Episode #272: Max Roach
Maxwell is a children’s book author and the Founder of JonAyves Learning Club, a personalized learning organization that teaches children concepts such as long division as early as the age of 3. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Toronto and is certified as a Professional in Human Resources (PHRi). As a former musician, sharing stages with Beyoncé and the Rolling Stones, leading a child care organization as CEO, and working as a consultant for ecommerce tech companies globally, Maxwell values the need to “fill the industry gaps” by way of disruption and modern solutions.
Trenches story: he wants to stay there. He has ton of stories. His life has been something where the trenches are important. He seeks those out. He wants discomfort in his life. Went to school in Edmonton, AB, then in Toronto. Played music in church, bands. Specialized in music. Enjoyed being in front of ppl. Had own kids, changed how he wanted to live life. Called musicians he worked w/, said he was changing trajectory- 2016. Cut off (main source of) income. Wrote out transcriptions. Wanted to transition out of music- created a bread product. Take situation you’re in and realizing it was a trench.
Talk about transitioning from your music to your professional career. Wanted to start his own business. Opened up a bread business. Had wife, 1 child. Wasn’t spending a ton of time w/ family. Sold in grocery stores in Toronto. Got into computer science in university but didn’t want to write code as job. The computer science training gave him way to move on after bread business. Got into Started running multi-million $ software operations. Got hired on cause had run a bread business. Thru that organization, they gave scholarships to univ’s around worked.Came out of the tech org. Visited many universities. Commuted a lot. Org wanted to help researchers along the way. Continuation of the way he got into working in education.
Jon Ayves Learning Club he founded it. Pandemic happened. Knew he needed to make a change. Wife & him decided to form an org. where children are able to learn long division by the age of 3. Needed learning materials, he used muscle memory like from music. Once you understand the process, it works to replicate. Use digital tools like YouTube-positive content. Bought a billboard, marketed on radio. Combo of his own kids’ names. Didn’t get any clients in April 2022. Understood what timing meant. Let go of the idea for a while. Started back up in the fall. Met ppl at clubs locally, like YMCA. Taught child there something in 15m. Word spread, ppl told others w/ conviction. Have books, getting into private schools. Branford, ON. A few in Toronto, Ottawa, others across Canada & Europe. Is already having convos about expanding into U.S. They work virtually, 15 m sessions w/in school day. After-school tutoring gets tedious. Schools are adopting it. Specific way they teach, they hire teachers to teach a certain way.
They focus on one-on-one learning. He can talk about really making kids love what they learn. Kids need someone in their life who can give them their full attention. One-on-one is now social media. Wants to talk about WHY this works. There’s so much to track in terms of SEL, IEP, today. He wants to talk about the concepts. He can talk specifically about how this would work for a particular building. Talk about implementing digital tools. It’s specific focus w/in 15 min once a week or several x’s a week. 45m sessions- 30 m is hanging out & connecting. He’ll share success stories.
Direct listeners to jonayves.com/workshop- he talks there about the way to have kids become more confident. The focus on the CAN rather than the can’t. He compares it to music, moving fingers while drumming. They also have children’s books available that break down concepts. Counting by 2’s, 3’s, etc. They have animated skip counting videos. He personally instructs kids in H.S. up to grade 12. Private schools where st’s are behind or ahead. Has learners across the board. Foundation is 3 L’s: Live it, love it, learn it. Tie concept to something kid’s interested in. You can calculate the trajectory of a ball in a sport. The smaller the chunk the easier to digest.
They do free assessments for all the schools- will talk about learning strategies. He’s interested in helping them navigate TicToc & other distractions. When they’re trying to introduce something, it’s important to meet person where they’re at. Not necessarily a platform but a connection.
YouTube shorts-they go around a city & challenge random strangers to times table duels. https://www.youtube.com/@JonAyvesTV it makes it interesting cause they can bring it to the world.
Out of everything: Don’t be afraid of taking small steps, across the board kids feel they have to take big leaps. Small steps are much more enjoyable. Chip away at progress. Life is simple when we allow it to be.
Where can ppl find you? JonAyves Virtual 15 (Institution 15-Minute Mathematics Program for Students)
https://www.jonayves.com/jamvirtual15
JonAyves Learning Club Books: JonAyves Learning Club Books
JonAyves Learning Club Complete Book Listing – https://www.jonayves.com/shop
Maxwell Roach & JonAyves Learning Club
Twitter – @JonAyvesTV
LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/maxwellroach
Facebook – JonAyves Learning Club
Website – https://www.jonayves.com
Podcasts and Workshops – https://www.jonayves.com/podcast
Fun Academic Kids Videos
YouTube Shorts – https://www.youtube.com/@JonAyvesTV
TikTok – https://www.tiktok.com/@JonAyvesTV
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/AJsHouseKids
Count By Numbers and Nursery Rhymes Videos
YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@AJsHouseKids
View this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/7j6BifxBfwY
Episode #273: Dr. Donna Y Ford
Donna Y. Ford, PhD, is a Distinguished Professor of Education and Human Ecology in the College of Education and Human Ecology at the Ohio State University. She is also a Faculty Affiliate with the Kirwan Institute and the Center for Latin American Studies. Professor Ford is in the Department of Educational Studies and the Special Education Program. Professor Ford has written over 300 articles and book chapters; she has made over 2,000 presentations at professional conferences and organizations, and in school districts.
She is the author/co-author/co-editor of 14 books, including Gumbo for the Soul: Liberating Memoirs and Stories to Inspire Females of Color (2017); Telling Our Stories: Culturally Different Adults Reflect on Growing Up in Single-Parent Families (2017); R.A.C.E. Mentoring Through Social Media:Black and Hispanic Scholars Share Their Journey in the Academy (2017); Recruiting and Retaining Culturally Different Students in Gifted Education (2013), Reversing Underachievement Among Gifted Black Students (1996, 2010), Multicultural Gifted Education (1999, 2011), Gifted and Advanced Black Students in School: An Anthology of Critical Works (2011).
Dr. Ford is creator of The Ford Female Achievement Model of Excellence (FAME). Donna is a two-time board member of the National Association for Gifted Children, and has served on numerous editorial boards, such as Gifted Child Quarterly, Exceptional Children, Roeper Review, Journal of Negro Education, Gifted Child Today, and Journal of Educational Psychology.
Trenches story: will talk about her childhood w/ 2 sisters & mom growing up on public assistance. Her mom wanted them to do well. She was determined they’d go to college. All of them have grad degrees, mom even has a master’s.
Will talk first about the achievement gap. Ph.d. in edu psychology GATE (gifted st’s edu). Dissertation was on why G/T Black st’s in Cleveland were underachieving. Asked can Donna achieve at a higher level. It’s fueled by… (get off recording).
Talk about gifted underrepresentation in secondary schools among BIPOC students, esp. school w/ IB/MYP programs, AP. Inequities in discipline. (ask her to give an overview of her work) Fueled by t’s under referrals. Every study has showed that. It’s about expectations. Even 50% of Hispanic st’s under referred. Testing matters but dispositions matter more. Train educators to be anti-rasist & culturally responsive. Bias testing. ocrdata.ed.gov shows the data of discrepancy. Over 1 million Black & brown. She’s been in G/T edu for 32 yrs. Name a school district w/ equity in GATE, there are none. It’s unjust/racist.
Will talk about the Blooms/Banks Matrix, 6 levels of Bloom’s, 4 levels of Banks. 6×4 matrix-24 cells. Is in quadrants. Low on both-red. High Bloom-low Bank-yellow. Low Bloom, high Bloom-blue, both on www.donnayford.com blank matrix- use w/ lesson plan. Put ? in cell, look @ it and see what you need to do more w/. Checklist. Goal is to get to top 3 level. Merge w/ Banks’ 4 levels-Food, fun, fashion & Folklore. Extremely timely in FL- like w/ not offering AP Black history. Color-culture blindness. Is trying to get to quadrant 4 which is high on Bloom & Banks. T’s only offer multicultural content is safe way. Has model w/ st’s at the center. Are we making sure minoritized children are represented in positive ways? How can we promote rigor in the curriculum? Multicultural curriculum is for all. T’s (white females) often uses “safe” books about strong Black females. They only want to address sexism. How do we get to transformation, infuse MC content every day? 4th level is social action-empower st’s. They get involved in social issue. Easier w/ older st’s.
How t’s are changing the instruction/assessment to make curriculum more culturally responsive? Has the needle moved? She has written about adding culture to SEL since COVID. Last quadrant is peer pressure. She’ll share her slides a bit during the recording.She can share natl. data on over/underrepresentation in G/T and discipline. Frustrated that when she comes for PD rarely sees fruit of labor-drive-by. Both in OH & Nashville. We need to retain st’s in GATE/AP. Some improvement for Hispanic. Listeners-look at your own data for AP/suspension/expulsion, etc. Look at ocrdata.ed.gov
Talk about your FAME — Female Achievement Model for Excellence program and how that got started & how many young women have benefited from it. FAME model is based on the SII. Model on website. She wanted to add aspects that were more particular to females. Females have more issues related to hair, and their intellect. She can also talk about planning the G/T institute, she’s not had time to run the girl’s institute, will start back up next year. Focus on … (get off recording). Counselors/t’s are doing better improving female improvement model. F.ex. she can have short hair if she wants to! Love the skin you’re in. Pride about being intelligent. Having goals for self.
Black Males: Promoting a Scholar Identity: Dr. Gilman Whiting and I are co-directors and co-founders of the trademarked Scholar Identity Institute (SII) based on Whiting’s Scholar Identity Model (SIM) which contains 9 characteristics of a school tailored to Black males. When will this be out? What is the title? (promoting?) Has been in existence and an institute since 2006. She ran the program until 2019. Started in ‘06, over 100 Black males, focused on 9 constructs (found on website). Day program for 2 wks. Model w/ 2 articles on her website. 1 construct is self-efficacy. Sense of agency. Teach about Vendura. Quick discussion. Future orientation- need for achievement, masculinity (it’s OK to be a top student, to read). Racial pride using William Cross’ model.
Will update the 2010 Multicultural Education and the 2011, will update to 3rd edition. Focusing on underachievement and how it fuels the achievement gap.Overrepresentation in Sped/discipline. Achievement traps. Will be submitted w/in 6 month, will co-author. Out early 2024.
Out of everything: does have a quote she’s say. She was an A,b.c better chance student (1976). This even happened on zoom during pandemic. Went to a private school. 1 teacher destroyed her, tore her to shreds. She became suicidal. Was accused of theft, cheating, daily. This is what drives her to being prolific as writer/speaker. YOU are being employed to be an ADVOCATE-or leave the profession. She sees st’s who give up early. United Negro College fund- a mind is a terrible thing to waste.T’s need authentic PD on anti-racicism. Is completing new book “Black Boys are Lit” one on girls haven’t chosen title- will be out on amazon.
Where can ppl find you? FB DonnaYFord Twitter @donnayford
Www.donnayford.com FB, IG, Threads @donnayford
View this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/zQpmqiIiWV8
Episode #274: Maria Barrera
Maria Barrera is a Stanford-educated engineer and founder & CEO of Clayful. She is committed to addressing the youth mental health crisis. Born in Colombia and understanding the pressures of adversity, she leverages her experience from her pioneering role on Nearpod’s founding team to create impactful solutions in education. Through her tireless research and collaboration with a diverse team of experts, Maria developed Clayful, offering accessible, preventative mental health resources to families of all socio-economic statuses. Her dedication to training a diverse mental health workforce and establishing partnerships with schools has already impacted thousands of students across the country.
Trenches story: last week, (as of time of recording), with resetting things, preparing for a new school year.
Tell me about getting started with Clayful: went to school to become an engineer. Worked at GE, Boeing. Had a tutoring gig. Helped kids with math, science. Built relationships with students. Held space for big emotions. Realized she wanted to be in education and not aviation. Transition was summer 2021. She saw impact the pandemic had on kids’ mental health. Lack of social interactions. Rise in depression, self-harm. Affected how she’d serve students.
You started coaching when you were 15. How did you discover your gift? a lot of her friends in MS/HS had a hard time. Came to the U.S. when she was 10. Felt a lot of pressure to make her mom’s sacrifice worth it. She saw it w/ her friends. “Trojan horsing” thru classes. She tutored other kids or their siblings. Spent time talking thru what was going on in their lives. She took lots of psych classes @ Stanford.
Tell me a bit about being a founder member at Nearpod (2012)? they built out their content store, devises were making their way into the CR. She aimed to revolutionize what learning could look like. Virtual field trips. Built product teachers wanted to use.
Future of St. mental wellness (the next 5+ yrs): she sees mental health system as firefighting. Social workers are putting out fires day in & out. We need to have a “manual” to prevent fires. There’s a bigger emphasis on prevention. Districts/counselors are more interested in this work.
Data on what students are really going thru: Data shows academic pressure, peer conflict. Quintessentially MS/HS experience. Isolation. Family dynamics. Substance use increased, divorce rates. they do a depression/anxiety screener. It’s still the root cause.
BIPOC st’s mental health- how do we better address it, mental health in small communities? What does it mean to talk to your counselor when it’s a small town? What are dynamics that support smaller districts? Archetype differences. Everyone knows each other. It takes level of vulnerability. Kids really want a judgment-free space. There are cultural stigmas with kids from diff. countries, ethnicities.
Tech + humans- what to do about this problem? she is confident in the need to have more social connection. You need to hold the space to make ppl feel special/hear. AI can’t do that. How do we create layers of empathy. Hire coaches who “get it”, who went thru similar growing up. On safety side there are challenges around AI. Esp. for a student who is struggling with self-harm.
Companies have decided to keep the AI model closed.
Why should schools use Clayful? It’s on their phone or school-issued devise. Schools would purchase Playful for students. Can be an advisory or ELA lesson, all self-passed. St’s can connect with a trained coach 8am-10pm thru an app. They take data & aggregate info for schools. Sometimes the schools are surprised by the data. They have to go thru Clayful’s training. 3-4th grade + with an emphasis on MS, HS. A lot of reading/writing attached to lessons. Can even be used in World language classes. Playful can pilot it with schools. They don’t want it to be just sped, etc. Advises to use with general ed.
Out of everything: it’s important to make space for ppl. everyone has hard days.
Where can ppl find you? she created link for podcast audience: www.clayful.co/trenches @clayfulhealth on IG, FB, Twitter
has free tools for educators.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/clayfulhealth
IG: www.instagram.com/clayfulhealth/
FB: https://www.facebook.com/clayfulhealth
Website: https://www.clayfulhealth.com/
View this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/PBG7aoB-lBo
Episode #275: Dr. Katie Ritter
Dr. Katie Ritter is the Chief Learning Officer at Forward Edge in Cincinnati, Ohio. Prior to becoming the CLO she served as the Director for Curriculum & Technology Integration at Forward Edge, working closely with district leaders to help them identify needs of their staff, plan PD and implement the PD. Katie oversees the team of 15+ instructional technology coaches, is responsible for growth and development of the department, and also is the creator and oversees Edge•U Badges. She served on the leadership team for the EdTech Coaches Network of ISTE from 2015-2020, was a Future Ready Schools Instructional Coaches Thought Leader from 2017-2020, is a cohost of the Restart Recharge Podcast for instructional coaches, and is a Google Certified Innovator, Coach, and Trainer.
Very relevant blog posts. Bulk of her work is a tech coach or overseeing team of instru. tech coaches now 11th year. She serves a lot of school districts as instr. tech coach. Has been on ISTE coaching leadership teams, also Future Ready. Part of what her EdD research was supporting growth & development of coaches. Created badges for teachers who take PD courses.
Trenches story: every day, unique challenges w/ edtech coaches. Post-covid, not using too much tech. she saw niche in clarifying edtech coach role. GB Shaw quote. Developed coaching program based on data. There’s data everywhere, be intentional in collecting it.
She can talk about her leadership roles-how to go about achieving leadership opportunities beyond the school;. Reach out. she used twitter chats. She doesn’t talk about tech coaching specifically. she pushes her team towards systemic coaching, how schools can work w/ it to maximize powerhouses for change. Lots of opportunities to show initiative-ask to host teachers, observe others. lead PD sessions. Outside- your innovative ideas may not work @ school. Cert. programs.
Talk Tech with me blog, still ongoing? Started over 10 yrs ago. Resources to plan/implement PD. Her ed.d was in supporting instr. coaches. No time to write in past couple yrs.
It is only in schools- infrastructure support, IT, support. she just doesn’t update it too often.
Her team serves as tech coaches themselves. PD badges- Forward Edge does it. Earn f.ex. ISTE cert.
Restart recharged podcast, what does it focus on, to provide info to all instructional coaches, started during covid. Published biweekly on Tuesdays Aug-June? Planning, leading PD, working w/ admin. season 3 opener w/ Jimmy Casas.
Will be at FATC, VISTE, Virginia Tech.(Dec), McCall, Oetc in Feb. Doesn’t necessarily speak @ conf anymore
They put on a coaches camp, helps instr. coaches w/ their role. Put on in Oct 9-11th & next summer. Virtual/ live event: they don’t get training & supports. it’s called coaches camp. Top-bottom what ppl need to know as a coach.first 15 yrs of FE was local, now more national. ISTE seal of alignment.
Out of everything: be a good teacher; quotefrom melissa mayer-”if it doesn’t scare u just a bit you’re not pushing yourself”.
Where can ppl find you? kritter@forward-edge.net Curriculum & Integration Services – Forward Edge (forward-edge.net) @KatieMRitter twitter go to Katie Ritter, Ed.D. | Twitter, Instagram | Linktree for other handles.
View this episode on Youtube: https://youtu.be/q66lq7rPe4c
Episode #276: Nadia Bennett
Nadia Bennett is a school turnaround strategist and former educational leader that made huge strides in the New Jersey education system during her 15+ years of service. During her time as a school leader, she was able to double the success rate of English Language Arts (ELA) test scores in her students, increase student attendance and boost teacher retention. In 2017, as principal of the Simon Gratz Mastery Charter School, the school topped the Philadelphia Charter School Performance Profile. Even the New Jersey Department of Education said she was responsible for “restoring faith in a district that had taken a turn for the worse.”
Nadia has been in the trenches and took everything she learned while she was in the school system and founded When Brown Girls Lead™, an education consulting firm that specializes in creating psychologically safe, authentic and brave spaces for black women to access and succeed in K-12 leadership roles. What she and her team accomplish is monumental, but here is a glance at what they provide: antiracism training, 1:1 leadership coaching, and leadership development.
Trenches story: helped turn around one of Philadelphia’s most dangerous schools. Simon Gratz Mastery Charter School- was on dangerous list for 20+ yrs. Started as teacher, then AP, then principal. Came out due to innovation, patience, not just following a script. Org needed ppl willing to pivot. Attendance increased. Beginning of her leadership
How to start the work if you’re district is currently not doing- how to start w/in your classroom: It’s an internal and mental shift. Black & Brown students are often underserved. In N Philly she got to see it firsthand. Racism gave them things that, she learned she has a gift. Practical aspect is- forge by fire. When thrown into difficult work, there are things you have to learn. Most leaders don’t have to learn it.
You can start in your classroom reading Zaretta Hammond, etc. How to create change w/in your local sub-control. It’s hard work as a teacher to create that change if management doesn’t embrace it.
Increasing Black Representation in School Leadership and Why It’s Important. She’s working on her dissertation, only 1.5% superintendents are Black / female. Topic is “lived experiences of Black female leaders”. Black women are disappearing in #’s. There’s also a lack in the diversity data in staff. Teaching & leading staff. Good #’s of deans, school counselors, etc. are Black. It’s another form of bias. She doesn’t use the term “people of color”, 1 group can get lost in the shuffle. It’s good to know how the #’s are changing. If it’s the person choice to not do it. Ppl aren’t necessary making the choice to not be in leadership. It’s often white male.
1)Does your teaching/leadership staff reflect the student body?
2) Assess the HR department, see that implicit bias isn’t playing out. Are they all white? You need to become aware of biases you can’t see.
3) any paras you can build up? Build relationships w/ HBCU’s. Which org can help? Center for Black Education-led by Sheriff ElMekki.
Some harrowing statistics in 2021 found that only 7% of the teaching population, and 15% of school leadership, identified as African American. Nadia would love to discuss 3 ideas that challenge the status quo in education, along with actionable steps to make each a reality for the future of our students, such as seeking out a diverse talent pipeline or even providing mentorship and networking opportunities.
4 Management Skills Every School Leader Should Have Before Effective Anti-Racist Work Can Begin.
If a school isn’t functioning well, beginning anti-racist work will fall flat. Don’t start w/anti-racist work YET! Maybe your school leadership team isn’t even ready to discuss being an anti-racist school. Perhaps there are still some management fundamentals that need to be established before change can take place. Do they have goals for the school year? Are they managing those goals? Can they strike balance w/ accountability? Much like building a house, you can’t begin the build without the foundation and frame. The foundation is your drive and awareness that change is necessary, and these management skills, like managing schedules, competing priorities and the art of having difficult conversations, are the frame of the house that Nadia builds
Want to have leaders who know how to lead. Are they supporting the teachers effectively? There needs to be a well-functioning team. Resetting staff culture? -racism isn’t something you want to fall flat. We can speak a bit about affinity groups. Make sure your staff knows you value them as people. Do they know you see & value them? are you remaining collaborative? Give a survey that shows why people were displeased. Ppl are experiencing frustration w/ A,B,C, try to solve the problem, is this a skill or will issue? Do the staff really want to be there? Skills you can build.
Out of everything: there should be no fear in diversity, racism, inclusion work. Fear is natural. Remember the why.
Where can ppl find you? she has resources at http://www.nadiabennet.com/podcast -sign up for free resource on anti-racism. IG @whenbrowngirlslead
View this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/dmgUzJZMrfU
Episode #277: Dr. Efrian Martinez
Dr. Efraín Martínez is a father, husband, a K-5 principal, and podcaster. As a wisdom seeker, he has found productivity to be a great tool for success in life. On his podcast Wisdom & Productivity, he reflects on life and interviews luminary figures on what makes them be who they are. His one word is improvement, and he tries every day to make the world better.
Trench story? has a few stories. When started @ principal-prepared an entry plan. Talked about it @ interviews. Began, should have seeked the advice of mentors. Had a hard time. Gave ppl a lot of orders. Wasn’t thinking about how message was landing. Came across as passive-aggressive. Final “punch in the gut” was when he was driving to work, saw a landscaping car on fire. Saw a man on fire & helped him. In the end, Efrain had a nervous breakdown. Took a leave of absence. Write names of everyone in life who had hurt him. Then wrote everyone who he had hurt. Realized the tragic events in the past were out of his control. Didn’t have to live life thinking about the past. Went back to school & & decided to learn more about emotional intelligence. Decide to research how the best principals address E.I w/ themselves & others. He did dissertation on emotional well-being/intelligence of principals. He shadowed highly effective principals & how they addressed ppl based on needs. In a period of 4 yrs went as a far as becoming principal of the year in IL. Learn 5 stages of E.I. #1 self-awareness, #2: self-regulation #3: motivation #4: empathy #5: social skills & how to deal w/ difficult people. Do it sincerely.
Talk about your work before you wanted to be in leadership? Started off wanting to be a writer. Was in love w/ the idea but didn’t have the discipline. Worked in univ. hospitals, secretary, office manager, hated those jobs. Learned from those office jobs how to treat ppl like professionals. Began as a Spa. teacher-had learned to give big speeches from his teacher, was briefly bilingual coord, AP for 3 yrs and has been a principal for 8 in suburban Chicago.
When did you start podcasting and the evolution of it? Born out of the idea of what he’d learned shadowing 4 successful principals during doctorate. We often don’t see the real person behind the curtain. He asks ppl how they address impostor syndrome, who they learn from, etc. Adam Welcome was leading a zoom PD, told Efrain he should start a podcast. The podcast medium is the modern literary medium, graffiti, blog, etc. IT’s the best PD because he learns how they apply their wisdom.
What’s your definition of positive school improvement in your context? Is principal in 3rd school. His first 2 yrs of principalship were poor. Supt. called @ 2nd school- recruited him to new building. He learned he needed to consult mentors. In urban Chicago, principals have 98% authority over firing, hiring, sped, etc. He can do what he needs to do w/ budget. In suburban district. principals have 75% authority. Can’t control school improvement plan. 2nd school- was 8th principal in 12 yrs. In 3rd school-has investigated story of school, knows how things work. He addresses the 70% of control he has- what’s w/in his control. It’s about the daily behavior of bringing motivation to meeting. So far so good. You’ll always be in the process of continuous improvement. His successes as a principal 1st year gave him perception he’d be successful other places. In city vs. suburbs.
Better t’s are when we’re all working together. He’s observing blind spots. He wants to get to level of companionship.
How have some of the podcast guests inspired you in your work as a principal? he did a presentation at the Univ. he did doctorate yesterday, favorite quotes from podcast interviews. He’s continued learning thru the podcast. Person who has marked him for the rest of his life. 1 quote- embrace criticism. It’s an observation of something they see. Mike Lewisfeld. Another- equity-related: “since when did the truth become evil?”- we need to face the reality. Then we’re less likely to make the same mistake. #3- his sister- Picasso “Learn the policy so you can break it”. There’s a policy you musn’t ignore. #4: “productivity is your relationship w/ time.” He learned to use a task manager- how to create what was needed for the day.
Out of everything? Life is a journey, we’re always interested in what ppl will think. You have to center your life on how many “F*’s you’ll give”. From the book “The art of not giving a F*ck”. I can decide if something’s going to bother me. Take control- you’ll get the results you want.
Where can ppl find you online? website Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube,
View my guest spot on the Wisdom & Productivity podcast: https://www.youtube.com/live/5Rp2Ldy3fYs?si=ie7zzO1Log_HjaHV
View this episode on YouTube:
Episode #278: Kevo
Kevo is a tattoo artist, Univ instructor Kevo is from Houston, Texas and holds an MFA degree. His art ranges from painting to theater production, highlighting racial dynamics and human experiences. He is the director of a non profit for arts, Kevo Arts Studios, and teaches at a college, with over 10 years of experience as the owner of a successful tattoo studio. Additionally, he has a background in Stage plays and film-making, and has written and published several books. His story was even featured on Fox 26 News in a segment called “From Inmate to Entrepreneurship,” highlighting the journey from incarceration to business artistry. Kevo was proclaimed his own day from the Mayor of Houston, Kevo Day, April 6th, where he is honored for his value to the Houston community. Kevo represents change, inspiration, and art. As a black man from an inner city neighborhood that was raised without his real parents, to become a renowned fine artist is a big deal. From his youth, kevo was shot, sent to jail, and had a history of drug dealing and violence. Kevo changed his life and became one of the most accomplished artists his city has ever seen.
Trenches story: has been through many negative aspects in life. He doesn’t like talking about time in jail, drug dealing. Was raised by aunt. In & out of jail a lot out of HS. Charges dropped after 9 months. Became an established artist.
Did you ever imagine becoming an art professor? How did that play out? teaches art history, drawing, painting. Incorporates tattoos. First time at the college level. Big deal. Becoming a tatoo artist is becoming more commonplace. Tattoos are because people want them-they look cool.
How would you define art? You creating something you want to express. Art is his life. It can be dance, poetry, architecture. He believes that aside from how good you are, it’s important to make your art more interesting. Be true to yourself. When he got his MFA, there was a girl in a studio, they made completely different work. Content was similar. He did elaborate paintings backed by political, social injustice. He called her his favorite artist. His favorite artists/painting define you.
How is tattooing different than painting? it’s a different medium. Drawing is different than painting etc. Being good at one doesn’t mean you’re good at the other. Teaching exposes him to the fact that everyone can draw. Realistically view.
What inspired you to write stage plays and movies? What his publicity is focused on, he has a stage play Xmas eve. Wrote an educational play about Vincent Van Gogh as an artist. Art appreciation play. Diverse cast, playing people from Amsterdam. He believes Van Gogh is one of the greatest artists ever. Artist’s info isn’t always accessible. He believes Van Gogh is one of the most interesting artists out there. Art is a no-judgment zone.
Play is showing only on Xmas eve- it will be filmed and on streaming services. (it will take about 6 months from it being recorded to distribution) Https://matchouston.org/events/2023/vincent
Racism in America/social justice through art– for play he’s recreating Van Gogh art on the stage. If not that he’d paint current events like Hammas & Israel. He’s painted a piece on his youtube, titled “What do we do now” script on timeline 1965, African Americans & what they have been join through. It depend
Entrepreneurship & how he’s built his business-on social media- ppl just follow him. He doesn’t focus a ton on social media or growing his business. Keep trying & it will happen.
Growth through art– he found himself a long time ago. Is currently in a space where he only cares about art & family. He loves the space he’s in currently. Don’t worry about what will make you happy.
Out of everything: Tupak said “I’ve seen too many real players ball to let a punk bust a bebe…” He doesn’t want to lose to someone who doesn’t deserve it.
Where can ppl find you online:
Send him the video file when done. FB & IG @Kevoarts Twitter: @kevotheartist
View this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/o99U3oAStgk
Episode #279: Mark Taylor
Mark has been a professional percussionist for 25 years and has had the opportunity of performing with some the UK’s finest orchestras and theatre companies. Finding his passion and ‘voice’ through music gave Mark the desire to share this understanding through his drum and percussion teaching which he provides in schools and in his private practice.
Mark wanted to share the creative and inspiring learning he was witnessing in schools from his experience of delivering whole-class music workshops around the country. This was the start of the Education on Fire podcast in December 2016.
The podcast has now released over 350 episodes and been downloaded in 147 countries. Simply put Mark interviews educators from around the world so that he can enable you to support your children to live, learn and grow to their full potential.
Trench story: is a musician by trade. Was working for a music hub. Did this 2-3 days/wk. Got into schools, dig drum classes, had to teach 3 students under a staircase. His podcast came out of that. It’s different than being a musician. He still plays professionally. Started performing freelance-has performed at Royal Albert Hall. He had a mixture of things he did since mid ‘95’s. Right now, he works in 3 schools 2 or 3 days/week. Works w/ 6-7 y.o.-17/18 y.o. percussion ensembles. When he started his family, wanted to stay at home, not travel so much. He can schedule podcast recordings when performing demand is low. Being able to share about other programs is how podcast was born.
Education on Fire podcast, how and when you started it, and its goal: Started in Dec. 2016 to help t’s in the staffroom. Was traveling around doing workshops and schools, dealt w/ staff discontent. Identified w/ them. He gets a chance to share opportunities. Small things he can highlight like charities/org’s that have done something great. It’s what he’s trying to do on a regular basis. Podcast started to grow out of that. He’s doing it for his pleasure of learning from others. Releases 1x/week. Wants to have community on YouTube. Spreading the word about the podcast- director of schools, friends or friends. Tables shifted; ppl ask to be on the show. He interviews ppl from all walks of life. Everyone has their own passion w/ education at the center.
Journey thru education? He kind of fell into it as a way of getting a steady job. He wanted to pay it forward from the music teachers he had. IT was about having fun, the exploration. Opportunities that arose. The more he did it, the more he was able to put himself into situations to expose music.
Started a music company. Called Rhythmically Speaking. Went round to schools. Found out what was really working well. Became the essence to whole-class rhymn workshops. CDs of material. Shift in the U.K to use to teach whole class. Class put simple rhymns together. Build confidence- did them all over U.K. Went business partner moved to Bangkok, shut up shop.
Got a spot on a natl council 7-8 yrs, now vice chair of it. National Association for Pri Education. They have a child-first idea of edu, giving them the opportunity to explore their learning. UK school system is broken down into counties. Used to be music-authority based. Sent t’s into schools. They were keen on parental view he had. That way they could pay to get t’s into schools.
UK funding for music programs: Counties have some form of that. When he grew up, it was all free, kids had to try an instrument. Lessons were heavily subsidized. These music hubs employ certain # of brass, piano teachers, etc. Schools buy into that. When he started teaching in 2014-5, local edu authority would buy in. Music hub org’s were disappearing. Entity was able to function on its own. Fees often get passed along to the parents. Teachers who are contracted to start a program often stay b/c the program often grows. Takes a long time.
Speaking engagements? podcast goes every week. He’s done a few live streams already. He can pitch the week. Does live podcasts on YouTube weekly, does engagement w/ audience. Once or twice/month Sept. 12th- his aim is to have those on a regular basis. Will do Tuesday nights 7:30 UK time. He won’t be the focus of everything. Will both do solo & have some guests on. He will theme-base the podcasts, like something that’s been in the news. Wants to be reactive to the here & now. Bring out things ppl are passionate about.
Out of everything: you think it’s the nitty-gritty of what we’re teaching, it’s about how teacher made them feel instead. Every little connection you had helps kid take ownership. Every day you make a difference.
Where can ppl find you? https://www.educationonfire.com/
https://www.youtube.com/@educationonfire5530/streams
X (Twitter) @taylormapps
https://www.facebook.com/EducationOnFire
View this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/EAXa83u6Ojo