• Just moved into a coaching position where she supports other early childhood educators

Personal Definition of Assessment: assessment gives an accurate picture of where students both academically and social-emotionally

Go-To Assessments:

IGDs- an assessment tool that gives an idea of where young kids are at

• kid friendly and a quick easy to way to show how she can tailor her instruction to meet the needs of her students

Dial 4 Assessments- involves families and their perspective on their child

Work Smarter not Harder: think about her day in a linear way (systems), concentrate piece by piece of the day

Incredible Impact:

• intentionally looking at individual child's skills

• one-on-one focus

Advice:

• lean on the support in your community/building

• take the help that is offered

• use the resource and advice offered to you by colleagues

• make connections/relationships with colleagues

Book: Easy to Love, Difficult to Discipline; BY Becky Bailey

• self-regulation

• teaching social-emotional skills

Book: How to Build an Equitable Classroom

How she became an educator:

She always wanted to help people and worked with kids from a really young age. When she was in Junior High School, she has the opportunity to go to a local preschool. That experience allowed her to really witness the education process. It inspired her and she was able to see the difference a teacher can make first-hand and that made her realize that was something she wanted to be a part of.

Position: Math Coordinator in USD 233

Personal Def of Assessment: assessment is simply a procedure for making inferences, there is no valid assessment- there is only valid and valid interpretations

Go-to Assessments: White Boards, Opportunities to Respond, Processing Time, Conversations with Peers

Work Smarter not Harder: Understanding initial inference and design assessments strategically to get the information that is needed more efficiently. Understanding that assessments serve different purposes.

Story of Impact on Someone: On himself and the relational levels of learning

Advice: Teach to the test

How He became an Educator: Became an educator so he could coach football.

Why Should we Teach: You won't know until you meet your kids and then you will.

Personal Def of Assessment: getting to know what the kids know and how I'm going to use that information, knowing what they know to alter lessons

Go-to Assessments: Exit tickets, Quick Assessment

How do you work smarter not harder: make the kids do everything, have the kids work together to assess each other, white-board usage

Impact on student or self from assessment: Summer school exit tickets to know where all of her studenrs are at, at any time

Advice: create relationships with your students

• nicknames

• know their hobbies

• greeting in and out

• sit with them

Procedures and rules

• practice and re-practice them

• go slow to go fast

Must read: Share things you've read to connect with students "Culture Code", "Enders Game"

How you Became an Educator: Got a letter to teach in China while traveling and dove in from there.

Seating: Flexible seating

Personal Definition of Assessment: observations using whiteboards, assessing the moment students walk through the door each day, meeting goals, sticky notes, anchor charts

Go-To Assessments:

• learning continuum

• small group work

Work Smarter not Harder:

• collaborate

Impactful Moment: Using small groups in the classroom to specifically help and meet students where they are within the content because it changes their entire time in the classroom

Advice:

• Don't walk alone- have coworkers support you in difficult situations

• learn from colleagues

Resources:

• twitter

• youtube

• pinterest

• "How do You Hug a Porcupine"

How you became a teacher: Felt like she was born with "teacher" written on her forehead, always played 'school' as a child, never wanted to be anything else.

Why Teach?:

• heart wrenching experiences and stories

• see students later on in life

Current Role: Elementary Resource, K-12 Certified

Personal Assessment Definition:

• Looks at assessment different then general classroom Teachers

• very informal

• observation based

• achievement tests for IEPs

• checklists

• anecdotal

Go-To Assessments:

• FMPs

• Benchmark assessments

• One-on-one

Work Smarter Not Harder:

• 30 Minute Increment groups

• strategic

• use the resources around you

• Look to veteran teachers

Impactful Moment:

Student had been through a lot. Not everyone expected what this student showed. When going through evaluation processes the student's IQ was exceptionally high. The students many strengths and only lacked a few things. This student is still very near and dear to Brandis heart.

Advice to New Teachers:

Be careful who you surround yourself with, avoid negativity and strive for positivity.

Books:

Leadership books

Where do you go for Joy?:

• self-care

• avoid social-media

• Behavior Snap

How you became a teacher?:

• was going to be a nurse

• nursing didn't feel right

• switch to SPED

• connections with students and families

Why should we teach?:

• belief in others

Years Teaching: 33 yrs

• Mentors teachers from grade 7 to 12

Personal Definition of Assessment: assessment can be seen in personal and profession life, an objective that you want to meet

Go-To Assessments:

• Educator Rubric- 6 standard with multiple indicators

Work Smarter not Harder/Advice:

• use rubrics

• there doesn't need to be massive amount of homework or in-class work

• identify areas students are struggling in

• don't grade EVERY activity

• use white boards and exit slips

• peer reviews

Advice to new Teacher: have procedures and routines from day one DONT wing it

Resource:

• "Learning by Doing"

• "Excellence in Every Classroom"

• Leadership Books

How you became a teacher: Spent her whole life watching her teachers in the classroom, had strong connections to a teacher in high school which pivoted her to elementary.

Why Teach?:

• love content areas

• care deeply about children

• connections with adults

• show students gifts and strengths

Years Teaching: 27 years

Personal Def of Assessment: A necessary tool to determine what students know and they're ready to learn next, help guide teachers

Go-to Assessments: Hands-on, fast and easy, get out the "tool-kit"

Work Smarter, Not Harder: Set boundaries for yourself at work and home. Work ahead and with your team.

Advice: Be nice to the secretary and custodian, listen to your team and coworkers, take risks, stay off your phone, don't take yourself too seriously, leave home problems at the door.

Resources: Out of My Mind, Have books that represent everyone

How you became a Teacher: Wasn't the initial plan, was supposed to be an accountant but wasn't happy, switched to Emporia and added one more year to college.

Personal Def: How students can apply their knowledge

Work Smarter not Harder: make a routine, plan

Advice: know parents

Resources: Culture Code

Why Teach: Might be the only loving and caring adult in student's life

Years: 15

Personal Definition: an estimation of the quality of something of the nature of something, snapshot, not end-all be-all,

Go-To: Assessments: MTSS assessments or RTI , cognitive assessments

Impact: Student having a hard time, was the student's stable environment, met needs, saw progress

Advice: respect your impact

Must Read: Thinking Fast and Slow, Janos Korchak

How became a Teacher: Summer camp Counselor