Or listen on Apple, Spotify, Google, or another platform. Alternatively, you can read along with the transcript.

For students who struggle in the traditional classroom, alternative education programs can offer bastions of hope for the future.

In this episode of the BRIGHT podcast, I chat with Danielle Bell, a teacher for Romulus Virtual Learning Center, who shares:

• Common misconceptions about virtual learning,
• Why hope is such a critical part of alternative education, and 
• Her top three tips for fellow educators

You can listen to my conversation with Danielle using the audio player above or by subscribing to the BRIGHT podcast in your app-of-choice (find us on Apple, Spotify, Google, and more) or by reading along with the transcript.

Of course, we understand that educators are busier than ever. If you don’t have time to listen to Danielle’s full episode (which offers the fuller effect of her wisdom, energy, and examples), you can still benefit from a glimpse at her top three tips below.

3 tips for bringing hope into the alternative classroom

#1. Patience is key

Most teaching positions require a great deal of patience.

However, Danielle says you need an extra dose of patience when teaching in an alternative education setting.

Life is challenging for many students who need alterative education. For example, many of Danielle’s students face significant challenges outside of school.

To support them, she sometimes has to extend deadlines and reach out multiple times before an assignment is finally submitted.

The key is being patient without giving up on them. She keeps reaching out — “nagging,” as she calls it — and lets her students know they can and will succeed. 

By believing in them, even when they don’t believe in themselves, Danielle gently holds her students accountable for their success even when they feel it’s outside of reach. 

#2. Perform wellness checks

According to Danielle, another part of inspiring hope is going beyond academics to check in on your student’s social and emotional well-being. 

“Students suffered so much through the pandemic, mentally and psychologically,” she says. “Especially in alternative ed, you have to continue to inspire despite whatever else is going on.”

When students let Danielle know they’re going through personal challenges, she makes sure to check in on them periodically to see how they’re coping. 

Sometimes, this just means listening and encouraging. Other times, it means putting a student in touch with professional help, a counselor they can talk to or maybe someone who can help them get a Bridge Card.

At times, Danielle admits, she feels like she’s part social worker, part teacher.

But like any good teacher, she does what’s best for her students even when it’s hard, supporting them as they navigate the balance between life and school and seek a better future for themselves.

#3. Create structure in your classroom

Structure is another key to success in Danielle’s classroom. 

Over time, she and her colleagues at Romulus Virtual Learning Center have found that bringing additional touch-points with students leaves them with greater odds of success.

For Danielle, this realization has resulted in scheduling more virtual meetings each week, during which time she can connect with her students and see how they’re progressing in their online coursework.

Because she works in an online setting, students sometimes enter her classroom with misconceptions. By providing a stronger sense of structure for her students, Danielle can clarify these expectations and coach them in the right direction.

“Once you bring the structure in,” she says, “everything else can fall into place.”

My favorite quotes from this episode

“Hope, to me, resonates throughout alternative education.”

“When you’re comfortable, you don’t usually do as well. But when you’re uncomfortable — like I was telling some of my kids recently — that’s where you rise up to the occasion. And that’s what [Mrs. Lockridge] did for me when it came to writing… Whenever I got in uncomfortable situations when I went to college, even in the work world, I always thought about her and decided not to give up.”

“To see students come into the program who might not be doing well in the beginning, who by the end of the semester have gone up even one letter grade in their classes, that’s a big accomplishment. It gives them hope that they can do it next semester, and then, the next semester. And before you know it, they’ll be graduating high school.”

Related resources

• Watch: Building an online credit recovery program that works
• Listen: Why online learning can be liberating for students with IEP and 504 plans
• Listen: How to reignite love for learning with a project-based curriculum

Or listen on Apple, Spotify, Google, or another platform. Alternatively, you can read along with the transcript.

In this episode of the BRIGHT podcast, I chat with Eric Graves, the former statewide coordinator for the Michigan Cares program, who shares:

• Our collective perception of those who have wronged us,
• What community healing requires of all of us, and 
• Three things to consider when implementing restorative practices.

You can listen to my conversation with Eric using the audio player above or by subscribing to the BRIGHT podcast in your app-of-choice (find us on Apple, Spotify, Google, and more) or by reading along with the transcript.

Of course, we understand that educators are busier than ever. If you don’t have time to listen to Eric’s full episode (which offers the fuller effect of his wisdom, energy, and examples), you can still benefit from a glimpse at his top three tips below.

3 things to consider when implementing restorative practices

#1. Garner a deep understanding of what restorative practices are not

There are many misconceptions about restorative practices. Before implementing this approach in your school community, it’s important to be well-versed in these nuances.

Restorative practices do not involve skipping over consequences. It’s not a permissive, do-whatever-you-want system. 

Restorative practices are a paradigm shift in how we deal with people who commit infractions in our communities. 

“People commit crimes for a good reason to them,” says Eric. “If I’m going to teach you something new, I can’t shame you. I have to help bring you back to this place where we restore you first, and then we can restore the community.”

Hurting people hurt people. Restorative practices offer those who commit crimes an opportunity to restore and heal, first themselves and then their community.

“If failure is not final, if people are allowed to make mistakes,” Eric says, “then we create an environment where we can renew.”

Ultimately, it’s an approach centered around keeping people in the community rather than pushing them away. 

#2. Start getting community buy-in early

Community buy-in is super important when implementing restorative practices. 

The first time a frustrated parent hears about restorative practices shouldn’t be a time when a student didn’t get expelled for behavior for which they historically would have been expelled. 

Restorative practices are not a replacement for having appropriate protocols in place when a student’s behavior is genuinely dangerous to their peers. 

Besides, if your new discipline system comes from a top-down mandate, people will naturally become resentful. 

“A lot of people in schools adopt a program because they’ve been told to do so,” Eric adds. “Then, in their hearts and in their minds, they’re resentful.”

To gain community buy-in, you’ll need to have open conversations about restorative practices and informed empathy about why it is necessary. 

#3. Build capacity with a comprehensive SEL curriculum

Once you have buy-in from your community, you can start working on building out the foundation for restorative practices. 

That’s where having a comprehensive social emotional learning (SEL) curriculum comes into play. 

According to CASEL, the five pillars of SEL are:

• Self-awareness
• Social awareness
• Self-management
• Responsible decision-making
• Relationship skills 

These skills are critical both to preventing infractions from happening in the first place AND for helping all parties restore after a crime has been committed.

“If we don’t have a sense of who we are, if we don’t understand empathy, and if we don’t know how to move from the conditioning of our past,” says Eric, “then we can’t move into the future.“

Restorative practices aren’t easy. They ask us to reconcile some big feelings about those who have wronged us. This process can be emotionally difficult for all parties involved, even adults. 

Having an SEL curriculum in place prepares school communities for the kind of emotional work required to engage with restorative practices.

If your school could benefit from a free social emotional learning curriculum, check out Michigan Cares, which is available to all Michigan schools or districts at no cost. There’s real-time data reporting for school leaders, mental health & prevention content, and an option to add on a restorative justice program.

My favorite quotes from this episode

“The purpose of discipline is to teach and not to punish.”

“We build a way of restoring the individual who committed the offense first. That’s a hard thing to grasp. But a person can’t restore something when they don’t fully understand it. You don’t want a superficial apology.”

“Before you can restore something, you have to come to an understanding of what the good reason was behind it. And they’re always good reasons. That’s hard to understand. They’re always good reasons to them. We have to ask: What was the good reason why you did what you did? And how did that work for you?”

“Sometimes we want to seek justice because we’ve been taught it will heal us. But we know that that’s not necessarily the truth.”

“It’s a new way of thinking. It really moves away from our whole process of how we right wrongs in our society. It’s not anti-consequences. It’s a new way of keeping people in the community and saying, ‘I’m not going to let you go.’”

“We know that the law is reactionary and that there will never be enough laws to respond to the things that we all will do. If we’re waiting for there to be enough violations to correct society, we’re in trouble. We’re going to need some different structures.”

“How do we restore an environment when someone has violated our sense of safety, violated our sense of dignity, and made us feel uncomfortable? That’s the conversation that we need to have.”

Related resources

• Explore: Michigan Cares
• Read: 4 ways that zero-tolerance policies affect Michigan students [with infographics]
• Read: Restorative justice 101 — A paradigm shift in education [with infographics]
• Learn and earn: Social Emotional Learning: Introduction to SEL

Or listen on Apple, Spotify, Google, or another platform. Alternatively, you can read along with the transcript.

Digital literacy skills are no longer a luxury. They’re critical to a flourishing democracy. 

In this episode of BRIGHT, I chat with James Johnson, a social studies teacher at Loy Norrix High School in Kalamazoo, who was recognized as a 2021-22 regional teacher of the year.

In this episode of the BRIGHT podcast, James shares:

• Why digital literacy skills are fundamental to civic life
• Examples of how he teaches these skills in his classroom
• Three tried-and-true tips for fellow educators.

You can listen to my conversation with James using the audio player above or by subscribing to the BRIGHT podcast in your app-of-choice (find us on Apple, Spotify, Google, and more) or by reading along with the transcript.

Of course, we understand that educators are busier than ever. If you don’t have time to listen to James’ full episode (which offers the fuller effect of his wisdom, energy, and examples), you can still benefit from a glimpse at his top three tips below.

3 ways to bring digital literacy into your classroom

#1. Build a routine around digital literacy

Classrooms have routines for almost every aspect of education — homework, classwork, discussions, tests, etc. 

James’ best advice for bringing digital literacy skills into your classroom is to make a routine out of it. 

Make it simple and adaptable, no matter your lesson or unit. 

In James’ classroom, for example, they use the acronym S.O.A.P.S. every time they analyze primary source materials. 

S.O.A.P.S. stands for sourcing, occasion, audience, purpose, and subject. An even more straightforward formula that James shares boils down to three essential questions borrowed from the website Civic Online Reasoning from Stanford University:

• Who’s behind the information? 
• What’s the evidence? 
• What do other sources say about this information? 

At first, this process may seem tedious, but by the end of the semester, it becomes habitual. 

As this routine is modeled and reinforced throughout the year, students come to expect it and become quick in applying this formula to identify an author’s potential biases.

#2. Practice what you preach

James’ second tip is more easily said than done: 

Practice what you preach. 

As curious and thoughtful as they are, teachers aren’t immune to bias and disinformation.

“We aren’t exempt from the algorithms or our own psychology,” says James. “We’re just as prone to disinformation or misinformation as our students are.” 

Since he began teaching a current events class, James has been more intentional about incorporating digital literacy into his personal life. He’ll share anecdotes with his students about how he applies these strategies after getting fired up while browsing Twitter. 

“We need to be responsible digital citizens first,” he adds, “if we expect our students to be responsible digital citizens.”

By practicing what he preaches, James builds trust with his students and demonstrates that digital literacy isn’t just something you need to do for a class: These are skills that can shape the way you browse, engage, and learn for the rest of your life. 

#3. Don’t reinvent the wheel — There are tons of free resources already out there!

This one James can’t emphasize enough:

Don’t reinvent the wheel!

There are so many websites and resources out there dedicated to teaching students digital literacy skills.

Even better, many of these resources are free. Rather than creating materials from scratch, you can save a lot of time by first seeing what’s out there.

You can check out James’ list of go-to resources on digital literacy featured at the bottom of this article under “related resources.” 

My favorite quotes from this episode

“Reliable information is to civic health what clean water and proper sanitation are to public health. Never has so much information been at our fingertips as it is today. Whether this bounty will make us smarter and more informed or more ignorant and narrow-minded will depend on one thing: Our educational response to this challenge.” (quoted from Sam Wineberg of Civic Online Reasoning)

“It’s in our nature to defend our position, whether it’s something serious, like a political debate, or something sillier or more entertaining.”

“One thing we know about social media and the internet is that these programs have computer algorithms that learn about our preferences and then cater those digital experiences to match our patterns. So if someone starts gravitating toward disinformation, they can quickly wind up in a feedback loop or echo chamber. They need digital literacy skills then to evaluate this information.”

“Without sounding overdramatic, I think our democracy is at stake. If we don’t teach these skills, then people don’t realize how the systems work and how their own psychology works. That’s how disinformation spreads. When disinformation spreads, it influences our policies, and that can spiral very quickly. I don’t want to sound overdramatic, but I do think these skills are essential to keeping our country going.”

Related resources

• Explore: Civic online reasoning
• Explore: Stanford history education group
• Explore:  Research learning modules
• Watch: Crash course videos
• Explore: ReadWriteThink
• Explore: C3Teachers
• Read: Why learn history (when it’s already on your phone) by Sam Wineburg 
• Explore: Checkology

Or listen on Apple, Spotify, Google, or another platform. Alternatively, you can read along with the transcript.

Today’s classrooms look different than they did before the COVID-19 pandemic.

In this episode of the BRIGHT podcast, I chat with Janet Swarthout, a speech, drama, and debate teacher at Caro High School, who was honored as a 2021-22 regional teacher of the year.

• Her experience teaching through the pandemic,
• How she’s changed up her instruction to better meet student needs,
• Her top three strategies for keeping students engaged in the post-pandemic classroom. 

You can listen to my conversation with Janet using the audio player above or by subscribing to the BRIGHT podcast in your app-of-choice (find us on Apple, Spotify, Google, and more) or by reading along with the transcript.

Of course, we understand that educators are busier than ever. If you don’t have time to listen to Janet’s full episode (which offers the fuller effect of her wisdom, energy, and examples), you can still benefit from a glimpse at her top three tips below.

3 tips for engaging students in the post-pandemic classroom

#1. Getting to know your students is more important than ever

Relationship-building has always been an essential part of education. Still, Janet says that getting to know your students (and letting them get to know you) is even more critical post-pandemic.

As a speech, drama, and debate teacher, for her first activity each semester, she asks students to speak about themselves for a full minute so that she and their peers can get to know them better.

In return, she tells them about her hobbies, why she loves teaching, and about Bumpkin, her miniature horse (pictured below). 

“They need to know who I am,” she says, “so they can trust me with their education. They have to know I am a concerned, caring person.”

Today, Janet is also more explicit about letting students know her expectations up front and how they can get help if they need it.

“I set high expectations,” she explains. “But I let them know right away that I’m not expecting anything that they’re not capable of.”

Given the isolation students experienced during the pandemic, these pillars of trust and connection are more critical than ever before.

#2. Keep your lessons shorter and more collaborative

Teaching has changed a lot since Janet first entered the classroom 40 years ago. Since the pandemic began, she has continued evolving her instructional approach to better meet student needs. 

Upon returning to the classroom after remote learning, Janet found her students struggled to pay attention during long lectures and yearned for social interaction with their peers.

These days, she’s found success in keeping her lessons shorter and her activities more collaborative. 

“The thing I love about teaching is it’s always going to change,” she told me. “A teacher needs to constantly reinvent themselves and their material to meet the needs of the students that we have today.”

Given how effective these changes have been for her students, Janet believes that these concise, interactive lessons will persist in her classroom long after the pandemic is over.

#3. Draw connections to the future

Another instructional strategy that Janet has been more intentional about is drawing connections to the future.

“Students often have a hard time thinking about their futures,” she explains. “They don’t know where they’re going to be. They don’t know what they’re going to do.”

As a teacher, Janet then views it as her job to draw connections about how what students are learning will benefit them, whether it be for a future class, a career, or personal development. 

Now more than ever, she says this future orientation is vital. 

During the pandemic, many of her students were afraid they wouldn’t have a future. The world as they knew it shut down. 

By making more explicit connections to the future, Janet instills a sense of hope in her students. She reminds them that they will have a future and that the skills they’re learning in class will help them shape this future.

My favorite quotes from this episode

“I don’t know that my classroom will ever look like it did pre-pandemic years, and I’m okay with that.”

“These are our future leaders. They’re our future politicians. They’re our future doctors and lawyers. They’re our future everything. So, we have to get students to see how important their education is. They have to see that even though they’re only one person, they have an impact on everything that goes on in our world. My hope is that in the post-pandemic classroom, we take a look at how we view our students and set goals for them to become the people that we as a country as a nation as a world need them to be.”

“Teaching children is a privilege, and it’s not one that should be taken lightly.”

“I keep falling in love with teaching over and over again. Every time a student grasps a concept, and I see that light bulb turn on, I think, ‘Yes, this is why I do this.’ I truly love my job, which is why I’ve done it for 40 years and still plan to keep doing it.”

Related resources

• Learn and earn: Being a Reflective Teacher During a Pandemic (3 SCECHs)
• Read: 20 student engagement strategies for a captivating classroom
• Read: 13 student engagement strategies that work
• Read: 10 strategies for increasing student engagement in 2022

• Read: Top 10 education technology tools for schools in 2022
• Read: 20 edtech tools for 2022
• Read: Best interactive classroom technology tools

Or listen on Apple, Spotify, Google, or another platform. Alternatively, you can read along with the transcript.

When students sit down at their desks, you can’t often tell what traumas they’ve experienced that may be affecting their ability to learn that day. 

In this episode of BRIGHT, I chat with Beth Vonck, a language and literature teacher for Washtenaw International High School and Middle Academy, who was honored as a 2021-22 regional teacher of the year.

In this episode of the BRIGHT podcast, Beth and I explore:

• Why trauma-informed instruction is so critical to student success,
• Examples of what this looks like in practice in Beth’s classroom, and
• Three guidelines for supporting students experiencing trauma.

A quick note on the content of this episode: As we discuss trauma experienced by young people, there are some brief mentions of sexual abuse, violence, mental illness, and suicide. Listener discretion is advised.

Here’s a sneak peek at our conversation:

You can listen to my conversation with Beth using the audio player above or by subscribing to the BRIGHT podcast in your app-of-choice (find us on Apple, Spotify, Google, and more) or by reading along with the transcript.

Of course, we understand that educators are busier than ever. If you don’t have time to listen to Beth’s full episode (which offers the fuller effect of her wisdom, energy, and examples), you can still benefit from a glimpse at her top three tips below.

3 ways to support students experiencing trauma

#1. Practice making students feel seen

This may seem like a simple suggestion, but Beth greets every student as they come through her door. 

Given all the pressures teachers are under, it can certainly be easy to get busy or underestimate the power of welcoming each child into your classroom. 

With over 30 students in her class, this initial greeting is one place that Beth can build a personal relationship with each student and intervene if something is wrong.

“Names are powerful,” Beth says.“Sometimes, this might be the only time an adult says a child’s name in a whole day.” 

During our interview, Beth shared an incident from three days prior, where a student broke into tears upon being greeted. She got the young girl a chair and gave her a few minutes to decompress while her classmates filtered into the classroom. 

Upon talking to the student, it became clear that she was struggling with her mental health. As a result of that conversation, Beth was able to enlist help from her principal and get the student the help she needed.

Most days, Beth clarifies, the conversations are a bit more lighthearted. She compliments students on a new haircut or learns about a pet goldfish they got over the weekend.  

By greeting students at the door, she has a chance to ensure her students feel seen and cared for. 

#2. Avoid power struggles

Beth’s next suggestion is to avoid getting into power struggles with students. 

For example, when a student is disruptive, it may be tempting to say, “I see what you’re doing, and I need it stopped.”

But too often, this leads to students becoming defensive. The result is that both you and the student are set up for failure. 

Beth explains that the more excited a student’s emotions become, the more critical it is for their teacher to be calm to help them co-regulate. 

To avoid power struggles, she does her best to reframe conversations about student behavior with key questions, such as, “What do you need from me?” and “How are you going to do that?” 

Consider the following scenario: A student isn’t working on an assignment when they’re supposed to be. You could approach the student and say, “You need to get started on your assignment,” but this would immediately put you in an adversarial relationship.

Instead, Beth would say, “What do you need from me to get started on this assignment?”

“Well, I guess I just need to do it,” the student might respond. 

To this, she could reply gently, “Oh, okay. Well, how are you going to do that?”

Beth speaks with a calm, compassionate tone. You can tell when she offers these examples that she brings genuine curiosity into her relationships with students rather than judgment. 

By intentionally avoiding power struggles, she creates space for her students to pause and reflect on what they need to succeed.

#3. Assume good intentions

Beth says that students don’t seek to get on their teachers’ nerves or give them a hard time. Even though it may feel intentional sometimes, there is always a root cause behind every behavior.

It isn’t personal. 

Students experiencing high trauma are constantly scanning their environment, looking for triggers. A student could be triggered by something as simple as you speaking in way that reminds them of their mother. In this situation, the way they respond to you is not at all personal, even if it may feel that way. 

When assuming good intent in student behavior, you must first acknowledge that there is a root cause, whether or not you (or even the student) know what it is.

The hard thing to accept is that you may not be able to fix the root cause of the student’s behavior, but you can at least reframe your own perspective to help them as best you can.

“You can’t always be that person to everybody at all times,” Beth admits. “But knowing it’s not about me, so I’m not going to take this personally, that’s the big thing. You’ve got to assume those good intentions. Because a lot of times kids really do like you, and they really do want to please you.”

By assuming good intentions, she sees beyond her student’s current behavior and gently helps them move forward. 

My favorite quotes from this episode

“If we are not addressing the whole child, then we aren’t addressing the child at all.”

“Our job as teachers is trying to figure out how to teach a child who has kept a part of themselves hidden. To do that, we have to be able to understand what is impacting the child beyond our doors. That’s what trauma is all about. Many times, the things students can’t share — or are reluctant to share — are in the forefront of their brains when they come into our classrooms. I didn’t have breakfast. I didn’t have dinner last night. Is somebody going to be home when I get there? My birthday is coming up. Am I going to have a birthday this year? Is my little sister going to get picked up from the bus? All of these kinds of questions are what our kids are thinking about. We’re not. We’re standing in front of the class, saying, ‘Okay, everybody, let’s look at this sentence. Can you see a noun in this sentence? How about a verb? Let’s talk about imagery.’ Well, they could care less because the image in their head is not the same image that we have.”

“What would make a straight, white female think I was hurting children just by asking about their family? It didn’t occur to me. Because even though I wasn’t raised in a traditional house, I was a traditional teacher. Now, I think differently. One of the things we do with students is ‘I used to think, but now I think.’ So, you know, ‘Please don’t hold against me what I used to think, because I’m not there now.’ With trauma-informed education, we can all be in a different spot and forgive each other and ourselves for not knowing better. Like Maya Angelou says, ‘When you know better, do better.’ Now, I know better, and I’m certainly doing better.”

“When a child walks through the door, the parent has sent us the very best that they have. They walk through the door, and they look like every other child. When they’re standing there, you cannot tell that they have a particular trauma. It’s when they start doing an assignment or how they respond to you or others. That’s where you begin to see the differences.”

“The first time I walked into the classroom, I knew I was home. I knew that this is what I was meant to do.”

Related resources

• Read: Reaching and teaching children who hurt: Strategies for your classroom by Dr. Susan Craig
• Read: Cultivating genius: An equity framework for culturally and historically responsive literacy by Dr. Gholdy E. Muhammad
• Learn and earn: Trauma-Informed Schools: A Whole School Approach (6 SCECHs)
• Learn and earn: Social Emotional Learning: Trauma-Informed Support (6 SCECHs)
• Learn and earn: Anti-Racist Trauma-Informed Practice in Pre K-12 Education (8 SCECHs)

Or listen on Apple, Spotify, Google, or another platform. Alternatively, you can read along with the transcript.

Later this year, math teacher Janine Scott and the students in Davis Aerospace Technical High School’s radio club will be talking with astronauts orbiting in space.

Then again, Janine’s school is pretty unique. Her students learn to fly airplanes and drones and prepare to earn their pilot’s license.

Before becoming a teacher, Janine worked in corporate America as an engineer. One day, after getting really sick, she prayed that if she were to recover, she’d find the strength to start over and follow her true passion: Teaching.

Today, Janine runs a fascinating math classroom. It’s loud and messy. Students do fun dances to learn about parabolas and other graphing functions.

“My class is not a neat, prim, proper class,” she laughed. “People walk in, and they’re like, ‘What kind of math class is this?’ And my answer is, ‘It’s the type of math class where kids actually learn.’”

But what’s most inspiring about Janine’s math classroom is the belief she inspires in her students. 

As a math teacher, she actively works to combat “stereotype threat” and the impact it can have on students, particularly her Black and brown students. 

“It all boils down to a misunderstanding of what mathematics is and who is good at math,” she says. “Even adults think that certain populations aren’t as good at math. They think you’re an anomaly and an exception to the rule if you are good. Until we, as teachers and parents, understand that anybody can do mathematics —  because math is really thinking — we’re going to be in trouble.”

In this episode of the BRIGHT podcast, I chat with Janine, who was honored as a 2020-21 regional teacher of the year, representing the city of Detroit.

Together, we explore: 

• Why belief and efficacy are fundamental to the teaching of mathematics
• Why “stereotype threat” can be so incredibly damaging in this subject area, and
• Three ways to make your math instruction more equitable. 

You can listen to my conversation with Janine using the audio player above or by subscribing to the BRIGHT podcast in your app-of-choice (find us on Apple, Spotify, Google, and more) or by reading along with the transcript.

Of course, we understand that educators are busier than ever. If you don’t have time to listen to Janine’s full episode (which offers the fuller effect of her wisdom, energy, and examples), you can still benefit from a glimpse at her top three tips below.

3 ways to make your math instruction more equitable

#1. Believe that your students can understand grade-level math

According to Janine, self-efficacy is perhaps the most important aspect of math instruction. You need to believe in yourself, and you need to believe in your students. 

This may not come as a real surprise to any seasoned teacher, but it is often easier said than done. It takes authenticity and intentionality. 

“It cannot be fake,” insists Janine. “You have to believe it. Even when you’re having a bad day.”

As a high school math teacher, Janine says many of her students aren’t yet ready for grade-level math when they get into her classroom.

“But that’s just it,” she clarifies. “They’re not ready yet for Algebra II or Precalculus. But they’re super-duper ready to do math. They have mathematical thinking skills.”

Once you believe your students have the skills to reach grade-level math, they can come to believe it, too. This fundamental belief is essential to their ability to grow and progress.

#2. Create multiple points of entry into math problems

Every student has something to contribute to every math problem, says Janine, which is why it’s crucial to offer them multiple points of entry. 

Not every student may be able to solve each equation in full, but some of them may be able to work through the mechanics of the math. Others yet may be able to read or scribe the problem. 

You might fail sometimes, she admits. You may still notice a student feeling left out, but finding ways for everyone to participate is a worthy goal to strive toward. 

Take Precalculus, for example, which involves a lot of graphing. Some students may not yet be ready to solve complex, graph-based equations, but they may be able to identify its shape and what this shape means.

“Everyone can find the solution,” Janine explains, “whether they graph it or solve it via equation. Even if they can’t graph it, they can go on their graphing calculator and type in the equation.”

By offering her students these multiple entry points, she helps build their belief that they can get there, even if they’re not there yet. 

#3. Cultivate a deeper understanding of mathematics

“When am I ever going to use this?” is a common refrain in most K-12 math classrooms. 

According to Janine — who entered the teaching profession after working for years as an engineer — math teachers must be able to answer this question for students.

“We can’t give them some fake answer that doesn’t exist,” she says. “You have to understand where this stuff comes from and what it leads into.”

Consider fire. There aren’t too many people who can start a fire entirely from scratch, yet in daily life, so many of our tools and appliances rely on heat generation.

“Maybe if I have to, I could generate a fire,” Janine explains. “But what’s more important is that I understand the power of fire.”

Similarly, even if students are never again asked to read a cosine graph, the thinking skills acquired through learning pre-calculus are crucial to their development as human beings.

Another analogy Janine uses is weight training for football players. 

“I’ve never seen a football player go out on the field during a game and start lifting weights,” she adds. “So why do they do it? Conditioning. They’re getting their muscles ready. Math is conditioning for our minds.”

That said, Janine says it’s also OK — and even a good thing — for students to see their teachers make mistakes. 

She tells her students, “I have been a math teacher for longer than you’ve been alive, and I still get X and Y mixed up… That doesn’t make me dumb. That’s me making a mistake, and I correct it.”

This display of vulnerability is a healthy part of students realizing that they don’t need to be perfect to do mathematics. 

My favorite quotes from this episode

“Kids don’t belong at desks. They belong wherever they learn the best.”

“Many people don’t understand ‘stereotype threat’ and the huge impact it has on learners. Stereotype threat literally refers to the risk of confirming stereotypes about individuals based on their race, culture, identity, ethnicity, etc. When you confirm those stereotypes, whether good or bad, there’s meaning to it. So, I try my very best to erase the negative stereotypes of my Black and brown kids, which tend to be: You live in the city of Detroit, so you’re not good at math.”

“It all boils down to a misunderstanding of what mathematics is and who is good at math. Stereotype threat covers our students of color, our students in underserved communities, and our girls. It makes the students themselves think they’re not good at math, but even we, as adults, don’t think certain populations are as good at math. And if you are good, you’re an anomaly and an exception to the rule of only-certain-populations-excel. So, until we as a society, and let me just narrow it down, until we as teachers and parents understand that anybody can do mathematics — because math is really thinking — we’re going to be in trouble.”

“One of my students even said, ‘So Ms. Scott, you just keep talking about how math is just thinking skills. You just need us to get better. You don’t care about how good we are. You just want us to be better when we leave.’ And yes, that’s my whole goal. I don’t need you to be me. I need you to be you, and I need you to get better.”

“I tell my students all the time that math is a stairstep. If you miss a step, it can wreck you. But it doesn’t make you less intelligent. It just holds you back. We have tools that can help you get past those little things… The second they start believing and say, ‘You know what? I do have good thinking skills. Let me get this multiplication together. Let me get this division together. Let me get these fractions together. It’s amazing how many times this has happened to my students and me.”

Related resources

• BRIGHT episode: Why growth mindsets are so important for student success in math
• PD course: Social Emotional Learning: Equity Elaborations 
• PD course: Inquiry-Based Learning in Secondary Mathematics Education

Or listen on Apple, Spotify, Google, or another platform. Alternatively, you can read along with the transcript.

It’s no surprise that being involved with organized school activities often boosts students’ academic achievement, self-confidence, and mental health.

That’s part of what led Steve Forsberg — a self-described “traditional athletics person” — to launch an esports team at Ludington High School, where he’s the assistant principal.

If you’re unfamiliar, esports are video games played in a team-based, highly competitive setting. Popular games in the esports include:

• League of Legends
• Rocket League
• Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
• Madden NFL 22
• Splatoon 2
• Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
• Hearthstone
• Overwatch

But, according to Steve, esports is about much more than video games.

“Yes, it’s kids playing video games,” he explains, “but they’re playing it on a team in a competitive atmosphere. There’s communication, there’s coordination, there’s teamwork, and there’s accountability. It has all the aspects of traditional athletics and extracurriculars.”

Another argument for why esports is so beneficial:

Students are already playing these games at home.

Rather than having them isolated in their own homes — engaging in online communities infamous for their “toxicity” —  school leaders have the opportunity to bring students together who might not otherwise engage in extracurriculars. 

Besides, with esports as a billon-dollar industry and growing, students have opportunities to grow their career and leadership skills through school-sanctioned activities. 

In this episode of the BRIGHT podcast, Steve shares:

• Some background information for those who aren’t very familiar with esports,
• Why these leagues are booming in popularity, and why they’re so beneficial for students, and
• His top three tips for starting an esports program at your school.

You can listen to my conversation with Steve using the audio player above or by subscribing to the BRIGHT podcast in your app-of-choice (find us on Apple, Spotify, Google, and more) or by reading along with the transcript.

Of course, we understand that educators are busier than ever. If you don’t have time to listen to Steve’s full episode (which offers the fuller effect of his wisdom, energy, and examples), you can still benefit from a glimpse at his top three tips below!

3 tips for starting an esports program at your school

#1. Rest assured: You don’t need esports knowledge to get started

According to Steve, you don’t need gaming knowledge to start an esports program at your school.

“There’s still stuff [the students] talk about that I don’t understand,” he admits, “and that’s okay. You just need to want to connect with kids, give them opportunities to have fun together, and create a culture.”

The students themselves are Steve’s biggest source of support. The captains of each team help coach their peers and make sure he “knows enough not to be dangerous.”

In fact, Steve says that learning new things daily is part of the fun of coaching an esports team. 

“What attracted a lot of us to education in the first place is that we’re voracious learners,” he explains. “I’m very open and honest with the kids. I tell them, ‘I don’t know what’s going on, but I’m going to empower you.’”

So, take it from Steve, who’s been running a successful esports team for over a year now: 

You don’t need to be a gaming expert to give your students opportunities to participate in esports. 

#2. Empower students to help you build & grow your program

At first, Steve was a little overwhelmed by the number of students who expressed interest in esports. 

Ludington High School has about 700 students, and approximately 50 said they’d be interested in participating. That’s certainly not an insignificant percentage of their student population.

Of course, not every single one of these students stuck around, but Steve estimates that they are still able to impact 40-50 kids throughout the year. 

These students have been critical in helping Steve build and grow the program. They help with everything from fundraising and community events to jersey design and streaming online.

Player coaches have also been a critical part of the esports ecosystem at Ludington. 

While Steve plays more of a director-level role, helping to organize, administrate, and build a strong team culture, his captains are the ones who know the ins and outs of their games and help coach their peers.

Steve’s advice? 

“Don’t be afraid to reach out to a core group of kids that you think are interested and have them help you grow your program.”

#3. Connect with the Michigan High School Esports League

Steve has only praise to share about the Michigan High School Esports League (MHSEL), run by the Michigan Association of Secondary School Principals (MASSP).

This group’s guidance — and the resources available on their website — were critical to helping him get their esports program at Ludington launched and running. 

Resources available through this group that Steve found invaluable included:

• Templates for parent letters
• Student interest surveys
• Information on the benefits of esports for students

“They’re phenomenal folks,” he says. “They’re just passionate about esports and getting kids involved in stuff. So if you have questions, needs, obstacles, concerns, reach out to them, and they will help you get it going.”

Steve also says he’s happy to talk with fellow school leaders, emphasizing that he’d be willing to answer questions or put school leaders in touch with local peers already running esports programs.

“We can walk through this together,” says Steve, “and grow this movement for kids.

My favorite quotes from this episode

“What hit a chord with me was that we already have students that are already playing these games, so why wouldn’t we bring them in, organize them, and have them do it together in a place where we can build some community and a positive culture around it?”

“We’re running athletic eligibility for everybody on my team. They have to keep their grades up if they want to be on the team and compete. There are some great academic benefits. When students are a part of something in a school, their academic achievement, self-confidence, and mental health improve. There are all these intrinsic and side benefits to being a part of something. That’s what really drew me to it.”

“We’ve got such an eclectic group of kids. For example, one of my captains is also an all-state tennis player. He’s the traditional athlete, but he’s also the captain of Rocket League. Then, I’ve got other kids that might never have chosen to be involved in anything else now organized with our high school and putting on the orange and black.”

Related resources

• Explore resources: Michigan High School Esports League (MHSEL)

Or listen on Apple, Spotify, Google, or another platform. Alternatively, you can read along with the transcript.

Research has shown that online students are twice as likely to succeed if they have a dedicated mentor. 

According to Debbie Lynch — outreach coordinator for mentors at Michigan Virtual — a mentor is someone who provides a personal connection to students who are learning virtually.

In the State of Michigan, schools are required to provide a mentor for every student who chooses to take an online course. 

Unlike online instructors who are content experts, mentors help students stay on track and master the skills required for self-directed learning.

“Mentors are the liaison between the student, parent, and online teacher,” explains Debbie. “They are an advocate for the student, but they are also the person that teaches the student to be an advocate for themselves.”

A student might ask their online teacher questions about assignments, course content, grades, or feedback they’ve received. By contrast, mentors typically help students practice time-management skills and stay motivated throughout their coursework.

In this episode of the BRIGHT podcast, Debbie shares:

• Stories from her many years as a mentor of online learners,
• Why having a dedicated mentor makes students twice as likely to succeed in their online courses, and
• Three tried-and-true tips for supporting online learners as a mentor.

Here’s a sneak peek at our conversation:

You can listen to my conversation with Debbie using the audio player above or by subscribing to the BRIGHT podcast in your app-of-choice (find us on Apple, Spotify, Google, and more) or by reading along with the transcript.

Of course, we understand that educators are busier than ever. If you don’t have time to listen to Debbie’s full episode (which offers the fuller effect of her wisdom, energy, and examples), you can still benefit from a glimpse at her top three tips below!

3 tried-and-true tips for mentoring online learners

#1. Keep your focus on relationship-building

According to Debbie, relationship-building is the foundation of successful mentoring.

At the beginning of the academic term, it’s important, she says, beyond all else, to set expectations and show students that you care. 

“Be sympathetic and encouraging, especially for those students who aren’t doing well,” says Debbie. “They need your support. They don’t need someone getting upset with them. You need to be flexible and patient.”

Debbie has been in education for 40 years. For the first 33 years, she taught business and computers. Later, she became the online learning coordinator at her school, helping students register for online courses and serving as their mentor once they enrolled.

For one class period per day, students would meet in one of the school’s computer labs. While students worked independently, Debbie would walk around the lab to support them. Still, she set aside time to meet with each student individually once per week to check in on their progress.

It can be helpful, she adds, to ask students, “What does success look like for you?” and “What do you need to be successful?” Often, students haven’t considered the answers to these questions, and asking them can lead to a productive conversation.

At the end of the day, it was most important to Debbie that online learners felt comfortable, welcomed, and supported in her classroom. Mentors play a critical role in fostering this kind of supportive learning environment for online students at their schools.

“When kids know you care about them,” she adds, “they’ll do pretty much anything for you.”

#2. Communicate with your online students at least once per week

Whether your students are meeting with you at your school building or virtually, Debbie says communicating with them at least once a week is crucial. 

This communication could take many different forms. “It doesn’t have to be Zoom or Google Hangout or face-to-face,” she says. “It could be through email or texting, whatever the students are comfortable doing.”

Mentors also often act as liaisons between parents, students, and online instructors. 

Debbie used Remind.com to send periodic updates to students and parents, reminding them to look over their pacing guides.

It’s also helpful to let online instructors know if something is going on in a student’s life that prevents them from completing their coursework. For example, if they were absent with a prolonged illness, it wouldn’t hurt to let the student’s online teacher know why they may not be logging in as often.

By keeping everyone on the same page, mentors add extra layers of accountability into self-paced online learning environments and help their students stay on track to succeed.

You can find many free resources on mentoring online students — including example communication templates —  at michiganvirtual.org/mentors. 

#3. Clarify your policies and procedures upfront

As a mentor, it’s critical to be clear about your policies, procedures, and expectations at the beginning of the term. 

When Debbie was a mentor, she would start the semester off by walking students through an online course and clarifying her expectations. For example, in her computer lab, she set the expectation that students need to:

• Log into their online course daily
• Read all emails and information provided by their online teacher, and 
• Check their pacing guides often.

Debbie would send a syllabus home to clarify her policies and procedures right off the bat. As an added step, she’d have both students and parents sign the syllabus to acknowledge that they’d read it. 

It was important to her that both parties took the students’ online course seriously.

“You’re not just coming to the computer room to hang out,” she would tell students. “This is a real class that you’re coming to every single day.”

The rest of the term went much smoother after laying this groundwork during the first couple of weeks.

My favorite quotes from this episode

“Research has shown that students are twice as likely to succeed if they have a dedicated mentor… Taking an online class is a new experience for most students, so having that connection and support from the mentor is just crucial.”

“Mentors are not content experts. That’s what our online teachers are… The mentor is the person that is there to teach students to be self-directed learners, teach them time-management skills, and motivate them to help keep them on pace so they’ll be successful. They’re like the cheerleader in the background.”

“Even my brightest students struggled with online learning. These weren’t the same students that struggled face-to-face necessarily. Some of those kids did better than some of my students that were getting all A’s in school. You really have to be patient and flexible and meet them where they’re at.”

“Great mentors empower students to make informed decisions, but also to understand the impact of their choices.”

Related resources

• Explore: Mentor resources

Or listen on Apple, Spotify, Google, or another platform. Alternatively, you can read along with the transcript.

On a beautiful October afternoon in 2018, English teacher Anne Perez got an iced coffee that changed her life.

OK, so perhaps that’s a tad melodramatic, but it makes sense when you hear her tell the story.

It was a moment of epiphany. The kind of learning moment that educators love to cultivate for their students.

Anne was “supposed” to be grading the stack of Honors English papers she’d just collected. Her husband was out of town, and she’d just finished a busy day of teaching, making dinner, and shuffling her children to sports practices.

It was the perfect day to be outside, so Anne decided to take her youngest son, Charles, to the park. While on the way there, she decided to treat herself to an iced coffee.

Anne had the best intentions to get some grading done. But upon sitting on a park bench with the iced coffee in hand, she realized that what she needed most at that moment was to watch her son and enjoy the sunshine.

The next day, of course, her students started asking, “Did you get those papers graded, Mrs. Perez?”

She decided to be honest with them. She told them the story about Charles and the park and the iced coffee and the sunshine.

From the side of the classroom, a student shouted, “You just live your best life, Mrs. Perez! You get that iced coffee!”

At first, Anne just laughed, but then enter the epiphany.

“I recognized what I needed,” she explains. “I articulated that need to my students, and by doing that, I started to see a change in myself and my mindset. More importantly, my students started to see change from me, and I started to see more moments of agency from them.”

After 15 years of teaching English, Anne now works for our Michigan Virtual team as a senior professional learning specialist. She facilitates workshops and other learning experiences for educators so that they, too, can recognize and leverage their agency to address recurring classroom challenges.

In this episode of the BRIGHT podcast, Anne and I chat about: 

• How she defines “agency” and why it’s essential for teachers
• The moment she had an epiphany about agency in the classroom
• Her top three tips for building this vital skill as a teacher

Here’s a sneak peek at our conversation:

You can listen to my conversation with Anne using the audio player above or by subscribing to the BRIGHT podcast in your app-of-choice (find us on Apple, Spotify, Google, and more) or by reading along with the transcript.

Of course, we understand that educators are busier than ever. If you don’t have time to listen to Anne’s full episode (which offers the fuller effect of her wisdom, energy, and examples), you can still benefit from a glimpse at her top three tips below.

3 tips for building agency as a teacher 

#1. Build in time for reflection 

Anne’s first tip is to build in time for reflection. She acknowledges that this can be really difficult when you’re already feeling overwhelmed.

The problem is, of course, that if you don’t step back to look at the bigger picture, it’s nearly impossible to see what is and isn’t within your control with clarity.

The first step of building agency is figuring out your needs. 

When we’re overwhelmed, our minds tend to automatically troubleshoot our problems using familiar methods. Creative problem-solving becomes difficult when we’re in this mindset. 

To make real changes, we first need to pause for long enough to think deeply about our successes, challenges, and needs.

At this stage, it can also be helpful to reflect on your strengths and values. Not sure what your strengths and values are? Check out the CliftonStrengths assessment or the VIA character strengths survey as a starting point.

When you know what your strengths and values are, it’s simply easier to see what you want to keep, what you want to change, and what’s within your power to control.

#2. Find your square squad

If reflection is all about communicating your needs to yourself, then step two is about communicating your needs to others. 

It’s easy to get caught up in your own head. One effective way to see your situation from another perspective is to find your “square squad.”

This term comes from Brené Brown. “It’s basically four people,” Anne explains. “These are the people with whom you can talk about anything. There’s high trust and no judgment.”

It can even be helpful to have folks in your square squad who are not fellow educators. Anne shares that she found this practice helpful during her year of agency exploration.

“I could tell them about my needs, and they could hear it in a way that was solely for what I was saying,” she says. “They could mirror it back to me.”

Your square squad might have strategies that worked for them in similar situations with a different context. They might have books for you to read or people for you to meet. 

But they don’t need to have all the answers for you. It can be super helpful to have them listen to you and be a sounding board as you come up with your own solutions.

Once you have your square squad, you know who you can go to explore the situations you need to build your agency more deeply.

#3. Try to remain open-minded when growth opportunities present themselves

Anne’s third tip is more of a gentle reminder. If someone in your square squad offers you a suggestion, be open-minded and give it a try. 

Read the book. Try talking to the person they said might be able to help. Step outside your comfort zone, at least a little bit.

For Anne, this growth opportunity presented itself in the form of a principal who was friends with one of her square squad members. Through talking to this person, it finally clicked for Anne that she was ready to take the next step in her career.

If she hadn’t cultivated a growth mindset and reached out to this person, she might not have ended up making the career leap that led her to where she is today.

All three of these tips work together, she emphasizes, perhaps by necessity.

“It wasn’t until I was doing all three in tandem,” Anne admits, “that I saw real movement toward change and toward a place where I felt like I had more control.”

My favorite quotes from this episode

“When I think of “agency,” I use a very basic definition: When a person has the ability to think for themselves and make a decision that will then shape any experiences or the trajectory that they go on. Essentially, it’s moving forward.”

“When I was in the classroom and challenges surfaced, or too many papers piled up, it would impact my sense of control. Sometimes, I would get lost or set in a certain way of doing things… I just needed to take a step back and ask, ‘What decision can I make that I have some control over? What might improve this or move this forward?’ Right now, I think reestablishing this [agency] for teachers is so important.”

“Part of [agency] is recognizing your needs. When we don’t take a moment to pause and think about these things — our successes, our challenges, and our needs — the brain begins to automatically troubleshoot with, ‘Okay, well, I want to reduce this stressor, so let’s just go about it the way that we always go about it.’ But when you build in a little time for reflection, it can pull you outside of the normal path you might take and allow you to see the trajectory you want to work toward.”

Related resources

• Read: Rebound: A playbook for rebuilding agency, accelerating learning recovery, and rethinking schools by Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey, Dominique Smith, and John Hattie
• Read: Atomic habits by James Clear
• Read: Strategies for developing and maintaining self-efficacy in teachers
• Read: Design thinking is a challenge to teach — and that’s a good thing
• Read: The pineapple chart method for teacher feedback and collaboration
• Discover: CliftonStrengths assessment
• Discover: VIA character strengths survey
• Reflect: Self-reflection for enhanced performance at work
• Reflect: Agency reflection document for educators
• Learn and explore: Dare to lead hub by Brené Brown 
• Learn and earn: Reaching your potential through self-advocacy (2 SCECHs)
• Learn and earn: Take care of yourself: A course in wellbeing and self-care (3 SCECHs)
• Learn and earn: Being a reflective teacher during a pandemic (3 SCECHs)

Or listen on Apple, Spotify, Google, or another platform. Alternatively, you can read along with the transcript.

Joel Asiala started as the principal of Horizons Alternative High School right after the passing of Sweet Pea, a trained therapy dog belonging to one of the school’s teachers.

Staff and students alike missed their furry friend, who often came to visit them, so they asked Joel to bring in his family dog, Tucker, who happened to look an awful lot like their beloved Sweet Pea.

Joel’s initial reaction was, “I’m not bringing a dog to school. That’s crazy.” But members of his staff continued to encourage him, and finally, he agreed… and was astonished by the results. 

One day while visiting the school, the friendly Labradoodle immediately made his way to the back of the classroom, where a student appeared angry and disengaged. Tucker laid his head on the student’s lap, and the adults watched on as the student began to pet him.

The school social worker asked, “What is your dog doing?” 

To this, Joel replied, “Just sit back and watch.”

It wasn’t long — maybe eight or ten minutes — before the student was smiling and talking. When Joel called Tucker back up to the front of the classroom, the student followed him. 

“This is absolutely amazing,” the social worker declared after watching this small miracle play out before him. “We need to get this in all of our schools.”

Today, Joel is the principal of Washington Middle School in Michigan’s northernmost school district, the Public Schools of Calumet, Laurium, and Keweenaw (CLK).

Our research team took a trip to visit CLK in early 2022 and wrote an in-depth report on their many student-centered learning initiatives. It’s worth a read to see how the therapy dog program complements a variety of other innovative programs designed to capture kids’ hearts and engage their passions.

In this episode of the BRIGHT podcast, I chat with Joel, and together we dig into:

• His district’s “student-first” approach and various programs their piloting to capture kids’ hearts
• Why he got his family pet, Tucker, trained as a professional therapy dog
• His top three tips for starting a therapy dog program at your school

You can listen to my conversation with Joel using the audio player above or by subscribing to the BRIGHT podcast in your app-of-choice (find us on Apple, Spotify, Google, and more) or by reading along with the transcript.

Of course, we understand that educators are busier than ever. If you don’t have time to listen to Joel’s full episode (which offers the fuller effect of his wisdom, energy, and examples), you can still benefit from a glimpse at his top three tips for starting a therapy dog program at your school below!

3 tips for starting a therapy dog program at your school

#1. Consider starting with a (hypoallergenic) adult dog with the right demeanor 

Everyone loves puppies, so it’s tempting to begin there when you’re looking to start a therapy dog program. 

But Joel says it can be better to start with a mature dog, either a current staff member’s family pet or an adoptable adult dog that has the right demeanor. 

Why? It takes at least a year and a half to train a puppy to become a therapy dog, and there’s always a chance that the dog still may not have the appropriate demeanor to be surrounded by kids all the time.

It can be tough to make these decisions as a school leader, he admits, because many dog owners consider their pets to be family. But you have to be objective enough to determine which dog has the right personality to be around children in your school.

What are you looking for in terms of a dog’s demeanor? “You need to find a dog that is highly motivated by being pet and loved,” Joel clarifies. “One that is really laid back, doesn’t jump or bark, and isn’t aggressive.” 

You’ll also want to find a hypoallergenic dog that can be bathed regularly to avoid allergy issues.

Another consideration: Therapy dogs should only be expected to work for a couple of hours per day to avoid overtaxing the dog. It’s often best to start with a dog who can be a “school pet” for most of the day when not officially “on the job.”

“It’s got to be natural,” he says. “The easiest thing to do would be to find a dog with the right temperament and slowly introduce them. If you have even 60 or 70 kids running around, that dog will become overwhelmed very quickly.”

#2. Take equal care in selecting the right handler for your therapy dog

“Finding the right dog is important,” Joel told me, “but finding the right person is almost as important or if not more important.”

Consider choosing someone who is going to be around the school a lot. As principal, Joel often walks around the school and visits classrooms, so it was a natural fit to get his family dog, Tucker, trained through a therapy program.

When they wanted to expand the program, the school’s trauma team asked staff to submit applications for serving as the handler and caretaker of their next therapy dog.

They chose Washington Middle School’s secretary, Nora Dee, to serve as the handler for Bleau, the next furry addition to their school staff.

Caption: Meet Bleau, one of Washington Middle School’s three therapy dogs.

“You want someone willing to walk the dog around a lot,” explains Joel. “Maybe you have a teacher with two prep hours, and they’re willing to do that. It takes a lot of time. It takes someone who is committed, who really wants to be with the dog, and believes in what it can do for the school.”

#3. Remember: Patience is key when it comes to animal behavior

This last part may seem obvious, but you must have patience when bringing a therapy dog or school pet into your school.

“A dog is a dog,” Joel explains. “It will go to the bathroom on the floor sometimes. It’s not always going to do what you tell it to do. It’s an animal, so you do need to have patience.”

It’s important to acknowledge and build in time for someone to train the dog, clean up after them, make sure they have food and water, let them out to go to the bathroom, etc. All of these things take time and patience!

It’s also important to note that the dog may not be able to come to school every day, depending on what the handler is doing after work. 

As principal of his middle school, Joel cannot always bring his family dog, Tucker, to work. For example, on the day of our interview, he had two back-to-back meetings after school and didn’t want to make Tucker wait around all night before going home. 

Patience is a requirement, but ultimately, Joel reminds us, it’s well worth the effort to see students smiling after spending time with one of their furry friends.

My favorite quotes from this episode

“It’s amazing when you see a kid that’s having a bad day after a therapy dog comes up to them and sits down. Those frustrations melt away when they’re on the floor with a dog rolling around. And I’ll tell you: It’s not only the students but the staff, too… I don’t know all the research. I just know that it works.”

“What we learned in our alternative school is you can do your social studies, you can do your science, you do your math, but if a kid doesn’t have passion behind it, they’re not going to do their best. At Horizons, we allowed students to go to the makerspace or the gaming room once they were done with their work. We had eSports, and we had a lot of success with that… You find something they’re passionate about, hone into it, and it’s amazing stuff.”

“I truly believe that if you can figure out how to work in the alternative setting and see success and bring that into your mainstream schools, you will be extremely successful. These are some of the students that struggle the most in your [traditional] classes. But they’re just classes. They’re just kids. No matter where you’re at, kids are kids. If you can figure out how to reach a population that struggles the most, that will only enhance your ability to reach the kids at the top, middle, and the bottom.”

“If you look at any philosopher,  Maslow or Piaget or anybody that you learn about education, you’ll see that it’s about making sure students are fed, making sure that they feel safe, making sure they feel understood, and maybe even going so far as to make sure they feel loved or accepted. If you can get these things down, teaching is the easiest part. Getting the information is the easiest part if you have those other things in place.”

Related resources

• Read the full research report: Empowering teachers and Capturing Kids’ Hearts®: The Public Schools of Calumet, Laurium, and Keweenaw’s journey toward student-centered learning
• Learn more: Pet Partners – Therapy dogs and other therapy animals
• Learn more: Capturing Kids’ Hearts program