December 15, 2025 • 49 mins
Career and Technical Education is often overlooked, misunderstood, or siloed. In this episode of My EdTech Life, Dr. Alfonso Mendoza sits down with Tisha Richmond, veteran CTE educator and author of The Magical CTE Classroom, to unpack what meaningful, joyful, and real-world CTE learning actually looks like.
Tisha shares her journey from the classroom to edtech and back again, why CTE teachers face unique challenges, and how intentional design can transform labs, kitchens, workshops, and hands-on learning spaces into powerful environments for creativity, collaboration, and career readiness.
This conversation explores how CTE classrooms can move beyond compliance and certifications toward engagement, student agency, and authentic learning experiences that prepare students for the real world of work.
⏱️ Chapters
00:00 – Welcome to My EdTech Life
02:10 – Who Is Tisha Richmond
05:20 – From Industry to the CTE Classroom
08:45 – Why CTE Teachers Feel Siloed
12:30 – The Story Behind The Magical CTE Classroom
16:10 – The MAGICAL Framework Explained
21:40 – Gamifying Vocabulary in CTE
26:30 – Safety, Structure, and Lab-Based Learning
31:20 – Industry Certifications and Real-World Skills
36:10 – Teaching Employability Through Play
41:10 – Challenges Facing CTE Educators Today
45:30 – Where to Find Tisha’s Work
48:00 – Final Thoughts and Stay Techie
Connect with Tisha Richmond:
Website: tisharichmond.com
LinkedIn: Tisha Richmond
Instagram: @tisharichmond
About the Host:
Dr. Alfonso Mendoza is the host of My EdTech Life, a podcast amplifying educator voices and exploring how technology, creativity, and intentional design shape learning experiences.
👉 Subscribe for conversations that move beyond buzzwords and focus on what actually works in classrooms.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Dr. Alfonso Mendoza (00:10):
Hello, everybody, and welcome to
another great episode of MyEdTech Life.
Thank you so much for joiningus on this wonderful day.
And wherever it is that you'rejoining us from around the
world, thank you as always forall of your support.
We appreciate all the likes,the shares, the follows.
Thank you so much for engagingwith our amazing content and
connecting with our magnificentguests.
As always, this wouldn't bepossible if it wasn't for our
(00:33):
sponsors.
So thank you so much to BookCreator, EduA, Yellow Dig, and
Peelback Education.
We appreciate you uh believingin our mission to bring these
amazing conversations into theeducation space so we may
continue to grow bothprofessionally and personally.
And I am excited about today'sepisode.
(00:53):
I'm just gonna tell you alittle backstory.
So I'm I've been on break thiswhole week, and all of a sudden,
I think it was either Friday oron a Saturday, all of a sudden
I see my great friend uh Tishaputting up a post about some
great news.
And immediately I jumped on it.
I got up to TikTok, I got on aDM and said, Hey, would you love
(01:16):
to be on the show?
And I'm excited to have her onthe show today.
So, guys, I want to introduceyou to Tisha Richmond, who is
joining me this morning here onmy ed tech live.
Tisha, how are you doing?
Tisha Richmond (01:28):
I'm doing great.
It's so wonderful to be on yourshow.
Thank you so much for havingme.
I've been looking forward tothis.
Dr. Alfonso Mendoza (01:34):
Oh, I've been looking forward to it too,
because like I said, just thethe subject matter of your book,
what you're gonna be talkingabout today and and sharing with
the world today is somethingthat as of late, like for some
reason, like I just got intothis like CTE mode and just
wanting to learn more.
What can we do to improve theprograms?
What can we do to help ourstudents out even more within
(01:57):
you know the career technologyeducation fields, and of course,
just to kind of talk about andand do away with maybe some
misconceptions that may be outthere about CTE and things of
that sort.
So when, like I said, when Isaw your post and your most
recent release, I was like, Igotta have Tisha on because I
know she is doing some fantasticwork within her classroom.
(02:19):
And we're gonna be talkingabout your amazing framework,
your magical framework, whichI'm excited to learn more about
because just in the littlewarm-up chat that we had, I was
like, this is just mind-blowing.
And just the fact that you tookyour time to go through that
and be very intentional withthat process and that framework,
I was like, yes, this isamazing.
(02:39):
So, Tisha, for our audiencemembers that are joining us
today or listening today, thatmay not be familiar with your
work yet or haven't connectedwith you yet, can you give us a
little brief education andexcuse me, a little brief
introduction and what yourcontext is within the education
space?
Tisha Richmond (02:57):
Yes, absolutely.
So I have been in educationsince 1996.
It's a long time.
And most of those years havebeen in the current technical
education classroom.
I taught for five years in SanDiego, came to Oregon, uh, was
full-time mom for a few years,and then jumped back into the
classroom again, uh, teachingcurrent technical education,
(03:19):
specifically interior design andculinary arts.
Went on teaching for another 17years, uh, took a brief jump
outside of the classroom forfive years and got to explore
tech integration.
I was our district's techintegration specialist
supporting teachers K through 12and how to bring innovative
ideas and technology into theclassroom.
(03:40):
I had a three-year opportunityto work with Canva for
education.
And I was a Canva learningconsultant, getting to work with
educators from around the worldand how to bring Canva into
classroom learning.
And then last year I had thiskind of unexplainable tug on my
(04:02):
heart to return to the classroomagain, teaching culinary arts
at the rival school across townfrom where I taught before.
And I just, it was trulyunexplainable.
It was just not something I waslooking for.
The opportunity was there.
And I jumped uh very quickly aweek before school started into
(04:23):
this role.
In fact, I didn't even spendthe first three weeks with my
students because I was tying upsome loose ends with my uh
previous job.
So it's been a wonderfuljourney in education.
I'm so grateful for everyexperience that I've had.
I've had the amazingopportunity to publish through
Dave Bridges Consulting, somebooks that are near and dear to
(04:44):
my heart.
I've had the opportunity topresent around uh the world to
educators on topics that arenear and dear to my heart.
So I'm just I'm grateful for itall.
I truly am.
Dr. Alfonso Mendoza (04:54):
That is wonderful.
You know, the the experiencethat you've had, and like you
mentioned, you know, seeing theclassroom, seeing what it's
like, you know, outside theclassroom as, you know, tech
integrationist.
And then of course, your youruh time through Canva as well,
and then you know, coming backinto the classroom, you know,
sometimes I feel that uh thoseperspectives really help out a
(05:15):
lot.
And just seeing things throughdifferent lenses helps so much
that now, like you said, youfelt that tug and you came back
to the classroom.
I'm sure that now things,although maybe you you're
teaching the same thing inculinary arts, but now things
look different.
You know, now you come in withthis renewed vision and a
(05:35):
renewed sense of like what can Ido?
Because now you've kind of seenit all, and now you're kind of
bundling all that knowledge thatyou you not only gave to
teachers that, but you alsolearned from them and now
bringing it back into theclassrooms, and now your
students get to reap the the andsow the root, you know, that
knowledge that you're pouringinto them, and that's something
(05:58):
that is wonderful and amazing,and especially with culinary
arts.
That's to be honest with you,if if I could go back in time, I
would probably like would loveto have been a chef because I'm
just a huge foodie and I love towatch all those like chef
competitions and everything.
And um, so it's just fantastic.
So tell me now a little bitmore.
(06:19):
I want to talk uh, you know,you mentioned, you know, you
published some books, and uh,you know, so I want to talk a
little bit about that as far asyour publishing that you've
done, you know, what has beenthe motivation or what was, you
know, the the influence behindthose books and to just put that
out into the world?
Tisha Richmond (06:39):
Yeah, so you know, every book that I have
written is truly just such apart of my heart, a piece of my
heart, because they all tell adifferent story.
And my first book that iscalled Make Learning Magical was
really about how I went from ateacher that was burnt out, kind
of ready to throw in the towel,and how I was able to really
(07:03):
transform what teaching lookedlike for me and how I could
create unforgettable experiencesfor students was really my
manifesto.
It was my story of how of thatjourney and what those seven
keys were that really unlockedthe magic in my classroom.
Uh, so that was just anincredible opportunity for me to
be able to share that story,hoping that I could help others
(07:26):
that may have been feeling thatthey're in that same position.
Maybe they are ready to throwin the towel too, and how I was
able to uh reinvigorate my joy,re-spark my joy, and really
hoping that that might do thesame for other educators.
Really, I'm speaking from acareer and technical educator
standpoint, but I really wroteit for all educators to be able
(07:46):
to do that.
Um, the Dragon Smart book thatI wrote with my son uh is a
gosh, I can't even express howspecial that story is to me
because we wrote it together.
I wrote the story based on hiseducational journey.
And then he came alongside andbrought all of that the stories,
(08:09):
all the lines of that story tolife with his amazing
illustrations.
And it was an opportunityreally to come, I don't know,
for his story to come fullcircle, because here I am
writing the story about hiseducational journey and how his
brilliance may not show up likeevery other student's
(08:30):
brilliance, or it may not bereally acknowledged in grades or
good test scores, however, uhreally highlighting all the ways
that he is brilliant.
And it's a conversation betweena mom and a son about um how he
shines in ways that maybe theworld doesn't always recognize.
(08:51):
And so to see him learn how totruly learn how to draw and
illustrate through the processof writing this book and then
have it released to the worldhas been the most amazing
bonding experience for my sonand I.
And for him also to realize,wow, his story matters and he
can share this story with theworld and now see the impact
(09:12):
it's gonna have on kids acrossthe globe and truly have heard
those stories where, you know,parents will write us and say,
Oh my goodness, like I can'teven tell you how this story
touched my daughter or my son,or how it just really spoke to
me as an adult, right?
(09:33):
And so, oh my gosh, that hasbeen an amazing, uh, amazing
journey with my son.
We've been able to present atconferences together.
We've been able to do readalouds in classrooms virtually
and in person.
So that's been incredible.
Um, I did write an ebook that Iuh collaborated with with John
Kripo and Marlena Hepburn.
(09:53):
It's the Edu ProtocolsCompanion Guide, where I wrote
um, I created Canva templates togo along with their Edu
Protocols book one.
And so that was such adifferent experience, right?
Because it wasn't um aneducational book like Make
Learning Magical.
It wasn't a picture book likeDragon Smart.
This was a uh a guide that wentalong with an incredible, a
(10:16):
credible book.
And so I collaborating withthat was amazing.
And then this recent book, TheMagical CTE Classroom, again is
so near and dear to my heartbecause it's truly speaking from
my career and technicaleducator lens, and I've been in
this world for a long, longtime, and really helping give
(10:39):
some tools to educators onreally how can we bring that
play, innovation, and joy intoour classrooms because career
and technical education is sovital and so important.
And I want to I want to helpeducators see how we can infuse
some of this this playfullearning in a really meaningful
(11:02):
way that is really going to helpthem as they move from our
classrooms into this real worldof work, um, how it can really
be uh powerful.
Dr. Alfonso Mendoza (11:16):
Oh, I love that.
You know, and especially, youknow, now diving in a little bit
more into this conversation isjust something that is exciting,
and especially about uh yourmost recent uh release.
And to me, that gets me reallyexcited because the way that you
talk about this throughout yourexperience.
And then um oftentimes, andagain, this this is just me and
(11:37):
my experience, and I don't knowabout your experience uh, you
know, in the previous schoolsthat you were in and now in your
current school, but it justseems like oftentimes uh CTE
teachers are kind of siloed andkind of left out.
You know, we uh sometimes wejust focus more on that core
curriculum, on whatever's gonnabe state tested.
And so we focus more on thatmath, reading, science, and
(12:01):
social studies.
And then oftentimes we justforget that there is also a
curriculum for, you know, CTEfor the teachers.
And when, you know, being in ain a role as a digital learning
coordinator for many years,oftentimes the the comments or
the questions were were well,what about us, Mr.
(12:21):
Mandelsa?
Like, why why don't we get togo or do these trainings and do
all of this?
Why isn't there anythingavailable for us as far as you
know, just tech integration orfinding great ways to that uh
things that you can implementinto classrooms?
So I love the fact that you'rebringing your experience and
that lens into the CTE classroomand like you mentioned, making
(12:44):
that learning enjoyable,interactive, fun, where the
students truly feel likecreators and not just those
consumers and really taking itto that next level.
So I want to ask you, I uh so Iknow that this is uh make CTE
magical or the magical CTEclassroom, sorry.
And so what where did that comefrom?
(13:05):
Was it something that you wereseeing too?
Like, hey, you know what, likeCTE doesn't always have to be
just this cut and dry, or youknow, just tell me a little bit
how the book came to fruition.
Tisha Richmond (14:18):
Yeah, so you know my original book, Make
Learning Magical Again, was abook that really kind of talked
about how I was able to re-sparkthe joy in my own teaching.
I was kind of at this point inmy career where I was going
through the motions.
Like I had been teaching for awhile, like I was pretty dialed
in.
Like I knew how to teach.
(14:38):
However, I wasn't enjoying it.
I had lost my joy for it.
And I think in return, whateveremotion we bring into the
classroom is contagious, right?
So if we're not excited aboutwhat we're teaching and we're
not bringing that joy into theclassroom, our students aren't
going to probably be as joyfulabout learning it.
(15:00):
And so um it really trulytransformed what the learning
landscape looked for looked likefor me as well as my students.
And so the magical CTEclassroom is really um making
that accessible, where I feellike make learning magical was
(15:21):
the story and really kind ofbreaking down those seven keys.
And I do have some greatstrategies in that book as well.
The magical CTE classroom isjust giving so many ideas and
strategies that teachers cantake and use right away.
So you, I want this book to bebookmarked.
I want there to be post-itnotes all the way through it and
(15:44):
for teachers to be able to flipthrough, oh, yeah, I want to
try this one, or hey, I want totry this.
I also really wanted to reachthat CTE educator that maybe is
coming straight from industry.
So many teachers in CTE are notgoing through the four-year
teaching program and and youknow, they're coming from
(16:05):
industry.
So they might be getting theirCTE credential, you know, after
like they've had this fullcareer, maybe 20, 30 years in a
career in the industry, and noware jumping into education.
And so they are having to kindof backfill and and find those
strategies and really try tolearn all of the lingo that
(16:29):
comes along in education.
And I really wanted to providesome simple lesson frame unit
and lesson frameworks for thoseeducators to be able to see like
this is how this is how Istructure my classroom.
This is how I kind of build alesson, this is how I um can
infuse that joy right in.
(16:51):
And some of the tried and true,just foundational pieces that
has really helped me create thisum CTE learning atmosphere that
is very lab-based and hands-on.
And like you said, a lot oftimes in our PD programs within
(17:12):
our districts, it's speaking tothe core subject areas.
We're not learning what itlooks like when you are in a
classroom with moving parts andhot burners and, you know, power
tools, and students are movingand they're they're not sitting
for very long at all.
(17:33):
My class is very lab-based.
My students are up and they'removing, and you it takes
intention to create a learningatmosphere where students are
creating, collaborating,communicating from beginning to
end, right?
And um, and again, with hotburners, power tools, pick
(17:56):
things that could potentially bedangerous.
And so I really wanted to helpteachers that are in career and
technical education, whatevercareer pathway they might be
teaching, I wanted them to havekind of this access to what that
structure can look like and howwe truly can make it a joyful
(18:17):
learning atmosphere.
Dr. Alfonso Mendoza (18:19):
Oh, and that is great.
You know, I I think you hit thenail on the head on something
there that I didn't even thinkabout too, which is like you
mentioned, a lot of these theeducators that are coming in
into the classroom that are CTE,uh, they're coming in exactly
like you said, like fromindustry.
And that kind of took me backto when I first stepped into the
classroom.
I mean, I came into industry,but I mean, I went into one of
(18:41):
the course subjects.
And yeah, it was it was a veryinteresting thing.
Like, you know, you're havingto learn how to teach while
you're teaching.
And luckily I had some amazingmentors that really helped out
and really helped me understand,you know, how just really
pedagogy and all the standardsand how to unpack that.
(19:01):
And so that is really helpful.
So now, like you mentioned,this is a wonderful resource
talking about how many newteachers are coming in into that
CTE uh, you know, kind ofpathway and career pathways that
are teaching there that don'thave that the, you know, the ed
the, I guess you would say thethe four-year education
(19:22):
background, you know, going inas educators.
And now they have a wonderfulresource that they can have on
hand to try out within thelessons that they may have, the
curriculum they may have, andembed it in such a way to make
that learning, like youmentioned, memorable, make it
actionable, make it somethingthat's long-lasting.
(19:42):
And I think that this is great,that there's finally the
resource.
And I'm really excited aboutthat because now I'm like, hey,
maybe I should, you know, kindof share this also there with
our district leaders and say,hey, you know, maybe do some
kind of book study or be ableto, you know, do some kind of uh
professional development basedon those things and seeing how
this the teachers may be able tointegrate into, and like I
(20:06):
always say, sprinkle it ontowhat they are already doing
great, and then just to reallytake that lesson to that next
level.
And so that way the studentstoo enjoy it and they enjoy it
because, like you mentioned onething, that's something very
important too.
That that attitude that youkind of bring in is kind of like
what is also gonna set the tonefor for the class and the
(20:28):
course.
So I think that that'ssomething that's great.
Now, one thing that I I wouldlove for you to share is I just
learned it right now from ourpre-chat that actually magical
is a framework that you came upwith.
So maybe our audience and ourlisteners listening to this uh
were not familiar with that.
So, would you be able to tellus a little bit more about your
(20:49):
framework and expand on that sothat way our listeners, you
know, whether they're in CTE ornot CTE, but can share this uh,
you know, out and be able tosay, hey guys.
I just heard this show andhere's a book, you know, that
can help uh you as a CTEteacher.
Tisha Richmond (21:06):
Yeah, absolutely.
So as I shared before, um, youknow, as a teacher that was kind
of ready to call it quits, Iwas able to really kind of
re-spark my joy and really beable to transform things.
And when I really sat down tothink about, well, what was it?
Like what are what were thekeys that really helped unlock
(21:30):
that joy again in my classroomlearning?
And I really, when I really satdown and thought about it, it
it broke down into these sevenkeys: memorable beginning,
authenticity and agency,gamified experiences,
innovation, creativity,collaboration, and curiosity,
authentic audience, and legacy.
(21:51):
And so, you know, I again inthat original book, I break down
what each of those differentkeys mean and what it looked
like to be able to unlock thosekeys in my classroom and kind of
how you as an educator canunlock that in your classroom
too.
And then in the magical CTEclassroom, I really kind of
(22:14):
build off of that framework toreally be able to show teachers
how you can set up your unit andyour lesson plans with that
framework, and then some reallyactionable strategies that you
can use right away to be able totap into those different keys
as well.
And I really feel that thisbook, a lot of the strategies
(22:38):
are going to be able to be usedacross the board.
But I really wanted to speakfrom my perspective as a career
and technical educator andreally speak to career and
technical education because Ifeel like we talked about
before, oftentimes there isn't alot that are a lot of resources
(22:58):
and books and PD that arespeaking to those that are in
these career and technicaluh-based classrooms.
And um, that was reallyimportant to me to feel like I
could provide that to educatorsin this space.
Dr. Alfonso Mendoza (23:15):
Oh, and I think that's great and such a
great framework.
And one of the things that Imentioned to you even pre-chat
too is just how how thoughtfulthat framework is.
And it just hits on so muchthat we normally do in in what
whatever classroom you may bein, uh, you know, that you know,
framework is definitelysomething that would be very
(23:36):
useful, like you mentioned, forstraight across the board.
But I'm glad that there issomething now, like you
mentioned, a resource that wecan share with our CTE teachers
that can feel like, hey, this isfor me, this is specifically
for me.
Now I have something where Ican go ahead and learn from to
as well and implement and justreally take my classroom to that
(23:57):
next level and those ideas,like you mentioned, that they
can go through and you know,say, hey, you know what, maybe
this six weeks or this, youknow, nine weeks, I'm gonna try
this activity, or you know what,let's see how I can implement
this next activity.
And then they kind of juststart owning it and seeing where
it is that that might be ableto fit in into their curriculum
and just kind of ease into it.
(24:18):
And then before you know it,it's like, hey, you know, it's
they get reinvigorated, like youmentioned.
It's like now the learning kindof, even though you may be
teaching the same thing, but theexperience is different now.
Like you said, they feel morecomfortable.
The students are engaged in adifferent manner in a different
way.
And I think that that alone,too, also really helps an
(24:40):
educator out just feel like,wow, this is great.
It's things are going better.
You know, I've just it was asmall tweak, but it was an
effective tweak that made andenhanced the learning.
And now students are able tounderstand the concept better,
or now they're creating or ornow I'm seeing their thought
process in a different way too,as well.
(25:00):
So I think that that's great.
So I want to ask you, Tish, ifyou can, uh, can you give us
maybe one example from your bookthat you might be able to share
just a, you know, as a previewfor our audience members that
are going to jump on the linkand order your book?
Tisha Richmond (25:17):
Yeah, absolutely.
Um, one of the things that Idive into is a little bit about
how we can create games aroundthe vocabulary and terminology
in our courses.
Um, because oftentimes, I mean,we our courses are full of
terminology, right?
We are teaching um termsstraight from industry that are
(25:41):
going to be really essential forthem to understand and to be
able to be able to use.
And so one of the things that Ilove to do is find games that
allow us to be able to teachthat vocabulary acquisition in a
fun and engaging way because weare they're using it in
lab-based settings, but toreally truly understand what
(26:03):
those terms are and to be ableto practice that takes
intention.
And so I have created a wholesection in this book that really
um takes a set of vocabularycards.
So, like you might, you mightjust on an index card write all
of your vocabulary terms.
You can use that same stack ofindex cards to be able to um to
(26:26):
create these fun games forlearning that vocab.
And so I have a whole sectionthat is just called Words at
Play, reimagining vocabularythrough games.
So I have a game called Time'sTicking.
I have one that's inspired bythe headbands game, you know,
where you wear the headband withthe word called Top of Mind.
(26:46):
Um, I have a game that Icreated inspired by cranium
called the Wild Unicorn.
Um, so I have it's chock fullof these games that you can use
to teach vocabulary.
And then every game not onlygives instructions, a lot of
them have um a QR code thatleads to a template that you can
(27:07):
use.
And I also have why this works.
And so for each game, I breakdown like why this works for
vocabulary acquisition and CTE.
So you can really think aboutokay, this is why, this is what
I'm really wanting to work onwith my students.
Like this is definitely a gamethat I want to try to bring in.
Dr. Alfonso Mendoza (27:24):
Nice.
I love it.
And you know what?
That's a nice spin too, becauseoftentimes, like I said, it's
these classes are so intense.
And like you mentioned, youknow, right now, as you were
mentioning, you know,vocabulary, I was thinking
about, you know, our our nursingclasses that we have, or you
know, where the students arethere and they're having to
(27:45):
learn, you know, just words thatI I have never seen that I
can't sometimes I can't evenpronounce, but just to take it
to that next level where insteadof just sitting there the way
you normally do, just throughrepetition and through matching
and or just outright justsitting there wrote
memorization, we don't want thatrote memorization.
Like we want the students toreally, you know, own those
(28:08):
words and really learn thewords.
And I think that just havingthat little tweak, like you
mentioned, and all those optionsthat you offer the teachers,
that's something that is great,where, like I mentioned, they
could do that the first sixweeks, they can practice before
a test, they can reviewcontinually.
You know, I was thinking, youknow, they can do their time
sticking, you know, as and assoon as they come in, they
(28:30):
practice that depending on thelength of their classes and so
on.
And just so as the students gothroughout the year, those
vocabulary words are alwayspresent and they're always
there, uh, you know, for them topractice.
So, you know, things like thatmake a huge difference.
And not like I mentioned, notlike and like you mentioned too,
not just for CTE, but reallyfor all classrooms where you're
(28:54):
learning vocabulary.
And I think that's somethingthat is great.
So again, yeah, wonderfulresource because now even
myself, just coming in, I wouldsay, you know, this right here
is if you give me this as aneducator, now I have options and
now I can pick and choose whatI feel comfortable with and what
(29:15):
I might be able to implement.
And now when my teachers willask, Mr.
Mendoza, like, is thereanything for us?
Well, yes, yes, there is.
And let me tell you a littlebit about it.
And here's what can be done.
And I think that that would begreat just to have as a resource
on hand for any CTE educator tojust have their on their desk,
(29:35):
like you mentioned, bookmarking,making notes.
And now this is how I wouldimplement this into this section
of my curriculum or thissection of the lesson, and so
(30:30):
on.
And I think that's fantastic.
Tisha, I want to ask you now,just a little, just uh, you
know, getting away from the booktalk just a little bit, you
know, as like I mentioned toyou, my experience at CTE, you
know, and that I've seen, it'softentimes, you know, it just
feels a little apart, a littleset apart from like the focus on
(30:50):
the main content that and, youknow, core curriculum, you know,
as far as the math, thereading, the sciences, and so
on.
But I want to ask you, in inyour experience, you know, what
(31:46):
might be some barriers orobstacles that CTE teachers may
face, other than the ones thatwe just talked about right now,
where they might feel like therearen't any resources for us.
And since you've lived it andyou've done it for many years,
you know, have things gotten alittle bit better, or is it
still something that you feellike you still need to go
(32:09):
outside and start looking andfinding resources?
Tisha Richmond (32:14):
Yeah, I mean, I do feel like CTE has become a
little bit more front and centerover over the years, uh, over
the recent years, but there areso many different pieces and
parts to career and technicaleducation that a lot of people
don't think about.
One is um just the Perkinsfunding.
(32:35):
A lot of our programs arefunded through uh federal
Perkins funding, and there arethere are specific requirements
to be able to be eligible as aPerkins program.
So that's that's one piece thatwe're that we're navigating.
Um our classrooms um haveequipment, right?
(32:55):
There's upkeep of equipment.
There is um things that we haveto do, like grocery shop,
right?
Like in my class, that's a hugepiece.
Like I'm I'm at the store at 6a.m.
Um at least one to two times aweek going grocery shopping for
class and like having to doinventory on that.
(33:17):
So having to keep up, you know,those consumables and making
sure that I'm I'm staying withinbudget.
We have budgets within our ourprograms that we have to stay
within and have to budget for.
Um programs have articulationsoften with community colleges or
colleges to get uh collegecredit.
Um, there are a lot of verydiverse learners in our
(33:41):
classrooms, right?
And we want to make sure thatwe're creating an atmosphere
that really is inclusive of allof the learners that that we
have.
And trying to navigate that andyou know can be really tricky.
Um, and then we we touched onthis earlier, but just the
safety aspect, because we areteaching students how to use
(34:02):
tools that are out there in theindustry, um, there is safety
that goes along with that andreally helping ensure that
students are safe and we're ableto um create a continued safe
environment with a lot ofstudents within that space.
So, you know, my classes are upto 34 students.
(34:25):
And so when you think aboutthat, you have 34 students in a
space with lots of moves movingparts.
Um it's really important tocreate a structure that is going
to support meaningful learning,but be able to do so in a way
(34:46):
that there is some there's thatwe're taking in account the
safety aspect of that andcreating an uh an environment
where every student feels likenot only they are included, but
that they are safe within thatspace.
So no, there's a lot of a lotof pieces, a lot of pieces to it
(35:06):
for sure.
Dr. Alfonso Mendoza (35:07):
Oh, definitely.
And like you mentioned alsolike the funding aspect, and you
know, with so many changes andlike you mentioned, there's so
much compliance too, as far asfunding.
Like, you know, the money hasto be spent a certain way or by
a certain time and things ofthat sort.
And, you know, yeah, definitelya lot of moving parts, not only
for you know, leadership, butalso on the teacher side of it,
(35:29):
you know, making sure thatstudents are ready, maybe even
for a certification and thingsof that sort.
So that's kind of my my nextquestion to you, also as well.
Uh, you know, industrycertification.
I I sometimes, like youmentioned, it is coming a little
bit more front and center.
And just we were talking alittle bit about the importance
of even looking at those optionsof having industry
(35:52):
certification, somebodygraduating and has maybe one or
two industry certifications andthey're ready to go into the
workforce and those advantages.
And so I want to ask you, youknow, through your lens and then
your experience that you'veseen, you know, do you do you
feel that that industrycertification is something that
is very beneficial to studentsthat may be coming in or coming
(36:16):
in, you know, outside of highschool?
And how have you seen that, youknow, work for maybe some of
your students?
Tisha Richmond (36:23):
Yeah.
So first of all, my students umget their food handler's card
like pretty much straight out ofthe gate.
That's like one of the veryfirst things that we do in my
class is get their foodhandler's card.
And that's a very real,applicable thing for our
students because many of mystudents are are working in the
food industry right away, right?
They're wanting to work eitheras a as a barista at a local
(36:46):
coffee shop or they're workingat McDonald's, fast food.
I mean, so many um differentjobs that students are going to
have in high school are going torequire that food handler's
card.
And so um that is somethingthat um is immediate connection
and immediately students arekeyed into because they already
know that's something thatthey're going to need.
(37:08):
Um, you know, there are a lotof programs we are not at, we
are not offering it now, butthere are programs within um
culinary that offer serve safe,which is just kind of a step up
from the food handlers umcertification.
Um, and I think it depends tooon, you know, what's available
(37:28):
in your area and what uhcommunity colleges, like what
those articulation requirementsare requiring.
And it requires that you have,in some instances, the equipment
to support it.
So in order to get thosecertifications, students are
having to show that they haveused the specific equipment that
is needed.
And every career pathway hasthose different um, those
(37:52):
different requirements and thosedifferent certifications that
are going to make sense.
But I think it's super valuablefor our kids to be able to come
out of high school having thosecertifications.
And I also think of justemployed employability skills in
general are so important toteach.
And that's something that Ithink about every day when I'm
(38:13):
in my classroom and I'm justkind of seeing, you know, all
the wheels in motion and I'mseeing my students learning and
I'm watching them communicatewith each other.
I'm watching them collaboratewith each other effectively.
They're problem solving,they're having to troubleshoot
when maybe something goes wrong,or maybe they added that extra
(38:34):
tablespoon of something.
They're having to figure out,okay, what can we do to remedy
this?
Or what would we do differentnext time if we were to, you
know, so all of those pieces andthen allowing students to
demonstrate their learning increative ways.
Um, I love that about my classis that I can teach them the
foundational skills, I can teachthem the methods, but then
(38:54):
empowering them, okay, now youknow the method, show me what
you can do with this method, youknow?
So they they I might teach themhow to make a pie crust, but
then maybe kind of as their endof unit challenge, I'm giving
them the formula.
They have to show me that theycan make a pie crust without the
without the instructions, andthen they have to make it into
(39:15):
something amazing.
And so now they're all comingtogether creatively,
collaborating and and thinkingabout what are the possibilities
for this.
And they feel so empowereddoing it.
And then, you know, you bringin the authentic audience, you
bring in um staff members tocome and now judge and and give
feedback on that thing thatthey've created.
(39:37):
And now, like they you trulysee that learning come alive.
And and those are alltransferable workplace skills.
I mean, it doesn't matter, youknow, where you're going to be
working.
We need to help students becreative learners, problem
solvers, collaborators.
We need to teach students howto to communicate effectively.
(39:58):
And so I look at it as awin-win.
Whether or not my students aregoing on to a career in
hospitality or culinary, I knowthat in my class I'm preparing
them for a world of work.
And that is such an amazingfeeling to be able to see those
skills in action.
Dr. Alfonso Mendoza (40:19):
Oh, it absolutely is.
I mean, just on everything thatyou hit on, you know, that goes
on in the classroom andespecially the collaborative
aspect, you know, thatcommunication skills, so
important, all those soft skillsthat we mentioned, but just the
critical thinking, being ableto problem solve, and especially
like you mentioned, you know,with that task of, okay, you
know, create something, youknow, based on what you've
(40:40):
learned.
And now you maybe your ownrendition or your own recipe or
something that, you know, takingit to that next level, and then
for them to have to go throughthat creative process, go back
and remember all the learningthat they've done, and then put
that into action and now createsomething.
And then you mentioned givingthem an authentic audience where
it may be you and maybe otherteachers, it may be their peers
(41:03):
that now are tasting, are doingall of that, and now they get
out of there and they're goinginto actual workforce and
bringing those skills into that,you know, whatever, like you
mentioned, whether it's a coffeeshop, whether it's a
restaurant, wherever it may be.
And now it just seems like theycan easily, you know, transfer
those skills into that workplaceand be effective right away.
(41:27):
Because, like you mentioned,one of the things too, they'll
already have their foodhandler's license at an early
stage.
So that's already one lessbarrier to entry for a job they
may be seeking as far as it, youknow, anything handling food
and then bringing in thoseadditional skills.
I think that will definitely goa long way in and preparing
them.
So I think that's fantastic,Tisha.
(41:47):
And that's wonderful the workthat you're doing.
And I just thank you for thatcontinued work and obviously for
this amazing resource.
So, Tisha, if you can let usknow.
I know you mentioned that thiswas done through DBC Publishing,
Dave Burgess.
Can you tell us where ouraudience might be able to find
the book and where they might beable to order it and how they
may be able to connect with you?
Tisha Richmond (42:09):
Absolutely.
Well, you can find the books onAmazon and um on Barnes and
Noble.
But uh, if you go to Amazon andyou just uh type in my name,
Tisha Richmond, no R and Tisha,just Tisha Richmond, you're
gonna find all the books thatare gonna come up.
And the very top one will bethe Magical CTE classroom.
And um yeah, I I'm just sograteful to DBC for trusting me
(42:34):
with all of these projects.
Again, each book is near anddear to my heart, and I truly
hope that it resonates with allof the readers.
And you can find me in all ofthe social media platforms.
I am on LinkedIn.
I'm on Instagram at TishRichmond.
I'm on X at Tish Rich.
(42:54):
I'm on TikTok at TishaRichmond.
So, you know, everyone isslightly different.
It's a little tricky.
And you can find me on Facebookas well.
I'm trying to be better onTikTok.
So I'm going to have some plansin the coming year to kind of
expand my presence there.
I also have a YouTube channelthat I'm going to try to be a
(43:15):
little bit more consistent inbringing some content to.
And that is Tisha Magic.
And then I have a blog at tisharichmond.com where I have blogs
written all the way back toabout 2015 and just kind of
sharing my educational journeyand I share resources there as
well.
So lots of different placesthat you can connect with me.
Dr. Alfonso Mendoza (43:38):
Awesome.
Excellent.
And we will make sure and welink all that info in our show
notes, guys.
That way you can guys candefinitely connect with Tisha.
And I promise you, she asamazing as you hear her now in
person, she is equally amazing,just wonderful and just so full
of knowledge and always justsmiling and just being very
(43:59):
joyous.
So thank you so much, Tisha,for being here today.
And a big shout out to DBC alsofor the work that they're doing
and not only publishing yourcontent, but I mean just the
amazing authors that they'vebeen working with too.
So we'll make sure and linkthem on the show notes too as
well.
That way you can check out allthose wonderful books and
resources that you can get onhand.
And just like I always say, thethings that you can sprinkle
(44:22):
onto what you are already doing,great.
But Tisha, before we wrap up, Ialways love to end the show
with the last three questions.
And if you have been uhlistening to the shows, and you
know, I uh you you'll be veryfamiliar with those questions,
but let's start off withquestion number one, and I want
to ask you in the current stateof edge, well, uh backstory
(44:44):
here, as we know, everysuperhero has a pain point or a
weakness.
So for Superman, kryptonite washis greatest weakness.
So I want to ask you in thecurrent state of education, what
would you say would be yourcurrent edu kryptonite?
That pain point, that thingthat just makes you like go, oh
(45:06):
gosh.
Tisha Richmond (45:07):
Well, you know, I think one of the things that I
struggle with is I my passionis education.
And so sometimes I I just wantto be in it all the time.
Like my like weekends, I'm ineducation.
I want to like be every time Iwatch a show, I'm thinking about
like how it transfers tolearning.
Every time I play a game, Ithink it transfers to learning.
(45:28):
And so if anything, I think mykryptonite is just being able to
just like shut down sometimesand just just do something
completely, you know, uhseparate where I'm not I'm not
thinking about education becauseit truly is a passion of mine.
And I I love I love findingways to make uh learning magical
(45:50):
for everybody.
Dr. Alfonso Mendoza (45:52):
I love it.
That is a great answer.
And I might echo that sentimenttoo, as well, where sometimes I
just need to learn how to shutdown a little bit.
But but like I tell people,like this, this is my this fills
my bucket.
This is where I just feel greatand being able to interview
some amazing people.
And so sometimes it's just veryhard to shut that off.
(46:12):
And then especially like evenon break, you know, I batched,
you know, this is gonna be likeI think the sixth episode that I
I record this week, but justbecause I just it's the time
where I get to, it's almost likeI refill my bucket, like you
know, and it just feels great.
But I do agree with you.
Sometimes I just need to kindof like shut that down a little
(46:34):
bit and then just relax.
But you know, but yeah.
All right.
Question number two if youcould have a billboard with
anything on it, what would it beand why?
Tisha Richmond (46:45):
So I have this saying, it's actually on this
necklace here that says, norisk, no magic.
And when I think back on myeducational journey, I think
about the fact that it's made,it's been made up of lots of
risks along the way.
And stepping out of my comfortzone, whether that's trying
something new in my classroom orthat's writing a blog post or a
(47:08):
book or trying out whatpodcasting looks like.
Um, and I'm so grateful becausethrough that I have become so
much more confident, so muchmore courageous, and it's led to
so much magic.
And so um, I encourageeducators to just step out there
and take those little risksbecause each risk leads to a
(47:29):
bigger risk and more magic.
Dr. Alfonso Mendoza (47:32):
There you go.
Great.
I love it.
And the last question, Tisha,is if you could treat places
with a person, any person for asingle day, who would that be
and why?
Tisha Richmond (47:45):
You know what?
I was thinking about thisquestion this morning, and this
is this might sound funny, but Ilove Jimmy.
I love the tonight, the lateshow with Jimmy Fallon.
And I think I don't think I'dwant to switch places with Jimmy
Fallon because like that is whyI love the shows, because I
just think he's so funny and Ijust love how he engages with
his audience and with his uh hisguests.
(48:06):
But I think it would be funjust to be able to switch places
with somebody who works closelyon that show.
And so then you'd get to meetlike all of these super
interesting and fascinating,talented people.
And then I just feel like Iwould laugh a lot because I just
think he's super funny.
So that's what I would say.
Dr. Alfonso Mendoza (48:24):
Love it.
Well, thank you, Tisha, somuch.
I really appreciate you takingthe time out of your day to come
and be on the show and tell usall about your wonderful book.
And I'm just so excited foryour success in this book.
And I definitely look forwardto seeing this out there on many
CTE teachers' desks, eventhough it's not just for CTE,
because I know the magicallearning can take place
(48:46):
everywhere, but I think it'ssomething that is great that CTE
teachers can feel like, wow,there's something out there
specifically for me.
And thank you for just reallythinking about that and bringing
it into the world.
I really appreciate it.
And I wish you continuedsuccess in everything that you
do, my friend.
Thank you.
Tisha Richmond (49:02):
Thank you so much.
Such a joy to be with you.
I appreciate that.
Dr. Alfonso Mendoza (49:05):
Excellent.
And for all our audiencemembers, please make sure you
visit our website atmyedtech.life where you can
check out this amazing magicalepisode and the other wonderful
episodes where I promise you,like I keep saying, you'll find
a little something that you cansprinkle on to what you are
already doing.
Great.
So please make sure you visitour website.
And as always, thank you forall of your support.
(49:28):
Big shout out to our sponsors,Book Creator, EduA, Yellow Dig,
and Peel Back Education.
We really appreciate yousupporting us.
And if you're interested inbeing a sponsor, please make
sure that you drop us a messagebecause uh the new year is
filling up.
So we're we would definitely beexcited to have you on board as
well.
But again, thank you as alwaysfor your support.
(49:49):
And until next time, myfriends, don't forget, stay
techy.
Hello, everybody, and welcome to
another great episode of MyEdTech Life.
Thank you so much for joiningus on this wonderful day.
And wherever it is that you'rejoining us from around the
world, thank you as always forall of your support.
We appreciate all the likes,the shares, the follows.
Thank you so much for engagingwith our amazing content and
connecting with our magnificentguests.
As always, this wouldn't bepossible if it wasn't for our
(00:33):
sponsors.
So thank you so much to BookCreator, EduA, Yellow Dig, and
Peelback Education.
We appreciate you uh believingin our mission to bring these
amazing conversations into theeducation space so we may
continue to grow bothprofessionally and personally.
And I am excited about today'sepisode.
(00:53):
I'm just gonna tell you alittle backstory.
So I'm I've been on break thiswhole week, and all of a sudden,
I think it was either Friday oron a Saturday, all of a sudden
I see my great friend uh Tishaputting up a post about some
great news.
And immediately I jumped on it.
I got up to TikTok, I got on aDM and said, Hey, would you love
(01:16):
to be on the show?
And I'm excited to have her onthe show today.
So, guys, I want to introduceyou to Tisha Richmond, who is
joining me this morning here onmy ed tech live.
Tisha, how are you doing?
Tisha Richmond (01:28):
I'm doing great.
It's so wonderful to be on yourshow.
Thank you so much for havingme.
I've been looking forward tothis.
Dr. Alfonso Mendoza (01:34):
Oh, I've been looking forward to it too,
because like I said, just thethe subject matter of your book,
what you're gonna be talkingabout today and and sharing with
the world today is somethingthat as of late, like for some
reason, like I just got intothis like CTE mode and just
wanting to learn more.
What can we do to improve theprograms?
What can we do to help ourstudents out even more within
(01:57):
you know the career technologyeducation fields, and of course,
just to kind of talk about andand do away with maybe some
misconceptions that may be outthere about CTE and things of
that sort.
So when, like I said, when Isaw your post and your most
recent release, I was like, Igotta have Tisha on because I
know she is doing some fantasticwork within her classroom.
(02:19):
And we're gonna be talkingabout your amazing framework,
your magical framework, whichI'm excited to learn more about
because just in the littlewarm-up chat that we had, I was
like, this is just mind-blowing.
And just the fact that you tookyour time to go through that
and be very intentional withthat process and that framework,
I was like, yes, this isamazing.
(02:39):
So, Tisha, for our audiencemembers that are joining us
today or listening today, thatmay not be familiar with your
work yet or haven't connectedwith you yet, can you give us a
little brief education andexcuse me, a little brief
introduction and what yourcontext is within the education
space?
Tisha Richmond (02:57):
Yes, absolutely.
So I have been in educationsince 1996.
It's a long time.
And most of those years havebeen in the current technical
education classroom.
I taught for five years in SanDiego, came to Oregon, uh, was
full-time mom for a few years,and then jumped back into the
classroom again, uh, teachingcurrent technical education,
(03:19):
specifically interior design andculinary arts.
Went on teaching for another 17years, uh, took a brief jump
outside of the classroom forfive years and got to explore
tech integration.
I was our district's techintegration specialist
supporting teachers K through 12and how to bring innovative
ideas and technology into theclassroom.
(03:40):
I had a three-year opportunityto work with Canva for
education.
And I was a Canva learningconsultant, getting to work with
educators from around the worldand how to bring Canva into
classroom learning.
And then last year I had thiskind of unexplainable tug on my
(04:02):
heart to return to the classroomagain, teaching culinary arts
at the rival school across townfrom where I taught before.
And I just, it was trulyunexplainable.
It was just not something I waslooking for.
The opportunity was there.
And I jumped uh very quickly aweek before school started into
(04:23):
this role.
In fact, I didn't even spendthe first three weeks with my
students because I was tying upsome loose ends with my uh
previous job.
So it's been a wonderfuljourney in education.
I'm so grateful for everyexperience that I've had.
I've had the amazingopportunity to publish through
Dave Bridges Consulting, somebooks that are near and dear to
(04:44):
my heart.
I've had the opportunity topresent around uh the world to
educators on topics that arenear and dear to my heart.
So I'm just I'm grateful for itall.
I truly am.
Dr. Alfonso Mendoza (04:54):
That is wonderful.
You know, the the experiencethat you've had, and like you
mentioned, you know, seeing theclassroom, seeing what it's
like, you know, outside theclassroom as, you know, tech
integrationist.
And then of course, your youruh time through Canva as well,
and then you know, coming backinto the classroom, you know,
sometimes I feel that uh thoseperspectives really help out a
(05:15):
lot.
And just seeing things throughdifferent lenses helps so much
that now, like you said, youfelt that tug and you came back
to the classroom.
I'm sure that now things,although maybe you you're
teaching the same thing inculinary arts, but now things
look different.
You know, now you come in withthis renewed vision and a
(05:35):
renewed sense of like what can Ido?
Because now you've kind of seenit all, and now you're kind of
bundling all that knowledge thatyou you not only gave to
teachers that, but you alsolearned from them and now
bringing it back into theclassrooms, and now your
students get to reap the the andsow the root, you know, that
knowledge that you're pouringinto them, and that's something
(05:58):
that is wonderful and amazing,and especially with culinary
arts.
That's to be honest with you,if if I could go back in time, I
would probably like would loveto have been a chef because I'm
just a huge foodie and I love towatch all those like chef
competitions and everything.
And um, so it's just fantastic.
So tell me now a little bitmore.
(06:19):
I want to talk uh, you know,you mentioned, you know, you
published some books, and uh,you know, so I want to talk a
little bit about that as far asyour publishing that you've
done, you know, what has beenthe motivation or what was, you
know, the the influence behindthose books and to just put that
out into the world?
Tisha Richmond (06:39):
Yeah, so you know, every book that I have
written is truly just such apart of my heart, a piece of my
heart, because they all tell adifferent story.
And my first book that iscalled Make Learning Magical was
really about how I went from ateacher that was burnt out, kind
of ready to throw in the towel,and how I was able to really
(07:03):
transform what teaching lookedlike for me and how I could
create unforgettable experiencesfor students was really my
manifesto.
It was my story of how of thatjourney and what those seven
keys were that really unlockedthe magic in my classroom.
Uh, so that was just anincredible opportunity for me to
be able to share that story,hoping that I could help others
(07:26):
that may have been feeling thatthey're in that same position.
Maybe they are ready to throwin the towel too, and how I was
able to uh reinvigorate my joy,re-spark my joy, and really
hoping that that might do thesame for other educators.
Really, I'm speaking from acareer and technical educator
standpoint, but I really wroteit for all educators to be able
(07:46):
to do that.
Um, the Dragon Smart book thatI wrote with my son uh is a
gosh, I can't even express howspecial that story is to me
because we wrote it together.
I wrote the story based on hiseducational journey.
And then he came alongside andbrought all of that the stories,
(08:09):
all the lines of that story tolife with his amazing
illustrations.
And it was an opportunityreally to come, I don't know,
for his story to come fullcircle, because here I am
writing the story about hiseducational journey and how his
brilliance may not show up likeevery other student's
(08:30):
brilliance, or it may not bereally acknowledged in grades or
good test scores, however, uhreally highlighting all the ways
that he is brilliant.
And it's a conversation betweena mom and a son about um how he
shines in ways that maybe theworld doesn't always recognize.
(08:51):
And so to see him learn how totruly learn how to draw and
illustrate through the processof writing this book and then
have it released to the worldhas been the most amazing
bonding experience for my sonand I.
And for him also to realize,wow, his story matters and he
can share this story with theworld and now see the impact
(09:12):
it's gonna have on kids acrossthe globe and truly have heard
those stories where, you know,parents will write us and say,
Oh my goodness, like I can'teven tell you how this story
touched my daughter or my son,or how it just really spoke to
me as an adult, right?
(09:33):
And so, oh my gosh, that hasbeen an amazing, uh, amazing
journey with my son.
We've been able to present atconferences together.
We've been able to do readalouds in classrooms virtually
and in person.
So that's been incredible.
Um, I did write an ebook that Iuh collaborated with with John
Kripo and Marlena Hepburn.
(09:53):
It's the Edu ProtocolsCompanion Guide, where I wrote
um, I created Canva templates togo along with their Edu
Protocols book one.
And so that was such adifferent experience, right?
Because it wasn't um aneducational book like Make
Learning Magical.
It wasn't a picture book likeDragon Smart.
This was a uh a guide that wentalong with an incredible, a
(10:16):
credible book.
And so I collaborating withthat was amazing.
And then this recent book, TheMagical CTE Classroom, again is
so near and dear to my heartbecause it's truly speaking from
my career and technicaleducator lens, and I've been in
this world for a long, longtime, and really helping give
(10:39):
some tools to educators onreally how can we bring that
play, innovation, and joy intoour classrooms because career
and technical education is sovital and so important.
And I want to I want to helpeducators see how we can infuse
some of this this playfullearning in a really meaningful
(11:02):
way that is really going to helpthem as they move from our
classrooms into this real worldof work, um, how it can really
be uh powerful.
Dr. Alfonso Mendoza (11:16):
Oh, I love that.
You know, and especially, youknow, now diving in a little bit
more into this conversation isjust something that is exciting,
and especially about uh yourmost recent uh release.
And to me, that gets me reallyexcited because the way that you
talk about this throughout yourexperience.
And then um oftentimes, andagain, this this is just me and
(11:37):
my experience, and I don't knowabout your experience uh, you
know, in the previous schoolsthat you were in and now in your
current school, but it justseems like oftentimes uh CTE
teachers are kind of siloed andkind of left out.
You know, we uh sometimes wejust focus more on that core
curriculum, on whatever's gonnabe state tested.
And so we focus more on thatmath, reading, science, and
(12:01):
social studies.
And then oftentimes we justforget that there is also a
curriculum for, you know, CTEfor the teachers.
And when, you know, being in ain a role as a digital learning
coordinator for many years,oftentimes the the comments or
the questions were were well,what about us, Mr.
(12:21):
Mandelsa?
Like, why why don't we get togo or do these trainings and do
all of this?
Why isn't there anythingavailable for us as far as you
know, just tech integration orfinding great ways to that uh
things that you can implementinto classrooms?
So I love the fact that you'rebringing your experience and
that lens into the CTE classroomand like you mentioned, making
(12:44):
that learning enjoyable,interactive, fun, where the
students truly feel likecreators and not just those
consumers and really taking itto that next level.
So I want to ask you, I uh so Iknow that this is uh make CTE
magical or the magical CTEclassroom, sorry.
And so what where did that comefrom?
(13:05):
Was it something that you wereseeing too?
Like, hey, you know what, likeCTE doesn't always have to be
just this cut and dry, or youknow, just tell me a little bit
how the book came to fruition.
Tisha Richmond (14:18):
Yeah, so you know my original book, Make
Learning Magical Again, was abook that really kind of talked
about how I was able to re-sparkthe joy in my own teaching.
I was kind of at this point inmy career where I was going
through the motions.
Like I had been teaching for awhile, like I was pretty dialed
in.
Like I knew how to teach.
(14:38):
However, I wasn't enjoying it.
I had lost my joy for it.
And I think in return, whateveremotion we bring into the
classroom is contagious, right?
So if we're not excited aboutwhat we're teaching and we're
not bringing that joy into theclassroom, our students aren't
going to probably be as joyfulabout learning it.
(15:00):
And so um it really trulytransformed what the learning
landscape looked for looked likefor me as well as my students.
And so the magical CTEclassroom is really um making
that accessible, where I feellike make learning magical was
(15:21):
the story and really kind ofbreaking down those seven keys.
And I do have some greatstrategies in that book as well.
The magical CTE classroom isjust giving so many ideas and
strategies that teachers cantake and use right away.
So you, I want this book to bebookmarked.
I want there to be post-itnotes all the way through it and
(15:44):
for teachers to be able to flipthrough, oh, yeah, I want to
try this one, or hey, I want totry this.
I also really wanted to reachthat CTE educator that maybe is
coming straight from industry.
So many teachers in CTE are notgoing through the four-year
teaching program and and youknow, they're coming from
(16:05):
industry.
So they might be getting theirCTE credential, you know, after
like they've had this fullcareer, maybe 20, 30 years in a
career in the industry, and noware jumping into education.
And so they are having to kindof backfill and and find those
strategies and really try tolearn all of the lingo that
(16:29):
comes along in education.
And I really wanted to providesome simple lesson frame unit
and lesson frameworks for thoseeducators to be able to see like
this is how this is how Istructure my classroom.
This is how I kind of build alesson, this is how I um can
infuse that joy right in.
(16:51):
And some of the tried and true,just foundational pieces that
has really helped me create thisum CTE learning atmosphere that
is very lab-based and hands-on.
And like you said, a lot oftimes in our PD programs within
(17:12):
our districts, it's speaking tothe core subject areas.
We're not learning what itlooks like when you are in a
classroom with moving parts andhot burners and, you know, power
tools, and students are movingand they're they're not sitting
for very long at all.
(17:33):
My class is very lab-based.
My students are up and they'removing, and you it takes
intention to create a learningatmosphere where students are
creating, collaborating,communicating from beginning to
end, right?
And um, and again, with hotburners, power tools, pick
(17:56):
things that could potentially bedangerous.
And so I really wanted to helpteachers that are in career and
technical education, whatevercareer pathway they might be
teaching, I wanted them to havekind of this access to what that
structure can look like and howwe truly can make it a joyful
(18:17):
learning atmosphere.
Dr. Alfonso Mendoza (18:19):
Oh, and that is great.
You know, I I think you hit thenail on the head on something
there that I didn't even thinkabout too, which is like you
mentioned, a lot of these theeducators that are coming in
into the classroom that are CTE,uh, they're coming in exactly
like you said, like fromindustry.
And that kind of took me backto when I first stepped into the
classroom.
I mean, I came into industry,but I mean, I went into one of
(18:41):
the course subjects.
And yeah, it was it was a veryinteresting thing.
Like, you know, you're havingto learn how to teach while
you're teaching.
And luckily I had some amazingmentors that really helped out
and really helped me understand,you know, how just really
pedagogy and all the standardsand how to unpack that.
(19:01):
And so that is really helpful.
So now, like you mentioned,this is a wonderful resource
talking about how many newteachers are coming in into that
CTE uh, you know, kind ofpathway and career pathways that
are teaching there that don'thave that the, you know, the ed
the, I guess you would say thethe four-year education
(19:22):
background, you know, going inas educators.
And now they have a wonderfulresource that they can have on
hand to try out within thelessons that they may have, the
curriculum they may have, andembed it in such a way to make
that learning, like youmentioned, memorable, make it
actionable, make it somethingthat's long-lasting.
(19:42):
And I think that this is great,that there's finally the
resource.
And I'm really excited aboutthat because now I'm like, hey,
maybe I should, you know, kindof share this also there with
our district leaders and say,hey, you know, maybe do some
kind of book study or be ableto, you know, do some kind of uh
professional development basedon those things and seeing how
this the teachers may be able tointegrate into, and like I
(20:06):
always say, sprinkle it ontowhat they are already doing
great, and then just to reallytake that lesson to that next
level.
And so that way the studentstoo enjoy it and they enjoy it
because, like you mentioned onething, that's something very
important too.
That that attitude that youkind of bring in is kind of like
what is also gonna set the tonefor for the class and the
(20:28):
course.
So I think that that'ssomething that's great.
Now, one thing that I I wouldlove for you to share is I just
learned it right now from ourpre-chat that actually magical
is a framework that you came upwith.
So maybe our audience and ourlisteners listening to this uh
were not familiar with that.
So, would you be able to tellus a little bit more about your
(20:49):
framework and expand on that sothat way our listeners, you
know, whether they're in CTE ornot CTE, but can share this uh,
you know, out and be able tosay, hey guys.
I just heard this show andhere's a book, you know, that
can help uh you as a CTEteacher.
Tisha Richmond (21:06):
Yeah, absolutely.
So as I shared before, um, youknow, as a teacher that was kind
of ready to call it quits, Iwas able to really kind of
re-spark my joy and really beable to transform things.
And when I really sat down tothink about, well, what was it?
Like what are what were thekeys that really helped unlock
(21:30):
that joy again in my classroomlearning?
And I really, when I really satdown and thought about it, it
it broke down into these sevenkeys: memorable beginning,
authenticity and agency,gamified experiences,
innovation, creativity,collaboration, and curiosity,
authentic audience, and legacy.
(21:51):
And so, you know, I again inthat original book, I break down
what each of those differentkeys mean and what it looked
like to be able to unlock thosekeys in my classroom and kind of
how you as an educator canunlock that in your classroom
too.
And then in the magical CTEclassroom, I really kind of
(22:14):
build off of that framework toreally be able to show teachers
how you can set up your unit andyour lesson plans with that
framework, and then some reallyactionable strategies that you
can use right away to be able totap into those different keys
as well.
And I really feel that thisbook, a lot of the strategies
(22:38):
are going to be able to be usedacross the board.
But I really wanted to speakfrom my perspective as a career
and technical educator andreally speak to career and
technical education because Ifeel like we talked about
before, oftentimes there isn't alot that are a lot of resources
(22:58):
and books and PD that arespeaking to those that are in
these career and technicaluh-based classrooms.
And um, that was reallyimportant to me to feel like I
could provide that to educatorsin this space.
Dr. Alfonso Mendoza (23:15):
Oh, and I think that's great and such a
great framework.
And one of the things that Imentioned to you even pre-chat
too is just how how thoughtfulthat framework is.
And it just hits on so muchthat we normally do in in what
whatever classroom you may bein, uh, you know, that you know,
framework is definitelysomething that would be very
(23:36):
useful, like you mentioned, forstraight across the board.
But I'm glad that there issomething now, like you
mentioned, a resource that wecan share with our CTE teachers
that can feel like, hey, this isfor me, this is specifically
for me.
Now I have something where Ican go ahead and learn from to
as well and implement and justreally take my classroom to that
(23:57):
next level and those ideas,like you mentioned, that they
can go through and you know,say, hey, you know what, maybe
this six weeks or this, youknow, nine weeks, I'm gonna try
this activity, or you know what,let's see how I can implement
this next activity.
And then they kind of juststart owning it and seeing where
it is that that might be ableto fit in into their curriculum
and just kind of ease into it.
(24:18):
And then before you know it,it's like, hey, you know, it's
they get reinvigorated, like youmentioned.
It's like now the learning kindof, even though you may be
teaching the same thing, but theexperience is different now.
Like you said, they feel morecomfortable.
The students are engaged in adifferent manner in a different
way.
And I think that that alone,too, also really helps an
(24:40):
educator out just feel like,wow, this is great.
It's things are going better.
You know, I've just it was asmall tweak, but it was an
effective tweak that made andenhanced the learning.
And now students are able tounderstand the concept better,
or now they're creating or ornow I'm seeing their thought
process in a different way too,as well.
(25:00):
So I think that that's great.
So I want to ask you, Tish, ifyou can, uh, can you give us
maybe one example from your bookthat you might be able to share
just a, you know, as a previewfor our audience members that
are going to jump on the linkand order your book?
Tisha Richmond (25:17):
Yeah, absolutely.
Um, one of the things that Idive into is a little bit about
how we can create games aroundthe vocabulary and terminology
in our courses.
Um, because oftentimes, I mean,we our courses are full of
terminology, right?
We are teaching um termsstraight from industry that are
(25:41):
going to be really essential forthem to understand and to be
able to be able to use.
And so one of the things that Ilove to do is find games that
allow us to be able to teachthat vocabulary acquisition in a
fun and engaging way because weare they're using it in
lab-based settings, but toreally truly understand what
(26:03):
those terms are and to be ableto practice that takes
intention.
And so I have created a wholesection in this book that really
um takes a set of vocabularycards.
So, like you might, you mightjust on an index card write all
of your vocabulary terms.
You can use that same stack ofindex cards to be able to um to
(26:26):
create these fun games forlearning that vocab.
And so I have a whole sectionthat is just called Words at
Play, reimagining vocabularythrough games.
So I have a game called Time'sTicking.
I have one that's inspired bythe headbands game, you know,
where you wear the headband withthe word called Top of Mind.
(26:46):
Um, I have a game that Icreated inspired by cranium
called the Wild Unicorn.
Um, so I have it's chock fullof these games that you can use
to teach vocabulary.
And then every game not onlygives instructions, a lot of
them have um a QR code thatleads to a template that you can
(27:07):
use.
And I also have why this works.
And so for each game, I breakdown like why this works for
vocabulary acquisition and CTE.
So you can really think aboutokay, this is why, this is what
I'm really wanting to work onwith my students.
Like this is definitely a gamethat I want to try to bring in.
Dr. Alfonso Mendoza (27:24):
Nice.
I love it.
And you know what?
That's a nice spin too, becauseoftentimes, like I said, it's
these classes are so intense.
And like you mentioned, youknow, right now, as you were
mentioning, you know,vocabulary, I was thinking
about, you know, our our nursingclasses that we have, or you
know, where the students arethere and they're having to
(27:45):
learn, you know, just words thatI I have never seen that I
can't sometimes I can't evenpronounce, but just to take it
to that next level where insteadof just sitting there the way
you normally do, just throughrepetition and through matching
and or just outright justsitting there wrote
memorization, we don't want thatrote memorization.
Like we want the students toreally, you know, own those
(28:08):
words and really learn thewords.
And I think that just havingthat little tweak, like you
mentioned, and all those optionsthat you offer the teachers,
that's something that is great,where, like I mentioned, they
could do that the first sixweeks, they can practice before
a test, they can reviewcontinually.
You know, I was thinking, youknow, they can do their time
sticking, you know, as and assoon as they come in, they
(28:30):
practice that depending on thelength of their classes and so
on.
And just so as the students gothroughout the year, those
vocabulary words are alwayspresent and they're always
there, uh, you know, for them topractice.
So, you know, things like thatmake a huge difference.
And not like I mentioned, notlike and like you mentioned too,
not just for CTE, but reallyfor all classrooms where you're
(28:54):
learning vocabulary.
And I think that's somethingthat is great.
So again, yeah, wonderfulresource because now even
myself, just coming in, I wouldsay, you know, this right here
is if you give me this as aneducator, now I have options and
now I can pick and choose whatI feel comfortable with and what
(29:15):
I might be able to implement.
And now when my teachers willask, Mr.
Mendoza, like, is thereanything for us?
Well, yes, yes, there is.
And let me tell you a littlebit about it.
And here's what can be done.
And I think that that would begreat just to have as a resource
on hand for any CTE educator tojust have their on their desk,
(29:35):
like you mentioned, bookmarking,making notes.
And now this is how I wouldimplement this into this section
of my curriculum or thissection of the lesson, and so
(30:30):
on.
And I think that's fantastic.
Tisha, I want to ask you now,just a little, just uh, you
know, getting away from the booktalk just a little bit, you
know, as like I mentioned toyou, my experience at CTE, you
know, and that I've seen, it'softentimes, you know, it just
feels a little apart, a littleset apart from like the focus on
(30:50):
the main content that and, youknow, core curriculum, you know,
as far as the math, thereading, the sciences, and so
on.
But I want to ask you, in inyour experience, you know, what
(31:46):
might be some barriers orobstacles that CTE teachers may
face, other than the ones thatwe just talked about right now,
where they might feel like therearen't any resources for us.
And since you've lived it andyou've done it for many years,
you know, have things gotten alittle bit better, or is it
still something that you feellike you still need to go
(32:09):
outside and start looking andfinding resources?
Tisha Richmond (32:14):
Yeah, I mean, I do feel like CTE has become a
little bit more front and centerover over the years, uh, over
the recent years, but there areso many different pieces and
parts to career and technicaleducation that a lot of people
don't think about.
One is um just the Perkinsfunding.
(32:35):
A lot of our programs arefunded through uh federal
Perkins funding, and there arethere are specific requirements
to be able to be eligible as aPerkins program.
So that's that's one piece thatwe're that we're navigating.
Um our classrooms um haveequipment, right?
(32:55):
There's upkeep of equipment.
There is um things that we haveto do, like grocery shop,
right?
Like in my class, that's a hugepiece.
Like I'm I'm at the store at 6a.m.
Um at least one to two times aweek going grocery shopping for
class and like having to doinventory on that.
(33:17):
So having to keep up, you know,those consumables and making
sure that I'm I'm staying withinbudget.
We have budgets within our ourprograms that we have to stay
within and have to budget for.
Um programs have articulationsoften with community colleges or
colleges to get uh collegecredit.
Um, there are a lot of verydiverse learners in our
(33:41):
classrooms, right?
And we want to make sure thatwe're creating an atmosphere
that really is inclusive of allof the learners that that we
have.
And trying to navigate that andyou know can be really tricky.
Um, and then we we touched onthis earlier, but just the
safety aspect, because we areteaching students how to use
(34:02):
tools that are out there in theindustry, um, there is safety
that goes along with that andreally helping ensure that
students are safe and we're ableto um create a continued safe
environment with a lot ofstudents within that space.
So, you know, my classes are upto 34 students.
(34:25):
And so when you think aboutthat, you have 34 students in a
space with lots of moves movingparts.
Um it's really important tocreate a structure that is going
to support meaningful learning,but be able to do so in a way
(34:46):
that there is some there's thatwe're taking in account the
safety aspect of that andcreating an uh an environment
where every student feels likenot only they are included, but
that they are safe within thatspace.
So no, there's a lot of a lotof pieces, a lot of pieces to it
(35:06):
for sure.
Dr. Alfonso Mendoza (35:07):
Oh, definitely.
And like you mentioned alsolike the funding aspect, and you
know, with so many changes andlike you mentioned, there's so
much compliance too, as far asfunding.
Like, you know, the money hasto be spent a certain way or by
a certain time and things ofthat sort.
And, you know, yeah, definitelya lot of moving parts, not only
for you know, leadership, butalso on the teacher side of it,
(35:29):
you know, making sure thatstudents are ready, maybe even
for a certification and thingsof that sort.
So that's kind of my my nextquestion to you, also as well.
Uh, you know, industrycertification.
I I sometimes, like youmentioned, it is coming a little
bit more front and center.
And just we were talking alittle bit about the importance
of even looking at those optionsof having industry
(35:52):
certification, somebodygraduating and has maybe one or
two industry certifications andthey're ready to go into the
workforce and those advantages.
And so I want to ask you, youknow, through your lens and then
your experience that you'veseen, you know, do you do you
feel that that industrycertification is something that
is very beneficial to studentsthat may be coming in or coming
(36:16):
in, you know, outside of highschool?
And how have you seen that, youknow, work for maybe some of
your students?
Tisha Richmond (36:23):
Yeah.
So first of all, my students umget their food handler's card
like pretty much straight out ofthe gate.
That's like one of the veryfirst things that we do in my
class is get their foodhandler's card.
And that's a very real,applicable thing for our
students because many of mystudents are are working in the
food industry right away, right?
They're wanting to work eitheras a as a barista at a local
(36:46):
coffee shop or they're workingat McDonald's, fast food.
I mean, so many um differentjobs that students are going to
have in high school are going torequire that food handler's
card.
And so um that is somethingthat um is immediate connection
and immediately students arekeyed into because they already
know that's something thatthey're going to need.
(37:08):
Um, you know, there are a lotof programs we are not at, we
are not offering it now, butthere are programs within um
culinary that offer serve safe,which is just kind of a step up
from the food handlers umcertification.
Um, and I think it depends tooon, you know, what's available
(37:28):
in your area and what uhcommunity colleges, like what
those articulation requirementsare requiring.
And it requires that you have,in some instances, the equipment
to support it.
So in order to get thosecertifications, students are
having to show that they haveused the specific equipment that
is needed.
And every career pathway hasthose different um, those
(37:52):
different requirements and thosedifferent certifications that
are going to make sense.
But I think it's super valuablefor our kids to be able to come
out of high school having thosecertifications.
And I also think of justemployed employability skills in
general are so important toteach.
And that's something that Ithink about every day when I'm
(38:13):
in my classroom and I'm justkind of seeing, you know, all
the wheels in motion and I'mseeing my students learning and
I'm watching them communicatewith each other.
I'm watching them collaboratewith each other effectively.
They're problem solving,they're having to troubleshoot
when maybe something goes wrong,or maybe they added that extra
(38:34):
tablespoon of something.
They're having to figure out,okay, what can we do to remedy
this?
Or what would we do differentnext time if we were to, you
know, so all of those pieces andthen allowing students to
demonstrate their learning increative ways.
Um, I love that about my classis that I can teach them the
foundational skills, I can teachthem the methods, but then
(38:54):
empowering them, okay, now youknow the method, show me what
you can do with this method, youknow?
So they they I might teach themhow to make a pie crust, but
then maybe kind of as their endof unit challenge, I'm giving
them the formula.
They have to show me that theycan make a pie crust without the
without the instructions, andthen they have to make it into
(39:15):
something amazing.
And so now they're all comingtogether creatively,
collaborating and and thinkingabout what are the possibilities
for this.
And they feel so empowereddoing it.
And then, you know, you bringin the authentic audience, you
bring in um staff members tocome and now judge and and give
feedback on that thing thatthey've created.
(39:37):
And now, like they you trulysee that learning come alive.
And and those are alltransferable workplace skills.
I mean, it doesn't matter, youknow, where you're going to be
working.
We need to help students becreative learners, problem
solvers, collaborators.
We need to teach students howto to communicate effectively.
(39:58):
And so I look at it as awin-win.
Whether or not my students aregoing on to a career in
hospitality or culinary, I knowthat in my class I'm preparing
them for a world of work.
And that is such an amazingfeeling to be able to see those
skills in action.
Dr. Alfonso Mendoza (40:19):
Oh, it absolutely is.
I mean, just on everything thatyou hit on, you know, that goes
on in the classroom andespecially the collaborative
aspect, you know, thatcommunication skills, so
important, all those soft skillsthat we mentioned, but just the
critical thinking, being ableto problem solve, and especially
like you mentioned, you know,with that task of, okay, you
know, create something, youknow, based on what you've
(40:40):
learned.
And now you maybe your ownrendition or your own recipe or
something that, you know, takingit to that next level, and then
for them to have to go throughthat creative process, go back
and remember all the learningthat they've done, and then put
that into action and now createsomething.
And then you mentioned givingthem an authentic audience where
it may be you and maybe otherteachers, it may be their peers
(41:03):
that now are tasting, are doingall of that, and now they get
out of there and they're goinginto actual workforce and
bringing those skills into that,you know, whatever, like you
mentioned, whether it's a coffeeshop, whether it's a
restaurant, wherever it may be.
And now it just seems like theycan easily, you know, transfer
those skills into that workplaceand be effective right away.
(41:27):
Because, like you mentioned,one of the things too, they'll
already have their foodhandler's license at an early
stage.
So that's already one lessbarrier to entry for a job they
may be seeking as far as it, youknow, anything handling food
and then bringing in thoseadditional skills.
I think that will definitely goa long way in and preparing
them.
So I think that's fantastic,Tisha.
(41:47):
And that's wonderful the workthat you're doing.
And I just thank you for thatcontinued work and obviously for
this amazing resource.
So, Tisha, if you can let usknow.
I know you mentioned that thiswas done through DBC Publishing,
Dave Burgess.
Can you tell us where ouraudience might be able to find
the book and where they might beable to order it and how they
may be able to connect with you?
Tisha Richmond (42:09):
Absolutely.
Well, you can find the books onAmazon and um on Barnes and
Noble.
But uh, if you go to Amazon andyou just uh type in my name,
Tisha Richmond, no R and Tisha,just Tisha Richmond, you're
gonna find all the books thatare gonna come up.
And the very top one will bethe Magical CTE classroom.
And um yeah, I I'm just sograteful to DBC for trusting me
(42:34):
with all of these projects.
Again, each book is near anddear to my heart, and I truly
hope that it resonates with allof the readers.
And you can find me in all ofthe social media platforms.
I am on LinkedIn.
I'm on Instagram at TishRichmond.
I'm on X at Tish Rich.
(42:54):
I'm on TikTok at TishaRichmond.
So, you know, everyone isslightly different.
It's a little tricky.
And you can find me on Facebookas well.
I'm trying to be better onTikTok.
So I'm going to have some plansin the coming year to kind of
expand my presence there.
I also have a YouTube channelthat I'm going to try to be a
(43:15):
little bit more consistent inbringing some content to.
And that is Tisha Magic.
And then I have a blog at tisharichmond.com where I have blogs
written all the way back toabout 2015 and just kind of
sharing my educational journeyand I share resources there as
well.
So lots of different placesthat you can connect with me.
Dr. Alfonso Mendoza (43:38):
Awesome.
Excellent.
And we will make sure and welink all that info in our show
notes, guys.
That way you can guys candefinitely connect with Tisha.
And I promise you, she asamazing as you hear her now in
person, she is equally amazing,just wonderful and just so full
of knowledge and always justsmiling and just being very
(43:59):
joyous.
So thank you so much, Tisha,for being here today.
And a big shout out to DBC alsofor the work that they're doing
and not only publishing yourcontent, but I mean just the
amazing authors that they'vebeen working with too.
So we'll make sure and linkthem on the show notes too as
well.
That way you can check out allthose wonderful books and
resources that you can get onhand.
And just like I always say, thethings that you can sprinkle
(44:22):
onto what you are already doing,great.
But Tisha, before we wrap up, Ialways love to end the show
with the last three questions.
And if you have been uhlistening to the shows, and you
know, I uh you you'll be veryfamiliar with those questions,
but let's start off withquestion number one, and I want
to ask you in the current stateof edge, well, uh backstory
(44:44):
here, as we know, everysuperhero has a pain point or a
weakness.
So for Superman, kryptonite washis greatest weakness.
So I want to ask you in thecurrent state of education, what
would you say would be yourcurrent edu kryptonite?
That pain point, that thingthat just makes you like go, oh
(45:06):
gosh.
Tisha Richmond (45:07):
Well, you know, I think one of the things that I
struggle with is I my passionis education.
And so sometimes I I just wantto be in it all the time.
Like my like weekends, I'm ineducation.
I want to like be every time Iwatch a show, I'm thinking about
like how it transfers tolearning.
Every time I play a game, Ithink it transfers to learning.
(45:28):
And so if anything, I think mykryptonite is just being able to
just like shut down sometimesand just just do something
completely, you know, uhseparate where I'm not I'm not
thinking about education becauseit truly is a passion of mine.
And I I love I love findingways to make uh learning magical
(45:50):
for everybody.
Dr. Alfonso Mendoza (45:52):
I love it.
That is a great answer.
And I might echo that sentimenttoo, as well, where sometimes I
just need to learn how to shutdown a little bit.
But but like I tell people,like this, this is my this fills
my bucket.
This is where I just feel greatand being able to interview
some amazing people.
And so sometimes it's just veryhard to shut that off.
(46:12):
And then especially like evenon break, you know, I batched,
you know, this is gonna be likeI think the sixth episode that I
I record this week, but justbecause I just it's the time
where I get to, it's almost likeI refill my bucket, like you
know, and it just feels great.
But I do agree with you.
Sometimes I just need to kindof like shut that down a little
(46:34):
bit and then just relax.
But you know, but yeah.
All right.
Question number two if youcould have a billboard with
anything on it, what would it beand why?
Tisha Richmond (46:45):
So I have this saying, it's actually on this
necklace here that says, norisk, no magic.
And when I think back on myeducational journey, I think
about the fact that it's made,it's been made up of lots of
risks along the way.
And stepping out of my comfortzone, whether that's trying
something new in my classroom orthat's writing a blog post or a
(47:08):
book or trying out whatpodcasting looks like.
Um, and I'm so grateful becausethrough that I have become so
much more confident, so muchmore courageous, and it's led to
so much magic.
And so um, I encourageeducators to just step out there
and take those little risksbecause each risk leads to a
(47:29):
bigger risk and more magic.
Dr. Alfonso Mendoza (47:32):
There you go.
Great.
I love it.
And the last question, Tisha,is if you could treat places
with a person, any person for asingle day, who would that be
and why?
Tisha Richmond (47:45):
You know what?
I was thinking about thisquestion this morning, and this
is this might sound funny, but Ilove Jimmy.
I love the tonight, the lateshow with Jimmy Fallon.
And I think I don't think I'dwant to switch places with Jimmy
Fallon because like that is whyI love the shows, because I
just think he's so funny and Ijust love how he engages with
his audience and with his uh hisguests.
(48:06):
But I think it would be funjust to be able to switch places
with somebody who works closelyon that show.
And so then you'd get to meetlike all of these super
interesting and fascinating,talented people.
And then I just feel like Iwould laugh a lot because I just
think he's super funny.
So that's what I would say.
Dr. Alfonso Mendoza (48:24):
Love it.
Well, thank you, Tisha, somuch.
I really appreciate you takingthe time out of your day to come
and be on the show and tell usall about your wonderful book.
And I'm just so excited foryour success in this book.
And I definitely look forwardto seeing this out there on many
CTE teachers' desks, eventhough it's not just for CTE,
because I know the magicallearning can take place
(48:46):
everywhere, but I think it'ssomething that is great that CTE
teachers can feel like, wow,there's something out there
specifically for me.
And thank you for just reallythinking about that and bringing
it into the world.
I really appreciate it.
And I wish you continuedsuccess in everything that you
do, my friend.
Thank you.
Tisha Richmond (49:02):
Thank you so much.
Such a joy to be with you.
I appreciate that.
Dr. Alfonso Mendoza (49:05):
Excellent.
And for all our audiencemembers, please make sure you
visit our website atmyedtech.life where you can
check out this amazing magicalepisode and the other wonderful
episodes where I promise you,like I keep saying, you'll find
a little something that you cansprinkle on to what you are
already doing.
Great.
So please make sure you visitour website.
And as always, thank you forall of your support.
(49:28):
Big shout out to our sponsors,Book Creator, EduA, Yellow Dig,
and Peel Back Education.
We really appreciate yousupporting us.
And if you're interested inbeing a sponsor, please make
sure that you drop us a messagebecause uh the new year is
filling up.
So we're we would definitely beexcited to have you on board as
well.
But again, thank you as alwaysfor your support.
(49:49):
And until next time, myfriends, don't forget, stay
techy.
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