Always A Lesson's Empowering Educators Podcast

23: What’s on the Menu and Why Do I Care?

22: Sum of the Parts

Education is a community effort- we aren’t islands on our mission to educate our future. Our effectiveness is a collective sum of our each individual parts. When someone is not measuring up, its our job to help them get there with clear, actionable steps in a non-threatening environment of feedback. Take a listen to hear how we are failing ourselves and our students by remaining islands instead of seeing our mission’s success as the sum of our parts.   Quotables * None of this was personal, it was tweaking my performance not my person * You’re only as strong as your weakest link…That comes through feedback not ratings…face time not emails…coaching conversations not descriptive observation paragraphs * Feedback doesn’t have to be harsh or personal. It can be purposeful, uplifting and game-changing * Education is not a profession of islands; it’s a collaborative effort. * No on should escape the blessing of feedback. But everyone should escape the burn of lack of feedback.   Join elite educators everywhere in snagging tips, tricks and freebies right to your inbox every month! Become #empowered with the Always A Lesson newsletter: https://alwaysalesson.leadpages.co/newslettersignup/ Connect with Gretchen Blog: Always A Lesson  Facebook: Always A Lesson  Twitter: @gschultek   Linkedin: Gretchen Schultek Bridgers  Google+: Gretchen Schultek Bridgers   Book: Elementary EDUC 101: What They Didn't Teach You in College    Leave a Rating and Review https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/always-lessons-empowering/id1006433135?mt=2&ls=1 Why? This helps my show remain active in order to continue to help other educators remain empowered in a career that has a long lasting effect on our future.   How? Search for my show in iTunes or Stitcher. Click on ‘Ratings and Reviews.’ Under ‘Customer Reviews,’ click on “Write a Review.” Sign in with your iTunes or Stitcher log-in info Leave a Rating: Tap the greyed out stars (5 being the best) Leave a Review: Type in a Title and Description of your thoughts on my podcast  Click ‘Send’

21: Stepping Back to Step Forward

Sometimes to get ahead in life and your career you have to step back to step forward. That special decision to pause allows knowledge and rejuvenation to prosper and spill over into your next step. Listen up as I speak directly to new teachers, teachers in distress or transition and teacher leaders! Quotables * Long hours at the office don’t equate to effectiveness * Let yourself be lead * If you are seeing a pattern, take yourself out of the game * In the harshness, there is a nugget of truth * Take time to pour into yourself so the next step you take, you flourish * Do you want your platter of blessings to be raw and rushed or cooked to perfection?   Join elite educators everywhere in snagging tips, tricks and freebies right to your inbox every month! Become #empowered with the Always A Lesson newsletter: https://alwaysalesson.leadpages.co/newslettersignup/ Connect with Gretchen Blog: Always A Lesson  Facebook: Always A Lesson  Twitter: @gschultek   Linkedin: Gretchen Schultek Bridgers  Google+: Gretchen Schultek Bridgers   Book: Elementary EDUC 101: What They Didn't Teach You in College    Leave a Rating and Review https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/always-lessons-empowering/id1006433135?mt=2&ls=1 Why? This helps my show remain active in order to continue to help other educators remain empowered in a career that has a long lasting effect on our future.   How? Search for my show in iTunes or Stitcher. Click on ‘Ratings and Reviews.’ Under ‘Customer Reviews,’ click on “Write a Review.” Sign in with your iTunes or Stitcher log-in info Leave a Rating: Tap the greyed out stars (5 being the best) Leave a Review: Type in a Title and Description of your thoughts on my podcast  Click ‘Send’

20: Bonus Edition- Interview with Melissa Emler

Melissa Emler,  best known as Missy, is an elite educator. She has a bachelor’s degree in English and secondary education and a master’s in Educational Leadership. She has shared her vision and wisdom of 21st century learning at conferences such as SLATE and ISTE. Missy is currently the director of innovation at CESA 3, serving 31 Wisconsin districts on school improvement like innovation and design. She recently created the Connecting to Create Greatness blog and On the Vendor Floor podcast. On top of it all, she is a wife and fantastic mommy to 3 growing kiddos. Quotables: * Hug what you have and reach for what you don't. * The rabbit holes are where the real learning happens. * Vote with your feet. * #edtech1stdate   Missy's Stamp of Approval (to name a few): * Write about- https://www.writeabout.com/ * Class craft- http://www.classcraft.com/ * Imagine easy- http://www.imagineeasy.com/ * DocentEDU- http://docentedu.com/ * Kahoot- https://getkahoot.com/ * Classkick- http://www.classkick.com/ Connect with Missy: * Website: melissaemler.com * Email: missy@melissaemler.com * Twitter: @melissaemler * Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OnTheVendorFloor * iTunes- https://itun.es/us/DrCk-.c * Google+- https://plus.google.com/u/1/+MelissaEmlerConnectingtoCreateGreatness/posts Join elite educators everywhere in snagging tips, tricks and freebies right to your inbox every month! Become #empowered with the Always A Lesson newsletter: https://alwaysalesson.leadpages.co/newslettersignup/   Connect with Gretchen: Facebook: Always A Lesson Twitter: @gschultek Linkedin: Gretchen Schultek Bridgers Google+: Gretchen Schultek Bridgers Book: Elementary EDUC 101: What They Didn't Teach You in College Leave a Rating and Review https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/always-lessons-empowering/id1006433135?mt=2&ls=1 Why? This helps my show remain active in order to continue to help other educators remain empowered in a career that has a long lasting effect on our future. How? Search for my show in iTunes or Stitcher. Click on ‘Ratings and Reviews.’ Under ‘Customer Reviews,’ click on “Write a Review.” Sign in with your iTunes or Stitcher log-in info Leave a Rating: Tap the greyed out stars (5 being the best) Leave a Review: Type in a Title and Description of your thoughts on my podcasts Click ‘Send’

Hear how a sprinkler watering the concrete inspired this episode. We need to water our initiatives with intention and follow through so that we have seeds that sprout. This requires a plan, constant monitoring, and flexibility to respond in the moment so that we align our input with our output. Tune in to get empowered to apply this theory to your own educational circumstance.   Quotables * The intention is not showing the intended results * What policies, procedures or processes are created with the best of intentions but when it comes down to it, its not resulting in progress? * We are not allowing the process to take over, we are trying to control the process.   Gretchen’s Stamp of Approval * Primer podcast with Troy Mooney and Herbert O’Neil- leadership podcast for school admin Join elite educators everywhere in snagging tips, tricks and freebies right to your inbox every month! Become #empowered with the Always A Lesson newsletter: https://alwaysalesson.leadpages.co/newslettersignup/   Connect with Gretchen Blog: Always A Lesson  Facebook: Always A Lesson  Twitter: @gschultek   Linkedin: Gretchen Schultek Bridgers  Google+: Gretchen Schultek Bridgers   Book: Elementary EDUC 101: What They Didn't Teach You in College    Leave a Rating and Review https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/always-lessons-empowering/id1006433135?mt=2&ls=1 Why? This helps my show remain active in order to continue to help other educators remain empowered in a career that has a long lasting effect on our future. How? Search for my show in iTunes or Stitcher. Click on ‘Ratings and Reviews.’ Under ‘Customer Reviews,’ click on “Write a Review.” Sign in with your iTunes or Stitcher log-in info Leave a Rating: Tap the greyed out stars (5 being the best) Leave a Review: Type in a Title and Description of your thoughts on my podcast  Click ‘Send’

18: Seeds that Sprout

 Life is full of high’s and low’s, but how we respond to these obstacles can make all the difference in our success, personally and professionally. Learn to use a low moment, or a pit, to reach even higher and more satisfying peaks, or highs. Tune in to this episode to hear just how to do that! Quotables * Have your pit turn into a peak * Use your pain to help someone else * Peaks are worth celebrating and so are pits * Pits formulate your character and humility * Pits make the peak worthwhile * Pits have the pain and peaks have the pleasure   Join elite educators everywhere in snagging tips, tricks and freebies right to your inbox every month! Become #empowered with the Always A Lesson newsletter: https://alwaysalesson.leadpages.co/newslettersignup/ Connect with Gretchen Blog: Always A Lesson  Facebook: Always A Lesson  Twitter: @gschultek   Linkedin: Gretchen Schultek Bridgers  Google+: Gretchen Schultek Bridgers   Book: Elementary EDUC 101: What They Didn't Teach You in College    Leave a Rating and Review https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/always-lessons-empowering/id1006433135?mt=2&ls=1 Why? This helps my show remain active in order to continue to help other educators remain empowered in a career that has a long lasting effect on our future. How? Search for my show in iTunes or Stitcher. Click on ‘Ratings and Reviews.’ Under ‘Customer Reviews,’ click on “Write a Review.” Sign in with your iTunes or Stitcher log-in info Leave a Rating: Tap the greyed out stars (5 being the best) Leave a Review: Type in a Title and Description of your thoughts on my podcast  Click ‘Send’

19: Peak and Pit

Sometimes being an educator is overwhelming with all that is required on and off the job. I felt like I was running a 3-Ring Circus and barely keeping the plates up in the air. But, over time, I came up with a simple system to ensure I honed in on just the urgent matters of today so that I could give my best without getting exhausted. Quotables * Standing under a waterfall with a Dixie cup * I am in charge of today, tomorrow has not yet come * If you cant do day to day well you cant do long term well Join elite educators everywhere in snagging tips, tricks and freebies right to your inbox every month! Become #empowered with the Always A Lesson newsletter: https://alwaysalesson.leadpages.co/newslettersignup/ Connect with Gretchen Blog: Always A Lesson Facebook: Always A Lesson Twitter: @gschultek Linkedin: Gretchen Schultek Bridgers Google+: Gretchen Schultek Bridgers Book: Elementary EDUC 101: What They Didn't Teach You in College Leave a Rating and Review https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/always-lessons-empowering/id1006433135?mt=2&ls=1 Why? This helps my show remain active in order to continue to help other educators remain empowered in a career that has a long lasting effect on our future. How? Search for my show in iTunes or Stitcher. Click on ‘Ratings and Reviews.’ Under ‘Customer Reviews,’ click on “Write a Review.” Sign in with your iTunes or Stitcher log-in info Leave a Rating: Tap the greyed out stars (5 being the best) Leave a Review: Type in a Title and Description of your thoughts on my podcast Click ‘Send'

17: Hone in for Survival

Join in on a unique episode experience- a hybrid of sorts: interview + topic based. I pull back the curtains and let you in on some serious intimate details of my journey as an educator. This episode was inspired by a conversation I had with an edu-friend of mine over Voxer about some painful parts of the behind-the-scenes life of a passionate professional. Come learn how to make sense out of your own mess so that you can be the healthiest, happiest version of yourself! (If you need someone to talk to, shoot me an email: gretchen@alwaysalesson.com.) Quotables * "We are in the same boat, just not at the same time." * "We are not static creatures. We either progress or regress." * "Your talent cannot come to fruition when you're frustrated." * "Without pain there is no progress." * "There is so much strength in our stories." * "If we do not take care of ourselves first, we cannot take care of anyone else."   Gretchen's Stamp of Approval * Voxer: http://www.voxer.com/   Join elite educators everywhere in snagging tips, tricks and freebies right to your inbox every month! Become #empowered with the Always A Lesson newsletter: https://alwaysalesson.leadpages.co/newslettersignup/ Connect with Gretchen Blog: Always A Lesson Facebook: Always A Lesson Twitter: @gschultek Linkedin: Gretchen Schultek Bridgers Google+: Gretchen Schultek Bridgers Book: Elementary EDUC 101: What They Didn't Teach You in College   Leave a Rating and Review https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/always-lessons-empowering/id1006433135?mt=2&ls=1 Why? This helps my show remain active in order to continue to help other educators remain empowered in a career that has a long lasting effect on our future. How? Search for my show in iTunes or Stitcher. Click on ‘Ratings and Reviews.’ Under ‘Customer Reviews,’ click on “Write a Review.” Sign in with your iTunes or Stitcher log-in info Leave a Rating: Tap the greyed out stars (5 being the best) Leave a Review: Type in a Title and Description of your thoughts on my podcast Click ‘Send’

16: Making Sense Out of Your Mess