Episode 57: Zooming In on Staying Positive with the Birch Meadow Staff
Clips:
Finch
Rocky Balboa
The Office (Pam, last scene of the series)
Transcript:
Melissa Milner 0:09
Hi, this is Melissa Milner. Welcome to The Teacher As... podcast. The goal of this weekly podcast is to help you explore your passions and learn from others in education and beyond to better your teaching. The Teacher As... podcast will highlight innovative practices and uncommon parallels in education. Welcome to the last episode of season two, I'm taking some time off for work life balance, which you'll hear a lot about in this episode. Season three will start up at the end of January. This episode is about being positive and moving forward. A few weeks ago, I realized that I wasn't just mourning personal family deaths. I was mourning the loss of working with my third graders after the shutdown in 2020 other than online. Then I was mourning not being in person in the fall of 2020, all the way to the spring of 2021. Due to my risk factors. I was teaching from home. The many years of teaching and all the fun and the routines that go with it, were gone. I got through it because of my amazing co teacher Tricia, and my amazing husband, Josh, who was home with me all the way through February 2020. And the kids. They got me through it, even though I couldn't be in person with them. I was so happy returning in April of last school year in person after I got the vaccine. This school year is much closer to normal than the past two school years. I started off the year in person with my co teacher Tricia who's amazing. And with the kids, all the kids in one room. And even though we're masked, it's great to all be together. It's still not 100%. Standing in the hall getting tested, masks on all the time. Baby steps, right, I guess. Hopefully this gets better soon. So when thinking about all the loss I've had this year with my husband Josh passing in February, and then my father and Auntie Brenda passing in October two days apart. I think the loss of a regular school year is something I can certainly handle. Ignoring that things have been hard is not positivity. Facing the challenges, having resiliency, and having perspective is the positivity I want to share in this episode. I knew where I would find it. The Birch Meadow staff. My colleagues are a huge reason why I'm able to stay positive and cope with whatever may come. So happy Thanksgiving. Happy Holidays, and Happy New Year. Enjoy some motivational movie and TV clips amongst the sound of children and my amazing colleagues, talking about positivity and moving forward. Thanks for listening.
MaryBeth McInnis 3:06
Hi, I'm MaryBeth McInnis. I'm a first grade special ed. para, the way I stay positive is to really try to keep things in perspective. I see some great things that are happening in some actually positive outcomes to this pandemic. But I also see people that are always struggling. And I feel so fortunate that I have all that I do and I work in such a great place.
Allison Kramer 3:30
Hi, my name is Allison Kramer. I teach second grade. And the way that I'm staying positive is focusing on the resiliency of my students and how long and they've been through so much. They're really able to make so much growth and show me how they can stay positive throughout all this.
Arielle Mucha 3:47
My name is Arielle Mucha and I teach fourth grade and the way I'm staying positive is focusing on relationships with my students, with my colleagues and in my personal life. That just keeps everything in perspective for me.
Patti Beckman 3:58
So my name is Patti Beckman and I am a grade four teacher. The way I'm staying positive is well, there's a few ways. One is that I look at the students in my classroom and I see their positive attitudes, their resiliency, their caring for one another, their persistence in learning new things, and it just gives me hope. And the other is to find a balance between school and life. My family, making sure that they come first and finding time for myself as well.
Clip from Finch (Finch Speaking) 4:33
Things will happen to you. Things that you cannot control. Raw emotion will find you. When it does, how you deal with it, what you do, will define who you are.
Jeff the Robot 4:56
Did that happen to you?
Finch 4:59
It happens to all of us, whether we want it to or not.
Liz Connery 5:05
I'm Liz Connery. I'm a professional at Birch Meadow in the learning center and I stay positive by looking at the smiles on the kids and the excitement they have being back together.
Steve Burnham 5:17
Hi, my name is Steve. I am the principal of Birch Meadow Elementary School, and I am staying happy and positive right now by trying to take time to reflect on where we are and connect with people that I've lost connections with and enjoy my friends and family.
Katherine Breen 5:34
Hi, Katherine Breen, grade two. I'm staying positive by taking moments of mindfulness throughout the day.
Brenda 5:41
Hey, my name is Brenda. I teach structured reading here at Birch. And I think what resonates with me about being positive through the pandemic would be seeing the kids and watching them grow and love to learn.
Erin Gibson 5:58
My name is Erin Gibson, and my grade level is third grade and I stay positive by putting myself around positive people and the supportive work environment that I have keeps me positive.
Melissa Milner 6:14
Are you in here? Hi. Oh, you're perfect. I know you won't be shy. This is for my podcast.
Jennifer Delaney 6:20
Yes.
Melissa Milner 6:20
Name, position, and how you stay positive and how you're moving forward after all this craziness.
Jennifer Delaney 6:26
Okay. I'm Jennifer Delaney. I am a special ed parent in room seven in Mrs. Healy and Ms. Duffy's class. And I stay positive by sitting down and talking with my children at home and keeping in touch with them and making sure that they're happy and healthy. And I stay positive by coming into room seven and seeing all the happy faces every day. It just fills my bucket and makes me very happy.
Melissa Milner 6:53
Yay! What are you playing, tic tac toe?
Various Students 7:00
I won. I won.
Melissa Milner 7:04
Hello, good. Do you have a second to be on my podcast? Alright, so named position and how you're staying positive and moving forward.
Kara Doherty 7:16
Oh, okay. My name is Kara Doherty. I am a third grade teacher here at Birch Meadow and I am staying positive by finding a good work life balance this year, doing yoga, going to events trying to spend a lot of time with friends and family that I was able to the last year. And yep, just doing things for myself.
Danielle Piazza 7:34
My name is Danielle Piazza, and I teach kindergarten at Birch Meadow. And it has actually been quite easy to stay positive. Now that I'm back in person. Being fully remote all year last year was really hard. I didn't realize how much positive energy I get just from being in the room with little ones and so I'm just soaking that up being back with them.
Christina Erb 7:58
Hi, my name is Christina Erb. I'm an art teacher here at Birch Meadow Elementary School and staying positive. What I do is I try to exercise. I try to make good food at home because I love cooking. And I like to make some art at home as well. And that's what I do to stay positive.
Paula Falvey 8:19
My name is Paula Falvey. I'm the library media specialist at Birch Meadow Elementary School. And to be honest, I think it's the kids that keep me positive in all of this craziness. Just conversations that I have with them. And they're so positive, it's hard not to stay positive. And on a personal level, my dogs keep me positive I go for a walk every day with them.
Tricia Piacentini 8:48
My name is Tricia Piacentini and I am a special educator in fourth grade. And the thing that is helping me stay positive through the last couple of years, although I feel like that's been a struggle, has been learning what to let go. So letting go of certain things that I would have been more concerned about. And the other thing is just really relying on the support of my colleagues at work. I feel like that's been so important. Those are probably the two things.
Clip from Rocky Balboa 9:16
Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It's a very mean and nasty place and I don't care how tough you are, it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is going to hit as hard as life. But ain't about how hard you hit. It's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take it keep moving forward.
Caitilyn Coye 9:46
Hi, my name is Caitilyn Coye. I teach fifth grade and I am talking a lot with family and friends to stay positive and finding small things to look forward to.
Melissa Milner 9:57
Hi guys.
Various Students 9:59
Hi. Hi, Mrs. Milner.
Melissa Milner 10:02
Something you do that's helping you stay positive and moving forward. You know?
Beth Slater 10:09
My name is Beth Slater. I am a fifth grade teacher, and something that I do to help myself... stay calm, relax, is read. I love to read.
Heather Sullivan 10:26
Hi, my name is Heather Sullivan and I'm in grade two, and I'm staying positive by having a work life balance.
Katie Anderson 10:33
I'm Katie Anderson, I teach kindergarten., and I'm staying positive by thinking about how this year is improving from last year. So even though it's a little tricky, where I feel like we're going in the right direction.
Melissa Milner 10:47
Get over here, Melissa.
Olivia Morris 10:53
My name's Olivia Morris. I teach in grade two. And I'm staying positive by just remembering that our kids spend a good chunk of the day with us and they really... they're feeling it too, so really trying to put on a brave face for them and a positive face for them and getting through it together.
Melissa Milner 11:13
Excellent. And Melissa who's wicked prego.
Melissa Healy 11:18
I'm Melissa Healy. I teach grade three I'm staying positive by counting down the days till my maternity leave.
Clip from The Office 11:27
There's a lot of beauty in ordinary things. Isn't that kind of the point?