Empowering Educators: Leadership, Culture, Joy, and Accountability | Dr. Aleli Vazquez

Mix Aleli 01 03 2nd pass finalize: I love the expression courageous conversations instead of dreaded conversations. The ultimate goal of any leader is building more leaders. You should not be the only leader in the building. It breaks my heart when a teacher says, I'm just a teacher. Just a teacher? Mm-hmm. There's nothing more honorable or noble to me. So all of us work in schools, we're all leaders. Step out of your comfort zone. When you're you're in a comfort zone for so long, you're not growing, right? And that's when you get bored. You lose your purpose. I think teacher guilt is real, don't you think? I mean Yes. If I am not holding you accountable and I'm just saying, that's all you can do is like tap tap. Bless your heart, right? It's like I'm so sorry. It's pity I this is all you can do. It's like I don't believe in you. Whatever investment you do in the adults, you're gonna get that in return with the students. Right? That's the biggest investment that you can do in any building. Hi, I'm Kim Beardon, and this is the RCA mix. Each episode, I sit down with a special guest to talk about things that matter to us in schools, things that we get right, things we sometimes miss or get wrong, and ways that we can improve and grow. And I know that many of you educators are out there working so very, very hard each and every day. And at times we struggle. Even on the best days, sometimes we feel like there's things we didn't get right, or sometimes we doubt ourselves. And so I think I have the perfect guest with us today to help us remember how to keep that spark. She's got six really valuable tips that I think are going to help each and every one of us to be able to go in there and do the hard work that we do each and every day. And my friend, my dear colleague, is the wonderful, the incomparable Dr. Alalee Vasquez, and she is highly accomplished. So I want to read a little bit of her bio just for you. Now, first of all, she has over two decades of experience in both public and private settings. She is currently our Dean of faculty here at the Ron Kirk Academy, and she leads, she coaches, she develops educators while supporting instructional excellence, school-wide systems, student success, and professional learning for educators who come to RCA to learn how to be better. Before this, she was a principal, a founding school leader, and an instructional coach. And she's just done this in so many different settings. She specializes in school transformation, instructional leadership, faculty coaching and development, leadership capacity building, school culture and climate, innovation of curriculum, executive level school operations, and she does engaging, incredible workshops that really help not only classroom teachers, but administrators and leaders better coach and be able to lead their staffs and faculties. She's received honors from the Senate of Puerto Rico for her advocacy on behalf of Latino educators and students. and also for the ALAS National Advocacy Award. She got the National Lewis University Outstanding Achievement Alumni Award, and she has been inducted into the NLU Alumni Hall of Fame. She was the Elementary School Principal of the Year. She received that recognition from Orange County School Counselor Association. And she was a finalist for Orange County Public Schools Principal of the Year and the Florida Department of Education Family Engagement Award. The list goes on and on. I've got to tell you, I have been to the schools that she led before she came to join our team here at the Ronkark Academy. She is so highly respected by everyone that she leads. She was such a dynamic principal that I stole her. Her staff's not real happy with me about that. But I I thought she had so much to offer the educators who come here for training, as well as our own staff, as well as me as well. And so, Alalee, thank you so much for being here with us on the excited and thank you for stealing me. Yeah, appreciate that. Yes, I know that some of your coworkers whom I adore, they they were precious in saying that they they understood why, but they were not real happy that they I were not real happy. There was a hashtag, a secret hashtag, a little bit of everything. They know what I'm talking about. It was very bittersweet. It was bittersweet, but they were extremely happy because they knew that the legacy was expanding more. And you know, I think I want to begin before I have you start sharing your things with a story in that You I had the opportunity to go to two of your schools. Yes. And the first one I entered and you invited me to come. And I just remember those precious students. They did this whole routine and it was this magical thing that they did for me right as I entered into the hallways and getting getting to go to different classrooms and just seeing the joy that you had instilled in those students and the respect and the joy that the teachers had. It was obvious that they loved it. And as in happened As happens in education often, when you do something well, then they take you to another place to do it well. So you were the founding principal of another school. And I got to go there on a day that you're doing professional development with your educators. So we we can talk more about that. But it was one of the best times I've ever had as a participant in prot in professional development. So just seeing you in your natural habitat and how others responded to you, I think that it's so wonderful for you to come and talk to us today because we have educators, as you know, that are really overwhelmed and Even those who are like, no, I'm down for this. I love this. I understand my purpose. Sometimes we still can get a little bit lost. So I know you have some things to share with us. And I love the very first thing that you said you wanted to talk about was protecting your spark. Can you talk to us about that? Yes. Sometimes there are many educators, and when we go into education, we definitely see it say it because we want to be there for kids, because we love teaching. It's a calling for most of us it is. But the paperwork. The demands, the compliance piece, all of this pressure that's coming in from the state, the district, the dish county, everywhere, the parents, it sometimes brings you a little bit down, right? And we also have to think about not because we're having a bad day or a bad week or even a bad year, we can have a bad year, doesn't mean that it's over, right? Right. We we need to start thinking about why are am I here? And it's It sounds cliche when we talk about remember your why, but it is important to remember your why because I I want to be here for kids. I want to be here for educators if you're a leader, right? I want to help teachers, I want to invest in teachers to see kids succe succeed. And those are the moments that you have to go back and remember and look at the notes that a student probably gave you, an email that a parent sent you. If you're an a school administrator, An email that you receive from a teacher thanking you for supporting them on a specific day, those are the moments that you have to go back and say, okay, this is why I'm here. You have to keep that spark going because what we do matters. We are changing lives on a daily basis. And just because we're having one bad moment doesn't mean that it is over and that we should give up because we have little ones that are counting on us. What if you do what would you say to an educator? Because when many times when they come here, they'll share, you know, I came here for professional development training because I have lost that spark, or this is my last ditch effort to decide if this is where I want to be or if this is what I want to do. If you were talking to an educator who said, Okay, Ali, I I believe this, I understand what you're saying, but right now, like I'm in an environment where everybody's negative. Everybody hates what they're doing. Nobody nobody I get no support. What would you say to that teacher? Is it okay for them to say, is it okay to say, do you think that may be a time for you to to transition to another place? Absolutely. You have to find your people, right? The people that bring you joy, the people that are going to support you, the people that are going to collaborate with you, the leader, you have to find the leader that's actually allow you to grow and support you along the way. If that is not the environment, then you find another one. Absolutely. And sometimes that is a perfect environment for certain people, but maybe it's not for you. And that doesn't mean that you don't love your school. That doesn't mean that you don't love your students. It's just that it's just not a good fit, right? And you have to find a way where you can continue to enjoy what you do. You can't be in a classroom and be miserable every day. Because What you bring to the classroom, the energy you bring to the classroom is what the kids are going to get. And that is what you're going to get in return from the kids as well. Right. Right. So it is okay to say, okay, this is might not be a good culture fit for me. Or what they have in place in this district, it's not good for me. Or I just need a break, right? I need a break from what I'm doing or the specific things and guidelines that I have to follow all the time. And I just need to explore something new. I love that because I think teacher guilt is real, don't you think? Yeah. Especially the teachers who really love what they're doing. And so it is okay. I I just see that that's a trend. I've heard a lot of educators come and they go, But but the kids need me there. They do need you there. But there are also kids at other schools who need you as well. Absolutely. And if you are in a point where you cannot go in there and have that joy and and you are miserable, it could be that maybe, you know, when one door closes, another opens, it it could be leading you to go somewhere where you really are able to Work at your best capacity, right? To be the very best of who you are. So I think that sometimes we have a bad day, we have a bad year, but if it's gone on and on and on, you're like, I cannot see anything changing. It it I think it's okay. It is okay. Because you could still have a tremendous impact on people in another space, right? And think about it. You you have another school, you have a new set of students that you're gonna impact, right? New colleagues, a new community that you get to meet. It's a new opportunity. Why close the doors to that? And also I think that sometimes we forget that there are so many roles in education. Now, I'm not encouraging people to leave education unless you know it's done for you. you if you cannot find joy in this role anymore, you can't, you know, go in there and do the work that needs to be done, you can't support students anymore because it's just it's just too hard for you, then it's not the role for you. But there are so many educators that we still need in this profession. Sometimes it's just changing subject areas. Sometimes it's just, you know, teaching a different grade level, sometimes Yes, with that comes new work, right? New learning. last year, one quarter, I was asked to teach social studies and I've taught social studies years in the past, but I was asked to teach ancient Egypt. And I was like, How I gonna do that with everything else? I'm running this school and I'm I'm already teaching language arts. Well then I listen every time I got in the car, well, I ended up listening to twenty seven hours of podcast on ancient Egypt. But that's because nobody asked me to do that. I got so engrossed and fascinated and energized and went in there and mummified hot dogs and everything and it put a spring in my steps. So while it had been something that I was actually dreading, it actually was something that motivated me. It was having something fresh and new. So I think that that's helpful sometimes to help keep our spark. Don't you think? Yeah. Change I mean change is is scary, right? Regardless of how you put it. And change sometimes the word change means what's in it for me. Why, how is this going to impact me? But if you don't take the risk of trying something new, how are you going to figure out your next talent? Or w how you're growing or exploring something else that you can do that you're actually good at and you never notice that. Right. It's it's about trying new things and a grade level. It can be as easy as a grade level. I thought I taught kin kindergarten for I don't know, six years. All of a sudden they're like, can you teach second grade? I'm like, sure. Loved it. Loved it. And they're like, can you teach third grade? I'm like, that's a testing grade. Let's do it. And every challenge they have put in my way, I'll be like, Yes, let's do it and try something new. And at first it could be scary and it takes time, right? To adjust and assimilate what you're doing and you have to prepare as well, just like you were listening to your podcast, right? But once you get into and you see the impact that you're making in students, it's all worth it. Just try something new, take a a chance, you know, that's how you keep it going. That's how that spark keeps going. Could step out of your comfort zone. When you're you're in a comfort zone for so long, you're not growing, right? And that's when you get bored. You lose your purpose, you lose your why, and you become so comfortable that you're not learning something new, that's when things start dying, right? And your passion starts dying. But when you're like that's when educators come here at RCA and they're tr and they're looking at we're standing on tables and we're singing and we're dancing, we're playing music and we're doing these games and we're doing so many innovative things in the classroom. They go back to their schools and they bring this innovation and this creativity back, right? This joy and excitement back to their classroom, it ignites something in them. So trying something new is the best thing that you can always do. So I love that. So to keep our spark, first of all, we need to remind ourselves, we need to take time to to hold on to those emails and hold on to those cards and and and actually sit there, even you know, journal, write about things that were positive that happened and and and and keep those memories alive. Go look at photos of that lesson you did that you killed it. But also if you are saying, Yeah, but this isn't the place for me. Well one thing could be maybe see if there's another role for you there. If you're shifting, trying something new. And then I love also, but it's okay if you're listening, it is okay if your place is not your people. You know, th these are not your people at this place. It is okay to switch schools because you can still have a significant impact. And for some reason, I feel like a lot of teachers aren't willing to realize that that's okay because they feel guilty. Mm-hmm. And it's okay. It's okay. There will be another teacher for that set of students that you're leaving that are still gonna love on them and teach them. And then you're gonna find your new set of students that you're gonna continue loving, a new set of colleagues that you're gonna meet and and establish relationships with them, a community that you get to embrace, right? It's a new opportunity to try something new. I love that. And That whole idea of just trying to take accountability, which is really leading into your second point. I love that you said, support and accountability go both ways. What do you mean by that? Absolutely. Accountability is a way of me as a leader saying to you, I believe in you. Right? It's about having having the establishing those relationships, but also having those difficult, courageous conversations that we sometimes avoid having, right? And you're not necessarily you have to be a school leader in order to have those because if you're a department lead, right, or a grade level lead, you can have those courageous conversations with your team. But that is telling your team, I believe in you, right? There's something bigger. I see potential in you. I I always say that if I am not holding you accountable and I'm just saying, that's all you can do is like tap tap. Bless your heart, right? It's like right, I'm so sorry. It's pity this is all you can do is like I don't believe in you. Same what we do with kids, right? You can't continue to underestimate the potential of a child in the classroom by just saying, Well, this is all you can do, right? Accountability and high expectations is what makes other people thrive. Right. And and that is something that I love about RCA is the high expectations, the accountability piece that we have for students here, right? They know that we we love them. We would do whatever it takes for them and and to give them a great time and bring so much joy and fun to what we do every day in the classroom, but we also hold them accountable, right? And it's the same way with school leaders and any type of leaders in education. We must invest in people by having those courageous conversations and saying, This is what you're doing wrong, but let me help you, right? I'm gonna support you. I'm gonna collaborate with you. I'm gonna coach you until you become exceptional because that is my goal. Any leader should be the the ultimate goal of any leader is building more leaders. You should not be the only leader in the building, right? And it's important for any school administrator to pinpoint those people that you're seeing that have that great potential, hold them accountable. Build those high standards for them and push them to grow. Okay, there's so many nuggets in what you just said. Okay, so first let's break it down a few things I heard you say. First of all, I love the expression courageous conversations. Mm-hmm. Instead of dreaded conversations, right? Well, we dread it. Or avoid avoiding conversations, right? And so one of the things it you know, there's first of all, if you are an educator and an administrator sits down with you and talks about areas to improve. That can be hard for some people. But understanding that that is because they do see you have the potential and they want you to be the best you can be. So I think that one thing we can all work on as educators, I think, is that when someone gives us positive feedback, but also feedback on how to improve, that we have to be willing to receive that. And sometimes that feedback comes from students, right? we survey all of our students here at RCA and it's very helpful. And the the feedback that they give us It's meaningful. And at the beginning of the year we talk to the students about, these are the things, the trends we saw in your feedback. These are things that we're gonna do better. These are things that we can't change, but but here's why. So that they understand that we did hear them. And so we talk about those things. And I think that it does make us better because we're listening to their feedback. I also think that we we survey our parents as well. And Honestly, some of the comments now we all know. We've all had parents in our experience as educators where they just are unreasonable, difficult, of course. And I'm not talking about those. I'm talking about those parents who really come with concerns in a respectful manner. out in a way of saying, you know, you may not realize, but these are some things that could be improved. case important, you have a wonderful mom last spring and sent an email and it just said something like, you know. Appreciate you so much. First of all, that's the best way to start an email. Appreciate you all so much. when looking at the school calendar, you know, I'm not sure if you realize that, and she named several things that hit all at one time. And some kids being involved in all of those things, it was too much. And the honest answer is I didn't realize just how bad that was. But her point was so well taken because she's right. And so her feedback wasn't, you're terrible for setting this calendar. Her feedback was I just thought you should be aware so in the future, when you're making the calendar, if you have any say over this. And it was it was great. So I think that sometimes we get so caught up in just, don't don't criticize. I'm working hard. How are you gonna criticize the calendar? We're putting on all these events instead of just saying, I received that, right? because you're you're trying to support us in a way to make things better. So I think that as educators, we have to be willing to receive it. But I also think the other nugget there is that sometimes as leaders, I being one, And all of us are leaders in different capacities. we'd rather avoid a hard conversation and just not deal with the drama of it. Mm-hmm. But we have to. Right. We have to, in order for our people to grow and people to continue becoming better, we have to have those conversations, right? And sometimes it is hard for a person to receive that information that you've given them, right? And and you have to give them time to process that. It the key to that is that and and you're an expert with talk to me, right? And in the communication piece, is the same way we differentiate the communication that we have with students and the way we teach them is the same way we differentiate the way we communicate with people, right? And when you are in a building and you know the people that surround you, you know that you can have different conversations with a different tone with different people, right? And it's just differentiating those conversations. But the key there is For people to know that you're coming out of a place of love, wanting them to grow, willing to help them grow as well. You're you're there not to criticize what they're doing, it's just providing constructive feedback. But I'm here to coach you. These are your next steps. I'm gonna help you along the way. It's non-punitive, right? Right. That is the key. And that's how people receive that information. That it is support. And and you know something else, Ali, that I think a lot of educators have experienced. If a principal or school leader does not hold people accountable, then the people who are doing what they do, it builds a lot of resentment. Yes. That's the biggest culture killer, right? When you are allowing bad things to happen in the building, people are gonna be like, so no one is being held accountable. So you're not accountability. Right, because you're not supporting the teachers who are doing the work. Correct. Same way in the classroom. Kids want structure. Kids want accountability. And that'll tell us, right, when this is happening. Why are we allowing this to happen? They will come to us and let us know why is this allowed to happen? They do want the accountability piece. And as adults, we need that accountability in order to maintain good expectations and good work happening in the building. I love it. You know, I I I say to educators that high expectations are your outward manifestation of your belief in somebody. Right. Most definitely. Because if I have low expectations, I'm really thinking, baby, I don't think you can do this either. Yeah. It's a love language, right? Right. Low expectations is like, okay, that's all you can do. Yes. Exactly. So, you know, and I think that I hope that we've built the culture here that we don't expect anything that we're not willing to do ourselves, right? That's that's the key for leaders that you know example. Right. Lead by example. So I do love that though. I don't think I've ever really framed it that way in my mind that by holding people accountable, I actually am providing support. That's the key right there. Mm-hmm. Most definitely. Now, this part I love, and you're so good at this. your third point was that recognition matters, but so does recognizing each other. Yes. Yes. Can't all come from the principal. No, we're busy, right? We're busy running a school, dealing with different situations. And sometimes we can't blame the administrator because they're not recognizing us, because they're busy, right? There are other things that they have to do, but why? Can't we recognize each other, right? If you're in a grade level, why can't you say to your team, team, we're doing a great job? Right, you're amazing. I love what you're doing in your classroom. I love that lesson. A student came to me and talked so well about you, right? I love it here when we do the shout-outs and just random emails shouting out people, right? That is so important that we do that. And yes, an administrator is there to recognize and value the people that are, you know, working with that person. And it is our responsibility, but also culture is not a one-person thing, right? Culture is all of us. Every single person, every stakeholder in the building is responsible for developing that. I see here parents shouting out staff. I see students shouting out staff. I see teachers shouting out parents and students, administrators. That is the culture that we want to build in schools where we all are recognizing each other and the work that we do. And it's just like not only the good job, let's be specific, right? Ms. Beardon, I love that lesson that you did the other day. It was amazing. The kids went to the my office and they were just in awe with what you did and they learned so much. That specific feedback is important to people, right? I I think is I I love it. And and so to tell you more about what Ali's talking about, in our school School culture here. It is not uncommon to open an email, and we know we're all in the same email group. And it's not uncommon to open your email and have a teacher shout out another teacher, but do it publicly for everybody in the whole building. Yes. Corey Collins may say, Hey, shout out to David Spearman for that amazing video that he put out. Did you all see it? It was incredible. Or, you know, Ben may say, Hey, shout out to Dr. Vazquez. She just got honored with this incredible thing. And so what happens is Then everybody else chimes in, way to go, so proud of you, go you. But I love that as a school leader, it doesn't always have to come from me. And honestly, if it always did come from me, here it would be perhaps one of the loopholes. If I was always the one that started every email, there could be somebody who's like, She hadn't given me one yet. Why hadn't she sent an email about me yet? She always she's she's recognized her twice, you know. And there could seem like there's favoritism. But when it comes authentically, just from co-workers who happen to notice something and And it's beautiful when it's not even necessarily people who are who are close work in the same side of the building. we've really created this culture. And if you would like to have that in your school, what I would say to you is you start it. Yes. Right? It things like that. It it positive energy is contagious, just like negative energy is. And so if you're shouting at other people, other people will pick up and go, hey, that felt good. I I wanna shout out some people as well. I think that we need to do more of that. And there are teachers who who will come here for our professional development training. Sometimes they even will mention, yeah, there's bullying at my school. And I don't mean of the kids. there's teachers bullying me. Teachers. Y'all, our our work is too hard. We we work so hard. We've got to treat each other well. Yes. We have to take care of each other. I've been to buildings to schools that I visited that the people on the first floor don't know the people on the second floor. Yeah. Sad, right? Because we spend so many hours in the building with the same people every day. How is it not possible that we don't know the humans in the building? Not the educators, not the cafeteer workers, not the maintenance people. No, no. The humans in the building. How we're not knowing the people by recognizing them, by stopping and saying good morning and having a, even if it's a short conversation, by finding ways to stay, you know, team building activities or outings or Things that would allow us to step away from the classroom and the the madness that we have ongoing every single day, just to sit down and say, How are you doing? Tell me more about you, your family, what are what what are some things that you like? And then that that shows that you care about the people, that you care about the humans in the building, but you're also building that sense of belonging, right? And the community within the walls of that building. It's so important. Well, I think that's one of the things you've always been best about. You've worked in some very large schools. Yes. And in these schools, you would do a lot of really fun things. Now you are a school leader, but I do think that what you did is you created through through you were leading by example. You created a culture where other people would also take the lead on these things. So talk about some of the kinds of things you have done and even maybe share 'cause Halloween's coming up, share what you did last year with our staff that that was hilarious. They were already asking me if we're doing it again, but they're giving me some suggestions. We'll see. Well, you know, it gets really we're competitive here, but in a year, right? Very, very competitive. So I, you know, the first year we hit some pumpkins around the building and we did it by houses, right? So that went crazy. They were hiding pumpkins. You would never imagine the place as we literally found a pumpkin two years later inside. one of the water fountains. And these were adults looking for pumpkins, just saying So you got points for your houses and you can see the episode with Junior Burton about houses, but you got points for your house if you found the pumpkins. But the point was is that you were with people in your house running around the building acting a fool and having a ball at any spare moment you got. And that's because play is important. Yes. But last year we gave it a different twist and we did different groups, right? We mix all the people together just to make sure that we're not just doing the same people all the time, allowing people to that didn't know each other or new people or from different departments to work together to find these pumpkins. And that was crazier. So we'll see what we do this year. But one of the things I used to do is just having time, allocating time just to be us, humans, adults, right? Regular adults in the building. I don't know if you remember, but you were there with us when we did one of the staycations, right? it was wonderful. And I would just send out this nice invitation saying Magic Cruise is inviting you to Dragon Island. Make sure you join us this day, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And people came in dressed as they were going on a cruise. They would bring luggage and and lounge chairs and towels and yoga mats, you name it. They will bring it, leave it in the media center, right? And then at the end of the day. When kids left, we stayed a couple more hours, or maybe until six, seven. We six, seven. They would stay there with And it was on they stayed as long as they wanted to. By the way, they nobody wanted to leave. That's the key. They were so relaxed. And there was no conversation about schoolwork or academics, none at all. It was just us having fun, right? And we get we were pretending that we weren't on an island and we had mocktails and dinner and games. We did lip sync battle. We did the cup game. We did a runway. we did even a wet t shirt contest. Okay, that was the most clever thing. Okay, I have to stop you for a second and talk about this. Okay, I've never seen this before. So you take a t shirt. Yes. You get it soaking wet. Yes. You put it in the freezer. Yes. Overnight. Mm-hmm. And so you the teams all get a frozen solid t shirt. Yes. So you have to unwrap this detaw I don't need to explain it. It is like all solid and and rip this t shirt apart without actually tearing it and be the first person to get the t shirt on. It was the most hysterical thing. I've never played that game. It was hysterical. And you just take that one game. It's it it was it was And it's not as easy as it sounds, right? I mean I have people sitting on it, running out to the r to the street to put it in the middle of the row to see if if it was hot enough to for it to it was so much fun, right? But and then at the end We did that, we did a yoga session or a sound bath every year and that became a tradition, right? And people knew that right before state testing, when the anxiety is through the roof, we did that activity just to take care of us, right? And just say, you know what, at this point it is what it is. All we can do is light a candle and pray that the kids are gonna do well on the test. But we're gonna recognize our work. We're gonna be there for each other and we just gonna unwind and have fun. And those are the moments, right? I did a carpool karaoke every Christmas during winter time. And I would tell the teachers, meet me in the car loop when we for Dada meetings, right? And they're looking at me like, Dada meetings in the car loop. Well, there was a party bus waiting for them. And during that time we just That's a nice surprise when you think about to have data meetings and then you get And all of a sudden you're like, there's a party bus. And we just we we drove around the community singing Christmas carols and going all crazy. We had a seven eleven right across the street, and the manager every year would be like, Hey, yeah, your teachers can come in and grab whatever they want. And then we just had a great time in there. And we stopped at the community park. We would go down the slides and act all crazy and they came back to work, right? It's just creating those moments. But as a leader, You have to make sure when your people need those moments, right? Read the read the temperature, right? Read the temperature. And I have a secret. People most people know because I I share this during my workshops. My thermometer is that basket of chocolate I have in my office. talk about that. Because this is very popular. It is very popular, right? And I've been using it for years. Right. But that tells me what's going on. And if by Tuesday That basket of chocolate is empty. I am like, let me walk around and ask people what is going on. Because you would see people, I'm working, and I would see people come into my office. I need some chocolate. I need some chocolate. Just gotta get that little and she has those little bite-sized ones, you know, so it's just enough like to get you that little fix to get you here. They just sit down, they don't even need to for me to talk to them. They're just sitting down in my office while I'm working and I'm looking at them. I'm like, Are you okay? Yeah, yeah. And they're eating a chocolate, but I know that they needed that moment, right? But when it's empty, let's walk around, let's ask people how things are going, what's going on till you figure it out. And that's your thermometer. You need to feel what is going on in your building. And as a leader, you also have to recognize, do I have do we have joy in the building? Right? Or am I the the same way we want kids running through those doors every day, we also want the adults running through those doors every day. 'Cause if there are no adults in the building, we can't take a happy adults make happier children, absolutely. Absolutely. So we want that that them to feel every morning I'm walking in a building when I'm gonna feel joy, regardless of how I'm feeling that morning. the chocolate thing, if you think about it, it's it's actually such a simple, brilliant thing because sometimes people may feel like they need an excuse just to come in your room and and plop down if they're not someone who maybe is as close to you. Or, and so just by even having something simple. Come on in and have some. It provides people almost an excuse to sit down. Maybe they do want to talk about something. Maybe they just want to as our counselor Yolanda would say, hold space with you. But but just that opportunity to have a reason to go in there and and be able to plop down. And I think the other thing that's important is that you do a lot of things to make sure that everybody all throughout the building knows one another because It could be that the the people on your hall aren't really your people, but sometimes there is somebody who is your person, somebody who could be your ride or die, your your best go-to, your best source of advice. And they may be on another hallway up at the other end of the building, different grade level. And and the fact that you miss out on that opportunity for that relationship just because you never had a an opportunity to connect, that makes me sad. So I love just providing some of these simple things. And it's so important to play. Yes. And to laugh. And as adults. Yeah. We just went to Halloween horror nights, right? And and there were seventeen of us and we had the best time ever. We laughed, we cried, we were scared, right? We had the best time. We were tired because we were walking for nine hours nonstop. But we were there, people from the merchandise department, people from the app department, people from staff, people that were teachers, and we all got to mingle and have a great time together and get to know each other in different ways, right? And that's what we need to do. And you don't have to wait for your administrator to do that, right? You can do it with your team. You can do it with the people in your hallway. You can do it with the people on the second floor. Just make sure that you're making moments, right? Creating meaningful moments for you as the adults in the building to get to know the people, to build relationships, to build community, because we can't do this alone. Right. There's there are times that you need someone there right down the hallway. I need to go to the bathroom, right? And that's your backup. Or my gosh, I need a break. I need to step out of my classroom for a moment. But you have that backup person right there. We just touched on something really key though there, Ali, because there might be somebody listening going, look, I spend all day long with these people. I don't want to see these people outside of class. I want to get out of that building. Like I, you know what, I I I gotta get home. And and we do have homes and families and things like this. But I think what you is key is that we cannot do this work alone. No. And it is too hard. It expects too much of us. And that connectivity is so For the school culture. So by creating these bonds, you're actually helping yourself be able to do your job because then you do have people who have your back, people who look out for you. And you know, one of the things I also love about just the way that we engage as a staff here is that you mentioned Halloween horror nights. You open that up. Anybody wants to go, hey, we're just gonna go. The school didn't fund it, it was just like, here's where we're at we're gonna go, we're gonna all share a place. Anybody wants to go, it's wide open. We did that with a count concert earlier this year. there are times that we say, everybody's meeting at so-and-so after school on Friday. Anybody's welcome. And so it may not be a Friday that you can make it, but it might be. And so it's just something that everybody feels like I'm always invited. And so even if you only make it to one or two things, you just have the opportunity to to build those bonds outside of school, which is which is beautiful. And it's it's an unspoken thing. You're always welcome to bring family too. You Bring your your your other person, bring your significant person. It's an appropriate place, bring the kids, you know. So of if it's appropriate for kids. So that's kind of the the culture we've created here. And we also, when we do those things, we're setting a good example for students, right? Right. If we want them to get along, to build community, to take care of each other, and they see their teachers doing that. Right. Yeah, they comment, they say, Y'all like each other, don't you? Y'all are all best friends. They do. But that makes them feel you know, even that piece of it, Ollie, I think, is supportive because there are some kids who don't see healthy adult relationships. And so for us to be able to model, no, this is how adults respect and enjoy and spend time with each other and take care of each other. I think that gives some kids a feeling of of comfort to see that the adults in the building are getting along, most definitely. years ago. I'm I'm gonna tell you I I won't tell you where I was. I was in another state and I was I had the opportunity to go visit classrooms and I get to have some incredible experiences doing this, like going to your school. But I remember I walked in a classroom and they were doing a life skills lesson. It was like homeroom, but it character ed as character ed lesson in a workbook. Mm-hmm. And The teacher across the hall walked in right then and she said, When are you going to lunch? Well, I can't go to lunch till you go to lunch. And she said, They're doing their character ed lesson. Would you leave me alone? You're always on my case. And she said, And they're yelling at each other about the kid while they're doing a character ed lesson. And and I'm just sitting with my mouth again. And then the kids all look up at me like they do this all the time. And I'm thinking, they're sitting there writing about kindness and generosity in this workbook while the two teachers are having it out about how they can't go into the lunchroom. So It's friendship, right? Yeah, friends do. But at first I thought I was is this like a skit? And then I was like, No, it's not a skit. This I thought maybe it was like a setup for the lesson. No, it was actually real life. So it's important for the students to get that exposure, right? To th those types of relationships. When we do the house system, right, in the schools and we're telling the kids you belong to a community, right? Take care of each other. But if we are not doing it as the adults and they're seeing that I'm walking by you every morning and I don't even say good morning to you, Miss Beardon. They're gonna be like, they don't like other. They don't like each Why are they asking us to like each other and take care of each other and be part of a house when they're not doing it? I love it. Another thing I love that you said your fourth point was that professional growth should feel empowering. Talk about that. Yes. And sometimes we have we make the mistake that we think that PDs are about compliance and they're not, right? You have to again feel the temperature in the building, use data to drive those professional developments. And make sure that they're being that that you're designing something that is engaging. The key for professional development is for an educator to walk out of that room feeling I wanna I wanna run back to my classroom and try this new thing. Right, right. And that is one of the things that we hear of so many educators when they come here for our EXPs, is like, I cannot wait to go back to my classroom and try this. And then we hear them on club, we read them on Club RCA where they're sharing with us all the things that they're trying. That is a kind of professional development that you want to develop, right? Right. Also, going back to leading by example, you have the opportunity as a school leader or as a coach, an instructional coach, or so a department lead to demonstrate what you want to see, right? If you want teachers to do classroom transformations, you want teachers to be interactive and creative in the classroom, then you bring that to your professional developments, right? Right. You dress up. I used to dress up all the time, and just because you're always dressing up. Yesterday, you were wearing your red wheel. Yesterday I had a parent meeting and I was dressed like the warden from holes and I had a red wig on and my cowgirl boots and the parent walked in and I looked I look crazy. But you dress up all the time and you find a way to lead by example of what you want to do. You you want teachers to do these kind of things in the classroom. You're the first one doing it. And if I'm gonna provide a professional development for my staff, I'm gonna dress up. I'm gonna make it a theme. I'm gonna make it interactive. I want something fun so they can actually take ideas and go back to the classrooms and do the same for the kids, right? And that is the way you develop those things and also not make a list of on your calendar of these are the the PDs that we're gonna do throughout the year just because, right? Right. No, listen to your teachers, right? What do they want? And teachers speak up as well. Go to your administrators and say to them, I would love to learn more about student engagement. or integrating music in the classroom or I really need help with probing questions in the classroom. Make sure that you're communicating those things. Those those things are important because when you're presenting something that is of relevance, right? Or that you are interested about, you're going to pay attention to it. You're going to go back to your classroom and actually implement it. And that is the key right there. You want to make sure that you are leading, demonstrating what you want to see in the classroom. That's your job as a leader. But teachers also need to communicate what they want to learn about and continue growing. So those experiences and those opportunities are available for them. I love how you wrap that up nicely too, because the first part, yes, as school leaders, if it you know, we've all seen on social media where teachers will talk about if I have to sit in another, you know, boring icebreaker meet where I've we've already done this thing before and you know that and or a bad professional development experience, or being led by somebody who may not have ever even led a classroom or even, has the expertise they need. And it's frustrating for them. So administrators need to do a better job sometimes of of selecting the professional development and attending it. Because that's I know a lot of educators will express their frustration when they come here and share things with us that that I want to try these strategies, but my administrator doesn't even know what it is I'm trying to do. And so that's leading by example. But I also love for the teacher who's listening and saying, Well, that's great. I agree with you, but we're having horrible professional development. I'm miserable. Well, the part that is taking personal responsibility is maybe go and and say, I looked into this or I think this is interesting or this is something that we need. Or even, sometimes funding is hard, but i there's a conference that I'm really fascinated in going to. I really feel like I could bring things back and help our team. That's where as teachers sometimes it's intimidating to do that, but I think it's important that we have a voice and we and we speak up to do that. So I do think this is a perfect segue into we keep mentioning the Ronkark Academy professional development. So if anybody is listening and they don't know what we do here, we do have the opportunity for educators around the globe to visit our school to learn about our methods. And so let's just take a quick break and hear more about RCA EXP. Imagine a school where students are excited to learn. Educators feel confident and equipped, and the culture is thriving. That's what every educator wants, but finding effective strategies in today's demanding environment can feel overwhelming. And you deserve support. The Ron Clark Academy is a nonprofit school and educator training facility in Atlanta. Our nationally recognized educators still teach and lead, so we understand both the challenges and the possibilities. By attending RCA EXP and our other professional development programs, you can observe effective teaching and action. Learn proven strategies from practicing educators and leave ready to adapt them for your own students in school. Thousands of educators attend and learn from us every year, and we would love for you to be next. So come see it, understand why it works, and make it your own. Visit rcaexp.com to register for one of our professional development experiences today. And we're back. So if you're just joining us, I've been talking with my dear friend and co-worker, my colleague Dr. Alali Vasquez, and she's talked about some really key points about how to protect our spark, support and accountability go both ways. That recognition matters, but as educators, we should be recognizing each other. It's not all on the principle how we should use PD to empower ourselves. And now I love your fifth point, which is joy belongs in the work. Help us remember how to keep that. That is so so important. People think that because there's chaos in a classroom and there's music in the classroom that kids are not actually learning. How do you take away joy from learning? Right. We are teaching children and you have to enjoy what you do every single day. I always say that regardless of what you do, you go to work and you're gonna walk out of there exhausted every day. Right. I don't know about you, but the days that I am sitting all day. Is the days that I go home the most dying. Yes. so long. Exhausted. And they were my husband would ask me, Did you were you walking all day? I'm like, no, I was actually at my desk all day and I'm so exhausted. I'd rather be walking classrooms, meeting with kids, enjoying what we're doing. So why not bring joy to the classroom every single day? Right? We're especially now, we're teaching a different generation of students, right? Right. They can't be bored. We have to somehow keep them entertained and engaged all day. So bring that joy to the classroom. And sometimes we have a lot of leaders that think, no, no, you're you the kids are not learning in that classroom. There's too much chaos. I love productive chaos. I love hearing the chaos in my hallway every day from Mr. Bonner's classroom and Mr. Collins' classroom every mor. It's nonstop. And when I drive home, believe me, I want silence in my car in my car, right? But I'm walking out of here happy, joyful, because it's it's a kind of like a a productive exhaustion every every day that you walk out of here because you say, You you did something great for kids today, right? And while I was doing that, I was also having fun myself. You guys are playing music, right? The music that you like, not the kids like, the your music. Right. So when you clean in the mornings every Sunday, right? You play music. In your house and you're cleaning and that makes you happy. So imagine you can do that every day in your classroom. You're playing your music, and while you're doing that, you're you're teaching, you're having fun with the kids. You need to bring that excitement to what you do every day. And that's how you also keep your spark going, right? And that passion for what you do. Because every day you walk in the building saying, Today I'm gonna have fun. And and the days that I do silly, for I like portrang characters and things like that. They are my my most favorite days. But you know, I love that you brought this up because sometimes people have seen images of our our social media and things like that, you know, kids singing, kids dancing, kids joyful, and they're like, Are they doing learning? my goodness, we are one of the most arguably the most academically rigorous middle school in the world. extremely academically rigorous. There is so much research that supports Even the emotional well-being of collective singing together, dancing with someone, just even how that affects serotonin and you know, and and and and this feeling of bonding and well-being. But in addition to that, being able to memorize key concepts, the idea of feeling supported, there's so much research to support the idea of joy and play in an academic setting. Now we I love that you said productive chaos. We also have structure. Guardrails, rules, kids have to abide by those and follow it. It's productive chaos. It's it's making that meaning and that fun. And I was recently, I was with my sons, I was at an event and I ran into a gentleman whose son I taught. Well, his son is a grown man now, so because I've taught for 41 years. And I walked up and you know, he said, you know, it's so good to see you. He said, You know, you taught my son about the logical song from Super Tramp. Okay, so some of y'all don't even have any idea. 1979, but I used to always use this lesson. I was teaching about adverbs and adjectives and got that super tramp. There's a song called The Logical Song, and it's full of all this adverbs and adjectives. So it was interesting that he came up to me and mentioned this, but that his son that became his son's favorite song for years. Now, this is a kid not from 1979. This is a kid from more recent. So even just exposing, I think, to other parts of who we are. It is fun, right? It's building connections with your students every day, right? When you bring in the music that you like. Right. It's just that's that's a way of building relationships because they're getting to know you, right? They're getting to know what you like as well. So joy and rigor doesn't need to be separated at all. You can still bring that joy every single day to the classroom. And it's not about c creating moments just for creating them. It's creating meaningful experiences for the kids. Right. Because that's what they're actually going to remember. Right. Look at your student. There's research that children who are when you're laughing and joyful when learning, that you're more likely to remember it. Now, when you're saying you're laughing about what you're supposed to be laughing about, right? You're you're laughing about the task or the environment, things like that. That that joy actually does increase the ability for kids to be able to learn and remember things. Those are the moments that they will always remember. And we as adults, those are the moments we remember as well. I remember every room transformation I've done as a teacher, every activity that I've done with my with my staff. You remember those moments and you walk out of the building feeling so happy and and proud of what you did, right? It's like today it was very productive. Today was a day that I I made an impact. I created a meaningful moment for the kids. I know they're gonna keep this in their memory for years to come. That's what you want to do every day because why walk out of the building exhausted and miserable? Right? Doesn't even make sense. Every individual in the building. Can bring a good energy or drain it. Right. We we choose that every day. So why not choose to bring joy and excitement while you're also doing your craft and doing it well? We laugh a lot, right? Yeah. We laugh a lot. And I And we're loud. And it we are loud and crazy. And and but kids are learning and they're and they want to be in the building. And I also think that that joy it it helps with the parents as well. You know, one of the tips for you all that are listening, one of our favorite days that we have every year is that we have a day where our parents can come to spend the day in the school building with the kids. And it started off that all schools have an open house where the parents will come in and they, you know, go from class to class and teacher will say something like, Here's my syllabus, here's what we're gonna learn. And and all you've done is demonstrate that we're boring, but we're not. We have so many talents. So it started off years ago that we would tell the teachers, when they come in your classroom, just do a mini lesson. Just Five minutes of the best of who you are, And so you look around the building in one class, maybe they're they're acting at vocabulary or they're doing a or they're you know composing a poem together or they're doing a mini experiment. Parents loved it so much, like we don't wanna leave, we wanna be here all day. So now we have a day where parents or a child, if a parent can't attend a significant adult in life, they can come and they spend the day. And we got parents down there playing dodgeball. I know some of y'all aren't even allowed to play dodgeball anymore, but our parents and our kids are playing dodgeball and we have the parents just laughing and cutting up and it's just It shows them that school and learning is a is a beautiful thing. But it it's always one of my very favorite days. And it opens the school for them to understand what teachers actually have to go through every day, right? They say and the kids too, they say, We're so tired at the end of the day. Now we know why my kids are so tired. And you were here for a couple of minutes, right? You were in here for the entire day with that, we do every single day. But it that builds respect, right? And and and and parents get to and guardians get to respect their teachers because they're like, my gosh, look all the work this teacher had to go through just to give us this. 30 minute lesson. Right. And she has to do this every single day. Right. And that gets the parents on your side, right? And when that moment where you have to communicate something to parents, they already know what you're going through. Right. I think Parent Day, that was one of my takeaways when I came here as a visitor to to my back to my schools, and we did the parent day as well. And it was so valuable and so impactful for the families and even the teachers. And believe me, we did transformations, we went all out that day. And the next round when teachers will put out their Amazon wish list because they were doing a transformation, done in 30 minutes. Parents will be like, yes, because they want their teach their child to experience that in the classroom, right? They already experienced that themselves. And they're like, my gosh, I do want my child to experience this again. Opening the doors and bringing them in builds that connection as well with the teachers and the parents. I I love parenting. That was it definitely is one of my favorite days. It is great. And it and it does help with that support. So your last point, before I say what it is, we always as educators, we are always telling students, act like a leader, be a leader, support others, show leadership skills. We tell every single child that we want them to be leaders. So I don't know why we don't think about this last point more. And I think it's just a a really great way to wrap up and it's see yourself as a leader, no matter your title. I think teachers, it breaks my heart when a teacher says, I'm just a teacher. Just a teacher. There's nothing more honorable or noble to me. So all of us who who work in schools, we're all leaders, no matter what you're doing. And and you know what? If you watch Mr. Alejandro here, who is works in our facilities, that man, if you talk about leading by example, the way that he is the biggest hustler, the joyful spreads love and light, he leads in that way. He's right. talk more about that and and and the importance of that. There's always a misconception that you need a title to be a leader. Yeah. And and you honestly don't. You s you you start leading way before you get a title, right? When you're a child, right? And you're playing hide and seek and you're the one picking who's gonna be counting and who's gonna be hiding and who's doing that. That's leadership right there, right? The what we don't have to wait to get a title in order to do something. For other people. If people are listening to you, if they're following you, if they are walking along you, that means that you're leading them in a way. And and and are you leading them in the right direction? Yes. So the way you speak about your colleagues, the way you talk about your students, the way you interact with your community and the parents, right? That's leadership right there. And that shows if you're gonna be a good leader or a negative leader, right? There are good leaders and negative leaders. Choose to be the positive leader, right? Choose to be the one that is going to lead an event, a committee, that one that is going to speak up when something is wrong, the one that is going to be taking care of others in the building when they need to be taken care of, right? Don't wait for the person who has the title for you to take the lead in doing something, right? It's just you have the potential to do so. Don't ever think that just because you're an educator, You're not a leader. You are leading. You're leading students every day, right? You're leading your parents when they when they come for parent conferences, you're leading that conversation. You are a leader, but you have the choice to do it in a positive way or a negative way. Right. one of my favorite educators I ever worked with was a previous school, Mona. People hear me talk about Mona often. But Mona was a classroom teacher. She had no desire to ever be in a different type of role. And when I think about people who showed led by example, if you ever meet somebody and you say, did you know Mona, they go, Mona. That's how they talk about her. She's one of those people that just whenever you were in a space after you left, you felt better than before you encountered her. She gave epic hugs. She was the person that all kids would go to, all adults would go to. She's just the person that you would find yourself if you walked in the crowded staff meeting, you would just want to go sit at her table. Because there was just something about the way that she just exuded that joy and that positivity. And it wasn't that she didn't have challenges in her life or stressors or, things she was dealing with. She just led in that way. And so I think sometimes we think you don't have to be in charge even of the committee. Just the fact if you show up at every committee and you are somebody who's supporting the people who are doing that, then you're leading by example. And it's it's just so important. And it helps make everybody happier. Yeah. Yeah, it definitely does. you talk about Alejandro. We I talk about Cookie. When Cookie speaks, we all listen, right? Right. And when he says put those balls inside that the box, and why we're leaving ropes and things in the courtyard, we're like, let's clean up the courtyard and make sure that everything is put away because cookie needs to be happy about that, right? That's the way we're leading. He's making sure that our school is clean and well maintained and everything is in place. That's the kind of leadership that you want to see in in your building. Right. But we also have to have leaders that are able to pinpoint those people, right? And build that the the leadership in in others as well. Just like we do with kids. And we're like you were mentioning, we're always telling the kids, I want you to be a leader. You need to act like a leader. So we also have to make sure that our educators are feeling, I think you can be a good leader. The the the the next principle. The next instructional coach, the next thing, the next superintendent is in the classroom right now. Right. Right? Right. And we need to find them. We need to make sure that we are exposing them, that we are empowering them, that we are growing them because that's our legacy. As leaders, that the ultimate goal of a leader is leaving a legacy. We want people to remember you, like you were saying about Mona, because you were so kind. And and every time they mention Kim Beard and Kim Beard and So much love. You want people to remember you that way. But we also want people to say, we still do this because of Ms. Bjordan, right? She created this for us. And this is meaningful because she left this legacy for us. Every person in the building has the potential to do that, right? Right. We have Ryan Clark, one of our students in Reverend, and she talked about World Dreamers Day, right? And we celebrate that every year because she brought it up. She wanted us to celebrate World Dreamers Day. A student. A student, right? So she left a legacy and left a study. She left a legacy. And so why can't we just as adults say, I'm not gonna wait for someone to discover me? I'm just gonna take the lead doing something, the initiative of doing something positive for the school, for a student, for a family, for a community, and leading each other, right? A lot of people out there would like to say, teachers work so hard. Right. But do they really know what we have to go through? Right. They don't know the endless hours that we have to do for a lesson plan, right? out of pocket money that we use to buy things for our students and create a little bit of magic in the classroom. How we take away time from our loved ones, right? Just to spend time with some of our students because we love them so much. People don't realize that, but we as educators do, right? So why not take the lead of making sure that we're taking care of each other? Doing positive things for each other. Like I said before, we can do this alone, right? And encouraging friends that you have, colleagues that you have, if you see something that you know that they'd be good at, telling them. Yes. Yeah. Tell them. I I love it. This this is you. This has your name written all over it. I think that's so important. And Talk about people in the room where they're not there in a positive way. I love their name. Right. Isn't that good to talk about people but only in a good way? Yeah. Talk talk talk speak well of one another behind their back. That's a beautiful thing to do. Bring their names in their in that room where where things are happening and say, So and so, I think she would be great during this. Yeah. I love that. It it's so important just to be there for each other. Educators need to learn that the only way we'll be able to teach for forty four forty one years, right? What and continue going. is having that person next to you too, your go-to person, having your people that encourage you, that empower you, that are there for you when you need them. We have to be there for one another because we're the only ones that understand what truly is to be an educator. Well I think that even the overarching theme that everything you shared, it really is about people needing people and and finding your people, supporting your people, being there for your people. sharing joy with your people, having fun with your people. And so I hope that every educator listening will say, you know what? I'm gonna go find my people or I'm gonna go, I'm gonna go make my group of people. Cause I'm gonna I'm gonna invite everybody and and see who and see who shows up. And and understanding that even though you are tired, you may be saying, I don't want to see those people anymore. I I have to work with them every day. Remembering that no you really do need them because we have to do such hard work together. So Ali as a final thought, you you've shared so many nuggets here and so many Things that just show the wisdom you have of two two decades in this profession. But what do you think is the key thing you just would like everybody to remember? Every educator should remember every morning as they walk in the building, right? Every morning, think about that student that is waiting for you. That student that's waiting for you, that is counting on you, that is looking up to you, that family. That is giving you their mo their most precious treasure, right? The most valuable thing that they could have, they are giving that to you and trusting you with it. So that matters. And the many lives that you are going to be changing throughout your career. And that is going to be your spark. And if there's something specific in education that of what you do, that that is what actually keeps you going, then protect that. Protect that. Every day, some the the thing that you like the most is playing music and things singing with the kid. Protect that. Right? Or doing room transformations, protect that. Or just having lunch with your students, protect that. And that is what's gonna keep you going. Take care of one another, right? That that is the key. And a lot of people may think, that is just fluff, but it's not fluff, right? Whatever investment you do in the adults, you're gonna get that in return with the students, right? That's the biggest investment that you can do in any building. So any superintendent, any board member, any school administrator, any department lead, any teacher, invest in the adults. Take care of one another and you will get great results with students. Ollie, thank you for investing in me as a friend and as a as a mentor and as a colleague and as a coworker and for showing up for me on countless occasions in addition to so many other people in this building and all these kids and the other people who are fortunate enough to work with you before you came here to be at the academy because we're very blessed to have you. And so I appreciate you and I appreciate all of you for tuning in. And so I hope that you'll join us again for our next episode of the RCA mix. Thank you for joining us. We hope you've enjoyed this episode and can take away something that you may be able to use in your classroom and school. And above all, the goal is to impact as many students As possible. So please take the time to share this with your fellow teachers, colleagues, and friends as well. And please remember to subscribe to never miss another one of our amazing guests. While we hope you continue to watch and listen to the RCA Mix podcast, we would really love for you to come visit us in person here at the Ron Kirk Academy to attend one of our professional development conferences. They happen almost every single week, and you can learn more about them and how to register at rcaexp.com. We hope to see you here.