Value Adds Value!

We were so happy to be able to link back up with our good friend and mentor Gary Gray Jr. (@garyrgrayjr on both Twitter and Instagram). It had been well over a year since our last conversation and we were happy to make this conversation happen. On this episode we discuss that state of race and politics in both Canada and the U.S., how to bring more perspectives to the classroom, and how look at both privilege and disadvantage. This guy is our family or as he likes to say, "y'all are my day 1s!" so we appreciate you listening to this podcast and please be sure to subscribe to ItsPersonal wherever you get your podcasts! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-grayarea-podcast/id1433551931 Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/valueaddsvalue/?hl=en https://www.instagram.com/itskylekrueger/?hl=en https://www.instagram.com/its.wil.law.iii/?hl=en Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/itskylekrueger https://twitter.com/its_wil_law_iii Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/valueaddsvalue Ch

Here’s part 2 of our conversation with Lauren Larson and Heather Cacioppo! On this episode we talk about how to prioritize student needs.  We discussed the difficult decisions teachers have to make and the challenge it presents of prioritizing what our students need. We know many of our students are struggling to grasp our content this year, but are asking ourselves does content even matter this year? What do we do about a student who just needs a hug and can't get it from really anyone? How are we going to prioritize SEL in the coming months and years to overcome the trauma that our students are going through? How do we make school a safe place again?  These are a few of the questions we tackle during this podcast. We hope you'll take a listen and please know that we are with you during this challenging time! To learn more about Heather and Lauren find them on Instagram @full_sped_ahead and @structuredspecialed or on their websites! structuredspecialed.com fullspedahead.com Follow us on Instagram: https://w

We have been very fortunate to become friends with Heather Cacioppo and and Lauren Larsen over the past few months. We had them on separately to talk about working with our students who receive Special Education Services and we were thrilled when they mentioned the idea of them coming on together. In part 1 of this conversation we get an update from them on how the fall semester of 2020 has gone for them. We hope you'll take a listen to their experiences and how they are balancing all the priorities that this year has brought. Learn more about Heather at https://fullspedahead.com/ Learn more about Lauren at http://structuredspecialed.com/ Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/valueaddsvalue/?hl=en https://www.instagram.com/itskylekrueger/?hl=en https://www.instagram.com/its.wil.law.iii/?hl=en Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/itskylekrueger https://twitter.com/its_wil_law_iii Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/valueaddsvalue Check out our Youtube Channel! https://www.youtube.com

We're very grateful to our friend Matt Bokey for coming on the podcast and we are happy to share part 2 of our conversation with him  where we talked more about the skills our students are gaining during this time of virtual and hybrid learning and how teachers can start to see themselves as 'content creators.' We know that as teachers we tend to be a humble lot of people, but at this point in our history every teacher has to become a content creator. We are now competing for the attention of our students with everyone else on their phones and computers.  This doesn't mean we've got to drop everything and build an in home production studio or spend all our time editing video. It means that we need to think of ourselves and how we present our content take makes students want to come back to our 'channel' to learn more. You'll find that discussion and more on this episode of Value Adds Value!! Go follow our buddy Matt @realbokey on Twitter and Instagram or visit his website bybokey.com! Follow us on I

Let's face it. As educators this year we've spent a lot of time justing figuring things out as we go. One of the places we've naturally been figuring things out has been with our technology. So we brought our good buddy Matt Bokey (@realbokey on IG) on the podcast to talk about his experience working in the technology department for a school district in New Jersey! We met Matt a few years ago through the Teach Your Heart Out Conferences and have grown to love him. He has an incredible depth of experience in both the private and public sector and has extensive work with technology. The thing that really stands out for us with Matt is his deep level of pragmatism. Bokey is a problem solver and he does so with a level composure that has served him well this year. On this episode we talked about his experience managing educational technology during the pandemic, what struggles he sees in teachers and students, and how they skills students are developing during this season that will serve them well in the future.

Welcome to 2021 Value Adds Value family!! We wish nothing but the best for you in the new year. We wanted to share our reflection on 2020 as educators and podcast hosts with y'all and discuss some of the major themes this year brought to our airwaves. It is hard to say that this year was fun or that it brought joy, but for us it did. We know that isn't the case for everyone in a year filled with choices that would have a negative impact on lots of people. We felt it was important to share to share our moments of joy along with our pain and frustration from this year because they provide hope for someone. So here are some of the themes and our thoughts from 2020.  Social Emotional Learning Social Justice and Racial Inequity Having realistic expectations as educators Perspective and Vantage Point Imperfect Options Living life with 2 strikes Happiness vs. Joy We want to thank all of you who have listened and support the podcast this year. We would like to extend a special thank you to all of o

This is the second to last episode of the podcast for 2020 and we're honored that you have joined us on this journey. We know what a crazy year it has been for everyone and we're proud to have stood along side educators from around the world to do the best we could for our kids. On this episode of the podcast with present the second part of our conversation with Amen Rahh (@principalrahh). We continued our conversation about how education can uplift our communities and got deeper into what each of our roles are specifically. We asked questions like--- What would happen if suburban and urban teachers traded places? What is the difference between teachers and educators? When does debate become discourse? What is the role of problem solving in education? It was a powerful conversation that will carry us into our work in the new year, and we hope that it will help you prepare to be at your best in 2021! Once again-- thank you from the bottom of our hearts for being on this journey with us. Please let us know how

What is good fam?! We are so pumped to share part 1 of our conversation with Amen Rahh on how to uplift communities through education. Principal Rahh was born and raised in Compton, California, and is a high school principal there at the University Pathways school. We wanted to connect with with Rahh to hear  little about how things were going in California and how he is running his school, but it turned into a conversation about how schools can build our communities. We talked about the communities we came from and how they have changed along with how our perspectives of them have changed. As adults we see our towns differently than we once did and it bring up questions about our roles there and how we can make them better.  Here are a few other things we talked about on the podcast: The Alchemist Students adapting to virtual learning Sacred Knowledge and Skills Community Values School Pipelines The standardizing of unstandardized conditions in education Our rural and urban experiences

As we get set to bring 2020 in for a landing and are reflecting on the year we thought it would be a good idea to look back at where we started as a podcast in 2017. Please forgive the awkwardness and audio quality. We didn't know anything back then. We didn't even know if it was something that we wanted to keep doing, but we are so glad that we did and so proud of the journey that we are on. We're going to take a listen to this podcast for ourselves to remember where we started, see how far we have come, and figure out where we want to to go! We hope it helps you find perspective on a year unlike any other and helps you map out your 2021. Cheers! We hope you'll join us for the journey in 2021 and beyond! Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/valueaddsvalue/?hl=en https://www.instagram.com/itskylekrueger/?hl=en https://www.instagram.com/its.wil.law.iii/?hl=en Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/itskylekrueger https://twitter.com/its_wil_law_iii Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/

What is good fam?! Thanks for listening to this episode of the Value Adds Value Podcast! This episode is part two of a conversation we had last week that we didn't have intentions of releasing as a podcast, but thankfully we hit record.  Leading up to this conversation we had both been giving a lot of thought to the 'big picture.' 2020 has us asking a lot of questions based on our new perspective of teaching and we wanted to share this conversation with you.  Here are a few things we covered: Why don't we focus on shaping the minds of kids instead of changing the minds of adults? The word INDOCTRINATE Why the process of learning needs content What should we be teaching and how much of it? Thanks for checking out this episode of the podcast! We would love to connect with you on social media! Here's how you can find us. Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/valueaddsvalue/?hl=en https://www.instagram.com/itskylekrueger/?hl=en https://www.instagram.com/its.wil.law.iii/?hl=en Follow us on T

I had some thoughts I wanted to lay down on this Thursday, so I decided to call them Thursday thoughts! Today's thoughts are about how to be use the 30 minute I have twice a week with my students for live sessions. If you are teaching virtually and you have tips for how to use that time please let me know!! Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/valueaddsvalue/?hl=en https://www.instagram.com/itskylekrueger/?hl=en https://www.instagram.com/its.wil.law.iii/?hl=en Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/itskylekrueger https://twitter.com/its_wil_law_iii Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/valueaddsvalue Check out our Youtube Channel! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQ7hVS9BqW0OFOO5SFKxydA --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/valueaddsvalue/support

Welcome back the the Value Adds Value Podcast!! We know that this year has been difficult for so many people and in our community so many educators. Lately we've been thinking about how to share our stories of hope and happiness in a way that doesn't demean those who have been less fortunate. In a social climate that feels engulfed in negativity and division we won't to maintain our mission of being a beacon for educators. That is where the name for our nonprofit LIGHTHOUSE EDUCATOR DEVELOPMENT came from. We want to be a beacon of hope for educators in good times, but more importantly when the seas are rough.  On this episode we sort through this idea and a few others as we reflect on the year that was. We hope we can be a light for you!! Please know the support of the teacher community has always been and will continue to be a light for us and for the world! Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/valueaddsvalue/?hl=en https://www.instagram.com/itskylekrueger/?hl=en https://www.instagram.com/i

Hey y'all. It's Kyle here. There have been a lot of things rolling around in my head over the past few weeks and the major theme has been what is the big picture. I have gotta start to get it out of my head so I can get my work done. I figured the podcast is as good a place to do it as any! So here are my thoughts on 12-4-20! Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/valueaddsvalue/?hl=en https://www.instagram.com/itskylekrueger/?hl=en https://www.instagram.com/its.wil.law.iii/?hl=en Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/itskylekrueger https://twitter.com/its_wil_law_iii Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/valueaddsvalue Check out our Youtube Channel! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQ7hVS9BqW0OFOO5SFKxydA --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/valueaddsvalue/support

Welcome back to the podcast fam!! It is the end of November and we have begun our reflection on the year that we are hoping to share with you. We got to talking before Thanksgiving about where we've been and where we are going. We both have found ourselves 'checking boxes' too often lately and we dig into the dangers of box checking on this episode.  This episode is a reminder for us and for you to make sure the boxes you check and the lists you make our for a purpose. It is that time of year where we can get onto cruise control. That time of year when we say we just gotta make it to the holiday break, but we have got to recenter on our purpose and make sure we are not just spinning our wheels into the end of the year.  We are striving daily to BE CREATIVE, BE HEALTHY, BUILD COMMUNITY, and MAKE AN IMPACT. We are striving for these things because they will help us be at our best for our students. Let us know what you're striving for in the comments!! Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/

As many schools pivot back to full distance learning, we are reminded of a conversation we had over the summer that we want to share with you. How do you define the word standard? When talking about standards in education how are they most commonly referenced? What are high standards? These are the questions we tackle on this episode of Value Adds Value! This conversation started as the two of us catching up about Wilkie's dissertation. We started talking about the correlation between Hip Hop and education. This conversation was born from that! We hope you enjoy it! Find us online at theledproject.com! Twitter: @itskylekrueger @its_wil_law_iii Instagram: @itskylekrueger @its.wil.law.iii @valueaddsvalue --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/valueaddsvalue/support

Welcome back to the Value Adds Value Podcast!! As we start to see the finish line for 2020 we are in the process of reflecting on our year. One place that we both continue to work on is our health, so it was the perfect time to have a conversation with Carter Krueger. Carter is a health teacher in the Denver area and also runs a health coaching business. His business focuses on simple changes to improve our health and wellness. You know things like eating better foods, going for more walks, and committing to better sleep. As he said in the podcast it is not sexy, but living a healthier life doesn't need to be. We also had the chance to talk with Carter about his journey in education including his decision a couple of year ago to a half time position and how we as teachers can overcome the guilt and shame we often feel when we decide to take time for ourselves and prioritize our own well being. We hope you'll take the time to check out this episode of Value Adds Value and while you're at it visit https://www.h

We feel so fortunate to have gotten the opportunity to talk with Keanna Funderburk (@theartoffunology) for the podcast this week! We connected with Keanna after watching her online professional developments and following her on social media. If you already follow Keanna we're certain you love to watch the way she engages with students and communicates across platforms. We didn't intend to bring her on to talk about how it feels to be 'recreating the wheel' this school year, but she brought valuable perspective on how to approach this years challenges and uncertainty.  Here's what we talked about during our conversation: The value of authenticity Knowing when to leave school for the night Prioritizing your time Creating Engagement Planning for content before planning for effect Sharing our experiences to promote dialogue If you want to learn more about Keanna find her on social media, check out her upcoming presentations at the Teach Your Heart Out Conference, or visit her website!! https://th

It was nice to have a fellow Texas State Bobcat on the podcast... Ms. Dailene Hendon!! (@daileneh on Instagram) We had the chance to talk about her experience student teaching abroad, the approach she takes in pursuing her PhD. in education, how she plans on using her doctorate when she gets it. Dailene also talked about the mindset needed and priorities that she has set in order to pursue her advanced degree while maintaining a self care routine. Here's a hint... you have to cut a lot of things out of your life! To hear this and so much more check out this episode of the Value Adds Value Podcast! If you want to reach out to use you can find us on Instagram  @valueaddsvalue or send us an email at podcast@theledproject.com! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/valueaddsvalue/support

Heather Cacioppo is a Special Education Teacher in the Chicago area who joined us for the podcast to talk about communication with families and adapting during the time of COVID 19. Two things she said at the start of our interview really stood out to us and they framed the conversation in a meaningful way-- students are more than just a piece of paper and give kids a fresh start! She spoke of giving kids a fresh start because she often has the experience of hearing about her incoming students in a negative way. We have all had a teacher come to warn us about our next group of students or a particular kid, but Heather reminded us of the importance of starting fresh with every student.  As our conversation continued she dispelled a few misconceptions we had on the communication with non verbal students and we heard a great story from Wilkie about his time working with non-verbal students during college. Heather also talked with us about how she works to build communication with the families of her student

This is the second half of our fourth interview with Gary Gray Jr. (@garyrgrayjr) and we asked him how he has curated his classroom libraries with books that his students can see themselves in. Whenever we are in need of book recommendation or have questions on how we can be more culturally responsive in our teaching Gary is one of the first people we reach out to.  He always uses the metaphor of WINDOWS, MIRRORS, and DOORS when describing the books that students need. The need books that are mirrors they can see themselves in, books that are windows to see the world through, and doors for the to step through to grow in their understanding of others. Throw in a little NBA talk and this episode is everything we hoped it would be! Thanks again to our brother Gary Gray Jr. for spending time with us and thank you for listening! Find Gary on Twitter, Youtube and Instagram @garyrgrayjr! To learn more about Lighthouse Educator Development and the projects we're pursuing head to theledproject.com! --- Support