0:00

The inspiration on their face when they do

0:02

meet that goal is what

0:04

we're teaching for , because they've

0:06

met that level of success and

0:08

I just keep encouraging them . So

0:11

I mean it's just it's encouraging , it's the environment

0:13

, it's the knowing that they can do it

0:15

, it's believing in themselves .

0:18

Welcome to Teachers in America , a podcast from

0:20

HMH where we connect with educators

0:22

across the country to bring you teaching tips

0:24

and inspiration . I'm your host , noelle

0:27

Morris . Today we're joined by third

0:29

grade teacher , latonya Grant , who will share

0:31

how data has been a valuable tool

0:33

in her planning and instruction

0:35

. Latonya teaches in Columbia

0:38

County School District in Georgia . Throughout

0:40

her 16-year education career , she

0:42

has strived to serve all her students

0:44

as well as her fellow teachers . She

0:47

is currently an HMH Teacher Ambassador

0:49

, providing support and guidance to

0:51

thousands of educators in Teachers Corner

0:53

on Ed and in our Facebook

0:55

group , and this summer , latanya

0:57

will be a presenter at the 2024

0:59

Model Schools Conference Schools

1:06

Conference . In this episode , latanya will provide data-driven planning tips like how to

1:08

lead data talks and set goals with students , and how to establish collaborative

1:10

planning norms and expectations

1:12

. Now let's get to the episode

1:14

. So

1:17

welcome LaTanya Grant to

1:19

Teachers in America . For

1:21

those of you who don't know LaTonya

1:24

, I'm just going to give you a special introduction to

1:27

our listeners . Latonya

1:29

is one of our teacher ambassadors

1:31

. I want to let everybody know

1:33

that she and I have

1:36

we work together quite a bit

1:38

. She is I

1:41

am one of her biggest fans

1:43

, and so you are going to probably hear

1:45

and hear a little bit of a different

1:47

dynamic between the two of us . But

1:50

welcome LaTanya and

1:53

say hello . I

1:55

don't mean to tell you what to do , but

1:57

you know and love me anyway . So introduce

2:00

yourself and welcome to Teachers in

2:02

America . And what do you want to talk about

2:04

today ?

2:05

Hello , I am LaTanya Gray . I

2:08

have been teaching for 16 . This

2:10

is year 16 . And

2:12

of those 16 years , majority of

2:14

them have been in third grade . I also

2:16

have experience with teaching second

2:19

grade as well as fifth grade

2:21

and in different settings

2:23

. I've done collaborative

2:26

, where I've done team teaching . I

2:28

have done a three-man team before . I've

2:30

also been self-contained . So

2:32

a little bit of everything , and

2:35

today I just want to talk about I'm very

2:37

like to plan and organize

2:40

and how that definitely saves

2:43

me a lot of time , and so I'm

2:45

excited to share that information with

2:47

Ms Noel today .

2:49

Well , we talk about

2:51

happy planning all the time , and

2:53

so , LaTanya

2:56

one , describe

2:58

your approach to planning and

3:00

how do you define happy planning

3:02

and how do you ?

3:03

define happy planning . Happy planning is when , definitely , I

3:05

can utilize my time effectively

3:08

. But I always like

3:10

to start with the module

3:12

carousel , kind of like planning

3:14

backwards per se . And

3:17

so I look at the module carousel which

3:19

leads me to our editable weekly

3:21

lesson plans , and that

3:23

, of course , leaves me looking at each day

3:26

, but with the editable weekly lesson

3:28

plans it allows me to go ahead and see

3:30

, like a week in a glance , like exactly

3:33

what it is the skills that I need to

3:35

assess my students over . So

3:38

that way I can make sure that I am utilizing my time wisely

3:40

when I am planning .

3:42

Now , you just mentioned tools that are

3:44

in our

3:46

Into Reading core reading program

3:49

that you use . What

3:51

do you bring to it with

3:53

your planning ? What are the essentials

3:56

from a classroom teacher , knowing

3:58

your students and

4:00

other data

4:02

points that you're bringing in to match the

4:04

tools that you're provided within the

4:07

program ?

4:08

Well , one , I definitely first

4:10

start off by building relationships with my

4:12

students , getting to know their personalities

4:15

, their strengths , things that they like , things that they're

4:17

interested in , and I'm very

4:19

fortunate that HMH already provides

4:21

all of those different things with the diversity

4:23

that they include , and

4:26

so with that it's easier

4:29

for me to tailor in

4:31

the materials that are already there from into

4:33

reading to what my students are

4:35

needing at that particular time . So

4:37

it makes it enjoyable for them . It also makes

4:39

it enjoyable for me as well .

4:43

Now , what does

4:45

a good lesson plan look

4:48

like to you ? And then

4:50

, how are you evaluating

4:54

or observing that that is

4:56

, it truly was a great lesson

4:58

.

5:00

I can definitely say with over

5:02

the years of experience and having

5:04

to go from creating my

5:06

own with little guidance

5:08

as far as what they would like in there included

5:10

when I say they , I'm talking about administration

5:13

, including included in

5:15

our lesson plans to

5:17

having a

5:19

blessing where we have the editable

5:22

weekly lesson plans and I can tweak

5:24

them to benefit the needs of my

5:27

students . So it's kind of like a foundational

5:29

piece . And I love having that foundational

5:32

piece because it saves time

5:34

and I'm able to manipulate

5:36

it in the way that I need to for

5:39

my group of students . So I

5:41

love the fact that it provides that

5:43

, that foundational piece .

5:46

How are you spiraling your lessons

5:48

? I mean you , you talked about backwards planning

5:51

, so so

5:59

talk about backwards planning plus spiraling . And let's talk about that

6:01

in two points . One , that was a new backwards planning Wasn't a new , a

6:03

new concept to you . But the

6:05

spiraling is

6:07

a newer concept . So first

6:09

I want you to break it down , your

6:12

initial approach to spiraling

6:14

. How did you have to learn that and

6:17

where are you now ?

6:20

So originally , when we

6:22

started

6:24

, I was so accustomed to

6:27

teaching one

6:29

standard the whole entire week

6:31

, and so for

6:33

me as an educator , I had

6:35

to change my mindset and

6:42

I also had to trust the process

6:44

with the spiraling . So , with that being said , it

6:46

was a little bit of like okay , I

6:49

really want to revert back to the things that I

6:51

was already doing , because it was a sense

6:53

of comfort , but it was

6:55

also understanding that there

6:57

is also a time for change and there's a reason

7:00

why it spirals the way

7:02

that it does . So I

7:04

went from trying

7:06

to trust the process and teaching one

7:08

standard at a time to now where I'm

7:11

teaching several different standards

7:13

in one week and seeing

7:15

that process where , okay , we're going

7:17

to come back to that again , we're

7:19

going to touch on that again , but we're going to do

7:21

it with a different text this time

7:24

. So , and then seeing the results

7:26

of my students . Retaining

7:28

that information was what was

7:30

most beneficial for me , because if

7:32

I taught something the first nine weeks in the

7:35

first quarter , then there's no guarantee that

7:37

they'll remember it by the fourth

7:39

nine weeks in quarter four , and so

7:41

I love the fact that this

7:43

allowed , this program allows us to be

7:45

able to spiral , so they're constantly seeing

7:48

. It is always fresh on their minds

7:50

.

7:51

Now , when you um lesson plan

7:53

now and you have that experience

7:56

behind you and and

7:58

and you've built this trust around us

8:00

, you know spiraling curriculum

8:03

. Let's think about um

8:05

. Let's think about back to school time

8:07

. What are you confident

8:09

in thinking about with entering

8:11

third graders from second grade because

8:14

of spiraling that has been happening

8:16

since kindergarten .

8:19

They're reading . That's

8:22

one thing that is most important , because we

8:24

transition from second

8:27

grade to third grade from them

8:29

reading , learning

8:31

to read , and now they're reading

8:33

to understand , and so

8:35

building in those concepts , building

8:38

in the comprehension , has

8:40

been a big , huge

8:42

, huge , huge , huge , huge , huge

8:45

can't express that

8:47

enough factor for us when

8:49

they're coming to third grade . And the consistency

8:52

, so they already know hey , I'm

8:54

already doing these things in lower grades

8:56

. I see the anchor charts that we're utilizing

8:59

. The structure of the format of the testing

9:01

is the same , and so they become

9:03

very comfortable with that , familiar

9:05

with that . So it also creates nothing

9:08

but success for them as well .

9:11

Hey teacher friends , if you're an HMH

9:13

user , did you know you have access to Teacher's

9:15

Corner on Ed Included with

9:17

every HMH program ? Teacher's Corner

9:20

is a community of teachers , learning experts

9:22

and coaches gathered in one

9:24

place to support you with a new kind

9:26

of professional learning bite-sized

9:28

, teacher-selected and teacher-driven , with

9:31

on-demand sessions , lesson demonstrations

9:34

, program support and practical resources

9:36

. Teacher's Corner lets you choose

9:38

how you interact with our content . I

9:41

like to think about it as inspiration on

9:43

demand content

9:50

. I like to think about it as inspiration on demand . Now you are a teacher

9:52

that I have really appreciated how you approach collaborative

9:54

planning and you're always thinking at first

9:56

. Well , let me look at this from my perspective

9:59

, but I want to take it to my team , to the

10:01

grade level team . What's

10:03

your approach in

10:05

your school and with your grade level team

10:08

around collaborative planning

10:10

? What's your structure

10:12

? How did y'all establish it

10:14

? What are some of your norms ?

10:17

So our norm is every week every

10:19

Wednesday , because it's kind of like the middle of the week

10:21

we always get together to

10:24

start planning for the next week and

10:26

we do that so that way we can make sure

10:28

we are definitely consistent . So

10:31

if you walk in one classroom , you see us

10:33

doing the same things and whether it's turn

10:35

and talk or if we're doing core reading

10:38

, and what we're doing in our small group and making

10:40

sure that we're tailoring it to our student community

10:43

. So that's one of the things that we go ahead

10:45

and set at the beginning of the year that

10:47

every Wednesday is our

10:49

third grade ELA team meeting

10:51

, where we get together , we look

10:53

at our data , we look

10:56

at our editable weekly lesson plans

10:58

, we look at all the

11:00

different events that we have that are going on

11:02

that week at school to see whether

11:04

or not if we need to shift some things , and

11:06

then sometimes whether or not if we need

11:08

to reteach a particular

11:10

skill , whether it's with

11:13

the take and teach lesson plans

11:15

, or whether or not

11:17

if we need to accelerate learning

11:19

, where we're using the inquiry and research

11:21

base . So that

11:24

allows us to remain accountable . It

11:26

holds us accountable and makes

11:28

sure that we have consistency , and so that

11:31

has worked for us as well as for our

11:33

team as a team .

11:36

Now , has your team been consistent

11:38

over the last three or four years

11:40

, and or have you had changes

11:42

? And even even regardless

11:44

, how have y'all built yourselves

11:47

a culture within your

11:49

team so one .

11:51

We always start out um , I

11:53

am fortunate to be the grade chair at

11:56

my school and on my team and leadership

11:58

team , um , so with

12:00

that I always like to if we have

12:02

a new member , we get together over

12:04

the summer so we can kind of get

12:07

to know each other's personalities

12:09

and we just talk and discuss . And

12:11

then if we have a new team member

12:13

which we did this year then

12:15

we go ahead and get you know . They ask the

12:17

questions . We take pictures of what the classroom

12:19

looks like , I go ahead and show

12:22

them the curriculum so that way

12:24

they're not coming into it blindly

12:27

. And in addition to that , I've also

12:29

had the privilege of serving on

12:31

what is called our

12:33

new teacher induction program , where

12:36

I'm a guide and also a mentor

12:38

. So my job and my role

12:40

and responsibility is to make sure

12:42

that I show them the

12:44

ins and outs of the program , how we

12:46

utilize it , make sure that they don't

12:48

have any questions . If they do have any questions

12:50

, to provide clarification for them . And

12:53

so that has worked with

12:55

our team , especially

12:57

when we have new members . We've been

12:59

very fortunate to have

13:01

right now we have eight third grade

13:04

teachers . Fortunate

13:07

to have right now we have eight third grade teachers , and only

13:09

one of them is new this year . So just providing that support

13:11

and meeting consistently like we do

13:13

has made a world of difference

13:15

with with our team and also our

13:18

results and data with our students what

13:21

is your ?

13:23

do you have feedback from leadership that

13:25

talks about how , even

13:28

in data talks , or you know data

13:30

walks ? What they notice

13:33

about the consistency and the collaboration

13:35

?

13:36

yes , um , third

13:38

grade . Our admin , we also we

13:40

are as serving on the leadership team

13:42

we're always constantly looking at data

13:44

, not just third grade , but we're looking

13:47

at it school-wide and so when

13:49

we're looking at , like our

13:51

Georgia milestones assessments because we're in

13:53

state of Georgia we

13:55

can see that for our school , our third

13:57

grade team was consistent with carrying

14:00

the whole entire school . Because

14:03

of that consistency amongst

14:05

us , making sure that we were , you know

14:07

, doing the routine features and spiraling

14:10

and focusing in on the data

14:12

that we were supposed to . So we get a lot

14:14

of accolades from

14:16

our administration with how our team

14:18

operates and we somewhat

14:21

become the model grade level

14:23

for the rest of the school because of that

14:25

.

14:26

Do you have one or two collaborative

14:29

planning practices that

14:31

you attribute to

14:33

being so strong

14:36

in that team dynamic

14:38

?

14:39

I think one us understanding each other

14:41

, so building relationships

14:43

with each other is definitely important

14:46

, but two us collaborating

14:48

and dividing and conquering the

14:50

work is very

14:52

beneficial with us and filling

14:54

in like , if one is kind of like

14:56

the analogy

14:58

when you have the doves flying and one

15:01

gets injured , the other one takes the lead

15:03

and we continue and we work cohesively

15:06

together as a team . And

15:08

then also , in addition to that , we

15:10

also have an instructional specialist

15:13

where we have to have . We have

15:15

collaborative planning once

15:17

every nine months nine weeks , nine

15:20

months and

15:27

so during that time we take our module data , we look at all of our standards , we check to see the

15:29

areas that we are glowing in and

15:31

the areas that we need growth in , and

15:33

so just staying consistent

15:35

, making sure that we're meeting the meeting

15:37

norms , making sure that we're following

15:40

the routines and procedures that are in

15:42

into reading the way that they're supposed

15:44

to be , has warranted

15:47

us great success .

15:49

That's nice . Do you have an instructional

15:51

routine that you

15:54

would encourage every third grade teacher

15:56

to use , even if it's a teacher who's

15:58

just meeting us at HMH

16:01

?

16:02

I definitely like turn and talk

16:05

as far as what I'm teaching , because

16:07

when they're turning and talking it provides

16:09

so much in-depth conversation

16:11

and just to listen to their brains

16:14

and then they're feeding off of each other . So

16:16

whereas one question that might

16:18

be surface level , it ends up diving

16:20

into a whole deeper level just

16:23

because of that conversation , and

16:25

so I always encourage them to allow

16:27

the students to actually turn and talk

16:29

and discuss , and then we end

16:32

up finding out new information that we didn't

16:34

even know .

16:37

Now , how are you managing that turning and

16:39

talking Like ? How did you train yourself

16:41

? Because a lot of people would consider

16:43

that type of routine to be the

16:46

simplest , and it might . It is would

16:48

probably be considered to be the simplest

16:50

to begin to implement and

16:53

teach students the expectations . But

16:56

getting it to that level where

16:58

they continue the conversation

17:00

and take it deeper is

17:03

because it's a routine that starts

17:05

and as they're developing and growing

17:07

, how did

17:09

you set that up for yourself to

17:12

when

17:14

you they are turning and talking , what are you

17:17

doing ? And then how did you develop

17:19

to really train

17:21

yourself to listen to those moments

17:24

of curiosity that could take you to

17:26

the next step ?

17:28

so what I'm doing during that time is I'm walking

17:30

around and I'm listening . Um

17:32

, we use the anchor chart where

17:35

we talk about having a discussion

17:37

that is an inter-reading and

17:39

then we talk about the appropriate way

17:41

to have a conversation , like what

17:43

it means to listen , what it

17:45

means to actually speak , and

17:47

so we start with that at the very beginning

17:50

. So they have a firm foundation

17:52

of when I'm having a conversation

17:54

as a listener . These are my expectations

17:57

as a speaker . This is

17:59

what I'm supposed to make sure that I'm doing , and

18:01

so we practice that . But

18:04

along with practicing that , I also like

18:06

to utilize the timer . The

18:08

timer is like my best friend . I have them

18:10

everywhere , and

18:13

that's just because it's time management

18:15

. And so they turn , they

18:17

talk , I set the timer and

18:19

then , when the timer goes off , their

18:21

hands automatically go up , because

18:23

it's been something that we've practiced since the

18:25

beginning . And so I

18:28

walk around , I listen , sometimes

18:30

I chime in and I might ask a question . I

18:32

walk around , I listen , sometimes I chime

18:34

in and I might ask a question . Other times some of them might have a question

18:37

for me because they've had a discussion , and so

18:39

it's just a beautiful

18:41

thing . And I keep looking that way because I keep

18:43

seeing my students just having that conversation

18:45

. But

18:48

it is definitely a beautiful thing and I walk around and I just facilitate and

18:50

that allows them to take ownership

18:53

of their own learning as well .

18:56

Um , I agree too . Like you know , as

18:58

teachers , we're always visualizing , you

19:01

know , um , I was wondering

19:03

where you know , for those of you who are listening

19:06

um , we are , um , Latonya

19:09

and I can see each other . We're on as , uh

19:11

, we're on a Zoom , and so I was just like I

19:14

wonder if somebody's like trying to get her attention

19:16

. But it's cool that you're in your classroom

19:19

and you're looking to see where the great things

19:21

and the exciting things happen

19:24

. And in third grade , you really

19:26

do want to start seeing that agency

19:28

. You know the facility . Move

19:31

to agency

19:33

. Now let's talk

19:35

about data . Right , you kind of you

19:37

, you are also a teacher . That

19:39

it's you almost get giggly

19:41

when we talk about data , which

19:44

I love and find that

19:46

, like pat you know , to be a passion

19:48

, because understanding

19:51

the numbers to be as precise as

19:53

you can in a decision is

19:55

one of the number one ways , as a teacher , to build

19:57

that , to have confidence and see

19:59

the return on your instructional investment . So

20:02

where do your investments start

20:04

? What data is

20:06

tried and true ? And

20:08

then let's talk about the data that you use weekly

20:11

as well . So , and then let's talk about the data that you use

20:13

weekly as well .

20:13

Definitely , I'm always observing observation

20:16

. I

20:18

think that's just natural I also . We start

20:20

and they start , with

20:22

student accountability because I'm like

20:24

I don't want , I want to work hard , I want them to work

20:26

hard too , and I shouldn't work hard . I

20:29

mean I shouldn't be working harder than they are . It's

20:31

how I feel work hard is

20:33

. I mean I shouldn't be working harder than they are . It's how I feel . And so when

20:35

we're doing you know I'm doing a mini lesson then I always have

20:37

them check for their level of understanding

20:39

and so they rate themselves . Are

20:41

they a level one , which

20:43

means , hey , I don't have it . You know

20:45

, I have no idea where to start . Are

20:48

they a level two , which means , hey , I

20:50

got a little bit , but I need some more assistance

20:52

. And I always tell them we're shooting for level

20:55

threes and level fours . That level

20:57

three means I'm comfortable and I can do it on my

20:59

own . But I tell them a level four is

21:01

where you can go home and you can teach

21:03

that lesson that I did for that

21:05

day and

21:07

I told them that's the ultimate goal . And so when we talk about that at the

21:09

beginning , it starts , of course , with their student

21:12

accountability . Again , they

21:14

are more invested in their learning

21:16

and they want to be at a level four

21:18

and then they want to see that success . But

21:21

it also gives them time to reflect

21:23

to reflect on did

21:25

I truly understand what Ms Grant

21:27

just got through teaching ? And if

21:29

I didn't , then I know that I

21:32

need extra assistance in this which

21:34

allows that conversation for me

21:36

and that student to have and then for me

21:38

to provide that extra support as

21:40

well . And then we set goals

21:42

. We also set goals . We're

21:44

always setting goals of what we can

21:46

do better , how we can improve . But

21:49

I also think one of the most important

21:51

things is I tell them I'm human

21:53

, so I am always

21:56

willing to learn and grow myself

21:58

, no matter how much I have . And

22:00

so them seeing me as a person that's

22:02

like , oh well , my teacher is learning and

22:04

growing too , or she can learn new stuff from

22:06

me as well , then it

22:09

just creates a learning environment

22:11

where we're all cohesively as

22:13

one .

22:15

What are some of your reflective questioning

22:19

or statements that you have

22:22

taught your students ? That they can immediately

22:25

get their results

22:28

and they automatically go

22:30

into a reflective thinking and

22:33

they automatically go into a reflective

22:35

thinking .

22:35

So let's say , for instance , if

22:38

we were doing a lesson today over central idea , then one of my

22:40

questions I ask them like

22:42

we get up and I'm teaching and I'm using the anchor chart , the display

22:45

, and engage actually , and

22:47

then I'm like okay , does everybody

22:49

understand this ? Give me a thumbs up . So we communicate

22:52

a lot and I'm always constantly asking does everybody understand this ? Give me a thumbs up . So we communicate a lot and

22:54

I'm always constantly asking questions

22:56

Is everybody good , is there anything that

22:58

I need to clarify ? Okay , remember

23:01

. And then I just give them little tidbits

23:03

along the way , so that way , when

23:05

they're working independently , they

23:07

are , you know , reflecting

23:10

on the questions that I ask . Are

23:15

you know , um , reflecting on the questions that I ask ? Or I modeled the thinking process . So I'm like

23:17

if I was you know , if I'm doing this problem or I'm trying to figure this out

23:19

for instance , synthesizing , um

23:22

, I was like , okay , I originally

23:24

thought that milk was

23:27

, um , yogurt we

23:29

were talking about that the other day that yogurt

23:31

was like spoiled milk , like

23:33

, and actually I was like , but then

23:36

I had to go and I had to read and

23:38

I was like , okay , yeah , kind of , but not

23:40

really , because they warm it up

23:42

and then they add bacteria , so forth . So

23:44

I was like so then my changed

23:46

, and so they were looking at me

23:48

, modeling my thought process because

23:51

you know , I'm human too and I'm

23:53

learning . And so they

23:56

were like OK , I can do that , and

23:58

then they apply it . So I just

24:00

constantly ask questions to scaffold

24:03

their learning . And then

24:05

we have certain questions that you know

24:07

I might be like OK , well , what do you do

24:09

that ? Or just extend on their learning . It

24:11

just basically depends on the conversation

24:13

that we're having , so

24:16

where sometimes I might be like I don't know , I

24:18

got to go look that up , and then it

24:20

bleeds into them wanting to

24:22

stump me and ask questions . So , it

24:25

just , it just works .

24:27

I love that . And for the for the yogurt fan

24:29

in your class , they're probably like thank goodness

24:31

it's not spoiled milk , cause

24:34

. You know one thing

24:36

as humans , most of us have had some

24:38

sort of experience with spoiled milk

24:40

. I don't , I think it's something that is

24:42

a human bond . Um , for

24:44

those of us who are milk drinkers

24:47

, um , and I love that you can

24:49

, you've built that into your classroom to like

24:51

. Well , I don't know , let me check

24:53

that out , let me read , read further . Tell

24:56

me about a time I should

24:58

say , tell us about a time where

25:01

you were starting

25:03

to set goals with students

25:06

and you were like I don't know if , if

25:08

, these one or two students are understanding

25:10

how to set goals , and then

25:12

they totally surprised you and

25:15

set one of the most amazing . You were like , okay

25:17

, well , y'all do , y'all do have it . Now

25:20

let's go with it .

25:22

So we utilize folders

25:24

where the students actually do set their

25:26

goals and they track their data

25:29

. So let's say , for instance

25:31

, in module one they might

25:33

have scored a 75 , just

25:35

throwing that out there . Then they set a goal

25:37

of okay , well , the next time I want to score

25:40

90 . And I'm like , okay , well

25:42

, you do understand , you know , because we usually

25:45

set goals in increments of three to five points

25:47

or percentage points , and I'm like that

25:49

means that you're going to have to work on this , this and

25:51

this . And then they do take the initiative

25:54

to work on that , whether we're doing station

25:56

rotates , literacy centers or

25:58

when we're in small group . And they have

26:01

completely surprised me that

26:03

they made it . But this expression

26:05

on their face I wish you guys could see my

26:07

face the expression on their

26:09

face when they do meet that goal

26:11

is like what

26:14

, what we're teaching for , um

26:16

, because they they've met that level

26:19

of success , um , and I just keep

26:21

encouraging them , and sometimes so

26:23

I mean it's just it's encouraging is the environment

26:26

, is the knowing that they can do it

26:28

, it's believing in themselves . And

26:30

so we also always start off with

26:32

our morning meeting where , within our

26:34

morning meeting , we're talking

26:36

about the things that we want to do today self-reflecting

26:39

, positive self-talk , so

26:41

forth . So we tie

26:43

all of that in to what

26:46

they're doing .

26:49

Now , as we

26:51

wrap up our conversation

26:53

, if I'm new to

26:55

data

26:57

talks and getting this in

26:59

motion , what's the first step I

27:01

need to take ?

27:05

One , making sure that they use their

27:07

self-understanding data is important

27:09

. Two , understanding

27:12

that we're looking at this as a

27:14

process of growth . So we're looking

27:16

at the things that we're doing , well , that

27:19

, and the things that the areas that we want to grow

27:21

in . So

27:23

what , taking that into mind

27:25

as a new teacher , new

27:27

teacher , new student ?

27:30

oh , I was thinking about it from a new , from like

27:33

not even just a new teacher , for

27:35

for many of us like data

27:37

, talking and building that in is still

27:39

something that we're working on as instructional

27:41

time . So you know it

27:44

, this should be considered instructional

27:46

time , do you agree ? Yes , it is instructional

27:48

time .

27:49

Um , in actuality , we built it in so much where our

27:51

kids want instant feedback . Um , like even today , like they were like , what

27:53

score did I make ? And I'm like , baby

27:55

, you got to give me a . In actuality , we built

27:57

it in so much where our kids want instant feedback , like even today , like they

27:59

were like , what score did I make ? And

28:02

I'm like baby , you got to give me a second because I got a great constructive response

28:04

. But they're eager to know how well they did and which questions

28:06

they missed and why they missed it

28:08

, and so forth . So

28:11

we automatically build in data talks

28:14

every Friday . Every Friday

28:16

is our chance to conference

28:18

with our students to talk about what it is

28:20

that they did well , what they

28:22

didn't do well or areas that they need

28:24

to grow in , and then how , what

28:26

we're going to do to make

28:28

sure that they do grow in the area . That's

28:31

the thing that's important as well . So

28:33

, not just talking about it , but what are

28:35

my next steps ? And so

28:37

, with them and having that conversation

28:39

and them knowing this is what is expected

28:42

of me . This is what I need to focus

28:44

on . This is what I need to practice

28:46

to help me get there is

28:49

what our data talks ends up being about

28:51

. And if , if you're just starting out

28:53

, just start small . Um

28:56

, start with maybe your goal . You

28:58

might not be able to get to see all your students

29:00

on friday , or you might do a rotation

29:03

where you're seeing like five students

29:05

or you know , every so often

29:07

, however it is that allows in your schedule

29:10

um , but

29:12

just start small with having

29:14

that conversation , because once

29:16

they see that you're invested

29:19

, then they're becoming even more

29:21

invested . And , of course , with us

29:23

and third graders , they want to please us and they

29:25

want to make us happy and they want to make us proud

29:28

. And then I'm just extra , because

29:30

then I do all this extra stuff

29:32

when they do meet their goals and even

29:34

if they don't , I still celebrate them

29:36

for the growth that they did . So it's

29:38

just changing your mindset of looking

29:41

at all the great things that they are

29:43

doing and how they're climbing and

29:45

growing , versus so much

29:47

focus on the areas that they need growth in

29:49

.

29:50

Sometimes , Solid , solid

29:52

advice . Now here's

29:55

one last question why

29:59

teach third grade ? You've had , you've had

30:01

a span of experiences

30:03

, but why

30:06

third grade ?

30:09

I chose third grade because I wanted a challenge

30:11

. For us

30:13

in the state of Georgia , third grade

30:15

is the first year where they

30:18

are taking a state test

30:21

and so for me , just personally

30:24

, I was like , okay , I want them to

30:26

feel comfortable , I want them to

30:28

understand that it's okay that

30:30

they already got it and they already know

30:33

it . And so then

30:36

seeing the growth and the happiness

30:38

and the success at the end when

30:40

they do master the skills

30:42

and they score higher than they anticipated

30:45

, and everybody's jumping and our principals

30:47

are excited and our parents are like

30:49

engaged and like , oh my gosh

30:51

, I was so worried , worried . I'm like what you were saying

30:54

, because I was a very good all . So

30:56

just that within itself

30:58

of knowing , hey , this is a challenge and

31:01

I need to get them here , it also

31:03

holds me accountable , but

31:05

they're already going to be prepared anyway

31:07

because it's a reading does that for us

31:09

and it makes it so much easier

31:12

when it's time

31:14

. So that's

31:16

why they're great and they still love

31:18

us . They still love us and I still

31:20

get the notes . So , yeah , that's why they're

31:22

great .

31:24

Well , thank you for that and

31:26

appreciate your time . Thank you for coming

31:28

on Teachers in America and

31:32

having this conversation with me . And guess what

31:34

? We'll be having another conversation with me . And guess what ? We'll be having another conversation

31:36

probably right after this or

31:38

, you know , definitely you know , in the following

31:41

weeks , because pretty much Latonya and I

31:43

get a chance to talk every day and now I

31:45

got to bring her to all of our listeners

31:47

out there to our podcast . So

31:50

, thank you , latonya , have a and

31:52

tell your family . Thank you for letting

31:54

us have a little bit more of your time today .

31:56

I will Thank you for having me .

31:59

Of course , of course , bye , bye

32:01

. If you or someone

32:04

you know would like to be a guest on the Teachers in America

32:06

podcast , please email us at shaped

32:08

at HMHCOcom . Be

32:10

the first to hear new episodes of Teachers

32:13

in America by subscribing on Apple Podcasts

32:15

, spotify or wherever you listen

32:17

to podcasts . If you enjoyed

32:20

today's show , please rate , review

32:22

and share it with your network . You

32:24

can find the transcript of this episode

32:26

on our SHAPE blog by visiting hmhcocom

32:29

. Forward slash SHAPE . The

32:32

link is in the show notes . The

32:34

Teachers in America podcast is a production

32:36

of HMH . Executive producers

32:39

are Christine Condon and Tim Lee . Editorial

32:42

direction is by Christine Condon . It

32:44

is creatively directed and audio

32:46

engineered by Tim Lee . Our

32:48

producer and editor is Jennifer Carujo

32:51

. Production designers

32:53

are Mia Fry and Thomas . Thanks

32:55

again for listening .