Zach Diamond 0:03 Welcome to the modern classrooms project podcast. Each week, we bring you discussions with educators on how they use blended, self paced and mastery based learning to better serve their students. We believe teachers learn best from each other. So this is our way of lifting up the voices of leaders and innovators in our community. This is the modern classrooms project podcast. Toni Rose Deanon 0:25 Hello and welcome to episode 187 classrooms project podcast. My name is Toni Rose Deanon, they/them pronouns, a designated high person here at MCP and I am joined by two first grade teachers from Washington State, Kendra Jergovic and Nick Ledoux. Welcome Kendra. And Nick. Kendra Jergovic 0:45 Thank you for having us. Nick Ledoux 0:47 Thank you. Toni Rose Deanon 0:48 It's so exciting to be in this space with you. And thank you so much for saying yes to the podcast. Before we get started, what is bringing you joy, currently Kendra, and then Nick. Kendra Jergovic 0:56 Um, well, it's kind of exciting to be on a podcast. This is my first one. So that's been fun. Getting ready to celebrate my 40th birthday. And I'm looking forward to that, wishing that I had a little bit more MCP setup. So my sub notes weren't so hard to write. Nick Ledoux 1:15 For me, we just got done doing a bunch of assessments for like, my student growth goals that we have to do here. And we had a lot of growth in our phonics application. And so we had some dance parties today. So shout out to DJ Rafi on YouTube. My kids love him. Yeah, that was probably a lot join today. We were dancing for probably about 30 minutes. Toni Rose Deanon 1:44 Oh, that's so exciting. I'm so glad you like took the time to celebrate joys right. And also again, happy early birthday, Kendra, how exciting. And I know that this is something that we talk about in our community all the time is that when we implement modern classroom fully, the sub plans are just so easy to write. But, again, with early learning, it's a little bit different, right? So let's let's talk about who you are and how you started your MCP journey. And we'll start off with Kendra and then Nick. Kendra Jergovic 2:15 Okay, so I have been teaching for seven years. And last summer, our superintendent recommended the MCP course that our district got funding for. And so I embarked on the journey and it was over the summer, and I spend my summers in Croatia, on an island where there's not a lot to do. So I had a lot of time to really dig deep into the course. And it was very, very exciting. A lot of the things that I found that I was struggling with in my classroom, it gave me a lot of answers to those and a lot of solutions. Not being able to differentiate a whole group lesson very well for handwriting or some of the skills that you kind of have to practice a lot over and over again for the early learners. And so going through video instruction and blended learning just opened up a whole new world. And it was, it's been a world of difference this year in my classroom. And it has been very exciting. Toni Rose Deanon 3:16 Oh, it's so awesome that you go to Croatia every summer is that or it's every summer or just that past summer. Kendra Jergovic 3:23 And the reason or my husband's family is from there. So this year, I'm looking at different recording devices. And I'm already packing all my writing materials because over the summer I'll be able to record a lot more of my instructional videos and get my learning paths set. For a big focus on handwriting because I want to have a full path for my hand writers. I was able to meet with Mr. Phelps, who is retiring after a little over 35 years of teaching, who is the master handwriting teacher at our school, and he was able to give me a whole bunch of information he wrote down all of his tips and tricks for handwriting. One fun thing that I started this year because I love traveling. So on all of my new locations, I have had a lot of fun making handwriting videos. Like we were in Texas and I made handwriting videos for our dive down letters for like the letter P and Q in a river in the water. And next year I'll have my sensory bin bins with gravel and sand and water so that kids can watch my video from Texas with the sand and gravel that I took from that the river into my bin and then we were with the Longhorn cows and I did my magic see letters with the Longhorn cows and I have some hide that I brought back so they can practice just to have like multi sensory learning. So I've been using my phone which works pretty good too. But I want to try and make sure that I'm using the most up to date good recording devices just to get good sound. Toni Rose Deanon 5:08 Oh, I really love that part of just like making it that much more exciting and engaging for students I know that our teachers are constantly looking at for making it more personalized. I like showing really their human nature as educators as part of the learning experience. I really love that part. So thank you for sharing. What about you, Nick, tell us about who you are and how you started your MCP journey. Nick Ledoux 5:32 Yeah, so I have been teaching now for nine years, a lot of that time in fourth grade, third grade, I did one year as a library, Instructor of library teacher teaching research skills. And now I'm in first and so I've always kind of been a tech forward kind of a person, for better or worse, sometimes it was great. Sometimes I kind of over utilized text to the point of not being helpful. And then, right before the pandemic, my school district was really pushing for UDL, the universal design for learning about increasing access for student learning. And so then, when the pandemic hit, I kind of had the the blended learning background and universal design learning, but it never kind of never clicked for me. And then when I was in the library, I had this like group of sixth graders who huge range of abilities from, you know, still learning how to read to, you know, very advanced readers and thinkers. And so I needed a structure to get them to work at their own level. And that's kind of where I discovered, MCP is that and so then I took the free course. And last year, I implemented it in fourth grade with math and writing. And then I saw a Facebook post advertising, the mentorship. That was we got a scholarship through the same program that Kendra had and did the mentorship and then spent half the year trying to implement it in my first grade class. And then about January, it really clicked for my kids and like the ball just started speeding up and the kids were just moving in, they're learning really fast at that point. Toni Rose Deanon 7:29 That's so exciting. I do want to get back to talking about how long it takes for our early learners to get a grasp of self paced learning. Right. So that's really exciting that you just mentioned, you know, what January was when they got a hang of it. And so that just kind of shows that there's going to be a lot of guidance in the beginning. But then once the students understand and get it like it's smooth sailing for the most part, right? So, okay, well, thank you both for sharing your stories. And so this episode is really about early learning. And we often get again, just you know, comments are really just like questions about how early learners could do this model, right? Or if they're able to do it. And so this episode is really about early learning. But for some folks like me, that's like a phrase that I don't hear often. So if you could just tell our listeners, like define early learning, what does that mean for you? Kendra Jergovic 8:27 Okay, so I'll take it over. Well, early learning could consist of the headphone cable being dragged around the classroom getting wrapped around the chairs as they're trying to get their stuff out of their bin. So As Nick said, it does take a lot of months just to teach them the expectations for really just taking care of their staff holding their iPad with two hands, or their device that they're learning on. And then trying really hard to, I have tried really hard to try and focus on the concrete learning path, like so they understand as they're moving up levels, what's actually happening and where their goal is to get to a lot of first graders from what I have found so far is they are so motivated to learn, they're overly motivated to learn, and they just want to fly through everything and get to the end. And so I've done a lot of whole group assessments where we do like, math fluency every month is a whole group and I might place them back into levels that they need to go back into in order to reach full, full mastery. But they're really flexible with that too. And it's been amazing how well received the blended learning has been for them and the learning paths in my in my experience so far. Nick Ledoux 9:54 So and I took it a little bit, a different route with my my answer for this one. For me Learning, the Early Learning is those first few years of school where their brains are still really developing. And our job as teachers is to have them grow up to be successful human beings. And, you know, coming from a UDL perspective, like my goal I want them to be, you know, how did they become expert learners. And so, early learning is setting them on that path to become expert let learners so that as they go through their educational career, they already have the, the framework of what's it like to be successful, so that as they're going through school there, they just keep that ball rolling. They don't, they don't have to learn the skills later on, because they're already working on them now. Toni Rose Deanon 10:54 And so early learning, that's basically like, I know you two teach first graders, so that's six or seven, right? So like, How's their computer skills? When we're thinking about like, hey, we have blended learning? What kind of skills are they coming in, at this age, as far as tech tech skills and computer skills, Nick Ledoux 11:12 I would say that they know how to click things. But that's about it. They can, they will say pictures, oh, I'm gonna click this. And so they go after that, Oh, I see. That's YouTube right here, I'm gonna click that. And so they really are good at kind of navigating media kind of like, you know, they they're good at what they do with like tablets and phones, because I'm sure that many kids at this age have experienced family members with phones maybe even have devices their own. And so they're really good about consuming content that they can click. But beyond that they are not they haven't learned how to use content for learning. Kendra Jergovic 11:56 I think that's a good point when Nick said that I have found in the last couple years since COVID. They are way more fluent on computer devices then before they've definitely had experience. And our kindergarten groups also use the iPad for Lexia. So they're used to like using a keyboard to log in. So that takes a good chunk of the struggle off. They're fluent with seesaw, they're able to upload activities, because at our school, we use seesaw. But I do agree with Nick that they are not using it yet to learn knowledge. So that's been a big shift where they're actually like taking notes as they're listening to your video. We practice whole group with other videos and taking notes. But then when they're one on one, I can see with some kids, it's kind of a struggle to realize like, oh, the videos moving, I need to be writing stuff down, or I'm not going to know what to what to do when I get to my assessment. Toni Rose Deanon 12:58 Oh, you gotta tell me more Kendra, like, what does that even look like in first grade? Taking notes? Yeah, what is that I can't wrap my head around it. Kendra Jergovic 13:07 It's a wide, diverse scale, just like everything in first grade, some kids are awesome. So on some of my videos, they'll have a sheet of paper that they go and get in, they're supposed to be doing like some of the phonemic skills that we're covering. They're supposed to be sliding their chips up with my video, just like I would teach them in small groups, but they're actually just doing it through the video. And they're some kids are amazing at doing and others are really, it's a very big struggle for them. They have to learn how to pause, and you know, start and stop the video so they can catch up. If they fall behind, they have to have their materials. So what Nick mentioned earlier is like we're really trying to lay the foundation in early learning for them to be ready in the upper grade levels for modern classrooms. I know our fifth grade team, my daughter's in fifth grade, and they are fully doing blended learning up there. And I feel like this group coming up is going to be so much more ready for that. Because they've already learned and had experience learning through through blended learning. Toni Rose Deanon 14:14 That was what I was going to ask to was like this is is this y'all this is your first year implementing the model, right? Nick Ledoux 14:21 First year, first grade for me, but I did fourth grade last year. Toni Rose Deanon 14:24 You did fourth grade last year. Okay. And I was gonna say to like, I wonder Have y'all had conversations, Nick, if you've had any experiences like teachers having your kids after, and being like, Oh, they really know how to self pace or do blended learning or whatever other skills you taught them with, with the model. Nick Ledoux 14:44 I did have some conversation with some fifth grade teachers this year. And it was more about like, it's something that I saw in class like who's motivated like so if to be successful in any model. If the student needs to be more motivated, and those that were motivated in my classroom last year, they grew so much that when they came to fifth grade, the teacher like knew that he could just let them go and do their thing. And that then he could spend his time focusing on the students that needed more support. You know, and it was really great last year, because I had a student who was on an IEP, Individual Education Plan. And, you know, with MCP, he was working at grade level. And so that carried on with him on the fifth grade, because he had, everything was more accessible for him, he could go in his own speed, he didn't have to worry about what his peers were doing. And so that was really great for him. But yeah, like, that's they, they carries on they, they're more motivated, they're organized, they can get work done, because they have a purpose. Toni Rose Deanon 15:59 Yeah, and I think that's like one of the most beautiful things too, is like when they are given autonomy and ownership, they really do, like thrive. And it's it's any student, regardless of IPs, five, oh fours, any kind of learning disability, right? Like, when students know that you trust them, and that, that you know, you you believe in them, they will go and run the show themselves, right. And I think that it itself is just so powerful. So, okay, you too, we've just heard great things about you, and especially about thinking outside of the box. And so share with us some things that you've implemented in your classroom that would be considered outside of the box, because I haven't been able to see your classroom, I've just heard really great things. So like, paint us this picture, or share some ideas with our listeners on what outside of the box. Things you've implemented in the classroom. Nick Ledoux 16:48 For my classroom, being in first grade, everything has to be concrete, there's no leaving it up for interpretation. So like, I tried to do like a public tracker where we had it on the smartboard. And they could see where they were. But that was not concrete enough for that my students. And so I ended up buying a bunch of magnet name tags, and put it on a magnetic board, so that they physically would move their names from spot to spot, and I could see where they were, and they could see oh, this students, so many lessons ahead of me, I'm gonna go help them. You know, using I utilize AI to kind of get examples of like, how would a student struggling in this concept respond? And what are some examples of different ways to say what I'm doing with this group. So I spent all my self paced learning on our new phonics curriculum. So for each unit, and I didn't really have full units, I had micro units. So they were like, eight lessons, but they could get through all of them in a week. But the goal was, you have to be able to read the Decodable passage. And so like, I would use AI and be like, Okay, this skill is diagraph. ch, what are some ways I can have them practice this. And so I'd look and I'd be like, Okay, this works really well with these group and this group. And it gave me like, really great ideas to make it more engaging. Because another thing from, in my experience, the first graders don't have the stamina to sit at a computer, as long as like a fourth grader could last year. So the activities got to be like five minutes, and then they go do a hands on activity, then they can come back to do a writing activity, and then back and forth. They can't just be doing the computer and notes the entire time. Toni Rose Deanon 18:54 Yeah, and I would have to agree with that, too. I feel like as adults, that's also like, great practice of like five minutes, and then take a break, go process it and then five minutes and then go and take a break, right? Because I know with my ADHD I have to have breaks, or else none, nothing will stick. Right? One thing that really stood out to me, Nick, is the fact that you used AI to create a response that a student with blank may struggle with, right and so like, I didn't even consider to use AI for that. But then it gives you kind of an example of like, Oh, if a student has is struggling with this, this is probably what they're gonna come up with. And I actually really love that like that is really dope. So then that way you can kind of see the problems before it even arises. Right and so then you can have a plan or a better understanding of why that student is answering the the way that they are, it is because of whatever it is that is hindering them from learning. So that that is so dope. Thank you for sharing. And I also really love the magnet. I feel like it's the little things right? It's like one thing that I've learned lately because that is the big things are the little things make the big impacts. And so it's kind of like magnets now being able to see touch and move that makes a huge difference for kids rather than not being able to do all of those. So thank you for sharing. What about you, Kendra? Kendra Jergovic 20:16 Yeah, so I over the summer had huge plans. And I was like, oh, yeah, public trackers and game boards and links and all of the game boards to go to videos. And when I got into real life, and we started, I realized really quick that that was definitely taking it too fast. For me, probably the kids maybe could have just did it. But I couldn't keep up to it. And it was way too overwhelming. So I was sitting in a teaming one time, and I was watching one of my co teachers, my colleagues, first grade teachers get so excited about erasing stuff off of the to do list for our team. And I started thinking, I was like, Oh, I don't think kids would really like erasing their names off of my sleeves and moving themselves up to their next level. And having this way more concrete where I have now like, each level of learning has a sleeve with the papers they need for that. And when they add a QR code for them to access the video, because the technology was not working for me to click on links, or organize it and Sisa, I have not found a great way to organize units in seesaw. So I just went with what I had. And we have plastic sleeves and first grade. And I have a virtual wall. And for the skill that we're working on, like I started out with number writing, because there's a big span of differences that kids can do that too. I have one kid that couldn't write to 10, and one that was well beyond 120, which was our standard. So I just broke our number writing up into levels, which my team was doing also. But instead of me delivering the instruction and saying the same thing over and over again, because you literally start from the top and work your way down every time for every letter in every way. I just made the videos for that. And they went and grabbed the papers, scanned the code, went back to their desk, worked on the video, then they got to erase their name and move it up a level. And my final level was coding. So they were really excited to be able to do the fun, they looked super cool coding activities that were like they had to write so many numbers in order to get to coding. And they were so motivated to do that. They logged on to my videos, they listened to it over and over again, which is what they needed. You need that to learn those skills. So this year, I really started focusing on the stuff that was really driving me insane, trying to teach whole group and constantly have people you know, the kids like Mrs. J. How do you do this? Mrs J. How do you that? So the number writing was my big first huge success. And I I got kids writing 220 by the end of November. And that has never happened before. It was marvelous. It felt so right there were so engaged, when we would do our 15 minute virtual corner, they were so excited to go over there. So it felt good. And then I just kept going through different skills throughout the year in that corner. And another area that I had a lot of fun with was using QR codes on my math game boxes. Because there's a lot of math games that I very much believe is very important for the kids to be playing. So when they would finish their math, they would get to move to math bins, which are games inside. But in previous years, I have had to spend a lot of time teaching those games. Instead of working with my kids on their skills, and I now sit at a small table with a small group and work in their math book and teach them amazing small group math lessons. While not one kid asked me how to play the game. Toni Rose Deanon 24:11 And that that is magical. Honestly. Kendra Jergovic 24:16 It's not like an I've learned for early learning, it doesn't. I don't think modern classrooms works with learning paths all the time. It doesn't work with like, when you think about mastery, like we're really thinking about our standards that we really have to meet, which a lot of times it's like you're differentiated instruction is helping the kids get to those standards. So some of the stuff from MCP is like really, they have to be a lot older for a lot of this stuff. But for the primary grades, there's just like so many simple ways and QR codes really has been a total game changer and it has been so fun because if you have iPads, the links are hard. So using your iPad to just scan that code and it takes you right to the video you need has been really fun. Toni Rose Deanon 25:01 I really enjoyed seeing QR codes make it this big because I feel like we were utilizing it back in like 2018 2019. But not a lot of people were using it just yet. And then it just kind of like blew up during COVID. And after COVID. And you're right, like it really does help for folks, you don't have to type in the links for our younger students can just scan and then go. So I really love that. And I do want to name to Kendra, the fact that like, you were so excited about doing all the things you had all the plans to do all the things and then you realized, as an educator as yourself, like, oh, wait a minute, this is a lot this is this is too much, actually. And it's a lot it is overwhelming, right? And I think sometimes that happens to or not even sometimes majority of the times it happens to a lot of educators just like oh, this is this cool new thing that I really want to implement. I'm gonna do all of it all at once, and then get so disappointed or humbled with like the fact that like, oh, no, we actually have to like slow things down and kind of revert back to being like, okay, let's chunk this, let's really like scaffold it down, even for us as educators so that we have a better understanding of how to navigate the new spaces and the new learning environments that we're creating. And so I really appreciate you sharing that. And again, just naming the fact that erasing things easy peasy, right? And I'm thinking about as an adult, too, I like to create to do lists, and I love it when I can check it off or scratch something off, because then I know, and I feel like I did something. So I really liked that erasing thing too. And just kind of understanding Oh, like our students probably would really want to see that so that they can feel successful, and they can feel like they're leveling up. So I love that. And just the fact to the instructional videos, right doesn't have to be instructional all the way it could just be like, Hey, we have math bins, here are games here to directions and how to play. And I think that's one of the things that our our community members are always saying is that they don't repeat things anymore. They can literally just say, Hey, watch this. And then students have this, the teacher in front of them, it's just on a video that they're watching by themselves. And like you said, it really opens up that time and energy for you to focus on the students who need a little bit more support, who just need a little bit more practice. So I really love that you you named that. So thank you. Okay, so I guess a question for you too. Is that how do you to collaborate with each other? Because you do teach first grade? You're in Washington State? Are there similarities? Are you both implementing in math or Nick, are you implementing in another content? Like, how does collaboration look like between you two and then also between your colleagues at your own schools? Nick Ledoux 27:48 Kendra and I are both part of this cohort of teachers that went through the modern classrooms mentorship program. So shout out to the top tier, the group that runs that for us. And we weren't we they had actually two meetings a month one was on a Monday night one was on a Wednesday night. And I think Kendra and I were both going through each meeting just like there's no other primary teachers, there's no primary grade teachers. And so like we're collaborating at this time in this cohort with middle school teachers, high school teachers, which they don't have the same perspective or challenges. They have their own perspective and challenges for their classrooms. But it was just I wasn't I didn't fulfill like I had anybody really where I was at. And then Kendra decided to switch what days that she was gonna go to the meetings. And then we were like, oh, yeah, this is so awesome. And we were just sharing what we were doing. You know, Kendra has got some, I think her ideas are great. And I've stolen some of her ideas. And then I think I've, I'm more of like, oh, have you tried this tech tool out? This tech tool? Yeah. And kind of been the troubleshooter on that side of things. So and then am I at school? There, I still think there's a lot of hesitancy to incorporate blending learning in, especially the younger grades. And that's, I think that the pandemic put a bad taste in a lot of people's mouths. And, you know, it's, I kind of am trying to show that, yes, these little kids can definitely do this. And so it's just now it's just building awareness. So that's kind of where my collaboration is coming from. Hoping to that I can share out this conversation we're having right now because I want to recruit more people for next year's group that's coming through the same mentorship that I went to. Kendra Jergovic 29:51 Yeah, I think that we are super lucky and our ESD Stefan Troutman has been really a good leader of this stuff for us along with all of the rest of the ESDs in Washington that have really, I think it almost seems like they just got together and like, Hey, this is the right thing to do. What can we do to get people on board with this. So I really appreciate how much work and effort they've gone through, they set up an entire canvas course. So we could stay connected all year. We though this cohort is the first one to go through it are. So we have in my district for grade level for teachers for each grade levels. So the 4/5 grade teachers in our district are the ones that have really spearheaded our blended learning style in our district. And when our superintendent saw what they have going on, I think that her and Stefan were able to kind of make some connection like hey, this is really working well. Let's see if we can get more teachers on board. And so we're kind of at a point now where we're at in my school, really trying to just slowly filter out some ideas like every time I hear a teacher complain about something it seems like blended learning is the solution. And NCP is a great course to learn all about that UDL I have been amazed UDL for me was super overwhelming. I read some books on it. I saw the graphic organizers, and between Marzano and UDL, and all of these colors and, and words everywhere. It's like, oh, wow, I don't understand. I'm, I want to be a UDL teacher, I want to do the right thing, but I'm not sure how to get there. And after modern classrooms, I just started checking off, I think Nick had mentioned one time, it's like, I just feel like I'm hitting all the UDL boxes every time I start doing modern classrooms. And it has been super awesome to feel that good about doing the right thing for the kids. So I have another first grade teacher that's trying really hard this summer to get on on board with this and try and figure out how she can jump on MCP with all of us. And when learning she's very adventurous, and I'm a couple that are a little more like, we kind of have to see what's going on. Because this seems like it could be hours of extra work. So trying to just help them understand like, you know, there is a little bit of prep. And I really believe you have to be very careful with how you're organizing everything. So you don't head down a path too strong. And then you're everything's unorganized. And you can't find your videos, and nothing's matching. So it's taken us a year just to kind of make a system. Toni Rose Deanon 32:44 Yeah. And I feel like you both will be kind of a the leader for that, right, especially for early learning of like, hey, here are all the things that worked for me, so that you all don't have to go through it. And you don't have to, you know, struggle or spend as much time trying to figure out how to do one particular thing, right. And I love this concept of being in a cohort together. So that you have community, because this is something that I always talk about, too, is that this is it's not new, per se, right. But it's just something that is so different than what we're used to. And so it can be really overwhelming and lonely and frustrating if we're doing it by ourselves. And so it makes a huge difference when you find someone to do this with. So I'm really excited that Nick and Kendra, you two were able to find each other and the fact that you both teach first grade as well, that is absolutely beautiful. And I also just want to comment on the resistance part too, right? Because Nick, like you said, Because of COVID There's been a lot of negative connotations when it comes to blended learning. And again, I want to tie it with what Kendra was saying is that there's was really not a good way or not not really a good structure for for teachers to to implement it appropriately, right when you were saying like, I knew about all of this, but he didn't know how to do it. And then now I'm being shown how to do it. And now I'm excited because I finally know how to do this thing that I've been wanting to do. And I think that is something that we pride ourselves in a modern classroom to is that like, we're here to show you how, right because we know as educators as former educators that we were not taught how so we're just here to really like enhance what you're already doing. And really empower you and support you in ways that you didn't have the four right and I also really love the fact that Stefan and his team as well has just like embraced this and was like Hey, we're not going to force you to do it. But if you're interested, we would love to have you join in this cohort and I love that that word that you said to Kendra adventurous because it's exactly what it is really. You kind of have to be adventurous to like throw out everything you know, to do something just a little bit different so that it can be better accessible for Are students. So I really love all of what you're saying. And so, okay, listeners, we're gonna take a quick break for an announcement and we come back we'll talk a little bit more about this whole, like work life balance and also just community building with folks with Kendra and Nick. Zach Diamond 35:18 Hey there listeners, this is Zach here, I want to tell you about some learning experiences that we have for you this upcoming week. Are you looking for virtual connection? Join our implementer meetup on Wednesday, May 8, at 7pm. Eastern to connect with other modern classrooms educators. You can also join our edwebinar for a discussion where experienced special educators share their insights on creating a thriving classroom that celebrates all learners. It's called fostering inclusivity, navigating special education in student centered classrooms on Thursday, May 9, at 6pm. Eastern registration information and links are in the show notes. So definitely check those out if you're interested. Otherwise, let's get back into it with Toni Rose, Kendra and Nick. Toni Rose Deanon 36:09 All right, and we're back with Kendra and Nick. And so we were talking about Kendra, you had mentioned that that some educators are really hesitant about the amount of work that it will take. And so let's talk about some of the challenges that you've had to overcome, because I'm sure you're implementing it at your school by yourself, right? How did you manage work life balance? And how did you make sure that you weren't overwhelmed with all the things that you were trying to do? Kendra Jergovic 36:36 Well, I did not fully implement this year for sure. And I don't plan on fully implementing next year, I think I've just tried really hard to take it into consumable chunks. Nick has been amazing for me to brainstorm with and send an email, Hey, can you meet up next week over zoom, because he's physically four hours away from me also. And I think that the the collaboration between us has actually been so fun for me to thinking about my students as I am learning, it has been really empowering for me to use Canvas through our cohort, MCP through our platform that we're Moodle, using virtual ways to meet with Nick, where it just keeps reminding me that everything is changing. And there are so many opportunities to learn. My husband built a house off of YouTube, like literally watched YouTube videos and built our house. So when I try and argue that I should be standing in front of a classroom, regurgitating information, there's like literally no way you can win that argument anymore. It is an everyone learns at a different pace with different strategies. And being able to like just please kids on different learning paths that work for them. But having all of this out there, I'm just like multiplying myself into 20 different people. But little by little, because it is I have three kids, we just are finishing building our house. I love doing fun things after school. So I am never really ever past. You know, 330 probably, in my classroom, I like to be out quick. So I have not been able to spend hours and hours doing extra videos, I'm trying to squeeze them in into my prep times a quick one after school and just finding like, the technology that's working, that's been a little bit of a struggle. Because I don't think that Tech has caught up to this either fully, you know, the, the QR codes at once, at one point during the year stopped working entirely. Because they were overloaded somehow. I don't know, it was frustrating. So I think that just taking it little by little and being really prepared to fail. And try again, has been really healthy. And I think that I've really enjoyed that whole process. Toni Rose Deanon 39:09 And I think we need to have your response on a loop over and over and over again, right? Because I mean, how amazing and inspiring that your husband was able to learn from YouTube University is what my dad calls it. And that just showcases self directed learning, right? And really just like learning on your own on your own pace, and then creating something that's just so cool. And then also the fact that you're like, No, I'm out at 330 I have a life outside of this like yes, yes, yes. And yes. Because you're right, thank you for naming the fact that, hey, I'm not fully implementing this year, and I'm not going to fully implement next year and that's okay, but you're seeing the small shifts that you've made in your classes in your class is like having that large impact, right. So I love this whole I'm going to chunk it I'm going to take my time like the things that I am implementing are working really well. So I'm gonna keep building on and, and still have a life like, yes, that's how it should be done right. Like, I love that thank you for the reminder and the permission to take it as slow as we need to. So what about you, Nick? Nick Ledoux 40:18 For me starting out some of the challenges was definitely like Kendra said earlier about going too fast too soon, and not being able to keep up. Coming from a fourth grade experience. And then coming down to a first grade, I was kind of a humbling moment for myself, because I was like, I got this, I did it 90% of my math last year and 75% of my writing content last year, come back, I'm like, we're gonna do this, I worked with my mentor came up with our first unit, and oh, it never got off the ground. Well, I never really, the kids could get to the tools, but they didn't really hadn't know how to use the tools. We didn't really have a good organized way of students finding lessons because I hadn't figured out how to use teens yet with this framework. And I just kept stumbling. And I was like, Okay, I went into the year thinking I know how to do it in math, I'm going to do it in reading. And so I tried to do like reading comprehension. Well, that that's really a difficult concept for first graders. It was definitely not concrete. And so I stopped and was like, Okay, what do I want them to be able to do as a first grade teacher. And for Kendra, she said that she wanted them to write their numbers. For me, like they are needing to be able to read those basic phonics skills. And so I stopped, and we had a new reading curriculum this year, both for language comprehension, and for phonics. And I was like, You know what, my kids are not growing as much as I think they can in their application of phonics. And so I sat down over Christmas break, and I'm kind of a nerd that way where I liked, I'd have giant moments of inspiration, and I'm like, boom, boom, boom, boom, and just keep going. And I sat down, I was like, okay, you know what, our unit could definitely just go right on top of the MCP, MCP framework. And now my game boards are just basically, the unit that we have that we would progress in, in a normal week. But so now I will teach it whole group. And then they go back to their own level, and work on that specific skill that they're asked. So they're getting both content at grade level and content at their level in a day. And that's really shown tremendous growth in the students. You know, just like I said, earlier, I was this week, we were doing student, my student growth course. And we, I had one student who took the phonics assessment in my class, and scored like a 45%, out of 100%. So like, that's slightly below grade level. And I just did it with her on Monday, and she grew 50 percentage points. It's like, now I know, some of that's her own ability, but like, she was one of my most motivated students. And so she went from slightly below Graebert grade level to the the highest one of the highest scoring on this assessment. And I was just so amazed with her growth because of this, because she's motivated, she's practicing. She's growing at her level, but she's, she's able to go faster, because she's ready for it. So that's like, I've been a huge success is just seeing the growth from all these students that are really motivated. Now, there's some students that are not as motivated. And, you know, that's, it's good. That gives me more time to work with them in small group, because it's like, okay, that student was able to pass the mastery check on first try. You're on your third try what's going on? Why are we not passing this? And so let's sit down and just read and practice and are you actually sounding out these words, let me hear you sound them out. And then it's like, Oh, I really do have to put in the effort. They can't just like, because I can just said this before, they just want to be done. And so that's a growth mindset of like, oh, I can not do it right and not just be done. And so that that's that's been a hurdle is building that culture of like, we're not just doing this to mark a checkbox, we're doing this to actually grow. Toni Rose Deanon 44:41 Oh, and I love that. I love all of that. Right? Like you two, I have have shared some really great celebrations and growth that your students have shown. And I also just want to say to Nick, I know that you're always talking about students being motivated, right? And it does play a huge role. I also just want to name the fact that like an educator has To create that space for students to be motivated, right? So like, Hey, if you're creating this learning environment where I could feel like, oh, I have the autonomy, I have the control of my learning, then yeah, I'm gonna be motivated, right. So it's not just the student, right, it's also the teacher. And I think you both are just like both parties are collaborating with each other to create such, like you said, a culture of learning a culture of growth mindset, and a culture of just like, motivation to keep going. And I really love this part too, just as a reminder that not every single student will be motivated every single day, right? Because I know, as an adult, I'm not motivated every single day. And sometimes I'm going to need that extra support or hand holding. And that's okay, we're human beings, it's kind of like a flow and ebb of like, you know, motivations and our emotions showing up or whatever it is, that's happening. And I also just really want to name to Nick that you did a lot of reiterations for your class. And I, what I, what I love about that, and what I admire is the fact that you did not give up. I mean, you just said Christmas, you were like, You know what, I have this this time to be creative, this time to feel inspired. And then you like, created that space for you. And then implemented in January, and now you're seeing it in May, right. And it's wild to think, too, that educators really can't get that instant gratification, right? It's really like, it's, it takes time to see the progress and the growth. And so shout out to you for not giving up and throwing your hands up and just being like, nevermind actually can't do this. I mean, I was even thinking too, you know, coming from fourth grade to first grade, that's a huge, that's a huge gap. I feel like because like you said, first graders, they need everything to be concrete, right? There's a lot of guidance and hand holding and a lot of support that's needed in first grade versus what, what you were probably teaching and managing in fourth grade. So you know it like you said, it's very humbling, right, like, oh, yeah, I got it. And then you're like, oh, wait, actually pause. I don't have it right now. And that's okay. And I love that. So thank you. Thank you for sharing that part. Okay, so what do you both hope to see in the future? And what goals do you have moving forward, I know Kendra, kind of have a kind of a, you know, kind of gauge, like what your goals are in the future, just like I'm going to implement a little bit more in the future. But anything else that you both want to share, Kendra Jergovic 47:25 I am very hopeful that our district along with every other district in the entire world will catch on to this also, I really value and appreciate what teachers have done in the past and where we've come from. But I also understand that the future is changing. And our schools were really designed for industrial jobs, where humans really just did like you were just trying to follow the system. And I think that the more access to technology that we have, the more rural just changes, it becomes way more global, we have a lot more opportunities to diversify, you know, even jobs like nobody stays in a career anymore for you know, 35 years, it seems like maybe teachers because we really have the best job in the whole world. But I think that it's just so diverse now that and dynamic and like the kids are watching, you know, stuff at home that you maybe don't love, but there are TVs at home. And I remember my dad telling stories about when he was growing up, and it was like no TV, and then he had a black and white TV. And it was slow how everything was, you know, your eyes, were watching fairly slow movements on that. And now we've just gone to like overload of movement. And so our brains are really used to working faster, and they're needing kind of more food to serve Hi, Vaughn, which is knowledge. And so I want to be able to give the kids the as much of that as possible. Just standing in front of them teaching whole group is very hard to do that with. And I'm really hoping I'm watching our fifth grade team and how my daughter has exploded, literally she has had the best year of school in her entire life, because she has been able to just keep going, Nobody is stopping her. And she just continues to absorb knowledge and she loves it. And I really want that for my first graders also. But I don't want to get them so good at this and then second grade is a break. You know I are my ideal world is that we are all doing these trainings. We are all embarking on this adventure together and utilizing the resources that we have now to really offer our students what they actually need. Toni Rose Deanon 49:56 Yeah, and I mean, wouldn't it be really nice to to just be able to share those resources right to just kind of not have all of the things on us, but really share that workload with everyone else, ya know that that that would be so ideal. Thank you for sharing. Nick, what about you? Nick Ledoux 50:11 Yeah, that's very similar. I want to be able to share this so that it's not just my classroom, and then stop, and then maybe another classroom down the line. Because, you know, our district has adopted UDL as kind of an initiative. And you know, how we want students to become expert learners. And this framework for me is like, okay, not only do they become expert learners, because they're learning how to organize and self motivate and work towards mastery. But as Kendra said, with their daughter, they start to develop the love of learning itself. Because the goal is rewarding, not not the great the goal of oh, I just, I call them my class leveling up, I just leveled up. And they're, like, super excited about that. And I think that if we can instill this, like, love of learning, and kids, and keep it going, you know, we're gonna have a better functioning grand society, kind of, you know, big goal in life, but like, that's what we want everybody to be well educated and, you know, being able to communicate and enjoy learning so that, you know, we can get along with each other. Toni Rose Deanon 51:27 Right? I mean, like you said, right, like this joy of learning will really just create such a grand society for us in the future. So well educated Yes, yes to all of this. I'm sitting with all the things that you two have shared. And thank you again for taking this time to share your experiences and your expertise would with early learning with first grade and just your experiences throughout, right, and so, listeners remember, you can always email us at podcast at modern classroom set. org and you can find the show notes for this episode at podcast at modern classrooms.org/ 187. We'll have this episode's transcript uploaded by Friday, so be sure to check back to access those. Also we are asking your listeners to leave a review of this podcast has been helpful in supporting you to create a human centered learning environment or a blended self paced and mastery based model. It does help other folks find it. Thank you all for listening. Have a great week, and we'll be back next Sunday. Thank you, Nick. And thank you, Kendra. Kendra Jergovic 52:25 Thank you. Nick Ledoux 52:26 Thank you. Zach Diamond 52:32 Thank you so much for listening. You can find links to topics and tools we discussed in our show notes for this episode. And remember, you can learn more about our work at WWW dot modern classrooms.org. And you can learn the essentials of our muddle through our free course at Learn dot modern classrooms.org. You can follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at modern class proj that's p r o j we are so appreciative of all you do for students in schools. Have a great week and we'll be back next Sunday with another episode of the modern classrooms project podcast.