What happens when a former classroom teacher transforms her passion for inclusive education into a global consultancy? Dr. Jessica Werner, founder of North Shore Learning, takes us on a journey through the evolving landscape of educational inclusion in this eye-opening conversation.
Growing up in 1980s Central California, Werner witnessed her physician father attending night classes to learn Spanish so he could better serve his patients—an early model of meeting others where they are. This philosophy now forms the cornerstone of her international education consultancy, where relationship-building precedes any intervention.
The pandemic has fundamentally altered education, creating what Werner describes as a "pause" in students' academic and social development. "Kids are behind. Classroom management is, in a lot of ways, out of control—and it's not because students are bad kids, because they've lived through a lot." This new reality demands innovative approaches that address interconnected challenges of mental health, behavior, and learning deficits.
Werner's team begins each school engagement by listening intently to teachers and administrators about their specific challenges. This assessment-first methodology stands in stark contrast to "one-and-done" professional development models. "When it's your life and you're in it all the time, sometimes it's hard to see your blind spots," she explains, highlighting why external perspective can be invaluable.
For parents navigating support for struggling learners, Werner offers both professional guidance and personal empathy. "If you have that feeling as a parent, don't ignore it," she advises, suggesting parents begin teacher conversations by asking: "What are the joys you have working with my child and what's challenging?"
Ready to transform your approach to inclusive education? Connect with Dr. Werner's team at northshorelearning.org and discover how relationship-centered, context-specific strategies can revitalize learning environments for students and educators alike.
Learn More About Dr. Jessica Werner of Northshore Learning Here: https://www.northshorelearning.org/
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
All right, welcome back to the Cultural Curriculum
Chat Podcast.
I'm your host, jeba Edmond.
I am so excited we have astellar guest in the guest chair
today, dr Jessica Werner.
And before I introduce Jess, Iwant you to know if you are new
to the podcast and the YouTubechannel, mrs Edmond's Culture
(00:21):
Corner.
Welcome, I'm your host, jeba,and I share all things
multicultural educationallearning, inclusive work
practices, as well as DE&Istrategies.
And, without further ado,welcome Dr Jess Werner.
She is the founder and CEO ofNorth Shore Learning and I
(00:43):
cannot wait to get into thisconversation.
She's going to give uswonderful tools and strategies
for our educators andadministrators, as well as how
to get in contact with her,because, darlings, she is an
international brand and you needher and her awesome team in
your school districts and yourschools.
(01:05):
Like yesterday, like yeah, Ican't wait to get into it.
So welcome to the podcast.
Speaker 2 (01:13):
Thanks for having me.
I'm so excited.
Speaker 1 (01:16):
Oh, I'm so excited to have you Now listeners and
viewers.
I met Jess.
I want to say what was it liketwo or three years ago, in a
snow, storm, christmas Eve, wemet at a coffee shop and just
kind of like our worlds collidedfor like an amazing time.
It was like, girl, where haveyou been all my life?
(01:37):
And, jess, how did you feelabout that day when we met the
first time?
Before we get into your originstory, yeah, I was just thinking
about that this morning.
Speaker 2 (01:46):
First of all, it doesn't feel like two years ago.
It feels like we've known eachother for like 20.
Yeah, no, we just connectedright away.
It was wonderful.
And you know how it is youdon't meet that many people in
life who you don't have to tryhard with, you just kind of
understand each other.
You could talk or not talk, andyeah, that's how it's always
(02:09):
been.
So I'm really grateful to knowyou and be a part of your life.
Speaker 1 (02:13):
I'm grateful to know you too, my dear, and I think
what really bonded us was thelove of infusing inclusivity of
the kids in our classrooms.
In our past life of just tryingto reach that kid, you know,
trying to make sure they haveall their accommodations that
they need, and, of course, thefrustration of the resources
(02:33):
that weren't there.
And you know that I think what,in your love of traveling and
being in spaces and classroomsthat are international, that you
could help our Americaneducators learn of what's going
on across the world.
And when I met you that day,christmas Eve, at the coffee
(02:54):
shop, like a snowstorm innorthern Minnesota, I'm like,
yeah, this woman needs to be inmy life and vice versa, because
we had so many mutualconnections of our drive to, you
know, create those safe,welcoming spaces.
So, listeners, I can't wait foryou to learn more about Jess's
story.
So let's get into it.
(03:14):
Jess, how did you grow up andhow did you perceive inclusive
education to come into your owncompany?
Speaker 2 (03:24):
I've spent a lot of time reflecting on this question
since you sent it to me becausewhen I think back to my own
childhood, growing up, the wordinclusion is like it was not a
part of education back then.
It wasn't at any school I wentto.
I think back and I'm like, whatdid that look like at my
(03:47):
private elementary or my publicmiddle and high school?
And I just I can't.
I can't see what it was,because it was really like whole
group learning all the time.
We will teach one way for allthe kids.
If you don't get it, it's yourfault, you fail.
You know, that was myintroduction to education, which
(04:10):
is really similar for everybodyprobably who grew up in the 80s
and 90s.
And then even when I startedteaching, that was still kind of
the philosophy, like the worddifferentiation loaded around
there, but there wasn't reallyany accountability for it.
And again it was kind of likeif you do well, it's because
(04:31):
you're trying hard and if youhave problems it's your fault.
And it wasn't until the lastcouple of years I was teaching
that really we started to see anemergence of just
neurodiversity in our studentsand it wasn't until those last
couple of years that I saw andit wasn't even everybody
(04:52):
teachers willing to try andengage with it and trying to do
things differently to help thosestudents succeed in their
classes too.
So I don't know how my ownupbringing, but I was thinking
about this too.
So I grew up in centralCalifornia and it's the part of
California a lot of people don'tknow exists.
(05:13):
It is a big farming community,has a lot of migrant workers.
We have this very transientpopulation.
You know.
There are schools where theteachers, the student body, will
rotate every couple of monthsbecause their families will move
on and go farm in a differentpart of California.
And so what I did noticegrowing up was the multicultural
(05:36):
aspect of how it was and wasn'tincluded in schools, and the
language of Spanish too.
You know, I think one of my,one of my memories and I think
this really shaped how I beganto look at inclusion was, you
know, we were a community thatthere was a lot of Spanish
speakers.
(05:56):
English, you know, was thelanguage everybody operated in,
but if you went to a restaurant,a store or even the bank, you
may have been approached inSpanish.
That was just how it was.
I was really surprised when Imoved out of Central California
and I realized not everybody hadSpanish as a part of their
lives.
But as I think about inclusion,I think about my dad.
(06:19):
So my dad was an emergency roomdoctor in Central California.
He's a white guy from theMidwest, but what he started
seeing in his practice over theyears is more and more people
again who only spoke Spanish.
And so what was my dad'ssolution?
It was to learn Spanish, and mydad would go to night classes
(06:43):
at the community college.
His teacher at communitycollege was my high school
teacher.
Like I think how cool and howhumbling for this doctor to be
sitting in night classes tolearn Spanish.
But that was his approach.
He was like this is the need ofthe community and this is this
is what I'm going to do, right,and I think it probably didn't
(07:04):
seem like much to him.
It was probably like, yeah,this is how we work.
But I think it really instilleda lesson early on that Just how
do we adapt to meet otherpeople's needs?
How do we?
How do we not sit there saying,well, you should do this and
then I'll, and then I'll meetyou where you're at?
No, we, we look to the needs infront of us and then I'll meet
(07:26):
you where you're at.
No, we look to the needs infront of us.
So yeah, it's funny that thatmemory came back and I thought.
Speaker 1 (07:35):
Well, my dad was a really early example in my life
of inclusion.
Yes, that's amazing, jess, tostep out of his comfort zone,
learn something new and be veryconsistent and persistent with
learning a second language toaccommodate and help.
You know, meeting his patientsright there instead of going, oh
(07:56):
, I need an interpreter, or youknow what I'm just going to.
Especially when people think,oh, I just speak louder than
they'll understand my language.
It's like what kind ofbackwards kind of thinking is
that?
It's like you know they'rehurting their ear.
Like what?
Even though you're speaking andyour tone is louder doesn't
mean I can understand whatyou're saying.
So that's really huge.
(08:17):
Thank you, thank you Now withyour organization, north Shore
Learning.
I love how, even on yourwebsite, it shares how you are
really big in inclusion.
Support Classroom managementdoesn't mean even if you're a
first year teacher or a seasonedteacher.
We all need some help.
(08:39):
We've all been there like, okay, how can I brush up on my
skills?
Been there like, okay, how canI brush up on my skills?
Instructional excellence,helping and supporting those
teachers and administrators Ilove you've got educator
wellness.
Especially in our times rightnow, a lot of us teachers across
this country are burnt out.
And executive coaching for ourschool administration A lot of
(09:01):
our school admin.
They're trying to keep theirbuildings going, but who's
watching them, who's helpingthem in their wellness out?
So I just love that focus ofthe several different facets
that you share and that youreally specialize in, because
we've all been there just aseducators sitting in those
(09:23):
professional developments andit's one and done.
And I love how it's yourmultifaceted approach of we're
helping the instructors, we'realso helping our admin and also
looking into our own educatormental health and that also, in
turn, helps our whole student.
So can you share what thatlooks like in action, especially
helping your teachers whenyou're going to those buildings
and administrators?
Just give us a little our wholestudent.
So can you share what thatlooks like in action, especially
(09:44):
, you know, helping yourteachers when you're going to
those buildings andadministrators?
Just give us a little taste ofhow that looks.
Speaker 2 (09:52):
Yeah, it's been really fun to develop this
approach and make it as holisticas possible because, just you
know, gemma, like when we wereteachers, I don't even think I
had support outside of myclassroom.
You know, I could go find it, Icould go knock on a door and
hope somebody had time to talk.
My principal was always busyrunning a school, which is its
(10:15):
own job.
You know that's a lot of workbuild and grow.
We're always trying to figureout what do people actually need
to be successful?
Because we want our teachers tobe and feel good, because it
directly translates into howtheir students feel and even
achieve, which is, you know, weshould want our teachers to feel
(10:36):
good regardless, becausethey're doing this super
important job right, they'reeducating our future.
But we also know that thatmakes an impact on student
learning anyway, and so it justkind of depends.
This wasn't a great answer, butit depends on the school,
because we look at everything soholistically, we always just
(10:56):
try to learn about the schooland the teachers and the school
before we make anyrecommendations.
Like what are the challengesfor you?
That's one of the first thingsI ask is what's challenging and
what's going really well?
And that's exciting too,because then we kind of see
where they're already feelingcompetent, but we get more
information about things thatcould support them even further
(11:21):
to address the challenges, andso we really kind of just try
and ask, and sometimes peopledon't know.
They're like I don't know, justcome watch my class, let's see
how it goes.
And it's one of those thingswhere when it's your life and
you're in it all the time,sometimes it's hard to see your
blind spots.
So that's why it's nice to haveanother person in there.
(11:44):
And so we've been doing thatwith teachers for about five
years, and then we'll offereither individual work with
teachers on something likeclassroom management Oftentimes
it turns out most of theteachers in the building have
the same feeling and then we cando something strategic for the
(12:05):
whole school.
That is our data collection.
But it's also just how we work,because we're about
relationships.
Like I really think, like yousaid the one and done training,
we know they don't work well andwe also know that we learn and
grow from people we trust.
(12:25):
And so unless you sit down withpeople and try to hear their
story and see what they'reworking with and know what it's
like, it's hard to gain trustbecause they're like who are you
Another person, consultant,consultant even in education,
how it's like a bad people havea bad connotation of it, which
(12:46):
is sad because but they've hadbad experiences, yes, and so our
best feedback is people who arelike oh, you aren't like the
other consultants.
Speaker 1 (12:56):
I love that.
And you're the consultants thatget it.
You know educationalconsultants a lot of us have
been in the classroom, beenthere, we speak the language, we
know.
We know the times a year whenyou're really feeling stretched
really thin.
And that's what I love aboutyour approach, Jess, because you
get it.
You've been a certified teacher.
(13:17):
You've been, you know, on thefront lines teaching students,
seeing and again, understandingfrustrations teachers may have
going.
Hey, I've been shouting fromthe rooftops, I still haven't
gotten support, you know.
So we get the trepidation of oh, here we go again.
Now this new person is going tocome in that is an expert in
their field, you know, and exactand, like you said before
(14:17):
getting that data, the studentsactually really are receptive to
that, you know.
They really are like OK, yeah,definitely, and evidence that
your teacher is also a lifelonglearner.
They're not just doing the samethings, and I know you're not a
one woman show just doing thesame things, and I know you're
not a one-woman show.
You have a dynamic team withyou of other certified educators
(14:39):
and consultants and I reallylove that.
How do you facilitate that withyour dynamic team?
Because you're not just aMidwest company.
You are nationwide,internationally known.
So yeah, give us a little tasteof you and your dynamic team
and how you operate for ourlisteners and viewers.
Speaker 2 (15:00):
Sure Well, it started out, it was just me, it's just
me going wherever people wereasking.
It was, you know, aroundMinnesota.
It was different parts of theUS and then it started to be
international and it was alwaysme.
It was different parts of theUS and then it started to be
international and it was alwaysme.
And so I am very grateful formy team because I was getting
stretched pretty thin.
(15:21):
I loved the work, but I alsohave a family and the team
evolved to really I don't evenknow.
I feel like people just theright people were placed in my
orbit at the right times.
A lot of them introductions fromother people.
We have three people on the teamnow who I once coached, so two
(15:43):
people I coached at a school inGermany who I thought these
people are incredible and I keepit in back of my mind because
you never know when a certainskill set will come in handy and
then boom, it's there and Iknow who to ask.
So they're amazing.
I learn from people on my teamevery day and we have people a
lot of people are still inschool, they're teaching or
(16:05):
they're an administrator, sothey're still on the front lines
, living it every single day,and they help us too when we're
getting a little toophilosophical or theoretical.
They're like no, no, no, no, no.
This is what it looks like animplementation.
So, yeah, I think I try, I'mlearning how to, I'm learning
how to own a company with manypeople and I'm trying to find
(16:28):
ways that people can learn andgrow and share things together,
um, together, so that we'realways all learning, and that's
ultimately.
I'm looking for people who arehumble, who are, who are, who
don't know everything and youknow, none of us do, but not all
of us admit it.
Speaker 1 (16:44):
Oh yeah.
Speaker 2 (16:46):
And who are willing to to step into something new
and maybe be uncomfortable.
You know and and work hard toto figure out how to help the
the school in front of them.
So I've been.
I'm just so lucky and you knowpeople.
Everywhere we go now we hearfrom people who are asking you
know, do you have openings?
(17:06):
And sadly this is the state ofeducation Teachers, probably
people you know Java people.
I know people listeners know arelooking for new jobs.
They are asking us, they'reasking in other industries, they
are looking to move and it'sreally frightening because you
start counting and you think,well, who's left?
(17:27):
Our main goal here is to keepgood people in schools for as
long as they can be there.
Speaker 1 (17:35):
Yeah, and again, they're having an environment
where they feel like they canteach with the resources and the
help that they deserve to have.
You know, and you're right, Ilove your secret sauce of having
staff that are alsoimplementing the philosophies,
the protocols that you have, youknow, created for your company,
(17:58):
and I love how they also checkeach other as well as a team.
I love that humbleness that youhave.
Like it's going to beuncomfortable, there's going to
be things we need to stretch andthere's going to be things that
are like, yeah, this approachisn't working with this
particular school environment.
How can we pivot?
How can we change?
And I love that, because a lotof us too, especially
entrepreneur to entrepreneur, weall know, when you've been away
(18:21):
from a certain sector for awhile, you tend to go, oh well,
it should be like this.
Speaker 2 (18:26):
And it's not Right and you need some friends to
bring you back to center going.
Speaker 1 (18:32):
Oh no, that approach does not work, yeah.
Speaker 2 (18:35):
Yeah, and education is just so dynamic, I mean it
changes so much within a year.
Speaker 1 (18:41):
Yes, yes.
Speaker 2 (18:41):
Five years ago, 10 years ago, we can't be thinking
the same way.
Speaker 1 (18:45):
So yeah, you're right , oh yeah, and that goes to my
next question, because we knowfive years ago with that
pandemic that hit, it left ahuge mark on student learning,
lots of deficits that we'restill researching that came out
of the pandemic.
How has North Shore Learningadjusted to help those teachers
(19:06):
meet the students where they areand how that can help them move
forward?
Yeah, how does that help them?
Speaker 2 (19:14):
And how that can help them move forward.
Speaker 1 (19:16):
Yeah, how does that help them?
The pandemic?
Speaker 2 (19:17):
was horrible for everybody.
It was horrible for studentsand for kids.
It was like somebody pausedtheir life and paused their
education.
They paused, you know, gettingoutside and socializing, and
we've been um this ripple effectfor the past couple of years
and and we work in schools andcountries that were not open for
(19:41):
two years.
So students who were online fortwo years, so this is their
second year back in school, andwe were just seeing a lot, of a
lot of social anxiety, a lot ofanxiety in general people who
forgot to be around, people Likewhat is socially appropriate,
what isn't Learning oh my gosh,the deficit is huge.
(20:07):
Kids are behind Classroommanagement.
It's, in a lot of ways, out ofcontrol, and it's not because
the students are bad kids,because they've lived through a
lot and a lot of them alreadyhad stuff going on and this just
exacerbated it.
So I would say I think the mainway is we again we try and be
(20:30):
holistic, like what are, whatare the big needs here, but that
the asks we're getting mostoften are really to support
teachers with student behaviorsand with student mental health,
and this is where it all kind ofconverges under the umbrella of
inclusion, because all thesepieces.
You know, we might have thoughtabout them as separate from
(20:50):
each other 10 years ago, butthey are not anymore and they're
all impacting learning andthey're even impacting who comes
to school.
I mean, the rate of absenteeismI'm hearing about, or school
refusal, is very high andabsenteeism for teachers as well
.
Speaker 1 (21:08):
Yes, oh, yes, we're seeing that too.
Speaker 2 (21:13):
It's this high stress , high anxiety that we feel and
the learning deficit we'retrying to crawl out of.
And so, yeah, like I said,right now it really A lot of our
work is around classroommanagement, student behaviors,
working with neurodivergentlearners, but also just how do
we teach today?
(21:33):
Because we can't teach today.
Speaker 1 (21:36):
Like the way.
Speaker 2 (21:37):
I said that I was taught in the 90s.
If you have students sitting indesks staring at you for more
than two minutes, I can'tguarantee anything.
So yeah, it's hard, change ishard.
It's a change we've beenneeding to make for a while, but
it's hard and some people arehaving an easier time kind of
(21:58):
pivoting than others.
But that's why we're there.
If taking a big leap is toomuch, let's figure out a baby
step and try and help peoplethat way.
Speaker 1 (22:08):
And I love how you reiterated that, jess.
How do we teach today?
When we were learning in the80s and 90s, there was, you know
, the pandemic was a hundredsome years before that.
And so this whole new wave of Ifeel it's like a reinvigorating
of us to go okay, what can wedo right now to serve our
(22:31):
students and our staff?
Because, you know, it was veryisolating for teachers as well.
You had a whole classroom.
Now your classroom's down to alaptop and having to adjust and
how isolating, like you said,you know, students around the
world were in their homes fortwo years.
They don't even know how toproblem solve.
Like you said, that socialcomponent, everything was on
(22:53):
pause.
You definitely hit that.
It was really on pause for along time.
And to get back to that and Ilove how you talked about with
inclusion, so many of uscompartmentalize mental health,
compartmentalize behavior,compartmentalize trauma, you
know, and how it's all in apackage of a student.
(23:14):
A child could be going throughsomething traumatic at home that
doesn't want to discuss ordisclose out of fear they might
be taken away from their parent.
Other child is so anxious aboutleaving mom or their grown-up
at home.
So there is a lot that we areuncovering and learning and
thank you for including that andtalking about the pulse that
(23:35):
you're listening to from yourteacher clients and
administrators that it isbehavior, mental health,
absenteeism and I know we can'tsolve that in this episode today
, but I love how you offer amulti-approach of in-person and
online sessions and I love howthat helps our teachers with PD
(23:58):
going in and your approach ofmeeting and observing the school
environment before you even cantake them on.
That's really really smart,before you even can take them on
.
That's really really smart.
What other approaches that youcan use to kind of help keep
that approach more personalized?
I love how you do kind of audita school before you approach
(24:20):
them.
Is there another format thatyou've utilized, too, in your
services?
Speaker 2 (24:32):
utilized too in your services.
Yeah, an audit approach isreally helpful because it just
gathers data before we evenstart, and we've done that.
We just finished an audit lastweek for a school in Mexico
actually, who said we knowthings need to look different,
but we're a little overwhelmedabout where to start.
So we suggest come in, let'skind of do this overall
assessment and we can help you,so you're not just, you know,
(24:54):
throwing spaghetti at the walland seeing what's going to stick
this year.
So the audit is definitelysomething I wish people would
take more advantage of, becauseit's just such good data.
But it can be all the reasonsbudget time.
So also I would say we have,even if we're going to do like a
one hour training with a school.
(25:15):
I usually I usually collectdata as much from the teachers
as possible.
I've talked to theadministrators.
I want to know what kinds ofsituations I can bring up that
are going to ring true forpeople or what types of things
are just not.
They're not part of the culture, they're not part of the way
things work at school.
(25:35):
We've been working with a fewschools in Latin America over
the past couple of months andone of the schools in Columbia.
Actually they gave us.
It was really helpful.
After our first training, theysaid we're going to give you a
lot of information about thecontext of our colombian
international school students tohelp just guide how you, how
(25:57):
you, interact, which was sointeresting and helpful because
it's not like one size fitsanybody except mine.
Yeah, and even though we'retalking about similar things,
we're talking about studentbehaviors, like the context in
which the students live is sodifferent that we like to try
and understand it.
(26:18):
So, yeah, I'm and I will notgive a training unless I feel
like I have a handle on that.
I will ask for more special ohyeah, Years ago I was working
with a school in Miami and Imust have asked the
administrator for fourpre-workshop sessions just
because it meant so much to meto try and understand before.
(26:39):
People spend an hour, fourhours of their day hopping onto
Zoom to listen to me when lifeis busy and full.
I want to feel like Iunderstand the group before we
get started.
Speaker 1 (26:52):
And that is just again.
As an educator, we always loveto be prepared and I love that
Jessie Like if I need to domultiple sessions before.
Speaker 2 (27:02):
I start.
Speaker 1 (27:02):
I want to know the ins and outs of the environment,
how the staff works, and Icommend that school that you
said in Columbia that gave you aguide of you know, and that
again is also multicultural,multi-educational, of like.
Here's the context that how weapproach our students, and that
I think is huge, and how they'reprepared to help you so you can
(27:26):
bring your best foot forwardwith their staff Awesome.
And I also, I mean I tell you Icould talk to you all day, my
dear, just how you have thatpersonalized approach as
consultants.
People think, oh well, you'rejust going to do the same
approach, the same training,like you did with this client.
It's very how you say.
(27:48):
It's very important and vitalthat you do understand the
client that you're serving andalso learning from behind the
scenes of the foundationalpeople, the staff, the
administrative staff, everybodythat is in those touch points
with understanding the wholechild, I think is really
(28:09):
important.
So kudos to you.
I also know again, what is youradvice.
You're a parent, I'm a parent,but when you have a student that
struggles at school, is thereany quick tip or advice?
Because I know your company isreally well versed in
neuroscience as well.
(28:31):
So what's your advice to themto kind of help their families
for the first steps of academicsupport, like where should they
go, who should they talk to?
Speaker 2 (28:42):
Yeah, first of all, I just have a lot of empathy for
these families because we'velived through it and we the
whole process, and it's veryconfusing.
You don't know your rights, youdon't know your child's rights,
you don't know.
And we my husband and I areboth educators.
So I have, like I said, a lotof empathy for families who need
(29:03):
know they need to startadvocating and don't know where
to start.
I can say, bringing me a lot ofhope.
More and more teachers that wework with have a better sense of
, if not how to work with kidswith different needs.
They have the openness and manyare ready and willing and able
(29:25):
to do so.
I would always start with theclassroom teacher, ready and
willing and able to do so.
I would always start with theclassroom teacher.
We were really lucky in thatwhen my son was in four-year-old
preschool was when he had hisevaluation and diagnosis, which
is really early and thankgoodness.
But if you feel like, if you'rea parent and you think I know
there's more here, there's moreto it, it can be really tricky.
(29:49):
Learning disorders, behaviordisorders, mental health is
sneaky, it's all sneaky.
So if you have that feeling asa parent, don't ignore it.
We also started a program whereour inclusive needs specialists
on our team are offering towork with families as well to
help them kind of navigate thefirst steps of the process.
(30:13):
Again, just to kind of know whatyour rights are, to know what
questions to ask, what kind ofservices to ask for.
We ended up doing a lot ofoccupational therapy with our
son and that wouldn't have beensomething I would have known to
suggest and that wouldn't havebeen something I would have
known to suggest.
So again, we're trying to helppeople know what all the
different resources and servicesare.
(30:34):
But I would always start with aclassroom teacher and maybe
start with the same questionthat I ask teachers what are the
joys you have working with mychild and what's challenging?
And maybe that can be the startof the conversation.
Speaker 1 (30:51):
Yeah, oh, jess, I love this.
Oh, we could again.
I'm just so excited you're hereto share your expertise with
all of our listeners and viewers.
Where can they find you, aswell as how can they connect
with you and your team?
Because I know we've got a lotof teachers listening, a lot of
administrators listening aroundthe world, so where can they
(31:13):
find your amazing work?
Speaker 2 (31:16):
Well, thank you all for what you do.
I mean truly.
I think teachers and schoolleaders are it's the most
important job, right?
We're educating.
We're educating tomorrow likethe future.
Oh yes, literally.
Speaker 1 (31:28):
And I wish I could triple all of your salaries.
Right we're educating.
Speaker 2 (31:28):
We're educating tomorrow like the future.
Yes, literally, and I wish, Iwish I could triple all of your
salaries and I wish you all gotthe respect that you deserve.
Um, but the best way to contactus is just probably our website
, northshorelearningorg.
Um, and I'm jessica werner.
You can find me on linkedin andI, yeah, be absolutely happy to
hear from any school worldwidewho you think this might support
(31:50):
your learners and your staff.
Speaker 1 (31:52):
Love this and, yes, folks, we'll have Dr Werner's
information in the show notes aswell as our social media when
this goes out.
Live to everyone around theworld.
Thanks again for tuning in tothe Culture Curriculum Chat
podcast and Mrs Edmonds CulturalCorner on YouTube.
If today's episode gave youfresh ideas for your classroom
(32:16):
or inspired you in yourinclusion journey, I'd love for
you to take two quick stepsbefore we go.
First, hit that follow andleave a review so more educators
like you can find this show.
And secondly, visitJebaEdmondscom to grab your
inclusive classroom lesson plans.
(32:39):
I have over 70 of them Kthrough 12, right on the website
that you can purchase for yourclassroom today.
And while you're there, checkout our mini course titled the
Power of Perceptions forEducators.
It talks about our blind spotsas well as how we can support
(32:59):
and affirm our diverse learners.
So, thanks again.
I will see you here same timenext week.
Bye-bye.
All right, welcome back to the Cultural Curriculum
Chat Podcast.
I'm your host, jeba Edmond.
I am so excited we have astellar guest in the guest chair
today, dr Jessica Werner.
And before I introduce Jess, Iwant you to know if you are new
to the podcast and the YouTubechannel, mrs Edmond's Culture
(00:21):
Corner.
Welcome, I'm your host, jeba,and I share all things
multicultural educationallearning, inclusive work
practices, as well as DE&Istrategies.
And, without further ado,welcome Dr Jess Werner.
She is the founder and CEO ofNorth Shore Learning and I
(00:43):
cannot wait to get into thisconversation.
She's going to give uswonderful tools and strategies
for our educators andadministrators, as well as how
to get in contact with her,because, darlings, she is an
international brand and you needher and her awesome team in
your school districts and yourschools.
(01:05):
Like yesterday, like yeah, Ican't wait to get into it.
So welcome to the podcast.
Speaker 2 (01:13):
Thanks for having me.
I'm so excited.
Speaker 1 (01:16):
Oh, I'm so excited to have you Now listeners and
viewers.
I met Jess.
I want to say what was it liketwo or three years ago, in a
snow, storm, christmas Eve, wemet at a coffee shop and just
kind of like our worlds collidedfor like an amazing time.
It was like, girl, where haveyou been all my life?
(01:37):
And, jess, how did you feelabout that day when we met the
first time?
Before we get into your originstory, yeah, I was just thinking
about that this morning.
Speaker 2 (01:46):
First of all, it doesn't feel like two years ago.
It feels like we've known eachother for like 20.
Yeah, no, we just connectedright away.
It was wonderful.
And you know how it is youdon't meet that many people in
life who you don't have to tryhard with, you just kind of
understand each other.
You could talk or not talk, andyeah, that's how it's always
(02:09):
been.
So I'm really grateful to knowyou and be a part of your life.
Speaker 1 (02:13):
I'm grateful to know you too, my dear, and I think
what really bonded us was thelove of infusing inclusivity of
the kids in our classrooms.
In our past life of just tryingto reach that kid, you know,
trying to make sure they haveall their accommodations that
they need, and, of course, thefrustration of the resources
(02:33):
that weren't there.
And you know that I think what,in your love of traveling and
being in spaces and classroomsthat are international, that you
could help our Americaneducators learn of what's going
on across the world.
And when I met you that day,christmas Eve, at the coffee
(02:54):
shop, like a snowstorm innorthern Minnesota, I'm like,
yeah, this woman needs to be inmy life and vice versa, because
we had so many mutualconnections of our drive to, you
know, create those safe,welcoming spaces.
So, listeners, I can't wait foryou to learn more about Jess's
story.
So let's get into it.
(03:14):
Jess, how did you grow up andhow did you perceive inclusive
education to come into your owncompany?
Speaker 2 (03:24):
I've spent a lot of time reflecting on this question
since you sent it to me becausewhen I think back to my own
childhood, growing up, the wordinclusion is like it was not a
part of education back then.
It wasn't at any school I wentto.
I think back and I'm like, whatdid that look like at my
(03:47):
private elementary or my publicmiddle and high school?
And I just I can't.
I can't see what it was,because it was really like whole
group learning all the time.
We will teach one way for allthe kids.
If you don't get it, it's yourfault, you fail.
You know, that was myintroduction to education, which
(04:10):
is really similar for everybodyprobably who grew up in the 80s
and 90s.
And then even when I startedteaching, that was still kind of
the philosophy, like the worddifferentiation loaded around
there, but there wasn't reallyany accountability for it.
And again it was kind of likeif you do well, it's because
(04:31):
you're trying hard and if youhave problems it's your fault.
And it wasn't until the lastcouple of years I was teaching
that really we started to see anemergence of just
neurodiversity in our studentsand it wasn't until those last
couple of years that I saw andit wasn't even everybody
(04:52):
teachers willing to try andengage with it and trying to do
things differently to help thosestudents succeed in their
classes too.
So I don't know how my ownupbringing, but I was thinking
about this too.
So I grew up in centralCalifornia and it's the part of
California a lot of people don'tknow exists.
(05:13):
It is a big farming community,has a lot of migrant workers.
We have this very transientpopulation.
You know.
There are schools where theteachers, the student body, will
rotate every couple of monthsbecause their families will move
on and go farm in a differentpart of California.
And so what I did noticegrowing up was the multicultural
(05:36):
aspect of how it was and wasn'tincluded in schools, and the
language of Spanish too.
You know, I think one of my,one of my memories and I think
this really shaped how I beganto look at inclusion was, you
know, we were a community thatthere was a lot of Spanish
speakers.
(05:56):
English, you know, was thelanguage everybody operated in,
but if you went to a restaurant,a store or even the bank, you
may have been approached inSpanish.
That was just how it was.
I was really surprised when Imoved out of Central California
and I realized not everybody hadSpanish as a part of their
lives.
But as I think about inclusion,I think about my dad.
(06:19):
So my dad was an emergency roomdoctor in Central California.
He's a white guy from theMidwest, but what he started
seeing in his practice over theyears is more and more people
again who only spoke Spanish.
And so what was my dad'ssolution?
It was to learn Spanish, and mydad would go to night classes
(06:43):
at the community college.
His teacher at communitycollege was my high school
teacher.
Like I think how cool and howhumbling for this doctor to be
sitting in night classes tolearn Spanish.
But that was his approach.
He was like this is the need ofthe community and this is this
is what I'm going to do, right,and I think it probably didn't
(07:04):
seem like much to him.
It was probably like, yeah,this is how we work.
But I think it really instilleda lesson early on that Just how
do we adapt to meet otherpeople's needs?
How do we?
How do we not sit there saying,well, you should do this and
then I'll, and then I'll meetyou where you're at?
No, we, we look to the needs infront of us and then I'll meet
(07:26):
you where you're at.
No, we look to the needs infront of us.
So yeah, it's funny that thatmemory came back and I thought.
Speaker 1 (07:35):
Well, my dad was a really early example in my life
of inclusion.
Yes, that's amazing, jess, tostep out of his comfort zone,
learn something new and be veryconsistent and persistent with
learning a second language toaccommodate and help.
You know, meeting his patientsright there instead of going, oh
(07:56):
, I need an interpreter, or youknow what I'm just going to.
Especially when people think,oh, I just speak louder than
they'll understand my language.
It's like what kind ofbackwards kind of thinking is
that?
It's like you know they'rehurting their ear.
Like what?
Even though you're speaking andyour tone is louder doesn't
mean I can understand whatyou're saying.
So that's really huge.
(08:17):
Thank you, thank you Now withyour organization, north Shore
Learning.
I love how, even on yourwebsite, it shares how you are
really big in inclusion.
Support Classroom managementdoesn't mean even if you're a
first year teacher or a seasonedteacher.
We all need some help.
(08:39):
We've all been there like, okay, how can I brush up on my
skills?
Been there like, okay, how canI brush up on my skills?
Instructional excellence,helping and supporting those
teachers and administrators Ilove you've got educator
wellness.
Especially in our times rightnow, a lot of us teachers across
this country are burnt out.
And executive coaching for ourschool administration A lot of
(09:01):
our school admin.
They're trying to keep theirbuildings going, but who's
watching them, who's helpingthem in their wellness out?
So I just love that focus ofthe several different facets
that you share and that youreally specialize in, because
we've all been there just aseducators sitting in those
(09:23):
professional developments andit's one and done.
And I love how it's yourmultifaceted approach of we're
helping the instructors, we'realso helping our admin and also
looking into our own educatormental health and that also, in
turn, helps our whole student.
So can you share what thatlooks like in action, especially
helping your teachers whenyou're going to those buildings
and administrators?
Just give us a little our wholestudent.
So can you share what thatlooks like in action, especially
(09:44):
, you know, helping yourteachers when you're going to
those buildings andadministrators?
Just give us a little taste ofhow that looks.
Speaker 2 (09:52):
Yeah, it's been really fun to develop this
approach and make it as holisticas possible because, just you
know, gemma, like when we wereteachers, I don't even think I
had support outside of myclassroom.
You know, I could go find it, Icould go knock on a door and
hope somebody had time to talk.
My principal was always busyrunning a school, which is its
(10:15):
own job.
You know that's a lot of workbuild and grow.
We're always trying to figureout what do people actually need
to be successful?
Because we want our teachers tobe and feel good, because it
directly translates into howtheir students feel and even
achieve, which is, you know, weshould want our teachers to feel
(10:36):
good regardless, becausethey're doing this super
important job right, they'reeducating our future.
But we also know that thatmakes an impact on student
learning anyway, and so it justkind of depends.
This wasn't a great answer, butit depends on the school,
because we look at everything soholistically, we always just
(10:56):
try to learn about the schooland the teachers and the school
before we make anyrecommendations.
Like what are the challengesfor you?
That's one of the first thingsI ask is what's challenging and
what's going really well?
And that's exciting too,because then we kind of see
where they're already feelingcompetent, but we get more
information about things thatcould support them even further
(11:21):
to address the challenges, andso we really kind of just try
and ask, and sometimes peopledon't know.
They're like I don't know, justcome watch my class, let's see
how it goes.
And it's one of those thingswhere when it's your life and
you're in it all the time,sometimes it's hard to see your
blind spots.
So that's why it's nice to haveanother person in there.
(11:44):
And so we've been doing thatwith teachers for about five
years, and then we'll offereither individual work with
teachers on something likeclassroom management Oftentimes
it turns out most of theteachers in the building have
the same feeling and then we cando something strategic for the
(12:05):
whole school.
That is our data collection.
But it's also just how we work,because we're about
relationships.
Like I really think, like yousaid the one and done training,
we know they don't work well andwe also know that we learn and
grow from people we trust.
(12:25):
And so unless you sit down withpeople and try to hear their
story and see what they'reworking with and know what it's
like, it's hard to gain trustbecause they're like who are you
Another person, consultant,consultant even in education,
how it's like a bad people havea bad connotation of it, which
(12:46):
is sad because but they've hadbad experiences, yes, and so our
best feedback is people who arelike oh, you aren't like the
other consultants.
Speaker 1 (12:56):
I love that.
And you're the consultants thatget it.
You know educationalconsultants a lot of us have
been in the classroom, beenthere, we speak the language, we
know.
We know the times a year whenyou're really feeling stretched
really thin.
And that's what I love aboutyour approach, Jess, because you
get it.
You've been a certified teacher.
(13:17):
You've been, you know, on thefront lines teaching students,
seeing and again, understandingfrustrations teachers may have
going.
Hey, I've been shouting fromthe rooftops, I still haven't
gotten support, you know.
So we get the trepidation of oh, here we go again.
Now this new person is going tocome in that is an expert in
their field, you know, and exactand, like you said before
(14:17):
getting that data, the studentsactually really are receptive to
that, you know.
They really are like OK, yeah,definitely, and evidence that
your teacher is also a lifelonglearner.
They're not just doing the samethings, and I know you're not a
one woman show just doing thesame things, and I know you're
not a one-woman show.
You have a dynamic team withyou of other certified educators
(14:39):
and consultants and I reallylove that.
How do you facilitate that withyour dynamic team?
Because you're not just aMidwest company.
You are nationwide,internationally known.
So yeah, give us a little tasteof you and your dynamic team
and how you operate for ourlisteners and viewers.
Speaker 2 (15:00):
Sure Well, it started out, it was just me, it's just
me going wherever people wereasking.
It was, you know, aroundMinnesota.
It was different parts of theUS and then it started to be
international and it was alwaysme.
It was different parts of theUS and then it started to be
international and it was alwaysme.
And so I am very grateful formy team because I was getting
stretched pretty thin.
(15:21):
I loved the work, but I alsohave a family and the team
evolved to really I don't evenknow.
I feel like people just theright people were placed in my
orbit at the right times.
A lot of them introductions fromother people.
We have three people on the teamnow who I once coached, so two
(15:43):
people I coached at a school inGermany who I thought these
people are incredible and I keepit in back of my mind because
you never know when a certainskill set will come in handy and
then boom, it's there and Iknow who to ask.
So they're amazing.
I learn from people on my teamevery day and we have people a
lot of people are still inschool, they're teaching or
(16:05):
they're an administrator, sothey're still on the front lines
, living it every single day,and they help us too when we're
getting a little toophilosophical or theoretical.
They're like no, no, no, no, no.
This is what it looks like animplementation.
So, yeah, I think I try, I'mlearning how to, I'm learning
how to own a company with manypeople and I'm trying to find
(16:28):
ways that people can learn andgrow and share things together,
um, together, so that we'realways all learning, and that's
ultimately.
I'm looking for people who arehumble, who are, who are, who
don't know everything and youknow, none of us do, but not all
of us admit it.
Speaker 1 (16:44):
Oh yeah.
Speaker 2 (16:46):
And who are willing to to step into something new
and maybe be uncomfortable.
You know and and work hard toto figure out how to help the
the school in front of them.
So I've been.
I'm just so lucky and you knowpeople.
Everywhere we go now we hearfrom people who are asking you
know, do you have openings?
(17:06):
And sadly this is the state ofeducation Teachers, probably
people you know Java people.
I know people listeners know arelooking for new jobs.
They are asking us, they'reasking in other industries, they
are looking to move and it'sreally frightening because you
start counting and you think,well, who's left?
(17:27):
Our main goal here is to keepgood people in schools for as
long as they can be there.
Speaker 1 (17:35):
Yeah, and again, they're having an environment
where they feel like they canteach with the resources and the
help that they deserve to have.
You know, and you're right, Ilove your secret sauce of having
staff that are alsoimplementing the philosophies,
the protocols that you have, youknow, created for your company,
(17:58):
and I love how they also checkeach other as well as a team.
I love that humbleness that youhave.
Like it's going to beuncomfortable, there's going to
be things we need to stretch andthere's going to be things that
are like, yeah, this approachisn't working with this
particular school environment.
How can we pivot?
How can we change?
And I love that, because a lotof us too, especially
entrepreneur to entrepreneur, weall know, when you've been away
(18:21):
from a certain sector for awhile, you tend to go, oh well,
it should be like this.
Speaker 2 (18:26):
And it's not Right and you need some friends to
bring you back to center going.
Speaker 1 (18:32):
Oh no, that approach does not work, yeah.
Speaker 2 (18:35):
Yeah, and education is just so dynamic, I mean it
changes so much within a year.
Speaker 1 (18:41):
Yes, yes.
Speaker 2 (18:41):
Five years ago, 10 years ago, we can't be thinking
the same way.
Speaker 1 (18:45):
So yeah, you're right , oh yeah, and that goes to my
next question, because we knowfive years ago with that
pandemic that hit, it left ahuge mark on student learning,
lots of deficits that we'restill researching that came out
of the pandemic.
How has North Shore Learningadjusted to help those teachers
(19:06):
meet the students where they areand how that can help them move
forward?
Yeah, how does that help them?
Speaker 2 (19:14):
And how that can help them move forward.
Speaker 1 (19:16):
Yeah, how does that help them?
The pandemic?
Speaker 2 (19:17):
was horrible for everybody.
It was horrible for studentsand for kids.
It was like somebody pausedtheir life and paused their
education.
They paused, you know, gettingoutside and socializing, and
we've been um this ripple effectfor the past couple of years
and and we work in schools andcountries that were not open for
(19:41):
two years.
So students who were online fortwo years, so this is their
second year back in school, andwe were just seeing a lot, of a
lot of social anxiety, a lot ofanxiety in general people who
forgot to be around, people Likewhat is socially appropriate,
what isn't Learning oh my gosh,the deficit is huge.
(20:07):
Kids are behind Classroommanagement.
It's, in a lot of ways, out ofcontrol, and it's not because
the students are bad kids,because they've lived through a
lot and a lot of them alreadyhad stuff going on and this just
exacerbated it.
So I would say I think the mainway is we again we try and be
(20:30):
holistic, like what are, whatare the big needs here, but that
the asks we're getting mostoften are really to support
teachers with student behaviorsand with student mental health,
and this is where it all kind ofconverges under the umbrella of
inclusion, because all thesepieces.
You know, we might have thoughtabout them as separate from
(20:50):
each other 10 years ago, butthey are not anymore and they're
all impacting learning andthey're even impacting who comes
to school.
I mean, the rate of absenteeismI'm hearing about, or school
refusal, is very high andabsenteeism for teachers as well
.
Speaker 1 (21:08):
Yes, oh, yes, we're seeing that too.
Speaker 2 (21:13):
It's this high stress , high anxiety that we feel and
the learning deficit we'retrying to crawl out of.
And so, yeah, like I said,right now it really A lot of our
work is around classroommanagement, student behaviors,
working with neurodivergentlearners, but also just how do
we teach today?
(21:33):
Because we can't teach today.
Speaker 1 (21:36):
Like the way.
Speaker 2 (21:37):
I said that I was taught in the 90s.
If you have students sitting indesks staring at you for more
than two minutes, I can'tguarantee anything.
So yeah, it's hard, change ishard.
It's a change we've beenneeding to make for a while, but
it's hard and some people arehaving an easier time kind of
(21:58):
pivoting than others.
But that's why we're there.
If taking a big leap is toomuch, let's figure out a baby
step and try and help peoplethat way.
Speaker 1 (22:08):
And I love how you reiterated that, jess.
How do we teach today?
When we were learning in the80s and 90s, there was, you know
, the pandemic was a hundredsome years before that.
And so this whole new wave of Ifeel it's like a reinvigorating
of us to go okay, what can wedo right now to serve our
(22:31):
students and our staff?
Because, you know, it was veryisolating for teachers as well.
You had a whole classroom.
Now your classroom's down to alaptop and having to adjust and
how isolating, like you said,you know, students around the
world were in their homes fortwo years.
They don't even know how toproblem solve.
Like you said, that socialcomponent, everything was on
(22:53):
pause.
You definitely hit that.
It was really on pause for along time.
And to get back to that and Ilove how you talked about with
inclusion, so many of uscompartmentalize mental health,
compartmentalize behavior,compartmentalize trauma, you
know, and how it's all in apackage of a student.
(23:14):
A child could be going throughsomething traumatic at home that
doesn't want to discuss ordisclose out of fear they might
be taken away from their parent.
Other child is so anxious aboutleaving mom or their grown-up
at home.
So there is a lot that we areuncovering and learning and
thank you for including that andtalking about the pulse that
(23:35):
you're listening to from yourteacher clients and
administrators that it isbehavior, mental health,
absenteeism and I know we can'tsolve that in this episode today
, but I love how you offer amulti-approach of in-person and
online sessions and I love howthat helps our teachers with PD
(23:58):
going in and your approach ofmeeting and observing the school
environment before you even cantake them on.
That's really really smart,before you even can take them on
.
That's really really smart.
What other approaches that youcan use to kind of help keep
that approach more personalized?
I love how you do kind of audita school before you approach
(24:20):
them.
Is there another format thatyou've utilized, too, in your
services?
Speaker 2 (24:32):
utilized too in your services.
Yeah, an audit approach isreally helpful because it just
gathers data before we evenstart, and we've done that.
We just finished an audit lastweek for a school in Mexico
actually, who said we knowthings need to look different,
but we're a little overwhelmedabout where to start.
So we suggest come in, let'skind of do this overall
assessment and we can help you,so you're not just, you know,
(24:54):
throwing spaghetti at the walland seeing what's going to stick
this year.
So the audit is definitelysomething I wish people would
take more advantage of, becauseit's just such good data.
But it can be all the reasonsbudget time.
So also I would say we have,even if we're going to do like a
one hour training with a school.
(25:15):
I usually I usually collectdata as much from the teachers
as possible.
I've talked to theadministrators.
I want to know what kinds ofsituations I can bring up that
are going to ring true forpeople or what types of things
are just not.
They're not part of the culture, they're not part of the way
things work at school.
(25:35):
We've been working with a fewschools in Latin America over
the past couple of months andone of the schools in Columbia.
Actually they gave us.
It was really helpful.
After our first training, theysaid we're going to give you a
lot of information about thecontext of our colombian
international school students tohelp just guide how you, how
(25:57):
you, interact, which was sointeresting and helpful because
it's not like one size fitsanybody except mine.
Yeah, and even though we'retalking about similar things,
we're talking about studentbehaviors, like the context in
which the students live is sodifferent that we like to try
and understand it.
(26:18):
So, yeah, I'm and I will notgive a training unless I feel
like I have a handle on that.
I will ask for more special ohyeah, Years ago I was working
with a school in Miami and Imust have asked the
administrator for fourpre-workshop sessions just
because it meant so much to meto try and understand before.
(26:39):
People spend an hour, fourhours of their day hopping onto
Zoom to listen to me when lifeis busy and full.
I want to feel like Iunderstand the group before we
get started.
Speaker 1 (26:52):
And that is just again.
As an educator, we always loveto be prepared and I love that
Jessie Like if I need to domultiple sessions before.
Speaker 2 (27:02):
I start.
Speaker 1 (27:02):
I want to know the ins and outs of the environment,
how the staff works, and Icommend that school that you
said in Columbia that gave you aguide of you know, and that
again is also multicultural,multi-educational, of like.
Here's the context that how weapproach our students, and that
I think is huge, and how they'reprepared to help you so you can
(27:26):
bring your best foot forwardwith their staff Awesome.
And I also, I mean I tell you Icould talk to you all day, my
dear, just how you have thatpersonalized approach as
consultants.
People think, oh well, you'rejust going to do the same
approach, the same training,like you did with this client.
It's very how you say.
(27:48):
It's very important and vitalthat you do understand the
client that you're serving andalso learning from behind the
scenes of the foundationalpeople, the staff, the
administrative staff, everybodythat is in those touch points
with understanding the wholechild, I think is really
(28:09):
important.
So kudos to you.
I also know again, what is youradvice.
You're a parent, I'm a parent,but when you have a student that
struggles at school, is thereany quick tip or advice?
Because I know your company isreally well versed in
neuroscience as well.
(28:31):
So what's your advice to themto kind of help their families
for the first steps of academicsupport, like where should they
go, who should they talk to?
Speaker 2 (28:42):
Yeah, first of all, I just have a lot of empathy for
these families because we'velived through it and we the
whole process, and it's veryconfusing.
You don't know your rights, youdon't know your child's rights,
you don't know.
And we my husband and I areboth educators.
So I have, like I said, a lotof empathy for families who need
(29:03):
know they need to startadvocating and don't know where
to start.
I can say, bringing me a lot ofhope.
More and more teachers that wework with have a better sense of
, if not how to work with kidswith different needs.
They have the openness and manyare ready and willing and able
(29:25):
to do so.
I would always start with theclassroom teacher, ready and
willing and able to do so.
I would always start with theclassroom teacher.
We were really lucky in thatwhen my son was in four-year-old
preschool was when he had hisevaluation and diagnosis, which
is really early and thankgoodness.
But if you feel like, if you'rea parent and you think I know
there's more here, there's moreto it, it can be really tricky.
(29:49):
Learning disorders, behaviordisorders, mental health is
sneaky, it's all sneaky.
So if you have that feeling asa parent, don't ignore it.
We also started a program whereour inclusive needs specialists
on our team are offering towork with families as well to
help them kind of navigate thefirst steps of the process.
(30:13):
Again, just to kind of know whatyour rights are, to know what
questions to ask, what kind ofservices to ask for.
We ended up doing a lot ofoccupational therapy with our
son and that wouldn't have beensomething I would have known to
suggest and that wouldn't havebeen something I would have
known to suggest.
So again, we're trying to helppeople know what all the
different resources and servicesare.
(30:34):
But I would always start with aclassroom teacher and maybe
start with the same questionthat I ask teachers what are the
joys you have working with mychild and what's challenging?
And maybe that can be the startof the conversation.
Speaker 1 (30:51):
Yeah, oh, jess, I love this.
Oh, we could again.
I'm just so excited you're hereto share your expertise with
all of our listeners and viewers.
Where can they find you, aswell as how can they connect
with you and your team?
Because I know we've got a lotof teachers listening, a lot of
administrators listening aroundthe world, so where can they
(31:13):
find your amazing work?
Speaker 2 (31:16):
Well, thank you all for what you do.
I mean truly.
I think teachers and schoolleaders are it's the most
important job, right?
We're educating.
We're educating tomorrow likethe future.
Oh yes, literally.
Speaker 1 (31:28):
And I wish I could triple all of your salaries.
Right we're educating.
Speaker 2 (31:28):
We're educating tomorrow like the future.
Yes, literally, and I wish, Iwish I could triple all of your
salaries and I wish you all gotthe respect that you deserve.
Um, but the best way to contactus is just probably our website
, northshorelearningorg.
Um, and I'm jessica werner.
You can find me on linkedin andI, yeah, be absolutely happy to
hear from any school worldwidewho you think this might support
(31:50):
your learners and your staff.
Speaker 1 (31:52):
Love this and, yes, folks, we'll have Dr Werner's
information in the show notes aswell as our social media when
this goes out.
Live to everyone around theworld.
Thanks again for tuning in tothe Culture Curriculum Chat
podcast and Mrs Edmonds CulturalCorner on YouTube.
If today's episode gave youfresh ideas for your classroom
(32:16):
or inspired you in yourinclusion journey, I'd love for
you to take two quick stepsbefore we go.
First, hit that follow andleave a review so more educators
like you can find this show.
And secondly, visitJebaEdmondscom to grab your
inclusive classroom lesson plans.
(32:39):
I have over 70 of them Kthrough 12, right on the website
that you can purchase for yourclassroom today.
And while you're there, checkout our mini course titled the
Power of Perceptions forEducators.
It talks about our blind spotsas well as how we can support
(32:59):
and affirm our diverse learners.
So, thanks again.
I will see you here same timenext week.
Bye-bye.
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