The Cutting Ed Podcast

In this episode I visit with Anne Kelsch, Ryan Zerr and Melissa Gjellstad from the University or North Dakota. We’ll talk about the importance of general education and why it’s critical in helping students develop 21st Century skills. The three offer advice on what current high school students—looking ahead to college—should know—including the thought that the career they study for may be much different when they enter the workforce. Resources: http://www.teddintersmith.com http://www.ndunited.org/thecuttinged Association of American Colleges & Universities: https://www.aacu.org/ UND College of Arts & Sciences: https://arts-sciences.und.edu/ A “Value of Essential Studies” which is a compilation of curated resources linked from within the page: https://und.edu/academics/essential-studies/value.html Twitter: @thecuttinged @NDDPI @tdintersmith @bistom @PrairiePublicEd

This podcast is designed for teachers, students, parents and others interested in education in North Dakota. I’m your host Tom Gerhardt. In this episode I visit with Solen Cannon Ball Supt. Justin Fryer and Title 1 Math Teacher Vanessa Peach. A switch to trimester schedules a couple of years back has lead to increased student engagement and graduation rates. Resources: http://www.teddintersmith.com http://www.ndunited.org/thecuttinged Twitter: @thecuttinged @NDDPI@tdintersmith @bistom @PrairiePublicEd

This podcast is designed for teachers, students, parents and others interested in education in North Dakota. I’m your host Tom Gerhardt. In this episode I visit with Solen Cannon Ball Supt. Justin Fryer and Title 1 Math Teacher Vanessa Peach. A switch to trimester schedules a couple of years back has lead to increased student engagement and graduation rates. Resources: http://www.teddintersmith.com http://www.ndunited.org/thecuttinged Twitter: @thecuttinged @NDDPI@tdintersmith @bistom @PrairiePublicEd

This weeks podcast is with Lynnae Liese—the Personalized Learning Coordinator at New Rockford-Sheyenne. The school recently started a Personalized Learning Academy—empowering students and giving them voice and choice in their learning. Lies says its an opt-in program where students choose three or four courses they want to study. An instructor is there one period of the day acting as a coach—allowing the students to take on their own learning choosing what they want to learn and when they want to learn. Lies says collaboration is a huge part of the learning environment.Liese will talk about how and why the program began and offer advice for other districts who may want to look into a similar program.Resources:http://www.teddintersmith.comhttp://www.ndunited.org/thecuttingedTwitter:@thecuttinged@NDDPI@tdintersmith@bistom@PrairiePublicEd

This weeks podcast is with Lynnae Liese—the Personalized Learning Coordinator at New Rockford-Sheyenne. The school recently started a Personalized Learning Academy—empowering students and giving them voice and choice in their learning. Lies says its an opt-in program where students choose three or four courses they want to study. An instructor is there one period of the day acting as a coach—allowing the students to take on their own learning choosing what they want to learn and when they want to learn. Lies says collaboration is a huge part of the learning environment.Liese will talk about how and why the program began and offer advice for other districts who may want to look into a similar program.Resources:http://www.teddintersmith.comhttp://www.ndunited.org/thecuttingedTwitter:@thecuttinged@NDDPI@tdintersmith@bistom@PrairiePublicEd

This weeks podcast is with Sara Bohrer, who started a program at Bismarck Century High School four years ago called “Peer to Peer.” She says several years ago a group of parents and administrators got together to talk about how they could get students with disabilities more involved.Resources:http://www.teddintersmith.comhttp://www.ndunited.org/thecuttingedhttp://leslyethiery.blogspot.comTwitter:@thecuttinged@NDDPI@tdintersmith@bistom@PrairiePublicEd@MrsThierysClass@leslyethiery

This weeks podcast is with Sara Bohrer, who started a program at Bismarck Century High School four years ago called “Peer to Peer.” She says several years ago a group of parents and administrators got together to talk about how they could get students with disabilities more involved.Resources:http://www.teddintersmith.comhttp://www.ndunited.org/thecuttingedhttp://leslyethiery.blogspot.comTwitter:@thecuttinged@NDDPI@tdintersmith@bistom@PrairiePublicEd@MrsThierysClass@leslyethiery

Leslye Thiery says growing up in small town North Dakota (Ashley) she’s felt her whole life has been geared toward being a teacher.Her father was a science teacher in New Rockford and her grandmother was also a teacher. She says those influences along with compassion for others made her journey to the classroom almost preordained.Thiery says her philosophy in education has never wavered. It’s always been about the whole child and helping them feel included, balanced, valued and loved.Her path to an innovative approach in the classroom came from her first job in education. After graduating from Valley City State in the 90’s, Theiry says she had to wait a few years to get a job in Ashley where her husband owned a business. She says she got a job directing preschool and she says there was a lot of playing, experimenting, questioning and environment of curiosity. That stayed with her.She says when she took a job teaching second grade she was handed manuals to teach, noticed students in desks in straight rows and also a lot of disengagement—a far cry from her days in preschool—but says she went along with it because she thought that’s what she was supposed to do.Since then, she’s sought out ways to think outside the box, try new things, remain curious and put kids first.Resources:http://www.teddintersmith.comhttp://www.ndunited.org/thecuttingedhttp://leslyethiery.blogspot.comTwitter:@thecuttinged@NDDPI@tdintersmith@bistom@PrairiePublicEd@MrsThierysClass@leslyethiery

Leslye Thiery says growing up in small town North Dakota (Ashley) she’s felt her whole life has been geared toward being a teacher.Her father was a science teacher in New Rockford and her grandmother was also a teacher. She says those influences along with compassion for others made her journey to the classroom almost preordained.Thiery says her philosophy in education has never wavered. It’s always been about the whole child and helping them feel included, balanced, valued and loved.Her path to an innovative approach in the classroom came from her first job in education. After graduating from Valley City State in the 90’s, Theiry says she had to wait a few years to get a job in Ashley where her husband owned a business. She says she got a job directing preschool and she says there was a lot of playing, experimenting, questioning and environment of curiosity. That stayed with her.She says when she took a job teaching second grade she was handed manuals to teach, noticed students in desks in straight rows and also a lot of disengagement—a far cry from her days in preschool—but says she went along with it because she thought that’s what she was supposed to do.Since then, she’s sought out ways to think outside the box, try new things, remain curious and put kids first.Resources:http://www.teddintersmith.comhttp://www.ndunited.org/thecuttingedhttp://leslyethiery.blogspot.comTwitter:@thecuttinged@NDDPI@tdintersmith@bistom@PrairiePublicEd@MrsThierysClass@leslyethiery

Growing up, Pete Stenberg enjoyed math and science and decided he wanted to become a civil engineer. After three years of engineering classes he decided he couldn’t see himself in an office setting all the time, so he took an education class. As they say, the rest is history. Stenberg has been teaching and coaching in Minot for 28 years.As an educator, Stenberg has adapted with the times. He pushes 21st century skills by integrating technology into his classroom, utilized flexible seating, and engages students in hands-on experiential learning all while integrating differential instruction (IDP’s, 504’s) and concentrating on social-emotional learning.In this podcast, Stenberg has his class on site at Roosevelt Park Zoo in Minot for a hands-on, cross-disciplinary lesson that also gives students a chance to participate in a community project.Resources:http://www.teddintersmith.comhttp://www.ndunited.org/thecuttingedTwitter:@thecuttinged@NDDPI@tdintersmith@bistom@PrairiePublicEd@Stenny65@NDUMinot

Growing up, Pete Stenberg enjoyed math and science and decided he wanted to become a civil engineer. After three years of engineering classes he decided he couldn’t see himself in an office setting all the time, so he took an education class. As they say, the rest is history. Stenberg has been teaching and coaching in Minot for 28 years.As an educator, Stenberg has adapted with the times. He pushes 21st century skills by integrating technology into his classroom, utilized flexible seating, and engages students in hands-on experiential learning all while integrating differential instruction (IDP’s, 504’s) and concentrating on social-emotional learning.In this podcast, Stenberg has his class on site at Roosevelt Park Zoo in Minot for a hands-on, cross-disciplinary lesson that also gives students a chance to participate in a community project.Resources:http://www.teddintersmith.comhttp://www.ndunited.org/thecuttingedTwitter:@thecuttinged@NDDPI@tdintersmith@bistom@PrairiePublicEd@Stenny65@NDUMinot

Third grade teacher Jessica Schmidt and 7-12 teacher Wendy Bichler collaborate between grade levels in Ashley. The teachers say it’s great for the students helping them to become more confident, creative and communicative. The older students help the younger ones with writing with the third graders becoming more comfortable sharing their work and the older students asking questions to flesh out details and providing feedback. Collaborating also saves the teachers time because the students edit and proofread each story. That frees up Schmidt and Bichler to move around the room to ask and answer questions and guide the learning process.The two also talk about how they’ve grown, changed and continue to adapt as teachers in rural North Dakota.Resources:http://www.teddintersmith.comhttp://www.ndunited.org/thecuttingedTwitter:@thecuttinged@NDDPI@tdintersmith@bistom@PrairiePublicEd

Third grade teacher Jessica Schmidt and 7-12 teacher Wendy Bichler collaborate between grade levels in Ashley. The teachers say it’s great for the students helping them to become more confident, creative and communicative. The older students help the younger ones with writing with the third graders becoming more comfortable sharing their work and the older students asking questions to flesh out details and providing feedback. Collaborating also saves the teachers time because the students edit and proofread each story. That frees up Schmidt and Bichler to move around the room to ask and answer questions and guide the learning process.The two also talk about how they’ve grown, changed and continue to adapt as teachers in rural North Dakota.Resources:http://www.teddintersmith.comhttp://www.ndunited.org/thecuttingedTwitter:@thecuttinged@NDDPI@tdintersmith@bistom@PrairiePublicEd

Annette Hovey of New Rockford-Sheyenne was a finalist for the 2019 North Dakota Teacher of the Year. She teaches band, jazz band, choir and more. She says her love of music stretches back to her childhood when her parents put her in piano lessons. She told me one piece of music defines her as an instructor. About 2015, she pulled out a piece called Bogoroditse Devo by Rachmaninoff. It was a piece she sung in college, and Hovey wasn’t sure if her students could pull it off. She says from the first measure, her students were hooked.Hovey says she has thirty-one students in choir—about a third of New Rockford-Sheyenne High School. She says what defines her as a teacher is that she continues to challenge them—and that her students are up to each challenge.Performing Bogoroditse Devo earned her choir a spot at the North Dakota Music Educators Conference.Resources:http://www.ndplaylist.orghttp://www.ndunited.org/thecuttingedTwitter:@thecuttinged@NDDPI@tdintersmith@bistom@PrairiePublicEd@NRS_Rockets

Annette Hovey of New Rockford-Sheyenne was a finalist for the 2019 North Dakota Teacher of the Year. She teaches band, jazz band, choir and more. She says her love of music stretches back to her childhood when her parents put her in piano lessons. She told me one piece of music defines her as an instructor. About 2015, she pulled out a piece called Bogoroditse Devo by Rachmaninoff. It was a piece she sung in college, and Hovey wasn’t sure if her students could pull it off. She says from the first measure, her students were hooked.Hovey says she has thirty-one students in choir—about a third of New Rockford-Sheyenne High School. She says what defines her as a teacher is that she continues to challenge them—and that her students are up to each challenge.Performing Bogoroditse Devo earned her choir a spot at the North Dakota Music Educators Conference.Resources:http://www.ndplaylist.orghttp://www.ndunited.org/thecuttingedTwitter:@thecuttinged@NDDPI@tdintersmith@bistom@PrairiePublicEd@NRS_Rockets