SPEAKER_00 0:00

So many teachers say that they don't make enough money. And while that is true, what if that's not the biggest reason why teachers don't stick around? Research shows that one of the biggest drivers for the reasons why teachers don't stick around is not because they're not making enough, but it's because of how it feels to be in that building, which is why today on this episode of the new teacher Big Impact Podcast, I've got with me Principal Rouse, who is going to help us understand how powerful it is to have a culture that makes teachers want to stay.

SPEAKER_02 0:28

New teacher Big Impact.

SPEAKER_00 0:40

Absolutely. I know when we first ran into each other um last year, then I knew that at some point we're gonna have to have this type of conversation. You know, the energy was just positive. The school was a great place to be. We'll talk more about that in just a little bit. And um, it was it I knew that there was something special happening there. And I said other people in the world have to hear about it.

SPEAKER_01 0:59

Right, right. Great. I'm glad you came. We we had a great time that that day you came too.

SPEAKER_00 1:05

Absolutely. And you know, obviously, we're gonna talk more about how we can keep it going.

SPEAKER_02 1:10

Right, right.

SPEAKER_00 1:11

As we mentioned, you know, coming out there last year, there was a big I'm gonna let you talk more about it, but there was a big shift, right? That that kind of happened there at the top of the year. And I really wanted to talk more about what that looks like. But as you know, there are three drivers of new teacher retention. I talk about them all the time, right? One, teachers stay because of how leaders see them, two, teachers stay because of how they see themselves, but three, teachers stay because of how the school feels to be a part of. And as I was mentioning, your school just felt like a great place to be. So that's the driver that we're really going to focus in on today because there are a lot of leaders and teachers that are listening to this podcast that are wondering how we can create environments that make teachers want to stay even with everything else that they're dealing with.

unknown 1:56

Right.

SPEAKER_00 1:56

I'm sure as a principal, you've heard time and time again, like you know, or people say, I don't get paid enough for this, or this is crazy. I can't believe this. But people keep showing up, right? Right. The reason because they keep showing up is because of these drivers. And again, how does it feel to be in that school?

SPEAKER_01 2:14

Right, right.

SPEAKER_00 2:14

So tell us a little bit about your school. What did what did it look like before you got there? Tell us how long you've been there, what your role is, just kind of describe it for the people.

SPEAKER_01 2:22

So um, my school was originally built to be a K8 school. Um, the school grew and grew and grew, so they had to divide it. We um they built a new elementary school and took the elementary up the hill, so to speak. Um, and then the principal that was over the K8, she decided that she wanted to go to the elementary. So my school, my current school was closing. So they asked me to be the um principal here at the middle school portion of the school. So it's a very big school since it was K-8. It's huge. So um when I got here, um start digging and diving into the data. There were a lot of discipline problems, there were a lot of um um not really well, neighborhood uh gang activity going on um that that they brought into from the neighborhood into the school. Um, there was a lot of kids that were off grade level reading on two or three levels below their grade levels. Um, test scores were low. Um absentee rates were off the charts. Um just not very welcoming um here.

SPEAKER_00 3:40

So wait, when you when you got the call, how did you feel about stepping into this environment?

SPEAKER_01 3:45

Well, surprisingly, I was happy because I like a challenge. I I wanted to make an impact, I wanted to make some changes, and um going into going into the the the school itself made me kind of excited, like yes, I get to make some I make a difference, and so that that what that's what drove me into you know wanting to be here.

SPEAKER_00 4:07

Got you. That's that's powerful. Okay, so that's so all this is going on. You mentioned the discipline issues, the gang activity, you know, schools gonna get shut down. Like we're looking to at all these things. You step in. How long ago was that?

SPEAKER_01 4:19

That was um two years, three years ago, two years ago. This is this will be my third year here, upcoming, so two years ago.

SPEAKER_00 4:25

And did you already have principal experience?

SPEAKER_01 4:28

I did. I was a principal for two years prior to coming here.

SPEAKER_00 4:32

Okay, but still, I mean, you're still a toddler, still new, still new. I still a toddler principal, right? Right, and take over this big old school with these big old, you know, a lot of things to work on. What do you think when you put yourself in that mindset to three years ago, and when you were the accepting this role, what do you think was the biggest thing in your mind that you had to address immediately?

SPEAKER_01 4:55

The culture, um, making it a positive culture and climate. Um, coming in what when I when the school was still functioning as a K8, I had the opportunity to come and visit, and there were kids everywhere. Like they were they were from three to 14. So they were everywhere. And so I just I knew then that oh, this is not gonna work for me. I have to have more organization. Um, the culture needs to be positive when you walk in. Everybody needs to feel the the learning environment that that learning is going on, that people care about them. So I wanted to make sure that I one changed the culture first.

SPEAKER_00 5:36

Got it. Do you know what teacher turnover was like before you came?

SPEAKER_01 5:40

I really don't know. I know that um my first year here, we had a huge turnover because there were some things that teachers didn't appreciate about me. Um, you know, putting those structures and and those those strict systems in place, they couldn't handle it. So they don't.

SPEAKER_00 6:00

See, but but that's okay. You know, I all my work, a lot of my work is done with new teachers. And my very first principal, uh, the school that I was in, we like 50% of the staff were first year teachers. It was like a Teach for America school. Like we had 11 brand new teachers, and he said he loved it because he said nobody likes change like a wet baby, right?

SPEAKER_01 6:22

Exactly.

SPEAKER_00 6:24

We came in not knowing anything, like this is just this is just what we expect. But to your point, there's some people that the school sounds like it could have obviously been doing better, right? There was definitely rooms for growth and improvement, and as you're coming and making adjustments, some people like, Whoa, we should have just left it alone, like we don't and it's okay. Funny thing, because I always say when I do work with schools, my goal is actually not a hundred percent retention, right? Like I really I want to help, you know. I I'm there, I'm all about teacher retention, but my goal is not 100 because I don't think 100 of teachers need to be retained, right?

SPEAKER_01 7:00

Right, right.

SPEAKER_00 7:01

There's some that are not gonna vibe with the culture, some that are not gonna fit, some who teaching really isn't for you. You know, you went to school, you thought it was gonna be for you, but you it's just not it's not it's not for everyone, it's not so. My goal is not with schools, it's not 100 teacher retention, it is helping you keep the teachers you need to achieve the goals that you need that you want to achieve. Keep those passionate teachers that want to be here and help them be great. Yeah, all right. So you're there, you know, these things. The biggest challenge you say is I have to come across and I have to fix this culture, and I'm gonna do this. What was some moves that you made? What was the shift that happened that you said, all right, here's what we're gonna do, here's how we're gonna attack it.

SPEAKER_01 7:42

So my biggest shift was moving from a culture of individual practices, like um to where we had more collaborative responsibilities. Um, instead of everyone working in isolation, we established a shared vision, and I got those ones that wanted to be on board for what this what success would look like here at the school. Um, especially for our students. You know, we focused on creating um systems, like I mentioned before, for instruction, for behavior, and for communication. Um, teachers began collaborating more and um using student data to drive that instruction.

SPEAKER_00 8:21

Got you. Okay.

SPEAKER_01 8:22

So just shifted the mindset.

SPEAKER_00 8:25

Ooh, that's big. Oh, so you said two things right there. We're gonna have to unpack both of them. Teachers are burning out faster than ever. Confidence is dropping, imposter sentiment is rising. And too many classrooms feel like survival instead of transformation. But what if it doesn't have to be this way? Great teaching isn't magic, it's a method. And inside the Impact Playbook, you'll discover the six principles that thousands of teachers are already using to reignite their passion, engage their students, and build classrooms that this isn't just another book that collects dust on the shelf. It's a complete system that helps teachers step into their strengths, prevent burnout, and create learning that sticks. If you're looking to see a drop in teacher turnover and a boost in student engagement, the principal's right hand inside the book. So if you're a teacher ready to reclaim your confidence or a district leader ready to transform entire schools, click the link to get the Impact Playbook today. Because when teachers win, students win and entire communities win, and the world has changed forever. Now, a lot of people that listen to the podcast um love the high-level thought processes because it allows them to kind of think through, but they also like practical, tangible takeaways. So, as you mentioned, some of the systems, some of the structures, some of the mindset shifts, how do you influence a teacher's mindset? That's one. And the other question I'm gonna ask is what are some of those systems that you mentioned, like systems for communication and things like that? What are some of the actual like things you implemented?

SPEAKER_01 9:47

Okay. So to change a mindset, you have to you have to explain and show them how these things are gonna work. You can't just say, hey, we're gonna change this.

SPEAKER_02 9:59

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 9:59

They need to know the why. They have to know the why. Um, and and one of the things that we really um focused on was transitioning, how we were gonna transition from class to class. So the school is so big that we we had classrooms left over after you know we had so many students in those classrooms. So what I did was um we split the hallways up. There's two teams on each hallway. So we had team A at the beginning of the hall, and then we we cleared some space in the in the middle, and then we had um the second team on the end of the hall. So that allowed the students not to interact with each other. They just interacted with the the team that they were on. So they didn't mix and mingle with those things. And so that cut out a lot of arguments, fights, things of that nature. They didn't, you know, cross each other's path, yeah, so to speak.

SPEAKER_00 10:57

That is really cool. Because go go ahead.

SPEAKER_01 11:01

And then we also um scheduled like restroom times. Teachers take their kids to the restroom at a certain time. Staggered that we staggered the lunch times, just just so that um kids didn't cross one another.

SPEAKER_00 11:15

Got it. Because we noticed, as you said, data different data-driven instruction. I'm sure that wasn't just for classroom and academics, but also as you're looking at discipline and things like that, you noticed that in those transitions or in that free time that that's where you were seeing a lot of the issues.

SPEAKER_01 11:31

Yes. So a lot of the fights were happening during transitioning or doing going to lunch or going to the restroom. They hang out in the restrooms because there were no systems put in place for the restrooms. So, you know, we we have a system where we can we can see where the issues are happening when you put in a discipline referral, you have to put in where it happened. So we looked at those, and everything was happening in the hallway during transition time.

SPEAKER_00 11:57

Again, so okay, yeah, it's powerful to just use that data, you know. But so how did you respond, or what did you think about either teachers that weren't on board? I'm sure, like you said, it was a mass exodus that first year, but students complain and be like, Well, we gotta we have to be walked to the bathroom now. We can't go to the bathroom by ourselves anymore. Like, how do you handle that?

SPEAKER_01 12:16

Yeah, so that was our biggest challenge because I I I can remember, and I mentioned this today in a PL I was doing earlier. Um, the students said, Where do you come from with all these rules? You know, we didn't have these rules before, but the the point I'm making is they were already those rules have been in place forever, they just were not being implemented. So I had to I had principal chats throughout the year just to reiterate those rules and to um uh you know let the students know what was going on, and also morning show time. We we told them, you know, this these are the things that we have to follow, these are the things that we're doing. We had signs of we we have a PBIS um segment of the day, and and just to reiterate those rules, and if eventually they got on board, you know, they didn't like it, but they eventually got on board.

SPEAKER_00 13:08

Got true. So tell me more about the principal chats. When I heard it, I made an assumption in my mind, but I don't want to make an assumption. But it sounded pretty cool.

SPEAKER_01 13:15

Quarterly, I would do a recording, and um, like I said, just to reiterate the things that we're doing here at the school, reminding them about the dress code, reminding them about um any any behaviors, just things that I I see that's not working, we we reiterate. So quarterly, I would get on and do a uh a recording of myself talking to them and they watch it during home room.

SPEAKER_00 13:40

Okay, and I think man, even little things like that. I don't even know if you realize how much things like that influence the culture.

SPEAKER_02 13:47

Right.

SPEAKER_00 13:48

I work with a lot of schools, and there are a lot of leaders who wouldn't do that, like they are more I'm gonna be in my office, or they're not like face forward, you know, or they'll delegate a lot of tasks, and sometimes that kind of forces that disconnect between the leader and then you know the the students and teachers. So the fact that you're integrating yourself and you're showing a face and you know, you're having these meaningful principal chats, I think that's that's huge for school culture.

SPEAKER_01 14:14

And so if it did, if if I saw things getting out of hand with the grade level, I would meet with them face to face, like, hey, we need to talk because I don't like the way you're going to lunch, I don't like it the way that you're um conducting yourselves at lunchtime. So I would have those personal conversations where I would speak in front of them.

SPEAKER_00 14:34

Got it. Yeah. And then how did that spill over in your mind to teachers? So, did what was the communication like with teachers? I know you mentioned there was a new communication system and things like that. How does that look?

SPEAKER_01 14:47

So I had a weekly newsletter. Um, I show up to collaborative planning and their their weekly PLs, and we just talk about the things that's going on, what's coming next. You know, I'm always telling them what's going on. Um through emails, I send out tons of emails, I do uh shop point calls weekly, so everybody knows what's going on here.

SPEAKER_00 15:28

Got it, and that that's huge again, just to make sure they stay in the know. Because again, as we're speaking about teacher retention, people want to be a part of a community that they feel as if they belong. So there's constant communication. I'm not confused as to you know what's happening, what's going on. I'm in the loop, I'm engaged. Yeah, I can remember my first year in Charlotte. I I was this is my fourth year teaching, but my first year in Charlotte, I was on a team, a sixth grade team that we didn't really mesh. No, right. So the seventh grade team, oh man, they had matching t-shirts, they were taking pictures, they were hanging out after work and all those things. My team was just not like that. So we know there were times where it would be like spirit day or twin day or something like that, and I wouldn't even get a text message that said, Hey, this is what we're doing, and like some other people on the team were wearing all black, and I was like, Well, I didn't even know. Like, we it was just so disjointed. Yeah, fast forward to the end of that year, and I stayed at that school for one year. I just never felt like this is where I belong, you know, right? And um, that's what you know. We see a lot of teachers leaving because they or leaving at least this particular school or maybe the whole profession, because of like, I don't, these aren't my people. I don't stay here, I don't belong.

SPEAKER_01 16:39

And it's not gonna always be. I mean, that school just may not be the one for you, right? If that's what you're looking for in in a school that I had a teacher um talk to me the other day about, he said, I thought it would be different, like I thought we would be friends. Um, you know, my my staff members and I would be friends. And I said, Well, you don't have to be friends, you have to be co-workers. And and I explained to him that you're here for a common goal, the success of the children. So you don't have to be friends, but y'all have to get alone to work together. And so he he was like, Yeah, I guess you're right, but you know, the young teacher trying to find friends, but and and that's not always the the the how we do it.

SPEAKER_00 17:22

Yeah, well, let me let me push back on that a little bit and and just point out I don't think that you did anything wrong, just as what I'm listening to, as I'm hearing. So he said he thought that they were gonna be friends. This is a young teacher. Again, a lot of my research is done with new teachers. It's a young teacher think they're coming from the college standpoint. When I'm talking brand, brand new, right? Coming from a college standpoint where it in dorms, where like the people that I'm doing the class with are my friends, right? So now as I'm stepping into the workforce, sometimes I still have that same expectation where the people that I'm around, these are gonna be the people who I'm hanging out with outside of work and you know, things like that. And you, as you know, as a veteran, you're saying, you know, listen, you've learned that some people are gonna be your friends, some people are not. That's right, that's right. So for new teachers, a lot of times, especially whether they're right out of college or they're transitioning from another district or things like that, they're looking for that connection still. Like, I where are my people? Right, right. So we've got to kind of look for ways to kind of to force that. Again, my first year, I was my first couple of years, I was in a school where there was brand uh half 50% of us were Teach for America brand new first year teachers, and those were my friends. We had we moved from different states and things like that to work in High School, Alabama, and yeah, we would meet up every Tuesday night for dinner, like those are it was just we build a community, man, and that's that's why the school was so great because we were locked in with each other, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 18:44

And so here we try to um pair them up, pair our new teachers up with a mentor that's similar. Um, maybe not a first-year teacher, but a third-year teacher who was just in that situation, pair up with a first-year teacher, and so they, you know, they they make those connections that way through their mentoring, or they can point them into a direction where hey, this person might be a good fit for you, but you know, you're not gonna get along with everybody.

SPEAKER_00 19:10

Honestly, for sure. If you would like for your school district to be empowered as well, you can click the link down below and our team will reach out to you. Okay, so what I'm super excited about, let's talk about after you know, it's grueling and coming, you're taking over this school. It's a lot, uh, big dreams, goals, visions, but it's also an uphill battle. People are quitting on you because they're like, listen, you're doing too much. Students are frustrated. Why you implement all these rules? Fast forward to two years now, right? I remember I came at the start of this year. We uh did professional development that first day. We got books for everybody. You continue pushing forward your your culture strategies. At the end of this year, what would you say is the proof that what you did was successful?

SPEAKER_01 19:55

We had tons of gains on our Georgia milestone assessments, which I am so proud of. Um, we had gains, we we our attendance rate dropped, so we don't have as many um absenteeisms, like we like to call them absenteeisms in the building anymore. The kids like to come to school, they are enjoying coming to school, they like the structure, um, believe it or not. Um it's it's just a different atmosphere. We don't have as many discipline problems. Um, the kids that don't see me in the hallway some days, they come looking for me. You know, it's it's just those little things um that we worked hard to teach your retentions down. Um, we we have maybe one or two to leave this year. So wow, there you go. Shout out to you. Yeah, yeah. So it's it's it's a it's a great place to be now.

SPEAKER_00 20:50

That's amazing, right? So, yeah, from it's stabilized, right? From your first year, that's exodus. Now you're with the people who want to be here, and now you're you're you're caring towards your goals, and and I think that's powerful. And I know we we spoke about uh this year what our plans are. You know, I'm I'm partnering with 20 schools to make sure we focus on that teacher retention side of it. And um, how do we stabilize? Teacher retention is always not schools, not always in crisis mode, right? You're not in crisis mode. You did a great job with culture turning it around, but now the next phase for your school is maintenance, right? How do we keep it going? How do we keep it here? It's different to build something and maintain something. So now this year we're gonna partner to maintain. So glad that you became one of the 20 schools, and right.

SPEAKER_01 21:33

And so, one of my big pushes, um, what my big initiatives, we have a new teacher academy. So that new teacher academy will be implemented for anybody that's new to my building. It doesn't matter if you are a five-year teacher or a six-year teacher and you're coming to my building, you'll be going through my um teacher academy. And what that entails is just extra support to make sure that the teachers are okay. They do a check-in weekly with me, not my instructional specialist, not with my APs, but with me. Um, I teach them strategies to to get through today because you know how hard it is being a first year teacher. And so just um strategies and um Support that they need to get through the day, um, so to speak.

SPEAKER_00 22:22

And I think it's it's powerful that you are leading that charge, right? So they can kind of build that relationship with you, right? And and of course, you know, just make sure of as well to differentiate because one of the biggest things that that happened to me when I transitioned to a new school was they because I was new to the school, they put me in that new teacher academy where we're just all you know brand new teachers and then new to the district. And um, they were just going over things that I didn't need. It wasn't school specific. They were saying, like, we all need class management changing training. No, I was solid in class management. You know, I do need to assimilate to the culture, I do need to know how we do things here at this school, right? But sitting in a two-hour PD on how to positively narrate, I'm like, I've been doing that my whole life.

SPEAKER_01 23:05

So that's right. So we'll we'll, you know, we'll go over some basics or the fundamentals in the beginning, but then they will be tailored. I will observe them, you know, watch them teach, watch them move through the transitioning um systems and see what what their needs are. Got it. So they'll be customized.

SPEAKER_00 23:27

I love it. All right, so you know we're gonna um uh land the plane by asking two questions, right? But uh before we kind of get to those questions, I want to give you, I want you to give an opportunity to give some more specific strategies as well as maybe what is potentially a mistake that leaders are making. But before we get into that, one thing that you mentioned earlier jumped out at me, and I kind of wanted to name this because somebody might be thinking as they're hearing you, uh, might be thinking that you're privileged or that you're lucky or that your situation is not like mine, right? For as you okay, so when you were breaking down the hallway transitions and how you had it used to be a KH, so now you have a lot of rooms and space. Somebody hearing that a lot of times what people do is they they while they're hearing your story, they tell themselves why that can't be them. Oh, our school's not that big. Oh, so we don't have any extra space, that's why we can't do it. Oh, our hallway is too tight. We can't do right. So now, as they're hearing your strategies, they're disqualifying themselves because say this is not our you know story, right? But what I want to encourage the person that is thinking about that is to not listen to the specifics but understand the principle of what's happening, exactly. And right, and notice that you got unfair advantages as well, right? The fact that Principal Rouse has this huge building, yeah, that's an unfair advantage, but you have an unfair advantage in your building. I don't know what it is, but I think about it kind of like a bumblebee. And uh Les Brown was speaking about this. He said, When you when you look at a bumblebee, like it shouldn't be able to fly. When you look at the mass of his body and the size and of his wings, it it should not be able to fly based on what everything we know about flying. The reason why is because we are thinking about flying like a bird, a plane, or something like that, you know, with your flapping wings. But the bumblebee, the way that it flaps his wings or the way that it it hovers his wings is different than any other species, and it moves like 200 hertz a second. And because of the revolutions that the little tiny flap of wings are doing, and it creates this vortex that lifts it up, it doesn't fly like any other animal because it's not like any other animal, right? And I need us to understand that in our schools, it's the goal is not to mirror exactly what another school is looking like or what another school is doing, but the bumblebee sees okay, birds fly, all right. I'm gonna fly too, but I gotta figure out how to do it my way, right? Right, and that's what needs to happen in your school. So as you're listening to principal rouse and she's giving you strategies and all these things, it's not like oh, that's not gonna work because my my wings are too small. No, you have small wings, but you just flap them. You got right. So, with that being said, what can a leader do this week to improve their culture?

SPEAKER_01 26:12

So I would say um just be intentional. Um I'm very visible and relational. Um, I I I'm constantly creating relationships with children and staff, you know. Um celebrate something every single day, whether it's a student, a teacher, um, your cafeteria worker, celebrate. Celebrate. And then most importantly, listen before you lead. So I I make I carve out time all the time to visit classrooms and common areas. Every morning I'm in the in the bus area where all the students are unloaded from the bus. Um take time for meetings. A lot of principals don't go to the collaborative planning meetings. They send their APs, but I am I am there. Um ask the teachers and the students like what's going well, what's what's not going so well? There's are there some changes we need to make? You know, what's one thing that we can improve? So I'm always asking those questions in the hallways, you know, intentionally.

SPEAKER_00 27:14

Okay, that's smart. And I think without you even knowing, I would say, the the the magnitude of that impact, you you do it. You show up again. When I was there in person, I just the way that you connect with your staff and just talk to people effortlessly, like that matters so much. Yeah, it does. I'm glad. I'm glad. So now what do you think is a a big mistake that uh leaders are making when it comes to creating a culture of belonging?

SPEAKER_01 27:43

Um you don't have to you don't have to wait to make these changes. Like, you know, you see that they need to be done, you don't say, well, I'll wait the next year, I'll wait the next next month. You can do it every day. You can make a change every single day. And a lot of leaders don't do that. They they try to wait to the to the right time, and there's no right time.

SPEAKER_00 28:06

Yeah. Oh, yeah. You gotta act, you gotta move, you gotta make it happen. I love it. You know, I think that when we speak about a culture of belonging, and I'll uh I'll I'll land the plane here, I'll end it here. A couple of years ago, I was the DEI B associate director at a private school, and most people just call it DEI, but we intentionally added the B. So DEI B is um diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. And now one of the popular quote around DEI that we've adjusted and adapted is that um diversity is making sure that everybody gets invited to the dance, right? Equity is making sure that everybody has the funds and the means to afford the ticket to the dance, right? Inclusion is making sure that everybody has a song on the playlist that is played during the dance. But belonging is making sure that everybody has the confidence to dance like no one's watching during the dance, right?

SPEAKER_01 29:14

Right.

SPEAKER_00 29:14

And when we speak about a culture of belonging in the schools, the question that I want to leave all leaders with is are we creating a culture where people feel free enough to be themselves to dance however they want in their building? Or are we walking on eggshells? Or are we you know have to keep it close to the vest? So, like, do I do I feel like I can just be my true authentic natural self here in this building? Because if the answer is yes, that's why teachers stick around. If the answer is no, that's when they're scrolling on indeed behind your back. That's when they're they're putting on the intent form. I'm coming back next year, but over the summer you find yourself hiring for a vacancy, right? So creating a culture where teachers say this is where I belong is what helps us to keep the teachers we need in order to achieve the goals that we've set. And I think you're doing an amazing job. That's why we're seeing that in this conversation. Thanks, right? I can't wait to see what happens next. And um, I obviously, again, like as we're partnering again this year, can't wait to really take it to the next level, really impact the new teacher academy. And now that again, stabilize, maintain, that's what's gonna help us move to the next level because we can't progress, we can't start moving right, can't go back, right? Keep it and grow, sustain, and move on. I can't wait to see what the future looks like.

SPEAKER_01 30:30

I'm excited, and um, I must add that I can't wait to um give my new teachers your new book that I just purchased. I've been reading it over the weekend, so yeah, I'm excited about that as well.

SPEAKER_00 30:43

All right, let's do it. And then, bro, right now at the time recording this, the audiobook is in the finalization product, the process, I guess, is about to come out. I'm super excited. It was super fun to record. I just I just love it. I can't wait to kind of get it out to people because I'm an audiobook person, right? Right, I would much rather you know listen to a book. So that'll that'll be coming out June 21st. So, again, by the time this episode comes out, the audiobook will be available. I'll probably link it in the show notes and things like that too. But uh, but yeah, I can't wait. With you guys are gonna get them ahead of time. So next time I'm there, I can like sign them and do all those things.

SPEAKER_01 31:15

Right, right, right. They'll have them, they'll get them um day one of pre-planning. So yeah, they'll have them.

SPEAKER_00 31:22

Let's do it. That is amazing. All right, so the last thing that I have to say, and then I'll I'll end the stream, is that um because you are a guest on the podcast and because you're doing such an amazing job, I just want to celebrate you and shout you out. We are going to be sending you an impactful educator t-shirt. So you've already got the books and all the great things. So, right after we end this, I'll just get your size and you choose your design, and we'll uh we'll get that out to you for being an impactful educator and make a difference.

SPEAKER_01 31:49

I appreciate it. I appreciate it. I will wear it with pride.

SPEAKER_00 31:53

Okay, well, good, because that that is the challenge. Now that you got it, you gotta wear it, you gotta show it off and let us know because you're an impactful educator.

SPEAKER_01 32:00

Awesome, awesome. Thank you.

SPEAKER_00 32:02

Yes, thank you, Principal Browns, for this conversation. And again, can't wait to see you in a couple weeks.

unknown 32:06

Okay, great.

SPEAKER_00 32:10

New teachers become the teachers they always wanted to be and make the impact our students deserve. Because I've been there, I know what it's like to struggle, to feel like I'm not enough. I also know what's on the other side: excitement, fulfillment, and the ability to change lives. Every great teacher was once a new teacher, and new teachers are once they're excited and eager and anxious. A lot of times, new teachers lack accommodational skills of effective instruction. Every teacher that I work with is carrying them through this journey, helping them master the principles of effective instruction so that they know how capable they are. I can't wait to see these teachers and make them 1% amazing and make the difference that only they can. If you would like for your school district to be empowered as well, you can click the link down below and I'm team reach out to you.