Tea Time with A Teacher

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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