Life Behind the Desk: Recent Episodes
Jonathon Miller
In Life Behind the Desk, Jonathon Miller takes you into the classroom so he can give teachers an opportunity to answer the questions they wish they were asked. Discover the challenges that teachers face on a day to day basis and the added challenges they are facing due to school closures as a result of COVID-19 from a personal perspective. Dive deeper than the stories featured in the mass media so you can gain a greater understanding of what it's like to be trusted with the care and education of the nation's children from the people who do the job. Jonathon will talk to teachers from around the country to learn how they deal with under-funded classrooms, challenging parents, the administration, work life balance, and more in a public school setting. We'll also delve into what it was like the day they got sent home and told to teach from there, how they are coping with it today, and what they see in their future. If you've ever wondered what it was like to be a teacher: the struggle, the balance, and just what do they do over summer vacation we’ve got you covered. Hit Subscribe and get ready to step behind the desk.
Join our insightful conversation with Tennille Martinez, a South Florida middle school teacher with over 20 years of experience, as she shares the daily struggles of grading papers, attending to her personal life, and managing her side hustles. We dig deep into the challenges she faced when transitioning from teaching high schoolers to middle schoolers, and the unique alternative charter school she worked at that offered students the opportunity to get a high school diploma.
In this episode, we explore the impact of COVID on teaching and learning, discussing the struggles of balancing virtual and in-person instruction and how it has changed the way students interact with each other. Tennille also shares her thoughts on the challenges of technology in the classroom, including maintaining her students' focus and preventing them from using AI and chat GPT to pass off other people's work as their own.
But it's not all doom and gloom! Tennille reflects on the rewards of teaching, such as the lessons she's learned from her students and the impact they've had on her life. We also discuss the current teacher exodus and how to make the profession more appealing, while touching on Tennille's side hustles, including a podcast, The Book Advantage, about the power of books and her blog, The Profitable Teacher.
Visit The Book Advantage at:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-book-advantage/id1654267198
Visit The Profitable Teacher at:
https://www.profitableteacher.com/
Connect with Tennille on Instagram:
@thebookadvantage
Learn more about Coach Hall Writes at:
https://coachhallwrites.com/
Listen to Coach Hall's Life Behind the Desk episode:
https://lifebehindthedesk.com/003bethhall/
Support the showBe sure to visit the website at http://www.lifebehindthedesk.com
S02E01
We're back for more! This season brings new guests and new ways to support this project. We may even ask some previous guests to make another appearance.
If you would like to contact Life Behind the Desk for appearance or sponsorship opportunities, email us at:
lifebehindthedesk@gmail.com
Please visit the website and check out the shopping section:
http://www.lifebehindthedesk.com
And of course, don't forget to listen to the first real episode of this season at:
https://lifebehindthedesk.com/0202timmfreitas/
Last, but certainly not least, if you find value in this content and would like to help financially support this project you can toss a few bucks into the tip jar at:
https://pages.lifebehindthedesk.com/products/tip-jar
Support the showBe sure to visit the website at http://www.lifebehindthedesk.com
S02E02
In this episode, we talk to Timm Freitas. Timm has taught in different settings throughout his career. Outside of the classroom, he does a great deal of work with the AP program and even partners with one of our very first guests Beth Hall. Timm and I discuss not just how Covid-19 affected him, or didn't, but how the educational landscape has changed. Especially with the escalation of school shootings and school violence. We touch on the teacher exodus out of the profession that we are regularly hearing about what can keep teachers in the classroom.
Get the full show notes at:
www.lifebehindthedesk.com/0202timmfreitas
To get your 20% off at Match Accessories this month when you sign up for the mailing list:
https://lifebehindthedesk.com/match
Support the showBe sure to visit the website at http://www.lifebehindthedesk.com
023 - This week we talk to Mealnie D'anna from Mesa, Arizona. In some ways going behind the desk with Melanie didn't yield huge surprises, because she is just as dedicated to her craft as the other teachers I have had the honor of speaking with. Unlike most teachers, however, Melanie came to it a little later than most. She spent the first part of her working life as a newspaper photographer before making the switch to public education. She got a quick baptism in the profession by teaching in a Title One school out of the gate. Though challenging and heart breaking, that experience is what taught her just how impactful she could be as a teacher.
In this episode Melanie and I talk about the challenges of teaching young students to read when everyone is in a mask. We also talk about the importance of reading to a proper education, what it's like when you have to be a child's advocate, and the all the paper work.
Buy me a Coffee (Help fund the podcast)
There are a fair amount of monthly costs associated with keeping the lights on here. Just like in education. So far I have been footing the bill. I am happy and honored to do so. It is a privilege to be able to do. However, I would like to expand our reach. If I can get some of the bills covered here we can do more, we reach more people, share more stories, and maybe even help some deserving people make it into the classroom. Unfortunately, that all costs money. For now I am using Buy me a Coffee. It's an online platform that help people collect financial support for creative endeavors. If you can, please consider going to the link below and throw in a buck, or two, or five. Consider how much a cup of coffee actually costs. It's a one and done setup, so please feel free to make your way back every month or every episode and throw something in the "hat". Every dollar is appreciated. And if you can't, just listening to these teachers share their stories and following them in their endeavors warms my heart. It is more than enough.
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jonathonmiller)
This week we talk to Tess Kraft from Kansas City, Missouri. Tess has taught most of the lower elementary grades and at the end of last year she was working as a reading specialist. When the pandemic hit she had to scramble to figure out how to continue supporting an entire school worth of teachers. Like any good teacher, Tess thought on her feet. She started recording herself reading children's books and brought in authors to speak to her students virtually. Fast forward to this school year where Tess found herself back in the classroom, teaching First Grade before quickly transitioning to Kindergarten.
In this episode we discuss just how important it is for kids to be successful readers. We also talk about what tools parents can use to support their kids in that goal. We get to learn about an amazing lesson that Tess's district is taking away from teaching in this pandemic year.
Learn more about Tess
Like so many teachers today, Tess has a side gig. She produces materials that help teachers prep their reading lessons more efficiently and teach reading more effectively. I highly suggest you check out her work at the links below.
Website: https://www.kraftyteacher.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tessthekraftyteacher/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thekraftyteachermo/
Teachers Pay Teachers store: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Tess-The-Krafty-Teacher
Buy me a Coffee (Help fund the podcast)
There are a fair amount of monthly costs associated with keeping the lights on here. Just like in education. So far I have been footing the bill. I am happy and honored to do so. It is a privilege to be able to do. However, I would like to expand our reach. If I can get some of the bills covered here we can do more, we reach more people, share more stories, and maybe even help some deserving people make it into the classroom. Unfortunately, that all costs money. For now I am using Buy me a Coffee. It's an online platform that help people collect financial support for creative endeavors. If you can, please consider going to the link below and throw in a buck, or two, or five. Consider how much a cup of coffee actually costs. It's a one and done setup, so please feel free to make your way back every month or every episode and throw something in the "hat". Every dollar is appreciated. And if you can't, just listening to these teachers share their stories and following them in their endeavors warms my heart. It is more than enough.
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jonathonmiller
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jonathonmiller)
021 - This week we talk to Erin Ross. Erin teaches orchestra in Springfield, Missouri. When the pandemic hit, all teachers had it rough. I think music teachers had it particularly rough. Not only is it just not possible to be as effective as you were in person, Erin had no way to provide the group environment that is so much a part of being a musician. She has struggled this year with the loss of being able to instill in her students what it means to be a part of something bigger than themselves. And, with trying to keep them motivated when there is no culminating concert at the end of the year.
In this episode we talk about what it’s been like to return to the classroom and the challenges that came with a hybrid schedule when the first returned. Erin is optimistic about what the future holds and is looking forward to the rest of this school year and into the next.
Like so many teachers today, Erin has her side hustle. Not only does she keep private music students, she is also a fitness coach with a wonderful online presence. You feel inspired just scrolling through her feed. To find Erin’s Instagram and learn more about her fitness coaching business follow the links below.
Instagram: @erinruscel
Fitness Coaching: https://mysite.coach.teambeachbody.com/?coachId=1979822&locale=en_US#contact
Learn more at the show notes available at the link below
https://lifebehindthedesk.com/021erinross/
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jonathonmiller)
020 - This week we talk to Samantha Holcomb. Samantha started her professional life in industry as an engineer. This choice was a byproduct of what would fund her college education. Her true passion was to be an educator herself. Samantha teachers in Illinois' largest school district, covering approximately 250 square miles. That size is in direct opposition to the number of people that live there. Samantha serves her school's small student body passionately and with a sense of responsibility to demonstrate that women can be engineers too. Her road to the classroom was unique and challenging. Someone not as committed to being an educator might have given up, multiple times, if faced with the challenges Samantha overcame to get where she is.
In this episode we talk about what it's like to teach in a small school district in the face of uncertainty and the challenges of getting kids back into the classroom as the Covid-19 pandemic continues. Samantha shares her exploits outside of the classroom with her blog and website, Engineer Does Education, where she publishes posts helping teachers run a more efficient classroom and produces tools and lessons to help teach STEM lessons. You can find all of that and more at the links below.
Get involved
https://www.lifebehindthedesk.com/episode020signup
There are a lot of goals I would like to accomplish with this project and I am sure that there are much more that could be done. I also want to fine tune things as we go along, to better serve you, the listeners and our participants. And YOU can help with that. I want your feedback to help guide the future of Life Behind the Desk. To be part of that sign up for the mailing list at this link.
And, if you sign up you can learn about Samantha's most memorable students in a clip I had to cut for time's sake. Sign up at the link below:
https://www.lifebehindthedesk.com/episode020signup
Engineer Does Education
Blog: www.engineerdoeseducation.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/engineerdoeseducation
Teachers pay teachers store: www.teacherspayteachers.com/store/engineerdoeseducation
Other ways to listen
Jump to Life Behind the Desk at popular streaming services below:
https://lifebehindthedesk.com/apple
https://lifebehindthedesk.com/spotify
And you can bookmark the link below so that can always jump to the most current episode available:
https://www.lifebehindthedesk.com/latest
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jonathonmiller)
019 - This week we talk to Megan Browne. Megan started off her teaching career with the littles, spending years teaching Kindergarten. Loving where she was at, it was a rough shock when she got moved to junior high, through no choice of her own. However, she has found that she loves it! She has been able to specialize in teaching science because of the timeline of her move from kinder to adolescences, she gets to see a number of repeat customers. Like so many teachers, Megan has a side gig. With Browne’s Bunch of Stem she provides lessons, techniques and education to help teach STEM subjects effectively in the classroom. To support the current reality that teachers, and the rest of the world, are facing right now she has materials to support teaching STEM in a digital setting.
In this episode we talk about how teaching has changed with Megan’s change in learner groups and how her relationship with students is different. We also touch on topics related to employment. Where some personal decisions are made based on a balance of what you want and where your heart leads, but also with the need to maintain a paycheck.
There are a lot of goals I would like to accomplish with this project and I am sure that there are much more that could be done. I also want to fine tune things as we go along, to better server you, the listeners and our participants. And YOU can help with that. I want your feed back to help guide the future of Life Behind the Desk. All you need to do is click the link below and sign up for the mailing list. It’s never spammy, and I will never give you email away. After that, I’ll send you an email reminding you of the release of each episode and the occasional survey. And by occasional, I mean 3-4 times a year. It’s not a lot, but it will be a huge help for me and a huge help in guiding Life Behind the Desk as we move through 2021. You can take part in that with the link below.
https://lifebehindthedesk.com/Signup001
Browne's Bunch of STEM
Follow Megan on Instagram and check out her other work at Browne's Bunch of STEM.
https://www.brownesbunchofstem.com
https://www.instagram.com/brownesbunchofstem/
To visit the show notes, use the link below:
https://www.lifebehindthedesk.com/019meganbrowne
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jonathonmiller)
018 - In this episode we talk to Taylor Asberry. Like our guest in last weeks episode, Taylor is a first year teacher. She is teaching ELA in rural Missouri. Not only is Taylor facing all the challenges of a first year teacher, but she is doing it in the midst of a pandemic, which means everything is just that much more difficult. Taylor is lucky in that she has an excellent support group in her peers.
In this episode we talk about the challenges of keeping up with a younger generation while maintaining healthy boundaries. We also talk about her own long term project, spinning up a theater program at her school. The pandemic may be dragging that project out, but Taylor is looking forward into the next year when she can see her project launch. I hope you enjoy hearing about Taylor's dive into the deep of her dream job.
As I asked in the episode, It would be a huge help if you could share the podcast with just one person. A conversation, a test, an email, or message from your favorite messaging service. Feel free to share this link so folks can find the latest episode.
https://www.lifebehindthedesk.com/latest
For more information, make your way over to the show notes:
https://lifebehindthedesk.com/018taylorasberry/
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jonathonmiller)
017 - In this episode we get to talk to Audra DeRidder. I thought Audra's episode was the perfect episode to start the year off with. I figured we could celebrate the new year with a new teacher. This is Audra's first year behind the desk teaching elementary school on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Audra grew up in the small community in which she teaches. Her community is so small in fact, that many of her colleagues were once her teachers.
It's mind boggling to consider beginning a teacher career in the middle of a pandemic. And, there some definite challenges. However, Audra does see the advantage of being a new teacher, she didn't have to worry about taking the way she had always been teacher and leveraging it to work for distance learning. Pandemic teaching is just what she knows. In my book, you get a lot of credit for showing up. And Audra shows up for her students. She provides an anchor for them. Showing them that even though the world around them may be a bit of a dumpster fire, Mrs. DeRidder is there, at work, ready to teach. Don't think for a minute that a first year teacher can't be inspiring.
If you want to get in on that offer to join the cool kids and get yourself a Life Behind the Desk sticker, jump over to the full show notes at the link below.
https://lifebehindthedesk.com/017audraderidder/
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jonathonmiller)
016 - In this episode we speak with Robin Dowdy out of Seattle, Washington. Seattle was hit early and hit hard by the pandemic. Robin and I discuss how the pandemic has changed her approach to teaching. Then, how we both hope that this experience can change teaching for the better. That is, if the right people are paying attention and willing to take the next steps required to make meaningful change.
Robin tried to leave the profession, but discovered that teaching was just too ingrained in her. She began her career in a challenging school and loved it. After her hiatus, she now finds herself teaching in the community which she lives. And, couldn't be happier about it.
If you'd like to learn more about Robing or this episode, or you would like to take part in the sticker give away mention in this episode, jump to the show notes.
https://lifebehindthedesk.com/016robindowdy/
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jonathonmiller)
015 - In this episode we meet Heidi Fuhr who has founded what she terms a micro school in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It's a very small student body right now, but Heidi and her business partner are working hard to grow their school. It's a unique education model that was created in response to the needs of families during the pandemic.
Heidi teaches multiple grades in the same room and takes an approach to education that encourages her students to think about applying her lessons to life outside the classroom. Turns out she even does the same egg drop lesson plan I did as a kid. But, she really ups the game on it and manages to teach an elementary kid a little trigonometry in the process.
Thank you so much for listening and if you have a few moments please share the link below with your friends. This will always go to the latest episode and does a lot to grow the podcast.
https://www.lifebehindthedesk.com/latetest
For the full show notes, follow the link below.
https://lifebehindthedesk.com/015heidifuhr/
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jonathonmiller)
014 - In this episode Sarah discusses her decision totransition from teaching Chemistry at a performing arts high school to a non-profit program for young men who are at risk. Her experiences in this new role have been much different than anyone might experience in a traditional school. Sarah tried to leave the profession entirely, but COVID had other plans. She put aside a career change and headed back to the classroom. Though it didn't involve a career shift, it involved a huge shift in her group of learners, but was still an investment in human capital.
Join us as Sarah discusses just how different things have been in her new position, the confrontations that have come with it, and even talk about how geography plays a role in education. We dive into the role social media plays in lives of todays students and it does and does not get used well.
I am always thankful for the time you invest as a listener in Life Behind the Desk. I work hard to provide a platform for teachers to share their stories about their craft. You can help me do that by sharing a little bit of information. In the comments below let me know where you listen to Life Behind the Desk. Is it iTunes, Spotify, Amazon, straight for this page? Do you have a favorite podcast listening service that Life Behind the Desk isn't available on? If so, what is it? And where/when do you listen: on the way to work, working in the yard, working out? All of this is an easy way to help grow the podcast.
Please take a moment to visit the show notes at the link below:
https://lifebehindthedesk.com/014sarahthurlow/
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jonathonmiller)
013 - In this episode Sabrina Crews discusses what it’s like to be a special education teacher who is teaching from a distance. Special education is a challenging field in the best of situations and the pandemic hasn’t made it any easier. Sabrina was also robbed of the opportunity to be there for her kids in the lead up to the pandemic shut down because her district was still recovering from major storm damage. Sabrina and her students moved from one trauma to the next with no break. Then returned to school and distance learning with even more challenges.
Join us as Sabrina talks about how she came into special education with a drive to serve. That drive to serve students inspired her online program, Ms. Crew’s Classroom Creations. Her online teacherpreneur aspirations are dedicated to using her experience in her craft to bring proven systems and lessons to other teachers helping them be more effective in the classroom.
Thank you so much for taking your time to invest in Life Behind the Desk. Please take just another moment and share this podcast with someone you think would also find value in what we’re doing here. Word of mouth is great, sharing a link is even better. The link below takes you, or anyone you share it with, to this episode's webpage where you can find the show notes and links to Sabrina’s teacherpreneur endeavors. Please take a moment and share this link.
https://lifebehindthedesk.com/013sabrinacrews
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jonathonmiller)
012 - In this episode we go behind the desk with Monica Jayasinghe. Monica teaches in the Watts neighborhood of South-central Los Angles. She started her teaching career in a well to do private school, but her goal was always to serve the underserved students in her city. LA Unified is the second largest school district in the country and it’s student body is widely divergent. We talk about how she is tackling distance learning and how the window it provides for her students in to her personal life has blurred some boundaries, and not necessarily in a bad way.
Thank you for honoring me and this project with your time.
To find those ten best clips that I promised, follow the link below:
www.lifebehindthedesk.com/10best
For more show notes, go to:
https://lifebehindthedesk.com/012MonicaJayasinghe
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jonathonmiller)
011 - Just a short bonus episode off schedule. I wanted to take a moment to celebrate our 10th episode. It's not huge, but it represent and giant pile of work. Work that I'm proud of. Listen in to get a little bit of a behind the scenes look at Life Behind the Desk. Learn a little bit of what we have instore for the future, and a peak at what the challenges have been.
In the episode I talk about a special offer I have for you. An opportunity to get right to the point and get the best clips from the first ten episodes in all one place. To get in on that, just go to the link below. Thank you again for your support.
https://lifebehindthedesk.com/10best
For more show notes go to:
https://lifebehindthedesk.com/episode-011-first-10-update/
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jonathonmiller)
010 - In this episode we go behind the desk with Lela Witherspoon. Lela teaches art in Livermore California at a continuation high school. She talks about how the alternative setting of this school allows for small class sizes and a lot of one on one work with her students. She also talks about the challenges of teaching in this current reality of covid, how teaching via technology is a reach and a lot like learning how to teach all over again. Lela is just the type of person you want teaching your children. She plans on retiring where she’s at and if she dies at her, and if she dies at her desk she’s ok with that too. Listen in as Lela tells us why she has the best job in the world.
I hope that you enjoy this conversation with Lela. As always, thank you for investing your valuable time in Life Behind the Desk.
If you would like to leave a comment or review, please do. It is a huge help in growing and sharing this project.
If you would like to visit the show notes, you can do so by following the link below.
https://lifebehindthedesk.com/episode-010-alternatives-and-art-lela-witherspoon/
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jonathonmiller)
009 - In this episode Esther shares with us her journey in getting licensed in two states here in the US and then following her dream and moving to Spain. Esther is another teacher who started her career by taking on everything and eventually learning to set boundaries to achieve a healthy work life balance. Esther gives us a peek into the differences between being a teacher in the United State and Europe. She talks about the student/teacher relationships and how that relationship can change over time. Like so many teachers these days, Esther has a side hustle. She has an online program teaching the Basque language to her students. You can learn more about that endeavor by following the link below to the show notes.
As always, thank you for investing your time in this project. To learn more about Esther's entrepreneurial pursuits, and get a little more info on some potentially new terms heard in this episode, follow this link to the show notes:
https://lifebehindthedesk.com/episode-009-washington-idaho-and-spain-oh-my-esther-ciganda/
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jonathonmiller)
008 – In this episode we go behind the desk with Jimmy Morey. Jimmy’s teaches English, Public Speaking, Drama, etc, etc. The guy does a whole lot. Jimmy teaches is another teacher from rural Missouri, just like Mandy from Episode 001 and Angie from Episode 006. Jimmy talks about the sense of loss he felt when his school got sent home and his seniors never got to top off their high school career with the play they had been working so hard on preparing. When we spoke, Jimmy’s school was back to work in person with an option for remote learning. He and his colleagues developed creative solutions for remote learning to serve their students who have yet to return, and to be prepared in case everyone is sent home again.
I hope you enjoy our conversation with Jimmy. He truly is one of the good ones. Thank you for investing your valuable time with Life Behind the Desk. I hope you find value in this episode and this project. If you would like to help grow this podcast, please leave a review or a comment.
If you would like to listen to Mandy or Angie’s episodes, you can find links in the show notes. Just click the link below. Yes, that one.
https://lifebehindthedesk.com/episode-008-full-days-and-packed-nights/
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jonathonmiller)
In this episode Megan Crawshaw gives us a slightly different look at what it is like to be charged with caring for, and educating other peoples’ kids. Megan is a school counselor in Florida where she works with students to make sure that they accumulate the credits they need to graduate. At least on the surface. In this episode Megan talks about how not only does she help students get the grades they need, but also help point them in a career direction and care for their emotional needs.
Like her teacher colleagues, Megan has seen challenges brought on by the pandemic that no one had any reason to expect. With students scattered between in person, blended, and remote learning her current school year has been extra. She meets those challenges with the grace and care we have learned is the driving force behind the vast majority of educators. And, make no mistake about it, Megan is an educator. She is also an entrepreneur where she shares the creative touches she puts on her adorable Florida home and markets her home décor items.
If you like to learn more about Megan and her exploits, visit the show notes at:
https://lifebehindthedesk.com/episode-007-credits-college-and-vocations-megan-crawshaw/
If you want to know how Megan’s school year has gone since our recording back at the beginning of September, you can get her update in her words at the link below:
https://lifebehindthedesk.com/update-007-credits-college-and-vocations-megan-crawshaw/
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jonathonmiller)
006 - In this episode we go behind the desk with Angie Zolman. Angie is a special needs teacher in Desloge, Missouri. She talks about the incredible program she runs with her kids which includes a one on one tutoring program where her students hire their tutor. We talk about the importance of learning life skills and how her kids learn jobs skills while running a coffee shop on campus.
I hope that you have enjoyed our conversation with Angie. If you'd like to leave any words of encouragement you can do so in the comments.
As always, thank you for spending some of your valuable time with Life Behind the Desk. Be sure to subscribe so that you don't miss anything.
If you would like to get the show notes head to:
https://lifebehindthedesk.com/episode-005-angie-zolman/
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jonathonmiller)
005 - This episode goes behind the desk with Kelsey Briley, a chemistry teacher from Nashville, TN. She shares her experience from her first three years as a teacher. When she left private industry to teach high school, she had no way of expecting what her first three years had in store for her. So far, each of them has be very different. Like any good teacher, she has met the challenges of being a new teacher, a global pandemic, and lack of a classroom with the innovation and dedication so common among her profession.
Like many teachers today, Kelsey has a side hustle known as Chemistry on a Cart. This manifests itself as a website with a blog and a store where she sells complete lessons to help other teachers up their game and discover new ways to teach. She also maintains an active Instagram presence where she utilizes social media to connect appropriately with her students and share her experience behind her desk with her followers.
For links to Kelsey's endeavors and more information on the technologies and terms mentioned in this episode visit the shows notes at the link below.
https://lifebehindthedesk.com/episode-005-chemistry-on-a-cart-kelsey-briley/
Since this recording, Kelsey has returned to the classroom fulltime. To find out how Kelsey is doing in her own words, visit this link
https://lifebehindthedesk.com/update-005-chemistry-on-a-cart-kelsey-briley/
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jonathonmiller)
004 - In this episode Jenifer talks about her progression from a first year teacher in a unique setting to an instructional technologist working hard to help teachers teach in a new environment. She shares the challenges she faced clearing her credential in California. As an instructional technologist in the time of Covid-19 Jenifer found herself suddenly very popular among the teachers she serves. She speak honestly about the continuing education that no one had the energy for this last summer.
Thank you for spending your precious time in with us, I hope you enjoy this episode. If you would like to leave a message for Jenifer, you can do that in the comments. If you'd like to help Life Behind the Desk, tell a friend or share a link on your social media.
If you would like to visit the show notes or learn more about Title 1 schools, you can visit the show notes at:
https://lifebehindthedesk.com/episode-004-technology-and-tahiti-jenifer-cox
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jonathonmiller)
003 - In this episode Beth Hall shares how she reluctantly made her way into teaching and coaching soccer in a location that hasn't had soccer all that long. She teaches in a rural district in Arkansas after being transplanted from the east coast. Beth started off on a road to being a publisher. Then she learned that being a publisher is not what she thought it would be and made her way into teaching from there.
Join Beth as she talks about how she has learned to set boundaries and work more efficiently to establish and maintain a healthy work/life balance. We also get to learn about how she was better prepared than most to teach from home when schools closed as a result of the pandemic. Her online presence as Coach Hall Writes proved to be be a useful teaching tool before the pandemic, and became invaluable after schools closed for both her and her colleagues.
Be sure to subscribe so that you don't miss an episode, and to learn more about Coach Hall Writes and access all of Beth's link, visit the show notes for this episode at:
http://www.lifebehindthedesk.com/episode-003-the-family-business-beth-hall
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002 - In this episode we step behind the desk with Mandy Jenkerson. Mandy teaches special education in Eldon, Missouri. Listens as she shares how she made her way into special education and what has kept her in it. We talk about the challenges of a rural school district and how certain students not only stick with you, but shape your career and mold you as a teacher. We talk about the value of vocational skills and how that contrasts with the current focus on higher education.
I hope you enjoy this episode. If you'd like to leave a comment, or words of encouragement from Mandy, you can do so in the comments.
Thank you for spending some of your valuable time with Life Behind the Desk. Please don't forget to subscribe. If you would to do something help grow this podcast, tell one of your friends about it. Then email them the link to this show. Every listener counts.
If you would like to download the show notes head over to:
http://www.lifebehindthedesk.com/episode-002-coffee-chocolate-mandy-jenkerson
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001 - Jonathon Miller introduces Life Behind the Desk, a new podcast that gives teachers a voice to share their stories with the world. In this introductory episode Jonathon sets the stage for teachers from various back ground across to the country to talk about what being a teacher is really like.
I hope you enjoyed this first episode and that you're looking forward to meeting these education super-heroes with me. If you'd like to take a regular seat behind the desk, be sure to subscribe so you can be notified when a new episode is released.
For the show notes and for more information you can go to:
https://lifebehindthedesk.com/welcometolifebehindthedesk/
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jonathonmiller)