Passing Notes » Education

For this episode of Passing Notes, I visited with Andy Moore and Scott Melson with Let’s Fix This. Let’s Fix this is a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to educating Oklahomans on politics and policy while providing opportunities for citizens to engage with their representatives. The produce a weekly podcast, Let’s Pod This, and provide resources … Continue reading Episode 067: Let’s Fix This

EDIT: I previously posted this episode with a previous interview with Superintendent Hofmeister, it has since been updated. Every year I am incredibly fortunate to be able to connect with Oklahoma’s State Superintendent Joy Hofmeister. This past year, and no doubt looking forward, was quite an unusual year for #oklaed. A pandemic not only devastated … Continue reading Episode 066: State Superintendent

Councilperson James Cooper has represented Ward 2 of Oklahoma City since April of 2019. Before that he was an AVID middle school teacher in Oklahoma City Public Schools. I met Councilperson Cooper during the Oklahoma Teacher Walkout of 2018, holding up a really cool sign! Councilperson Cooper is also a writer and an adjunct professor … Continue reading Episode 065: Systemic Racism in Our Communities

Let’s talk about dyslexia. Dyslexia is a specific learning disability characterized by having difficulties relating to language, particularly reading. It runs in families and is estimated that around 20% of the population. Payne Education Center, located in Oklahoma City, trains teachers to prevent reading difficulties in children and to remediate dyslexia while serving as a … Continue reading Episode 064: Dyslexia

I have been holding on to this episode for too long. Truth time between having a new position in the district last year to a pandemic to just the regular day-to-day, I have found my self constantly behind. I am so thankful a historic ice storm gave me time to sit with some excellent recordings … Continue reading Episode 063: Teaching for Purpose

For this episode of Passing Notes, I decided to do something a little different… I’ve been wanting to do a Back to School episode for awhile now (well since the beginning of last year) where I could talk through the things I’m most excited about for the school year, resources, and books teachers should look … Continue reading Episode 062: Back to School

For this episode I interviewed Dr. Giordana Cote. Dr. Cote currently works for Tools of the Mind as the Director of Partnership Development. She has a long career in teaching early childhood and coaching teachers. She completed her dissertation in Social Emotional Learning and uses her expertise in the area to consult for local and … Continue reading Episode 061: Social Emotional Learning

Whew! This last month has been… so many things but normal. As I’m sitting in my home office thinking about everything that has happened, I’m truly overwhelmed. Like many educators, I’m concerned about our families and their children. I’m worried about my teachers and how they are adjusting. I’m thinking about week 3 of our … Continue reading Episode 060: Advocacy & Covid 19

Another year, another legislative session which means the OSDE and State Superintendent Joy Hofmeister are gearing up for another season of new bills and finalized budgets. I sat down with Superintendent Hofmeister to reflect on the past year of her superintendency and look ahead to the coming year. You can find Superintendent Hofmeister on Twitter … Continue reading Episode 059: An Update from the State Superintendent

For this episode of Passing Notes I had the opportunity to interview my previous principal, Mr. Lee Roland. Lee Roland is a former teacher, principal, district-level administrator, and the author of the book Fantastic Voyage: a Story of School Turnaround and Achievement by Overcoming Poverty and Addressing Race. Lee Roland is known for his work … Continue reading 058: School TurnAround