• Teaching for 12 years

• Teaching preschool and is now in a coaching position

• 2020 National Teacher of the Year

• How She Became an Educator: Always wanted to help people, got to watch a teacher work with kids while in high school taking a dual credit Spanish class.

• Why teach?: There is no job out there where you will get the same joy and fulfillment, you could make more money or have less stress, but the rewards of this job is more than most get.

- Assessment

• Personal Definition: Assessment can be a loaded word and it makes teachers start to sweat. Assessment gives her an accurate picture of where students are academically and socially-emotionally.

• Go to assessments: create yourself, or rely on others. My igd's (norm-referenced)- gives us an easy kid-friendly way to learn how to tailor insturction to specific students, dial 4 assessment, apes assessment- uses family perspective.

• Work smarter not harder: all in the systems, think about day in a linear way, concentrate piece by piece on day and expectations, routines within routines, ways to be able to take data quickly, change environment to allow students to be independent.

• Assessment Impact: It can be difficult to get the full picture unless you take a closer look at the data and skills, Rosproy told a family that a student was showing left-hand dominance and family said they have never seen student use left-hand, one-time she assessed a student that she was not really close too and the her data made the perspective on the student help move them to a gen ed classroom.

• Greatest advice: lean on the support in your community. All of the teachers in your building want to help you they have been in your position.

- Tips and Tricks

• Hot topic book: Easy to Love Difficult to Discipline, How to Build an Equitable Classroom, The Conscious Kid

• Milestones on the wall for each kids (different shape for different months), data sheets for each kid in folders on wall, posted lesson plans for anyone to see so everyone is on the same page

• Been teaching for 10 years, current math coordinator.

• Worked for Kansas MTSS; align systems to support all students in math, reading, behavior, and social-emotional

• How He Became an Educator: He became an educator to coach football and found out how much he loved teaching. His old coach told him he was a good teacher because he was a good coach.

• Why teach?: You won't know until you meet the kids. The kids make the job worth it. Meet the kids and you won't ask yourself again "Why Teach?".

- Assessment

• Personal Definition: Assessment is simply a procedure for making inferences. Sometimes you get into education and you have people press you on if the assessment is valid and reliable and there is no valid or invalid assessment just valid or invalid inferences.

• Go to Assessments: Whiteboards (pace and engagement have a lot to do with the pace of the classroom), processing time, can teachers go back and do what they are trained to do, scaffolding.

• Work Smarter, Not Harder: Understanding what inference or interpretation that he is trying to make on an assessment.

• Assessment Impact: When he was a student whenever he learned something he learned one thing and the multiple things which allowed him to learn relationality. He was supposed to learn the distance formula and did not memorize it and tried to shortcut it.

• Greatest Advice: Teach to the test; teach what we want kids to know and what we are going to be assessing them on throughout the lesson or unit.

- Tips and Tricks

• Hot topic books: Teacher Clarity Playbook, IES Practice Guides, Dylan William, How Learning Happens

• Been teaching 21 years

• Teaches 2nd Grade

• How did she become an educator?- She became an educator be when she was three she said she would be a teacher because she would always play school growing up. Plus three of her grandparents and her mom were teachers and her husband is teacher. She has always loved kids and getting notes from them and the smiles make it worth it. She is happy when she is school.

• Why teach?- No other job that you go home with the kind of stories you get at school. To have a student tell you that you were their favorite teacher well after you have had them. Those are the moments you cling to when you are having your hardest and darkest year. The students are the why.

-Assessment

• Personal Definition: Kids are assessed all of the time. Assessing how ready they are to learn something and gauging where they are at. Where are we going, where do we need to go, where did we end up. Seeing what they are learning. It is not all about the content, it is all about the students.

• Go to assessments: Show me what you know, sticky note, anchor chart, standard tools, learning continuum in map, small groups to be able to see different kids at the same time, fluidity (day to day difference based on standards).

• Work smarter not harder: Collaborate. It is not about us, it is about our team. They will help us and teach us things we can use and things we may not know. Holding the team precious to you allows you to get more done. We work better together.

• Assessment Impacts: Small groups have shaped her entire classroom. Using small groups allows students to grow, especially for your high kids who do not always get a chance to grow. It also gives low kids a chance to discuss what they need without doing so in front of the whole class.

• Greatest Advice: Don't walk alone. Use your coworkers for anything that you need. A body in your classroom, reading emails for each other, pick up ideas from their classrooms. We are more powerful together.

- Tips and Tricks

• Hot topic books: Twitter. Constantly be looking for new things that other teachers are trying. Core books: mentor texts that will shape your classroom community; How Do You Hug a Porcupine. Behavior books can help shape your classrooms culture.

-Who is She?

• Been teaching 6 years

• Teaches 3rd Grade

• How did she become an educator?- Traveling, got an invitation to teach in China. Through that experience, she switched her career path to becoming a teacher.

• Why teach?- Those smiles. Opening the minds of children to something they never thought about. When you start recognizing things that make students excited about school is the most satisfying part.

-Assessment

• Personal Definition: Assessment is getting to know what the kids know and how to use that information. What did I do today that they took away with them that you do or do not need to go over tomorrow.

• Go to assessments: Show what you know, what did I say, exit tickets on everything (whether it comes with curriculum, make your own, or say something).

• Work smarter not harder: Make them do it, make the kids do everything, the more they do the less you have to do. Have the students assess each other (what did your partner say), dry erase markers and whiteboards/sticky notes are your friend. Quick and easy assessments.

• Assessment Impacts: Teaching summer school assessment exit tickets every day impacted her because not every day in regular school do you have time for this. In summer school doing this she was able to really get to know the students and what they knew. It also helped her to bond with her coworkers. When the kids know you know what they need, they buy into the I need to do this for me because you know what I'm doing so I am going to try and get better.

• Greatest Advice: Give nicknames because that comes from interacting with them. This creates a connection with the student. Greeting them, reaching out, communicating with families, and talking to students about their lives really helps them buy into their learning. Building relationships helps with the connection between real life and school. You can never ever do too much procedure. Go slow to go fast.

  - Tips and Tricks

  • Hot Topic Books- Stuff You Should Know podcast (gives you some out-of-the-box things to talk about with the students), Culture Code, Enders Game

• Been teaching 14 years

• Teaches Special Education (Elementary Resource)

• How did she become an educator?- Originally a nursing major (like myself). It wasn't settling right. Took intro courses and it stole her heart. This was how it was with me. In her position, she gets to have kids for several years and not lose them after one year.

• Why teach?- You will remember some or most of your kids for the rest of your life, and a lot of those kids will remember you for the rest of their lives because you made an impact and cared about them when no one else did.

-Assessment

• Personal Definition: Informal assessments for pure observation all the way up to WYATT assessments which is a standardized assessment. Assessment is the entire world of special education. Uses both data drive and anecdotal notes. Loves using tally and checklist sheets for quick and easy data-keeping.

• Go to assessments: Running records and FNPS

• Work smarter not harder: Only resource teacher in the building, mainly using strategic resources for lessons instead of writing 30-minute lessons.

• Assessment Impacts: When student first walked through the door and was able to show everybody that he could do more than was expected. His IQ scores were through the roof but they did not see it in his everyday school skills. When he first came into the classroom he wasn't doing anything for anybody and then took data and noticed he was full of skills.

• Greatest Advice: Be very careful with who you surround yourself with. Surround yourself with the positive not the negative. If you surround yourself with great things and remember why you are doing this it makes your job more fun. Find your true north.

- Tips and Tricks

• Hot topic books: Filtering out the stuff and opinions. Lately having time to reflect on what you are doing and why you are teaching. Shutting out the chatter can be more important than the resources.

• Been teaching 30 years

• Teaches Other Teachers by providing professional learning

• How did she become an educator?- Wanted to be a teacher since 5 years old. Spent whole life watching the teachers she had in class. Tried to learn from all of the teachers she had growing up. Was able to identify strong teachers and their characteristics as well as those teachers who were not as strong.

• Why teach?- Teach for the kids. Care deeply about the kids and that they have a connection with the adults. Care deeply about the fact the kids have a chance to show their skills, knowledge, and personality.

-Assessment

• Personal Definition: Assessment happens at any time of your life. When you have a goal or an objective you want to meet and you have to assess whether or not you have completed that goal or assessment whether it is formative or summative.

• Go to assessments: Educator rubric, writing workshop, and loves rubrics (helps to keep you more objective and tied to your standards) (you need to create your own rubric about what you are asking of your students) (rubric needs to match expectations or performance).

• Work smarter not harder: Rubric helps you (no guessing games in it), important to know that you don't have to have massive amounts of homework or in-class work (use formative assessments to gauge where students are), thumbs up thumbs down, whiteboards, show me what you know [You do not have to have something to grade and put in the grade book], and create student independence.

• Assessment Impacts: When teaching with a writing workshop and rubrics for assessment, make sure the students have the rubric in advance so that they know exactly what is coming. It made an impact on the students because they knew that was what they were going to be assessed on. When students know ahead of time what is expected, they know what they need to reach that goal and they begin to build more confidence.

• Greatest Advice: Have procedures and routines from day one. Make the procedures and routines a daily habit that way you do not have to break bad habits.

- Tips and Tricks

• Hot topic books: Learning by Doing (Bible of professional learning communities), Excellence in Every Classroom, Think Again, Adam Grant Podcasts, Brene Brown Podcasts, and several others.

• Been teaching 27-30 years

• Teaches Kindergarten

• How did she become an educator?- Education was not her plan (mine either). All of her family members were either bankers or teachers. Went to college for five years (just like me). Education was right for her. Met her husband on her first day in her first education major class.

• Why teach?- Teaching is not for everyone. But you can come to school, be funny, and have fun with your students. Teaching makes it so that you make sure you are making an impact on the future. Teaching is not for everyone but everyone needs a great teacher.

-Assessment

• Personal Definition: Assessment is necessary. It is a tool that is going to determine what the kids know and what they are ready to learn next.

• Go to assessments: Hands-on, something fast and easy, manipulatives, show me and tell me, and toolkits for extra tasks.

• Work smarter not harder: You need a good work/life balance. Work ahead. Prep beforehand. Designate a day to prep and plan whether by yourself or with your team. Before you leave for the day make sure all of your resources and materials are ready for the next day. Lean on your teammates.

• Greatest Advice: Toolkits!! Rituals and Routines!! The first month is spent learning rituals and routines. Do not get grouchy with students, take more time to practice. Be extra nice to the secretary and the custodian. Teamwork makes the dream work. STAY OFF YOUR PHONE!! Don't take yourself too seriously, you are going to mess up. Leave your home problems at the door, it is not what your students need to know.

- Tips and Tricks

• Hot topic books: Out of My Mind/Out of My Heart, make sure you are representing all of your students in what you read, and the power of read-aloud every day.