Setting High Expectations with Rachel J. 

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

Spencer Payne: Okay, we're rolling another episode of Front of the Class Real Stories from Real Educators. Our real educator today, as you can see from those pencil earrings, is Rachel J. And Rachel, can you share a little bit about your story? How do you introduce yourself to other educators? Maybe what do you teach? Where? How long you've been doing it? Fun facts along the way. However you like to introduce yourself to others in the profession.

Rachel J: Sure, well first of all, thank you so much for having me. I'm so excited to be here. My name is Rachel J and I teach in an urban district in Iowa and I have been doing that for about eight years now. I've been teaching first grade for all eight of those years and I absolutely love first grade because it's kind of that age where they're developing that confidence, their independence and a love for learning. Yeah, that's where I'm at right now.

Spencer Payne: Perfect. And eight years, eight years ago you started this. What brought, what got you into this path? Like how, when did you decide you wanted to be a teacher? How did you get into this profession? What drew you to it?

Rachel J: It's a little cliche, but I feel like I've always known that I wanted to be a teacher. I don't know the exact moment when I was little that I was like, oh, I want to be a teacher. But I do remember growing up always wanting to play school with my babysitter and being like, oh, give me homework, things like that. And then when she wasn't there, I would be put in that teacher role and I'd be the one giving my brother homework assignments and things like that. And it's funny because it's such a different world actually being a teacher now, but just growing up to the daycare I went to, I was able to kind of become a daycare assistant as I got older. And I just loved working with the kids and doing little activities with them, little crafts, things like that. And I feel like that's kind of when my love for working with kids came about.

But I also think it goes back to my first grade teacher that I had. And I feel like a lot of people say that, but I absolutely loved my first grade teacher. Her name was Mrs. Hunter. Diane Hunter, and it's a really cool story because I still keep in touch with her today, mostly via Facebook because we live in different cities. yeah, she's retired now. She's living her best life. But I keep in touch with her as well as my elementary principal from back in the day. So Mrs. Wah, my mom actually just ran into her at the grocery store the other day and she was like, Rachel talks about you all the time, you how much you had an impact on her career. And I feel like a lot of people say that, but that's true for me.

Spencer Payne: And on the note of your favorite first grade teacher who you still keep in touch with, there must have been some things that really resonated for you. Is there anything that she did that you try to do in your first grade classroom? Because you saw how well it worked. So is there anything that you're kind of paying it forward or stealing, but in a nice way, we'll say it in a nice way, from someone who you saw do it really well that you attempt to go do in your first grade classroom as well?

Rachel J: Yeah, of course. Right, and I feel like at that age, you know, being six or seven years old, it can be hard to think of what your life was like then. And sometimes it's, you you have memories through photos and things like that, but I definitely just remember she had such a warmth to her and such a welcoming, comforting presence. And every time I would go to school, I just, loved going to school. And it wasn't that way for me in kindergarten. I was not a fan of kindergarten, but.

I just remember my family was going through a really hard time when I was in first grade. My parents were going through a divorce and that's a lot for little kids to take on. My twin brother was in my class and so, you know, just having him there with me and having such a supportive teacher of, I honestly don't even know how she did it, you know, knowing a child is going through that, being an adult now, like just being there and doing her best to support me each day. And I only hope that I can have that same impact on my students.

Spencer Payne: And it seems like, mean, just the way you're speaking, seems like, you know, trying to bring a warmth to your first grade classroom, a welcoming atmosphere, how, like to your first graders, how do you do that? What are some things that you do in your classroom to try to bring that warmth that you remember from Mrs. Hunter?

Rachel J: Sure. Yeah. Yeah. Well, definitely, you know, the school district I work in, definitely have a diverse popularity. And I have students who have gone through so many hardships and so many traumatic things that I have never and probably will never experience in my life.

Spencer Payne: And real quick, can you paint a little picture of like when you're looking out in your classroom, you mentioned, know, it's very diverse, wide array of students before you get into your story real quick. Can you just paint a picture for all of us of when you look out in your classroom, what do you see? How many students, where are they coming from? Maybe nationalities. Like, what is it that you see in your classroom?

Rachel J: Yeah, typically have a class size ranging from 20 to 24. I'm actually I actually only have 17 this year, which is a beautiful number. But, know, when I look out into my classroom, I have students from all over the world. We have many students from Central America area. Their families originate from there. We have students from the Nepal area over by India or Asia over there in that area. And so I work with a lot of students that are learning English as their second language. And that could be a hardship for these students. so first grade is such a hard, crucial year when you have English as your first language, let alone. So just portraying to them, I'm here to support you. It's going to be hard, but we can get through these hard things as long as you try your best. And I always tell them that I'm their school mom.

Come to school every day. I'm always gonna greet you with a smile at the door every day. I think it's really important to greet each student by name every day and to know that they're always gonna have me cheering them on.

Spencer Payne: Yeah. And for those who might be in first grade teachers, their students are all English as a first language and they're not from all those backgrounds. Can you share a little bit about, you know, what are the, you know, I don't know, what's the English and reading comprehension levels when students come into your class and what unique challenges maybe does that create for you in first grade when you're teaching a bunch of students who maybe they're learning English as a second language, right, when they're six years old. So can you paint us a little picture of what that looks like for you?

Rachel J: Yeah, in my eight years, I've typically had 60% or more students learning English as a second language. That's typically about the average. And so in first grade, we do our benchmark test three times a year. And when they come in to first grade from kindergarten, they are required to read 12 words in one minute, 12 sight words in one minute. Those are kind of our grade level standards. Those are the ones I'll focus on. But then by January, it has quite a big jump.

Students are required to read 37 words in a minute and they're required to read 49 sight words in one minute. And that's a big jump for some of these kiddos, especially when you're learning English as a second language. And then it goes up even more in the spring to 66 for about sight words and words per minute. And so when I'm working with these kids, you know, I tell them, I'm like, it's okay if you're not there yet. If you haven't met that goal yet, that's why you're here. But it's important that you put in your best effort every day because I can't do it for you, I'm here to help you. But we're a team and I think it's really important to create a love of learning for these kiddos.

And I do my best to kind of make learning fun and engaging because I feel like the kids in first grade need that. They need that engagement, they need that participation piece of it to really enjoy learning and also instilling in the importance of learning how to read because sometimes the kids don't understand why they're learning how to read or things like that. I'll tell them, do you love McDonald's? Well, do you want to be able to read the menu? You have to learn how to read and just kind of building that self-efficacy and that confidence in them when it comes to reading.

Spencer Payne: Yeah, thank you. just because sometimes people don't like to brag for themselves, but I'll happily do it for them. You did share some stats around a recent school year, some of your students coming from kindergarten to first grade that 50 % or fewer were kind of at the standard at the beginning of the year. And then by the end of the year, again, with a couple, a couple of small caveats, like, Hey, someone moved in late in the year. So you didn't have much of an impact on them, but like a couple of little caveats, but your class effectively went from about half the students at the beginning of the year. We're reading it standard by the end of the year. It was essentially a hundred percent after I back out a new student who came in late in the year and someone else who maybe had some broader deficiencies that needed to be in a special class, but like 50 % to a hundred percent when English is the second language, like

Rachel J: Yeah, thank you. Yeah.

Spencer Payne: First of all, congratulations. Like that's an incredible feat. And then second, like how in the world did you, how do you do that? How in the world did you go about that? Can you share a couple, you mentioned one of like, making it fun and relatable. Like you want to read the McDonald's menu, but like how, are some of the things that you do to be able to achieve that? That's incredible.

Rachel J: Yeah, thank you so much. And I will say it wasn't quite 100%. We were like, you know, around the 86, but I appreciate it because it was the most successful year I've had as a teacher. And I will say it's one of my proudest moments because data is just a snapshot. It's just one test. You know, it doesn't necessarily always instill all the work that goes into teaching and everything that we do. But I will say the three tough things that worked for me that I found beneficial were

One, just being super, super reflective on my teaching and constantly looking at student data. So for example, I had three students specifically at the beginning of the year that came in essentially as newcomers and knew zero sight words. They couldn't read any words in a minute. And I remember thinking on the first day, like, how the heck am I going to get these kids to where they need to be by the end of the year? And I remember like, I was so stressed, but then I was like, you know what? They can do it. I can do it. Just I will say that like parent communication is a huge one because a lot of these parents are also not fluent in English. And so really reaching out to them and saying, hey, like we're a team. I'm here to support you. I'm here to support your child. Here's the things you can do at home to help your child be successful. you know, whether it's reading with them every night in English, Spanish, whatever your native language is counting with them to 120, little things like that, watching sight word videos on YouTube.

I send a weekly parent message with the sight words that we're learning that week. But also the parents are learning right along with them. And it's just a team effort and being in constant communication with parents and focusing on those positives is one of the big successes I had. As well as yeah, going back to just being reflective on your teaching, you know okay, this went really well, this is working for them. this didn't go so well. What could I do differently next time to guide my instruction? And constantly giving students feedback too on their performance is really beneficial.

Spencer Payne: Can you share a little bit more about that? How do you give students feedback? Because first graders, right, they're what, six, seven-ish, right? Like, yeah, yeah. Like, which is actually a big difference, like six to seven at that point, one year, like, oh, big deal. It's like, actually, that's like almost 20 % of their life. That's a big difference. But like, yeah, how do you give feedback to six and seven-year-olds? Yeah, because I'd imagine that could be a tricky situation.

Rachel J: Yeah. Mm-hmm. Six, seven. Six, seven. It is. Yeah.

Spencer Payne: You don't wanna be super negative. You wanna be positive. Do you make it a game? Like, how do you do that? How do you approach that?

Rachel J: Right. Yeah. Absolutely. Because at that age, you want to remind them that it's okay to make mistakes. That's how we learn. That's how we grow. I make mistakes all the time. And so for me, it's through explicit modeling and teaching. I model exactly what it needs to look or what it needs to sound like. You know, if it's reading a sentence, if it's reading a sight word, this is how we say the sounds, tap it out with me, things like that. Have them echo me really that modeling and also like in first grade a big thing too is like letter formation. So modeling how we make our letters. Like I said, I do a lot of like songs and chants, things like that for those first graders to remember those little things. I'm a big advocate for whole brain teaching. And so that's where you're kind of having the brain work two different parts at the same time. And so putting in movement with different things really helps it stick.

Spencer Payne: Yeah, I'll share a couple like I've got a little three year old. as an example, you've mentioned the modeling and that's I try to do some of that too. And I'll just share an example of like, there's a lot of times where he'll try to climb something or try to hit the baseball or do something right. And after one try, I can't do this frustration. And then I try to show like, Okay, well, like, like, we only tried it once.

Like, let's try it one more time. Let's learn. Like, how might you be able to do it a different time? Let's just try it one more time. Let's see what happens. And oftentimes, like in three tries, he can do it, right? Because sometimes kids, you know, I can't do it because you only just try to do it once, but three times you can do it and they'll stop, right? hey, do you understand what just happened right there? You said you couldn't do it and now you can. Doesn't that feel good? And I'll try to do that to just instill. hopefully the next time when he says, I can't do this.

Hopefully, I don't know if this works. I have no idea. Like, hopefully then like, well, remember that last time you said you couldn't do that thing and then you could like maybe, maybe that, maybe that applies to this new thing that you can't do too. Um, so I try to call those things out as much I can. I don't know if you're, uh, in the, in the feedback that you're giving or doing something similar. And if not, I'd love to hear what you're doing. Cause that's that, that's the modeling or the showcasing that I try to do to make it real. So the next time you can't do something like one more, that last time you couldn't do it. And then you could, um,

Rachel J: Yes. Yeah.

Spencer Payne: But yeah, I'm curious to dig in this more of like, what, how, how else do you go about that? Or the whole body thing? Like are there games, are there songs, dances that you do? Like what, are some specific examples of how you try to instill that?

Rachel J: So I will say there's an activity I do at the beginning of the year and it's called the power of yet. And I read the story giraffes can't dance and it's about this giraffe who can't dance quite like all the other animals. And so I have to read the story and I have the kids think about something that they really want to be able to do, whether it's academic, whether it's riding a bike, tying their shoes, things like that, that they can't do yet and how they're going to get there. And so I think that's really powerful for these littles because they need to understand that it takes practice. The first time we do it, it's not going to happen. And I think that's really important too. I always say, well, we can't do that yet, but the more we practice, we're gonna get better at it. And I say, practice makes progress. The more we practice, the better we're going to get at it. And I think it's also really important to emphasize, it's okay to make mistakes, things like that.

Yeah, and just showing them like...if I'm modeling something specific to them, like what it shouldn't sound like or what it should not look like, especially whether it's something simple as lining up or transitioning from the carpet to their desk, things like that. I think it's really important for them to see both sides.

Spencer Payne: And Giraffes Can't Dance, I'm obviously gonna go buy that book right now because I have a lot to learn from it. But another thing you mentioned along this concept of improving kids' reading scores, et cetera, and last year being an incredibly successful job that did with that was working with the parents. And so one thing I'm curious to dig into is, yeah, at the beginning of the school year, especially when you have so many parents who are maybe...also learning English as a second language, maybe they don't understand potentially what you're saying or it's tough to communicate with them.

How do you set the tone or the expectations of what they should expect as the parents of you in the classroom that year, what they should expect of how you're gonna lead their kids that year and how they can communicate with you, especially if they maybe don't speak the language. So how do you approach that?

Rachel J: Yeah. Yeah. So I will say like, honestly, I feel like sometimes parents, they really want to be supportive, but they really just don't know how to help or they don't know what to do at home. And I think it's important for us to realize that as teachers, because for us, it comes natural, right? But for some of these parents, they really just don't know what to do. And so one thing that my school does each year is we have meet the teacher night, all of that, where the kids bring their supplies, get to meet the teacher. But then about three weeks into the school year, have kind of like a back to school night, but we call it fall back into good habits. And so we invite families to come and that's where we get to meet with families as a grade level and talk about what we do in first grade every day, what we're going to be learning, what we expect you to do at home to help your child learn.

And it's just little things like, you know, what our district assessment looks like, what you can do at home. And honestly, in first grade, the big thing we say is just read with your child it's so important for them to hear what a fluent reader sounds like, even if it's in your native language. It doesn't have to be English. And I just think that's so important for kids to be doing every night. And as a building, we do send books home with students to read that are at their level. And so we're providing everything that the parents need. They don't need to stress about that because sometimes that's the thing too. Like we don't want them to have to worry about getting things to support their child and their learning.

But I just tell them like, you know what? I'm here to do this with your child. I'm here. I'm going to show up every day. I'm going to do my best. I just need them to do their best every day. You know, it's important that they get a good night's sleep. It's important, you know, they can come to school, they get a breakfast, things like that. And I feel like if you build that rapport with parents, it's going to be a successful year. It's going to be really important. And I will tell you, my first...I don't know, four years of teaching, communicating with parents was not one of my strengths. It was something I always like just never looked forward to because I don't know, I just felt like I didn't want to say the wrong thing or I didn't want to feel like I didn't know what I was talking about. But I realized it really does make a difference and it really does go a long way.

Spencer Payne: How has your approach changed over those eight years from those first four kind of feeling like, I know I should do this, but I wish I could do it better to maybe feeling a little bit better now. What are some things that you do now in that conversation that maybe you wish you could go back six years and have done back then? how has your approach changed?

Rachel J: Yeah, I feel like it was definitely one of my grow-tos every year. I was like, I'm going to communicate better with these parents. It's going to be my goal to communicate something positive every month about every child. And now, because I've done that, it's easier. And it really does make such a big impact. And so that's something when people reach out to me on social media and ask me, what's the biggest piece of advice you would give to a first-year teacher?

And I would say, the parents involved and make those positive contacts. if there's a goal that their student needs to work on, let them know what that is so they can help support them at home as well. And additionally, if there's something going on at home too, I wanna know how I can support them at school as well.

Spencer Payne: Yeah. And on this similar note now at the end of the year, you mentioned being very reflective and you have grow twos and every year it seems like you're already kind of reflecting on like, what can I do better next year? What do I want to do more of less of? I'm curious. Yeah. What is your approach at the end of the year? What are you looking at? Obviously you mentioned data. You mentioned some of the reading scores, but can you give us a little more of a holistic view of at the end of a school year? Kind of how do you step back and judge for yourself? Like how did I do this year? And what do I want to do more of? Or what do I to do less of going into next year? How do you approach that for yourself?

Rachel J: Yeah, I would say that is something I ask myself at the end of every year. And I would say the big thing for me is like looking at the relationships that I built throughout that year. like I said, data is just a snapshot of what my students can and are able to do. But I feel like the big piece is building those relationships with kids and knowing that you get to make a real lasting impact on their lives every day.

And that goes a long way and it's so meaningful, especially, you know, I'm only in my eighth year. so, but I'm at the point where I've had siblings of students and I've had parent requests and it makes you feel really good. And it makes you feel like, wow, maybe I am making a difference in their child's life. Or I'll have students come back from middle school and visit me. And that's really cool. And so yeah, I would say just, how do you feel like you did yourself as a teacher? I feel like we have one of those jobs where it can be hard sometimes to leave work at work and we can carry that emotional burden with us of what our students are going through. But at the end of the day, just tell yourself, did I do my best? Did I put my best foot forward?

Even on my worst days. I will tell you, a year and half ago, I went through a really bad breakup and I ended my engagement and it was devastating, but I knew that I had to show up every day for my students and that they only deserved the best of me. And they honestly helped me through some of my hardest days.

Spencer Payne: And on that note, just because, you know, any one of us is going to have tough days, tough times, tough weeks. I mean, we're all going to experience things where it's hard to show up and be on. It's hard. how, yeah, how, how, have you, how did you approach that? Like, how did you, you know, I'm sure there was a Tuesday where you're just like, my gosh, I just, I just, I'm not feeling my best right now. How, how do you.

Rachel J: Yeah. Mm-hmm. All the time.

Spencer Payne: What do you do mentally to prepare physically? what do you do in the car, in the parking lot? Like what is your story of like on those tough days, tough times? How do you show back up and push through it and still show up and be on for seven year olds all day long? Like what are some tactics that you have used that have worked that maybe you could share with others?

Rachel J: Yes. Well, I will say one of the big things we work on in first grade is our feelings and how we regulate them. And it's okay to have all these big feelings, but it's important to know how to manage them. And I will say like kids, especially little kids, they feed off your energy and they know how you're feeling. And for me, it was like, just, have to show up with a positive attitude every single day. And then, know, while they're at lunch, I'll have my moment.

I'll gather myself before they come back because they truly do deserve the best of you and you're there to teach them. And that's, it's a good distraction too, because in first grade, I feel like you have to be a good actress sometimes. Like you're on all the time. especially me, I'm so animated when I teach that it really does help. And especially putting yourself in that mindset, that growth mindset like I'm here for these kids. It's not their fault I'm having a bad day. Like that's how I, that's what I would tell myself every day waking up and to show up for them every single day.

And I will say too, it really helps when you have supportive admin and it can really make or break your environment and a supportive team. so lean on those colleagues, lean on those teachers because we all go through bad days and tough times, we're all going through something, you know, every day. And so it's really important to have those people that you can lean on and that you can bend to and just be a human.

Spencer Payne: Yeah. And on that note, if you don't mind asking, like, is that something that, you know, with those admin and fellow teachers, right? Is there like, is it something that you're wanting to approach? It's hard to be vulnerable with other people, right? Where I'm going with this is like, you do they notice you feel off and they start to ask what's going on? Do you proactively kind of say like, Hey guys, like this happened. I might not be at my best here today or for this coming week. Like, please bear with me. Like,

Also, please do tell me that funny joke that I really like because I could use the pick me up. Like how do you approach kind of, I don't know, bringing the admin and the other teachers in to be allies in a tough time? You know, do you approach that proactively? Do you wait for them to ask? And then for others who may maybe see going through a tough time, like how do you help them out?

Rachel J: I will say like my admin knows us very well and so You know, she would always tell like, are you doing? Okay. How are you doing today? You look like you could use a hug things like that and In the words of my colleagues, I hide it very well but I feel like you know being able to go to those people and And just ask them. I think it's really important to just check in on people and say how are you doing today? Like outside of teaching, how are you doing? And just kind of giving people that moment to be vulnerable is really important because this job is tough and we carry a lot and just being able to recognize those feelings and I think it's really important. You know, every building is different. I've been at the same school for my eight years, but I think it's really important to build those relationships with your colleagues because...

We're all going through the same things in the teaching world. Like we all experience some of the same things, but we don't always experience the same life experiences. And just being able to have that shoulder to lean on and check in with somebody is really meaningful.

Spencer Payne: And on another note, on a more positive note, for eight years in the classroom, any proudest moments kind of rise to the top or things that, you maybe you still look back on and make you smile because it's just like, that was such a great moment with that student or that class or that day. So any, any proudest moments that you can, that, that you're able or willing to share, maybe, maybe no names if that, if possible, but like any, any proudest moments that rise to the top after eight years in teaching that you're just like, yeah, this is, is why, this is why I do it.

Rachel J: Gosh. Yeah, I have so many, it's hard to just pick one. I feel like just teaching first grade in general, know, that age where they're really learning how to read is just really amazing when that light bulb goes off in their head. You can see that light bulb go off and they make that connection and you're like, and you just see they're just beaming. That's one of the best things about teaching first grade.

But I will also say, like, I've been fortunate enough to host two student teachers in my eight years of teaching so far, which I never thought I would be able to do, you know, this early on, if you will, in my career. But one of my student teachers, former student teachers, actually just texted me the other night and she was saying how she's going to be hosting a student teacher. And she couldn't help but think of me and her experience. And that really made me feel good, pulled on my heartstrings a little bit because you do your best to shape these new teachers in the profession and to model good things to them. so that's one of my proudest moments as far as that. But I mean, yeah, like going back to what you said earlier about my class last year, meeting that, having 86% proficiency is, I was just so proud of that. And I wasn't just proud of me. I was so proud of them and all the work that they put in.

Spencer Payne: Yeah. Especially like you alluded to, it's not like the standard was the same throughout the year. The standard actually goes kind of parabolic as the year goes on. So you were playing catch up and then exceeding after the catch up, which is even more impressive. how about any, you know, first grade there's, there's a lot of stuff that, you know, I've heard it from my three year old where I'm like, where are the, how did you learn that word? How are you saying continent? I've never said the word continent once. Where this coming from? yeah. That's awesome. But yeah, are there any, you know, wildest.

Rachel J: Yes, yes, yes. Yes, yes. Well, we just did continents!

Spencer Payne: craziest, funniest stories, kids say the darnest things, anything that you're able to share in eight years in the classroom that are just one of those entertaining, lively type moments that you might be able to share. Anything rise to the top there.

Rachel J: Yeah, I have a couple. So I have a student this year where she asked me every day, like, did you have a good sleep? I hope you had a good sleep. Or like a couple years ago, I had a student and I was, I was trying to explain to them what it's like to be a grownup. Like I was trying to explain, like enjoy being a kid while you're a kid, because once you're a grownup and I had a student blurt out, you have to pay your taxes. And just little funny moments like that are so keep me entertained every single day and they really are at that age, six and seven years old. They're always like, you have to keep up your stamina. You have to persevere. Like using these words that we learn and just, I don't know, seeing them enjoy learning and become lifelong learners is the best.

Spencer Payne: And are there any things in these eight years of teaching that you consistently do that seem to work really well for you? And that maybe you're surprised other people don't do more of those things that you do, because it just seems to work. And maybe you're giving that advice to others and then they don't do it. You're like, swear this works. So anything that you consistently do that seems to work well for you, that you want to shout from the rooftops like, you guys should try this too, I swear.

Rachel J: to when I mentioned whole brain teaching because it really does work. So like at the beginning of the year, one of the very first things I do is teach when I'm teaching routines and expectations, I teach my top two number rules and it's, so it's an action or like an ASL sign language gesture that goes with it. And it be like, rule number one, raise your hand for permission to speak. And then you just have the kids constantly and some teachers will be like, that's silly. That sounds silly. I'm like, but it works.

You know rule number two follow directions quickly And some teachers will be like well I just don't have that sing songy voice like you don't have to they will tell you you're an amazing singer no matter what Because it really does help stick like when I'm little things like writing my name on on the paper writing your name on the paper like I can write my name at the top but just little things like that it sounds so silly, and not everybody does it, but I would say that resonates more so for maybe like K2. Don't do that with your fifth graders. They'll think you're weird.

Spencer Payne: And that whole brain learning, this, just because I must admit, I'm not familiar, is this a concept you've heard about? Is this a book? Is this a theory? Is this something that you have created? Like, where is that coming from?

Rachel J: So actually I learned about it on TikTok. I have learned so much on teacher talk, but it's really just when you're using two parts of your brain at once, you're using movement with what you're saying. I honestly am consistently doing research on it. And I've actually used AI before to like, hey, AI, this is what I wanna teach my students. Can you put this into a whole brain learning chant for me? Like that.

Yeah, honestly, I don't know a whole lot about it, but I use it a lot for setting expectations or I have three personal standards that we use as a school, which is showing respect, making good choices and solving problems. have like little gestures that go with all of those. But like I said, yeah, I've learned a lot about it on TikTok.

Spencer Payne: and this concept of like also making it almost a song. This is going to sound absolutely ridiculous, but I've got Nisa and nephew and I swear it was maybe five years ago. They put some program on. I don't even know what it was. I still remember the song I heard because I heard it 40 times. It was like, if first something seems hard to do, try it a little bit at a time. And it was like, I don't, I don't even know what it was. Like I spoke, but like when you put something into a song with a little energy, like it's so much easier to remember. So what you're saying, like, I totally get it.

Rachel J: Yeah, it's  Yeah, that repetition and that routine, just doing it every day really, really helps it stay.

Spencer Payne: Now you mentioned AI, how, if at all, are you using AI either, maybe not in the classroom necessarily for first graders, I would guess, but if you are, I'm curious. And then how are you using it to help lesson plan? Like anything else besides the example you already shared? Like how are you using AI to help you with administrative side or maybe things in the classroom?

Rachel J: Yeah, so we obviously don't use it a whole lot in first grade. I will say I've used it a little bit with writing like decodable passages for my first graders to read that are differentiated. So I might put the same, you know, concept in and say, okay, differentiate this for this level of readers or this level of readers. And it does, it just generates it pretty quick, a decodable passage. But I've been fortunate enough because I do a little bit of work on social media to collaborate with a couple AI brands. And so I've gotten, I've learned some of these newer ones that are coming out. Like I recently just did a collaboration with this company called HeyC.ai and it's this company that districts adopt and it's like a teacher's personal coach. And so it's like their AI coach and it checks in with teachers every single day. It has them rate their feelings and then it'll ask you like, what can I support you with today? And it'll generate like self-care things you can do.

But it also helps with lesson planning. What are you struggling with? Whether it's lesson planning, classroom management, differentiation, you just click on it. It generates a bunch of ideas based on your grade level. But then you can also ask your own questions, which I think is really beneficial for teachers, especially if they feel like they don't have a teacher at their work they can go to and ask these questions. I feel like AI is really, really beneficial and really helpful in that way.

Spencer Payne: And on that note, any other favorite tools that you use, either maybe in the classroom, I don't know if maybe you're doing fun quizzes or something along the way, or on the administrative side, again, maybe to reach back out and connect with parents, whatever it may be. Are there any favorite tools that you use that you would rave about to other people and what are they and why? What are you using them for?

Rachel J: yeah, now that I think about it, I forgot to answer that question earlier about how I communicate with parents. So we use this, our school uses an app, it's called Parent Square, and the best thing about it is it generates communication into that child's parent's home language. And so it translates it immediately. So using an app like that, there's a ton out there, we've used several, but just using different apps to communicate with parents that can translate where you post, whether it's your weekly newsletter, different things like that.

Spencer Payne: Perfect and we'll go through a couple more more quick hitter questions here as we get closer to wrapping up But again, you've been doing this for eight years. You've had two student teachers One of your student teacher has then had a student teacher. So with all of that background What is the number one piece of advice that you might go back and give someone and maybe you have someone at your school right now? Who's a brand new teacher? What's the number one piece of advice you would give to someone who's a brand new teacher trying to figure this out in their first year?

Rachel J: I would say don't try to do everything perfectly the first time, especially with social media these days. It's easy to see things on social media and think, wow, that's so amazing, that's perfect. But in reality, again, that's just a snapshot. And it's going to take trial and error, especially when it comes to lessons. It's okay if a lesson doesn't go well. Just be reflective. What can I do differently next time?

You know, I've definitely had many of those moments. I remember my very first evaluation as a teacher. I had a child rolling on the floor crying and I wanted to cry and and I remember I had to go meet with my principal right after that and I just started crying. I was like, you know, but but I would say shoot for progress, not perfection and ask questions. Don't be afraid to ask questions, whether it's your colleagues, whether you have an instructional coach you can go to or if you feel comfortable going to your admin, ask questions because no question is a dumb question. And don't be afraid to try new things either. As long as you're meeting those standards and doing the best you can, it's okay if you go outside the curriculum a little bit. Yeah, don't be afraid to try new things and just be yourself. Build those relationships, but also set those high expectations too.

Spencer Payne: Yep. And have you approached getting your masters? And if so, why or why not? And if you did, why at that particular time? And what has that unlocked for you?

Rachel J: Everybody always asks me this question. I actually do not have my master's yet. That might be surprising to some. It's just, I feel like I never have the right time. But as I've learned, there is never the right time to get it. But it is one of my goals. It is something that I really want to do as soon as I'm able to get some of my undergrad paid off here. But I definitely would love to be like an instructional coach someday. And so I'd maybe like to get it in curriculum and instruction.

I'd really love to go into classrooms and to model to new teachers what things look like and kind of be that person that they can go to. I feel like that's kind of where my niche is.

Spencer Payne: Yeah, it sounds like you've got some creative, unique, whole brain exercise, dance slash song slash activities that a lot of people could benefit from. What to you is the number one best thing about this profession education?

Rachel J: gosh, I would just say being able to be a child's champion in the words of, I think it's, is it Rita Chapman? I can't quite think of her name, but she has this Ted talk and she says, you know, just be a champion for every single child. She talks about how she's taught the lowest of lows and I'm like, I've been there, Rita. And you know, just being able to be that champion for a child and just having them come back and visit you year to year. And I feel like that's the most rewarding piece. And just also seeing how much growth they make from the beginning of the year to the end of the year.

Spencer Payne: And what is the single toughest or hardest thing about this profession? Or if you had a magic wand and could just go fix one thing overnight, where would you point that wand?

Rachel J: Yeah, I would say just everything that these children go through in their home lives personally and seeing what they go through. Like I said, they've gone through traumatic things, events that I will never experience. I've been privileged enough to not experience those things. And I would say the toughest thing is carrying that emotional baggage and wishing you could fix everything for them, you know and just, but you can't, and knowing that their families are trying their best, things like that. I would say that's the toughest piece of it.

Spencer Payne: Maybe that answer is part of your answer to this next question also. But you've been in this profession for eight years. You wanted to do it since you had your fantastic first grade teacher. But there are many people out there who are not in the education profession. What, if anything, would you wish? One thing, two things, three things, your choice. What do you wish folks out there who are not in the education profession?

What do you wish they knew about it? What do you wish they knew? You're on the inside. If you could say, here's the insider secrets, here's what I wish everybody knew, what would you share that you wish everybody knew about this profession?

Rachel J: Well, first of all, I wish anybody who is not in the education career could sub for at least one day in their life because they would quickly change their mind. But I feel like a common myth about teachers, especially us elementary teachers, is that we're glorified babysitters or things like that. But it's like we come to school every day and we are a teacher, we are a parent, we're a counselor, we're a therapist. We are all of these things for these kiddos.

And we do it with our whole heart and we do it selflessly. You know what I mean? And so I would say we are working really hard for these kids and we're creating the youth of America, the future of, I should say the future of America. And most of us are working our tables off over here.

Spencer Payne: down. And are there any educators who you really like, respect, etc. who you want to just, again, on people who are working their tails off, anybody you want to shout out to others who are like, I appreciate you working your tail off, I want to give you a little shout out right here. So is there anybody out there who you really respect, appreciate their approach, whatever it may be, and time to show them a little love anybody want to show some love to

Rachel J: Yes. I would love to. Okay. So I meant to mention this at the beginning when I introduced myself, but I want to give a shout out to my cooperating teacher when I student taught because she's an amazing first grade teacher in my hometown in Iowa, which is different than where I teach now. But she has become one of my good friends over the years. And I will say when I first got my student teaching placement and I saw that I was in first grade, I was terrified. I was like, this is going to be awful. 

Cause I was hoping for like fourth or fifth grade, like, they're to be more independent. I won't have to do much. Like, gosh, you know, like I was just really hoping that student teaching would prepare me for the real world. And, but I will say it was the best student teaching experience I've ever had. I mean, I had two, I actually student taught in Germany for my second placement, but, I was with her for nine weeks and it was the best experience. I learned so much from her and I still use so much of what I learned from her today, eight years later, and she's just amazing. And I wanted to give her a little shout out because I love her.

Spencer Payne: Perfect. Perfect. And you mentioned when people reach out to you on social media, you made that quip earlier in the episode. Can you share a little bit more if people do want to come in and learn more or learn more about whole brain exercise or whatever it may be? Where can people find you?

Rachel J: People can find me. I'm also known as Miss Firsty Fun on TikTok and Instagram. So reach out to me, give me a follow. I do my best to respond to every message I receive. So reach out to me. I'd love to chat and yeah.

Spencer Payne: And where in the world can people find those earrings?

Rachel J: So one of my sweet Instagram followers made these for me. I'm gonna be so honest, I can't remember her username, her name off the top of my head because I've had a lot of people make me things, but I'm going to take a picture and I'm going to post it on my Instagram highlights. But they are on my Instagram already somewhere.

Spencer Payne: I'm guessing that person can be found, it sounds like. And maybe they can make them for others out there.

Rachel J: She can be found. Yes, she has an Etsy shop and she makes everything by hand.

Spencer Payne: Perfect. And then last question to wrap this thing up. So is there anything else that you want to share to teachers, prospective teachers out there listening that maybe we didn't have a chance to cover in this episode? Or is there anything that maybe we did cover, but it's so darn important that you want to say it one more time? So any new or repeated words of wisdom.

Rachel J: would say just make that real lasting impact on human lives. Build strong relationships from right off the bat. And when I say build those high expectations as well, I mean, like, you can be their friend, but also like I'm here to be your teacher type of thing and hold them to high expectations. Like I know that you're capable of doing these things because oftentimes those can prevent a lot of behavior issues down the road too. And build those lifelong relationships and show up every day, do your best because you're making a difference in somebody's life every single day.

Spencer Payne: And I'll add one more quick anecdote. was recently watching, I don't know if you've heard of the last lecture. this teacher, Carnegie Mellon, I think this was like almost 20 years ago. he was teaching like, kind of like how to build artificial worlds and 3d at Carnegie Mellon and he, he was diagnosed with cancer and he had like three to five months to live. And he gave his last lecture of all the things he wanted to convey to his students, his kids, everybody. anyway, he was sharing a quip about how, again, high expectations.

He was teaching his first ever course at college at Carnegie Mellon, I think it was for freshmen on how to build kind of 3D virtual worlds. And this was like, I don't know, 2002. So he had no idea what to expect. And he's talking to one of his mentors and he's like, I don't know what to do. These kids in the very first thing that they, that they, that they finalized and presented if they did it in like two weeks, if they would have taken the whole semester and handed this in, I would have given them all A's.

So I'm not sure what to do right now. They've blown out of the water my expectations. And the mentor, he shared, the mentor said, great advice. And he said, well, you obviously have no idea where the bar should be. So here's what you do. Go into class tomorrow and say, hey guys, that was a really good job, but I think you can do better. And he shared that's exactly what he did. And he said it was great advice because he really had no idea what the expectations were. But if they were already this good now, like imagine what they could be with some more guidance and training and coaching. Yeah.

Rachel J: Yeah, what could they be capable of? yeah. And I would say too, just try to find joy in every single day because sometimes we tend to focus on the negatives as humans, but just try to focus on those positives because I guarantee there's something in there and take care of yourself too because you can't pour from an empty cup, so.

Spencer Payne: Well, thank you so much. Real stories from a real educator, Rachel J. Thank you so much for sharing your story and congratulations on your fantastic success last year of taking a group of first graders who were reading at 50 % proficiency to almost 90 by the end of the year. I cheated and said 100, maybe it's very close, but it's still incredible.

Rachel J: That's okay, no, know this year it's gonna happen.

Spencer Payne: There we go. Well done. Thank you so much for sharing your story and you already shared where people can find you on social if they want to know more. Thank you so much. Congratulations on eight successful years in this profession.

Rachel J: Thank you, Spencer. It was so much fun and thanks for having me.