We’re Not Foolin’, We love AnnaK

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You are listening to The Balancing Act Podcast. Here's your hosts,

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Jamie Wonko and Joe Vitale.

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And we are officially recording.

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Hello, and welcome to The Balancing Act Podcast.

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My name is Jamie Wonko. I am here with Joseph Vitale.

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Hello, Joe. How are you? I love it. It's so official, Joseph. I love it.

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Wow. That's what your name says on the screen. I know.

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That's what we see. We see Joseph Vitale. That is correct. I mean, spring has sprung.

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It's warm out. We're releasing this thing. I don't know when we're releasing

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it, but hey, spring is my favorite dad joke.

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Spring has sprung. I got so excited. I wet my plants.

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I'll add cricket sound effects. She's not moving at all. Oh, okay. I can see.

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Yeah. I am sure a certain student that I say a dad joke to every day is not going to laugh at that.

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So, but I'll still use it.

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So yeah, we are in the throes of spring, moving ourselves down into spring break.

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And speaking of springtime and a breath of fresh share, I have to jump into

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our guest for the day because I am very excited to have her on and should we bring her in?

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Let's bring her in. Okay. Bring her out. Yeah, here we go.

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Hello, Anna Kowal. Hello, everybody.

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Read Away with Miss Kay. We are so excited to have you here.

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I have seen mucho of your content on Instagram.

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And please make sure that you follow Read Away with Miss Kay on Instagram for

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all the things, all the many things.

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But yeah, we love it. Thank you very much for joining us from the great state

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of Kentucky, which I have been to and I love so greatly.

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I love me some Kentucky. I've been here for about seven years now,

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and I love it. Getting lucky in Kentucky down here. Oh, okay. Good stuff.

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Yeah, as we were talking before we went on, I have my little space in my basement

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that has my little bourbon collection, which I have been to Kentucky and been

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to Louisville, and it's just an absolutely gorgeous area of the country.

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And I think in the end of May, I might be coming back maybe to visit a distillery

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with a friend of mine. I don't know.

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I don't know what we're going to be doing, but I'd love to. You'll have to tell me.

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I will totally do that because I love downtown Louisville and all the greatness

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and bourbon tasting and all that fun stuff.

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Yeah. I'm probably the only person in the state of Kentucky that doesn't drink

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bourbon, but I'll go hang out. I'm down.

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We are a delight, so that would be wonderful. That's right. So,

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hey, it's really great to have you. I'm glad we were able to connect and get you on.

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I would love to hear it because we were even talking before we got on here.

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I'd love to hear a little bit about your journey, uh, and how you got into this

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whole gig and, and now you're this Instagram mogul with all this great content that we love.

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So we'd love to hear about your journey. Um.

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Yeah. Well, I started, by the way, my dogs are in here. So if you're going to

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say that was like, Joe, can you hear them?

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Yeah. Normally, normally it's mine.

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I, I have two golden retrievers that are normally around the kitchen by my feet,

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but yeah, you know, we're doing it live people.

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It's, you know, it's happening. I just got my stray. The second dog,

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she was a stray outside of the school I work at and she's like adorable.

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She'll probably pop on at some point. Anytime on a podcast. She just has to

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be in the limelight with me.

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It's adorable, but she's rambunctious and she's fight with my other dog.

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But anyway, so if you hear them, that's what's happening.

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But so I've been a teacher for 10 years. I started out in the Bronx teaching 11th grade English.

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And I thought it was like my dream job. I never thought that I would leave high school English.

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And when I moved to Kentucky to be closer to family, I was like,

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you know what? I got a middle school certification. I'm going to try.

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And now I'll never go back to high school. I've been teaching middle school

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for seven years now. I love it.

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It's chaotic. It's dramatic. There's tears.

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There's laughter. I can't get enough of it.

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So yeah, I started the Instagram journey because I wanted to sell stuff on Teachers

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Pay Teachers and somehow comedy...

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Got involved and, you know, now I work for board teachers and life has just

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been really fun. So. Yeah, it's awesome.

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Um, I mean the Bronx to Kentucky, like there, there is, I mean,

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I don't want to talk about culture shock, but there's a difference between those two places.

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So you said you moved down to Kentucky to be closer to family.

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So did you grow up in this East coast area?

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So I'm actually was born and raised in West Virginia and ended up in New York

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because I went to SUNY New Paltz in upstate New York.

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And because I just wanted to go to a mountain town, I'm really outdoorsy.

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And I couldn't get a job in the Hudson Valley at all. And I love the Hudson Valley.

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And so I just went to the city and got a job there, ended up liking it,

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stayed longer than I anticipated.

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And then I was like, okay, it's time to go closer to home. So that's why Kentucky got involved. Yeah.

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That is an interesting journey. It is an interesting journey. It is.

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I actually started out doing the opposite because I started out in this area

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and I started out going to West Virginia University. That's where I started.

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Oh, you went to WVU? Well, I started my career there. I got mono.

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He was only there for a minute and then he got mono from not kissing anybody.

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It was not from kissing anyone, Jamie. Please stop telling me.

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I'm sorry. I said it was from not kissing anyone.

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Oh, yeah. I was not kissing. yeah there was no there there when when

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the kids talk about riz i don't have it

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okay uh i once

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i will tell this story gladly i once was talking to a girl at a party we're

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like hanging out she's like you know we should change numbers we should hang

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out one time and i said why yes that is what i said i asked the girl who's trying

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to get my number why she wanted my number i there there's Like if there was

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a Rizzo meter, I would be at the, like the very bottom.

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I outkicked my coverage. Don't know how I got my wife. It's it's yeah.

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Hey, I'll own it. A lot of weird things happen at WVU. So it's okay.

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So yeah. So I started out down there. I wasn't there for very long.

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Took that as not the crazy religious person, but I was like,

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I took that as a sign. It's like, you know what? I'm probably not in the right spot.

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There's probably a reason why this is happening. So I stayed local.

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I went to county college. I figured some stuff out and then decided to go to

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and I really wanted to go to TCNJ, which I did not get into when I graduated

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from high school because I didn't have the grades of the SAT scores.

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So I had to take another path in order to go in that direction.

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So I'm happy to say that that's where I wound up and achieved that goal, which is great.

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But I really never moved anywhere. Anna, did your parents take you to visit

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the college all the way from West Virginia all the way up to...

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To New York. Upstate New York. Did you see it before you went?

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Yeah. I went with an ex-boyfriend, actually.

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He thought he was going to go with me, but I gave him the boot.

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I was like, no, I want to do this on my own.

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So we did the journey together and I fell in love with the campus.

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I really just went because I wanted to get away and explore and see what was out there.

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So if you've been to New Paltz, New York. It's beautiful.

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And you were a traditional education major when you were there?

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Yes. So my, my undergrad degree, which I got at Marshall university,

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which is in my hometown of West in West Virginia, um, is in English lit.

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And I didn't know what I was going to do with my life. I was bartending and,

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um, I just out of the blue was like, I did that too for a little while. Yeah.

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And I was like, you know what? I better be a good teacher because I was a tough

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student. Like I wasn't super tough, but I was a chatty Kathy.

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And no matter where a teacher would move me, I wanted to make friends with the

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next person beside me. And I had ADHD.

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I was diagnosed when I was a teenager, which was rare at the time for a female to be diagnosed.

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And they just didn't know what to do with me.

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So I figured, well, let me become a teacher so I can help kids that are,

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you know, a little rambunctious like me.

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So I kind of gravitate towards that kid, if you know what I mean.

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So, and I think it's because of how, you know, my childhood was. So.

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Yeah. I also gravitate towards that kid, but I wasn't that kid.

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So I always thought it was more of like an opposites attract kind of a thing.

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But yeah, that's a great perspective.

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So you, So you started out teaching in the Bronx in high school,

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and you were there for three years, and then you moved back.

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How far away from your family and home, if they were in West Virginia,

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do you live from them now?

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I live three hours away from my hometown, and it's a really easy drive.

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So I go to my hometown all the time, but I've actually convinced my mom to move

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here in Louisville, and some of her brothers live here. So actually,

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quite a bit of my family has moved here. Oh, that's great.

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So now you're in middle school. You've been in middle school for seven years.

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All the grades? Six, seven, eight?

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I teach all three grades right now. I teach this really super awesome reading

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course. I only have kids for nine weeks and then I get a new bunch.

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I just got a new bunch this week.

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And it's basically just a crash course ELA class for all three grades.

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Now I teach like sixth graders all at once, seventh graders all at once,

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and eighth graders all at once.

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And it's amazing. I love it.

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And one of the reasons I suggested this class was because we have a mandated

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curriculum now for ELA in middle schools, and we never had that.

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And so I get to kind of circumvent that a little bit.

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So I'm more of a support for the ELA classes, and I see what they're doing.

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And then I loosely find short stories and more engaging texts that pair well

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with the mandated texts.

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So it's been super fun i've been doing that for two years now

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nice so if there's nine if you this is

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is this your last group of the last nine weeks is that yeah

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yeah we do four terms yep it's awesome

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we were talking about how you get out uh you know the end of may and and we

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get out june 57th uh at the end of june but yeah but we don't start again until

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after labor day so yes right yeah much later um and not to get away from the

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teaching conversation but like i know since you're down in louisville.

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Have you been to the Derby? Are you going to the Derby?

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This is like my bucket list sporting event. I have to do this at some point.

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But have you been or are you planning on going at some point?

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The first year I moved here, I bartended in a suite on Derby Day so I could

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watch the race. And it was awesome.

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Yeah. There were 30 people in the suite. And I mean, it was totally fine for

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me to be gambling with them and, you know, making bets and stuff. It was a blast.

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But Derby Week in Louisville every day is a big deal that week.

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I mean, we wear hats to school. math teachers are doing math medical equations

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with betting and derby stuff.

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And, um, we have derby parties at school.

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Um, we don't have school the Friday before the derby because so many teach yeah.

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People would just call off work so often cause it's called Oaks day the day before derby.

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So they just finally gave us the day off. They were like, forget it.

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Nobody's ever coming to work that day.

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So it's an awesome week. I, I, if you can ever get to the Derby,

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I tell everybody it's, it should be on your bucket list.

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It's an incredible experience. It really is so fun.

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Yeah. The last few years I've been going to, uh, started in 2019 after my,

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my best friend's mom had passed away.

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And just like this podcast, a discussion was had over way too many drinks.

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And it was like, we should go to go to the Indy 500. You should come out this year.

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Cause we're New Jersey and my buddy grew up out here and he moved out to Indiana

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and you know he's been going for every year and saying you got to come you got

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to come you got to come so it's like you know what screw it let's go so we drove

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out there and it like ever since 2019 minus the the COVID years,

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we've been heading out there it's just it is just an amazing event and now I'm

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like okay what other things could I go to like I'm probably never going to be

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able to afford a Super Bowl unless I.

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Somehow magically win tickets But heading to The Derby I even have friends of

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mine that want to do it for sure It's something that you've got to do at least once,

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Got to get a big, you know, get a fancy hat, a suit, walk around with it.

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Everybody's super fancy, but everybody's just drinking massive amounts of bourbon.

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It's, it's a good time. Yes.

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I'm in. My sister went years ago with her husband. Oh, that's so cool.

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Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm not really, that's not on my list of things,

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but I think it's, Joe, you would be the perfect fit for the crowds and the fanfare

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and the drinking and the, I feel like that would be good for you today. Yeah. No, absolutely.

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Yeah. Also, we drove, the one time we went to Louisville, we actually were driving

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around and we drove to Churchill Downs.

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And it's just so weird how it's like, it is in the middle of a residential neighborhood.

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Like you literally like turn a corner, like you were going to your best friend's

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house and then all of a sudden it's just there.

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Like it's, it is the most bizarre thing to me.

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It's not off a highway. It's not near anything. It's literally.

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Don't the people in that area make a lot of money. Like they can rent out their

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driveways and their houses and all parts of stuff.

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Yeah. Yeah. They have parking spots and charge people.

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It is in a bizarre neighborhood.

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I remember the first time I saw it, I was a little underwhelmed.

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I was like, this is it? It's just right here.

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It's beautiful inside.

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Yeah, it's in a bizarre place. The UofL football stadium is right beside it too.

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That's usually where I park. You have to walk a long time to get to Churchill

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Downs, but it's worth it.

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So you're in a very interesting role in your school district too i know you work a lot with,

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new teachers that come into the profession um and

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you know we we had had talked and had a little bit of a discussion about you

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know this is something that jamie and i are passionate about um we've been doing

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this for 26 years so i guess we're gonna stick around for a little while might

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as well yeah might as well you know um but it's interesting i'd love to know like what.

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We the the the college student you know

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goes and does all their their student teaching and their practicum

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and all their stuff and then they're in the classroom like what

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are they not teaching them oh there go there go the fireworks

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again this damn mac whenever you do the double thumbs up you get fireworks um

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oh actually if you do this you get laser beams like you're at a rock show so

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there you go that's such a cool party trick i know it's there's there's actually

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one of the episodes I did it by accident and I like I was like oh my god what was that I freaked out,

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yeah I would have too yeah it was awesome um so

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yeah I'd love to know like what are some of the things that you know new teachers

00:15:52.302 --> 00:15:55.662
that are coming into the classroom that you're seeing in Kentucky like what

00:15:55.662 --> 00:16:00.182
are you seeing new teachers come into the classroom that they don't have like

00:16:00.182 --> 00:16:04.202
things that are not being taught to them that they have to kind of learn um

00:16:04.202 --> 00:16:07.482
the the analogy I like to use is building the plane as we're flying it.

00:16:08.482 --> 00:16:14.102
I mean, the number one problem, I think, for all the first years that I've worked

00:16:14.102 --> 00:16:16.522
with is by far classroom management.

00:16:16.762 --> 00:16:22.182
There's just no way that you can, I feel like you can give them tips and tricks

00:16:22.182 --> 00:16:27.202
and things to put in their toolbox, but it's so hard for a first year to come

00:16:27.202 --> 00:16:31.322
in and demand the attention of a classroom. It's just so hard for them.

00:16:31.722 --> 00:16:35.082
I think we have three first year teachers this year at our school,

00:16:35.082 --> 00:16:38.462
which is a lot because we don't have a lot of turnover at our school.

00:16:38.922 --> 00:16:44.382
We're just really lucky. I work at a great school. But all three of these first

00:16:44.382 --> 00:16:46.322
years are naturals. They're great.

00:16:46.502 --> 00:16:48.602
They're going to crush it in this career.

00:16:48.862 --> 00:16:53.122
But they struggle with classroom management every day. It's just that's what

00:16:53.122 --> 00:16:55.642
I hear from them is I just wish they would listen to me.

00:16:56.162 --> 00:17:02.842
And that's probably the number one problem I see. And just time management, too. How do I...

00:17:03.272 --> 00:17:06.592
Take the advice of 17 people that want to help me in this building,

00:17:06.872 --> 00:17:10.132
figure out how to take all these ideas that people are telling me,

00:17:10.212 --> 00:17:13.672
and then making it into a lesson plan in a timely fashion.

00:17:13.932 --> 00:17:16.092
I just see so many overwhelmed teachers.

00:17:16.392 --> 00:17:19.812
It's just, and it breaks my heart because I love this career too.

00:17:20.012 --> 00:17:23.212
I don't ever see myself leaving it. I love it so much.

00:17:23.792 --> 00:17:28.152
And I want to keep, you know, younger teachers that are coming in and help them stay.

00:17:28.372 --> 00:17:31.492
I'm like, it's worth it. If you can just get like three or four years under

00:17:31.492 --> 00:17:33.492
your belt, you will figure it out.

00:17:33.592 --> 00:17:38.292
But I feel like it does take three or four years to really feel confident as

00:17:38.292 --> 00:17:40.392
a teacher, which is a long time.

00:17:41.052 --> 00:17:44.032
Yeah. You got to really commit, you know, so.

00:17:44.232 --> 00:17:48.012
And the kids don't, you know, for those of us that have been in it for a long

00:17:48.012 --> 00:17:49.912
time, like they're not as,

00:17:50.092 --> 00:17:55.012
they just don't listen the same way you can have like the most,

00:17:55.012 --> 00:17:58.512
you know, you could be the most experienced and really, like,

00:17:58.572 --> 00:18:00.832
you could be an expert at classroom management.

00:18:00.832 --> 00:18:06.152
And there are still times when it's just, why are you not listening?

00:18:06.152 --> 00:18:10.792
And that is so frustrating because they're not, they're really not great listeners

00:18:10.792 --> 00:18:14.332
in general, as a generation, you know, for several different reasons.

00:18:14.332 --> 00:18:18.732
And it doesn't matter how not boring you are or how, you know,

00:18:18.892 --> 00:18:24.312
dynamic or all, you know, whatever word you want to use to describe,

00:18:24.472 --> 00:18:28.872
you know, how many transitions you have, you know, that is for sure difficult.

00:18:29.032 --> 00:18:31.252
Do you think that you learned how to do that in college?

00:18:32.912 --> 00:18:37.712
To have good classroom management? No, I had no clue what I was doing just this year.

00:18:39.072 --> 00:18:45.012
Because I went to a teaching college and I 100% learned how to do it in college. Really?

00:18:45.752 --> 00:18:49.452
Yeah. And I recently have had this conversation with more and more teachers

00:18:49.452 --> 00:18:52.552
who are like, I didn't learn anything in college. And I'm like, nothing.

00:18:52.812 --> 00:18:57.092
I can't believe that. Like, I could never say that about school.

00:18:57.312 --> 00:19:01.892
I could never. I mean, the books that I had that I used, like even throughout

00:19:01.892 --> 00:19:06.572
my first year, my first year teaching, I taught a fifth grade class of like 23 kids.

00:19:06.912 --> 00:19:13.792
And I can't say for one second that I felt that I didn't know what I was doing.

00:19:14.032 --> 00:19:17.992
It was hard and it was overwhelming. But the things that I found to be overwhelming

00:19:17.992 --> 00:19:22.752
then are still overwhelming now, like the photocopying and the paperwork and

00:19:22.752 --> 00:19:24.632
the grading and, you know, the planning.

00:19:24.792 --> 00:19:29.212
And just because it's so much stuff to do, how do you find the time?

00:19:29.232 --> 00:19:32.192
But as far as like how to actually execute it.

00:19:32.352 --> 00:19:36.132
I felt like I had so much that I learned in school.

00:19:36.352 --> 00:19:41.512
I just assume that's everyone's experience when you learn to be a teacher, but no.

00:19:41.852 --> 00:19:46.292
I feel the same way as far as like, it's not that I didn't have classroom management

00:19:46.292 --> 00:19:51.572
because we did, but we focused so much on like, you know, differentiating our

00:19:51.572 --> 00:19:54.932
lessons and making sure that we were coming up with varied activities.

00:19:54.932 --> 00:20:00.292
Like we really focused on the lesson plan and creating engaging activities that would then.

00:20:00.788 --> 00:20:03.988
Keep the students engaged with the material.

00:20:04.288 --> 00:20:07.728
And that worked. And I tried, and I always have tried to like,

00:20:08.068 --> 00:20:10.628
you know, let's throw it at the wall and see, and see if it sticks.

00:20:10.688 --> 00:20:13.148
Like, even now I'm like, okay, you know what I haven't done in a while?

00:20:13.448 --> 00:20:16.228
We're reading a book. We're doing a literature circle. So I found,

00:20:16.368 --> 00:20:21.188
we just finished the Supreme court. There's a great book about Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

00:20:21.508 --> 00:20:24.608
That's at a young reader's level. I said to my boss, I was like,

00:20:25.048 --> 00:20:30.008
cause you You have actually, Jamie, I know you have the full version.

00:20:30.168 --> 00:20:32.948
They ordered me the wrong book. Yeah, they ordered you the wrong book,

00:20:33.028 --> 00:20:34.548
but I was looking at it like we could read.

00:20:34.688 --> 00:20:38.108
No, but I was looking at it like, okay, we could read this one.

00:20:38.168 --> 00:20:41.688
And then I'm looking at it and I'm like, okay, I have some students with special

00:20:41.688 --> 00:20:45.348
needs in my room that are not going to be able to manage this vocabulary.

00:20:45.528 --> 00:20:46.968
It's like, I need the Young Readers Edition.

00:20:47.188 --> 00:20:50.128
So my boss was like, yep, let's buy it. If you think it's going to work, let's do it.

00:20:50.468 --> 00:20:55.608
And I talked to the English teachers and I'm like, okay, literature circles, to get crash course.

00:20:55.888 --> 00:20:58.548
Let's figure out how we're going to do this. Like I'm buying an audio book.

00:20:58.708 --> 00:21:01.928
I'm finding, you know, free stuff on teachers, teachers, pay teachers.

00:21:02.208 --> 00:21:05.228
Actually, that's not true. I found something on teachers, pay teachers.

00:21:05.408 --> 00:21:08.328
I asked somebody for a sample and she said, you know what? I'm just going to

00:21:08.328 --> 00:21:10.948
give you the whole thing, which I would have given her the money,

00:21:10.948 --> 00:21:15.668
but I just wanted to see like, are the activities that she's designed going

00:21:15.668 --> 00:21:18.988
to work for my special ed students? How much am I going to have to modify?

00:21:19.468 --> 00:21:23.048
How much do I need to differentiate? How can I keep everyone in the same spot?

00:21:23.168 --> 00:21:28.028
I want to challenge myself, but that is like, okay, let me try a varied and different activity.

00:21:28.168 --> 00:21:33.928
And I've tried all the things and the centers and the stations and the technology

00:21:33.928 --> 00:21:37.988
engaging stuff and doing a mock trial and a simulation and doing all the things.

00:21:39.108 --> 00:21:44.208
And I'm still boring. So like, no matter what, no matter what,

00:21:44.208 --> 00:21:49.548
I can't, I can't change that because you didn't ask me about literature circles fighting or fighting.

00:21:49.548 --> 00:21:52.448
Well i try i love it you know we've you

00:21:52.448 --> 00:21:55.228
and i have had a number of of conversations before and

00:21:55.228 --> 00:21:57.848
actually remember there was one time my heart says literature circles do you

00:21:57.848 --> 00:22:00.748
know i used to do the pd for the district i know how

00:22:00.748 --> 00:22:05.188
to teach literature circles yes i know and you and i know you told me that but

00:22:05.188 --> 00:22:09.268
i said you know what let me ask my let me ask my other seventh grade colleagues

00:22:09.268 --> 00:22:12.048
so it's not always like oh jamie and joe are pairing up again and do anything

00:22:12.048 --> 00:22:16.048
i didn't want it like now i want to know what they do i'll be interested to

00:22:16.048 --> 00:22:19.448
see maybe uh it's not really um Yeah,

00:22:19.928 --> 00:22:22.408
probably not. But no, I mean, I want to try something different.

00:22:22.648 --> 00:22:25.768
Like, I think that that might be some of the best advice is like,

00:22:25.908 --> 00:22:30.948
you can't do the same thing each and every day, day in and day out.

00:22:31.488 --> 00:22:37.188
And like, like, like Jamie had just said, a lot of the things that that were

00:22:37.188 --> 00:22:39.448
troublesome then are still troublesome.

00:22:39.648 --> 00:22:45.408
Now, like literally this week, as we are recording this, I am doing a classroom norm reset.

00:22:45.488 --> 00:22:49.888
We are resetting the expectations. So yesterday we literally practiced.

00:22:50.949 --> 00:22:54.229
How to dismiss ourselves from the classroom because

00:22:54.229 --> 00:22:57.789
there's there's just been this little breakdown of like kids that

00:22:57.789 --> 00:23:01.589
are like ready to go like they are a sprinter in

00:23:01.589 --> 00:23:04.649
the hundred yard dash in the olympics and as soon as the bell rings they are

00:23:04.649 --> 00:23:08.409
ready to race out of there and i'm like no we are going to tuck our chair in

00:23:08.409 --> 00:23:12.229
we're going to be kind to people around us we're going to reset our norms we

00:23:12.229 --> 00:23:18.789
are going to reset putting our name on our paper like i i swear to god that's what I was doing today.

00:23:18.989 --> 00:23:21.069
I said, I'm going to hand you out the paper. We're going to use tomorrow.

00:23:21.349 --> 00:23:23.249
We're going to put our first and last name on it.

00:23:23.709 --> 00:23:26.569
And then we're going to hand it back in. And the reason why we're doing that

00:23:26.569 --> 00:23:30.589
is because if we hand me a paper and it doesn't have a first and last name on it, I can't grade it.

00:23:31.109 --> 00:23:35.069
And that's, that's a you problem, not a me problem. So we need to make sure

00:23:35.069 --> 00:23:36.329
that you get credit for your work.

00:23:36.689 --> 00:23:41.089
So, um, that, that, I think that's normal for them to feel that way.

00:23:41.209 --> 00:23:44.889
But like, I think the realistic thing is, yeah, that ain't going away. That's good.

00:23:45.409 --> 00:23:49.969
Yeah. And I try to tell them, I'm like, it'll get better and you'll know what

00:23:49.969 --> 00:23:53.049
to do when it gets out of hand. You'll know to reset the norms.

00:23:53.249 --> 00:23:55.829
And, you know, I tell a lot of first year teachers, I'm like,

00:23:55.909 --> 00:23:57.749
you can't assume anything of these kids.

00:23:57.889 --> 00:24:01.409
Just assume they're at the very baseline and then you can work up.

00:24:01.489 --> 00:24:05.409
Like, you have to remind them to write their name on their paper every single

00:24:05.409 --> 00:24:09.509
day those first couple of weeks. You have to remind them, how do you walk into

00:24:09.509 --> 00:24:11.969
a classroom appropriately?

00:24:13.009 --> 00:24:15.089
Because, you know, middle schoolers love to hit the doorframe.

00:24:15.269 --> 00:24:17.009
How do we walk into the classroom?

00:24:17.209 --> 00:24:21.909
How do we start class? How do we end class? I was like, these just little tiny

00:24:21.909 --> 00:24:25.069
routines will make the biggest difference in the world.

00:24:25.229 --> 00:24:30.029
And I said, I tell all first-year teachers, once you have your first five minutes

00:24:30.029 --> 00:24:34.449
procedures and your last five minutes of class procedures, you'll have much

00:24:34.449 --> 00:24:38.869
better classroom management. But until you know what works for your teacher personality...

00:24:39.453 --> 00:24:42.713
And how to get kids settled down those first five minutes and how to get them

00:24:42.713 --> 00:24:44.173
not to run out of the room.

00:24:44.453 --> 00:24:49.393
Um, the last five minutes it's, it's hard. So, but, but it is,

00:24:49.393 --> 00:24:50.653
it's like, it's always chaos.

00:24:50.673 --> 00:24:54.113
And one of the first year teachers saw me the other day walking down the hallway

00:24:54.113 --> 00:24:57.593
and I'm like the most annoying, happy go lucky person at work.

00:24:57.733 --> 00:25:00.633
Like people probably want to punch me in the face cause I'm always like, Hey everybody.

00:25:00.893 --> 00:25:04.013
I'm also you. So you are the captain of the hello. Hey, hey,

00:25:04.213 --> 00:25:05.353
how are you, police? Is that you?

00:25:06.253 --> 00:25:07.913
That's me. Hello.

00:25:09.013 --> 00:25:15.273
Because it really... Is that itty reporting? Because it really grinds someone's

00:25:15.273 --> 00:25:18.693
gears, my buddy over here, when you walk past them.

00:25:19.453 --> 00:25:22.873
You're like, how do you work with somebody who walks past them and you don't acknowledge them?

00:25:23.313 --> 00:25:29.293
Yeah. I'm just like, how are you? It is crazy. I'm always saying hi, you know? Right, yeah.

00:25:29.533 --> 00:25:33.253
So how do you identify the kids that are in your reading program?

00:25:33.993 --> 00:25:37.273
How are those children identified? There really isn't.

00:25:37.453 --> 00:25:42.253
So they're discussed. I've discussed with my administration whether or not we

00:25:42.253 --> 00:25:47.253
wanted it to be like a true reading intervention course where I'm working with lower level kids.

00:25:47.373 --> 00:25:53.113
But they really just wanted it to be kind of a mixed bag.

00:25:53.133 --> 00:25:55.613
So we haven't identified anybody.

00:25:55.833 --> 00:26:00.693
I'm just with the other related arts classes. So I'm with the gym teachers and

00:26:00.693 --> 00:26:05.753
the art teacher and the music teachers. I'm just a specials or related arts class.

00:26:05.953 --> 00:26:09.793
So they're on a rotation with me. There really is no rhyme or reason to it.

00:26:10.273 --> 00:26:13.513
Uh, the kids typically, I mean, they don't hate my class.

00:26:13.613 --> 00:26:17.593
I don't think, uh, but they're always like, man, I got to take reading basically

00:26:17.593 --> 00:26:20.173
two days, twice a day for nine weeks.

00:26:20.613 --> 00:26:25.113
Um, but you know, I always give them good reasons why they should have reading class twice.

00:26:25.173 --> 00:26:29.793
And I mean, most of my students are not on grade level when it comes to reading.

00:26:29.793 --> 00:26:31.493
I'd say the vast majority of my school.

00:26:32.473 --> 00:26:35.553
And so I think it benefits everybody.

00:26:35.853 --> 00:26:39.773
We have discussed shifting it a little bit for just lower level readers though,

00:26:40.033 --> 00:26:41.533
which I'd be totally fine with.

00:26:41.953 --> 00:26:46.573
I do think that was one thing that my school did teach me that I actually,

00:26:46.853 --> 00:26:51.013
the one thing I think I learned was how to differentiate lesson plans.

00:26:51.213 --> 00:26:55.513
That was the one thing I walked away and was like, oh, I know how to vary my

00:26:55.513 --> 00:27:01.173
texts and come up with different activities and come up with choice boards for

00:27:01.173 --> 00:27:04.573
assessment. So I feel like I was always perfect at that.

00:27:05.326 --> 00:27:10.886
Those practical things. But yeah. So we'll see what happens next year.

00:27:13.526 --> 00:27:16.366
So read away with Miss K. How did that come up?

00:27:17.586 --> 00:27:22.166
The name or just the name? I mean, the whole idea, you said it branched off

00:27:22.166 --> 00:27:26.726
from your teacher's pay teachers, but where's read away with Miss K? You like the rhyme?

00:27:27.486 --> 00:27:31.166
Yeah, I just was like, I just wanted, I thought it was really cute to rhyme.

00:27:31.406 --> 00:27:34.706
I, whenever I was in the Bronx, I was called Miss K always.

00:27:34.966 --> 00:27:39.206
Now my students call me Miss Kowal, but I was Miss K for a long time.

00:27:39.386 --> 00:27:42.866
And I just, whenever I created my Teachers Pay Teachers store,

00:27:42.986 --> 00:27:44.866
I was like, I want a cute little name that rhymes.

00:27:45.166 --> 00:27:50.646
And right away with Miss K popped up. And I think it's cheesy and I love it

00:27:50.646 --> 00:27:52.466
so much because I'm such a corny teacher.

00:27:52.826 --> 00:27:58.186
It fits my personality so perfectly. I'm cheesy. I make dad jokes all the time.

00:27:58.506 --> 00:28:03.526
I wouldn't know what you're talking about. yeah anytime a kid laughs at my joke

00:28:03.526 --> 00:28:06.506
i was like you're getting an a today buddy like yeah like,

00:28:07.126 --> 00:28:10.006
so there is i joked about this

00:28:10.006 --> 00:28:13.646
just before there was a girl i will not name her uh she is my white whale because

00:28:13.646 --> 00:28:16.546
every day last year i had her to the seventh grade i would say a different dad

00:28:16.546 --> 00:28:21.886
joke like a hundred days and i think i got her to laugh twice so like when i

00:28:21.886 --> 00:28:25.726
see her now in the eighth grade in in miss wonko's room i try to like remember

00:28:25.726 --> 00:28:27.446
a joke and tell it to her and i just,

00:28:27.986 --> 00:28:31.286
it never happens now she's just stone-faced she's

00:28:31.286 --> 00:28:34.106
the toughest laugh in the universe she is literally my she is

00:28:34.106 --> 00:28:38.346
my mount everest she is my white whale i have to got her to crack twice like

00:28:38.346 --> 00:28:42.186
two times she's got a look she's got a younger sister and i'm like you know

00:28:42.186 --> 00:28:46.986
what maybe i'll like you better if you laugh more at my jokes i don't know figure

00:28:46.986 --> 00:28:53.286
it out we shall um in in one of your recent posts by the way, um.

00:28:53.906 --> 00:28:57.886
You know, which, which I was like, I don't want to use the term doom scrolling

00:28:57.886 --> 00:29:00.406
through, but I was just like scrolling through all of the responses.

00:29:00.906 --> 00:29:04.726
Um, you had asked like, you know, what are some of the reasons that you feel

00:29:04.726 --> 00:29:08.926
that, um, new teachers are leaving the profession? And this is something that,

00:29:09.046 --> 00:29:11.866
that Jamie and I are, are incredibly passionate about.

00:29:12.346 --> 00:29:16.586
Um, you know, we can't, we would want to, but we can't fix all the things.

00:29:17.226 --> 00:29:20.246
Um, and, and every, you know, every state has its challenges,

00:29:20.246 --> 00:29:22.606
every, you know, every, God, every town.

00:29:22.766 --> 00:29:28.546
And we also have like the most amount of open positions that we've ever had.

00:29:28.566 --> 00:29:32.486
So we cannot fill the jobs that are needed.

00:29:32.786 --> 00:29:37.466
And we work, I mean, in our state, there are over 600 school districts.

00:29:37.866 --> 00:29:41.686
So, you know, there's a lot, there's a lot of different places that people can

00:29:41.686 --> 00:29:44.006
choose to work or go to or any of the things.

00:29:44.166 --> 00:29:53.026
But we do work in one of the best paid school districts in our state.

00:29:53.406 --> 00:29:56.146
You know, so it's definitely, you know, there's, there can be a very wide range.

00:29:56.246 --> 00:29:59.346
I mean, just like 45 minutes from here, someone might make, like,

00:29:59.565 --> 00:30:02.525
$35,000 less than what we do, you know?

00:30:03.025 --> 00:30:05.945
Um, and there's still, so it's like a drivable thing. And there's still,

00:30:06.165 --> 00:30:10.645
even in our district, so many open musicians, um, you know, so you're not,

00:30:10.765 --> 00:30:14.165
you're not seeing the same kind of a thing, um, where you are.

00:30:14.345 --> 00:30:17.605
No, we're struggling. We're struggling a lot. So I, you know,

00:30:17.665 --> 00:30:19.865
I work, I'm, can you hear my dog squeaking?

00:30:20.785 --> 00:30:24.145
I might have to get him. Is it too loud? No, you're fine.

00:30:24.305 --> 00:30:27.405
Anna's playing with a squeaky toy. It's okay. I mean, I'm so sorry.

00:30:27.705 --> 00:30:28.905
Yeah, she did say she had.

00:30:29.305 --> 00:30:33.185
It's her fidget. She did say she had ADHD. So maybe you need to like get your

00:30:33.185 --> 00:30:35.805
squeezy toy. Doing it with my feet underneath the desk.

00:30:37.825 --> 00:30:41.645
But yeah, so I work in the largest district in Kentucky.

00:30:42.545 --> 00:30:47.845
And, you know, we have 100,000 students. And most schools are all,

00:30:47.905 --> 00:30:49.085
you know, Title I schools.

00:30:49.405 --> 00:30:55.425
And we also get, we pay way more than any other district in the entire state.

00:30:55.425 --> 00:30:58.205
And we also are struggling to fill

00:30:58.205 --> 00:31:01.165
positions luckily at my school we don't have that

00:31:01.165 --> 00:31:05.425
problem because we're just such a great little like we're a diamond in the rough

00:31:05.425 --> 00:31:09.845
I don't know we're a title one school but we just we all return year after year

00:31:09.845 --> 00:31:14.025
and I think that's what makes a strong school is people on the same rhythm and

00:31:14.025 --> 00:31:19.325
have the same expectations but all around us I mean there are so many schools.

00:31:19.325 --> 00:31:20.725
Can you tie that to your admin at all?

00:31:21.985 --> 00:31:26.225
I think so. Yeah, I think so. Because, you know, we're supported.

00:31:26.445 --> 00:31:30.525
And if we're going to kick a kid out of class, like, which is obviously the

00:31:30.525 --> 00:31:32.945
last resort, but if it happens, we're supported.

00:31:33.465 --> 00:31:37.765
And I know that's not the case. Like, I think with read away with Miss Kay,

00:31:37.925 --> 00:31:41.625
I've just seen so much because I doom scroll and read comments too.

00:31:41.685 --> 00:31:47.785
And it breaks my heart to see so many problems and one of them being not having supportive admin.

00:31:48.805 --> 00:31:53.685
And just not, and the admin not knowing what to do either. Like, what am I supposed to do?

00:31:53.885 --> 00:31:58.045
Like, the district won't do anything about these, you know, repeated offenders.

00:31:58.045 --> 00:32:00.605
And I don't, and so they're kind of at a loss too.

00:32:00.765 --> 00:32:04.285
I think, I think discipline and, and not knowing, you know,

00:32:04.795 --> 00:32:10.715
um, what to do with discipline and not being supported with it is a big issue

00:32:10.715 --> 00:32:12.495
that I think teachers are seeing.

00:32:12.835 --> 00:32:16.855
I don't see a major shift in my 10 years. I don't know if you guys have seen

00:32:16.855 --> 00:32:22.895
a shift in like them being more lax with kids, but I've heard a lot of that on Instagram.

00:32:23.275 --> 00:32:27.815
Yeah. I think there's, there's an intersection of like the kids' expectations

00:32:27.815 --> 00:32:33.015
have changed and, you know, which we're, and I don't know, it all trickles down,

00:32:33.175 --> 00:32:35.075
right? Right. And parenting has changed. Yeah.

00:32:35.835 --> 00:32:39.855
It's a trickle down economics thing. Right. It's it's it's not just why.

00:32:39.955 --> 00:32:41.235
Right. It's not just one thing.

00:32:41.495 --> 00:32:46.875
Yeah. Yeah. Different factors. But when the state is coming down on a superintendent

00:32:46.875 --> 00:32:51.095
because they have too many students that are suspended and then that goes to

00:32:51.095 --> 00:32:52.295
the building principles that,

00:32:52.415 --> 00:32:55.655
well, we have to find different intervention techniques that we're going to

00:32:55.655 --> 00:33:01.555
use to interact and impact those students in a different way besides suspensions

00:33:01.555 --> 00:33:04.295
because suspensions are just predictors of more suspensions.

00:33:04.575 --> 00:33:08.095
Because if you really think about it, the kids that keep getting suspended are

00:33:08.095 --> 00:33:09.795
the same kids that get suspended all the time.

00:33:09.995 --> 00:33:12.715
At least that's the way it's been in my career.

00:33:12.815 --> 00:33:16.555
You get that one outlier that every once in a while, this kid gets in a fight,

00:33:16.755 --> 00:33:18.375
this one says something they weren't supposed to.

00:33:18.535 --> 00:33:22.855
But for the most part, those kids learn, I shouldn't have done that.

00:33:22.955 --> 00:33:24.595
And then they don't do that again.

00:33:25.115 --> 00:33:29.015
But there are certain kids we have that will just repeatedly do the same behavior

00:33:29.015 --> 00:33:32.675
over and over and over. And what I've struggled with is...

00:33:33.540 --> 00:33:37.240
Why is there no like, OK, we need to intervene and have the child study team

00:33:37.240 --> 00:33:40.500
come in and do a behavior analysis and a behavior plan for this kid?

00:33:40.680 --> 00:33:45.200
And I realize that would be a lot of kids, but like, yeah, they're they're affecting

00:33:45.200 --> 00:33:47.700
the learning of so many other kids in the classroom.

00:33:48.240 --> 00:33:51.440
Yeah. It's not just about pay. A lot of the time, a lot of people like,

00:33:51.480 --> 00:33:55.880
oh, teachers aren't paid enough. And I don't think that's the number one factor.

00:33:56.080 --> 00:33:58.680
I really don't. I used to think that.

00:33:59.340 --> 00:34:03.460
But I really don't think that anymore. I think a lot, you know,

00:34:03.700 --> 00:34:04.840
I mean, unions are fighting.

00:34:05.060 --> 00:34:09.260
I've gotten a 14 percent raise over the past two or three years because of my

00:34:09.260 --> 00:34:10.780
union fighting for a raise.

00:34:10.940 --> 00:34:17.320
And we already were decently paid, I think, as teachers compared to everybody else in our state.

00:34:17.320 --> 00:34:20.160
It it's rare they always say

00:34:20.160 --> 00:34:23.560
that i'm overworked and underpaid that phrase

00:34:23.560 --> 00:34:28.100
happens a lot but i never hear like i all i care about is the money it's rarely

00:34:28.100 --> 00:34:33.020
that yeah it's rarely that yeah but these are these are tough questions it's

00:34:33.020 --> 00:34:36.900
like yes we want to get these behavior plans ready for all these kids but what's

00:34:36.900 --> 00:34:43.180
you know i think there's just no one size fits all answer to to the discipline issue.

00:34:43.400 --> 00:34:47.800
And I think that's what I see a lot of on social media is, yeah,

00:34:47.920 --> 00:34:51.260
I quit last year because I just couldn't handle the behaviors anymore.

00:34:51.800 --> 00:34:57.700
Or the parent, a lot of people talk about parents and how they support their kids no matter what.

00:34:58.160 --> 00:35:02.840
You know, like when my mom got a phone call, she'd be like, was Anna talking again?

00:35:03.060 --> 00:35:08.780
Okay, well, we're going to take away the Xbox this time or something because it was before phones.

00:35:09.000 --> 00:35:14.940
But, you know, now it's an argument and the parents are wanting to side with

00:35:14.940 --> 00:35:17.580
their students. So that's that is a change for sure.

00:35:18.173 --> 00:35:23.753
I also, I also, I always laugh when I see like the meme and it's like,

00:35:23.873 --> 00:35:27.313
I never learned that in school. And it says like, yes, you did, but you were talking.

00:35:27.653 --> 00:35:31.333
And that is always like, yep, probably that's me.

00:35:31.953 --> 00:35:37.653
But yes, and the same thing. Yeah. I mean, I was like very afraid to get in trouble at home.

00:35:37.873 --> 00:35:43.213
So I really didn't push it too much. But, you know, it's just one of those things

00:35:43.213 --> 00:35:46.453
that, like, lack of support or even just to have someone say,

00:35:46.693 --> 00:35:49.773
you know, I know that you're struggling with this student.

00:35:49.813 --> 00:35:53.853
I know that you're trying everything that you can possibly do.

00:35:53.913 --> 00:35:56.693
And I really, you know, I see you.

00:35:56.893 --> 00:36:00.233
You know, I think that's also a problem is that, like, people just really,

00:36:00.473 --> 00:36:05.753
nobody wants to feel like they are not doing a good job at their job when they're

00:36:05.753 --> 00:36:09.973
working so hard. and to even just hear like, look, I get it.

00:36:10.033 --> 00:36:14.593
And this is a really tough case. And if you need to come in and talk to me and

00:36:14.593 --> 00:36:16.273
tell me and we'll work through it,

00:36:16.653 --> 00:36:21.853
you know, it can just be such a relief even to hear that someone is on your

00:36:21.853 --> 00:36:26.873
side, even if, you know, for the greater good, no one can fix it, so to speak.

00:36:27.573 --> 00:36:32.853
It is that feeling of support that's so important. I always felt like,

00:36:33.013 --> 00:36:36.633
and one of the things I remember is like in regards to lecture and things that

00:36:36.633 --> 00:36:39.113
I learned in college, like telling isn't teaching, right?

00:36:39.693 --> 00:36:43.413
Like we can't just tell kids information, expect them to regurgitate it.

00:36:43.473 --> 00:36:47.393
But I feel that that works the same way for the teacher in a classroom.

00:36:47.613 --> 00:36:50.233
Like we can't just point out like, oh, here's the thing. Like we need to do

00:36:50.233 --> 00:36:51.433
this. You need to be more engaging.

00:36:51.673 --> 00:36:53.713
Like the kids are bored. They don't like this. They don't like that.

00:36:54.821 --> 00:36:57.841
But, and, and Jamie, we've talked about this and you've actually mentioned it.

00:36:57.901 --> 00:36:59.041
I was like, okay, so model it.

00:36:59.521 --> 00:37:03.361
What should it look like? Give me examples. Give me things that I can and should

00:37:03.361 --> 00:37:08.181
do that are going to make my, like, how should this look?

00:37:08.701 --> 00:37:12.021
It's like, well, just fix it. It's like, okay, well, if you told me like my

00:37:12.021 --> 00:37:17.041
car was broken and you said, just fix it, we ain't going anywhere. Right. Or ask the kids.

00:37:17.681 --> 00:37:21.101
I feel like kids are so honest. If you ask the kids,

00:37:21.581 --> 00:37:25.541
you know, tell me the last, you know, in the last, just even this school year,

00:37:25.961 --> 00:37:31.401
five things that you did and that you genuinely enjoyed in an academic class,

00:37:31.721 --> 00:37:33.661
right? Not Jim. Sorry, Jim. We love you. But no.

00:37:34.061 --> 00:37:37.121
Right? Because everybody can't say, oh, my favorite subject is Jim.

00:37:37.281 --> 00:37:42.261
But in an academic class. And then share those responses with all of the teachers.

00:37:42.261 --> 00:37:46.141
Then it gives you a better idea of, you know, what it is that sort of lit them

00:37:46.141 --> 00:37:49.761
up and sparked them to, you know, to be more interested or whatever that might be.

00:37:50.301 --> 00:37:55.301
Yeah. I always make my students, right now I'm averaging about four short stories

00:37:55.301 --> 00:38:00.801
that we dive into in our nine-week term.

00:38:01.061 --> 00:38:06.101
And I make them, rate them at the end of the term and say, what was your favorite?

00:38:06.281 --> 00:38:09.921
What was your least favorite? And I usually eliminate the least favorite one

00:38:09.921 --> 00:38:11.581
because I'm like, well, you know what?

00:38:11.641 --> 00:38:16.501
They didn't like this one. And that helps me because, you know, they get bored.

00:38:16.661 --> 00:38:19.761
Reading can be super boring. And I just wanted...

00:38:20.478 --> 00:38:23.738
That. So I, I do tell first years a lot, like, just talk to the kids.

00:38:23.858 --> 00:38:27.778
Like they will tell you, uh, they're in, you know, you're so right.

00:38:27.858 --> 00:38:31.018
Like you just want to hear something positive from an adult because we're in

00:38:31.018 --> 00:38:32.678
front of 30 little judges.

00:38:33.418 --> 00:38:37.318
They're just judging us and telling us how lame we are.

00:38:37.638 --> 00:38:40.958
Oh, they're the most, they're the most judgy, especially the middle school kids.

00:38:41.118 --> 00:38:45.738
I saw, I saw a post today and it was like, it was, I think she said it was a

00:38:45.738 --> 00:38:48.958
fourth grade class. And it's just like, yeah, today I stood in front of my class

00:38:48.958 --> 00:38:53.438
and I was like, oh, I think I think I put my contacts in wrong.

00:38:53.618 --> 00:38:55.878
And one of my students goes, oh, it's always something with you.

00:38:56.178 --> 00:39:00.918
And I just I just thought that was like the funniest thing because, you know, we all know.

00:39:02.278 --> 00:39:06.638
Confession. The other day I went to get a spray tan with my friend.

00:39:06.638 --> 00:39:08.118
It was like this fundraiser thing.

00:39:08.378 --> 00:39:11.398
And I know. Shout out. You didn't notice.

00:39:11.538 --> 00:39:16.598
Thanks a lot. Uh, tinted by Tiffany, shout out Tiffany, um, a local mom to us here in our town.

00:39:16.698 --> 00:39:20.598
But so she, you know, um, another teacher who had a hat, who has to have another,

00:39:20.778 --> 00:39:23.698
you know, a side gig, her side gig is spray tans in her basement. Right.

00:39:23.878 --> 00:39:29.258
So I go and, um, and I actually have to tell you that I like confess true confessions of a teacher.

00:39:29.418 --> 00:39:34.798
I thought, Oh God, if this doesn't go well, they're all going to tell me,

00:39:34.918 --> 00:39:37.198
right? Like what's wrong with you? What'd you do?

00:39:37.598 --> 00:39:40.278
What'd you, you know, miss why are you orange? Yeah.

00:39:40.778 --> 00:39:44.418
And, you know, and I was like, oh, gosh, please let this go well.

00:39:44.598 --> 00:39:46.758
And yes, you know, so great.

00:39:47.618 --> 00:39:51.078
I remember I used to go I used to go get my hair cut. I used to sit down and

00:39:51.078 --> 00:39:53.318
the girl I got to know it was years ago.

00:39:53.458 --> 00:39:56.518
I said, yeah, just don't make me look stupid. I don't want my students to make fun. That's all.

00:39:56.798 --> 00:39:59.618
Yeah, because there's nothing worse. Nothing worse.

00:39:59.898 --> 00:40:03.178
Like a 12 year old making fun of you. I'm like, you're 12. Sit down.

00:40:03.318 --> 00:40:06.658
Like, yeah, I had a girl about two or three weeks ago. She's like,

00:40:06.758 --> 00:40:12.478
whole term, me and this other girl, we've been talking about your outfits every single day.

00:40:12.538 --> 00:40:15.778
And they're always cute, but there's always one little thing wrong with it.

00:40:15.918 --> 00:40:17.598
And today it's your shoes.

00:40:17.938 --> 00:40:21.478
And I was like, oh, okay. It's my shoes today. She's like, we hate them.

00:40:21.618 --> 00:40:23.858
I was like, okay. Oh, okay.

00:40:24.698 --> 00:40:29.338
She's like, you're just almost so close, but you just never quite land it.

00:40:29.458 --> 00:40:35.058
And I was like, okay, that's great. I'm so glad that you talk behind my back

00:40:35.058 --> 00:40:39.578
all day. yeah but it was honestly so cute I was like okay yeah,

00:40:40.175 --> 00:40:44.215
Well, you know, maybe one day you'll be, you know, my personal shopper and you

00:40:44.215 --> 00:40:48.095
can come in and, you know, give me consultations on all my outfits.

00:40:48.775 --> 00:40:51.755
Yes. Yeah. The kids, right? Yeah. Absolutely.

00:40:52.615 --> 00:40:57.695
Listen, when you buy most of your clothes at the club, which would be Costco,

00:40:58.275 --> 00:41:00.855
you again, the drip does not.

00:41:01.015 --> 00:41:03.275
It just it's it's just not like this.

00:41:03.475 --> 00:41:06.055
Literally this sweatshirt I got from Costco.

00:41:06.355 --> 00:41:09.555
OK, it's my shirt that I got for seven dollars. um

00:41:09.555 --> 00:41:12.615
so you know it's a great deal i

00:41:12.615 --> 00:41:15.295
know no listen my wife is upstairs she's the

00:41:15.295 --> 00:41:18.035
one that's balling out of control with the fancy shoes here and there

00:41:18.035 --> 00:41:20.735
um which by the way i'm not trying to say

00:41:20.735 --> 00:41:24.095
anything bad about it she deserves to treat herself treat yourself

00:41:24.095 --> 00:41:27.875
expensive shoes it's true um so closing

00:41:27.875 --> 00:41:30.915
out on that on that post that we were discussing are there any are

00:41:30.915 --> 00:41:33.595
there any wait a second wait i have one other thing

00:41:33.595 --> 00:41:36.335
i want to ask you about reading before i'm like a

00:41:36.335 --> 00:41:39.535
huge i'm like former language arts teacher and ran a parent

00:41:39.535 --> 00:41:42.675
parent teacher student book club for uh for for

00:41:42.675 --> 00:41:45.935
20 years um that's so fun it's the

00:41:45.935 --> 00:41:48.815
best we called it book buffet we would you know pick the book

00:41:48.815 --> 00:41:52.015
then everyone had about a month to read it and then we like read and feed it

00:41:52.015 --> 00:41:55.915
was read and feed read and feed we would have dinner together yeah we'd have

00:41:55.915 --> 00:41:59.455
dinner together we would have crafts and a um we would make something we'd answer

00:41:59.455 --> 00:42:04.035
some questions we'd give away some prizes we would you know cool talk the next

00:42:04.035 --> 00:42:06.715
book and then you know we would do that about four times year.

00:42:06.835 --> 00:42:11.035
And it was like such a great way to connect with families and share our love of reading.

00:42:11.935 --> 00:42:15.635
So recently, so anytime the kids want to talk about anything with books,

00:42:15.815 --> 00:42:20.595
hook me, I'm like immediately like throw away anything, what I'm supposed to

00:42:20.595 --> 00:42:21.795
be doing and like, yes, let's talk.

00:42:21.915 --> 00:42:26.715
But recently, the kids were all talking about, there's a play about Anne Frank.

00:42:26.875 --> 00:42:30.615
So in eighth grade, they cover Anne Frank and it's in their literature textbook.

00:42:31.275 --> 00:42:35.275
And I was beyond thrilled to talk to them.

00:42:35.775 --> 00:42:40.395
And I teach four classes of eighth grade. So the wave of these kids coming throughout

00:42:40.395 --> 00:42:42.015
the day to want to like talk about.

00:42:42.215 --> 00:42:45.155
So apparently like in the annex, you're familiar with Anne Frank,

00:42:45.295 --> 00:42:46.975
right? Yeah. Apparently they're in the annex.

00:42:47.235 --> 00:42:52.035
And in this adaptation of what happened up there, the other family,

00:42:52.235 --> 00:42:57.655
so Anne's, not Anne's mom, the other wife of the other was like trying to shame

00:42:57.655 --> 00:42:59.035
her husband, according to the kids.

00:42:59.395 --> 00:43:02.095
I had to go to some of the language arts teachers. Not only

00:43:02.095 --> 00:43:04.755
was she flirting with mr frank um she like was

00:43:04.755 --> 00:43:07.455
lifting her skirt up above her name um and then she

00:43:07.455 --> 00:43:11.115
kissed him on the lips in front

00:43:11.115 --> 00:43:16.235
of his wife but when i tell you that it well i was like this is even if this

00:43:16.235 --> 00:43:23.795
isn't like real they were so into it that it was and i me too i'm like i need

00:43:23.795 --> 00:43:27.815
a copy of this i know i'm like wait i didn't know what was going on in the attic

00:43:27.815 --> 00:43:29.675
like this is wild stuff But so,

00:43:29.675 --> 00:43:32.915
so like those kinds of things when you're reading, I know.

00:43:32.995 --> 00:43:37.095
So it's like, look into that because, you know, I'm going to look that up. Add that to the list.

00:43:38.267 --> 00:43:41.027
Side note real fast every time

00:43:41.027 --> 00:43:44.087
i taught fences by august wilson i taught

00:43:44.087 --> 00:43:47.047
that in the 11th grade while i was in the bronx kids would

00:43:47.047 --> 00:43:49.827
throw the book when they found out that the main

00:43:49.827 --> 00:43:53.167
character was cheating on his wife they would be like and just

00:43:53.167 --> 00:43:56.187
like throw it down on the ground the amount of books

00:43:56.187 --> 00:43:59.207
that had been thrown and i was like this is the coolest

00:43:59.207 --> 00:44:02.367
thing in the world i know that's so awesome no yeah there's

00:44:02.367 --> 00:44:05.227
nothing better there's for a reading teacher there's nothing

00:44:05.227 --> 00:44:08.447
better than that my daughter literally yesterday

00:44:08.447 --> 00:44:11.207
was like she texted us said she was like oh can i go to

00:44:11.207 --> 00:44:14.167
the mall at 9 30 on monday because

00:44:14.167 --> 00:44:17.347
they're doing a hunger games thing i we thought we were i swear we

00:44:17.347 --> 00:44:20.107
thought she was going to the movies and my wife and i like oh my god and it's

00:44:20.107 --> 00:44:22.827
9 30 and like um it's like 8 45 and i'm

00:44:22.827 --> 00:44:26.787
on the couch and i am i am i'm done and i'm like i can't believe she's going

00:44:26.787 --> 00:44:30.087
out at 9 30 and then i was like oh what time is the movie she's like i'm not

00:44:30.087 --> 00:44:32.367
going to the movies i'm going to barnes and noble we're going to the bookstore

00:44:32.367 --> 00:44:36.267
she went to the bookstore for like a scavenger hunt in a book thing for like

00:44:36.267 --> 00:44:39.887
the midnight release of the new Hunger Games book. And I was like,

00:44:39.967 --> 00:44:41.487
oh my God, you little book nerd. I love you.

00:44:41.707 --> 00:44:44.787
You're amazing. That's amazing. I love that so much.

00:44:46.207 --> 00:44:49.087
I'm sorry, you were saying we're going to ask a different question,

00:44:49.147 --> 00:44:51.407
Joe. I was, but you know what?

00:44:52.647 --> 00:44:56.507
We're running short on our time. Read away with Ms. K.

00:44:57.067 --> 00:45:02.947
I mean, I don't want to put you on the spot on an episode, but you absolutely

00:45:02.947 --> 00:45:07.087
have to come on this podcast again, so we could talk about some, all the things.

00:45:07.347 --> 00:45:10.727
So I mean, I don't want to put you on the spot here, but you know,

00:45:10.847 --> 00:45:15.327
all of our very dedicated listeners, I could definitely want to hear from you again.

00:45:15.487 --> 00:45:19.647
I'm so excited. I would love to come back. I love hanging out. I love this.

00:45:19.827 --> 00:45:24.607
I mean, I love being a teacher so much. I love talking about it and meeting other teachers.

00:45:24.787 --> 00:45:28.327
It's there's nothing better and finding other people that really love it.

00:45:28.407 --> 00:45:31.767
Cause there are so many people that don't love it right now.

00:45:32.067 --> 00:45:36.847
So it's nice to talk to two people that love it. So cool. I would love to come back.

00:45:37.367 --> 00:45:40.747
Anna, I appreciate you for, you know, taking the time to be on here.

00:45:40.947 --> 00:45:42.287
And Jamie, I appreciate you, friend.

00:45:42.627 --> 00:45:46.807
So Anna, I appreciate both of you. I appreciate the chat with anyone whose name

00:45:46.807 --> 00:45:52.247
has Reed in it because that is nothing better than the reading. Yes, that's right.

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Thank you guys so much for having me. I really, this was so much fun.

00:45:57.827 --> 00:46:02.047
Absolutely. We will see you. We'll see everybody next time on the Bouncing Act podcast.

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Music.

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Look for the Bouncing Act podcast every week on your favorite podcast platform.

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New episodes drop every Tuesday. Thank you for being a part of our audience. We appreciate.

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Music.