Connections are where learning starts. Students are able to learn when they feel comfortable, valued, and that their needs are met. Do you ask your students, “Who is your in the school?” Who can they go to when they're having a bad day? This episode features a real-life story from Mandi Hill, a middle-school English Teacher from Memphis, Tennessee.

SHOW NOTES:

Ms. Mandi Hill is an 8th-grade English Teacher at St. George's Independent School in Memphis, Tennessee.

Quotes:

One of the cornerstones of this school is the emphasis on the connections that we have with each other. Connections that make kids feel comfortable going to adults. “Who is your person? Who is your person in the school?” That's one of the things that we talk about frequently. When you're having a bad day, who is it that you can go to? So it's important, everywhere, that kids have a person in their school that they can go to. So, connections. Absolutely. That's where learning starts. You're going to be able to learn when you feel comfortable and valued and all of your needs are met. And that's where that's where the real learning is. –Mandi Hill

CREDITS:

• Producer & Host: Karen Marklein
• Engineer & Editor: Forrest Doddington

The Clarksville-Montgomery County School System (Tennessee, USA) offers an innovative "Grow Your Own" pathway for helping residents obtain certification and become classroom teachers within the school district. Hear from Mr. Chris Dial, Teacher Residency Liaison, and Mr. Jermaine Purdie, an 8th Grade ELA Teacher Resident. Explore the keys to opening doors to the teaching profession and providing the support needed as new teachers enter the classroom.

SHOW NOTES:

CMCSS Teacher Residency Programs

The Teacher Residency Program at Clarksville-Montgomery County School System (CMCSS) provides a pathway to teaching for those interested in a non-traditional approach to a degree or certification. Teacher Residents are educational assistants who contribute to excellence by providing instructional and non-instructional support to students while learning best practices for a career in education from an outstanding CMCSS educator.

• CMCSS Teacher Residency Program Continues to Grow, over 70 New Educators Signed in September

Lipscomb University Offerings for CMCSS

Lipscomb University’s College of Education, with one of the top teacher preparation programs in Tennessee and in the nation, is launching two new innovative teacher apprenticeship program models to create a pipeline of teachers to fill workforce needs across the state. Lipscomb has established its first degreed teacher candidate apprenticeship program with the Clarksville-Montgomery County School System (CMCSS). This partnership includes the first master’s and certification teacher apprenticeship programs in Tennessee and one of the first of its kind in the nation. The program is a collaboration with the Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE) and the U.S. Department of Labor to remove financial barriers for those who have undergraduate degrees but are seeking teacher licensure, which will further the state’s and nation’s efforts to extend the teacher pipeline and address teacher shortages.

• College of Education launches first master’s and certification teacher apprenticeship programs in Tennessee, gives opportunity to become a teacher for free

Quotes:

"The very obvious need that's being filled by the design of the 'Grow Your Own' program is to staff our classrooms with highly qualified people. We're experiencing the same shortage in Clarksville-Montgomery County schools that schools are likewise facing throughout the nation. Beyond that, though, the design of the program is inclusive of diversifying our teaching workforce. Students are not only being taught by people who look like them and might have backgrounds that are relative to the student background, they're also being served by people who have incredibly diverse perspectives and work histories. I think I could sum up the need in two words. The phrase would be ‘diverse staffing.’” —Mr. Chris Dial

"I've got a great school and a great mentor teacher. The only challenge is just getting over my nervousness...

We’ve gathered questions from current teachers and leaders from all across the state of Tennessee for this "Ask Me Anything" episode about coaching. We will be posing your questions to Annette Little and Pam Scretchen, experienced practitioners and instructors from the ABA program offered by Lipscomb University’s College of Education.

SHOW NOTES:

Learn about Lipscomb University's Applied Behavior Analysis program on our website.

Quotes:

Best practices for me is really tapping into what will make a child successful, particularly in the classroom and in the school setting. That also entails the adults or the teachers taking a step back and looking at, 'Is this a won't do behavior or can't do behavior?' As educators, our job is to teach. We need to see if this behavior deficit or interfering behavior is a skill deficit? Is there a need to teach that? Many times, the best practice for me is to have people step back and look through a lens of, 'How can I teach the skill? What skill does this student need right now that they're not showing that they have? –Pam Scretchen, BCBA

Most of us have grown up with the language, 'good behavior and bad behavior.' But as behavior analyst, we don't believe in good behavior and bad behavior because the behavior is functional for that individual. So how can it be good or bad? It's working for that individual or they wouldn't be doing it. So we look at the reasons for the behavior; separate the behavior from the child. The every child is a good child. But look at that behavior and ask yourself, 'What is this behavior telling me?' It's a form of communication. –Dr. Annette Little, BCBA

References:

Learning Module: Functional Behavior al Assessment from the IRIS center.

Videos: A Summary of Functional Behavioral Analysis and Conducting an ABC Analysis from the IRIS center.

Circle of Security – article and video.

CREDITS:

• Producer & Host: Karen Marklein
• Engineer, & Editor: Forrest Doddington