to earn PD points Kait will walk you through an accountability exercise at 31:46!

This is the link to the Google Sheets: Prioritizing and Strategizing Tool

Join our email list at https://essentialpdpod.com/ and follow us on instagram @essentialpdpod


Transcript
Kaitlyn:

Welcome to Essential PD, the flexible, actionable, professional

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development podcast for K 12 teachers.

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I'm Kaitlin Scott.

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Samantha: And I'm Samantha Patterson.

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Kaitlyn: Today we're talking about how

we can maximize our contracted time.

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Samantha: The fact of the matter is that

the list of demands placed on teachers

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is ever growing, but the time that you

have to do your job stays the same.

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I.

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Meetings, emails, meetings,

phone calls, paperwork, meetings.

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It's so much.

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It's not uncommon for a teacher to

stay late, come in early and take home

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mountains of work over the weekend

just to keep their head above water.

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Kaitlyn: The reality is teachers are

professionals facing extreme workplace

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demands, and in many communities,

they're undervalued and misunderstood.

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Today, teachers don't just

clock in, teach and clock out.

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The to-do list is never done, and we

know that this is leading to record

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breaking rates of teacher burnout

and a national teacher shortage.

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Samantha: Today we're gonna chat

with Kelly Hicks, a teacher who

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is seemingly doing it all while

maximizing her contract hours.

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Kelly loves sports and

coaches competitive soccer.

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She loves to spend time with

her family and crafting.

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Our conversation today is full of

actionable advice and practical

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strategies to manage the load

without feeling burnt out.

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Let's jump right in.

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Kelly Hicks: Hi.

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Kaitlyn: I.

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So Kelly, we just wanted to start

by asking you about your journey

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as a teacher and how you learned

how to manage your contract time.

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What are some initial struggles that

you faced and how did you get here?

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Kelly Hicks: Well, I guess for

the last, several years before

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teaching at Galileo, I taught

virtually and I coached on the side.

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So like I've been pretty used to a

busy lifestyle, when my daughter was

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old enough to go to kindergarten.

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That's when I transitioned to a brick

and mortar environment . I taught

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technology for the first year and

just kind of realized I wanted to do

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a little bit more with the students.

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Um, so the first thing I did was I

sat for my, teaching state exam.

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Um, so I guess that was my, like,

initial part of the journey.

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Uh, prepared me.

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and then I didn't really have much

choice in what I was teaching I was

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put into fifth grade math and science

and it wasn't something that I had a

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lot of knowledge on prior, and I've

never taught the subject matter.

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Um, so it was definitely nerve wracking

and I had a lot to learn on my own end.

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, so the first year was

incredibly difficult for me.

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Um, it was kind of like a

sink or swim experience.

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I spent pretty much every second outside

of school working, um, whether that

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was grading papers, teaching myself

content, , preparing lesson plans, And

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my entire, like personal life took quite

a toll, , mentally, emotionally, my

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friendships, my relationships, my family.

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, but really I just kept telling

myself if I put the effort in

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now that in the long run it would

get easier and easier and it has.

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Kaitlyn: And I feel like that's so

many people's kind of story arc, not

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really having total control over

what you're gonna be teaching.

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And then that first year is learning

how to teach, learning what you're

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teaching and doing everything

else expected of a teacher.

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. So how did you start to build

skills and learn how to manage that?

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Kelly Hicks: I think, I'm not really

a person that does things halfway.

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So the first year, my goal was to do

everything to the best of my ability,

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, which helped prepare me because now I

can reflect on everything I did year

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one, year two, and make small changes.

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But I don't have to big

changes every time I'm teaching

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something now, one thing that.

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I made it a point to do and I still

do, I work by choice on my breaks, like

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spring break or Thanksgiving break.

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I find days where my family

doesn't have a lot going on.

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I get my cup of coffee, I sit outside and

I just get on a roll and get as much done

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as I can an environment that's relaxing

to me and where I can put all my focus in.

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So like this spring

break I have planned out.

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The rest of my year, , and just made

sure, like I know what I'm gonna do, what

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I'm gonna teach, what that looks like.

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I have all of my assignments

linked somewhere in a document.

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So just having that like thorough

pacing guide, but being done in an

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environment of my has helped me greatly.

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Samantha: That reminds me of how my

parents trained me when I was in school

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like, you're gonna come home, you're gonna

get all your homework done, you're gonna

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do all your chores, and then the rest

of the day just to do whatever you want.

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I.

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Kelly Hicks: Yeah.

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Samantha: And I feel like even, yeah, like

even that, like I still do that today.

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Like I go to work, I get all

my stuff done, I come home.

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I like to say I do all my

chores right when I come home.

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Um, but then majority of the time I have

the rest of the night just to read or

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go on a walk or do whatever else I want.

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And it's been the one of the

best skills I've ever learned.

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Kelly Hicks: It's like I find all the

little times that I can, and truly it is

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by choice that I work outside of work.

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, I just think that my mental state is.

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a better place.

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Um, I can put more focus on it.

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So it's like yesterday I found a time

and I knocked out a bunch of things.

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So like, I don't even

have to look at work.

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I don't have to think about work until I

walk back in the door on Monday morning.

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, but yet I know my kids are getting

everything that they deserve

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because I've spent the time on it.

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Samantha: So what do you

think the difference is?

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Because, , we've all been there and we've

all seen the social media about it, about

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the teachers who are saying, and this

is neither right nor wrong, because this

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is definitely a thing, they have burnout

because they're working at home so much.

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What do you think the differe

is between you working at

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home and them working at home?

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, Kelly Hicks: I think part of it is

that I truly, truly enjoy what I do.

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, I also now make it a point to,

incorporate projects or lessons

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that I am really passionate about

and that I understand very well.

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, and something that I would wanna do

as a kid because if I am that engaged.

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And interested in it.

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I think it helps with the kids.

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So, for example, I'm teaching a creative

productivity class on yarn animals

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and I have no idea how to crochet.

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Okay.

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it's something that I want to learn.

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So for me, when I'm, you know,

watching a movie with my daughter

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at night, making yarn animals, it's

something that I can do with her.

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Enjoy family time, but also

teach a new skill to the kids.

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So I don't really have the burnout

in the same way, I think, because

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I just try to pick topics that

I am equally interested in.

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Samantha: Do you have any strategies to

help you determine what's most important

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to focus on, like your general approach

when it comes to prioritizing the

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tasks during a particularly busy week,

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Kelly Hicks: first and foremost

is like I have all of my lessons

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done for weeks ahead of time.

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I typically make sure that I

send everything to the printer.

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I.

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Weeks in advance and if I change

something here or there, that's fine,

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but I don't walk in on a Monday morning

going, oh, I need to print something.

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Unless I've slept and been like, Ooh,

that sounds fun and I wanna change it.

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But truly I can walk in in the

morning and know that everything

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is printed, everything is ready.

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So I don't leave the week prior

without having everything good

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to go for the week coming up.

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Another tool I use and.

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I don't see most teachers

take advantage of it.

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, it's using my administrative

staff for help.

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My office staff, they've been honest with

me, they don't mind printing for me.

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So do most of my printing

downstairs in the front office.

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And as long as they don't mind,

like I will absolutely be grateful

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for that because it saves me a

lot of time, , in the workroom.

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So that's definitely a tool I use.

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, the way I prioritize is lesson plans.

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First, have everything

printed and ready to go.

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And then the next thing that I

prioritize, , is all of my grading.

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And I know there's different perspectives

from a lot of different teachers

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on how much you should grade, how

much should go in the grade book.

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I am a firm believer that the

more practice I can give my kids.

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The more they're going to learn.

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And that's not me stacking work on them,

it's just if I don't grade something,

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are they going to know what they got

right or wrong or what they understand.

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If I don't grade it, yeah, I can meet

in small groups, what's, encouraging

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them to do the work and to learn it.

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So my next priority is grading.

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I have everything graded by the

hour, pretty much every day.

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So like during my lunch

break, I'm grading.

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When I get to school in

the morning, I'm grading.

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Um, that way I can give the

kids back whatever it is that

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they worked on the day before.

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They can go see what they need to fix.

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I can see what they need to

fix and I can help, um, switch

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my lesson up for the next day.

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Samantha: I was a horrible grader.

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It got to the point where I'm like,

why did I assign this giant project?

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Kelly Hicks: Um,

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I had one of those this year.

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And I don't think I graded it.

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But then I did just have another one

recently, and I do it every year.

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It's a big shopping project and it's

for my kids that need enrichment,

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and it incorporates like fifth

and sixth grade standards.

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It was due in February.

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And I even do it as a competition.

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And the kids are like, Mrs.

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Hicks, when are you gonna grade that?

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When are you gonna grade that?

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But I have to calculate every single

math calculation on my own because

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everybody purchases different items and

I'm like, holy cow, this is overwhelming.

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So ironically, I just brought it home this

week because I knew I would have the time

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and I graded this massive project, but the

whole time I was like, why did I do this?

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Kaitlyn: So one of the challenges that

I think a lot of teachers face is.

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Working far beyond their contract

hours and getting buried

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or letting things stack up.

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So how do you avoid that trap where

you can take the times, like you said,

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in an environment that you like, in

a way that feels good for you, but

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you're not crossing that boundary.

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Kelly Hicks: Um, I think it's mainly

taking advantage of my time at school too.

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One thing I notice, and it's just

a different, personal approach.

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one thing I notice about a lot of

teachers is the social aspect for them

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and like the friendships that they make.

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And that's a wonderful thing to

have in your workplace environment.

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But for me, I really don't

prioritize that social piece.

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I, prioritize what I'm teaching

first, and then if those social

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friendships happen for me, then great.

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. like I don't socialize, like during my

lunch, I don't socialize in the morning.

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When I get there, I don't socialize.

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I am working so that way I have as much

done by the end of the day as possible

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so I don't have to bring it home.

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Kaitlyn: I think that this is

something I really struggled with,

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especially my first year of teaching.

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I want a shout out.

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My , partner, teacher, uh,

for my first year, Jess, she.

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Literally, like I was at her door every

free second, I was knocking on her

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door being like, Hey girl, what's up?

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Um, and she was so much better

at being like, head down,

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I gotta do what I gotta do.

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And so I feel like that was such a hard

lesson for me to learn because especially

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being in a new school and a first year

teacher, I wanted that community so bad.

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And I, I felt like I

needed that collaboration.

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But looking back, I was like,

I went about it in such.

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You know, just the wrong way.

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For my circumstances, I was really kind of

wasting my time at school, and that's why

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I stayed till five 30 every single day.

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Kelly Hicks: Mm-hmm.

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Samantha: Um, being a music teacher is

just naturally like a solo environment.

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, there's typically only one of you at a

school, and so any chance for interaction,

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I would just eat it all up with people.

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But then as.

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You know, I started like getting

into it and, , having more and

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more afterschool commitments

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and then Covid came, I finally realized

like, is when I'm paid to work.

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If you're not gonna pay

me extra, that's fine.

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so I made a conscious switch

to really dial back all those

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social interactions during work.

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Get as much as I can done

during my contract hours.

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And then by three o'clock I

was able to leave every day

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and it made such a difference.

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Kelly Hicks: Mm-hmm.

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I.

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Samantha: like Being like a, like

a, a former like union leader.

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I'm very big on contracts and

contract time and what it says.

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So, you know, I, I look at it

and I see, okay, well I have 70

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minutes of playing time a day.

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I can, I can get a lot done with that.

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Kelly Hicks: Yeah.

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Another thing like I really try to do

is, my lessons, I mean, they all tell

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you, , a kid can focus for x amount

of time when they're each age, right?

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So my goal is to provide a lesson

that's only like somewhere between

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15 to 25 minutes long and then.

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I think it's really important for

kids to work, do the work, do the

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practice, figure it out right on

their own and then come and see me too.

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But I use that independent

work time to help kids at my

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table that need the extra help.

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But while I'm doing that, I'm

multitasking and I'm also like

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putting grades in the grade book.

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Things that don't take my entire focus,

where I can give the student all

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my focus, but yet I'm still getting

other things done at the same time.

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So I'm like inputting those grades,

just doing little things here and

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there, organizational things, getting

papers organized for the next day.

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Samantha: So still kind of

keeping with the contract hours.

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, how, how do you set up boundaries when it

comes to planning things like afterschool

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meetings and parent emails, any other

work related tasks, , that's gonna,

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, go past when your end of the day is.

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That was something that

I really struggled with.

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Um, and finally when my principal sat

me down, he said, Samantha, you can

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always add more, but it's difficult.

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To take back once you've gone and

planned all these things and offered

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all these things and, you know, set

this precedent that you're gonna be

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available until eight o'clock at night.

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Kelly Hicks: Mm-hmm.

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Samantha: how do you work

within your own boundaries?

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Kelly Hicks: Um, year one was

really hard for me because

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Samantha: I.

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Kelly Hicks: I thought that I had

to , provide that instant communication

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with parents, like if they emailed

me or if they had a question.

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, if it's something that's super

important or if it's time sensitive,

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I will reply in the evening.

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But it's very, very rare.

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And honestly, like I coach competitive

soccer too, so I'm out of pocket

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naturally after school hours.

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So if I get those emails or those

phone calls, I'm not even seeing

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them until I get home at seven 30.

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And, and I just make it a point

to not respond until the next day.

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I do my very best to hit that

48 hour rule or less than.

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, but I also go through the emails

like, do they need a response?

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Is it something that I need to

take five minutes to respond to?

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Or is it them just telling me

like, Hey, need to know this.

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And I just say, okay.

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In my mind, mentally.

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But I just make it a point at night.

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I don't respond until I get into

school the next day, . I do not give

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my personal phone number out either.

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the only person that has had it in the

past is like my room parent from time

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to time, and that's really because

they go above and beyond for me, and

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sometimes they're doing something

for me outside of school hours.

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If they contact me about their

student, I do not respond.

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If they contact me about something that

is class related, then I will respond.

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Samantha: And again, just everyone

from a legal standpoint, especially

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if you're in Florida, do not

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Kelly Hicks: Yep.

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Samantha: your personal anything

to any, any, any parent, anybody

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Kelly Hicks: Mm-hmm.

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Samantha: your kid, because all

of that communication is then

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gonna be able to be subpoenaed.

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Kelly Hicks: Mm.

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Samantha: not saying we have all

this horrible stuff on our phones,

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but just, just don't risk it.

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Just don't do it.

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Kaitlyn: And also beyond that,

and I don't think that this is

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on purpose, but I think if you

give an inch, they take a mile.

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So when you're building relationships

with parents, I think, setting those

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boundaries at the beginning of the year,

like, , this is the way that I work.

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They will figure that out and they

will, respect those boundaries.

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. I also did the thing my first year where

I was responding to emails the second

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that they came into my inbox and, , just

constantly all night, subconsciously

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waiting for that notification on my phone

and, and the anxiety that comes with it.

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Um, I was so afraid of like,

did I do something wrong?

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Are they mad at me?

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And you can't live your life like that.

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That's so scary.

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you talked a little bit earlier on about

how you organize, , for weeks coming up.

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What role does your organizational

strategy play into your ability

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to like, stay focused and

manage your time effectively?

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And do you have any specific strategies

or systems that you really rely on?

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Kelly Hicks: I don't really

have a specific system.

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Everybody that comes into my classroom

tells me like, oh, you're so organized.

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Oh, look at your classroom.

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You're organized.

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I'm really actually not.

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I'm like a mix of a type A and type B.

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On the surface it looks like

I really have it all together.

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Um, but inside and deep down I'm

like, Nope, I might change this.

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I might change this.

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Like, who knows what's

happening in my brain?

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, but truly, like I said, I just

make sure I have lessons planned

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out, all of the resources that I.

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May or may not use the things

that I know I'm going to use.

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I have printed ready to go and , I

do have a drawer system where I put

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each day, of papers like my Monday,

Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday.

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That way I can like easily access them.

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I do have like different, a different

folder system for extra copies.

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I have a folder system for graded

work that needs to be passed back,

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things that need to be graded.

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. And then like I have a folder

for each subject for science

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and math for my answer keys.

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That way, like, and they're all color

coded, so I know where to go and

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what to look for, um, pretty quickly.

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But other than that, I don't,

I just prioritize lessons and

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grading first, and then everything

else just falls into place.

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Kaitlyn: How do you manage?

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The student workload, , you said

you're really big on grading things

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and giving feedback, , right away.

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How do you manage the physical,

like papers or online assignments?

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, Kelly Hicks: I do not do a

lot of online assignments.

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Some people love them.

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I don't.

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I think that they're very difficult

to track and go back to quickly.

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I do almost everything paper

based, and like I said, I grade

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it pretty much right away.

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I get it back to the kids.

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within that next day if it's time

sensitive, but if it's not every

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Friday, I have a couple kids in my

classroom distribute papers throughout

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the entire fifth grade , during

the news, I know everybody's getting

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everything before the weekend comes.

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Samantha: Thinking about the resources

for support that you have, what do

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you suggest that teachers can use

to better leverage the tools, their

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colleagues, the systems available to them?

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Um, so they, they feel like they don't

have to do everything on their own.

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Kelly Hicks: Uh, the biggest thing,

and I know it sounds silly and like

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something little that doesn't sound that

time consuming, but truly letting the

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office staff print your stuff for you.

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It saves me so much time.

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I mean, just walking to the copy center

and back, , and then standing there, you

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know, waiting for everything to print.

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, it really does save me

endless amounts of time.

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So I would encourage.

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Teachers to reach out and ask

their office staff if they're

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willing to do something like that.

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Um, obviously I don't take

advantage of that or those people

364

:

that are willing to help me.

365

:

Um, but that is a big one for me.

366

:

So.

367

:

Kaitlyn: we are all familiar with

the struggles of, of the first

368

:

couple years of teaching , but

I'm wondering more about how.

369

:

How do you balance like the emotional

and mental load of teaching while being

370

:

mindful of your time and your energy and

what kind of things do you do to recharge?

371

:

I know that there's this like self-care

trope in the education world and like,

372

:

you know, like take a bubble bath, but

like really how do you kind of reset

373

:

and make sure that you're taking care

of your energy and protecting your time?

374

:

Kelly Hicks: This is a skill that like I

have not been very good at in my lifetime.

375

:

, I'm grateful for my husband actually.

376

:

He does a great job compartmentalizing.

377

:

He's always worked very.

378

:

Stressful job.

379

:

So when I first started teaching,

I would come home very stressed

380

:

and very anxious, very emotional.

381

:

Everything got the best of me.

382

:

And he would just tell me, you have

to learn how to compartmentalize.

383

:

You have to be able to put that over

here and let it stay over there until

384

:

you need to think about it again.

385

:

, and it took me a couple years

to build up on that skill, but

386

:

now, if it's not happening right

now it's kind of over here.

387

:

Until I need it to happen again.

388

:

Um, other thing is , I've always

coached competitive soccer.

389

:

I took a little bit of time off

in the last couple years, year

390

:

one of teaching math and science.

391

:

Um, I was no longer coaching and I

realized how much I missed that and

392

:

just being on the field with the kids

and like, I love soccer, doing something

393

:

I love and I'm passionate about.

394

:

So once I kind of got.

395

:

Things situated in the classroom.

396

:

I went back to coaching and it is

another stressor in some ways because

397

:

like I run out the door at three 30

hoping to make it to practice on time.

398

:

You know, I have 16 other little

kids there that rely on me.

399

:

I have more parents with other

concerns, but it's different

400

:

because it's something that I.

401

:

Also really love and I get to be outside.

402

:

I get that vitamin D.

403

:

Um, , I think that's helped me a lot.

404

:

And I also get to spend

the time with my kiddo too.

405

:

So I'm that family time that I don't

think I was getting year one and two.

406

:

Samantha: Yeah, I really

like to read after work.

407

:

That's, that's how I make time for myself.

408

:

'cause I can just like, as cliche and corn

as this is gonna sound, it just takes me

409

:

to another place and nine outta 10 times.

410

:

That seems like the

super scary horror novel.

411

:

Um, but I love doing that and I've

also started playing piano more.

412

:

What do you like to do, Kate?

413

:

Kaitlyn: I have been making a

concerted effort to go on more walks.

414

:

I think that being outside for me

is such a good kind of equalizer.

415

:

Like I come back from a walk

and I'm like, everything's fine.

416

:

Everything's better.

417

:

All is right in the world.

418

:

I get that vitamin D, like

you said, and I think that.

419

:

You know, I'm up on my feet

all day, but I'm not doing it

420

:

just for the enjoyment of it.

421

:

Um, and, and when I'm taking a

walk, I can do it at my own pace

422

:

and it's in a place that I like.

423

:

And I think that that's,,

it's been really good for me.

424

:

Kelly Hicks: Yeah.

425

:

Samantha, you say you like to read and I

love to read too, but not until summer.

426

:

Samantha: Rainbow in the back.

427

:

Um, so this next question, Kay, I

think you and I can honestly have a

428

:

separate anthology series about, um.

429

:

Kaitlyn: Probably

430

:

Samantha: administrators and

the result of their leadership.

431

:

Um, know

432

:

Kaitlyn: in quotes, leadership.

433

:

Samantha: At a different school.

434

:

At a different school.

435

:

I wanna preface, Kate and I

have been together a long time.

436

:

Kaitlyn: Yes.

437

:

Samantha: So we all know school

communities that excel at teacher

438

:

retention have administrators that

are actively a part of the solution.

439

:

What are some things that administrators

can do to support teachers who are

440

:

struggling to meet expectations

or are who just very obviously not

441

:

achieving that work-life balance?

442

:

I.

443

:

. Kelly Hicks: I know I've told my

administration recently, like how much

444

:

I appreciate them, um, and just the

nature of support that they provide.

445

:

, whether that's like, last year, like

I couldn't keep up with something

446

:

and like I had an administrator

offer to basically go into the system

447

:

and put all my data in for me.

448

:

That was so helpful for me to just

know that I had the support and hearing

449

:

that I had the support encouraged me

to just , find the time and go do

450

:

it . , my administrators now I know

support me and back me a hundred percent.

451

:

Like if there's an issue with a

parent, , if they're, if I need

452

:

to leave early, they support it.

453

:

, I never have to question like.

454

:

What are they gonna think

of me if I have to take this

455

:

mental health day for myself?

456

:

What are they gonna say to me if I

have to leave at three 30 every day

457

:

to get to like the soccer field?

458

:

knowing that I have their support

doing what I need from my own.

459

:

Happiness goes a long way.

460

:

Samantha: Yeah, and I think

that's something that a lot of

461

:

administrators, if you're listening,

please rewind and repeat that.

462

:

Those small tasks, and that's coming

from me, I am an administrator.

463

:

You can write an email for someone.

464

:

You, you can still make copies, you can

put stuff in database systems, Google

465

:

Sheets, and Insight, whatever it is you.

466

:

Like that stuff is not beneath you.

467

:

If it's a difference between a

good teacher or going through

468

:

10 resumes, if you're lucky

at the end of May, just do it.

469

:

Kaitlyn: I feel like That

really leads very nicely into,

470

:

, our, 10 minute try-on segment.

471

:

We have this idea that if.

472

:

We, we all have these problems.

473

:

We all have struggles in, in the field of

education, but if we can commit fully for

474

:

10 minutes to try something new and to

give it our all, we can find strategies

475

:

that work for us and find strategies

that don't work for us and just, start

476

:

down a path of solving these problems.

477

:

And so one thing that we

wanted to talk to you about is.

478

:

Let's say that there's a teacher listening

right now and they have a stack of

479

:

papers to be graded and entered emails

to reply to parents to call, lessons to

480

:

plan, and they just feel so overwhelmed.

481

:

And you can convince them , to give it 10

minutes, to give a hundred percent for 10

482

:

minutes, what would you tell them to do?

483

:

, Kelly Hicks: I would probably first tell

'em to , just go take a break real fast.

484

:

Like, take a two minute break,

take a walk down the hallway,

485

:

go outside, reset yourself.

486

:

, and while you're doing that, tell

yourself like, you can do this.

487

:

It's really not as much as it

feels like it is at the moment.

488

:

, I have plenty of days where I feel like,

holy cow, I have so many things to get

489

:

done right now, and if I let myself

mentally spiral down that path, then

490

:

I start to get more and more anxious.

491

:

But if I tell myself like, Hey, grab

something and let's get it done.

492

:

Grab the simplest task

and finish that first.

493

:

So if that means like I go to my turn-in

basket and just organize papers into

494

:

stacks of what needs to be graded.

495

:

a start.

496

:

So choose something simple first or

something that, you know, you enjoy first.

497

:

So for me, it's grading papers

because when I'm done, I see what

498

:

I've accomplished and seeing that

accomplishment and that level of

499

:

productivity helps me keep going.

500

:

Um, it's like when I start planning

lessons, I can get very overwhelmed

501

:

because I'm like, oh my goodness, I could

go many different directions right now.

502

:

I.

503

:

I start with something that I know I'm

going to do and then I just keep going.

504

:

, because once I have the main idea

there, then it's easy to spiral off.

505

:

So I would just tell every teacher,

take a minute, take a deep breath,

506

:

tell yourself that you can do it,

and pick something either simple

507

:

or that you enjoy completing first.

508

:

Samantha: If a teacher is just starting

out and they're chronically struggling to

509

:

manage their time and tasks, what's one

piece of advice that you would give them

510

:

to help them maximize their contract hours

and maintain a healthy work-life balance?

511

:

I.

512

:

Kelly Hicks: Uh, I, I don't mean it

to sound like negative or anything.

513

:

I would say stop socializing.

514

:

While at work, stop having

all the extra conversations.

515

:

If you're going to get to work

early, use that time to your benefit.

516

:

talk to your friends on the way

to school, on your lunch if you

517

:

can after school on the phone, but

don't spend your time socializing.

518

:

I.

519

:

During the workday.

520

:

Kaitlyn: I think that's

a, a hard lesson to learn.

521

:

Good advice.

522

:

It's solid, I think.

523

:

Uh, it's obviously just not what

anyone wants to hear, right?

524

:

Kelly Hicks: I know.

525

:

Samantha: a talker.

526

:

Kaitlyn: Yeah.

527

:

Professional yapper over here.

528

:

Kelly Hicks: And maybe

I should socialize more.

529

:

Okay.

530

:

I should.

531

:

Samantha: No, don't give

into our peer pressure.

532

:

Kaitlyn: We love to ask this question,

but what is just like a hot take

533

:

that you have about time management?

534

:

Maybe it's stopped

socializing, I don't know.

535

:

Um, but something like along the lines

of time management working your contract

536

:

hours or just work life balance.

537

:

, what's the t.

538

:

Kelly Hicks: Make sure you

love what you're doing.

539

:

I know that sounds ridiculous and

like ideally in the world, everybody

540

:

loves what they're doing, but

that's not always necessarily true.

541

:

And it might not be that way for some,

but if you can find something within

542

:

the job that you really love or a job

as a whole that you really love, , that

543

:

will help Like I said, everything I

do in my classroom is something that I

544

:

know that I would enjoy for me, that

helps me because I know that if I have

545

:

to put a little bit of extra effort in

something that I'm gonna enjoy doing or

546

:

make it, if you have a family life, make

it something that you can tie into your

547

:

family as well so that you're kind of,

Killing two birds with one stone, right?

548

:

Like you're, you're spending

time with your family, but you're

549

:

also getting some work done.

550

:

, that way it doesn't really feel like

work if you have to take it outside.

551

:

But really, I would say just use as

many seconds of your day as possible

552

:

to be productive while you're at work.

553

:

Kaitlyn: I think that, that concept

of like using every second that

554

:

you have at work, if we stop there,

can be like really overwhelming.

555

:

But I think the trade off is then you

can use every second that you have at

556

:

home to do what you want to do and to

be present and to build all the, those

557

:

social relationships in a meaningful way.

558

:

, thank you so much for taking the

time to talk to us about this.

559

:

We know that this is such a hot topic.

560

:

And something that everyone

struggles with, whether you

561

:

teach kindergarten or 12th grade.

562

:

So we really appreciate you giving us an

inside look at how you're doing it all.

563

:

Kelly Hicks: I dunno how I'm doing it all.

564

:

I don't Thank you for having me

565

:

Kaitlyn: if you head over to

the show notes, you're gonna

566

:

see a link to today's activity.

567

:

It's called Prioritizing

and Strategizing Tool.

568

:

This link is going to force a copy of

a Google slide, but I highly recommend

569

:

printing this activity out and then

submitting a picture or a photocopy.

570

:

If you don't have time to print a copy,

you can absolutely add in text boxes

571

:

as you're working on the Google slide.

572

:

I just love the feel of paper and pen.

573

:

Something that I really took away from

this episode with Kelly was how much she

574

:

prioritizes using every second of her day.

575

:

That's something that I really

struggled to do in my first couple

576

:

years of teaching, and even now I

find myself wasting a lot of my day.

577

:

So much of my time is spent walking to

and from the copy room, or walking to

578

:

and from my mailbox . So I like this tool

specifically because it forced me into

579

:

chunking out my forever long to-do list.

580

:

So it's no longer just an

endless list of things.

581

:

It's finite, it has a beginning,

it has an end, and that is so

582

:

much more achievable to me.

583

:

Something else I love about this method

is it really requires me to think about

584

:

what is important based on urgency.

585

:

Like when a thing needs to happen

by or when something is due and

586

:

difficulty how time intensive or

how challenging will this task be.

587

:

By now, you should be looking at

your 4 3 2 1 method tool, , whether

588

:

that's the printed version or

the version on Google Slides.

589

:

We're gonna go ahead and get started.

590

:

You'll see that the first box

says some things I need to do.

591

:

Ideally, we're not gonna

list more than 10 here.

592

:

Some things that might be on your

list are lesson planning or grading.

593

:

I recommend being more specific than

using those broad terms just because that

594

:

really narrows it down to a single task.

595

:

So for example, instead of just

writing down grading, I'm gonna

596

:

write down grade unit test.

597

:

Same thing for lesson planning.

598

:

Maybe you have the whole rest of

the year to lesson plan for, but

599

:

I'm going to say I need to lesson

plan for this one next standard.

600

:

So many of the things that this

activity is forcing us to do are things

601

:

that we do with our students like.

602

:

Setting really specific

expectations, like chunking,

603

:

like using a first then strategy

to kind of put in perspective

604

:

what we have to get done.

605

:

. So take about 30 seconds and just think

about some of the things you have to do.

606

:

Go ahead, pause the podcast here

and start your timer in 3, 2, 1.

607

:

Right now on your paper, you should have

10 things that you need to get done.

608

:

We're gonna move on to the second

major portion of this activity.

609

:

The idea here is you're gonna take each

of those 10 things and you're going to

610

:

assign them a place on your to-do list.

611

:

Pay attention to the

numbers next to each line.

612

:

You'll see that it's 4,

3, 3, 2, 2, 2, 1, 1, 1, 1.

613

:

That's what spot they'll

take on your to-do list.

614

:

A four level task would be something that

is really difficult, so maybe really time

615

:

intensive or a new skill that you need

to practice, or something super urgent.

616

:

Like maybe my number four task is

call Johnny's parents because of

617

:

something that happened today in class.

618

:

A number one task would be

something that's not super urgent

619

:

or something that is so simple

or doesn't take a lot of time.

620

:

an example of a level one task might

be putting back all of my student

621

:

supplies where they actually go, wiping

down the tables, organizing my own

622

:

desk, these are things that typically

don't take very much time and aren't

623

:

very challenging for us to complete.

624

:

You can only have one level four task.

625

:

Two things can't be equally urgent.

626

:

Two things can't be equally difficult.

627

:

, and the opposite of that is true.

628

:

You can have four level one tasks.

629

:

These are things that you gotta

do, but they're typically not

630

:

that challenging and maybe they're

not even that time sensitive.

631

:

They're just the boxes you gotta check.

632

:

Don't think too hard about it.

633

:

I would set your timer for two minutes.

634

:

start your timer in 3, 2, 1.

635

:

Something else that I love about

this strategy is it doesn't matter

636

:

where on the list you start.

637

:

When we talked to Kelly today, I

noticed that she said that her advice

638

:

when you feel really buried would

be to start with something that you

639

:

really love or something that's really

easy to check off your to-do list.

640

:

She gave the example of organizing

the papers in your turn and bin.

641

:

I do the opposite naturally.

642

:

I.

643

:

What's the saying?

644

:

Eat the frog.

645

:

You do the hardest thing first, so

that everything after that feels easy.

646

:

Start with the easy things.

647

:

Go for the one big one, it doesn't matter.

648

:

You're gonna start to get things

done, and that's the whole point.

649

:

Okay, the next box, it seems small and it

seems random and it's really easy to gloss

650

:

over, but I found that I needed this.

651

:

It's the notes section.

652

:

Sometimes I'm going, going, going, I'm

on a roll and something comes up and

653

:

I've got to jot it down an example

of this would be I sent all of the

654

:

things that I need for next week.

655

:

To the printer, I go pick them up.

656

:

I get back to my room.

657

:

One of my level one tasks is to

organize those papers and I realize

658

:

that I printed the wrong thing.

659

:

I'm writing myself a note so

that it doesn't slow me down.

660

:

I don't have to go back

and do it that second.

661

:

I can just keep rolling, but I'm

not gonna forget about it either.

662

:

I need this note section

and you might too.

663

:

So don't be afraid to use it as

you're checking things off your list.

664

:

The last section is for

after you've completed all

665

:

10 things on your to-do list.

666

:

This is a reflection strategy that

I really enjoy using with students,

667

:

but it's also kind of fun for me.

668

:

This is where you crack open your crispy

diet Coke, or you go get your cheese cube

669

:

or you shamelessly listen to K-pop

, and you just quickly reflect on the

670

:

experience of doing those 10 things.

671

:

The book, this is where you

write the title of the book.

672

:

So something that I say to students

is they're telling me a story.

673

:

They're telling me, they're

explaining a situation, and I

674

:

say, what's the title of the book?

675

:

Gimme the synopsis.

676

:

Right, like get to the point.

677

:

Maybe the title of my book

is Wasn't So Bad after all.

678

:

Maybe the title of my book is.

679

:

Actually, Johnny's mom is kind of nice.

680

:

Maybe the title of my book

is That Only Took 20 Minutes.

681

:

I highly encourage you to make

yourself laugh to post it on

682

:

Instagram, put it on your stories, um.

683

:

OMG.

684

:

If you really do that, please

tag, uh, at essential PD pod.

685

:

Um, but anyway, yeah, like actually

do it because it's like a little treat

686

:

to sit there and doodle for a minute.

687

:

Kelly talked about when you're

feeling really buried, the first

688

:

thing that she would recommend

you do is literally take a break.

689

:

Maybe this is where you're sitting and

reflecting on your last to-do list, and

690

:

you're preparing to make your next one,

691

:

then you'll see that there's

a few lines to write on.

692

:

This is for you to evaluate.

693

:

It not just your performance,

but the strategy itself.

694

:

Feel free to change anything about this.

695

:

This is a tool, it's not a task.

696

:

This should be a way for you

to organize your thoughts, not

697

:

another thing you have to do.

698

:

And , if you try this out and this

is not the tool for you, I highly

699

:

encourage you to look for another one

or invent one that does work for you.

700

:

You might already have a system that is

working just fine and yeah, you tried

701

:

this out, but you got it and that's cool.

702

:

I'm just proud of you

for trying something new.

703

:

And then all the way at the

very bottom, you can rate

704

:

yourself on a five star scale.

705

:

, if you're serious about maximizing

all of the minutes in your

706

:

day, I recommend putting all of

these to-do lists in one place.

707

:

And keeping track of the strategies

you try, what things actually

708

:

made you more productive?

709

:

What things were a waste of time?

710

:

What things did you

need more support with?

711

:

What things do you already have mastered?

712

:

The 4, 3, 2, 1 Method is a great

tool to use with a group as well.

713

:

If you have a team planning session

coming up, or you're planning a

714

:

special event, whip out this tool.

715

:

Brainstorm as a group, all the

things that need to be done.

716

:

While you're ranking them, you

can even assign tasks to people.

717

:

So maybe teacher A is taking

the level four task, 'cause it's

718

:

really, really time intensive.

719

:

Teacher B volunteers to take all

four of the level ones because

720

:

she can check those off quickly.

721

:

Another way that you can use this is

to help students who are struggling

722

:

with lots of missing assignments.

723

:

We all know the kids, especially in middle

school and high school, that just get.

724

:

Buried.

725

:

They don't turn something in and that

turns into two things and that turns

726

:

into three things, and that turns

into six things, and all of a sudden

727

:

they have like 14 missing assignments.

728

:

Sit down with them, pull up their

list of missing assignments,

729

:

and go through and rank them.

730

:

What are the most important,

what are the ones that are the

731

:

largest percentage of their grade?

732

:

Go through and help

them use this strategy.

733

:

Then ask them to reflect.

734

:

Maybe the title of the book is, should

have Done it when I had the time.

735

:

Maybe the title of their book is,

thank you so much for helping me

736

:

'cause I'm not grounded anymore.

737

:

Five Stars.

738

:

Thank you again for listening.

739

:

I really hope that you got something

out of this, whether it was just

740

:

validation that you're not the only

one that's struggling with getting

741

:

everything done, or a tip, or a

trick or a new strategy to try.

742

:

I love talking to Kelly about

this because she's not afraid

743

:

to say the hard thing to me.

744

:

AKA stop socializing, and she.

745

:

It really has a unique perspective

on working outside of school.

746

:

I love that she said it was by choice.

747

:

She likes the work that she's

doing and she wanted to do it.

748

:

The point is that we're not going

10, 15, 20 hours over every single

749

:

week just to do the bare minimum.

750

:

I think this time of year gets so busy

for so many people, and it's not just.

751

:

Wrapping things up in the school year

and finishing teaching our standards, but

752

:

now there's parties and activities and

field trips and it's go, go, go until.

753

:

School lets out.

754

:

Something that I'm really gonna

focus on going forward is using.

755

:

All of my extra seconds to do something,

then I get to go home and spend more

756

:

time with my baby and spend more

time with my dogs or go on a longer

757

:

walk or make a new recipe for dinner.

758

:

I actually have time to enjoy my

life and I don't have to watch my

759

:

life happen from behind my laptop.

760

:

So I hope that you're surviving.

761

:

I hope you're finding moments for,

for joy and really enjoying your job.

762

:

And I really hope that you have

the courage to try something new.

763

:

That said, I recommend you go over

to our website, essential pd pod.com

764

:

and sign up for our email list.

765

:

I wanna focus on this summer

sending out things to help you

766

:

prepare for next school year.

767

:

So, strategies, resources,

things for your classroom.

768

:

You can also follow us on

Instagram at Essential PD pod.

769

:

We're funny.

770

:

We're funny, and we post

funny things sometimes.

771

:

We don't post a lot,

but we do post a little.

772

:

Anyway, we are so close

to the end of the year.

773

:

Happy March.

774

:

We will see you back for

episode three in April.

775

:

Bye.

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About the Podcast

Essential PD
Flexible, Actionable Professional Development for K-12 Teachers
Whether you are tuning in for inspiration, practical strategies, or to earn PD credit, Essential PD will help you grow! Kait, an actual classroom teacher, and Samantha, an actual school administrator, talk openly with guests who actually work with students! From classroom management to mental health, from tech integration to behavior and curriculum design, each episode features valuable insights and actionable advice. In our signature segment "Ten Minute Try On" our guests guide us through ways to try out new strategies with just ten minutes or less! Essential PD is designed to leave you feeling motivated, empowered, and inspired to make an impact, all on your schedule. Pop in your headphones while you tidy up your classroom, or finally check your mailbox, you will be earning PD credit every step of the way!

About your hosts

Kaitlyn Skat

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As a teacher, Kait has worked across grade levels and in diverse school settings since she started teaching in 2020. (Yeah, her first year was in the middle of a global pandemic.) Kait has hobbies like hosting and cooking and swearing she's going to take up reading. She enjoys true crime podcasts and drinking iced coffee. What she does not enjoy is sitting in a busy cafeteria on a Wednesday afternoon trying to listen to a presenter while being mentally exhausted and desperately needing to see the sun. That is how Essential PD started.

Samantha Patterson

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Samantha has devoted nearly 20 years to public education, bringing her expertise and passion to teaching music across all levels—elementary, middle, high school, and collegiate settings. As a former union leader and a current school-based administrator, she is committed to supporting educators by delivering meaningful and practical professional development that addresses the needs of busy teachers and their students. Samantha’s dedication to fostering growth and learning in both students and educators has been a cornerstone of her career.