Finding the Thing that Lights You Up with Warry Bonney   

Please note, this transcript is generated by AI and may include some errors. 

Spencer Payne: Okay, here we are with some more front of the class real stories from real educators today special guest we have Warry Bonney and Warry can you give us a little background of your educational experience what you've done so far where you've taught and what you're doing right now.

Warry Bonney: Oh, thank you. Thank you so much, Spencer. I'm so glad to be here on your podcast. I love everything you friends are doing. So I went to the University of Cumberland in Kentucky and studied there with an undergrad in elementary education. I was also on the women's wrestling team there. And then after I got my master's degree immediately as a reading specialist and started working in Virginia where I'm from.

I taught for almost 10 years in Fairfax County Public Schools in Northern Virginia. I taught first and second grade there for a long time and finished the last three years of my time there as a reading specialist at Falls Church High School and the head wrestling coach there. And then we recently, I say recently, but in the last four years, we've been here in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia for four years with the State Department. And I worked at the American International School of Riyadh for a year. And I've been doing some different educational consulting, both with the embassy and both with connected consulting.

And then for the last two years, I have done my dream job, which is teaching for Moreland University in the TeachNow Graduate School of Education. So I've been an adjunct faculty instructor there and have had a really great time.

Spencer Payne: Well, thank you for the rich array of things we could dig into on that incredible introduction But maybe the first thing I'd be most curious to explore is 10 years teaching public school in Virginia Then one year teaching at the American school in Saudi Arabia and Saudi Arabia.

Can you just help folks understand who maybe have never been there have no understanding of what it's like to live work teach etc in Saudi or Saudi Arabia like what are some of the biggest maybe comparisons to teaching in America and teaching there that you saw? What is actually similarities? What are the biggest differences? How do they approach education versus how we approach it? Feel free to jump in however you'd like to, but just that it's most simple. What are the similarities and the differences between teaching in Virginia and Saudi Arabia?

Warry Bonney: Well, I think that where you might be getting at is that a lot of people, lot of listeners might not even know what it's kind of like in Saudi. I know when we got ready to move here, I think that some of my family, their vision was, wow, you're going to be in a world that you don't really understand or know.

One of the really great things about living in Northern Virginia is that you are exposed to a variety of different people, different cultures. And so for the longest time in Fairfax County, my family had this amazing opportunity to get really close to a Muslim family, Pakistani Americans. And so we were very immersed in the Muslim culture. And so when we came to Saudi, it wasn't a big shock.

Saudi Arabia is a predominantly, well, it's a Muslim culture. We have Mecca here. And we have just been in this amazing setting that embraces education, that embraces women, that is really growing and open. The school that my kids have had the privilege to go to and I had the privilege to teach at is implementing the latest and greatest in education and global citizenship and in bringing and facilitating this really great culture together. The driving's crazy here. I think that that's the only thing that I would say is like really different. I've had to learn to be a little bit more aggressive when driving.

But otherwise you have all the luxuries that you would have in Northern Virginia. You have them here. You have a really great society that embraces and loves kids and wants to support them in their growth. And so it has been a really great experience as far as that goes. And also in the same understanding that internationally there are going to be huge differences in the resources available as far as like special ed and different programs that maybe have been implemented in America and they're still working on bringing those kinds of programs to different places. And this is something I see and hear about from the teachers I teach internationally and things that I've seen here. So they're still growing their multi-tier system of support, if that makes sense.

Spencer Payne: Yep. what do you see as similarities, differences maybe in two things. One is maybe the, I don't know, the cultural, I don't know, respect.

Maybe how teachers are thought of there versus in America. What do you see? And then, well, I'd love to explore that. And then I'd love to explore, I'm sure you've had the question with your kids of, well, hey, what do you like about school here more than you did back home or less more than you did back home? So I'd love to explore those two things a little bit. So can you share a little bit more about kind of how teachers are thought of there versus kind of back home?

And let's peer through the lens of your children now taking classes there for four years. What are they like? What are they not like? What are the biggest differences that they are going to miss or that they miss back home? So feel free to jump into either one of those, whichever one seems more fun.

Warry Bonney: Absolutely. So I think the first part of your question, you know, respect and to see how is that balanced with, you know, it varies. And I think people's experience varies. I had a really great experience teaching as far as my students respected me. I had a really great foundation. I'm sure you've talked to some teachers in Fairfax County and you know that they do extensive training with their teachers. So I feel like I came with a really good set of tools, you know, to implement no matter what setting I was in. And so I always felt respect for my students, my athletes. I coached at the American school. I coached their very first ever wrestling team. I was really nervous that there wasn't going to be a respect thing there because I'm a woman and they were boys and, you know, I was like, are they really going to accept me? And they do the athletes, the students, the respect is there.

Saudis approach education and in the same way that we do is that it's an opportunity for growth, learning and to reach into and make a global impact. So we definitely see that. I think my kids have been given a lot of opportunities here that we might not see them in public school education. We have been given, for example, a lot of the international schools, they'll implement Week Without Walls. So this is a program where you may go to it, depending on what grade level you are, for that week, you physically go to another country or you go into a service project or you go, and because international schools are

Spencer Payne: Can you share more about that? What's an example?

Warry Bonney: Private schools. are not the same as a public school as far as the funding and whatnot. So they have been given some opportunities to do some very extensive projects or to go to different cultures and explore and support. I think that they're going to kind of miss that. However, again, they are growing their programs here.

And it is we're in a teacher epidemic, you know, like we don't have enough teachers to fill positions in America. We don't have enough teachers to fill positions all over the world. And so thank goodness for Moreland's, know, graduate school of education for helping to bring teachers all over the world and support them virtually and getting them their certification. But there are things that my kids are not getting that they need. And that kind of goes back to that multi-tier system of support.

My son has dyslexia. you know, if in a perfect world, I would have him, you know, working with, you know, a reading specialist. He would be getting direct support, maybe some you know, Orson Gillingham, he would be getting, you know, some really sound support in that way with research-based programs. But, you know, it's, again, hard to have a multi-tier system of support in a private school when it's not required. It's not required to support students with those types of needs. So, but that being said, people are, they realize that, okay, whether we like it or not, all of our students have very needs and we need to put the system into place, but it takes time.

Spencer Payne: Yep. Got it. And one more quick question on, kind of this teaching in a foreign country. And I'd love to get back to more, more you and your story. but if, if someone's out there listening to this, they're like, I never even thought about teaching abroad and there's a need like, just like there is in America for more teachers abroad. what might you say to the pro the biggest pros and cons of someone who might just have heard this, never thought about this. I want to learn more about teaching abroad, maybe in Saudi Arabia, maybe in another country.

How might you describe to them why it's a good idea or for whom it might be a good idea and why it's maybe tougher than you think or not a good idea or who it might not be great for? So can you share a little bit more about that? If someone's considering learning more about this, how might you describe the great things about teaching abroad and maybe some of the things that are so great? So can you share a little bit on that for someone who's curious to learn more?

Warry Bonney: Well, for sure. I think that if you want to go see the world, wow, that's just the perfect way to do it. I know a lot of my expat friends here who are teachers who are on, you know, I'm in a different situation. I'm a diplomat and we were stationed here and then I just happened to be a teacher and I could go to local school and offer my services or whatnot but people who want to get into a program and to go and, you know, sign contracts and go live in these places. I think it's a great opportunity. places like Riyadh and, Jeddah and Dharan, they have all sorts of amazing schools. know Riyadh is building 40 new schools in their vision 30 program. and. They are, and, and they are really boosting education and whatnot.

I think that an understanding that it can be difficult at times. Again, the resources may be very different than what you might see in the United States in various places.

Spencer Payne: And if you don't mind, what's an example of a resource maybe that is a standard maybe for you in Fairfax County that maybe you showed up here like, we don't have that. interesting. Any examples coming to mind?

Warry Bonney: Absolutely, I think again it goes back to that multi-tiered system of support. And so in your classroom, you may have this expectation or this understanding that you're going to have school counselor support, you're going to have SPED support, you're going to have gifted and talented programs, you're going to have the support that's helping differentiate on those different ends of the spectrum, and they're just not going to exist.

I know Fairfax County Public Schools has this really great system of giving you the support you need and the students need and being able to evaluate and identify where right now in some places, know, everyone is in that classroom and you're responsible for everyone. And it's it can be very difficult to meet everyone's needs when you have you know, maybe nonverbal students in your, your second grade class where you're like, wow, this friend needs some ABA support. This friend needs some speech support. this friend needs, you know, some different components that just are not there. And I think that that can leave, educators, definitely left me with this sense of you, you, you're never going to be enough. And that can be, that can be hard. And I wasn't prepared for that to be honest. So.

And I'm a pretty prepared person. I think that I just think mentally that I was just not ready to take on all of that emotion that comes with not being enough and not having those supports that you know will help these friends be successful. So just kind of know where you're going, know the culture. Yeah.

Spencer Payne: Yes, that's a big deal, right? If you're considering going to teach in a foreign country, you should know a little bit about how that country operates and their norms and customs and things like that. I'd love to shift back over to a little bit more about you. I mean, you mentioned going to college, you were already, it seemed like dead set on becoming a teacher with what you chose to study.

So what drew you to this profession in the first place? Like is this something like I've heard some people say like, I was teaching my stuffed animals on the blackboard when I was six. Like, is this something that you were always drawn to or what drew you into wanting to study education and become a teacher in the first place?

Warry Bonney: Yes, yes. I think, exactly. I always wanted to be a teacher. I grew up in southern Virginia, Smithfield, that's where they make the hams. I'm the oldest girl of nine kids. So there's seven boys and two girls in our family. And, you know, was when you have that many kids, it's a lot to lot to feed a lot to support and my parents, worked very hard. They worked night shift and triples and doubles. And so a lot of times I had this responsibility and, know, times were tough. We grew up very poor.

And so school was my safe place. It was a place where I could be myself. I wasn't responsible for kids. can go and you know, be with these teachers that cared about me and, you know, we would get free and reduced lunch, I would get to have a meal. so school had always been my place that I felt safe and happy. So I knew I wanted to be that person that could offer that for others. yeah, that was it.

Spencer Payne: Awesome. And then, you know, you did it for 10 straight years, right? Once you started before kind of moving for your husband's role. What kept you in it for so long? 10 years, it's easy to get into something for reasons like you described. Sometimes you face the reality like, maybe this is what I thought. So what kept you in it for 10 years? Like what kept you going and kept you fresh and wanting to come back every day?

Warry Bonney: Well, I mean, I think every teacher would say, you know, the students, think, you know, that's a huge part. You, elementary school, you see the difference that you're making immediately. The routine and the support and the growth, you know, as a first and second grade teacher, you're teaching them how to read. And that is something I struggled with as a student. I was in reading recovery. I was, I have ADHD and dyslexia and this was not diagnosed until I was older. And so there was a lot of need that I had and it was just kind of teachers just kind of supported me and whatnot. And so I think it's always, if I can do that and when I am doing that with students, it keeps me going. It's not always easy.

I know you've interviewed lots of teachers and you've heard it, I never sugar coat it for the teachers I teach. It's not easy, it's not gonna always be easy. And when it did get hard for me, I was like, wow, I have my own small children at home. I only have so much patience and love. And if I spend it all day on my students, how can I come home? I have none left. And so I shifted to high school then because.

Spencer Payne: Yeah, how'd you approach that? That's a tough balance to try to, like, I only have so much in the tank. Like, how do I spend it in a way that helps my students and helps my family?

Warry Bonney: Well, you know, I'd always promised myself if I ever became that teacher that's bitter and upset and just doesn't have that love anymore, I need to get out. I'm not going to stay in. And that's when I shifted to high school because yeah, you have to know yourself. And thank goodness as I've gotten older and have had the privilege to you know, you're not in a fight or flight anymore. You, I shifted into, you know, and, I became more self-aware of how I'm feeling. and I just knew I don't want to be that teacher that, that is ever in that mindset that, my passion is, is dying out or whatnot. And that was because I just, again, you have, you have many different hats and different roles that you're taking on and I needed to focus on my kids.

So I shifted up to high school and that's a whole different piece, but it's not.

Spencer Payne: Yeah. was saying, can you, can you share a little bit more about that, that shift and what drove that and why did you choose high school as the way that you thought would then deliver more energy for your family? How many years in were you teaching? Can you give us a little bit of that fun fact sheet of, know, you made this transition from elementary school to high school and now we're seven year olds to maybe 16 year. That's a big difference. Like, can you help shed a little bit more light on how you arrived at that decision and how it worked out for you?

Warry Bonney: For sure. So, so I think that my first experience of working with high school came from, I was coaching wrestling. So I was coaching this youth team and I was working with middle school, upper middle school students. And it's, I was like, wow, this isn't so bad. And, and, know, you really get to see the growth really quickly through coaching. I know you talk about football sometimes in your podcast. you're, you're sports oriented. You know how closely, seeing that growth in your athletes and seeing that happens. So then I started to as an assistant coach at Falls Church High School and I loved it. I loved every second of it. I loved the students. You could be real with them. You could have sarcasm. You could have, you could build these relationships with them and support them and at the same time really see them and say, wow, this is somebody's kid still. This is a kid.

And you're helping shape their, their growth their reality and so I just I and again at the same time I had just had my son So I had two kids at home and I needed to make sure that I was giving my love and patience You know to everyone and with high school you can you know, you don't need to be on all the time, right? I feel like teaching. Yeah, it's like a show you're you're acting all day and energetic and everything, but high school, you don't have to be, hey friends, let's come to the carpet. you know, so you could just be a little less like that. Yes. Yes.

Spencer Payne: Yeah. You can save that energy at home. Yeah. Yeah. It just reminds me of like, yeah, I've got a little two and a half year old here and like something when my mom will come to visit, like, you know, and he does something and she laughs and that makes him want to do it again. Right. And it might still be funny three or four more times. Right. And then she's still now acting like it's funny on the 12th time. He still loves it. She's acting and it does it. takes energy to kind of do that.

Warry Bonney: Hahaha

Spencer Payne: And when you're in the classroom with that type of energy and at home with that type of energy, can drain that nonstop, happy, smiley version of yourself. Whereas this is a really interesting point you're making is once my kids needed that version of me, like I could use a different type of energy for high school kids, because they don't need that kind of, let's go to the carpet and sing it. They don't need that. They need a different kind of energy. So then almost you've got an equilibrium for yourself of where you're using certain things instead of using up all of energy A and none of energy B. Now you can use a little bit of both. It's actually a really interesting way of thinking about it that I hadn't thought of before.

Warry Bonney: Exactly. it's, and again, I'm not sugarcoating it. There are other things, you know, as a head coach, I was dealing with, you know, kids bullying online and, you know, you have kids running away from home. have, you know, you have a whole, you know, you're dealing now with kids having sex and all of this stuff. And so you're like, it's a whole different beast, but it's not being on all the time. You can be real with them. so I really, really felt that impact. I taught remedial reading, and then I supported the high school in, so you have your seniors and your juniors that haven't passed that state test yet. So they failed the Virginia SOL.

And now they're about they're going into their senior year and that's an indicator to graduate. So I had I was supporting this list of 100 students that needed to pass these exams and then also teaching freshmen remedial reading. You know, you have these kids who have failed their eighth grade as well. And now they're coming in and they have to be in a reading class, which can be really hard for those kids.

And so you do have to be on a little bit, but it's one class a day or two classes a day. It's not, you know, and then you get to go do remedial work with students in small group. But I did still have to do a little bit of acting, you know, like with my kids, but they would be like, yeah, I had to hype those books. I can't read all of the graphic novels forever.

You know, you'd all decided to be like, yeah, it was so cool. Did you read the third Amulet series book? And, and you know, you really had to still fake it till you make it a little bit, but, but it worked and it was, it was such a great experience.

Spencer Payne: Hahaha.

Awesome. Well, I'd love to shift a little bit and kind of highlight some just key moments throughout this, you know, 10 plus year career that you've had. And I'd love to start with, with just, you know, proudest, coolest, most enjoyable, something that any moments in your teaching career that make you look back now, or you think you'll probably look back on when we were 60, 70, 80, like that was a really cool, proud moment. I can't believe that student did this or that class accomplished this.

Does anything stand out to you that's just something that still kind of makes you smile because it's such a proud or enjoyable or cool moment in your teaching?

Warry Bonney: Absolutely. I mean, I think that there's so many, but I really have, again, with that remedial reading class in high school, I have a couple moments there that I just, didn't expect. you don't, sometimes you don't really expect a lot from freshmen boys, you know, who are stuck in this reading class.

And one day this kid, Mardukio, he, comes in and he brings me this, like, I don't know how to say it in Spanish, maybe like pancake or like a, like a pound cake. And, and he gives it to me. And I was like, I knew Mardukio's dad was a baker. He had mentioned that because I had told him, when I go to Saudi, I'm not going to teach. I'm going to, I'm going to be a baker. I'm going to bake for the embassy and, and make cookies and stuff.

And he had, he had heard that and So he brings in this pound cake and I'm like, wow, like you got your dad to make this and everything. He's like, no, he said, so I got up at 3 a.m. this morning with my dad and went into the bakery and I baked this for you. I mean, I don't wanna cry right now, but it was, I'll never ever forget that. I'm teaching kids who feel like they have failed already so much and to like...

Spencer Payne: Wow. Yeah.

Warry Bonney: I mean, sorry, but to like really have built this relationship with this kid so much that he would do that. He would get up at 3 a.m. and have to ask his dad, can I make one of these for my teacher and to bring it in. And then also it was amazing. It tasted great. I'm a sucker for sweets.

Spencer Payne: It was also a great kick, yes.

Warry Bonney: Yes, yes. I'll just, never forget that. that was so COVID happened. That was my class. We sat there on in that day in March thinking, yeah, we might not come to school next week. Like, yes, we're gonna get some time off and then COVID. so it was, I'm so glad I had built those relationships with those kids through those years that I could shift to virtual and still support and make a difference with them. So I'll never forget that with Mardukio and of course there are other friends. I've had kids who have lost their family, their fathers or their mothers in school and just them coming back and saying, you've helped me. You helped me through that really hard time. So really moments like that are just, they stand out as proud, proud moment to me.

Spencer Payne: Yeah, super impactful. mean, anything that can kind of bring about tears of joy in the moment and then also five years later, that's a pretty impactful, powerful moment right there. So thank you for sharing that. And maybe on a, I mean, not that that's not happy, that is a very happy moment, tears of joy, but also on maybe fun, crazy, wild stories.

Anything that strikes you as just, still can't believe that actually happened or that student said that. Any wild, crazy, unbelievable, I still can't believe that happened stories over your 10 years in the classroom that maybe you're able to share.

Warry Bonney: Yes, yes, none of those are classified. So I feel like I've had like the worst luck when it comes to like winter celebration time. So before I went to Fairfax County schools, had moved back from college. was still in Southern Virginia. So I taught two years at Carsville Elementary School in Isle of Wight County where Smithfield is.

So there in the winter celebration, this kiddo Blake Colson was, I guess he took his mom's sewing scissors to school and he's spinning them around. He puts his finger down and he cuts off the tip of his finger inside of this where we're having, there's a movie playing, there's kids are doing crafts and he is squirting blood out of his finger. like, and I am, you know, this is where you learn whether you're like fight or flight and like what you do. So I immediately pull his shirt off and bundle it on his finger. And we go running down the hallway to the nurse and I scream into another person's classroom, watch my class. And I like run.

Spencer Payne: Scree... ugh. Yeah.

Warry Bonney: And thank God, like everything was fine, like fingers bleed like a lot, you know? So it was so crazy. But in another winter celebration, you know, you have different friends and different needs. And I had this particular kiddo and she gets overstimulated a lot and she would, you know, have these really big outbursts. And so.

Again, we have like a craft going on. have different parents in the room and something's not going the students way. And so she's, you know, getting really upset and everything. And so I, I call, call for backup, right? So I, I tell teacher and get asked for help when you need help. So I call for backup. Backup came, principal came into the room right at the moment that another friend reaches into his backpack and pulls out of bottle of wine and says, look what I got you for Christmas. And as this friend screaming, as this event's going on, there's music playing, I was like, this is the day I get fired.

But my principal just rolled with it. Like Matthew put that away under Miss Bonnie's desk and help that friend get calm and I was like, I don't want to celebrate winter anymore. but those were some crazy moments, but it's always a fun time with kiddos.

Spencer Payne: Wow. I mean, there's never ending something could go up really amazingly and something could go really wrong almost at any given potential moment. I don't know, I guess it's a good maybe reminder for folks of like, hope no one listening ever has to listen and watch to a child who brings scissors in and accidentally cuts off the tip of their finger. I hope you never have to deal with that or anything like it.

But if you do, it sounds like you can emulate what you just heard here, right? Like we got to wrap it. We can use the shirt, get to the nurse, find someone else to watch the class. that, that like very calmly, if you're ever in that situation, if you ask yourself, what might I do? You can just go re-listen to this because that's a pretty good example to follow. So thank you for sharing that. Over this, over this 10 plus year career in education that you've had and coaching and all the things that you've done, elementary school, high school, cetera.

Are there any things you've consistently done in your teaching career that just seemed to really work well for you? And maybe you're surprised other people don't do that thing or those things more frequently because they just seem to work. Anything stand out to you?

Warry Bonney: I think that relationship building is really, really important. And it surprises me sometimes when people don't take that opportunity, that time to really get to know your students. when they know you care about them, you genuinely care about them. You do the follow-up with them. They said, yeah, I'm doing this sport and you follow up the next day or the next week or you don't show a general interest in them, how do you expect them to buy into what you would like to teach them and have them come to you when they need your help or support?

As I said, as I'm teaching these teachers at Moreland and I'm supporting them going out into the world, globally, all over the world, I say you really have to consider that you could be the safe person for these students. You could be the best thing that's going on in their life. And so, you know, be sure to be present and be genuine and be there for them. And so it really surprises me when, you know, people are not taking that time to build relationships with their students. It's worked for me. I...

Spencer Payne: Yeah, there's that old adage.

Warry Bonney: Exactly.

Spencer Payne: Yeah, so there's that old adage that goes a long way of people don't care how much you know until they know how much you care. And that goes a long way, especially with kids. I feel like kids are great at snuffing out fake. And so until you show that you care, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Awesome, that's great advice. A couple more quick hitter, rapid fire type questions as we get closer to wrapping up.

Warry Bonney: High schoolers, yes. Yes, 100%.

Spencer Payne: Especially these helpful to younger teachers new teachers people who are maybe about to the classroom But you know you mentioned you know you're preparing teachers all over the world What's what's just the number one piece of advice that you give to someone who is maybe in their first year in the classroom? Or maybe they're about to be a new teacher and they're about to experience their first year in the classroom What's just the number one thing that comes up time and time again that you that you consistently tell people?

Warry Bonney: I tell teachers, I teach module four and so we're doing a lot of classroom management, a lot of building relationships and I tell them know yourself, get to know yourself too, know when you need to ask for help. I think that that's a huge thing that I would have told myself earlier, find that mentor.

Find the positive people in school, people with passion. If there's a lot of negativity around you, it's gonna seep into who you are and your passion for education. then ask for help. Have boundaries too. Work is work and home is home. Don't take things too personally. Kids behavior, when they are having these different types of behavior, don't take it too personally for yourself. Just know that there's a reason, get curious. Why? Why are these behaviors happening and what can I do to support?

I think that that is something I wish even go beyond me as a teacher, but back into my own childhood. And I wish that some of my own educators, my own teachers would understand and understood the behaviors I was having. I was always the really talkative friend in class or why didn't I bring my homework in? Well, because I'm raising kids. I'm raising kids at home. I'm an adult at home or we don't have electricity or food right now or there's domestic violence going on or there's this or that. And you have to understand that I'm not not wanting to show up.

Yes, I would love to have typed this paper up, but I can't. And no one got curious. You know, I went through school, middle school, high school in these situations in this fight or flight, and no one knew. And so it was really difficult to kind of see that as an educator now and as somebody educating teachers, I tell them this, I'm very candid with them. I say, I was a kid that they missed. Let's look for those signs. And so that's so important. And then one last thing, I know I talk a lot, but it's not just those kids who have those situations at home. You know, I'm in Saudi Arabia right now. I think a lot of people think, they're really rich kids. Yeah, there's, there are some kids who have more than you could ever imagine here, but you can't buy love.

You can't buy some of these things. Your kids who have privilege and are exposed have money. They are just as vulnerable for those types of things to happen. You have more access to drugs and alcohol. You have more access to things that maybe you wouldn't have. Their parents can be just as absent in that home as they could be in a home where they're working triple shifts. And so I try to put that out there for everyone to understand that these behaviors, whether they are from privilege or not, there's a reason get curious.

Spencer Payne: Yeah, it's almost like you're becoming the teacher you wish you had. that could be some of that advice to share with these prospective teachers of like, you remember the best teacher you ever had? Maybe you can't copy their style because it's not your personality. Again, you got to know yourself. But in some regard, be the teacher that you most emulated or that you wish you had if you didn't have that person? Like that's just if you do that you're probably gonna do you're probably gonna get a lot of things right. Awesome thank you for sharing that. To you what is the number one just single best thing about this profession education? Like what's just the absolute best thing about it? Like what do you rave about about being in the classroom and being an educator?

Warry Bonney: 100%. well, I mean, this one might be kind of weird, like, I mean, just like the kids, like, I don't know, like elementary. mean, there's not a day that doesn't go by that a kid doesn't give you a hug and, doesn't just like show you physically, like, like a bill just hug you and, and just care about you because you care about them.

And I think that. I don't know. I'm, just that kind of person who just really loves that proof like they just they love you and I mean you could be you could look like a gargoyle and have one arm and they'd be like Miss Bonnie I love your nub like they're like they like they they just love you when you love them and and I think that that's the the the greatest like honestly that is that's the greatest thing is is them just just caring about you because you care about them soiIt's a good feeling.

Spencer Payne: Yep. Awesome. And on the other, on the other side, what to you is just again, to be real and to be honest, right? what's the single worst thing about this profession or what's the one thing that if you had a magic wand and you could just point that one at this one thing and change it overnight, where would you point that one?

Warry Bonney: I mean, I think that, think like, feeling like you're never enough. I think that that is the toughest thing. For me, it was, I want to show up for these kids every single day, and I want to implement the best practices, the everything. I want to be perfect for them. you just sometimes, you can't give them everything that they need. you know, or that they want, you know, your resources might be limited or so that can that can I take it personally, right, someone who is, you know, neurodivergent and on the spectrum. I do take those kinds of things really personally. I want to be there and to support and everything. So that can be really one of the hardest things to kind of face.

And then also, you know, someone who has grown up the way that I did, I had a lot of
you know trauma that I needed to kind of process too. And so it was also learning how to be trauma responsive for myself and to see when I needed to ask for help, you know, and an example of that is like, it was really hard for me to teach like good touch, bad touch to first and second graders. And I didn't really know that it was going to be a hard thing for me until I was teaching the lesson and I had a panic attack.

And so then I had to, you know, ask my colleagues, my, you know, you have a group of other second grade teachers, other first grade teachers. had to say, I need you to teach this to my class and I'm going to either sit in the back or I'm going to step outside. And like, I care about, I want to be there safe person, but I'm just haven't processed my own trauma yet. And so like knowing how to ask for health and to do those things. that's another thing that we teach at Moreland, that these teachers that we want to be trauma responsive, but you also have to understand you might have your own stuff. And this is where you process, you take your time, you ask for help.

Spencer Payne: Yeah. and, and then conversely, someone else might need help in an area that you don't have any of that trauma and you can, you can switch off and, you're never going to know unless you're willing to ask for help and also willing to offer that help. And everybody needs it. We all need it. Like even the strongest people need it sometimes. two more, really quick ones here before we wrap up, knowing what you know now, would you still go down this teaching path and recommend it for others?

Warry Bonney: 100%. Exactly. every day. Yes, it is. It's everything I wanted to be. And it has changed my life and my kids lives. And so, yeah, I would choose it every day. I would.

Spencer Payne: Yeah, it comes through completely and how like, and how you're, I mean, we can dig and tell, like we can, we can tell this is a, you have found the thing that lights you up. Right. And so I'm, I'm glad you have, I hope more people can find that. And hopefully if that happens to be the teaching field, amazing. anything else as a last words of wisdom, anything else you think is valuable, fun, interesting, worthwhile to share, or anything that maybe you've already said.

Right? But it's just, it's that important. Like, I don't want you to lose this. I want to restate this because I just think it's that important. So any new or repeated last words of wisdom.

Warry Bonney: Yeah, yeah, I think again, get get curious. You know, when when things are tough in school, when you have that one kid that you're like, God, I hope they're absent. And you're going to have those friends, right? When you have those tough friends and those tough years and those tough classes, get curious. Why? Why is this kid having this behavior and start to pull those resources that you have?

and ask questions and really show up in that way for that friend. And you will be so surprised how much that means to that kid. So please just, and I say don't take it personally, I that very lightly because I take everything personally, but that behavior has nothing to do with you. And so I just really wanna drive home that when it's tough, just ask for support and get curious for those behaviors.

Spencer Payne: That's a great last words of wisdom. Just getting curious. for those who are Ted Lasso fans, there's the quote of him playing on the dartboard of, know, don't be judgmental, be curious. And curiosity really does go a long way, especially when it's a genuine curiosity. So thank you for the phenomenal last words of wisdom and for applying that yourself consistently in your career.

And, Warry, this was an awesome conversation. Thanks so much for sharing your story from obviously wanted to be a teacher when you were young, school was the safe space, 10 years in the public school system in Virginia, teaching in Saudi Arabia, wild experience, wild ride. Thank you so much for sharing your story.

Warry Bonney: Thank you so much for having me, Spencer. I really appreciate it and I appreciate the work that you are doing. So thank you so much.

Spencer Payne: You got it. Just trying to showcase awesome teachers out there to showcase ambassadors to the profession and give people a real honest view of what's great, what's bad, what could be better, and showcase those teachers that maybe we all wish we had. So thank you so much for being one of those.

Warry Bonney: Thank you.