Ep. 16 Guest Teacher Chronicles

I'm Lacey Jones, and this is Elevate the Individual Episode 16 Guest Teacher Chronicles. Did you notice the name change? That's right. Lots going on around here. I have officially named this podcast as Elevate the Individual. It's a concept I've been pondering on. And this is episode 16. So I've kind of just been rolling with things, trying to see if that name would ever come to life. Kind of like naming your baby, right? You've got nine months to think about it. Well, I've been thinking about this for 15 episodes now, and we're going to roll with Elevate the Individual. And if my podcast, when it turns 16 years old, decides that it needs to change its name, we can go through the paperwork and do that.

But for now, we're going to let it ride. And there's just been a lot going on around here as I continue to lay the foundation of this business and work on my mission statement and kind of that elevator pitch of what's going on and the work that I'm doing. And I was recently working with a client on some of her business fears as she scales the value that she creates for her clients. And at one point, I showed her that one of her thoughts is kind of the result of her taking a stance and standing firm in it, and that she's going to receive a variety of feedback from others about her stance. Some of it's going to be positive, some of it's going to be negative. But that she knows exactly where she wants to stand and the change she wants to facilitate for her clients, and then the value that she wants to add to this world.

And that's really where the beauty is. So this particular coaching session has been brewing on my mind as I consider the stance that I want to take and the value that I want to create as I seek to facilitate change for my clients and my sphere of influence.

And as I've mentioned in my previous episodes, I've had this little voice in the back of my mind kind of just like nagging at me to support teachers and find ways to buoy them kind of amidst the challenges of the public education system. I also have an overwhelmingly strong pull to strengthen mothers as their children face bigger and bigger challenges in society and school. So I've been doing a lot of pondering on how I can kind of mesh these two spheres together. And from the beginning of my coaching journey, my mission has been to strengthen the individual.

So, for example, take one individual mother as we work together to uncover and strengthen her individual strengths and talents while also noticing and acknowledging and processing areas of concern. She can move forward better, able to lead her children from a more confident state, and she's going to guide them through their challenges in a way that honors who she wants to be as their mom. And as we do this work, we raise a generation of youth that are more emotionally mature and then they launch out into society and create a more positive impact as they develop their individual talents and passions. So it's kind of this snowball effect as we first seek to elevate the individual mother. And that's why my kind of slogan has been raising confident mothers with this idea that raising truly means to elevate. Well, as I've pondered on how I might use my voice to support teachers, I have again gone back to this idea of first elevating the individual.

So if we can support teachers in a way that promotes their own ability to see how truly valuable their individual talents and voices are, I believe we will help to heal the public education system from within. So one teacher, one classroom, one school, one district at a time, no longer waiting for the higher ups and the politicians to do the work for us.

The public education system is in crisis mode and it has been not just as a result of the pandemic, right? The pandemic put a spotlight on many of the weak areas in the system and it broke holes in these failing structures. But with all that being said, there's good news. And the good news is that the solution to the changes needed is already in place. Our teachers are the solution. They are smart, they are talented, they are gifted individuals who have dedicated their lives to creating a better future for society. But they are tired and emotionally drained and rightfully so. They are overworked. They are undersupported. So this kind of brings me to the next puzzle piece in this equation. What if, as mothers, we step up to support the teachers, to provide honest relief in ways that are helpful and supportive of the individual teachers and the educators in our lives? Is this too big of an ask for a group of individuals, these mothers who are also tired, also overworked and under supported? So all of this has been on my mind, but I really believe that through the coaching process that I use with my clients, we can relieve the tired, we can create energy, and we can have these two groups work together to elevate the individual and strengthen the whole.

So as you know, when we choose certain thoughts, our brains are going to start to seek evidence for how they are true. And the past couple of weeks, I've been seeking ways that mothers can support teachers while continuing to nurture and protect their own mental, physical and emotional needs.

And I have seen so many beautiful examples pop up. And as I've been working to share these stories with you on this podcast, it's prompted me to reflect on kind of my own talents and my own skills that I've developed throughout my life to see how I can help in a bigger way. So I mentioned on the last episode that I decided to become a substitute or guest teacher for my school district. And this is something I never thought I would do, but through a series of events, I really felt like it was something I needed to pursue. So this past week I completed all the paperwork with the district, got my fingerprints done and all the official certification process, and I was approved for an emergency substitute certification. And I received that clearance to start subbing late Thursday afternoon. And I just started browsing the district site for guest teacher request. And for the time being, I'm attempting to keep my calendar clear on Thursdays and Fridays so that if needed, I can sub.

And let me be clear, thursday afternoon, I had talked myself out of subbing the next day, on Friday, as a way to kind of recover from an event I had helped to organize and host for the women in our congregation on that Thursday evening. And our family has kind of been recovering from being sick. And I decided that Friday morning was just going to be my morning to chill, to relax, and enjoy the comfort of my bed, because I work from home, so I can just sit there and work, right? And then I was going to go in and teach art in one of my son's classes Friday afternoon.

So when I saw a couple of sub requests pop up at my kids elementary school for Friday, I really did find several ways to justify not taking them right. I would say that I had these excuses. I also had some anxiety about this first day of work and subbing and the unknown. There was a lot of let's say there was a huge need for some self coaching going on. And then Friday morning rolls around and I saw the caller ID at 830 in the morning and realized my justifications weren't going to work because the elementary school was calling me. And I just have to say, bless those individuals who are attempting to fill sub request 45 minutes before the school day starts.

I tried to let those anxieties and the need for a shower get the best of me, but I told myself to just get over it. And I let the person on the other end of the call know that I would be there in 20 minutes. And my dear husband, who had overheard the conversation while helping our younger boys get ready for school, hollered at me. He asked me what I wanted in my lunch, and I slapped on some deodorant, brushed my teeth, pulled my greasy hair back into a ponytail, and I found something to wear to my first day of work outside of the home in 14 years.

So here's what I learned on my first day as a guest teacher. Number one, I continue to figure things out on the fly. Number two, subnotes are everything. Thank you to my dear teacher, for those subnotes. And number three, ask the office ladies how to take attendance and how to run dismissal. When you check in for the day, you'll thank yourself later. Number four, not all sub requests for our school were filled for that day, which means that several teachers had to pitch in to cover for the other teachers who were out.

This means that instead of taking time to plan and prepare and recover and pee and breathe and eat during their prep periods, these teachers volunteered to fill in the gaps. So how do you think that affected their own mental and emotional needs? And how do you think that affected the mental and emotional needs of the students who had multiple teachers in their classroom that day? How do you think that affected their ability and quality of learning that day? Are state mandated tests and the resulting funds accounting for this.

Now, please note that as I highlight these cracks in the system, I mean absolutely no disrespect for the teachers and admins at our school. None. Period. I have nothing but admiration and deep respect for their ability to juggle everything that is thrown at them. And we haven't even talked about rude parents and government regulations, safety concerns, or quirky students yet.

This is not an our district problem. This is a public education and society problem, and we have to work together to solve it. All righty, lesson number five that I learned when in doubt, do art. Everyone can create, and some of the most unruly kids have creative energy just waiting for an outlet. I've seen this in my own voice, and I see it each time I teach art in the classroom. So I'm an art docent for the class that I subbed for, and I had previously canceled an art lesson for that class due to the sickness within our family.

So as I'm subbing, I noticed some gaps in the schedule while the kids were at recess. So I quickly ran to the art room and pulled some liquid watercolors, some watercolor paper, some crayons and brushes to teach the wax resist lesson that I had previously prepared. And we managed to complete the project in steps around the previously prepared items from the teacher. And when I teach art, I encourage my artist to work at a level zero voice, because, yes, I love quiet, and that's how I operate.

But as I tell them, I want their creative energy to travel from their brain to the tip of their paintbrush and not get lost along the way as they open their mouth and chat with their neighbor. And I don't want their neighbor's artistic energy to get used up trying to block out the chattiness instead of creating their masterpiece. Okay, so one of my favorite things to watch is when this wiggly, restless child lights up and is able to channel their energy from their brain through their arm and onto their paper.

Right? It's this beautiful thing, watching what they create when given the opportunity. So now I turn to you, dear, sweet listener. What beautiful thing will you create when given the opportunity? And if the opportunities are not being given to you, how will you go out and create the opportunities? What work do you need to do mentally and emotionally so that you can push yourself outside of your comfort zone to create those opportunities that you want and to use your talents and abilities to be part of the solution? How are you using your resources, whether they be time, money, talents, skills or energy, to improve someone else's world, even just a little bit? Will you join me as we seek to elevate the individual?