April 9, 2024 • 47 mins
Embark on a transformative journey with Holly Nelson, media specialist at Kennedy Community School, as she reveals the secrets behind pioneering school libraries that spark a love for reading and foster innovation in today's tech-savvy students. Over three decades, Holly has seamlessly led the charge in integrating digital tools and evolving traditional computer labs into hubs of creativity. Our heartfelt conversation unwraps the layers of her experience, highlighting the pivotal role of media specialists in guiding young minds towards a blend of imagination and practical tech skills.
Remember the warmth of being read to, the suspense of a well-told story? Holly walks us through how this cherished tradition is getting a tech makeover, blending the nostalgic with the cutting-edge. She explores the enchanting synergy of technology and storytelling, from AI-enhanced experiences to the hands-on joy of physical books. This episode is a treasure trove for educators and parents alike, revealing how we can encourage children to not merely consume, but create and innovate through coding, robotics, and a myriad of digital tools, nurturing a generation of storytellers and tech pioneers.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
The 742 CoffeeCast is your ultimate destination for
insightful conversations,thought-provoking ideas and
innovative strategies in StCloud Area School District.
Your host is Director ofCommunity Engagement and
Communications, tammy DeLand.
Grab a cup of coffee and joinus.
We are here today with HollyNelson, who is a media
(00:31):
specialist at Kennedy CommunitySchool, and we are so glad to
have you with us today, welcome,thank you.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
I have been looking forward to today for a while and
I'm always excited to shareabout what goes on in our
schools.
That's great, that's great.
Speaker 1 (00:44):
We've been waiting for you.
We're very excited to talktoday.
Do you want to start just likewith a brief overview of how
long you've been at Kennedy, howlong in the district, that sort
of thing?
Speaker 2 (00:55):
Yeah, absolutely.
I have a long history with StClaude School District 30 years
so this is my 30th year.
Congratulations 30 years.
So this is my 30th yearCongratulations, thank you and
my 32nd year in education.
So my first seven years were inspecial education and I was a
learning disability teacher inSt Cloud and then I moved into
the third grade classroomposition that I had the entire
(01:18):
time teaching third grade atKennedy.
So I was at the old buildingand then moved over to the new
building and continued teachingthird grade and this is my ninth
year in media.
Speaker 1 (01:29):
And so this question is going to seem very, very,
maybe even silly, but definitelysimple for you, but, honestly,
for our listeners what is amedia specialist?
Does anyone out there?
Speaker 2 (01:45):
know and it's funny that you ask because I was just
talking to someone earlier todaybecause they weren't quite sure
what to call me and sotechnically in Minnesota we are
school librarians, slash mediaspecialists, so we hold both
titles because our professionhas evolved with technology and
(02:06):
so we have taken on thatadditional title, which is fun,
and so we are licensed SLMS.
Speaker 1 (02:13):
More acronyms in the education world?
Right, Just what we needed.
So can you give us an exampleof all of the things that fall
under your umbrella?
We'll come back and talk aboutbooks, but we know that part.
Things that fall under yourumbrella.
We'll come back and talk aboutbooks, but we know that part.
What else falls under yourumbrella?
Speaker 2 (02:29):
I guess we work really hard at making sure
teachers and students haveresources, and so those
resources might be electronicresources and they may be
digital type of tools like iPads, chromebooks, and then we get
into the curriculum and anyonline resources.
So anything that would help ateacher teach and a student
(02:54):
learn we're in charge of, and soit's a pretty big job.
So pretty much the one-to-onedevice management that gets
students with their device intheir hands and on a daily
working basis.
So when that goes awry theyusually come to us, and that
involves teacher devices as well.
So that's the media piece.
(03:14):
We used to manage computer labs.
So that's been replaced byone-to-one devices, which is
great, because the learning thatcan take place outside of the
four walls of a school is allday now, not just when they're
coming to the computer lab, sothere's some amazing advantages.
So those spaces now have beenrepurposed.
Speaker 1 (03:32):
Yeah, I wanted to talk about that too.
Tell us about a makerspace.
Speaker 2 (03:37):
Well, makerspace would be, as someone may say,
that it is kind of the messyroom.
But there is a lot of materialin this room for creating and we
know how studentsdevelopmentally love to build
things, whether it's withcardboard or whatever they can
(03:57):
find.
The hope is, and the dream is,that we will give students those
opportunities to have thathands-on learning and have that
ownership and the collaborationwith others in a space like that
and having the engineeringdesign process being a big part
of what we do.
(04:17):
Through that building process.
We have been able to have twospaces in our school, that one
being the maker space and thenone being the innovation lab.
That has been just a highlightof my time at Kennedy being able
to transform those two spacesthat used to be computer labs
(04:38):
into something very purposeful,and I think that's what media
specialists as school librarians, have really found their niche
in offering these additionalspaces for schools, and it's
kind of fallen underneath ourtitle Very Much.
Speaker 1 (04:56):
Wanted Because you're describing manipulatives, but
also having an environment thatallows, encourages but allows
imagination to take hold.
It's pretty exciting.
I was lucky enough to be out atKennedy.
I remember the day that youlaunched for One.
(05:17):
District One Book this year,and you had the child-sized
hamster tunnels and we startedlaughing because you brought out
all the Zuzu pets.
From what?
When was that?
Early 90s?
Yes, so your job title themiddle name is almost creativity
or innovation.
Right, because you're dreamingthis up.
Speaker 2 (05:39):
Yes, and I don't know any other job where you can
just kind of play and besurrounded by books all day long
.
So sign me up right, it's aperfect fit for you.
I just have always had thatcreative desire inside to create
and do things with kids and tobring that love of books and
love of learning and justremembering that they're kids,
(06:06):
just remembering that they'rekids.
They want to come into a spacethat probably wasn't or isn't
anymore a traditional type oflibrary setting that I grew up,
the library was my favoriteplace to go as a child and I
wanted to create a space withthat same feeling.
And I think that our society isdifferent than it was when I
was growing up and to realizethat students need and have
different needs and wants thanprobably what we had from a
(06:28):
library, and so that fun, lovingkind of feeling that you get
from a library where everybodyis welcome.
Speaker 1 (06:35):
And talk a little bit about that connection, because
obviously it's so much fun youknow having hamster tunnels that
you can, and you even said youclimbed through one.
That's obviously fun.
But talk about the connectionbetween creating that
environment and the spark for achild to read.
Speaker 2 (06:54):
I think that any time you can pull kids in and think
outside of the box with theirimagination, they then feel
encouraged to think that way aswell.
So pulling the tunnels andstretching them out in the
library and trying to make ahuman hamster cage for Humphrey
for the month demonstrates, likemodels to them, that even when
(07:15):
you're old like me, you canstill be creative and share that
and celebrate that.
When they come into the libraryit's not just about finding a
book, it's about a place whereyou feel I'm a kid and they
recognize that I'm a kid.
This is going to be a fun placeto hang out.
And it all really started myfirst year that I started in the
(07:36):
media center nine years ago.
The first book was Mr Popper'sPenguin, and I turned to the
media para and I said you maythink I might be a little bit
crazy, but I want to build anigloo out of milk jugs for the
book.
And are you in?
And she said okay, and ithappened to just be a really
(07:57):
good friend of mine as well.
So I said thanks for alwaysjumping into the crazy world of
my imagination.
Speaker 1 (08:04):
And you built it, didn't you we?
Speaker 2 (08:05):
did, we did, and it's one of my favorite memories.
And of course, then I had tocontinue that by building quite
the structure.
It was a rocket and I built itout of egg cartons and yeah.
So every year it's somethingand it was really fun.
This year I was worried aboutit being too simple, but I've
learned that simple can still bereally, really fun if you think
(08:26):
like a child.
Speaker 1 (08:27):
Speaking as a former English teacher, tell me about
kids and books.
Right now we hear so much aboutoh you know, they're just wired
into technology.
Nobody reads anymore.
That's a narrative, right.
That's kind of on a loop.
Is that what you see?
No, I don't.
Speaker 2 (08:45):
I really see children wanting to physically hold a
book and there's a lot ofresearch that shows that
physical involvement of turninga page, tracking on a page,
looking at the pictures and theartistry that has gone into
illustrations of books hasreally been phenomenal and I've
(09:06):
watched it change over mylifetime, and I know that
because every once in a while Ifind a little gem that's hidden
from my weeding that has beenmissed, and you look at it and
you think, wow, that is just notthe style anymore.
It's so vibrant and theprinting presses that have been
involved with producingliterature in the print form is
(09:28):
just is phenomenal.
Speaker 1 (09:30):
That's so reassuring Like I said, as a former English
teacher and a reader myself, tohear that no kids are, and
that's certainly been myexperiments with children.
Give a child a book and theyare going to turn those pages,
they are going to, you know,look for that language and look
for that art.
But you are also so innovative,even when it comes to books,
(09:55):
and I don't know if you knowthat.
I know this, but I am going togo to.
How are you using AI,artificial intelligence, to
bring kids into reading?
Speaker 2 (10:06):
Well, there is an app that I'm in love with called
Novel Effect.
What it does is it takes thatexperience to the listener.
On another level, I love totell stories.
I grew up with a dad tellingstories.
Speaker 1 (10:21):
Me too.
Speaker 2 (10:22):
And we have Buck the Bear story in our family telling
stories, and we have Buck theBear story in our family and my
dad, whenever we were in the car, was here comes the next
chapter of Buck the Bear.
No matter where we drove, buckthe Bear story came out.
But we didn't have electronicdevices.
I had a Walkman with tapes andwe listened to music.
I love listening to my dad tellstories and so and I love
(10:42):
reading out loud to childrenespecially, and when I saw the
technology piece, not as abarrier but an opportunity to
embrace what is available fortechnology, modeling it in a way
of something very useful forkids to connect with the
literature that I'm reading outloud.
Our students, I think, are veryinundated with a lot of
(11:03):
technology.
I love technology.
That's the other half of my job, that's right, and I love that.
But there's a place and a timefor that and I do talk to them.
There are times that I willread a book on my Kindle and
it's mostly because I'mtraveling and I don't want this
huge heavy book.
But I tell them how much Ienjoy holding a book.
(11:24):
I love the smell of the bookand one of my most fond memories
of being a media specialist wasactually happened this fall and
it was the first time that thisparticular class was coming
into library.
And this little girl said Ijust love the smell of this
place.
Speaker 1 (11:42):
Oh, that's great.
Speaker 2 (11:44):
And I just thought well, I'm glad it smells good to
you.
You always wonder you knowyou're in a school full of
children, wonders the smells.
But I said I know it's myfavorite smell too of a new book
, and so I try to remember thatbecause there is that emotional
connection that you can have tothe printed book, but also the
(12:05):
need for having that technology.
I sometimes correlate it todriving, that I prefer having my
phone on the dash with the GPSversus the map, and I show them
a map.
This is how we got around.
And they're like what, and theywere flabbergasted Like that's
got to be dangerous.
Looking at a map while you'redriving.
(12:26):
I said, well, yeah, similar tolooking at your phone, probably
too.
Just, you know, embracing thatand not being afraid.
And I've never been afraid oftechnology and I do think that
is also something that you getfrom your parents.
At times my dad was a hugetechnology buff, like we had the
first, you know, atari Ponggame and the VCR.
We got a VCR and I grew up innorthern Minnesota and the only
(12:48):
place you could rent VCR tapeswas in Roseville, minnesota.
So we would go to the cities toget a ton of VCR tapes and then
a couple weeks later bring themback.
So I know that that love oftechnology, you know, is kind of
instilled because I watched mydad enjoy it, so that may be a
part of it.
I did really embrace it with thebooks, the AI.
(13:10):
It listens to my voice and whenI read the book it has voice
recognition software and it willgenerate the sound that
correlates with the word and itwill bring the story alive.
And I love to do voices andI've told the students that a
lot of times.
I'm going to have my littlespeaker and I have this little
miniature audio pet speaker andit's a unicorn and its name is
(13:35):
Uni and they often will askwhere's Uni?
And I said, well, you get MrsNelson today for the sound
effects, because not all booksare in there, but this app has
absolutely expanded itsrepertoire of what's available.
Now I will pick a book thatwill be engaging but could
really use those extra soundeffects, and that's what I read
(13:57):
today was Tap the Magic Tree.
Speaker 1 (14:00):
Just to describe this .
So you're reading the text, butAI is supplementing with voices
Like are they other characters?
Speaker 2 (14:09):
Yes, sometimes there can be other voices, like today,
certain words that I would saywould trigger sounds of a bird.
Speaker 1 (14:16):
Okay, sure.
Speaker 2 (14:17):
This book was highly interactive.
Where you're tapping the bookand the kids would pretend to
tap the book with me, the soundswould come.
It was a very simple book thatbecame very magical.
Speaker 1 (14:29):
I was just going to say magic, right?
Speaker 2 (14:31):
And it all ties in.
Every book that I choose has apurpose and I usually tie it
into my computer sciencestandards because I can relate a
lot of what happens in thestructures of stories to
computer science and some peoplethink what are you talking
about?
But kids understand stories.
Sure, if you can start at thatbasic level and you can explain
(14:55):
how things all around us relateto the language of machines.
This is a huge part of theirlife and it will only continue
to become more and more so wehave to embrace that and learn
with them.
Speaker 1 (15:08):
And this is really a perfect segue, because I really
wanted to ask you today another.
Another little birdie told meall about your coding program,
so that technology side of yourjob description has really come
in handy.
Tell me about this program.
It sounds so exciting.
(15:30):
How did it come about?
What's up with it?
Speaker 2 (15:32):
What's really been a passion of mine.
My view about technology andchildren is we often are
consumers of technology and weknow that children are way more
creative than that.
We know that we don't stand infront of them and just deliver
information.
We know that's not how childrenlearn developmentally.
(15:54):
Often I wonder why collegestudents sit through hours and
hours of lectures how we did itthey have not gotten the memo
yet.
Up there at higher ed, they canlearn a lot from us.
But anyways, I know that kidswant to be engaged with things
and when I look at what they'reexposed to all day long, it's a
(16:14):
lot of electronics.
So let's use that interest andreally engage them and become
creators and become innovators.
They're going to make adifference in their own life and
other people's lives with thattype of thinking.
A lot of times it'smisunderstood that oh, you just
do robots.
And the forefront of my thinkingand my lessons and the things
(16:38):
that I do with students ispurely on the aspect of building
problem solvers, developingcritical thinking skills and
really thinking outside of thebox and then also being a
collaborator of information.
And that has to start at areally young age and we know
that kindergartners coming intoour schools, you know they like
(17:00):
to talk and they like to be withtheir friends.
Yeah, let's use those, thosechildlike desires, to our
benefit for teaching them to bereally creators, designers of
our world.
Designer versus consumer.
I like that, I love technologyand I do consume a lot of
(17:21):
technology myself.
I love creating.
I know when I get on like today, I just was excited because I'm
looking to do a lesson nextweek with the very impatient
caterpillar book, which ishilarious by the way, and how am
I going to incorporate thatwith our technology?
Speaker 1 (17:42):
And that's how young you start, right?
Oh yeah, you start with babies.
Yeah, I mean, that's amazing.
Speaker 2 (17:50):
And what I've watched them do today will blow your
mind.
They really are smart.
They really can do some prettycomplex things.
They're problem solving,they're critical thinking.
Today, the way they connectedthe story, the story was tap a
magic tree.
What happens is the discussionof the book of the cycle, the
life cycle of a tree, and I'mlike that's a pattern.
(18:12):
They're like yes.
And then I say, like in math,when you do patterns, do you do
A B patterns?
They're like, yeah, now we do A, b, c patterns.
And I said, well, the lifecycle of a tree is like that.
It has these set things that itdoes.
And then we talked about howthe tree will have its leaves,
it'll get its blossoms, andthat's what they're learning in
kindergarten.
Speaker 1 (18:32):
Layering In their classroom, layering of learning,
yeah, just that constant.
Speaker 2 (18:36):
And then, when we're all done, I said now this
happens with all apple trees, sohow could we code that?
Nature has coded them to dothis?
And I said that is like whenwe're computer coding, when
we're working in the innovationlab, and we're coding a machine
and we leave out something andit doesn't work, we have to
(18:56):
debug it.
They're like, oh yeah, thewhole concept of the story and
weaving that literature pieceinto the technology and the
understanding brings it to thatlevel of picturing something,
being able to really criticallythink about that.
So we get into the innovationlab then today, after that, and
(19:17):
we do loops.
If you know much about computerscience, loops is a repeated
pattern.
So instead of repeating adirection forward, backwards,
turn right.
That would be something that wecould repeat many, many times.
So we wouldn't want to do thatsame code over and over and over
again, writing all of that out.
(19:38):
We would do it one time and putit into.
If this happens, we're gonna dothis this many times and they
understand that.
It amazes me that they arelearning loops of computer
science in kindergarten, and somy whole hope is that we build
that capacity.
(19:59):
My kindergartners from last yearnow are first graders and they
use a different tool and it's amouse that we code, and that
mouse then we take then the nextlevel, and so really
understanding those computerscience standards is important.
I'm constantly looking at, ok,what's the next level, what
skill are we going to build?
(20:19):
Because I don't.
I'm not a computer scientist.
I mean, I've had to learn withthem and I think that is so
meets my needs, because I amalways a learner and teachers
are learners all the time, andit satisfies my desire for that
continual learning.
So I'm excited because then,when we get to second grade and
(20:41):
this is a new robot this yearand it's the Indy that is the
robot, gene Voight and I said tothem last spring I said are you
willing to go down this crazyroad with me?
And they said okay, and theykind of they blindly go into it
because I think they trust methat I'm not going to, you know,
(21:02):
do something that is not goingto have great purpose.
It's been just really amazingexperience to watch these kids
go from kindergarten, firstgrade to second grade and see
what they do.
And their excitement is amazing.
Speaker 1 (21:18):
You know, listening to you and all those multiple
hats that you wear, I mean Icould almost put the CTE hat on
you, Because listening to youand this process and the
layering of learning, as we callit a cohort, as the children go
on, that is very purposefultoward our college and career
(21:44):
goals.
Also, and again we're talkingabout five and six-year-olds If
you ask average five orsix-year-old oh, what do you
want to be?
Is Cody or what comes up now,Like that's not the normal
answer.
But look at what you're doing.
You're building a foundation.
Do you ever think about?
Speaker 2 (22:02):
that I do a lot actually because I want kids to
be those critical thinkers, Iwant them to be the problem
solvers and I want them to takethat into whatever profession.
I do not have my forefront goalto be producing computer
scientists, right?
(22:23):
Sure, yeah, that would be a funresult of what we're doing,
because we need them.
I tell the kids too, a lot oftimes and teachers will hear me
say this when they come into theinnovation lab all jobs use
this critical thinking skillAbsolutely, and I tell them that
one of the main things is to beable to collaborate with each
(22:45):
other to get along.
And so today my objectivewasn't even necessarily the
coding today and that skillthat's a great result but
collaborating with each other.
One was in charge of the robot,one was in charge of the iPad,
and then it was deciding whatthe code was going to be.
(23:05):
And so that very structuredapproach to it where all kids
know that their input is goingto be included and that they
have a job when they're doing it, and then they're having fun.
They don't even realize, yeah.
Speaker 1 (23:37):
Right, yeah, right, but I tell them, electricians
need to be problem solvers.
What you're describing iscomplex thinking which is going
to get them anywhere and in anysituation we recently had.
I don't know if you were ableto hear it or not, but we
recently had three young womenfrom tech who do the morning
(23:58):
show and they were absolutelydelightful and I asked them
because they did a very good jobof not just talking about their
exciting projects but talkingabout process and they talked
about the hard parts, theytalked about editing.
They all agreed, oh, editingright.
Any of us who've done this workwe know that's like three, four
(24:19):
times the amount of work toactually do the recording.
But so I asked them, becausethey all were really, really
thoughtful about the process.
I asked them.
I said so, tell me about yourfuture, what are you going to be
?
And you know, not one of thoseyoung women is interested in a
broadcasting career, inproduction not one of them.
(24:42):
But they were very self-awarethat the skills that they were
learning doing the Tech MorningShow, video editing,
interviewing, collaborating as ateam to put out a story One of
the young women did adocumentary on her own.
They were very aware that, nomatter what they chose to be,
(25:05):
this was going to help them andI was really blown away by that.
And that's exactly what you'redescribing, but with much
younger kids.
Speaker 2 (25:14):
Yeah, definitely.
They will hear me say many,many times if you ask them when
do you learn the most?
And they said when you makemistakes and you fail.
And that really is the truth.
Computer science requires a lotof perseverance and critical
thinking, requires that reallykind of stick to it kind of
(25:35):
attitude and working out aproblem.
And we do have students thatreally have they feel very
uncomfortable with mistakes andfailure.
Speaker 1 (25:44):
I was just going to ask tell me about confidence now
, Huge.
Speaker 2 (25:47):
I can't tell you anything that is better than
watching a student solve aproblem with their code,
realizing that it took them along time and just encouraging
them.
Say, do you feel frustrated?
And I will model that.
I will say I'm frustrated rightnow because I can't figure this
(26:11):
out and sometimes we have towalk away.
So they know, if they get intoa situation where they're
frustrated and they can't followthe cold way where they're
going to be safe, kind andresponsible, they have an
opportunity to just go outsideof the innovation lab, sit in a
chair and just come back whenthey're ready.
And I said that's okay, that'spart of being a human and
(26:34):
frustration is an emotion, andthat's the smart choice it is,
and anger and frustration, butthen it's what we do with all of
that.
You may experience that, butyou're going.
What we do with all of that.
You may experience that, butyou're going to remember how you
solved that problem for a verylong time.
And I love having the approachto have them teaching others and
(26:55):
so being with students.
That needs a little bit oftheir own mentoring and that
they are able to do that andshare that and that's confidence
building.
It is.
Speaker 1 (27:05):
Yeah, to be able to help, to be able to teach
someone else yeah.
Speaker 2 (27:09):
It's pretty amazing.
Speaker 1 (27:10):
Holly, I'm wondering we're so lucky I'm listening to
you and we're just so luckyyou're here.
I'm listening to you and I'mjust wondering a little bit more
about your story how you gotfrom that third grade classroom.
How did you get here?
Speaker 2 (27:29):
Well, you know, it's interesting because it started.
The computer science piecestarted probably about 10 years
ago, but really it goes back areally long time ago.
I remember being a third gradeteacher at the old Kennedy ago.
I remember being a third gradeteacher at the old Kennedy and I
(27:50):
wanted a way for kids to directtheir own learning, being their
director per se.
I never wanted, or I wouldnever fall into that thinking of
well, you only have onecomputer, what can you do?
I'm like, well, look at whatApple was built on one computer
in a garage.
So you're only limited by thelimitations you create.
So I would embrace everyopportunity that I could.
(28:13):
And so the web quest then movedon to podcasts.
We had a podcast of thirdgraders that then they shared
that with families through email, and that was a long time ago.
That was probably in.
Well, it was before we movedinto the new building and the
kids loved it.
And when we got into the newbuilding and those smart boards
(28:38):
blew my mind because if anybodyknew how my classroom looked in
the old building, I made my ownsmart board and they thought,
what is she doing?
And I had a projector thatwasn't being used.
It was a portable projector,which in itself was amazing.
And Dwayne Hagen.
I remember Dwayne.
Speaker 1 (28:56):
Oh, I love Dwayne.
Speaker 2 (28:58):
It was kind of my mentor and I said, dwayne, I
have a crazy idea again.
And I'm sure whenever I cameinto his office he's like, oh, I
think I got to go get morecoffee or something.
Here she comes with anothercrazy idea.
But he just was really good atencouraging and I still
communicate with him and he said, yeah, if nobody's using that
projector, let's put it on acart.
And I had purchased with my ownmoney the MacBook Pro, the
(29:22):
first one that came out, and itweighed a lot.
I'm just telling you it is.
They've really improved, I'mjust saying.
And I turned every story in theWonders curriculum into a
keynote.
Oh my gosh, every single storywas a keynote presentation and I
had hyperlinks.
(29:43):
Nobody really knew what thatwas.
Speaker 1 (29:44):
I do I remember and I had hyperlinks.
Nobody really knew what thatwas.
I do I remember and I puthyperlinks into that.
Did you use Hyperstudio?
Speaker 2 (29:50):
Do you remember that?
Oh yeah, hyperstudio.
Yeah, it's crazy, I forgotabout that one.
Speaker 1 (29:54):
Early animation yeah.
Speaker 2 (29:56):
I just wanted to interact with kids and have all
of those resources in one placeimmediately, and so I projected
that onto the pull down screen,which was in front of a
chalkboard.
So it had every oxymoron thatyou could.
I mean oh, you're killing me,that's hilarious.
Chalkboard and chalk, and thenwe had a screen, but then we had
(30:19):
this makeshift.
So it was this conglomerate ofcrazy ideas that I was always
looking for something new, and Ithink that's what made it very
natural for me to move into themedia world.
The school library.
Speaker 1 (30:33):
It doesn't sound like it was a very big jump.
Speaker 2 (30:35):
It was not and it just like fell into my lap at.
You know, there's just there's.
We all are on this journey thatwe don't always know what roads
and it just they work out.
And Chris Erickson was a greathelp at the beginning too.
Speaker 1 (30:48):
When was he a media?
Speaker 2 (30:49):
specialist.
He was a media specialist, yep,and then Paul Olson, and Paul
was great and us as a group isfun.
I wish we had more timetogether, because we have.
We all have so many amazingthings too.
I by no means am the onlyperson that's got the corner
market on fun ideas in 742 withmedia specialists, so moving
(31:10):
into that new building justreally jump-started my love of
technology and probably my mostmemorable last type of
technology thing that I did withmy third graders was I used
augmented reality, if you knowmuch about augmented reality,
where you superimpose like avideo action on top of a still
type of shot, and so I wouldtake a picture of the students
(31:33):
and videotape them explainingtheir life if they lived in a
snow globe.
When the parents came toconferences, I had an iPad and I
had one iPad Just one.
And it was an iPad that I bought.
They're standing at theirchild's locker.
They scan this picture of theirchild looking like they're in a
snow globe.
Because I went in to the mediacenter and I said, can I borrow
(31:54):
one of your really big windows?
And I turned it into a snowglobe.
I took, made the kids gooutside and took a picture of
them inside the library, so itlooked like they were in a snow
globe and I was like, again,knowing my crazy ideas, they
were okay with it.
But the parents then scannedthat with the AR app and all of
a sudden the screen lit up withtheir child telling them a story
.
And it's just so.
Speaker 1 (32:15):
It's just so fun, it's just it was one iPad, and
so engaging, just so engaging.
You know, there there's anotherelement, as I'm listening to
you, that I think is of criticalimportance.
I hear your ideas spool out,and that's curiosity.
Talk about curiosity studentshave.
Speaker 2 (32:40):
They're just bursting with curiosity.
That's childhood, andunfortunately, as adults we
become less and less curious.
That's why I think probably whyI love being with kids, because
sometimes I feel maybe a littlebit too curious as an adult,
but then I have an outlet though, so that's my favorite part of
(33:01):
my job is just watching kids andfiguring out what they like to
learn about.
I went into this crazyadventure a couple years ago
when I started the Girls whoCode, and it really started with
the Super Bowl commercial ofGirls who Code, and I had read
about the woman that startedthis in New York City that she
was able to get a Super Bowlcommercial as a nonprofit blew
(33:25):
my mind.
She's innovative.
She has figured out how to getthis ad.
I want to know what she's allabout, and the more and more
that I read about her, the moreand more that I understand about
computer science.
There is a group, mentor group,that is, a cohort that meets
during the school year that youapply for.
(33:46):
It's called Code Savvy, andCode Savvy is a nonprofit
organization that pays off ofcomputer science for all, which
is a national organization.
The Code Savvy brings teachersvoluntarily together on
Saturdays throughout the schoolyear and we explore computer
(34:07):
science.
We explore how we incorporate,integrate computational thinking
into what we're doing withstudents and this group has
grown and grown and grown andthe leader and the founder of
that is Andrea Vesquez and sheis now works for the Department
of Education as our computerscience person Well that that
(34:29):
feels good, doesn't it yeah, and.
Andrea is amazing and so she hastaken this grassroots movement
and just really knows howimportant it is to the state of
Minnesota.
Students that we need this,really excited for the standards
because I know how importantthey are and the reason why I
chose the Girls who Code isthere is just very little female
(34:52):
representation.
That is in the computer scienceworld and I explained to
students, girls and adults whenthey ask why not boys and I said
that's mostly who's in computerscience.
And adults, when they ask whynot boys and I said that's
mostly who's in computer science, they don't really need
encouragement and I know growingup not seeing females in
certain professions.
Speaker 1 (35:11):
It just makes a difference.
We know it.
Speaker 2 (35:14):
And I know that in our literature you need to be
able to see yourself in a bookand that's our job as school
librarians is to make sure thatwe have literature.
We're all students when theywalk in that library.
It's our job to make sure thatthey can see themselves in a
book.
It goes for the same forprofessions.
To think back, there were nofemale physicians.
(35:35):
My dad was a physician andthere were no female physicians.
They were secretaries in hisoffice or nurses.
Speaker 1 (35:42):
I was going to say, or if you were interested in
medicine, you could be a nurse,Right right and it just wasn't a
common thing.
Speaker 2 (35:49):
And now I look now and wow, my youngest, she's 20
and she goes.
I'm going to be a PA mom andthey love science and I love
science and that curiosity ofwhy does that happen?
I want to know more and I'vegot so many childhood stories of
myself and my children of howcuriosity has really once in a
(36:11):
while gotten the best of us.
But has been just you old and Iknow my oldest who's in the
medical field.
He came home in fifth grade andthey dissected eyeballs.
He explained to me that is thecoolest thing I've ever seen in
my life.
Speaker 1 (36:31):
And.
Speaker 2 (36:32):
I got to do something like that.
We really do have an incrediblejob to spark that curiosity and
I think I see so much of thatwhen I deal with the computer
science piece.
Because of that curiosity andthen just that love of learning.
You're always a learner and Iwant kids to remember that, I
(36:53):
guess, and see the leadershipskills that come with the girls
who code.
Some of my students haveexpressed this strong desire to
teach others and I'm thinkingyou could be a teacher someday.
They love to go in and sharewhat they're doing and teach
their friends in class.
We've been doing that for thelast two years and it's not even
(37:13):
just the computer science.
We have VR headsets thathaven't really gone off the
charger a whole lot.
I'm like, okay, what can I do?
Because it's a great tool.
All of these pieces oftechnology are tools and how we
can integrate them and have itbe very purposeful, and I
thought it can be kind of scaryfor teachers technology because
we have so much that we have todo and how do you really truly
(37:37):
integrate that is, don't do more, just do it differently.
Speaker 1 (37:41):
Going back to curiosity, I think technology
becomes that two-sided coinright.
Because technology is soprevalent now, technology can
actually squelch curiosity rightAfter a while.
Speaker 2 (37:56):
I believe so.
Speaker 1 (37:57):
And so the intentionality that you're
describing, that's thedifference, and reminding kids
that they're kids and oh yeah,you want to know why.
Right, and you're right, that'san innate thing.
Speaker 2 (38:11):
Right.
They just crave that.
They crave that need to create.
It's not surprising that an applike TikTok exploded because
you consume.
But they get tired of that.
They want to create and what dothey do?
It's for better and worse, theycreate, and so let's take that
(38:32):
passion and have it purposefulUse that.
Giving kids a voice is such agreat tool for older students.
They want to be heard and theywant to have a say.
There's just so many tools andI think the more tools we have
in our toolbox and some are morescary than others One of the
challenges of my job sometimesis I know how awesome it is and
(38:55):
I feel comfortable with that.
I also feel comfortable withthings not going exactly how we
plan them.
We get into a lesson and I'mokay with not knowing all of it.
Speaker 1 (39:08):
That's a vulnerability.
Right Like that you're okaywith it is key because you have
to be willing to be able to stubyour toe and not have things go
right sometimes.
Speaker 2 (39:19):
So I really want teachers to know that we don't
expect them to be perfect whenwe're using these tools and to
reach out and ask for help oreven you know, let me lead the
way and you hop on for the ride.
And I think that's what I'veseen happening in the last two,
three years with some of thethings that I've done.
Kennedy is a great environmentto have.
(39:41):
Some of our older students willcome at times Like today.
We had two upper level gradestudents come and help out the
second graders today and they'relearning right alongside them.
Speaker 1 (39:52):
And I bet they love it.
Speaker 2 (39:54):
They do.
And then they see those kids inthe hallway and they're like
that gives them a purpose to begood role models.
They're looking up to me.
I have this relationship withthem.
It's all about thoserelationships.
I have, in my opinion, the bestjob, because I get them from
kindergarten all the way toeighth grade, and it's that
(40:14):
maybe not as once they get toeighth grade are they always
that they become teenagers.
We know We've been around longenough to know they aren't the
same little kindergartner thatwanted to give you a hug,
goodbye.
But they still have that littleglimmer in their eye where they
know like, yeah, this is a coolplace.
Speaker 1 (40:34):
I'm really glad you went in this direction, because
before having you in today, Irewatched a video that we did
quite a few years ago, and youdid a video for us about being a
media specialist.
Speaker 2 (40:47):
I forgot about that.
Speaker 1 (40:49):
And I was listening before you came and you talk in
that video about being a part ofthis really special Kennedy
community.
What is it that you think helpsmake Kennedy such a special
place to learn and to teach you?
Speaker 2 (41:09):
know that K-8 feel we see students for a lot longer.
There's different perspectivesthat are shared.
When you have elementary andsecondary, they see how students
start out and we get to seewhere they end up, because they
often leave elementary schooland we don't get to have those
relationships down the road.
Secondary is a big leap Yep, itis, and I think that at times
(41:34):
can be very challenging for usbut also be a blessing at the
same time.
I've watched a lot of teacherscome and go and I've watched
some of my very best friendsretire and say, oh, I miss them.
And then you get this newteacher and I talked to one of
(41:54):
them today and I said, hey, doyou want to do this with me?
And you kind of look for theones that are okay to be guinea
pigs with you.
I'm like, do you want to dothis with me?
And you kind of look for theones that are okay to be guinea
pigs with you.
I'm like, do you want to buildlike a virtual field trip for
your students, since you're notgoing on one this year?
And she's like, yeah, becauseshe lit up.
And I'm like, oh, I love those22 and 23-year-olds.
(42:18):
That's right, come into mymaker's face, come, come.
I feel like a wizard, follow me.
But I do.
I get really, I get excited.
I get people say nobody's goinginto teaching and I say, well,
I think you said that to thewrong person.
I said because my daughter's 23and she's student teaching
(42:41):
right now and you ask her whatdo you want to do?
She goes I just want to be withsecond or third graders, and is
it a hard job?
Absolutely.
She'll call me and I can tellin her voice this was a
challenging day today, wasn't it?
She goes, yep, but I can bethere for her.
She can call and tell me.
This is what happened.
(43:02):
We'll be a little emotionaltogether.
I'm kind of an emotional person, if anybody, if you know me,
and I'll say that's right,tomorrow's a new day.
People say everything you needto learn, you learn in
kindergarten, my first year ofteaching.
Everything you need to learn,you learn in your first year of
what to do and what not to do.
And my first year of teaching,I was an EBD teacher in a K-12
(43:24):
school in a very rural area ofMinnesota, so you were
everything.
I was everything to everybody.
And so I tell her you're goingto have those days, don't throw
in the towel and make sure youhave good work-life balance.
And she has some fabuloushobbies and she loves what she
(43:44):
has in store for her and she'sso ready and teaching changes
and people say, oh, it's sodifficult.
But you know what Kids are kidsthey're curious.
You love that piece of the job.
Then you'll be around for areally long time if you can keep
that love of learning and thatcuriosity and be able to see
(44:04):
that in kids.
And we wouldn't be here withoutthe teachers we had.
So it's a very honorableprofession.
It's a very difficultprofession but it is just so
worth it and I'm glad that.
Speaker 1 (44:18):
I don't think you could imagine doing anything
else.
Speaker 2 (44:21):
No, no Because.
Speaker 1 (44:23):
I may be reading audio.
There you go.
Speaker 2 (44:25):
Audio books.
I told you, yes, thismicrophone is really impressive.
This is this has got me renewedagain.
Speaker 1 (44:30):
Well, there you go, you've got your, you've got your
second wave in retirement.
Speaker 2 (44:36):
I think so.
I think so.
You know, you just never stoplearning, no matter how old you
are.
And I picked up.
I had a health event inNovember and decided that I
needed something to do in theevening relaxing.
And I picked up embroidery andI thought, well, I'm not going
to go find who's going to teachme how to do it.
Of course you do.
Speaker 1 (44:59):
Do you know how I knew to fill that in my daughter
?
Speaker 2 (45:02):
My daughter taught herself to knit on YouTube there
you go and again I think aboutwhat our kids can learn now from
technology.
It's just, it's amazing that Ihave this hobby that I'm so
passionate about now, andthere's no fear.
Speaker 1 (45:19):
No, I can't imagine myself.
You're much fear.
No, like I can't imagine myself.
You're much braver than I am.
I can't imagine myself sittingdown with a youth.
I would be so intimidated.
And yeah, same same thing.
There's no fear.
No, there is, I can learn in myliving room.
Speaker 2 (45:35):
It's amazing and I think we we forget about these
kids.
You know I call them kids.
They're in their 20s.
You know that they have that attheir disposal.
None of them.
All the kids that we've lived,that are living right now in
schools, have never They'venever been without it.
They haven't, and so we maythink, oh, in the olden days, or
we can't live backwards, wehave to live, live forward, and
(45:58):
even when it's scary.
I just know that when myhusband and our oldest daughter
can YouTube how to fix the boatmotor last summer and pull it
out of the water and put in adifferent little piece in the
lower unit and they figured itout on YouTube.
There's a lot of hope out there.
Speaker 1 (46:19):
That's right.
A lot of hope.
Well, holly, I thank you forall you do and thanks for coming
today, and this is our veryspecial gift for all of us.
We have a very Isn't that cute?
It's so cute.
Do you have a great podcastidea?
(46:40):
Submit your idea tocommunications at isd742.org,
and thank you for listening to742 CoffeeCast, the best place
to stay informed and be inspiredby St Cloud Area School
District.
Thank you.
The 742 CoffeeCast is your ultimate destination for
insightful conversations,thought-provoking ideas and
innovative strategies in StCloud Area School District.
Your host is Director ofCommunity Engagement and
Communications, tammy DeLand.
Grab a cup of coffee and joinus.
We are here today with HollyNelson, who is a media
(00:31):
specialist at Kennedy CommunitySchool, and we are so glad to
have you with us today, welcome,thank you.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
I have been looking forward to today for a while and
I'm always excited to shareabout what goes on in our
schools.
That's great, that's great.
Speaker 1 (00:44):
We've been waiting for you.
We're very excited to talktoday.
Do you want to start just likewith a brief overview of how
long you've been at Kennedy, howlong in the district, that sort
of thing?
Speaker 2 (00:55):
Yeah, absolutely.
I have a long history with StClaude School District 30 years
so this is my 30th year.
Congratulations 30 years.
So this is my 30th yearCongratulations, thank you and
my 32nd year in education.
So my first seven years were inspecial education and I was a
learning disability teacher inSt Cloud and then I moved into
the third grade classroomposition that I had the entire
(01:18):
time teaching third grade atKennedy.
So I was at the old buildingand then moved over to the new
building and continued teachingthird grade and this is my ninth
year in media.
Speaker 1 (01:29):
And so this question is going to seem very, very,
maybe even silly, but definitelysimple for you, but, honestly,
for our listeners what is amedia specialist?
Does anyone out there?
Speaker 2 (01:45):
know and it's funny that you ask because I was just
talking to someone earlier todaybecause they weren't quite sure
what to call me and sotechnically in Minnesota we are
school librarians, slash mediaspecialists, so we hold both
titles because our professionhas evolved with technology and
(02:06):
so we have taken on thatadditional title, which is fun,
and so we are licensed SLMS.
Speaker 1 (02:13):
More acronyms in the education world?
Right, Just what we needed.
So can you give us an exampleof all of the things that fall
under your umbrella?
We'll come back and talk aboutbooks, but we know that part.
Things that fall under yourumbrella.
We'll come back and talk aboutbooks, but we know that part.
What else falls under yourumbrella?
Speaker 2 (02:29):
I guess we work really hard at making sure
teachers and students haveresources, and so those
resources might be electronicresources and they may be
digital type of tools like iPads, chromebooks, and then we get
into the curriculum and anyonline resources.
So anything that would help ateacher teach and a student
(02:54):
learn we're in charge of, and soit's a pretty big job.
So pretty much the one-to-onedevice management that gets
students with their device intheir hands and on a daily
working basis.
So when that goes awry theyusually come to us, and that
involves teacher devices as well.
So that's the media piece.
(03:14):
We used to manage computer labs.
So that's been replaced byone-to-one devices, which is
great, because the learning thatcan take place outside of the
four walls of a school is allday now, not just when they're
coming to the computer lab, sothere's some amazing advantages.
So those spaces now have beenrepurposed.
Speaker 1 (03:32):
Yeah, I wanted to talk about that too.
Tell us about a makerspace.
Speaker 2 (03:37):
Well, makerspace would be, as someone may say,
that it is kind of the messyroom.
But there is a lot of materialin this room for creating and we
know how studentsdevelopmentally love to build
things, whether it's withcardboard or whatever they can
(03:57):
find.
The hope is, and the dream is,that we will give students those
opportunities to have thathands-on learning and have that
ownership and the collaborationwith others in a space like that
and having the engineeringdesign process being a big part
of what we do.
(04:17):
Through that building process.
We have been able to have twospaces in our school, that one
being the maker space and thenone being the innovation lab.
That has been just a highlightof my time at Kennedy being able
to transform those two spacesthat used to be computer labs
(04:38):
into something very purposeful,and I think that's what media
specialists as school librarians, have really found their niche
in offering these additionalspaces for schools, and it's
kind of fallen underneath ourtitle Very Much.
Speaker 1 (04:56):
Wanted Because you're describing manipulatives, but
also having an environment thatallows, encourages but allows
imagination to take hold.
It's pretty exciting.
I was lucky enough to be out atKennedy.
I remember the day that youlaunched for One.
(05:17):
District One Book this year,and you had the child-sized
hamster tunnels and we startedlaughing because you brought out
all the Zuzu pets.
From what?
When was that?
Early 90s?
Yes, so your job title themiddle name is almost creativity
or innovation.
Right, because you're dreamingthis up.
Speaker 2 (05:39):
Yes, and I don't know any other job where you can
just kind of play and besurrounded by books all day long
.
So sign me up right, it's aperfect fit for you.
I just have always had thatcreative desire inside to create
and do things with kids and tobring that love of books and
love of learning and justremembering that they're kids,
(06:06):
just remembering that they'rekids.
They want to come into a spacethat probably wasn't or isn't
anymore a traditional type oflibrary setting that I grew up,
the library was my favoriteplace to go as a child and I
wanted to create a space withthat same feeling.
And I think that our society isdifferent than it was when I
was growing up and to realizethat students need and have
different needs and wants thanprobably what we had from a
(06:28):
library, and so that fun, lovingkind of feeling that you get
from a library where everybodyis welcome.
Speaker 1 (06:35):
And talk a little bit about that connection, because
obviously it's so much fun youknow having hamster tunnels that
you can, and you even said youclimbed through one.
That's obviously fun.
But talk about the connectionbetween creating that
environment and the spark for achild to read.
Speaker 2 (06:54):
I think that any time you can pull kids in and think
outside of the box with theirimagination, they then feel
encouraged to think that way aswell.
So pulling the tunnels andstretching them out in the
library and trying to make ahuman hamster cage for Humphrey
for the month demonstrates, likemodels to them, that even when
(07:15):
you're old like me, you canstill be creative and share that
and celebrate that.
When they come into the libraryit's not just about finding a
book, it's about a place whereyou feel I'm a kid and they
recognize that I'm a kid.
This is going to be a fun placeto hang out.
And it all really started myfirst year that I started in the
(07:36):
media center nine years ago.
The first book was Mr Popper'sPenguin, and I turned to the
media para and I said you maythink I might be a little bit
crazy, but I want to build anigloo out of milk jugs for the
book.
And are you in?
And she said okay, and ithappened to just be a really
(07:57):
good friend of mine as well.
So I said thanks for alwaysjumping into the crazy world of
my imagination.
Speaker 1 (08:04):
And you built it, didn't you we?
Speaker 2 (08:05):
did, we did, and it's one of my favorite memories.
And of course, then I had tocontinue that by building quite
the structure.
It was a rocket and I built itout of egg cartons and yeah.
So every year it's somethingand it was really fun.
This year I was worried aboutit being too simple, but I've
learned that simple can still bereally, really fun if you think
(08:26):
like a child.
Speaker 1 (08:27):
Speaking as a former English teacher, tell me about
kids and books.
Right now we hear so much aboutoh you know, they're just wired
into technology.
Nobody reads anymore.
That's a narrative, right.
That's kind of on a loop.
Is that what you see?
No, I don't.
Speaker 2 (08:45):
I really see children wanting to physically hold a
book and there's a lot ofresearch that shows that
physical involvement of turninga page, tracking on a page,
looking at the pictures and theartistry that has gone into
illustrations of books hasreally been phenomenal and I've
(09:06):
watched it change over mylifetime, and I know that
because every once in a while Ifind a little gem that's hidden
from my weeding that has beenmissed, and you look at it and
you think, wow, that is just notthe style anymore.
It's so vibrant and theprinting presses that have been
involved with producingliterature in the print form is
(09:28):
just is phenomenal.
Speaker 1 (09:30):
That's so reassuring Like I said, as a former English
teacher and a reader myself, tohear that no kids are, and
that's certainly been myexperiments with children.
Give a child a book and theyare going to turn those pages,
they are going to, you know,look for that language and look
for that art.
But you are also so innovative,even when it comes to books,
(09:55):
and I don't know if you knowthat.
I know this, but I am going togo to.
How are you using AI,artificial intelligence, to
bring kids into reading?
Speaker 2 (10:06):
Well, there is an app that I'm in love with called
Novel Effect.
What it does is it takes thatexperience to the listener.
On another level, I love totell stories.
I grew up with a dad tellingstories.
Speaker 1 (10:21):
Me too.
Speaker 2 (10:22):
And we have Buck the Bear story in our family telling
stories, and we have Buck theBear story in our family and my
dad, whenever we were in the car, was here comes the next
chapter of Buck the Bear.
No matter where we drove, buckthe Bear story came out.
But we didn't have electronicdevices.
I had a Walkman with tapes andwe listened to music.
I love listening to my dad tellstories and so and I love
(10:42):
reading out loud to childrenespecially, and when I saw the
technology piece, not as abarrier but an opportunity to
embrace what is available fortechnology, modeling it in a way
of something very useful forkids to connect with the
literature that I'm reading outloud.
Our students, I think, are veryinundated with a lot of
(11:03):
technology.
I love technology.
That's the other half of my job, that's right, and I love that.
But there's a place and a timefor that and I do talk to them.
There are times that I willread a book on my Kindle and
it's mostly because I'mtraveling and I don't want this
huge heavy book.
But I tell them how much Ienjoy holding a book.
(11:24):
I love the smell of the bookand one of my most fond memories
of being a media specialist wasactually happened this fall and
it was the first time that thisparticular class was coming
into library.
And this little girl said Ijust love the smell of this
place.
Speaker 1 (11:42):
Oh, that's great.
Speaker 2 (11:44):
And I just thought well, I'm glad it smells good to
you.
You always wonder you knowyou're in a school full of
children, wonders the smells.
But I said I know it's myfavorite smell too of a new book
, and so I try to remember thatbecause there is that emotional
connection that you can have tothe printed book, but also the
(12:05):
need for having that technology.
I sometimes correlate it todriving, that I prefer having my
phone on the dash with the GPSversus the map, and I show them
a map.
This is how we got around.
And they're like what, and theywere flabbergasted Like that's
got to be dangerous.
Looking at a map while you'redriving.
(12:26):
I said, well, yeah, similar tolooking at your phone, probably
too.
Just, you know, embracing thatand not being afraid.
And I've never been afraid oftechnology and I do think that
is also something that you getfrom your parents.
At times my dad was a hugetechnology buff, like we had the
first, you know, atari Ponggame and the VCR.
We got a VCR and I grew up innorthern Minnesota and the only
(12:48):
place you could rent VCR tapeswas in Roseville, minnesota.
So we would go to the cities toget a ton of VCR tapes and then
a couple weeks later bring themback.
So I know that that love oftechnology, you know, is kind of
instilled because I watched mydad enjoy it, so that may be a
part of it.
I did really embrace it with thebooks, the AI.
(13:10):
It listens to my voice and whenI read the book it has voice
recognition software and it willgenerate the sound that
correlates with the word and itwill bring the story alive.
And I love to do voices andI've told the students that a
lot of times.
I'm going to have my littlespeaker and I have this little
miniature audio pet speaker andit's a unicorn and its name is
(13:35):
Uni and they often will askwhere's Uni?
And I said, well, you get MrsNelson today for the sound
effects, because not all booksare in there, but this app has
absolutely expanded itsrepertoire of what's available.
Now I will pick a book thatwill be engaging but could
really use those extra soundeffects, and that's what I read
(13:57):
today was Tap the Magic Tree.
Speaker 1 (14:00):
Just to describe this .
So you're reading the text, butAI is supplementing with voices
Like are they other characters?
Speaker 2 (14:09):
Yes, sometimes there can be other voices, like today,
certain words that I would saywould trigger sounds of a bird.
Speaker 1 (14:16):
Okay, sure.
Speaker 2 (14:17):
This book was highly interactive.
Where you're tapping the bookand the kids would pretend to
tap the book with me, the soundswould come.
It was a very simple book thatbecame very magical.
Speaker 1 (14:29):
I was just going to say magic, right?
Speaker 2 (14:31):
And it all ties in.
Every book that I choose has apurpose and I usually tie it
into my computer sciencestandards because I can relate a
lot of what happens in thestructures of stories to
computer science and some peoplethink what are you talking
about?
But kids understand stories.
Sure, if you can start at thatbasic level and you can explain
(14:55):
how things all around us relateto the language of machines.
This is a huge part of theirlife and it will only continue
to become more and more so wehave to embrace that and learn
with them.
Speaker 1 (15:08):
And this is really a perfect segue, because I really
wanted to ask you today another.
Another little birdie told meall about your coding program,
so that technology side of yourjob description has really come
in handy.
Tell me about this program.
It sounds so exciting.
(15:30):
How did it come about?
What's up with it?
Speaker 2 (15:32):
What's really been a passion of mine.
My view about technology andchildren is we often are
consumers of technology and weknow that children are way more
creative than that.
We know that we don't stand infront of them and just deliver
information.
We know that's not how childrenlearn developmentally.
(15:54):
Often I wonder why collegestudents sit through hours and
hours of lectures how we did itthey have not gotten the memo
yet.
Up there at higher ed, they canlearn a lot from us.
But anyways, I know that kidswant to be engaged with things
and when I look at what they'reexposed to all day long, it's a
(16:14):
lot of electronics.
So let's use that interest andreally engage them and become
creators and become innovators.
They're going to make adifference in their own life and
other people's lives with thattype of thinking.
A lot of times it'smisunderstood that oh, you just
do robots.
And the forefront of my thinkingand my lessons and the things
(16:38):
that I do with students ispurely on the aspect of building
problem solvers, developingcritical thinking skills and
really thinking outside of thebox and then also being a
collaborator of information.
And that has to start at areally young age and we know
that kindergartners coming intoour schools, you know they like
(17:00):
to talk and they like to be withtheir friends.
Yeah, let's use those, thosechildlike desires, to our
benefit for teaching them to bereally creators, designers of
our world.
Designer versus consumer.
I like that, I love technologyand I do consume a lot of
(17:21):
technology myself.
I love creating.
I know when I get on like today, I just was excited because I'm
looking to do a lesson nextweek with the very impatient
caterpillar book, which ishilarious by the way, and how am
I going to incorporate thatwith our technology?
Speaker 1 (17:42):
And that's how young you start, right?
Oh yeah, you start with babies.
Yeah, I mean, that's amazing.
Speaker 2 (17:50):
And what I've watched them do today will blow your
mind.
They really are smart.
They really can do some prettycomplex things.
They're problem solving,they're critical thinking.
Today, the way they connectedthe story, the story was tap a
magic tree.
What happens is the discussionof the book of the cycle, the
life cycle of a tree, and I'mlike that's a pattern.
(18:12):
They're like yes.
And then I say, like in math,when you do patterns, do you do
A B patterns?
They're like, yeah, now we do A, b, c patterns.
And I said, well, the lifecycle of a tree is like that.
It has these set things that itdoes.
And then we talked about howthe tree will have its leaves,
it'll get its blossoms, andthat's what they're learning in
kindergarten.
Speaker 1 (18:32):
Layering In their classroom, layering of learning,
yeah, just that constant.
Speaker 2 (18:36):
And then, when we're all done, I said now this
happens with all apple trees, sohow could we code that?
Nature has coded them to dothis?
And I said that is like whenwe're computer coding, when
we're working in the innovationlab, and we're coding a machine
and we leave out something andit doesn't work, we have to
(18:56):
debug it.
They're like, oh yeah, thewhole concept of the story and
weaving that literature pieceinto the technology and the
understanding brings it to thatlevel of picturing something,
being able to really criticallythink about that.
So we get into the innovationlab then today, after that, and
(19:17):
we do loops.
If you know much about computerscience, loops is a repeated
pattern.
So instead of repeating adirection forward, backwards,
turn right.
That would be something that wecould repeat many, many times.
So we wouldn't want to do thatsame code over and over and over
again, writing all of that out.
(19:38):
We would do it one time and putit into.
If this happens, we're gonna dothis this many times and they
understand that.
It amazes me that they arelearning loops of computer
science in kindergarten, and somy whole hope is that we build
that capacity.
(19:59):
My kindergartners from last yearnow are first graders and they
use a different tool and it's amouse that we code, and that
mouse then we take then the nextlevel, and so really
understanding those computerscience standards is important.
I'm constantly looking at, ok,what's the next level, what
skill are we going to build?
(20:19):
Because I don't.
I'm not a computer scientist.
I mean, I've had to learn withthem and I think that is so
meets my needs, because I amalways a learner and teachers
are learners all the time, andit satisfies my desire for that
continual learning.
So I'm excited because then,when we get to second grade and
(20:41):
this is a new robot this yearand it's the Indy that is the
robot, gene Voight and I said tothem last spring I said are you
willing to go down this crazyroad with me?
And they said okay, and theykind of they blindly go into it
because I think they trust methat I'm not going to, you know,
(21:02):
do something that is not goingto have great purpose.
It's been just really amazingexperience to watch these kids
go from kindergarten, firstgrade to second grade and see
what they do.
And their excitement is amazing.
Speaker 1 (21:18):
You know, listening to you and all those multiple
hats that you wear, I mean Icould almost put the CTE hat on
you, Because listening to youand this process and the
layering of learning, as we callit a cohort, as the children go
on, that is very purposefultoward our college and career
(21:44):
goals.
Also, and again we're talkingabout five and six-year-olds If
you ask average five orsix-year-old oh, what do you
want to be?
Is Cody or what comes up now,Like that's not the normal
answer.
But look at what you're doing.
You're building a foundation.
Do you ever think about?
Speaker 2 (22:02):
that I do a lot actually because I want kids to
be those critical thinkers, Iwant them to be the problem
solvers and I want them to takethat into whatever profession.
I do not have my forefront goalto be producing computer
scientists, right?
(22:23):
Sure, yeah, that would be a funresult of what we're doing,
because we need them.
I tell the kids too, a lot oftimes and teachers will hear me
say this when they come into theinnovation lab all jobs use
this critical thinking skillAbsolutely, and I tell them that
one of the main things is to beable to collaborate with each
(22:45):
other to get along.
And so today my objectivewasn't even necessarily the
coding today and that skillthat's a great result but
collaborating with each other.
One was in charge of the robot,one was in charge of the iPad,
and then it was deciding whatthe code was going to be.
(23:05):
And so that very structuredapproach to it where all kids
know that their input is goingto be included and that they
have a job when they're doing it, and then they're having fun.
They don't even realize, yeah.
Speaker 1 (23:37):
Right, yeah, right, but I tell them, electricians
need to be problem solvers.
What you're describing iscomplex thinking which is going
to get them anywhere and in anysituation we recently had.
I don't know if you were ableto hear it or not, but we
recently had three young womenfrom tech who do the morning
(23:58):
show and they were absolutelydelightful and I asked them
because they did a very good jobof not just talking about their
exciting projects but talkingabout process and they talked
about the hard parts, theytalked about editing.
They all agreed, oh, editingright.
Any of us who've done this workwe know that's like three, four
(24:19):
times the amount of work toactually do the recording.
But so I asked them, becausethey all were really, really
thoughtful about the process.
I asked them.
I said so, tell me about yourfuture, what are you going to be
?
And you know, not one of thoseyoung women is interested in a
broadcasting career, inproduction not one of them.
(24:42):
But they were very self-awarethat the skills that they were
learning doing the Tech MorningShow, video editing,
interviewing, collaborating as ateam to put out a story One of
the young women did adocumentary on her own.
They were very aware that, nomatter what they chose to be,
(25:05):
this was going to help them andI was really blown away by that.
And that's exactly what you'redescribing, but with much
younger kids.
Speaker 2 (25:14):
Yeah, definitely.
They will hear me say many,many times if you ask them when
do you learn the most?
And they said when you makemistakes and you fail.
And that really is the truth.
Computer science requires a lotof perseverance and critical
thinking, requires that reallykind of stick to it kind of
(25:35):
attitude and working out aproblem.
And we do have students thatreally have they feel very
uncomfortable with mistakes andfailure.
Speaker 1 (25:44):
I was just going to ask tell me about confidence now
, Huge.
Speaker 2 (25:47):
I can't tell you anything that is better than
watching a student solve aproblem with their code,
realizing that it took them along time and just encouraging
them.
Say, do you feel frustrated?
And I will model that.
I will say I'm frustrated rightnow because I can't figure this
(26:11):
out and sometimes we have towalk away.
So they know, if they get intoa situation where they're
frustrated and they can't followthe cold way where they're
going to be safe, kind andresponsible, they have an
opportunity to just go outsideof the innovation lab, sit in a
chair and just come back whenthey're ready.
And I said that's okay, that'spart of being a human and
(26:34):
frustration is an emotion, andthat's the smart choice it is,
and anger and frustration, butthen it's what we do with all of
that.
You may experience that, butyou're going.
What we do with all of that.
You may experience that, butyou're going to remember how you
solved that problem for a verylong time.
And I love having the approachto have them teaching others and
(26:55):
so being with students.
That needs a little bit oftheir own mentoring and that
they are able to do that andshare that and that's confidence
building.
It is.
Speaker 1 (27:05):
Yeah, to be able to help, to be able to teach
someone else yeah.
Speaker 2 (27:09):
It's pretty amazing.
Speaker 1 (27:10):
Holly, I'm wondering we're so lucky I'm listening to
you and we're just so luckyyou're here.
I'm listening to you and I'mjust wondering a little bit more
about your story how you gotfrom that third grade classroom.
How did you get here?
Speaker 2 (27:29):
Well, you know, it's interesting because it started.
The computer science piecestarted probably about 10 years
ago, but really it goes back areally long time ago.
I remember being a third gradeteacher at the old Kennedy ago.
I remember being a third gradeteacher at the old Kennedy and I
(27:50):
wanted a way for kids to directtheir own learning, being their
director per se.
I never wanted, or I wouldnever fall into that thinking of
well, you only have onecomputer, what can you do?
I'm like, well, look at whatApple was built on one computer
in a garage.
So you're only limited by thelimitations you create.
So I would embrace everyopportunity that I could.
(28:13):
And so the web quest then movedon to podcasts.
We had a podcast of thirdgraders that then they shared
that with families through email, and that was a long time ago.
That was probably in.
Well, it was before we movedinto the new building and the
kids loved it.
And when we got into the newbuilding and those smart boards
(28:38):
blew my mind because if anybodyknew how my classroom looked in
the old building, I made my ownsmart board and they thought,
what is she doing?
And I had a projector thatwasn't being used.
It was a portable projector,which in itself was amazing.
And Dwayne Hagen.
I remember Dwayne.
Speaker 1 (28:56):
Oh, I love Dwayne.
Speaker 2 (28:58):
It was kind of my mentor and I said, dwayne, I
have a crazy idea again.
And I'm sure whenever I cameinto his office he's like, oh, I
think I got to go get morecoffee or something.
Here she comes with anothercrazy idea.
But he just was really good atencouraging and I still
communicate with him and he said, yeah, if nobody's using that
projector, let's put it on acart.
And I had purchased with my ownmoney the MacBook Pro, the
(29:22):
first one that came out, and itweighed a lot.
I'm just telling you it is.
They've really improved, I'mjust saying.
And I turned every story in theWonders curriculum into a
keynote.
Oh my gosh, every single storywas a keynote presentation and I
had hyperlinks.
(29:43):
Nobody really knew what thatwas.
Speaker 1 (29:44):
I do I remember and I had hyperlinks.
Nobody really knew what thatwas.
I do I remember and I puthyperlinks into that.
Did you use Hyperstudio?
Speaker 2 (29:50):
Do you remember that?
Oh yeah, hyperstudio.
Yeah, it's crazy, I forgotabout that one.
Speaker 1 (29:54):
Early animation yeah.
Speaker 2 (29:56):
I just wanted to interact with kids and have all
of those resources in one placeimmediately, and so I projected
that onto the pull down screen,which was in front of a
chalkboard.
So it had every oxymoron thatyou could.
I mean oh, you're killing me,that's hilarious.
Chalkboard and chalk, and thenwe had a screen, but then we had
(30:19):
this makeshift.
So it was this conglomerate ofcrazy ideas that I was always
looking for something new, and Ithink that's what made it very
natural for me to move into themedia world.
The school library.
Speaker 1 (30:33):
It doesn't sound like it was a very big jump.
Speaker 2 (30:35):
It was not and it just like fell into my lap at.
You know, there's just there's.
We all are on this journey thatwe don't always know what roads
and it just they work out.
And Chris Erickson was a greathelp at the beginning too.
Speaker 1 (30:48):
When was he a media?
Speaker 2 (30:49):
specialist.
He was a media specialist, yep,and then Paul Olson, and Paul
was great and us as a group isfun.
I wish we had more timetogether, because we have.
We all have so many amazingthings too.
I by no means am the onlyperson that's got the corner
market on fun ideas in 742 withmedia specialists, so moving
(31:10):
into that new building justreally jump-started my love of
technology and probably my mostmemorable last type of
technology thing that I did withmy third graders was I used
augmented reality, if you knowmuch about augmented reality,
where you superimpose like avideo action on top of a still
type of shot, and so I wouldtake a picture of the students
(31:33):
and videotape them explainingtheir life if they lived in a
snow globe.
When the parents came toconferences, I had an iPad and I
had one iPad Just one.
And it was an iPad that I bought.
They're standing at theirchild's locker.
They scan this picture of theirchild looking like they're in a
snow globe.
Because I went in to the mediacenter and I said, can I borrow
(31:54):
one of your really big windows?
And I turned it into a snowglobe.
I took, made the kids gooutside and took a picture of
them inside the library, so itlooked like they were in a snow
globe and I was like, again,knowing my crazy ideas, they
were okay with it.
But the parents then scannedthat with the AR app and all of
a sudden the screen lit up withtheir child telling them a story
.
And it's just so.
Speaker 1 (32:15):
It's just so fun, it's just it was one iPad, and
so engaging, just so engaging.
You know, there there's anotherelement, as I'm listening to
you, that I think is of criticalimportance.
I hear your ideas spool out,and that's curiosity.
Talk about curiosity studentshave.
Speaker 2 (32:40):
They're just bursting with curiosity.
That's childhood, andunfortunately, as adults we
become less and less curious.
That's why I think probably whyI love being with kids, because
sometimes I feel maybe a littlebit too curious as an adult,
but then I have an outlet though, so that's my favorite part of
(33:01):
my job is just watching kids andfiguring out what they like to
learn about.
I went into this crazyadventure a couple years ago
when I started the Girls whoCode, and it really started with
the Super Bowl commercial ofGirls who Code, and I had read
about the woman that startedthis in New York City that she
was able to get a Super Bowlcommercial as a nonprofit blew
(33:25):
my mind.
She's innovative.
She has figured out how to getthis ad.
I want to know what she's allabout, and the more and more
that I read about her, the moreand more that I understand about
computer science.
There is a group, mentor group,that is, a cohort that meets
during the school year that youapply for.
(33:46):
It's called Code Savvy, andCode Savvy is a nonprofit
organization that pays off ofcomputer science for all, which
is a national organization.
The Code Savvy brings teachersvoluntarily together on
Saturdays throughout the schoolyear and we explore computer
(34:07):
science.
We explore how we incorporate,integrate computational thinking
into what we're doing withstudents and this group has
grown and grown and grown andthe leader and the founder of
that is Andrea Vesquez and sheis now works for the Department
of Education as our computerscience person Well that that
(34:29):
feels good, doesn't it yeah, and.
Andrea is amazing and so she hastaken this grassroots movement
and just really knows howimportant it is to the state of
Minnesota.
Students that we need this,really excited for the standards
because I know how importantthey are and the reason why I
chose the Girls who Code isthere is just very little female
(34:52):
representation.
That is in the computer scienceworld and I explained to
students, girls and adults whenthey ask why not boys and I said
that's mostly who's in computerscience.
And adults, when they ask whynot boys and I said that's
mostly who's in computer science, they don't really need
encouragement and I know growingup not seeing females in
certain professions.
Speaker 1 (35:11):
It just makes a difference.
We know it.
Speaker 2 (35:14):
And I know that in our literature you need to be
able to see yourself in a bookand that's our job as school
librarians is to make sure thatwe have literature.
We're all students when theywalk in that library.
It's our job to make sure thatthey can see themselves in a
book.
It goes for the same forprofessions.
To think back, there were nofemale physicians.
(35:35):
My dad was a physician andthere were no female physicians.
They were secretaries in hisoffice or nurses.
Speaker 1 (35:42):
I was going to say, or if you were interested in
medicine, you could be a nurse,Right right and it just wasn't a
common thing.
Speaker 2 (35:49):
And now I look now and wow, my youngest, she's 20
and she goes.
I'm going to be a PA mom andthey love science and I love
science and that curiosity ofwhy does that happen?
I want to know more and I'vegot so many childhood stories of
myself and my children of howcuriosity has really once in a
(36:11):
while gotten the best of us.
But has been just you old and Iknow my oldest who's in the
medical field.
He came home in fifth grade andthey dissected eyeballs.
He explained to me that is thecoolest thing I've ever seen in
my life.
Speaker 1 (36:31):
And.
Speaker 2 (36:32):
I got to do something like that.
We really do have an incrediblejob to spark that curiosity and
I think I see so much of thatwhen I deal with the computer
science piece.
Because of that curiosity andthen just that love of learning.
You're always a learner and Iwant kids to remember that, I
(36:53):
guess, and see the leadershipskills that come with the girls
who code.
Some of my students haveexpressed this strong desire to
teach others and I'm thinkingyou could be a teacher someday.
They love to go in and sharewhat they're doing and teach
their friends in class.
We've been doing that for thelast two years and it's not even
(37:13):
just the computer science.
We have VR headsets thathaven't really gone off the
charger a whole lot.
I'm like, okay, what can I do?
Because it's a great tool.
All of these pieces oftechnology are tools and how we
can integrate them and have itbe very purposeful, and I
thought it can be kind of scaryfor teachers technology because
we have so much that we have todo and how do you really truly
(37:37):
integrate that is, don't do more, just do it differently.
Speaker 1 (37:41):
Going back to curiosity, I think technology
becomes that two-sided coinright.
Because technology is soprevalent now, technology can
actually squelch curiosity rightAfter a while.
Speaker 2 (37:56):
I believe so.
Speaker 1 (37:57):
And so the intentionality that you're
describing, that's thedifference, and reminding kids
that they're kids and oh yeah,you want to know why.
Right, and you're right, that'san innate thing.
Speaker 2 (38:11):
Right.
They just crave that.
They crave that need to create.
It's not surprising that an applike TikTok exploded because
you consume.
But they get tired of that.
They want to create and what dothey do?
It's for better and worse, theycreate, and so let's take that
(38:32):
passion and have it purposefulUse that.
Giving kids a voice is such agreat tool for older students.
They want to be heard and theywant to have a say.
There's just so many tools andI think the more tools we have
in our toolbox and some are morescary than others One of the
challenges of my job sometimesis I know how awesome it is and
(38:55):
I feel comfortable with that.
I also feel comfortable withthings not going exactly how we
plan them.
We get into a lesson and I'mokay with not knowing all of it.
Speaker 1 (39:08):
That's a vulnerability.
Right Like that you're okaywith it is key because you have
to be willing to be able to stubyour toe and not have things go
right sometimes.
Speaker 2 (39:19):
So I really want teachers to know that we don't
expect them to be perfect whenwe're using these tools and to
reach out and ask for help oreven you know, let me lead the
way and you hop on for the ride.
And I think that's what I'veseen happening in the last two,
three years with some of thethings that I've done.
Kennedy is a great environmentto have.
(39:41):
Some of our older students willcome at times Like today.
We had two upper level gradestudents come and help out the
second graders today and they'relearning right alongside them.
Speaker 1 (39:52):
And I bet they love it.
Speaker 2 (39:54):
They do.
And then they see those kids inthe hallway and they're like
that gives them a purpose to begood role models.
They're looking up to me.
I have this relationship withthem.
It's all about thoserelationships.
I have, in my opinion, the bestjob, because I get them from
kindergarten all the way toeighth grade, and it's that
(40:14):
maybe not as once they get toeighth grade are they always
that they become teenagers.
We know We've been around longenough to know they aren't the
same little kindergartner thatwanted to give you a hug,
goodbye.
But they still have that littleglimmer in their eye where they
know like, yeah, this is a coolplace.
Speaker 1 (40:34):
I'm really glad you went in this direction, because
before having you in today, Irewatched a video that we did
quite a few years ago, and youdid a video for us about being a
media specialist.
Speaker 2 (40:47):
I forgot about that.
Speaker 1 (40:49):
And I was listening before you came and you talk in
that video about being a part ofthis really special Kennedy
community.
What is it that you think helpsmake Kennedy such a special
place to learn and to teach you?
Speaker 2 (41:09):
know that K-8 feel we see students for a lot longer.
There's different perspectivesthat are shared.
When you have elementary andsecondary, they see how students
start out and we get to seewhere they end up, because they
often leave elementary schooland we don't get to have those
relationships down the road.
Secondary is a big leap Yep, itis, and I think that at times
(41:34):
can be very challenging for usbut also be a blessing at the
same time.
I've watched a lot of teacherscome and go and I've watched
some of my very best friendsretire and say, oh, I miss them.
And then you get this newteacher and I talked to one of
(41:54):
them today and I said, hey, doyou want to do this with me?
And you kind of look for theones that are okay to be guinea
pigs with you.
I'm like, do you want to dothis with me?
And you kind of look for theones that are okay to be guinea
pigs with you.
I'm like, do you want to buildlike a virtual field trip for
your students, since you're notgoing on one this year?
And she's like, yeah, becauseshe lit up.
And I'm like, oh, I love those22 and 23-year-olds.
(42:18):
That's right, come into mymaker's face, come, come.
I feel like a wizard, follow me.
But I do.
I get really, I get excited.
I get people say nobody's goinginto teaching and I say, well,
I think you said that to thewrong person.
I said because my daughter's 23and she's student teaching
(42:41):
right now and you ask her whatdo you want to do?
She goes I just want to be withsecond or third graders, and is
it a hard job?
Absolutely.
She'll call me and I can tellin her voice this was a
challenging day today, wasn't it?
She goes, yep, but I can bethere for her.
She can call and tell me.
This is what happened.
(43:02):
We'll be a little emotionaltogether.
I'm kind of an emotional person, if anybody, if you know me,
and I'll say that's right,tomorrow's a new day.
People say everything you needto learn, you learn in
kindergarten, my first year ofteaching.
Everything you need to learn,you learn in your first year of
what to do and what not to do.
And my first year of teaching,I was an EBD teacher in a K-12
(43:24):
school in a very rural area ofMinnesota, so you were
everything.
I was everything to everybody.
And so I tell her you're goingto have those days, don't throw
in the towel and make sure youhave good work-life balance.
And she has some fabuloushobbies and she loves what she
(43:44):
has in store for her and she'sso ready and teaching changes
and people say, oh, it's sodifficult.
But you know what Kids are kidsthey're curious.
You love that piece of the job.
Then you'll be around for areally long time if you can keep
that love of learning and thatcuriosity and be able to see
(44:04):
that in kids.
And we wouldn't be here withoutthe teachers we had.
So it's a very honorableprofession.
It's a very difficultprofession but it is just so
worth it and I'm glad that.
Speaker 1 (44:18):
I don't think you could imagine doing anything
else.
Speaker 2 (44:21):
No, no Because.
Speaker 1 (44:23):
I may be reading audio.
There you go.
Speaker 2 (44:25):
Audio books.
I told you, yes, thismicrophone is really impressive.
This is this has got me renewedagain.
Speaker 1 (44:30):
Well, there you go, you've got your, you've got your
second wave in retirement.
Speaker 2 (44:36):
I think so.
I think so.
You know, you just never stoplearning, no matter how old you
are.
And I picked up.
I had a health event inNovember and decided that I
needed something to do in theevening relaxing.
And I picked up embroidery andI thought, well, I'm not going
to go find who's going to teachme how to do it.
Of course you do.
Speaker 1 (44:59):
Do you know how I knew to fill that in my daughter
?
Speaker 2 (45:02):
My daughter taught herself to knit on YouTube there
you go and again I think aboutwhat our kids can learn now from
technology.
It's just, it's amazing that Ihave this hobby that I'm so
passionate about now, andthere's no fear.
Speaker 1 (45:19):
No, I can't imagine myself.
You're much fear.
No, like I can't imagine myself.
You're much braver than I am.
I can't imagine myself sittingdown with a youth.
I would be so intimidated.
And yeah, same same thing.
There's no fear.
No, there is, I can learn in myliving room.
Speaker 2 (45:35):
It's amazing and I think we we forget about these
kids.
You know I call them kids.
They're in their 20s.
You know that they have that attheir disposal.
None of them.
All the kids that we've lived,that are living right now in
schools, have never They'venever been without it.
They haven't, and so we maythink, oh, in the olden days, or
we can't live backwards, wehave to live, live forward, and
(45:58):
even when it's scary.
I just know that when myhusband and our oldest daughter
can YouTube how to fix the boatmotor last summer and pull it
out of the water and put in adifferent little piece in the
lower unit and they figured itout on YouTube.
There's a lot of hope out there.
Speaker 1 (46:19):
That's right.
A lot of hope.
Well, holly, I thank you forall you do and thanks for coming
today, and this is our veryspecial gift for all of us.
We have a very Isn't that cute?
It's so cute.
Do you have a great podcastidea?
(46:40):
Submit your idea tocommunications at isd742.org,
and thank you for listening to742 CoffeeCast, the best place
to stay informed and be inspiredby St Cloud Area School
District.
Thank you.
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