Episode 066: State Superintendent

EDIT: I previously posted this episode with a previous interview with Superintendent Hofmeister, it has since been updated.

Every year I am incredibly fortunate to be able to connect with Oklahoma’s State Superintendent Joy Hofmeister. This past year, and no doubt looking forward, was quite an unusual year for #oklaed. A pandemic not only devastated our country it also hi-lighted and exasperated many of the systemic issues of racism and inequities that exist throughout our country and our beloved system of education. New Year’s Day is one of my favorite times of year, I love reflecting and dreaming! I want to challenge you to lean in, reflect, and purposefully plan how you will be a part of the conversation of change.

I want to thank Superintendent Hofmeister for always taking the time to meet with me and reflect on the past year while thinking to the year ahead. You can follow the Superintendent on Facebook or on Twitter @joy4ok.

Reflection Questions:

1. What were the highlights from the last semester of this school year?
2. How did you grow as an education?
3. What were some of the lowlights from the last semester of this school year?
4. What kind of lessons did you learn from them?

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Episode 062: Back to School

For this episode of Passing Notes, I decided to do something a little different… I’ve been wanting to do a Back to School episode for awhile now (well since the beginning of last year) where I could talk through the things I’m most excited about for the school year, resources, and books teachers should look into to start the year. Well, there is no time like the present and let’s be honest there is going to be no year like this year! 

To start out, I’m going to do introductions like I always do because I realize I may have never introduced myself. I’m Stephanie Hinton, I’m the Director of Early Childhood for Oklahoma City Public Schools and the Passing Notes with Stephanie Hinton Podcaster. I started my teaching career in Tulsa Public Schools but spent most of my career in Putnam City Schools at Tulakes Elementary. I have taught kindergarten, 2nd grade, was an assistant principal, and a curriculum coordinator. The 2020-2021 school year will mark my 13th year in public education. You can connect with me here at Passing Notes with Stephanie Hinton, Twitter @thestephhinton or Facebook.

Here are the resources and books I recommend you checking out for the 2020-2021 school year:

• Shane Safir’s The Listening Leader
• Procedures for using Zoom or Google Hangout:

• Audit your classroom library with tools from EduTopia or Embracing Equity
• How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi
• White Fragility: Why it’s so Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo
• “Why are all the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?”: A Psychologist Explains the Development of Racial Identity by Beverly Daniel Tatum
• So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo
• The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander
• Anti-Racism Resources for White People — Document Compiled by Sarah Sophie Flicker and Alyssa Klein
• Anti-Racism Videos for Kids — Complied by We Are Teachers’ Jeannne Croteau
• Black Lives Matter at School Teaching Materials
• 10 things every white teacher should know when talking about race by Angela Watson’s Truth for Teachers
• How Schools Can Help Teachers Understand and Address Racial Biases by Amadou Diallo, posted on Mindshift
• Teaching Tolerance

We are going into the 2020-2021 school year with so much possibility for change and growth, this can be overwhelming so it’s important to start by mapping out and committing to your own growth as an educator. What steps do you want to take to more effectively and efficiently use the new resources and technology in your classroom? How will you consciously identify your biases and be proactively anti-racists? What are your next steps? 

I think it’s also important to acknowledge the fear and stress going into this next school year, it will be unlike any we have had to date, This year will not be easy but I do think we can learn from the task that is ahead of us (whatever that looks like) and forge a better tomorrow for our amazing students!

Episode 060: Advocacy & Covid 19

Whew! This last month has been… so many things but normal. As I’m sitting in my home office thinking about everything that has happened, I’m truly overwhelmed. Like many educators, I’m concerned about our families and their children. I’m worried about my teachers and how they are adjusting. I’m thinking about week 3 of our Continuous Learning Plan, when week 1 came out yesterday. I’m amazed by our SNS team who continues to serve more meals everyday and our instructional staff who handed out thousands of learning packets to families. This. This has truly been adjustment but I have seen the best in others and a community of people come together.

I had been planning an episode about advocacy for awhile. I had wanted to release it in February with the new legislative season occurring but life happened and it hit the list of things I was going to get to eventually. A few weeks ago Dr. April Grace, Shari Gateley, and I were reflecting on all that had been happening when Dr. Grace announced we should podcast about this and so we did. If you don’t know Dr. April Grace, she is the Superintendent of Shawnee Public Schools and you can find her on Twitter @ShawneeSup. Shari Gateley, currently an Assistant Principal at Irving Middle School in Norman and 2019 OK TOY Finalist, is also a parent to a PreK and K student, and you can find her on Twitter @ShariGateley.

Hope you enjoy our conversation and that you are staying safe and healthy!

058: School TurnAround

For this episode of Passing Notes I had the opportunity to interview my previous principal, Mr. Lee Roland. Lee Roland is a former teacher, principal, district-level administrator, and the author of the book Fantastic Voyage: a Story of School Turnaround and Achievement by Overcoming Poverty and Addressing Race. Lee Roland is known for his work at Tulakes Elementary in Putnam City Schools. In this episode we explored the topics he covers in his book and his experiences of school turnaround at Tulakes Elementary.

Reflective Questions:

• What does your current culture/climate look like?
• What areas of growth are needed in your current sphere (school or district)? Suspension rates? Academic? Attendance?
• What are your plans to engage parents and students throughout the school year?
• What support do you currently need to grow your school? Who do you need to support you? What do you need from your team?
• What metrics will you look at to measure your school’s growth this year?
• What are you most proud of that is happening in your school community?

Episode 057: School Culture

For this episode of Passing Notes I interviewed recently retired educator, Kevin Lynch. Kevin is a former teacher, university professor, has provided support to teachers through grants across the state, and a former school administrator. I know Kevin because he was one of my teachers at East Central University. From the first day in his class I was amazed at his ability to create a culture of safety and acceptance where students felt comfortable to share their thoughts, ideas, hopes, and dreams about education. I of course had to visit with him about building culture as an educational leader.

Reflection Questions:

• What does culture look like in your current position? Where does growth or change need to occur?
• What does your school community value? How are those values represented in the culture, mission, and vision of the school?
• What are the subcultures at your school site? How do they impact the entire school?
• How does your school culture impact your students’ success?
• Who are the community stakeholders that are important to developing school culture?
• What steps can you take to cultivate a strong, positive school culture?

Episode 056: Equity

For this episode of Passing Notes I interviewed William Stubbs. William is the Managing Director with Uplift Education in Dallas, Texas and is a co-moderator for #BMEsTalk. William and I discussed the importance of equity in education and what districts need to do to keep the conversation going. You can find William on Twitter @WmStubbs.

Reflection Questions:

• How do you define equity?
• What practices are in place in your classroom or district to ensure that equity is a part of the conversation?
• What practices are in place in your classroom or district that are not ensuring equity for each student in your classroom or district?
• Do students feel included in the classroom and apart of the conversation? Do teachers feel included in the school and feel apart of the conversation?
• Which members of your district’s community have been historically left out of the conversation? In what ways, are you ensuring that their voices are heard at the decision-making table?

Episode 055: Strategic Planning

For this episode of Passing Notes I interviewed Melonie Hau, the Superintendent of Newcastle Public Schools. Superintendent Hau has worked with multiple districts and the K20 Center on strategic planning. Through this she has learned and led districts in how to create a strategic plan that drives district decisions and student achievement. You can find Superintendent Hau on Twitter @melhau11 and the K20 Center on their website or on Twitter @k20center

Reflection Questions:

• Does your district currently have a strategic plan?
• How do you implement the strategic plan in your role within the district?
• To update or start strategic planning, who needs to be at the table to move the conversation forward?
• What are your district’s priorities that need to be considered in the strategic planning process?
• What steps does your district need to take to ensure that the current strategic plan is in motion and applicable to the work that the district is doing to improve student achievement?
• What does your leadership team need to be successful at strategic planning?

Episode 054: The Power of PLC

For this episode of Passing Notes I interviewed Dr. Keely Frayser. Keely is the Executive Director of Curriculum in the Putnam City School District. Keely and I discussed in depth the power of a PLC community within a school and a district and how PLCs can help change the narrative and community of a school.

Reflection Questions:

• What does your curtain PLC practice looks like?
• What are the expectations for PLC and collaboration in your school?
• What drives your school’s PLC conversation?
• What data is important for your teachers to discuss during PLC meetings?
• How does PLC and regular collaboration impact your school environment?
• Who has ownership of PLCs?

Episode 053: Developing School Community

For this episode of Passing Notes I interviewed Greg Frederick. Greg is the principal of the U.S. Grant High School in Oklahoma City Public Schools. In this role he and his staff have worked hard to develop a place where students can come learn, grow, explore their passions, and make connections.

Reflection Questions:

• What programs/partnerships do you currently have in your school?
• What gaps do you see that need to be filled to support students in your school? How might partnerships help?
• How does your school build community for your students?
• What values/priorities does the staff at your school have that guide your decision making?
• What plans do you have to create a stronger school community for your students?

Episode 052: Building Relationships

For this episode of Passing Notes, in the Leadership Series, I visited with retired educator Pam Hibbs on building relationships. Pam Hibbs is the former Director of Early Childhood and my old boss in OKCPS. During her time with OKCPS she developed relationships with community partners, families, and students in order to build opportunities for families.

Reflection Questions:

• How do you build relationships with your students and parents?
• How do you build relationships with partners to provide opportunities for your students?
• How does your school engage the community/parents to participate in instruction?
• What strategies do you use to encourage family participation?
• What impact does engaging partners/families in the classroom have on instruction? Building community?