For this legislative update of Passing Notes, Todd Gragg and Shari Gately join me to talk all the things happening in the Oklahoma legislature. In this episode we talk about revenue, the April 1st deadline, and classroom funding.
To find our guests, you can follow them on Twitter @MrGragg and @ShariGateley.
One year ago today I announced the beginning of the Passing Notes podcast. Several things have changed on the blog and the podcast since that day! Thank you so much for listening and being apart of the conversation. A huge shout out goes to Jordan Kopf for his incredible graphic design, Jimmy Owens and Design Tunnel studios for helping to improve the quality of audio and providing a beautiful studio space, and to all the wonderful educators and education advocates who have taken the time to answer my questions and share about the incredible work that they do!
Lastly, thank you to my husband for letting me turn our dining room into a make shift studio and for buying me podcasting equipment as requested.
Thanks for listening. Cheers!
The mission of Passing Notes is to support, inform, and encourage educators.
I’m so excited to announce the creation of the #OklaEd Podcast Network. The #OklaEd Podcast Network was created through a collaboration with Michelle Waters with reThinkELA and Scott Haselwood and Erin Barnes with OklaSaid. The #OklaEd Podcast Network was created to link together great #OklaEd podcasts and bloggers to help educators find resources and information. Check it out at www.oklaed.wordpress.com and let us know what you think!
Amy Curran is the Oklahoma executive director of Generation Citizen. She works across the state to bring the programming of Generation Citizen to school districts and to also advocate for strong civics education in our state. You can find Amy on Twitter @amycurranokc.
Generation Citizen is a national organization that works to empower young people to become engaged and effective citizens. In Oklahoma, Generation Citizen partners with local school districts to provide curriculum and training for teachers that actively involves students in civic engagement. You can find Generation Citizen on their website or on Twitter @gencitizen or @GCFeelingOK.
Below are the questions that I prepared to ask Amy Curran for this episode:
This episode was recorded at Design Tunnel Studios.
For the fourth Legislative Update of Passing Notes, Todd Gragg, @MrGragg, of Mid-Del joins the podcast again. In this episode we focus on school entry dates, four-day school weeks, and the potential $1,200 teacher pay raise.
I found out last month that Passing Notes was selected as a Top 25 Teacher Podcast by Feedspot. So excited to be on a list of many great podcasts that are focused on educating, inspiring, and empowering teachers!
For this episode of Passing Notes, I met with Casey Gwinn and Dr. Rick Cobb. Casey Gwinn is an attorney who led the nation in the creating the concept for Family Justice Centers. He is the current president of the Alliance of Hope, developed the model for Camp HOPE, and is the recent co-author of the book Hope Rising. Dr. Rick Cobb is the superintendent of Mid-Del Public Schools and is working to shift they dynamics within the school district and the larger community to support families through a trauma-informed lens.
On January 7, 2019, Dr. Cobb and his leadership team brought Casey Gwinn to speak to the entire district in the morning and community members in the afternoon. Dr. Cobb invited me to join the afternoon session and I wasn’t prepared for such an incredible afternoon of learning. Very thankful that both took them time to visit with me afterwards for this interview!
Below are the questions I prepared for the interview:
For the third legislative update of Passing Notes, Todd Gragg joined the conversation. Todd is an AP History and Economics teacher in Mid-Del Public Schools. In this episode we talk about the teacher shortage, funding, classroom sizes, and what it means to be a top 10 state in education. You can find Todd on Twitter @MrGragg or on his blog: Mr. Gragg.
What is Compassion Fatigue? Secondary Trauma? How does burnout effect my classroom practice? Can a teacher get Post Traumatic Stress Disorder from experiences in the classroom? This growing area of research focused on how the stress of classroom experiences, learning about the trauma of students, and the demands of current mandates and expectations can have an impact on a teacher’s well-being. How do professionals counter the day-to-day and keep coming back? What resources are available to school employees as they work to support their students and families?
Dr. Elliott is a part time school counselor and a part time provider of professional development surrounding trauma-informed practices and compassion fatigue in the Oklahoma City Public School District. Dr. Elliott helps teachers and school professionals to reflect on their experiences and identify what they need to provide quality education and care to the students that they serve.
Below are the questions I prepared to ask Dr. Elliott:
In this second episode of the Legislative Update, I wrap up some of the senate and house bills of interest that were filed by January 17th (the last day to file bills).
All I can say at this point is this is going to be a fascinating legislative session. 1st Regular Session convenes on February 4, 2019. In the past post, I listed the Senate Committee on Education, below you will see the House Committees that focus on education but pay attention to the committee that the bill of interest is assigned to. Let me know your thoughts after listening to the episode and fill out your information in the “Be a Guest” tab to join me for a chat.
Resource: If you haven’t done so already, download the app “Oklahoma’s Legislative Guide” by OAEC.
House Subcommittee for Appropriations and Budget on Education
House Committee on Common Education
House Committee on Children, Youth, and Family Services
House Committee on Higher Education and Career Tech
