Wizard of Ed Podcast: Recent Episodes
Yuri Thornton
Wizard of Ed podcast was created for novice teachers to hear from experienced educators and leaders about how to work through the struggles of your first few years In the classroom.
This professional development podcast will take educators through a series of steps that model the famous movie, “The Wizard of Oz.” Along Dorothy’s journey to get home she encountered three people along her path, the Lion, Scare Crow, and Tin Man. Three very important pieces were needed in order for Dorothy to return home safely. The Lion needed to find courage, the Tin Man needed a heart, and the Scare Crow wanted a brain. As educators, three significant elements are needed along our path to becoming culturally responsive educators: Knowledge, Compassion, and Courage.
The Wizard of Ed Podcast will take educators down a yellow brick road over the course of 8 months that will help reveal the importance of sharing knowledge and a pathway to becoming a culturally responsive educator. Just as the yellow brick road lead Dorothy back home to Kansas, our podcast will serve as a pathway to prepare novice teachers for a more diverse classroom and a pathway of success for their students.
As we are entering into Season 3 it is important to think about what’s next. Isolation and self-reflection has forced us to think about not only who we are but what are some things that need to change to elevate your leadership. In this episode Clint Rankin-Gibson will walk us through his journey as an educator in the class to leading a team through a pandemic to success. Innovation is the key but what that actually look like beyond the screen is what we will dive into to learn what's next in innovative leadership.
In this special episode we will take a moment to reflect on how to best transition to the new adjustments of life. Tracy Spewak and Yuri Thornton will walk you through their top tips to supporting students and families during this season of virtual learning and how to best take care of yourself while working from home and practicing social distancing. These tips will help to empower you to ensure that students are able to still get a high quality education as well as help you to continue practicing self care during these new times.
Part 2: Making You Own Table.
For many women of color, getting into professional settings is only half of the battle. From wage gaps to lack of opportunities for advancement, many women continue to experience combinations of racism and sexism just to have a seat at the table. In this episode we will talk about the current broken system and what it will take to create a table of excellence and encourage more women of color to pull up and assemble their own table.
Ebonique Brooks and Joy Liburd are apart of a thriving young African American educator community in Jacksonville, Florida. In this episode this dynamic duo will give us the real about understanding the importance of 365 days of Black history but also taking the time to celebrate and educate your students culture. We will take a deep dive into the reality of teaching Black History and the do's and don'ts when engaging in the celebration of excellence.
Darryl Willie attended NC State University where he was Student Body President and has a Masters Degree in Education from the University of Georgia, and is currently a Duval Public Schools Board Member. Darryl lives on the Northside of Jacksonville with his brilliant and beautiful wife and his 3 adorable daughters.
In this episode Darryl will walk us through his process of creating his legacy in education and how to set your vision for success.
LaShawnda Anderson is an educator in Jacksonville, Florida and a 2014 graduate of the University of Florida. LaShawnda currently teaches 5th grade math at KIPP Impact Middle School where she was just named Teacher of the Year for the 2019-2020 school year
In this episode LaShawnda walks us through her key strategies on how to make a good 2020 vision plan. As we are getting older the statement “new year new me” seems to fade into a distant land as we are who we are at this point in our lives. How do we start to think about setting a vision with actual strategies in place that will help us not only reach a new level of potential but to also add additional skills to a new start.
Click the link in the bio to listen!
Erica-Christina Little-Bartley is a native of Macon, Georgia and a proud graduate of Savannah State University. Currently she resides in Jacksonville, Florida where she is a Principal in Duval County. In this episode Erica- Christina will take you through her journey as an educator and leader learning how to define a problem to create her lane of success. We will explore a few key tips that will help you identify your lane and strategies to create opportunities to change the game in education.
DeAndre Rashard is a native of Jacksonville, FL and a graduate of University of North Florida where he received his B.A.E in Elementary Education and his M.Ed in Educational Leadership. DeAndre Rashard started his teaching career in Jacksonville, FL where he remained for four years before moving to Los Angeles, CA where he currently resides. He is still working in the education field as well as well as perusing his dream of becoming an actor. In this episode DeAndre walks us through his journey as an educator and his top tips to understanding who you are as an educator and following you own path.
Jennifer has been with The Boselli Foundation for 11 years and transformed the vision to launch the first cohort The Boselli Teacher Fellowship for Duval Educators. Jennifer's goal is to help retain teachers by providing a supportive, encouraging environment for those in our most challenging schools. In this episode Jennifer walks us through her journey as an educator and her top tips to understanding who you are as an educator and building a pathway for yourself and others. Click the link in bio to listen
WELCOME TO SEASON 2 OF THE WIZARD OF ED PODCAST!!!!
Shayla D. Baylock is from Jacksonville Florida and a current ELA teacher at William M. Raines High School. Graduate of Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (undergrad) and Liberty University (grad) believes that the in order to effectively manage the behaviors, you first set the tone and students will follow.
All great leaders know how important sustainability is to their work. This plan also incorporates the necessary pieces of wellness, professional development and bringing your true, authentic self into this work. In this episode you will hear key points on how to elevate your leadership and system level thinking.
Teacher leadership is a term used in K-12 schools for classroom educators who simultaneously take on administrative roles outside of their classrooms to assist in functions of the larger school system. But what if we scaled back and honed in on the skills that help us understand teacher leadership in the context of being a leader in the classroom. Leading your scholars in classroom is the foundation of understanding how to navigate different functions in the classroom.
Student or Community Asset Mapping
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Building Relationships with Students and Families Building relationships with parents is one of the most important things to do during the first week of school. This sets the tone and flow of the year as we think about partnerships and good working relationships. One of the first things you have to do is establish good two-way communication. It is important for families and educators to have good open communication for the success of students. Research shows that the more parents and educators share relevant information with each other about a student, the better equipped the student is to feel supported.
As you are thinking about building relationships it is also important for you to know and understand the community that you work in. It is very important to see the assets in the community and work to add value to your community. In an effort to help you understand why student and community asset mapping are important, you first have to know how to do the process of asset mapping.
In this episode you will hear from Tracy and Yuri as they walk you through key steps to building relationships and understanding the importance of community asset mapping.
Wellness Commitments
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Managing Professional Responsibilities and Development
Wellness is an active process of becoming aware of and making choices toward a healthy and fulfilling life. Education is one of the hardest professions but it also the most rewarding. In an effort to avoid the “burn out” we have to proactively put in place a plan to keep our physical, mental, and emotional heath intact for ourselves.
Finding the strength to focus on your wellness is challenging but necessary to get to the next level as a professional. A healthy mind with a clear vision can take us to places we never thought were possible with the right plan in place. Taking the necessary steps to focus on your personal growth, professional growth, and your pedagogical skills takes a strategic plan and the right mentors for us to be successful as educators. Creating a professional plan can elevate you to the next level to becoming a great educator and position you to help elevated others.
In this episode of Wizard of Ed podcast, you will get tangible strategies to help you develop a wellness and professional development plan. Take a listen to Tracy Spewak and Yuri Thornton walk us through their 4 key points to help you create your personalized wellness and professional development plan.
Life is a journey with peaks and valleys, and when one encounters a valley, sometimes it is difficult to find a way. In this episode Erica Worthy creator of Teaching with Mental Health in Mind will walk us through the valley to prevent teacher burnout.
Brent Roach has been working in education for 15 years in the capacity of connecting people with the purpose of helping children. In this episode Mr. Roach will walk us through his top 3 tips for finding the right community partners for your school.
Hey Educators welcome to part 2 of New, Lens, New Lesson: Never Would have Made It. In this episode Lachelle Dixon-Harris walks us through what professionalism means to her and how she communicates high expectations to her teachers, students, and parents.
In this episode, Principal Chelsea Matthews gets real with us about the professional relationships she has developed throughout her career and her pathway to success. Check out her top three tips for bringing your A game to the classroom and building professional relationships in the workplace.
On this special episode you will have the opportunity to hear from your host Yuri. She will talk about her top 5 strategies to improving classroom environments and also how to engage in courageous conversations. We have a special host on this episode to be sure to listen closely as they talk about having no barriers to conversations.
In this episode Dr. Z will walk us through his 4 key strategies to create a supportive environment for students that foster learning. Educators will have the opportunity to rethink how they set up their classrooms and practical interventions for novice teachers.
In this special episode of Behind the Curtain we reveal a hidden gem in the education world that is going to change the way we think about branding and networking through social media. Deidra is the creator and founder of Black Girls Teach based out of Washington DC. In this episode Deidra discusses how she created and cultivated a safe space for black educators and how to brand your talent to become a successful Teacherpreneurship.
New Year New Way of Communicating Part 2
Communicating Accommodations
As we enter the new year we have to think about how to reach our students and parents in a more effective way that will allow us to close the communication gap in the new year. In this episode Ariel will walk us through the difference between a IEP and a 504 plan and how effectively communicate students needs with parents and colleges.
New Year New Way of Communicating.
As we enter the new year we have to think about how to reach our students and parents in a more effective way that will allow us to close the communication gap in the new year. In this episode Isaac Dixon will walk us through his top 5 strategies for communicating with students and parents with high expectations.
Wizard of Ed: Mental Marvel Mindset Munchkin Land Part 3
I’m Doing Me: Reaching and Teaching the Independent Teenager
In this episode we will learn more about how to apply Eric Erikson theory to Middle/High School settings. Mimi Marvel will walk us through a series of resources to help us navigate students who are in the identity vs. Role Confusion. We’ll spend time talking about some key strategies for the middle/high school setting.
In this episode we will learn how to apply Eric Erikson theory to the elementary school setting. Mimi Marvel will talk us through a series of resources to help us navigate students who are in the fourth stage of psychosocial development: industry vs. inferiority. We’ll spend time talking about some key strategies for the elementary school setting - tune in to the conversation now!
Wizard of Ed: Mental Marvel Munchkin Land
Part 1
Listen as we explore the 8 different stages of Eric Ericson theory on psychosocial development. We take a deep look at why this theory is important and is relevant today in the education world. We’ll include some cultural considerations that weren’t apart of the original theory to help us understand how to best apply the learnings in our current situations. Sit back, relax and enjoy the ride.
Reshape, Refocus: Rethinking The Way You Engage With Your Students
In this episode we will hear from Cedric Thorbes about how to reshape how you engage your students in 2019.
Keeping Students First: Part 2
November podcast episode is designed to help educators understand and implement different strategies to bring their students to the forefront of learning. In part 2 of Keeping Students First we are going to hear from Melissa Marshall about how she utilizes character building as the center of student success.
Mental Marvel Mindset: Special 8 Part Series
If you are a current listener and you have listened to our first podcast Culture Who Am I, you heard Mrs. Palmer and Ms. Drummond talk about their journey finding their identities as a teacher and a school leader. This special episode will walk you through what it really looks like, sound like, and feel like to be an emerging adult. Michele Mitchell is currently the Director of Alumni and Engagement in the TFA Jacksonville office and currently has her Master’s Degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. Michele will be our special guest for this 8-part series taking us through the journey of mental health. Michele will walk through a series of steps in each stage of development within the emerging adult so that listeners can away with 2-3 strategies to add to your personal tool box.
Let’s listen to my conversation with Michele as we walk talk about the Emerging Adult.
This month's theme is Keeping Students First. In this episode you will have the opportunity to hear from Jay who is a current 4th grade teacher in Charlotte, North Carolina. She will walk us through her three best practices on how to bring your students voices alive in the classroom.
September and October are the hardest months during the course of the school year. Teachers and administrative staff are getting to know each other as well as their students. This episode will help educators understand how their culture influences the structures of their classrooms and school climate. Listeners will leave this episode with tangible tools and insight on how to find your identity in the classroom and how to create a culture of achievement with students and colleagues. Kiara Drummond will walk us through her journey as a teacher and how she was able to find her identity in the classroom.
September and October are the hardest months during the course of the school year. Teacher and administrative staff are getting to know each other as well as their students. This episode will help educators understand their individual culture and how it can influence the structures of their classrooms and school climate.
Listeners will leave this episode with tangible tools and insight on how to find your identity in the classroom and how to create a culture of achievement with students and colleagues. Mrs. LaKeisha Palmer will walk us through her 3 key principal that have guided her through her identity as a leader.
The Wizard of Ed Podcast
Wizard of Ed podcast was created for novice teachers in education to hear from experienced educators and leaders about how to work through the struggles of your first few years In the classroom.