August 17, 2025 • 36 mins
What if the key to academic success isn't found in rigid classroom structures, but in creating spaces where students feel safe enough to be their authentic selves? Alexia, known professionally as "The Dancer Teacher," brings her infectious energy and profound insights to this episode as we explore how joy, authenticity, and emotional intelligence create the foundation for effective learning environments.
Drawing from her dual expertise as a kindergarten teacher in Atlantic City and a hip-hop dance instructor, Alexia challenges the widespread misconception that learning must be devoid of fun to be effective. "We often link this 'no fun, get to business' with higher scores and higher learning, but actually that's wrong," she observes, noting that despite this approach, "the scores are still trash." Instead, she advocates for intentionally building classroom cultures where both teachers and students can show up as their true selves.
The conversation delves into practical strategies for creating these environments, from establishing consistent routines that build safety to teaching emotional vocabulary that helps students identify and manage their feelings. Alexia emphasizes that before educators can help students develop emotional intelligence, they must first cultivate this skill themselves – knowing their own triggers and modeling healthy emotional regulation.
We also tackle the critical issue of expectations, particularly for students from marginalized communities. Alexia identifies two problematic extremes: over-disciplining Black and brown children, and the savior mentality that sets exceedingly low expectations. Both approaches, she argues, ultimately fail students by not preparing them for success beyond the classroom.
Perhaps most compelling is Alexia's perspective on freedom in education – not as chaos, but as creating space for authentic self-expression and student agency. When students feel empowered in this way, they take ownership of their learning journey and develop the intrinsic motivation that drives lasting success.
Subscribe to The Teacher's Ed Podcast for more conversations that help educators learn, grow, and be inspired. Find Alexia on all platforms @TheDancerTeacher and at thedancerteacher.com for classroom resources.
www.EdwardDeShazer.org
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
We often link this no fun get to business with higher
scores and higher learning, butactually that's wrong and I
don't know where that came from,but we can see, because the
scores are still trash.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
If you're an educator , that's passionate, but you're
tired and you're burnt out andyou're wondering what to do next
, this is the show for you andyou're burnt out and you're
wondering what to do next, thisis the show for you.
We're going to learn together,we're going to recharge together
and we're going to growtogether so you can be the best
you and serve your students andyour community to the best of
your ability.
Welcome to the Teacher's EdPodcast.
(00:40):
I'm your host, edward DeShazer.
This show is where educatorscome to learn, grow and be
inspired.
If you enjoyed today's episode,do me a favor, subscribe, leave
a review on Apple.
If you're on YouTube, dowhatever they do on YouTube.
I'm new to YouTube, so like it,comment, share it with someone.
Whatever you got to do, justfigure it out.
I'll let you figure it out.
(01:02):
Today's guest is someone thatI've been fortunate enough to
meet, see at conferences, dowork with.
She has an infectious type ofenergy.
She's passionate about the workthat she does, not only for her
students, but with dance andworking with kids there.
So please, welcome to thepodcast the dancing teacher
herself, my sister, alexia.
Speaker 1 (01:25):
Hey, hi everyone.
I'm so happy to be here.
Speaker 2 (01:29):
And no, when this is recorded, she's only been out of
school for about a week.
Don't play.
Y'all went way too late andprobably go back tomorrow.
Speaker 1 (01:43):
We do not go back tomorrow.
I actually do go back to worknext week, though.
Speaker 2 (01:55):
I ain't gonna hold you.
So I work on curriculum, soI'll be going back to back to
work next week.
Take that.
I want to let that deep breathout.
I can feel it coming.
Let it let it out.
It's that time of year it is.
So, yeah, let's jump right in.
First, I want you to just letthe people know.
A lot of the people aren'tgoing to be familiar with you,
and the people that are, Letthem know who you are, how you
came up with I mean, I know howyou came and why they call you
(02:17):
the dancing teacher, but let thepeople know who you are, where
you're at and even right now,let them know you're social so
they can make sure that you giveher a follow as well.
Speaker 1 (02:27):
All right y'all.
Well, as I was introduced, myname's Alexia, also known as the
dancer teacher.
The name comes with theterritory.
I am a kindergarten teacher inAtlantic City, new Jersey, by
day and at night.
I am a dancer teacher, but Iteach hip hop.
So I've been teaching hip hopsince I graduated high school.
(02:50):
So I started teaching at astudio right out of high school
and I've been teaching eversince.
So when I'm not in theclassroom, I'm in the studio or
I'm also teaching fitnessclasses at the gym.
So always dancing, alwaysmoving.
And I also have two boys.
So when I'm not doing all thethings, I'm doing all the things
as a mom and a wife.
(03:11):
And yeah, so that's a littlebit about me.
Speaker 2 (03:15):
And that's busy, and I know that resonates with
people that are listening,because all the time I talk to
teachers and it's like it neverends.
You're doing stuff for yourclassroom, for those kids, and
then when you're not there,you're also.
You know that some of them arerunning their kids around.
So not only are you runningyour kids around with stuff, but
you're the person that everyoneelse is running their kids
around to come spend some timewith you know, as a dancing
(03:37):
teacher as well.
So kind of jumping right intalking about classroom culture,
you know.
So I know that's something justfrom the times I've heard you
speak that you know, and it'simportant.
I am just of the thought thateverything starts with the
culture of a classroom.
So what does for you, what doesa strong classroom culture feel
(03:59):
like?
Or, you know, and how can ateacher that's listening because
this is going to go right asthe school's beginning, so
there's teachers that are likesome, feel like they've tried
everything.
What does a good classroomculture feel like to you?
Speaker 1 (04:13):
It feels like safety, it feels like genuine being
able to be our authentic selves,and oftentimes I think about
myself and my journey, whereit's mentally, emotionally,
academically.
I was never able to really feellike my authentic self until I
(04:35):
was either in the dance studioor teaching children.
So I wanted to make sure that,even around adults, I was always
a little bit uncomfortable,never fully confident in who I
was or sharing that or trustingpeople enough to do that.
So, creating just a space whereour kids can feel vulnerable
(04:57):
enough to come up and show up asthemselves and myself as the
teacher you know educationsometimes we have to get right
to the academics and get rightthrough this and do this, and
there's so much on top of usthat we often lose who we are in
that space and we allow thestress and just the fatigue to
(05:19):
take over because we have to doso many things, take over
because we have to do so manythings.
And I wanted to make sure thatas soon as I got in the
classroom that I was able toshow up my authentic self so the
kids see that and they don'tfeel afraid to be themselves,
cause oftentimes our kids get,you know, hit by the realness of
(05:40):
what school is and, um, theykind of they kind of lose who
they are or they have to fake itor mask in order to meet the
needs of the other people or theteacher.
So I have to be who they wantme to be and I want our kids to
show who they are and we supportthem through that process.
But it needs to be safe, weneed to be connected and it
(06:03):
needs to be filled with love.
Speaker 2 (06:27):
And that's the foundation, the core of what I
believe a classroom should havelistening, and you know, how can
a principal or schooladministrator listening?
How can they best support ateacher as this year is starting
, you know, because it's onething for you to do with your
students, but how can a schoolleader do that for you?
Specifically, like, what aresome things that have maybe a
school leader has done for youto really support you so you can
show up feeling like you're?
Speaker 1 (06:50):
off on itself.
Well, I think, oftentimes justthe basic needs of support and
time.
And of course admin have abunch of deadlines and things
that they have to get done.
But I think really givingteachers the autonomy to do what
(07:11):
they know is right for theirstudents, when oftentimes, just
like you know, the teachers putthat pressure on the kids
because we got to go to a wholebunch of stuff and then the
admin put that pressure on theteachers and then that trickles
down from the top.
You know, everybody just needsto pause and remember again the
culture is the roots.
So think of it as a tree.
When we don't build that strongfoundation, even in a house
(07:31):
like you can have a nice kitchenand you can have a nice you
know bathroom and a bedroom, butif your foundation is trash, if
the house isn't structurallybuilt strong, it's going to not
withstand those difficult timesand moments.
And same thing with the tree.
You know you need those strongfoundational roots and that's
(07:52):
the culture that often gets leftout of the conversation, out of
what we do, out of the PD thatwe have and receive.
So I think giving us time andgiving us the space to do what
we know is best and justsupporting us in that time, the
(08:12):
few weeks at the beginning, justleaving off a little bit of the
pressure of all the things andthe paperwork and the
assessments and all those thingsand just giving us time to just
do what we need to do.
Because once we lay down thatfoundation, the rest of the year
is going to be more solid.
But we need that time and trust.
Speaker 2 (08:35):
So time and trust.
Speaker 1 (08:37):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (08:37):
Time, trust and support.
Yes, you know your kids aregoing to be coming back.
What are some of the ways thatyou lay the ground?
You know, like lay those rootswith your kids, cause I've seen
the videos and if you have notseen her videos, like they have
fun and I love that.
And that's one thing I talk tomiddle school teachers a lot,
(08:58):
you know, being that ourschool's K to eight is we've
we've sent older kids andyounger like kindergarten
classes to help out and youalmost see like a light bulb go
off because they forgot what itwas like to be in school and
enjoy it.
Because what you do with theFriday, the Friday, what is it
called the Friday?
Speaker 1 (09:13):
Our fluency Friday.
Speaker 2 (09:15):
Where you're dancing and like y'all are kicking it,
but you know the kids areenjoying it.
So I guarantee you kids don'twant to miss that.
But then when kids get older,all of a sudden we don't do
stuff like that because we'reworried about them having too
much fun or it's not.
School's not coming to school,because that's the from what I
see in Milwaukee is a bigchallenge.
Kids just don't like school.
(09:46):
So that what's the incentive toshow up to something I don't
like every single day?
Speaker 1 (09:52):
Yeah, that's several different things, I think, with
our kids.
We often rob them of joybecause what they're seeing they
become.
So if my teachers, after acertain time period, lose that
joy and it's not modeled to me,then how am I ever going to be
(10:15):
what I can't see and it's notmodeled to me, then how am I
ever going to be what I can'tsee?
And I think that because oftesting, because of, you know,
state testing and all the things.
We often link this no fun, getto business with higher scores
and higher learning, butactually that's wrong and I
(10:36):
don't know where that came from,but we can see because the
scores are still trash.
So if you're not having fun,then for a grownup, if we're not
enjoying what we're doing, ifwe're not passionate about it,
it's going to lose its meaning.
And that all stems from how weare showing our kids.
How are we teaching them, how weare embedding things like
(10:59):
neuroscience and how kids learnand movement and community and
how that, you know, reallychanges the way the brain is
connecting and how our kids arelearning.
So I think, for just from thejump, our kids need to see your
love of learning and your safetythat you're building in the
(11:20):
classroom.
How are you connecting withyour kids?
How is there a structure and aroutine that's that builds
safety as well?
So sometimes it's like, no,it's not just asking a kid like
what's your favorite color orwhat do you like to do for fun.
It's building safety of routineand structure from the beginning
, making sure you're intentionalabout joy in your classroom.
(11:42):
Are you laughing?
Are you, you know, not being soserious all the time?
Are the kids moving and havingdifferent things where they can
have choice, embedded to thestructure of your day?
So being intentional aboutthose things throughout your day
.
Are they having conversations?
Are we embedding, you know,emotional intelligence into our
(12:03):
day?
So our kids build that because,yes, it's about, you know,
explicit teaching, because weneed strong tier one instruction
, but we can also embed joy andfun into that and movement,
which is all brain based.
Speaker 2 (12:18):
Yeah, and the word that you said several times was
intention, and I think that'syou know from just what I've
seen, teachers that areintentional usually get the best
results.
I guess I can't say thatbecause some people are just
intentional with not creatingwhat they should Like.
Their intentions are maybesomewhat misguided.
But I think when you haveeducators who are intentional
(12:40):
but also following the scienceand that's something that people
are really starting to get backto, which I don't know why we
ever got away from in the firstplace.
But I love that you just talkedabout intention and one of the
questions I would ask is onthose tougher days, what can or
(13:01):
what do you do, or what can aneducator do?
That's on my camera around.
There's cats running around inhere.
This is their playground.
What can an educator do onthose tough days?
Because I always say it's likewhen it's when things are going
well, that first week it's, youknow it always feels a little
(13:21):
easier.
But what about when it's, youknow, november or that like
March stretch, when the year isjust like really, how do you
still infuse joy into whatyou're doing in those moments
when it's tougher?
Speaker 1 (13:43):
I think that all boils down to the foundation and
the core, just like what wewere talking about before with
the roots of culture.
You have to build them and theyhave to be strongly embedded
and that's when you know thestorm hits, the tree is not
going to knock over, becauseyou've done the work to really
build that culture and communitywith your classroom.
And that stems with onebuilding trust.
(14:04):
So how are you building trustwith your kids?
How are they knowing that whatyou say, you mean and that's an
expectation thing as well,setting those high expectations
so that your kids meet them andnot just low-balling them,
because that's something thatalso builds trust.
Making sure that your structureand routine is similar, close
to the same, every day.
(14:26):
When kids need routine andstructure, because that builds
safety, especially with our kidswho have trauma, they need a
strong routine and structure.
So even on those hard days whenI know, oh, for me, oh, this is
going to come next, next, next,that's how my brain works as
well.
So I need to make sure that wefollow this routine because we
(14:47):
know what to expect.
Also, building times to talk toyour kids, building that
connection in different ways,where you embed student
leadership or different jobs ordifferent opportunities for your
kids to lead and kind of take afront role so that you know
you're not doing everything.
Our kids need to see themselvesin a leadership role and that
(15:10):
also lightens the load a littlebit too For me.
I have a DJ of the day who alsoworks alongside with me to
really set an intention of kidsseeing themselves in leadership
roles, and that gives me time toconnect with them, it gives
them a little bit of extraspecial time, it gives me time
to get to know them and justrelying on your family, building
(15:31):
that structure and routinewhere kids are safe and
connected and they're able tolearn, we'll build that trust
and that safety with yourfamilies.
So, connecting with thefamilies and on those hard days,
now that I've done the work andnow that the families know how
I roll and how we run thiscommunity in this classroom,
we've built the trust LittleJohnny tripping today, and then
(15:53):
they know okay, let me, I canpull up or I need you to come
through and just check on himbecause he's doing too much,
because we're going to havethose hard days.
The kids are kids, um, butlaying that strong foundation is
going to get you through thosestorms, because yeah.
Speaker 2 (16:10):
And one thing I know about parents is when you're
constantly calling them fornegative stuff, eventually
they're going to stop answering.
And then you know every schoolhas that teacher that, just like
you're just constantly firingoff phone calls Like if someone
called you every day withsomething negative.
It's like when you see thosebill, like when a bill collector
called, I'm not answering.
I know what the problem is.
(16:32):
Like well, I know I owe you, sowhy am I going to answer the
phone?
And well, I know I know I oweyou, so why am I going to answer
the phone?
Um, and I think sometimesthat's how that relationship
with the parents and the and theand the staff become, because
some staff members aren'tintentional with building the
positive things of like hey, I'mthe, your, your child's teacher
, I'm here, these are the greatthings, these are fun things.
(16:53):
We're doing.
This is what's going on,instead of only calling when you
, absolutely when there's aproblem, and then now, because
you've done the work to createthat positive relationship, when
you do need something, parents.
There's a lot of distrust withparents in schools right now and
you know, when we were growingup I say we um little getting
(17:15):
old, but it sounds likesomeone's like, like like a dad
now but when we were growing upit was like the parent and the
school were kind of against, notagainst the kid, but they were
pulling the rope together andthe kid was pulling the rope
like I didn't do it and theparents and teachers were like
yes, you did, whereas now, whenthere's an issue, parents pull
up and they're on like theirdefault is to think what did the
teacher do, what did the schooldo, what did the classroom do?
(17:37):
So I think what you're reallyhearing, what you're saying, is
really will help a staff memberto build trust on the front end
so that when there is an issuebecause newsflash for anyone
listening there is going to beissues I do not care how good of
a teacher you are, how greatyour classroom management is,
like, forget about it.
(17:58):
There's going to be challenges,but because you have that
foundation of respect and joywith your parents as well as
your students, when thoseproblems come up, now we're
working together I love.
Another thing I want you tojust talk about.
I'm not overly familiar with theschool that you're in, but one
of the things I see so often incities like Milwaukee I'm sure
(18:20):
New York is very similar is youget into schools that are in the
city and the expectations justget lowered automatically.
And I tell teachers all thetime if a kid I watch these kids
you know they can memorize apraise dance for five minutes
while seeing the words at thesame time, like they're capable
(18:43):
of doing whatever.
It's just some educators, wehave these biases that well if a
kid comes from a certainneighborhood, certain zip code,
certain parent situations, theycan't do it.
Zip code, certain parent parentsituations, they can't do it
and we lower the expectation.
Then we wonder why kids don'trise, but as educators we kind
of lower the expectation.
(19:03):
So just curious, from yourexperience you know being out in
Jersey is lowered expectations,something that a lot of
educators struggle with there aswell.
Speaker 1 (19:15):
Yes, something that a lot of educators struggle with
there as well.
Yes, and I think that's likethe system, because there's two
sides.
Right, we have the strict.
You know, it's a school toprison pipeline in two different
forms.
So one, you just, you know, putthe belt on our black and brown
kids.
You set them up to build thesehabits and patterns.
(19:37):
Then when they go out in thereal world, that's what happens.
Then you have the other sidewhere you set very low
expectations.
You want to be the savior, youwant to feel good about yourself
, and then you're setting thekids up because then they have
no expectations.
Then they're going out into thereal world and flop in
immediately because they just dowhatever they want.
(20:00):
So there's this like two bigends of this spectrum where
you're setting them up forfailure either way.
One just makes you feel betterabout yourself, and the other
one is you don't want to dealwith it and you're just
immediately putting you knowthem up for failure.
(20:20):
So I think that for us, a lot ofthe times it's the teacher and
we have to do better.
We have to be moreknowledgeable about what really
is happening to our kids.
We have to know that it's notjust when they're in the
classroom with us.
They have a whole future downthe line and our goal is not to
(20:43):
just, you know, set them forsuccess when they're in their
classroom or just make you feelgood or, you know, make them
feel good.
It's about building the thingsthat they need to take them to
the next grade and the nextgrade so that they have a
successful future.
And setting high expectationsmeans you need to be consistent,
and I find that now, especiallywith grownups.
(21:06):
You know, in a digital age,those things take work and we
are also being programmed towant things instantly, and
that's a problem because,ultimately, we're modeling to
our kids that that's theexpectation, and a lot of it,
too, is our families.
They set low expectations, theywant to enable their kids and
(21:29):
give them everything that theydidn't have, and then that still
sets them up for successbecause they're not building
resilience, they don't know howto deal with frustration or
disappointment or not gettingwhat they want.
So it's a big problem and, atthe end of the day, the people
that are hurting the most is ourkids.
Speaker 2 (21:51):
This was a time when we were in Austin and I some
just kind of what you're talkingabout resilience and um
students struggling One of thethings that you did that I
thought was very interesting andit was.
I thought it was cool and Idon't think I don't think staff
and teachers do it enough.
When you talked about um, itwas at the open of your
presentation.
We talked about getting yourkids identify how they're
(22:14):
feeling, and I think that'ssomething I would love for you
just to touch on before we kindof go into the last segment,
because I think that issomething that gets missed,
especially in black and browncommunities, where it's like
students don't know how toresolve their feelings because a
lot of times they don't knowhow to identify what those
feelings are in the first place.
(22:35):
So what are some of the thingsyou do, especially because
you're starting at an early age?
You know you're like reallylaying the foundation for those
kids, but what are some of thethe activities and ways um, you
know maybe one or two reallygood ones that a teacher can
utilize on of how to helpstudents identify those feelings
that they may be feeling, sothen they can communicate it to
(22:56):
us, then we can work onsupporting them.
Speaker 1 (22:59):
Yeah.
So first things first,educators and grownups have to
be able to identify their ownfeelings.
And that's a big chunk of thework is you're going to have to
know what you're feeling.
You're going to have to knowwhat your triggers are.
You're going to have to be ableto name it, to tame it.
Built emotional intelligencebecause our families did not, or
(23:23):
whoever your family, yourparents are, they didn't teach
you how to do that.
So now we're struggling and theneed is so strong for our kids.
So we have to identify whatwe're feeling first, because if
we are not in control, then wecan't help no kids be in control
, then we can't help no kids bein control.
(23:46):
And for our kids it's buildingemotional vocabulary.
So what I like to do is, eachweek I focus on one feeling and
we go into the different.
You know self-awareness andsocial awareness and all the
different competencies of SEL,but we really work through each
feeling.
So if it's frustrated you, youknow what does frustrating mean?
What does it mean to you?
Because frustration can comeoff on you differently.
(24:08):
What does that feel like in ourbodies?
What does that feel like in ourminds?
What are we saying to ourselves?
What is our heart doing when wefeel frustrated?
What is are we having like?
Are we getting sweaty?
Are we getting, you know, readyto fight and thinking about
those things?
And having those conversationswith kids.
Kindergarten is the veryfoundation.
I sometimes wish I would havehad older kids, because you can
(24:31):
really get into some deepconversation with them.
And then how does that show up?
How do we tame it?
How do we calm that down?
What are some things that wecan do?
Setting affirmation and thenembedding that throughout the
week.
So, and then you can tie thatin academically, read aloud, you
can read stories with, withcharacters that experience those
(24:53):
feelings, you can write aboutit, you can, you know, bring it
up in historical aspects, andwhen do you have people felt
this way in history?
So it's not like somethingadded, like this is the core,
and I think that's so.
The reasons why we see all thesebig problems in the world is
(25:14):
one people don't have empathy.
But in order to build empathy,you have to be emotionally
intelligent and aware andbecause of trauma and other
things, especially with boys,rage and anger just take over
and then they have no, you know,intelligence.
So we want to make sure thatwe're building that in our kids
because it's important and, atthe end of the day, if they
can't be emotionally in control,then they're not going to learn
(25:39):
anything.
So just little things andlittle conversations and
building upon each thing.
You can look up the circle ofall the different feelings and
pick one and focus each day.
It can take two to five minutesand then in conversation
throughout the day, you're justnaming it when you see a kid
experiencing it.
Oh, we're talking aboutfrustration.
(26:00):
This is a perfect example.
Okay, having community meetingsand discussing how we're
getting through that is, it'shappening in real time.
Speaker 2 (26:09):
So, yeah, yeah, I love it and it, you know, it's
taking those and turning theminto teachable moments for
especially young kids, becausethen, as they get older, now
this is something, a foundation,that a lot of times they didn't
, you know, they didn't get, anda lot of times we didn't get,
especially as a young man.
You know, we were always toldtoughen up, and what are you
crying for Girls?
(26:30):
You know girls cry and it'slike you know.
Then it just, you know, createsa whole long, longer cycle.
Get ready to kind of wrap up.
You talked about freedom inyour classroom.
Um, so I kind of want to knowwhat does that look like?
Because I know firsthand, whenyou start talking about freedom,
(26:50):
when you're talking about fiveand six year olds, that's scary
for someone, because those arekids like if you give you know.
So what does freedom look like?
And and maybe I wasmisinterpreting what you meant
but what does freedom look likeand why is that important in
your classroom and in yourschool?
Speaker 1 (27:12):
Freedom is being able to be who you are, without
judgment, without punishment,without trying to change who you
are.
And I think in education we wantto change because we want to
control so much.
And that doesn't mean we don'thave structure, that doesn't
mean we don't, you know, we'renot, we're allowed to just be
(27:35):
harmful, but it's showing up whoyou are and we are all
accepting of that and being ableto explore and learn in
different ways and reallygetting to know all different
stories and backgrounds andcelebrating those things without
trying to control and restrict.
(27:59):
And I think that in educationespecially throughout, like
historically, it's been set upfor control and compliance and
for me, you know, it's the kidsbeing the boss of themselves and
thinking about humanity andwhat is the best thing that we
can do so that we can keep ourclassroom safe and connected and
(28:22):
learning.
So that is, you can be free inwho you are, but we're not going
to be harmful and we're goingto learn how to do that.
We're going to learn how tostay connected.
We're going to learn how toheal when we are harmful,
because that's going to happenand, at the end of the day, I
want us to all enjoy learningand enjoy that learning process
and be free to have joy and lovein the classroom.
(28:45):
And freedom, you know, scares alot of people because if I'm
free and you're not, you're like, well, I want that, but you're
afraid to just cacaw and releaseand be who you are.
So, being who you are, showingup authentically as yourself and
(29:05):
for the community, making surethat we are building together
and not apart.
Speaker 2 (29:10):
Yeah, and freedom empowers.
It empowers kids to in theirlearning process, and I think
that is where a lot of schoolsmiss the mark.
It's kind of what you said.
It's.
You know, we are so controllingwith students and even as
administrators, we're socontrolling with staff, that
when you empower people, theytake ownership.
And when they take ownershipthe outcomes tend to improve.
(29:34):
So I think that's important forsomeone to hear, like, like,
allow your kids to show up forwho they are, because some of
your kids probably have somesome really phenomenal skills
and we don't realize thatbecause we're so much pen and
paper.
Whereas I remember when I wasteaching seventh grade, I can
specifically remember this onestudent, very good at math, but
(29:56):
if you put the words on thepiece of paper he could struggle
with the test, but if I sat andread it out loud to him gets
all the answers correct, youknow.
So, really, knowing where thosekids are, how they best receive
it, and knowing that some noteveryone's going to be good at
taking a test.
Not everyone's going to be goodat coloring, not everyone's
going to be good at writing.
Some kids you know their skillsare, when you give them blocks
(30:21):
they can build the biggest, youknow, little house, out of all
the blocks you've handed themand they're just very good with
their hands.
And other kids are not andthey're maybe it's their words
that they're very good with andother kids it's numbers that
they're good with.
So really giving kids thefreedom will allow them to show
up, but it makes your classrooma better place because now you
have all these different skillsand and kids that you can
(30:42):
highlight.
Not everyone's not conforming tothis little box that we like
kind of plug our kids into andthen wonder why they don't fit.
So I think that's kind of yousee it so often in schools and
then we're upset like, oh, theycan't do this, they can't do
that.
We're kind of pushing them intocorners and hoping that they're
going to be someone other thanwho they are at times.
So definitely appreciate youjumping on.
(31:05):
We're going to end because Itold you about this.
We're going to end with somethis or that questions.
First, this or that question.
Early mornings or late nights,late nights, all right, this is
the next one.
I'm not going to tell on youLesson planning or freestyle
teaching the lesson plan is inhere.
Speaker 1 (31:31):
Okay, I don't need to write about people um,
pineapple on pizza, yes or no?
Speaker 2 (31:40):
no, no, all right.
This one better, and this onemay even be a little offensive.
Better dancer beyonce or missyelliott I didn't hear you.
I'm sorry better dancer beyonceor missy elliott?
Beyonce duh still didn't hearit, or no?
Speaker 1 (32:00):
no, I said beyonce oh it buffered.
Speaker 2 (32:03):
I okay, it buffered cb.
Speaker 1 (32:07):
Missy elliott was man she used to move she but honey
the beehive about to come foryou ah, don't, don't do that.
Speaker 2 (32:15):
I made a facebook post one time about her.
I said I will never do thatagain.
Yeah, they were came in fullforce in my comments.
Speaker 1 (32:28):
Last one classroom party or field trip, Ooh party,
classroom party.
Speaker 2 (32:35):
Field trips be too much.
See, I'm more of a get out onthe field trip type person.
Have you been out in the fieldtrip with the kindergarten?
I have so, listen, when I first, when I started organizing
trips for our school some coupleof years back, and they would
always send me and be like theseare the kids we have a
challenge with, these are theones you got to hang out with
(32:57):
and we used to have a blast,like the thing that I would
always tell.
You know, when teachers areworried about kids that have
challenges in school, a lot oftimes when you get kids out of
their comfort zone into a newenvironment, they're a lot less
likely because they're kind ofoverstimulated with it.
This is new and they are lesslikely to act out.
But I also know that thoseexperiences are what help kids
(33:20):
learn about the world, whetherit's a play or the park or a
museum.
Like, a lot of our kids fromthe black and brown communities
don't get experiences and that'swhy they fall further and
further behind their suburbanyou know white counterparts
because the lack of experiences.
So yeah, I've always was afield trip guy classroom, but
(33:41):
I'm not good at planning parties, so that was probably part of
my problem, like the party stunkbecause I wasn't good at it as
a teacher.
It was just like all right,we're ordering pizza, what movie
do you want?
Speaker 1 (33:50):
And like that was the end of it, so we turn up.
But I've been on a zoo tripthat was great and then a museum
trip that was not good likestressful losing children.
Not good, stressful losingchildren no.
But I've had a lot of my kids.
They take more vacations than Ido, so I don't know.
Speaker 2 (34:12):
That's how you're living.
Speaker 1 (34:13):
They live in the best life.
Speaker 2 (34:17):
Coming back off spring break with tan and
cornrows, Mexico, everyone comesback with some braids all of a
sudden.
So all right, Well, what I wantyou to do, let everyone that's
listening know where they canfind you on social media.
Let them know about the showthat you have, because I think
people should need to be tappedinto that as well.
So this is your time Plugwhatever you need to plug
(34:40):
whoever you need to plug.
Let them have it.
Speaker 1 (34:42):
Cool, so you can find me on all platforms.
At the Dancer Teacher alsothedancerteachercom, I have
resources especially forfeelings and things that you can
embed into your classroom, andyou can also see me and my
co-hosts on Rules to Engagement.
So it's a TV show for educatorsby educators, and we have, you
(35:03):
know, special guests and getinto some deep conversation
about things that are reallyhappening in education.
That often you know educatorsget left out of the conversation
.
So you could tap into us onknowledge YouTube page under the
roles to engagement, and wehave four episodes out so you
can watch those roles toengagement, and we have four
(35:25):
episodes out so you can watchthose yep.
Speaker 2 (35:26):
Go check them out.
And again, I appreciate you forjoining me.
Of course, I appreciate thetime that we're you know, all of
us were able to connect andjust seeing the work that you do
, um, I just, I just love beingaround people that are still
passionate about this work thatwe're doing.
So thank you, um, for joiningme.
Thank you for all the workyou're doing for your kids, for
your dance kids, for all thekids in the entire community
(35:47):
that you serve.
So thank you for all that.
I want to thank everyone thatis listening, please.
If you have not, you can like,you can subscribe whatever
people do on YouTube.
I'm new, so go like it, gosubscribe it, comment and then,
when you're done, go to all herplatforms and do the same Tap,
(36:10):
comment, and then, when you'redone, go to all her platforms
and do the same, tap in.
But until next time, make sureyou all stay inspired and just
keep keep pouring back into yourstudents, keep pouring into
your school, but, mostimportantly, keep pouring into
yourself.
Have a good rest of the weekend.
We often link this no fun get to business with higher
scores and higher learning, butactually that's wrong and I
don't know where that came from,but we can see, because the
scores are still trash.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
If you're an educator , that's passionate, but you're
tired and you're burnt out andyou're wondering what to do next
, this is the show for you andyou're burnt out and you're
wondering what to do next, thisis the show for you.
We're going to learn together,we're going to recharge together
and we're going to growtogether so you can be the best
you and serve your students andyour community to the best of
your ability.
Welcome to the Teacher's EdPodcast.
(00:40):
I'm your host, edward DeShazer.
This show is where educatorscome to learn, grow and be
inspired.
If you enjoyed today's episode,do me a favor, subscribe, leave
a review on Apple.
If you're on YouTube, dowhatever they do on YouTube.
I'm new to YouTube, so like it,comment, share it with someone.
Whatever you got to do, justfigure it out.
I'll let you figure it out.
(01:02):
Today's guest is someone thatI've been fortunate enough to
meet, see at conferences, dowork with.
She has an infectious type ofenergy.
She's passionate about the workthat she does, not only for her
students, but with dance andworking with kids there.
So please, welcome to thepodcast the dancing teacher
herself, my sister, alexia.
Speaker 1 (01:25):
Hey, hi everyone.
I'm so happy to be here.
Speaker 2 (01:29):
And no, when this is recorded, she's only been out of
school for about a week.
Don't play.
Y'all went way too late andprobably go back tomorrow.
Speaker 1 (01:43):
We do not go back tomorrow.
I actually do go back to worknext week, though.
Speaker 2 (01:55):
I ain't gonna hold you.
So I work on curriculum, soI'll be going back to back to
work next week.
Take that.
I want to let that deep breathout.
I can feel it coming.
Let it let it out.
It's that time of year it is.
So, yeah, let's jump right in.
First, I want you to just letthe people know.
A lot of the people aren'tgoing to be familiar with you,
and the people that are, Letthem know who you are, how you
came up with I mean, I know howyou came and why they call you
(02:17):
the dancing teacher, but let thepeople know who you are, where
you're at and even right now,let them know you're social so
they can make sure that you giveher a follow as well.
Speaker 1 (02:27):
All right y'all.
Well, as I was introduced, myname's Alexia, also known as the
dancer teacher.
The name comes with theterritory.
I am a kindergarten teacher inAtlantic City, new Jersey, by
day and at night.
I am a dancer teacher, but Iteach hip hop.
So I've been teaching hip hopsince I graduated high school.
(02:50):
So I started teaching at astudio right out of high school
and I've been teaching eversince.
So when I'm not in theclassroom, I'm in the studio or
I'm also teaching fitnessclasses at the gym.
So always dancing, alwaysmoving.
And I also have two boys.
So when I'm not doing all thethings, I'm doing all the things
as a mom and a wife.
(03:11):
And yeah, so that's a littlebit about me.
Speaker 2 (03:15):
And that's busy, and I know that resonates with
people that are listening,because all the time I talk to
teachers and it's like it neverends.
You're doing stuff for yourclassroom, for those kids, and
then when you're not there,you're also.
You know that some of them arerunning their kids around.
So not only are you runningyour kids around with stuff, but
you're the person that everyoneelse is running their kids
around to come spend some timewith you know, as a dancing
(03:37):
teacher as well.
So kind of jumping right intalking about classroom culture,
you know.
So I know that's something justfrom the times I've heard you
speak that you know, and it'simportant.
I am just of the thought thateverything starts with the
culture of a classroom.
So what does for you, what doesa strong classroom culture feel
(03:59):
like?
Or, you know, and how can ateacher that's listening because
this is going to go right asthe school's beginning, so
there's teachers that are likesome, feel like they've tried
everything.
What does a good classroomculture feel like to you?
Speaker 1 (04:13):
It feels like safety, it feels like genuine being
able to be our authentic selves,and oftentimes I think about
myself and my journey, whereit's mentally, emotionally,
academically.
I was never able to really feellike my authentic self until I
(04:35):
was either in the dance studioor teaching children.
So I wanted to make sure that,even around adults, I was always
a little bit uncomfortable,never fully confident in who I
was or sharing that or trustingpeople enough to do that.
So, creating just a space whereour kids can feel vulnerable
(04:57):
enough to come up and show up asthemselves and myself as the
teacher you know educationsometimes we have to get right
to the academics and get rightthrough this and do this, and
there's so much on top of usthat we often lose who we are in
that space and we allow thestress and just the fatigue to
(05:19):
take over because we have to doso many things, take over
because we have to do so manythings.
And I wanted to make sure thatas soon as I got in the
classroom that I was able toshow up my authentic self so the
kids see that and they don'tfeel afraid to be themselves,
cause oftentimes our kids get,you know, hit by the realness of
(05:40):
what school is and, um, theykind of they kind of lose who
they are or they have to fake itor mask in order to meet the
needs of the other people or theteacher.
So I have to be who they wantme to be and I want our kids to
show who they are and we supportthem through that process.
But it needs to be safe, weneed to be connected and it
(06:03):
needs to be filled with love.
Speaker 2 (06:27):
And that's the foundation, the core of what I
believe a classroom should havelistening, and you know, how can
a principal or schooladministrator listening?
How can they best support ateacher as this year is starting
, you know, because it's onething for you to do with your
students, but how can a schoolleader do that for you?
Specifically, like, what aresome things that have maybe a
school leader has done for youto really support you so you can
show up feeling like you're?
Speaker 1 (06:50):
off on itself.
Well, I think, oftentimes justthe basic needs of support and
time.
And of course admin have abunch of deadlines and things
that they have to get done.
But I think really givingteachers the autonomy to do what
(07:11):
they know is right for theirstudents, when oftentimes, just
like you know, the teachers putthat pressure on the kids
because we got to go to a wholebunch of stuff and then the
admin put that pressure on theteachers and then that trickles
down from the top.
You know, everybody just needsto pause and remember again the
culture is the roots.
So think of it as a tree.
When we don't build that strongfoundation, even in a house
(07:31):
like you can have a nice kitchenand you can have a nice you
know bathroom and a bedroom, butif your foundation is trash, if
the house isn't structurallybuilt strong, it's going to not
withstand those difficult timesand moments.
And same thing with the tree.
You know you need those strongfoundational roots and that's
(07:52):
the culture that often gets leftout of the conversation, out of
what we do, out of the PD thatwe have and receive.
So I think giving us time andgiving us the space to do what
we know is best and justsupporting us in that time, the
(08:12):
few weeks at the beginning, justleaving off a little bit of the
pressure of all the things andthe paperwork and the
assessments and all those thingsand just giving us time to just
do what we need to do.
Because once we lay down thatfoundation, the rest of the year
is going to be more solid.
But we need that time and trust.
Speaker 2 (08:35):
So time and trust.
Speaker 1 (08:37):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (08:37):
Time, trust and support.
Yes, you know your kids aregoing to be coming back.
What are some of the ways thatyou lay the ground?
You know, like lay those rootswith your kids, cause I've seen
the videos and if you have notseen her videos, like they have
fun and I love that.
And that's one thing I talk tomiddle school teachers a lot,
(08:58):
you know, being that ourschool's K to eight is we've
we've sent older kids andyounger like kindergarten
classes to help out and youalmost see like a light bulb go
off because they forgot what itwas like to be in school and
enjoy it.
Because what you do with theFriday, the Friday, what is it
called the Friday?
Speaker 1 (09:13):
Our fluency Friday.
Speaker 2 (09:15):
Where you're dancing and like y'all are kicking it,
but you know the kids areenjoying it.
So I guarantee you kids don'twant to miss that.
But then when kids get older,all of a sudden we don't do
stuff like that because we'reworried about them having too
much fun or it's not.
School's not coming to school,because that's the from what I
see in Milwaukee is a bigchallenge.
Kids just don't like school.
(09:46):
So that what's the incentive toshow up to something I don't
like every single day?
Speaker 1 (09:52):
Yeah, that's several different things, I think, with
our kids.
We often rob them of joybecause what they're seeing they
become.
So if my teachers, after acertain time period, lose that
joy and it's not modeled to me,then how am I ever going to be
(10:15):
what I can't see and it's notmodeled to me, then how am I
ever going to be what I can'tsee?
And I think that because oftesting, because of, you know,
state testing and all the things.
We often link this no fun, getto business with higher scores
and higher learning, butactually that's wrong and I
(10:36):
don't know where that came from,but we can see because the
scores are still trash.
So if you're not having fun,then for a grownup, if we're not
enjoying what we're doing, ifwe're not passionate about it,
it's going to lose its meaning.
And that all stems from how weare showing our kids.
How are we teaching them, how weare embedding things like
(10:59):
neuroscience and how kids learnand movement and community and
how that, you know, reallychanges the way the brain is
connecting and how our kids arelearning.
So I think, for just from thejump, our kids need to see your
love of learning and your safetythat you're building in the
(11:20):
classroom.
How are you connecting withyour kids?
How is there a structure and aroutine that's that builds
safety as well?
So sometimes it's like, no,it's not just asking a kid like
what's your favorite color orwhat do you like to do for fun.
It's building safety of routineand structure from the beginning
, making sure you're intentionalabout joy in your classroom.
(11:42):
Are you laughing?
Are you, you know, not being soserious all the time?
Are the kids moving and havingdifferent things where they can
have choice, embedded to thestructure of your day?
So being intentional aboutthose things throughout your day
.
Are they having conversations?
Are we embedding, you know,emotional intelligence into our
(12:03):
day?
So our kids build that because,yes, it's about, you know,
explicit teaching, because weneed strong tier one instruction
, but we can also embed joy andfun into that and movement,
which is all brain based.
Speaker 2 (12:18):
Yeah, and the word that you said several times was
intention, and I think that'syou know from just what I've
seen, teachers that areintentional usually get the best
results.
I guess I can't say thatbecause some people are just
intentional with not creatingwhat they should Like.
Their intentions are maybesomewhat misguided.
But I think when you haveeducators who are intentional
(12:40):
but also following the scienceand that's something that people
are really starting to get backto, which I don't know why we
ever got away from in the firstplace.
But I love that you just talkedabout intention and one of the
questions I would ask is onthose tougher days, what can or
(13:01):
what do you do, or what can aneducator do?
That's on my camera around.
There's cats running around inhere.
This is their playground.
What can an educator do onthose tough days?
Because I always say it's likewhen it's when things are going
well, that first week it's, youknow it always feels a little
(13:21):
easier.
But what about when it's, youknow, november or that like
March stretch, when the year isjust like really, how do you
still infuse joy into whatyou're doing in those moments
when it's tougher?
Speaker 1 (13:43):
I think that all boils down to the foundation and
the core, just like what wewere talking about before with
the roots of culture.
You have to build them and theyhave to be strongly embedded
and that's when you know thestorm hits, the tree is not
going to knock over, becauseyou've done the work to really
build that culture and communitywith your classroom.
And that stems with onebuilding trust.
(14:04):
So how are you building trustwith your kids?
How are they knowing that whatyou say, you mean and that's an
expectation thing as well,setting those high expectations
so that your kids meet them andnot just low-balling them,
because that's something thatalso builds trust.
Making sure that your structureand routine is similar, close
to the same, every day.
(14:26):
When kids need routine andstructure, because that builds
safety, especially with our kidswho have trauma, they need a
strong routine and structure.
So even on those hard days whenI know, oh, for me, oh, this is
going to come next, next, next,that's how my brain works as
well.
So I need to make sure that wefollow this routine because we
(14:47):
know what to expect.
Also, building times to talk toyour kids, building that
connection in different ways,where you embed student
leadership or different jobs ordifferent opportunities for your
kids to lead and kind of take afront role so that you know
you're not doing everything.
Our kids need to see themselvesin a leadership role and that
(15:10):
also lightens the load a littlebit too For me.
I have a DJ of the day who alsoworks alongside with me to
really set an intention of kidsseeing themselves in leadership
roles, and that gives me time toconnect with them, it gives
them a little bit of extraspecial time, it gives me time
to get to know them and justrelying on your family, building
(15:31):
that structure and routinewhere kids are safe and
connected and they're able tolearn, we'll build that trust
and that safety with yourfamilies.
So, connecting with thefamilies and on those hard days,
now that I've done the work andnow that the families know how
I roll and how we run thiscommunity in this classroom,
we've built the trust LittleJohnny tripping today, and then
(15:53):
they know okay, let me, I canpull up or I need you to come
through and just check on himbecause he's doing too much,
because we're going to havethose hard days.
The kids are kids, um, butlaying that strong foundation is
going to get you through thosestorms, because yeah.
Speaker 2 (16:10):
And one thing I know about parents is when you're
constantly calling them fornegative stuff, eventually
they're going to stop answering.
And then you know every schoolhas that teacher that, just like
you're just constantly firingoff phone calls Like if someone
called you every day withsomething negative.
It's like when you see thosebill, like when a bill collector
called, I'm not answering.
I know what the problem is.
(16:32):
Like well, I know I owe you, sowhy am I going to answer the
phone?
And well, I know I know I oweyou, so why am I going to answer
the phone?
Um, and I think sometimesthat's how that relationship
with the parents and the and theand the staff become, because
some staff members aren'tintentional with building the
positive things of like hey, I'mthe, your, your child's teacher
, I'm here, these are the greatthings, these are fun things.
(16:53):
We're doing.
This is what's going on,instead of only calling when you
, absolutely when there's aproblem, and then now, because
you've done the work to createthat positive relationship, when
you do need something, parents.
There's a lot of distrust withparents in schools right now and
you know, when we were growingup I say we um little getting
(17:15):
old, but it sounds likesomeone's like, like like a dad
now but when we were growing upit was like the parent and the
school were kind of against, notagainst the kid, but they were
pulling the rope together andthe kid was pulling the rope
like I didn't do it and theparents and teachers were like
yes, you did, whereas now, whenthere's an issue, parents pull
up and they're on like theirdefault is to think what did the
teacher do, what did the schooldo, what did the classroom do?
(17:37):
So I think what you're reallyhearing, what you're saying, is
really will help a staff memberto build trust on the front end
so that when there is an issuebecause newsflash for anyone
listening there is going to beissues I do not care how good of
a teacher you are, how greatyour classroom management is,
like, forget about it.
(17:58):
There's going to be challenges,but because you have that
foundation of respect and joywith your parents as well as
your students, when thoseproblems come up, now we're
working together I love.
Another thing I want you tojust talk about.
I'm not overly familiar with theschool that you're in, but one
of the things I see so often incities like Milwaukee I'm sure
(18:20):
New York is very similar is youget into schools that are in the
city and the expectations justget lowered automatically.
And I tell teachers all thetime if a kid I watch these kids
you know they can memorize apraise dance for five minutes
while seeing the words at thesame time, like they're capable
(18:43):
of doing whatever.
It's just some educators, wehave these biases that well if a
kid comes from a certainneighborhood, certain zip code,
certain parent situations, theycan't do it.
Zip code, certain parent parentsituations, they can't do it
and we lower the expectation.
Then we wonder why kids don'trise, but as educators we kind
of lower the expectation.
(19:03):
So just curious, from yourexperience you know being out in
Jersey is lowered expectations,something that a lot of
educators struggle with there aswell.
Speaker 1 (19:15):
Yes, something that a lot of educators struggle with
there as well.
Yes, and I think that's likethe system, because there's two
sides.
Right, we have the strict.
You know, it's a school toprison pipeline in two different
forms.
So one, you just, you know, putthe belt on our black and brown
kids.
You set them up to build thesehabits and patterns.
(19:37):
Then when they go out in thereal world, that's what happens.
Then you have the other sidewhere you set very low
expectations.
You want to be the savior, youwant to feel good about yourself
, and then you're setting thekids up because then they have
no expectations.
Then they're going out into thereal world and flop in
immediately because they just dowhatever they want.
(20:00):
So there's this like two bigends of this spectrum where
you're setting them up forfailure either way.
One just makes you feel betterabout yourself, and the other
one is you don't want to dealwith it and you're just
immediately putting you knowthem up for failure.
(20:20):
So I think that for us, a lot ofthe times it's the teacher and
we have to do better.
We have to be moreknowledgeable about what really
is happening to our kids.
We have to know that it's notjust when they're in the
classroom with us.
They have a whole future downthe line and our goal is not to
(20:43):
just, you know, set them forsuccess when they're in their
classroom or just make you feelgood or, you know, make them
feel good.
It's about building the thingsthat they need to take them to
the next grade and the nextgrade so that they have a
successful future.
And setting high expectationsmeans you need to be consistent,
and I find that now, especiallywith grownups.
(21:06):
You know, in a digital age,those things take work and we
are also being programmed towant things instantly, and
that's a problem because,ultimately, we're modeling to
our kids that that's theexpectation, and a lot of it,
too, is our families.
They set low expectations, theywant to enable their kids and
(21:29):
give them everything that theydidn't have, and then that still
sets them up for successbecause they're not building
resilience, they don't know howto deal with frustration or
disappointment or not gettingwhat they want.
So it's a big problem and, atthe end of the day, the people
that are hurting the most is ourkids.
Speaker 2 (21:51):
This was a time when we were in Austin and I some
just kind of what you're talkingabout resilience and um
students struggling One of thethings that you did that I
thought was very interesting andit was.
I thought it was cool and Idon't think I don't think staff
and teachers do it enough.
When you talked about um, itwas at the open of your
presentation.
We talked about getting yourkids identify how they're
(22:14):
feeling, and I think that'ssomething I would love for you
just to touch on before we kindof go into the last segment,
because I think that issomething that gets missed,
especially in black and browncommunities, where it's like
students don't know how toresolve their feelings because a
lot of times they don't knowhow to identify what those
feelings are in the first place.
(22:35):
So what are some of the thingsyou do, especially because
you're starting at an early age?
You know you're like reallylaying the foundation for those
kids, but what are some of thethe activities and ways um, you
know maybe one or two reallygood ones that a teacher can
utilize on of how to helpstudents identify those feelings
that they may be feeling, sothen they can communicate it to
(22:56):
us, then we can work onsupporting them.
Speaker 1 (22:59):
Yeah.
So first things first,educators and grownups have to
be able to identify their ownfeelings.
And that's a big chunk of thework is you're going to have to
know what you're feeling.
You're going to have to knowwhat your triggers are.
You're going to have to be ableto name it, to tame it.
Built emotional intelligencebecause our families did not, or
(23:23):
whoever your family, yourparents are, they didn't teach
you how to do that.
So now we're struggling and theneed is so strong for our kids.
So we have to identify whatwe're feeling first, because if
we are not in control, then wecan't help no kids be in control
, then we can't help no kids bein control.
(23:46):
And for our kids it's buildingemotional vocabulary.
So what I like to do is, eachweek I focus on one feeling and
we go into the different.
You know self-awareness andsocial awareness and all the
different competencies of SEL,but we really work through each
feeling.
So if it's frustrated you, youknow what does frustrating mean?
What does it mean to you?
Because frustration can comeoff on you differently.
(24:08):
What does that feel like in ourbodies?
What does that feel like in ourminds?
What are we saying to ourselves?
What is our heart doing when wefeel frustrated?
What is are we having like?
Are we getting sweaty?
Are we getting, you know, readyto fight and thinking about
those things?
And having those conversationswith kids.
Kindergarten is the veryfoundation.
I sometimes wish I would havehad older kids, because you can
(24:31):
really get into some deepconversation with them.
And then how does that show up?
How do we tame it?
How do we calm that down?
What are some things that wecan do?
Setting affirmation and thenembedding that throughout the
week.
So, and then you can tie thatin academically, read aloud, you
can read stories with, withcharacters that experience those
(24:53):
feelings, you can write aboutit, you can, you know, bring it
up in historical aspects, andwhen do you have people felt
this way in history?
So it's not like somethingadded, like this is the core,
and I think that's so.
The reasons why we see all thesebig problems in the world is
(25:14):
one people don't have empathy.
But in order to build empathy,you have to be emotionally
intelligent and aware andbecause of trauma and other
things, especially with boys,rage and anger just take over
and then they have no, you know,intelligence.
So we want to make sure thatwe're building that in our kids
because it's important and, atthe end of the day, if they
can't be emotionally in control,then they're not going to learn
(25:39):
anything.
So just little things andlittle conversations and
building upon each thing.
You can look up the circle ofall the different feelings and
pick one and focus each day.
It can take two to five minutesand then in conversation
throughout the day, you're justnaming it when you see a kid
experiencing it.
Oh, we're talking aboutfrustration.
(26:00):
This is a perfect example.
Okay, having community meetingsand discussing how we're
getting through that is, it'shappening in real time.
Speaker 2 (26:09):
So, yeah, yeah, I love it and it, you know, it's
taking those and turning theminto teachable moments for
especially young kids, becausethen, as they get older, now
this is something, a foundation,that a lot of times they didn't
, you know, they didn't get, anda lot of times we didn't get,
especially as a young man.
You know, we were always toldtoughen up, and what are you
crying for Girls?
(26:30):
You know girls cry and it'slike you know.
Then it just, you know, createsa whole long, longer cycle.
Get ready to kind of wrap up.
You talked about freedom inyour classroom.
Um, so I kind of want to knowwhat does that look like?
Because I know firsthand, whenyou start talking about freedom,
(26:50):
when you're talking about fiveand six year olds, that's scary
for someone, because those arekids like if you give you know.
So what does freedom look like?
And and maybe I wasmisinterpreting what you meant
but what does freedom look likeand why is that important in
your classroom and in yourschool?
Speaker 1 (27:12):
Freedom is being able to be who you are, without
judgment, without punishment,without trying to change who you
are.
And I think in education we wantto change because we want to
control so much.
And that doesn't mean we don'thave structure, that doesn't
mean we don't, you know, we'renot, we're allowed to just be
(27:35):
harmful, but it's showing up whoyou are and we are all
accepting of that and being ableto explore and learn in
different ways and reallygetting to know all different
stories and backgrounds andcelebrating those things without
trying to control and restrict.
(27:59):
And I think that in educationespecially throughout, like
historically, it's been set upfor control and compliance and
for me, you know, it's the kidsbeing the boss of themselves and
thinking about humanity andwhat is the best thing that we
can do so that we can keep ourclassroom safe and connected and
(28:22):
learning.
So that is, you can be free inwho you are, but we're not going
to be harmful and we're goingto learn how to do that.
We're going to learn how tostay connected.
We're going to learn how toheal when we are harmful,
because that's going to happenand, at the end of the day, I
want us to all enjoy learningand enjoy that learning process
and be free to have joy and lovein the classroom.
(28:45):
And freedom, you know, scares alot of people because if I'm
free and you're not, you're like, well, I want that, but you're
afraid to just cacaw and releaseand be who you are.
So, being who you are, showingup authentically as yourself and
(29:05):
for the community, making surethat we are building together
and not apart.
Speaker 2 (29:10):
Yeah, and freedom empowers.
It empowers kids to in theirlearning process, and I think
that is where a lot of schoolsmiss the mark.
It's kind of what you said.
It's.
You know, we are so controllingwith students and even as
administrators, we're socontrolling with staff, that
when you empower people, theytake ownership.
And when they take ownershipthe outcomes tend to improve.
(29:34):
So I think that's important forsomeone to hear, like, like,
allow your kids to show up forwho they are, because some of
your kids probably have somesome really phenomenal skills
and we don't realize thatbecause we're so much pen and
paper.
Whereas I remember when I wasteaching seventh grade, I can
specifically remember this onestudent, very good at math, but
(29:56):
if you put the words on thepiece of paper he could struggle
with the test, but if I sat andread it out loud to him gets
all the answers correct, youknow.
So, really, knowing where thosekids are, how they best receive
it, and knowing that some noteveryone's going to be good at
taking a test.
Not everyone's going to be goodat coloring, not everyone's
going to be good at writing.
Some kids you know their skillsare, when you give them blocks
(30:21):
they can build the biggest, youknow, little house, out of all
the blocks you've handed themand they're just very good with
their hands.
And other kids are not andthey're maybe it's their words
that they're very good with andother kids it's numbers that
they're good with.
So really giving kids thefreedom will allow them to show
up, but it makes your classrooma better place because now you
have all these different skillsand and kids that you can
(30:42):
highlight.
Not everyone's not conforming tothis little box that we like
kind of plug our kids into andthen wonder why they don't fit.
So I think that's kind of yousee it so often in schools and
then we're upset like, oh, theycan't do this, they can't do
that.
We're kind of pushing them intocorners and hoping that they're
going to be someone other thanwho they are at times.
So definitely appreciate youjumping on.
(31:05):
We're going to end because Itold you about this.
We're going to end with somethis or that questions.
First, this or that question.
Early mornings or late nights,late nights, all right, this is
the next one.
I'm not going to tell on youLesson planning or freestyle
teaching the lesson plan is inhere.
Speaker 1 (31:31):
Okay, I don't need to write about people um,
pineapple on pizza, yes or no?
Speaker 2 (31:40):
no, no, all right.
This one better, and this onemay even be a little offensive.
Better dancer beyonce or missyelliott I didn't hear you.
I'm sorry better dancer beyonceor missy elliott?
Beyonce duh still didn't hearit, or no?
Speaker 1 (32:00):
no, I said beyonce oh it buffered.
Speaker 2 (32:03):
I okay, it buffered cb.
Speaker 1 (32:07):
Missy elliott was man she used to move she but honey
the beehive about to come foryou ah, don't, don't do that.
Speaker 2 (32:15):
I made a facebook post one time about her.
I said I will never do thatagain.
Yeah, they were came in fullforce in my comments.
Speaker 1 (32:28):
Last one classroom party or field trip, Ooh party,
classroom party.
Speaker 2 (32:35):
Field trips be too much.
See, I'm more of a get out onthe field trip type person.
Have you been out in the fieldtrip with the kindergarten?
I have so, listen, when I first, when I started organizing
trips for our school some coupleof years back, and they would
always send me and be like theseare the kids we have a
challenge with, these are theones you got to hang out with
(32:57):
and we used to have a blast,like the thing that I would
always tell.
You know, when teachers areworried about kids that have
challenges in school, a lot oftimes when you get kids out of
their comfort zone into a newenvironment, they're a lot less
likely because they're kind ofoverstimulated with it.
This is new and they are lesslikely to act out.
But I also know that thoseexperiences are what help kids
(33:20):
learn about the world, whetherit's a play or the park or a
museum.
Like, a lot of our kids fromthe black and brown communities
don't get experiences and that'swhy they fall further and
further behind their suburbanyou know white counterparts
because the lack of experiences.
So yeah, I've always was afield trip guy classroom, but
(33:41):
I'm not good at planning parties, so that was probably part of
my problem, like the party stunkbecause I wasn't good at it as
a teacher.
It was just like all right,we're ordering pizza, what movie
do you want?
Speaker 1 (33:50):
And like that was the end of it, so we turn up.
But I've been on a zoo tripthat was great and then a museum
trip that was not good likestressful losing children.
Not good, stressful losingchildren no.
But I've had a lot of my kids.
They take more vacations than Ido, so I don't know.
Speaker 2 (34:12):
That's how you're living.
Speaker 1 (34:13):
They live in the best life.
Speaker 2 (34:17):
Coming back off spring break with tan and
cornrows, Mexico, everyone comesback with some braids all of a
sudden.
So all right, Well, what I wantyou to do, let everyone that's
listening know where they canfind you on social media.
Let them know about the showthat you have, because I think
people should need to be tappedinto that as well.
So this is your time Plugwhatever you need to plug
(34:40):
whoever you need to plug.
Let them have it.
Speaker 1 (34:42):
Cool, so you can find me on all platforms.
At the Dancer Teacher alsothedancerteachercom, I have
resources especially forfeelings and things that you can
embed into your classroom, andyou can also see me and my
co-hosts on Rules to Engagement.
So it's a TV show for educatorsby educators, and we have, you
(35:03):
know, special guests and getinto some deep conversation
about things that are reallyhappening in education.
That often you know educatorsget left out of the conversation
.
So you could tap into us onknowledge YouTube page under the
roles to engagement, and wehave four episodes out so you
can watch those roles toengagement, and we have four
(35:25):
episodes out so you can watchthose yep.
Speaker 2 (35:26):
Go check them out.
And again, I appreciate you forjoining me.
Of course, I appreciate thetime that we're you know, all of
us were able to connect andjust seeing the work that you do
, um, I just, I just love beingaround people that are still
passionate about this work thatwe're doing.
So thank you, um, for joiningme.
Thank you for all the workyou're doing for your kids, for
your dance kids, for all thekids in the entire community
(35:47):
that you serve.
So thank you for all that.
I want to thank everyone thatis listening, please.
If you have not, you can like,you can subscribe whatever
people do on YouTube.
I'm new, so go like it, gosubscribe it, comment and then,
when you're done, go to all herplatforms and do the same Tap,
(36:10):
comment, and then, when you'redone, go to all her platforms
and do the same, tap in.
But until next time, make sureyou all stay inspired and just
keep keep pouring back into yourstudents, keep pouring into
your school, but, mostimportantly, keep pouring into
yourself.
Have a good rest of the weekend.
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