Are you ready to redefine your perspective on student conduct and prevent professional burnout? Brace yourself for a profound conversation with the dynamic Dr. Kara Kennebrew, the Dean of Student Rights and Responsibilities who is committed to restoring students through their missteps, and shaping them into ethically engaged citizens. Our dialogue peels back the layers of authentic conversation with students, underlining the role of conduct officers as educators first. We dive into this unchartered territory and unravel how this approach has the power to transform students' lives in ways like no other.
Our conversation doesn't stop there. Together with Dr. K, we delve into the essentiality of a strong support system and the art of reclaiming our "think time". The importance of having a sounding board to share your experiences and a shoulder to lean on in challenging times is highlighted. We also stress the significance of practicing positive self-talk, a powerful tool that helps process our thoughts and emotions, fostering mental clarity and emotional well-being.
With the pressures of work and family, it's easy to forget about self-care. But the truth is, it's not a luxury, it's a necessity. Especially for women juggling multiple roles. Having a therapist or counselor as part of your personal care team can be a game-changer, and downtime is not something to be postponed for the summer months. It's crucial to take regular breaks to rejuvenate and recharge. Wrapping up our enriching conversation, we celebrate Dr. Kennebrew's achievements, affirming the importance of sharing these insights with educators. Equip yourself with these tools for a successful academic year. You deserve it!
Grab a sample chapter of Dr. PBJ's new book-
Disrupting Burnout: The Professional Woman's Lifeline to Finding Purpose- https://www.patricebucknerjackson.com/book
Meet Dr. Kara Kennebrew
A native of Atlanta, Georgia, Dr. Kennebrew currently resides in Houston, TX with her son, Hunter, daughter, Harper and husband, Brian. Dr. Kennebrew is a double Eagle and received her Bachelor and Masters degrees from Georgia Southern University. She went on to complete her doctorate in Educational Leadership from Valdosta State University. She has been in higher education for over 15 years where her primary focus is student conduct. In her work, she seeks to redirect students through their missteps and prepares them to be ethically engaged citizens. She considers herself a RESTORER and truly has a heart for people.
Connect with Dr. PBJ
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:08):
Hey friends, welcome back to Disrupting Burnout,
where we are equipping educatorswith the strategies to do
purposeful work without burnout.
Listen, friend, this month isdedicated to educators.
When I say educators, there'ssuch a broad spectrum of us.
You have teachers in theclassroom, you have
(00:28):
administrators in K-12, you havestaff and faculty and colleges
and universities, but you alsohave trainers and educators at
companies and hospitals.
So if you teach somebodysomething, then I'm talking to
you and you don't.
When I say teach, I'm notalways talking about a textbook.
If you connect with people andyou teach them, you are an
(00:51):
educator.
So this month of July isdedicated to all of my educators
, specifically those who arestarting a new academic year.
I know the pressure that Augustbrings.
I know that August is go timeand my heart is to give you
strategies and tools that youcan use right now so that you
(01:13):
can have the best school openingyou have ever had.
Not meaning you may not havechallenges, but it means, no
matter the challenge, you can beat peace.
So that is our goal, and I haveinvited some dynamic educators
to join me this month to sharewith you from their own
experience and the tools thatthey have gathered through their
(01:36):
journey.
So today I'm so excited.
Oh my goodness.
I have known this woman forgosh probably more than 10 years
, maybe more than 15 years atthis time.
I mean from being a student atGeorgia Southern University to
where she is right now.
Let me just read her bio andthen you're going to get to meet
(02:00):
her.
So Dr Kara Kennebrew is anative of Atlanta, georgia.
Dr Kennebrew currently residesin Houston, texas, with her son,
her daughter and her husband,brian.
Dr Kennebrew is a double Eagle,come on Georgia Southern and
received her bachelor andbachelor's degrees from Georgia
Southern University.
(02:21):
She went on to complete herdoctorate in educational
leadership from Valdosta StateUniversity.
She has been in highereducation for over 15 years,
where her primary focus isstudent conduct.
Listen, if you don't know,you're about to know.
In her work, she seeks toredirect students through
missteps and prepares them to beethically engaged citizens.
(02:45):
She considers herself arestorer and truly has a heart
for people.
If that is not the truth, oh mygoodness.
Dr Kay, welcome to DisruptingBurnout.
Speaker 2 (02:58):
Thank you so very much, Dr PBJ.
I appreciate the opportunity.
Speaker 1 (03:02):
Oh my gosh, I'm so excited.
Okay, let's jump into it.
So let's start the way wealways start Tell the people who
you are.
Speaker 2 (03:09):
I'm a mother, I'm a wife those are my beloved, most
beloved titles of life andmother, I am an educator.
As you heard in the bio, I havea heart for people.
I have a heart to serve people.
I'm an empath.
I'm always looking to makepeople restore them to wholeness
(03:33):
, and so I think that's whatdrives my day-to-day purpose and
my work, and so I just I loveeverything about life.
I'm always looking for thepositive side of things, and so
I'm just an overall happy personwho loves to give of myself and
(03:54):
my time, personally andprofessionally.
Speaker 1 (03:58):
Dr Kay and y'all I lovingly call her Dr Kay.
It filled my heart so much toread your bio and when you said
I am a restorer and we've hadconversations about this and you
discovering that brilliance.
You are an accomplished woman,not just a terminal degree but
(04:20):
15 years of experience and youhave had increasing levels of
responsibility and promotionsand all the things you know.
I know that you've been insituations where you had your
choice of which job you wantedto take and in the midst of all
of that you recognize that youare a restorer first.
(04:41):
So for folks who don'tunderstand what student conduct
is, can you tell them a littlebit about your daily job and how
you show up as a restorer inthat job?
Speaker 2 (04:57):
Sure.
So I work at a communitycollege in Houston, texas.
My role is Dean of StudentRights and Responsibilities and
in that role I help students tomove beyond their circumstances.
So if they perhaps are found inviolation of one of the student
(05:17):
code of conduct charges, solet's say they think I will
schedule a meeting with them,have an authentic conversation.
And I say authentic because Ireally think that when you work
with people it's important toreally kind of get to the heart
of who they are and why theyhave come to see you.
Instead of it being scripted, Ithink that it disarms them and
(05:40):
it helps them to really kind ofopen up to you and you're able
to get what you need out of themto help them to move forward.
And so that's part of therestorative process of conduct.
Conduct is thought of aspunitive and in some cases it
can be if the student hascommitted a major infraction.
(06:00):
But oftentimes it's the casethat students are really lost.
They perhaps are battling somesituational stressors and you
would never be able tounderstand or know that
information unless you reallyget to the heart and understand
the person for who they are inthat moment.
Speaker 1 (06:21):
And you're the right person for the job.
You are the right person forthe job.
You and I met when I was doingstudent conduct as well.
Right, and what I love aboutconduct officers and I always
say this we are educators.
We're educators first, and wehave the opportunity to educate
students that may not be seen inany other space.
(06:44):
One of the reasons why studentsend up in our offices is because
they're not connected in theirresidence hall, they're not a
part of a student organization,they don't have a mentor.
Not everybody, but a lot ofthem haven't found their place
in their college or in theiruniversity.
And to meet with somebody towalk in now, you know how they
(07:06):
do.
They don't wanna be thereanyway because they know either
they've been accused or they didit right Like they know why
they're coming.
So they make assumptions aboutwhat this meeting is going to be
about.
But to come into that meetingand to encounter love, to
encounter grace, to encountersomeone who wants to restore
(07:29):
them, not treat them like anumber, another process, a case
number to close, but to see themas a person, it can make all
the difference in someone'seducational path.
There are students, dr K, thatyou can connect with and because
(07:49):
of interacting with you, theystay in school.
It's powerful, it's powerful.
Speaker 2 (07:56):
So that rapport building is important.
You know, that's another thingthat before I even start my
meetings I'm like tell me alittle bit about yourself.
Now, I know what major they are, I know what their GPA is, but
it's an opportunity for me toget them to open up, to really
kind of come into my space andbe as authentic as possible.
(08:19):
So, yeah, that rapport buildingis important.
Speaker 1 (08:23):
Ooh.
And that's an opportunity forthem to see themselves beyond
what they've been accused ofVery much so and to let them
know that you see them beyondwhat they've been accused of
Very much so Listen for mystudent affairs folks, my
housing folks, my deans, myprincipals, aps, those of you
(08:45):
who deal with discipline andconduct.
I understand that it can be aheavy lift when your days are
filled with people who areanxious and concerned and
defensive because of whatthey've been accused of.
It can be a heavy lift, but Iwant you to take Dr Kay's
example and understand howimportant your role is in the
(09:08):
lives of all of those studentsyou are meeting with, and how
you may be the person, thechange, the pivot that they need
in order to connect, in orderto accomplish this goal of
getting this degree, in order,honestly, to really really make
positive decisions in theirlives that will change the path
(09:29):
of who they become.
So this role is so importantand, dr Kay, it's also heavy.
So talk to us a little bitabout how you manage the
pressure and the stress thatcomes with your job, because
there's pressure from university, there's pressure from
colleagues, there's pressurefrom parents, there are even
(09:51):
pressures from the stateconcerning this job.
So how do you handle all of thepressure that comes with your
role?
Speaker 2 (09:59):
Yeah, that's a great question.
And I used to saycompartmentalization.
Right, I used to say you havethis file cabinet and you're
tucking stuff away, but at theend of the day, that file
cabinet gets full if you're notable to process it and you're
not able to do anything withthat.
So now I don't saycompartmentalization, I say
(10:22):
intentionality in terms of beingintentional in caring for
oneself me in the process.
So throughout the day I havetrusted colleagues who I use the
sounding boards.
If there is something that's soheavy that it's just bothering
my spirit, I call on them.
(10:43):
I know what my limitations areand so having that awareness and
knowing what my limitations areis another thing that I tap
into.
So intentionality having theawareness to know what my
limitations are and to connectwith colleagues who are able to
help me to move past something,an issue, to help me to see
things differently, to help meto process it is so important.
(11:06):
I rely on my husband quite abit.
He may not understandeverything that I've experienced
throughout the day, but he alsois just that listening ear.
So having some trusted circleof friends to be able to use as
a sounding board is veryessential for me.
I also used to ride in the carwith music just blasting and I
(11:32):
would have this long commutewhen I lived in Georgia.
So I would be blasting my musicand then I would come home and
then I'm with my kids and Ihadn't had time to really
process or really kind of figureout what went on in the day,
what I experienced, and so itthen was displaced you know,
(11:53):
I'll say emotions andexpressions of actions that I
displaced onto them and they'relike mama, what's going on?
You know why are you upset, whyare you snappy?
So I had to readjust things andI learned to ride home in
silence.
I learned to be able to talkabout some of the things that
(12:16):
were kind of disrupting myspirit in silence.
If I got it out and if Iverbalized it, then I was then
able to better understand what Iwas experiencing.
So, even if I wasn't able toprocess it in that silence, I
could take it to that trustedcolleague, to my husband, to my
friends, to say, hey, listen,this happened today.
Help me like really kind ofwork through this.
(12:40):
And so that's definitely helpedme in really kind of diffusing
and disrupting some of theburnout that I have experienced
with the day-to-day work thatcomes my way.
Speaker 1 (12:55):
Yeah, oh, so powerful , so powerful.
Two things I heard you say inthat, and all of that was good.
First of all, your community.
You need a community.
I call it your personal careteam.
Hey, friend, listen, I haveexciting news for you.
(13:15):
So if you've been following,you know I've been writing this
book and I am so excited aboutgetting it into your hands.
And guess what?
Today I'm offering you thefirst sample of my new book,
disrupting Burnout.
Friend, listen, we have morework to do.
Okay, it's still going toprofessional editing, we still
(13:37):
need to design the book, but Ican't wait to all that's done
for you to start digging in.
So there's a sample copy that Iread myself for you that's
available to you today.
All you have to do is go towwwpatricebuttnerjaxsoncom slash
book Again,patricebuttnerjaxsoncom slash
(14:02):
book.
Grab your sample, listen to thesample chapter and listen.
Let me know what you think.
I cannot wait for you to hearthis book.
Friend, go grab it today.
Yeah, who's on your personalcare team?
Who takes care of you?
Who can you go to?
Who can you go to when you needa moment, right, and not just
(14:26):
to complain, but just to let itout.
Just to let it out.
And here's my warning nowconcerning community, because we
gotta be careful of what I calltrauma swapping right, like I'm
telling you what's wrong withme, you telling me what's wrong
with, and nobody's gettingbetter.
We're just swapping emotions.
Now I'm mad because you weremad and you're hurt because I
(14:47):
was hurt, but nobody got better.
But we need powerful community.
You need people, one that youcan trust, because higher-aid is
a small world.
Everybody knows somebody.
I'm here to tell you you needpeople that you can trust, but
you also need people whounderstand, who get it.
(15:08):
When you're in those moments,you don't always have time to
explain what a case is and whatthe mandate is and what the code
of conduct is and what aninfraction it Like.
In that moment you just needsomebody who gets it.
But they're also a trustedplace.
So I would encourage people.
It might be people right aroundyou, or you might need to
(15:30):
stretch outside of yourinstitution.
You might need to connect withcolleagues.
That's why these state meetings, these regional meetings, these
national meetings are soimportant.
The conferences are soimportant, because there are
people who do what you do, whounderstand, and they have
capacity to sit with you.
(15:51):
They have capacity to supportyou.
So find your people.
Find your people yes,absolutely, our significant
others absolutely.
But you need people who get itas well.
Find your people.
And then the other thing youmentioned is that think time,
that think time.
(16:11):
I literally just put a spoonfulof PBJ on Instagram just today
about that think time and itseems like such a small shift,
but it can make all thedifference for you to have that
space between whatever happenedat work and showing up at home
to be money.
You've given your mind thegrace to transition instead of
(16:37):
just kind of walking in full ofeverything right.
So we have to be intentionalabout reclaiming our think time
so that we can recover.
You need to recover.
Dr Kay, I don't know about you,but for years I didn't realize
the impact on me from beingexposed to students, troubles,
(17:01):
cases, problems, you know.
I mean you deal with sexualassault, you deal with drugs and
alcohol, you deal with violence, you deal with domestic
violence, like all of thathappens on a college campus.
Whatever happens in your cityor your town can happen on a
college campus and your officeis where it all comes.
(17:22):
Yeah, I, I for a long timedidn't stop to recognize the
impact being exposed to all ofthat being responsible for it at
some level to process it.
I didn't understand the impactthat it had on me.
So how do you continue to checkin with yourself to see how
(17:46):
you're doing?
Speaker 2 (17:47):
Yeah, it's having a lot of self talk.
I talk to myself a lot.
It sounds crazy, but that'simportant.
That helps with really kind ofprocessing what's going on.
I think I do a really good jobof self care, right?
So I'm going to always get mynails done.
I'm going to always get my nail, my hair done, nails done.
(18:10):
I'm probably going to go outseparate from my husband at
least once or twice a month,free from the kids, to be able
to have that time.
And that really kind of helpsme to move to a better headspace
.
And I know that that soundsreally really selfish, but I
(18:31):
think that that is somethingthat for professionals, for moms
, that gets lost, like we feelthat guilt.
That guilt comes in where we'relike well, you're supposed to
work, you're supposed to be withthe family, you're supposed to
be, you know, a wife.
But you know why?
(18:53):
Why not think about yourself inthat moment, if it's going to
mean that you are going to showup in both spaces the
professional space and thepersonal space in the best way
and the most effective waypossible?
And that's what really kind ofhelps me to be whole, to be
ready to take on whatever isgoing to come at me on any
(19:16):
particular day or week is reallykind of taking care of myself,
making sure that I take a day ortwo.
Mental health is real.
Taking a mental health day.
You know, early on in myprofessional career used to
store up my time and just saveit.
Just say that I'm like no, youknow, I'm here, I'm not taking
(19:36):
off If I'm sick.
Yes, I will take off, but youknow, I was just storing up that
time and then my health set medown and I really had to really
inventory what was reallyimportant and if I am not able
to do the job, then what am Ireally doing?
So I had to make sure that myhealth was in check, physical
(19:59):
and mental, to be able to reallykind of get to a better place.
The final thing I'll say isthat therapy is real and for a
professional who hears somereally really, really heavy
stuff on a day to day basis andhas to process it and be the
(20:19):
responder to that information,it gets to be taxing and you
feel the weight and so beingable to have that sounding board
, that professional to help youto process it outside of those
trusted colleagues and friendsand your spouse, is important as
well.
So therapy is important.
It's real.
I go to therapy and I thinkthat it just really kind of
(20:43):
helps me to keep everythingbalanced out in check.
Speaker 1 (20:48):
Yes, ma'am, yes, ma'am, your therapist is a part
of that personal care team.
You need a counselor, you needa coach and you need a community
.
Everybody does, everybody does.
And I have to go back to whatyou said about self care.
It's not selfish, it's wise.
You know, dr K, I've beenasking this question in my
(21:08):
workshops recently, mostly witheducators.
Who is who I'm speaking with,doing key notes with?
And I asked this question whoare you outside of your work and
family roles?
And most people cannot answerthat question.
I asked that question and blankfaces across the room,
(21:29):
especially when I'm speaking toa group of women.
When I'm speaking to a group ofwomen, who are you outside of
your family and your work roles?
We forget that we were somebodybefore the kids, we were
somebody before the marriage, wewere somebody before the
promotion, before theprofessionalism, before the
degree, and we leave her behindto become all of those things
(21:54):
and we wrap our entire identityin those roles.
But you said a key word.
You said I want to be whole.
I want to be whole.
Those are significant parts ofwho we are.
Absolutely Tremendous blessings, no disrespect at all.
And that is not the whole of whoyou are.
(22:17):
You are an individual before theother people in your life.
So to stop and take care of thatwoman, that person, so that you
can come back and be a bettermom, so that you can come back
and be a better wife, you can bea better dean, you can be a
better administrator when youtake the time to take care of
(22:38):
you.
You know we know enough to domaintenance on our cars.
We pay more attention to ourvehicles than we do our own
bodies and our own minds, and weare surprised when there's a
breakdown, we're surprised whenthere's an illness, we're
(22:59):
surprised when something comesup.
But it's just our body's way ofgetting our attention, to say
we can't keep living like this.
You have to do somethingdifferent.
So I know that as a staffmember, as an administrator, you
don't get your summers off.
Everybody thinks, since youwork in education, you get
(23:21):
summers off and for those of uswho work at colleges and
universities, specifically onthe staff side, we do not.
So how do you find downtime inthe summer even though you still
work in everything?
Speaker 2 (23:37):
Oh Lord, I'm still trying to figure that out.
That is a tough one.
Yes, so I am strategic withlooking at my time throughout
the summer to see if I could geta four day weekend in there.
So I think it was the last timeI well, I'm on vacation now,
but I took Juneteenth, so I tookthat Friday off and then went
(23:59):
into the weekend.
We had that Monday.
So looking at and inventoryingmy time to see when would be the
best time that I could maximizemy time is probably the most
strategic thing that I do rightnow.
To make sure that I could havethose long breaks, so that I
won't have to use up PTO days,is what I do.
(24:20):
Let's see what else.
And I do take time throughoutthe year.
I'm just strategic about it.
I don't I no longer try to tostore it up.
It's not worth it.
It is not worth it.
I want to be, you know, aprofessional.
I want to show up for my, mykids, I want to show up for my
(24:41):
husband, and so strategicallythinking about when they'll have
days off and then taking thosedays so that we could filter in
some fun along the way.
So, once again, it's just thatintentionality.
I look at my calendar, seewhat's on it and see how I can
maximize my days and my time inconjunction with holidays that
(25:03):
are already planned for us to beoff.
Speaker 1 (25:06):
No, that's really good.
That's really good because whatI hear you saying is plan ahead
.
Don't wait till you'reoverwhelmed, don't wait till
you're exhausted.
The academic calendar iscyclical, we know what's coming
up like, we know how it worksand it's planned a year in
advance.
So look at the academiccalendar and go ahead and plan.
(25:26):
Go ahead and plan your time off.
Don't wait to get sick, don'twait to see if somebody else
took the day first.
Look at the calendar, becausehere's what it does when it
gives you something to lookforward to.
Even when things are hard, youcan think all right, I can one
more month and your girl istaking some time.
You know a couple more weeksand I'm out, you know.
(25:47):
So you, you've got something tolook forward to.
But also, you don't lose theopportunity because you're right
on it now and, for whateverreason, you can't take it.
So, since we don't get thosesummers off, having having that
long term plan of how you'regoing to take time is so, so
(26:09):
important.
It's so important.
The other thing that I would add, dr K, is we always like tell
ourselves oh, I'm going to dothat in summer.
Like we make a plan of 10things.
Oh, we'll get that done insummer.
And it never happens, becausesummer goes by faster than you
think and you end up beingbusier, right, you end up being
(26:31):
busier than you plan.
So be intentional about yoursummer.
It comes and goes in the snapof a finger, right.
So be very, very intentional.
Maybe one or two goals, not 10,because it's not going to
happen for you, it's just notgoing to happen.
It's not going to happen one ortwo projects that you want to
focus on in the summer, and theneverything else has to be
(26:53):
planned later, right?
So don't overwhelm yourself inthe summer, because some of us
don't feel a break at all.
For some of us, there's alittle bit.
It's a little bit slower.
Take advantage.
Take advantage of the time.
You know it's coming, you knowsummer is coming, you know the
majority of students are gone.
You have some online, you havesome still on campus, but
(27:17):
overwhelmingly you don't have asmuch going on in the summer as
you do August and September.
So take advantage.
Allow that time to walk aroundcampus, allow that time to spend
time with your team and get toknow them, get them out of the
office.
Be intentional about the timeyou do have, because sometimes
(27:38):
we're so focused on what wedon't have that we lose what we
do have Right.
So I call it reclaim your time.
Reclaim your time.
You know that you have a littlebit of breathing room in the
summer.
Use it.
Be intentional about it.
Plan it, but don't overplan it.
Don't overplan it.
(28:00):
Plan to downshift a little bit,plan to do less.
Plan to have some think time sothat when August hits because
it's not playing with anybodyit's coming when August hits.
You haven't spent your entiresummer stressed about August,
because if you're grinding inyour head about August, you
(28:22):
never have a summer.
You lost it, true, but if youallow yourself to stop and slow
down and take advantage, thenyou start August in a better
mind space.
Speaker 2 (28:34):
I received that, thank you.
Speaker 1 (28:36):
Yeah, yeah.
So we're going to let thepeople go, but before we do, I
know that you have your son andyour daughter and they have to
go back to school as well, andyour husband has his job and
things going on.
How do you prepare your familyto go back to school?
Speaker 2 (28:54):
Yeah, we do something pretty unique in the Kennebrook
household and we do check-ins.
And check-ins are just reallyour opportunity to make sure
that everyone is good.
And so my son will check in andhe'll say, hey, mom, I'm really
feeling like I didn't like thatsummer camp or I'm not feeling
(29:16):
math.
And I'll say, ok, got it.
And so it's my way of reallytapping in to make sure that I'm
checking in with them so that Iknow what's going on, so that I
can be more attentive.
I'm saying for my husband, ifthere's another job that he's
wishing to move to, or perhapshe's wanting to move up, climb
(29:36):
the ladder of success, havingthat awareness, that knowledge
of knowing, through thatcheck-in conversation, of where
he is.
And then my daughter, so it'sthe same thing If my family
isn't good, I'm not good.
So that check-in is soimportant.
It is important to make surethat we start off on the right
(29:57):
foot and really kind of take onthe day, the week, the month,
the year in the best waypossible.
Speaker 1 (30:04):
That's awesome.
I love that.
I love that you engage yourkids, your children, in the
check-in, because how often dowe silence children just because
they're young?
Speaker 2 (30:15):
All the time and they have so much to say Thank you.
I'm so much surprised at whatthey say, what comes out of
their mouth, what they see, whatthey feel, all of the things.
And so it's important to makesure that they have a voice and
that we validate their voicesand their concerns and really
(30:35):
kind of make sure that theyunderstand that we hear them.
Speaker 1 (30:39):
Yeah, that's so good and it also allows your family
to be in alignment right and tomake decisions together.
So if Brian is going aftersomething, then the whole family
can kind of be in alignment tomoving that direction together.
Or if you are going after a newcertification or a new position
or whatever, then the wholefamily can align and you all are
(31:01):
not doing those things at thesame time, because you
understand when one might need alittle more help than the other
.
That's powerful.
I hope you all heard that.
I hope you will take that intoyour home to have family
check-ins so that you can knowhow everybody is doing what they
need and how we need to moveforward together as a family.
(31:21):
Because I agree, dr K, if myfamily is not good, I'm not good
, I'm not good.
Oh, my goodness, as we closebecause we got to let the people
go as we close, is there anypiece of advice you would give
to maybe a brand new studentaffairs professional?
I mean, they are starting theirfirst semester, they just came
(31:43):
to campus and they haven't mettheir students yet.
What is one piece of advice youwould give them?
Speaker 2 (31:49):
Oh wow, give yourself grace.
I know that that sounds cliche,but give yourself grace.
I am just starting to learn howto give myself grace and I
think that that is importantallowing yourself to make
missteps, allowing yourself tonot be the best that you feel
(32:12):
that you are, but just givingyourself the opportunity to try
over and over to get it right.
So give yourself grace, knowthat you have divine purpose for
what you're doing and beconfident.
Walk confidently in yourabilities, don't shrink.
Show up every time as yourauthentic self and do great work
(32:36):
for the people who you'reserving.
Those are my messages for you.
Speaker 1 (32:41):
I got chills.
That was good, that was a goodword and I hope you all heard
every word of it.
Listen, dr Kara Kennerbrew, Iwant you to know I'm so proud of
you.
It's my honor to do life withyou, to watch as you excel, to
be impacted by you and yourlessons and your experiences and
(33:05):
your skills.
It's my honor.
I don't take it for granted.
Thank you so much for joiningus.
Speaker 2 (33:11):
Thank you, Dr PBJ.
I appreciate the opportunity.
Thank you so very much forpouring in to me always.
Speaker 1 (33:16):
Always, sister, always Listen, friends, as
always.
You are powerful, you aresignificant and you are loved.
Share this with somebody.
Share this with an educator whoneeds it.
Help them get prepared to havethe best school opening they've
ever had.
All right, love y'all, bye, bye.
Hey friends, welcome back to Disrupting Burnout,
where we are equipping educatorswith the strategies to do
purposeful work without burnout.
Listen, friend, this month isdedicated to educators.
When I say educators, there'ssuch a broad spectrum of us.
You have teachers in theclassroom, you have
(00:28):
administrators in K-12, you havestaff and faculty and colleges
and universities, but you alsohave trainers and educators at
companies and hospitals.
So if you teach somebodysomething, then I'm talking to
you and you don't.
When I say teach, I'm notalways talking about a textbook.
If you connect with people andyou teach them, you are an
(00:51):
educator.
So this month of July isdedicated to all of my educators
, specifically those who arestarting a new academic year.
I know the pressure that Augustbrings.
I know that August is go timeand my heart is to give you
strategies and tools that youcan use right now so that you
(01:13):
can have the best school openingyou have ever had.
Not meaning you may not havechallenges, but it means, no
matter the challenge, you can beat peace.
So that is our goal, and I haveinvited some dynamic educators
to join me this month to sharewith you from their own
experience and the tools thatthey have gathered through their
(01:36):
journey.
So today I'm so excited.
Oh my goodness.
I have known this woman forgosh probably more than 10 years
, maybe more than 15 years atthis time.
I mean from being a student atGeorgia Southern University to
where she is right now.
Let me just read her bio andthen you're going to get to meet
(02:00):
her.
So Dr Kara Kennebrew is anative of Atlanta, georgia.
Dr Kennebrew currently residesin Houston, texas, with her son,
her daughter and her husband,brian.
Dr Kennebrew is a double Eagle,come on Georgia Southern and
received her bachelor andbachelor's degrees from Georgia
Southern University.
(02:21):
She went on to complete herdoctorate in educational
leadership from Valdosta StateUniversity.
She has been in highereducation for over 15 years,
where her primary focus isstudent conduct.
Listen, if you don't know,you're about to know.
In her work, she seeks toredirect students through
missteps and prepares them to beethically engaged citizens.
(02:45):
She considers herself arestorer and truly has a heart
for people.
If that is not the truth, oh mygoodness.
Dr Kay, welcome to DisruptingBurnout.
Speaker 2 (02:58):
Thank you so very much, Dr PBJ.
I appreciate the opportunity.
Speaker 1 (03:02):
Oh my gosh, I'm so excited.
Okay, let's jump into it.
So let's start the way wealways start Tell the people who
you are.
Speaker 2 (03:09):
I'm a mother, I'm a wife those are my beloved, most
beloved titles of life andmother, I am an educator.
As you heard in the bio, I havea heart for people.
I have a heart to serve people.
I'm an empath.
I'm always looking to makepeople restore them to wholeness
(03:33):
, and so I think that's whatdrives my day-to-day purpose and
my work, and so I just I loveeverything about life.
I'm always looking for thepositive side of things, and so
I'm just an overall happy personwho loves to give of myself and
(03:54):
my time, personally andprofessionally.
Speaker 1 (03:58):
Dr Kay and y'all I lovingly call her Dr Kay.
It filled my heart so much toread your bio and when you said
I am a restorer and we've hadconversations about this and you
discovering that brilliance.
You are an accomplished woman,not just a terminal degree but
(04:20):
15 years of experience and youhave had increasing levels of
responsibility and promotionsand all the things you know.
I know that you've been insituations where you had your
choice of which job you wantedto take and in the midst of all
of that you recognize that youare a restorer first.
(04:41):
So for folks who don'tunderstand what student conduct
is, can you tell them a littlebit about your daily job and how
you show up as a restorer inthat job?
Speaker 2 (04:57):
Sure.
So I work at a communitycollege in Houston, texas.
My role is Dean of StudentRights and Responsibilities and
in that role I help students tomove beyond their circumstances.
So if they perhaps are found inviolation of one of the student
(05:17):
code of conduct charges, solet's say they think I will
schedule a meeting with them,have an authentic conversation.
And I say authentic because Ireally think that when you work
with people it's important toreally kind of get to the heart
of who they are and why theyhave come to see you.
Instead of it being scripted, Ithink that it disarms them and
(05:40):
it helps them to really kind ofopen up to you and you're able
to get what you need out of themto help them to move forward.
And so that's part of therestorative process of conduct.
Conduct is thought of aspunitive and in some cases it
can be if the student hascommitted a major infraction.
(06:00):
But oftentimes it's the casethat students are really lost.
They perhaps are battling somesituational stressors and you
would never be able tounderstand or know that
information unless you reallyget to the heart and understand
the person for who they are inthat moment.
Speaker 1 (06:21):
And you're the right person for the job.
You are the right person forthe job.
You and I met when I was doingstudent conduct as well.
Right, and what I love aboutconduct officers and I always
say this we are educators.
We're educators first, and wehave the opportunity to educate
students that may not be seen inany other space.
(06:44):
One of the reasons why studentsend up in our offices is because
they're not connected in theirresidence hall, they're not a
part of a student organization,they don't have a mentor.
Not everybody, but a lot ofthem haven't found their place
in their college or in theiruniversity.
And to meet with somebody towalk in now, you know how they
(07:06):
do.
They don't wanna be thereanyway because they know either
they've been accused or they didit right Like they know why
they're coming.
So they make assumptions aboutwhat this meeting is going to be
about.
But to come into that meetingand to encounter love, to
encounter grace, to encountersomeone who wants to restore
(07:29):
them, not treat them like anumber, another process, a case
number to close, but to see themas a person, it can make all
the difference in someone'seducational path.
There are students, dr K, thatyou can connect with and because
(07:49):
of interacting with you, theystay in school.
It's powerful, it's powerful.
Speaker 2 (07:56):
So that rapport building is important.
You know, that's another thingthat before I even start my
meetings I'm like tell me alittle bit about yourself.
Now, I know what major they are, I know what their GPA is, but
it's an opportunity for me toget them to open up, to really
kind of come into my space andbe as authentic as possible.
(08:19):
So, yeah, that rapport buildingis important.
Speaker 1 (08:23):
Ooh.
And that's an opportunity forthem to see themselves beyond
what they've been accused ofVery much so and to let them
know that you see them beyondwhat they've been accused of
Very much so Listen for mystudent affairs folks, my
housing folks, my deans, myprincipals, aps, those of you
(08:45):
who deal with discipline andconduct.
I understand that it can be aheavy lift when your days are
filled with people who areanxious and concerned and
defensive because of whatthey've been accused of.
It can be a heavy lift, but Iwant you to take Dr Kay's
example and understand howimportant your role is in the
(09:08):
lives of all of those studentsyou are meeting with, and how
you may be the person, thechange, the pivot that they need
in order to connect, in orderto accomplish this goal of
getting this degree, in order,honestly, to really really make
positive decisions in theirlives that will change the path
(09:29):
of who they become.
So this role is so importantand, dr Kay, it's also heavy.
So talk to us a little bitabout how you manage the
pressure and the stress thatcomes with your job, because
there's pressure from university, there's pressure from
colleagues, there's pressurefrom parents, there are even
(09:51):
pressures from the stateconcerning this job.
So how do you handle all of thepressure that comes with your
role?
Speaker 2 (09:59):
Yeah, that's a great question.
And I used to saycompartmentalization.
Right, I used to say you havethis file cabinet and you're
tucking stuff away, but at theend of the day, that file
cabinet gets full if you're notable to process it and you're
not able to do anything withthat.
So now I don't saycompartmentalization, I say
(10:22):
intentionality in terms of beingintentional in caring for
oneself me in the process.
So throughout the day I havetrusted colleagues who I use the
sounding boards.
If there is something that's soheavy that it's just bothering
my spirit, I call on them.
(10:43):
I know what my limitations areand so having that awareness and
knowing what my limitations areis another thing that I tap
into.
So intentionality having theawareness to know what my
limitations are and to connectwith colleagues who are able to
help me to move past something,an issue, to help me to see
things differently, to help meto process it is so important.
(11:06):
I rely on my husband quite abit.
He may not understandeverything that I've experienced
throughout the day, but he alsois just that listening ear.
So having some trusted circleof friends to be able to use as
a sounding board is veryessential for me.
I also used to ride in the carwith music just blasting and I
(11:32):
would have this long commutewhen I lived in Georgia.
So I would be blasting my musicand then I would come home and
then I'm with my kids and Ihadn't had time to really
process or really kind of figureout what went on in the day,
what I experienced, and so itthen was displaced you know,
(11:53):
I'll say emotions andexpressions of actions that I
displaced onto them and they'relike mama, what's going on?
You know why are you upset, whyare you snappy?
So I had to readjust things andI learned to ride home in
silence.
I learned to be able to talkabout some of the things that
(12:16):
were kind of disrupting myspirit in silence.
If I got it out and if Iverbalized it, then I was then
able to better understand what Iwas experiencing.
So, even if I wasn't able toprocess it in that silence, I
could take it to that trustedcolleague, to my husband, to my
friends, to say, hey, listen,this happened today.
Help me like really kind ofwork through this.
(12:40):
And so that's definitely helpedme in really kind of diffusing
and disrupting some of theburnout that I have experienced
with the day-to-day work thatcomes my way.
Speaker 1 (12:55):
Yeah, oh, so powerful , so powerful.
Two things I heard you say inthat, and all of that was good.
First of all, your community.
You need a community.
I call it your personal careteam.
Hey, friend, listen, I haveexciting news for you.
(13:15):
So if you've been following,you know I've been writing this
book and I am so excited aboutgetting it into your hands.
And guess what?
Today I'm offering you thefirst sample of my new book,
disrupting Burnout.
Friend, listen, we have morework to do.
Okay, it's still going toprofessional editing, we still
(13:37):
need to design the book, but Ican't wait to all that's done
for you to start digging in.
So there's a sample copy that Iread myself for you that's
available to you today.
All you have to do is go towwwpatricebuttnerjaxsoncom slash
book Again,patricebuttnerjaxsoncom slash
(14:02):
book.
Grab your sample, listen to thesample chapter and listen.
Let me know what you think.
I cannot wait for you to hearthis book.
Friend, go grab it today.
Yeah, who's on your personalcare team?
Who takes care of you?
Who can you go to?
Who can you go to when you needa moment, right, and not just
(14:26):
to complain, but just to let itout.
Just to let it out.
And here's my warning nowconcerning community, because we
gotta be careful of what I calltrauma swapping right, like I'm
telling you what's wrong withme, you telling me what's wrong
with, and nobody's gettingbetter.
We're just swapping emotions.
Now I'm mad because you weremad and you're hurt because I
(14:47):
was hurt, but nobody got better.
But we need powerful community.
You need people, one that youcan trust, because higher-aid is
a small world.
Everybody knows somebody.
I'm here to tell you you needpeople that you can trust, but
you also need people whounderstand, who get it.
(15:08):
When you're in those moments,you don't always have time to
explain what a case is and whatthe mandate is and what the code
of conduct is and what aninfraction it Like.
In that moment you just needsomebody who gets it.
But they're also a trustedplace.
So I would encourage people.
It might be people right aroundyou, or you might need to
(15:30):
stretch outside of yourinstitution.
You might need to connect withcolleagues.
That's why these state meetings, these regional meetings, these
national meetings are soimportant.
The conferences are soimportant, because there are
people who do what you do, whounderstand, and they have
capacity to sit with you.
(15:51):
They have capacity to supportyou.
So find your people.
Find your people yes,absolutely, our significant
others absolutely.
But you need people who get itas well.
Find your people.
And then the other thing youmentioned is that think time,
that think time.
(16:11):
I literally just put a spoonfulof PBJ on Instagram just today
about that think time and itseems like such a small shift,
but it can make all thedifference for you to have that
space between whatever happenedat work and showing up at home
to be money.
You've given your mind thegrace to transition instead of
(16:37):
just kind of walking in full ofeverything right.
So we have to be intentionalabout reclaiming our think time
so that we can recover.
You need to recover.
Dr Kay, I don't know about you,but for years I didn't realize
the impact on me from beingexposed to students, troubles,
(17:01):
cases, problems, you know.
I mean you deal with sexualassault, you deal with drugs and
alcohol, you deal with violence, you deal with domestic
violence, like all of thathappens on a college campus.
Whatever happens in your cityor your town can happen on a
college campus and your officeis where it all comes.
(17:22):
Yeah, I, I for a long timedidn't stop to recognize the
impact being exposed to all ofthat being responsible for it at
some level to process it.
I didn't understand the impactthat it had on me.
So how do you continue to checkin with yourself to see how
(17:46):
you're doing?
Speaker 2 (17:47):
Yeah, it's having a lot of self talk.
I talk to myself a lot.
It sounds crazy, but that'simportant.
That helps with really kind ofprocessing what's going on.
I think I do a really good jobof self care, right?
So I'm going to always get mynails done.
I'm going to always get my nail, my hair done, nails done.
(18:10):
I'm probably going to go outseparate from my husband at
least once or twice a month,free from the kids, to be able
to have that time.
And that really kind of helpsme to move to a better headspace
.
And I know that that soundsreally really selfish, but I
(18:31):
think that that is somethingthat for professionals, for moms
, that gets lost, like we feelthat guilt.
That guilt comes in where we'relike well, you're supposed to
work, you're supposed to be withthe family, you're supposed to
be, you know, a wife.
But you know why?
(18:53):
Why not think about yourself inthat moment, if it's going to
mean that you are going to showup in both spaces the
professional space and thepersonal space in the best way
and the most effective waypossible?
And that's what really kind ofhelps me to be whole, to be
ready to take on whatever isgoing to come at me on any
(19:16):
particular day or week is reallykind of taking care of myself,
making sure that I take a day ortwo.
Mental health is real.
Taking a mental health day.
You know, early on in myprofessional career used to
store up my time and just saveit.
Just say that I'm like no, youknow, I'm here, I'm not taking
(19:36):
off If I'm sick.
Yes, I will take off, but youknow, I was just storing up that
time and then my health set medown and I really had to really
inventory what was reallyimportant and if I am not able
to do the job, then what am Ireally doing?
So I had to make sure that myhealth was in check, physical
(19:59):
and mental, to be able to reallykind of get to a better place.
The final thing I'll say isthat therapy is real and for a
professional who hears somereally really, really heavy
stuff on a day to day basis andhas to process it and be the
(20:19):
responder to that information,it gets to be taxing and you
feel the weight and so beingable to have that sounding board
, that professional to help youto process it outside of those
trusted colleagues and friendsand your spouse, is important as
well.
So therapy is important.
It's real.
I go to therapy and I thinkthat it just really kind of
(20:43):
helps me to keep everythingbalanced out in check.
Speaker 1 (20:48):
Yes, ma'am, yes, ma'am, your therapist is a part
of that personal care team.
You need a counselor, you needa coach and you need a community
.
Everybody does, everybody does.
And I have to go back to whatyou said about self care.
It's not selfish, it's wise.
You know, dr K, I've beenasking this question in my
(21:08):
workshops recently, mostly witheducators.
Who is who I'm speaking with,doing key notes with?
And I asked this question whoare you outside of your work and
family roles?
And most people cannot answerthat question.
I asked that question and blankfaces across the room,
(21:29):
especially when I'm speaking toa group of women.
When I'm speaking to a group ofwomen, who are you outside of
your family and your work roles?
We forget that we were somebodybefore the kids, we were
somebody before the marriage, wewere somebody before the
promotion, before theprofessionalism, before the
degree, and we leave her behindto become all of those things
(21:54):
and we wrap our entire identityin those roles.
But you said a key word.
You said I want to be whole.
I want to be whole.
Those are significant parts ofwho we are.
Absolutely Tremendous blessings, no disrespect at all.
And that is not the whole of whoyou are.
(22:17):
You are an individual before theother people in your life.
So to stop and take care of thatwoman, that person, so that you
can come back and be a bettermom, so that you can come back
and be a better wife, you can bea better dean, you can be a
better administrator when youtake the time to take care of
(22:38):
you.
You know we know enough to domaintenance on our cars.
We pay more attention to ourvehicles than we do our own
bodies and our own minds, and weare surprised when there's a
breakdown, we're surprised whenthere's an illness, we're
(22:59):
surprised when something comesup.
But it's just our body's way ofgetting our attention, to say
we can't keep living like this.
You have to do somethingdifferent.
So I know that as a staffmember, as an administrator, you
don't get your summers off.
Everybody thinks, since youwork in education, you get
(23:21):
summers off and for those of uswho work at colleges and
universities, specifically onthe staff side, we do not.
So how do you find downtime inthe summer even though you still
work in everything?
Speaker 2 (23:37):
Oh Lord, I'm still trying to figure that out.
That is a tough one.
Yes, so I am strategic withlooking at my time throughout
the summer to see if I could geta four day weekend in there.
So I think it was the last timeI well, I'm on vacation now,
but I took Juneteenth, so I tookthat Friday off and then went
(23:59):
into the weekend.
We had that Monday.
So looking at and inventoryingmy time to see when would be the
best time that I could maximizemy time is probably the most
strategic thing that I do rightnow.
To make sure that I could havethose long breaks, so that I
won't have to use up PTO days,is what I do.
(24:20):
Let's see what else.
And I do take time throughoutthe year.
I'm just strategic about it.
I don't I no longer try to tostore it up.
It's not worth it.
It is not worth it.
I want to be, you know, aprofessional.
I want to show up for my, mykids, I want to show up for my
(24:41):
husband, and so strategicallythinking about when they'll have
days off and then taking thosedays so that we could filter in
some fun along the way.
So, once again, it's just thatintentionality.
I look at my calendar, seewhat's on it and see how I can
maximize my days and my time inconjunction with holidays that
(25:03):
are already planned for us to beoff.
Speaker 1 (25:06):
No, that's really good.
That's really good because whatI hear you saying is plan ahead
.
Don't wait till you'reoverwhelmed, don't wait till
you're exhausted.
The academic calendar iscyclical, we know what's coming
up like, we know how it worksand it's planned a year in
advance.
So look at the academiccalendar and go ahead and plan.
(25:26):
Go ahead and plan your time off.
Don't wait to get sick, don'twait to see if somebody else
took the day first.
Look at the calendar, becausehere's what it does when it
gives you something to lookforward to.
Even when things are hard, youcan think all right, I can one
more month and your girl istaking some time.
You know a couple more weeksand I'm out, you know.
(25:47):
So you, you've got something tolook forward to.
But also, you don't lose theopportunity because you're right
on it now and, for whateverreason, you can't take it.
So, since we don't get thosesummers off, having having that
long term plan of how you'regoing to take time is so, so
(26:09):
important.
It's so important.
The other thing that I would add, dr K, is we always like tell
ourselves oh, I'm going to dothat in summer.
Like we make a plan of 10things.
Oh, we'll get that done insummer.
And it never happens, becausesummer goes by faster than you
think and you end up beingbusier, right, you end up being
(26:31):
busier than you plan.
So be intentional about yoursummer.
It comes and goes in the snapof a finger, right.
So be very, very intentional.
Maybe one or two goals, not 10,because it's not going to
happen for you, it's just notgoing to happen.
It's not going to happen one ortwo projects that you want to
focus on in the summer, and theneverything else has to be
(26:53):
planned later, right?
So don't overwhelm yourself inthe summer, because some of us
don't feel a break at all.
For some of us, there's alittle bit.
It's a little bit slower.
Take advantage.
Take advantage of the time.
You know it's coming, you knowsummer is coming, you know the
majority of students are gone.
You have some online, you havesome still on campus, but
(27:17):
overwhelmingly you don't have asmuch going on in the summer as
you do August and September.
So take advantage.
Allow that time to walk aroundcampus, allow that time to spend
time with your team and get toknow them, get them out of the
office.
Be intentional about the timeyou do have, because sometimes
(27:38):
we're so focused on what wedon't have that we lose what we
do have Right.
So I call it reclaim your time.
Reclaim your time.
You know that you have a littlebit of breathing room in the
summer.
Use it.
Be intentional about it.
Plan it, but don't overplan it.
Don't overplan it.
(28:00):
Plan to downshift a little bit,plan to do less.
Plan to have some think time sothat when August hits because
it's not playing with anybodyit's coming when August hits.
You haven't spent your entiresummer stressed about August,
because if you're grinding inyour head about August, you
(28:22):
never have a summer.
You lost it, true, but if youallow yourself to stop and slow
down and take advantage, thenyou start August in a better
mind space.
Speaker 2 (28:34):
I received that, thank you.
Speaker 1 (28:36):
Yeah, yeah.
So we're going to let thepeople go, but before we do, I
know that you have your son andyour daughter and they have to
go back to school as well, andyour husband has his job and
things going on.
How do you prepare your familyto go back to school?
Speaker 2 (28:54):
Yeah, we do something pretty unique in the Kennebrook
household and we do check-ins.
And check-ins are just reallyour opportunity to make sure
that everyone is good.
And so my son will check in andhe'll say, hey, mom, I'm really
feeling like I didn't like thatsummer camp or I'm not feeling
(29:16):
math.
And I'll say, ok, got it.
And so it's my way of reallytapping in to make sure that I'm
checking in with them so that Iknow what's going on, so that I
can be more attentive.
I'm saying for my husband, ifthere's another job that he's
wishing to move to, or perhapshe's wanting to move up, climb
(29:36):
the ladder of success, havingthat awareness, that knowledge
of knowing, through thatcheck-in conversation, of where
he is.
And then my daughter, so it'sthe same thing If my family
isn't good, I'm not good.
So that check-in is soimportant.
It is important to make surethat we start off on the right
(29:57):
foot and really kind of take onthe day, the week, the month,
the year in the best waypossible.
Speaker 1 (30:04):
That's awesome.
I love that.
I love that you engage yourkids, your children, in the
check-in, because how often dowe silence children just because
they're young?
Speaker 2 (30:15):
All the time and they have so much to say Thank you.
I'm so much surprised at whatthey say, what comes out of
their mouth, what they see, whatthey feel, all of the things.
And so it's important to makesure that they have a voice and
that we validate their voicesand their concerns and really
(30:35):
kind of make sure that theyunderstand that we hear them.
Speaker 1 (30:39):
Yeah, that's so good and it also allows your family
to be in alignment right and tomake decisions together.
So if Brian is going aftersomething, then the whole family
can kind of be in alignment tomoving that direction together.
Or if you are going after a newcertification or a new position
or whatever, then the wholefamily can align and you all are
(31:01):
not doing those things at thesame time, because you
understand when one might need alittle more help than the other
.
That's powerful.
I hope you all heard that.
I hope you will take that intoyour home to have family
check-ins so that you can knowhow everybody is doing what they
need and how we need to moveforward together as a family.
(31:21):
Because I agree, dr K, if myfamily is not good, I'm not good
, I'm not good.
Oh, my goodness, as we closebecause we got to let the people
go as we close, is there anypiece of advice you would give
to maybe a brand new studentaffairs professional?
I mean, they are starting theirfirst semester, they just came
(31:43):
to campus and they haven't mettheir students yet.
What is one piece of advice youwould give them?
Speaker 2 (31:49):
Oh wow, give yourself grace.
I know that that sounds cliche,but give yourself grace.
I am just starting to learn howto give myself grace and I
think that that is importantallowing yourself to make
missteps, allowing yourself tonot be the best that you feel
(32:12):
that you are, but just givingyourself the opportunity to try
over and over to get it right.
So give yourself grace, knowthat you have divine purpose for
what you're doing and beconfident.
Walk confidently in yourabilities, don't shrink.
Show up every time as yourauthentic self and do great work
(32:36):
for the people who you'reserving.
Those are my messages for you.
Speaker 1 (32:41):
I got chills.
That was good, that was a goodword and I hope you all heard
every word of it.
Listen, dr Kara Kennerbrew, Iwant you to know I'm so proud of
you.
It's my honor to do life withyou, to watch as you excel, to
be impacted by you and yourlessons and your experiences and
(33:05):
your skills.
It's my honor.
I don't take it for granted.
Thank you so much for joiningus.
Speaker 2 (33:11):
Thank you, Dr PBJ.
I appreciate the opportunity.
Thank you so very much forpouring in to me always.
Speaker 1 (33:16):
Always, sister, always Listen, friends, as
always.
You are powerful, you aresignificant and you are loved.
Share this with somebody.
Share this with an educator whoneeds it.
Help them get prepared to havethe best school opening they've
ever had.
All right, love y'all, bye, bye.
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