Emma Diaz: Thank you, Veronica.

So yes. So going back to how the overview will be, what the methods are, and then how we've embedded them and use them throughout the last seven years in our, like I said, AB86 phase, ABG phase, and now our CAEP phase. And going into a three-year plan, the ways that we can use it.

So we'll go to the next slide, Jorge.

So how did we use it? And I want to talk a little bit about what it really did for us, anecdotal information, before Becky goes into actually the methods and facilitation. So what it did for us, initially, it did bring a region together. At the beginning of AB86, we weren't really sure what was happening I know I was tasked as a coordinator when I was hired to put together a regional plan. Now mind you, I had never done that before. So I was a little intimidated by the experience myself.

But what we did is I approached, at that time, in the Inland Empire in San Bernardino specifically. We had an organization, the Alliance for Education. And they had been working with many of the superintendents and other community providers in the area for many years. So I approached them and said, hey, can you help me out? I'm trying to gather all these regional folks to put together a plan for adult education. Could you help me with contacting all these different community individuals and superintendents and college presidents and so forth?

And so they were very gracious at the beginning, and they did. As we started moving into the phase of actually having these meetings, regional meetings, I had approached the director at the time who was Debra Mustain. I said, hey, Debra. I need some assistance. Would you be willing to come in and facilitate a meeting for us? Now that we've gathered these superintendents, I need someone in the room who's a little independent and actually knows how to facilitate. That was not my skill set at the time.

And I remember she thought about it for a couple of weeks and then got back to me and said, I'm not available that day. She says, but I'm going to give you my ToP facilitator. And I thought, wow. All right. I just won the lottery. They're going to give me their ToP facilitator. I didn't know ToP was the method. To me, I thought, hey, Becky is the best. She's at the top.

So I took it and ran with it. I called Becky and she came and we met. And I told her really the entire project. There's a regional plan that needs to be put together. There's a lot of individuals. We need input from everybody. And she says, I have the right method for you. And she said, but before we start with the method, she says, we've got to set the stage in this planning area. And I said, OK. And she says, I want you to tell me what your rational aim is and you're experiential aim, which is that second bullet on the slide.

And so what that was is the dialogue with Becky on how to set up what we wanted the experience to be with that rational aim. It's, yeah, rationally, what do I want them to do? I want them to put together a regional plan. The experience I wanted them to have, though, is I kept thinking, we don't know how much money we're going to get. We don't really know how long this is going to go on for.

So I said, but what I want them to experience, and I told this to Becky and she will hold me to it, is I said, Becky, I want them to experience the abundance of what we can do with this money with expanding programs. I don't want to work with individuals or set the stage where we're focusing on scarcity. I want to definitely work on seeing the abundance that we do have. So that was something that I had never told anybody, other than Becky the day that we started planning.

And how do I know it works? Is that five years later when one of the superintendents retired, on her last day, we gave her a nice little vase as acknowledgment for a lot of the things she had done. And as we were walking out, she said, why don't you walk with me? And I said, sure.

So as we're walking out, she says, five years ago, I came into this room thinking we were all competing with each other for these resources. She says, and through the methods and everything we did, she says, today I walk away knowing there was always enough for all of us. And to me, that was confirmation that planning phase at the beginning that I did with Becky was setting the stage for what the outcomes would be.

So again, what does the ToP method do? It does work on inclusiveness. In the room here, I'm showing a picture. You might recognize some of these individuals. These are individuals from our consortium. Some have retired since, but we had teachers, we had counselors from the K-12 system, administrators from K-12. We had deans from community colleges, faculty from community colleges. So we did have everyone in the room that needed to be there. They're the content experts. And Becky will talk a little bit more about the role of a facilitator, and it's not to have that content.

So this brings in participation from everybody. And that, I think, is where the true power happens because the buy-in happens at the local level. And then when administrators are able to see that everyone took part in creating this and coming to that consensus, it really builds that momentum you need to keep going. So it is about participation. It does break the silos. And again, we use different methods, depending on what we were doing at the time.

So the different methods eventually put together my entire regional plan. That regional plan that we submitted to the state was done based on the facilitation of each one of these. We call them workgroup or hub meetings. And so Becky puts together a document that she gives me afterward, after the facilitation, that I'm going to show you some examples at the end of the presentation what it looks like. And all of those documents went into our original AB86 plan.

So that plan is available on the state website. So any of you could go and take a look at it if you're interested in seeing what the facilitation method was for each one of the-- at the time, it was five program areas. Now it's the seven program areas that we did. And I think that was it for the first slide. Jorge, we'll go on to the next one.

So I want to just show you here, this is-- we'll refer to it-- that big blue, we call it the sticky wall because it is really sticky. And this is how we work in terms of you see the little white note cards up there, everybody's ideas get placed up there without a name. So then they're all taking into consideration equally.

You don't take an administrator's card and say, oh, this is more valuable than a teacher's card. It's quite the opposite. It's everybody's card is important. So everybody's voice gets heard. And again, we have a method to how these ideas get placed up there and then how they get organized.

Go to the next one, Jorge.

This is what it looks like as we work towards getting to consensus. Again, all of these white note cards are what everybody's ideas are that get placed up there. And then those yellow cards up on the top are the descriptors of what goes below. And that becomes the consensus for that particular dialogue.

And so Becky will talk more about those in detail, but I wanted to visually you could see what that looks like. It'll make it easier as she goes through the components for you to remember what it looks like visually. And again, this was before COVID. During the COVID pandemic time, we still had our annual plan facilitated with Becky. Instead of having a virtual sticky wall where you could walk up and put your little note cards, instead we used a program called MURAL. That allowed us to do this remotely.

We'll go to the next one, Jorge.

So I just wanted to show you, again, this is what it looks like in the room. We had mixed tables. Tables with administrators, teachers, counselors. Everybody comes together and, through this facilitated manner, focuses on the issue at hand. And then everybody contributes towards that to reach the consensus in the room.

So we'll go to the next one, Jorge.

So now I hand it over to Becky.

Becky Foreman: Thank you, Emma.

So I wanted to start out by setting some context in regards to roles because there are different kinds of leadership roles. Facilitation is a leadership role. It's one of them. But I know that all of us wear different hats at different times and we play different roles. And each role has its own particular style and its own particular value.

We're not trying to suggest that facilitation is the only type of style or leadership role you should ever have. No. But they're all different and it's important to understand the difference between them so that we don't get into role confusion. So go ahead, Jorge.

What I'm going to do is I'm going to compare and contrast four different types of leadership roles, which are the consultant role, the trainer, a hierarchical leader, and a facilitator. So again, all of these roles have their own validity, but they are all a little bit different. And I'm going to contrast them according to what each of these leaders assume, know, seek, rely on, and expected results.

And the consultant-- what the consultant assumes is that the group needs expertise. Why else would you call in a consultant? So you need some expertise. Then we can go on to what they know, is content. So they really understand everything about what they're coming in to talk to you about. They understand the content, they have the expertise, sectoral strategies. That's part of their role.

So what they seek is compliance to their recommendations because why on Earth would you use them if you weren't going to comply with what they recommend? And what they rely on is their own experience and training. So this is up to them. And what they expect to see is leadership approved change.

So let's see. And I see that in chat, we have-- oh, do you have the presentation in a shareable format? We haven't talked about that. So we don't have that right now. And I guess Emma that's something that you and I can talk about.

Emma Diaz: Absolutely. And I'll say, for now, you can put your email in the chat. And then once Becky and I work on that, because of the compliance part, we could send out something to you.

Becky Foreman: OK. Our pleasure. All right.

So let me then go on to talk about the trainer. Now this is where a lot of role confusion comes in. Often, people will call for a facilitator and then they say, and our trainer is here. Well, that-- it's a very different role. What the trainer assumes is that the group is seeking wisdom. The trainer knows things, which they are going to impart to you.

And that what they know is the content. What they seek is learner clarity. So they just want to make sure that you understand what they are training you on or to do. What they rely on is research and their own learning and training. And what they expect, expected results, our understanding. That that's what the trainer wants. They want you to understand what they are training you to do or to know so that you can go out and do it.

Now the hierarchical leader, this is probably the most well-known leadership style. It's dates way back to before the Industrial Revolution, probably from the first time the first caveman said, you go out and you hunt, and you stay here and you cook. There's always been this style where it's somebody who's at the top.

So the hierarchical leader assumes that they are the authority. They are the top gun. They are the ones that are calling the shots. So what they know, what they have to know is what to do. And they need to know what to do in any situation because they're called on to do it, which can be tough because things are changing so rapidly it makes it harder and harder to be the person at the top.

What they seek is the right decisions because they're making the decision. And if they're wrong, it's going to fall back on them. So they're always looking for the right decision. What they rely on is in their own individual abilities, their charm, their charisma, their ability to get people to go along with what they do. That's what they rely on.

And what they expect, the expected results, are decisions and plans. And these are decisions and plans that they will make and that they will pass down the chain. So the hierarchical leader is at the top, makes decisions, which then filter down to everybody else that is on the rungs underneath them.

So that is, as I said, a very common leadership style. And before I talk about the facilitator, which is, of course, what we're talking about today, I just wanted to say that there are many places where the hierarchical leadership style is still very, very necessary.

And a lot of times, we'll bring up a fire department. You're not going to call a meeting and get everybody together to decide what's the best way to handle this. You have people that are-- they know what they're doing, but there is somebody who is directing them. Or in hospital, the doctors may be hierarchical leaders for their own specialty. They're not going to let everybody else weigh in because they're the ones that are ultimately responsible for making these decisions.

But there is a place, though, for facilitative leadership, and that's what we're going to talk about. So with the facilitator, they assume that the group already has both wisdom and experience. So their role is to pull this from the group. So what they know is how to proceed, how to get the group to share their own wisdom and experience to come up with the best possible plan or answer. They have methods, and that's what we're going to give you an overview of this morning.

What they seek is decisions that are owned by everyone. So as people are asked to share their own ideas, to share their own wisdom and experience, and through the methods, those come together into some type of a consensus or plan, people are going to feel a sense of ownership because that decision, they were part of that.

What they rely on is the ability of the group. So whenever I go into a situation as a facilitator, I may come in feeling a little bit nervous and then I remind myself, it isn't about me. This is about the group. The group has the ability to come up with these answers. I have the methods to help guide them through it.

So the expected results, the expected results are a commitment to action, which, again, goes back to the idea that they have ownership of this. If it's a strategic plan, they have helped to create it, as opposed to having a plan that is just put on their desk and somebody else created it, some consultants created it or somebody else said, here, this is what you need to do.

You might have a consultant who knows a lot about this industry or this sector, but if the people that are going to be carrying out the work were not involved in creating the plan, they are less likely to feel a commitment to action to seeing it through because they may have a feeling that nobody asked me about this. And if it fails, oh well, it wasn't-- I could have told them that. So with a facilitative style, the commitment to action is organic. It's built in.

So we can move on to the next slide.

So I just wanted to ask you-- I was going to ask for a show of hands. But since you're off camera, just to drop this into the chat. Which role do you see yourself in more often? Do you see yourself more often as a consultant, a trainer, a hierarchical leader, or a facilitator? So I'd be interested in just seeing responses in chat. Where do you see yourself? What role do you see yourself in?

Facilitator. Yay. Consultant. Facilitator. Consultant. Facilitator. Between facilitator and hierarchical leader. Interesting. Facilitator. Consortium director. Facilitator. Facilitator. Depends on which hat you're wearing. Absolutely. Facilitator or trainer. Facilitator. Consultant. Trainer. Facilitator. Trainer. Lots of facilitators. Awesome. Trainer. Consultant. Trainer. Yeah, lots of roles. A leader who needs to facilitate. A trainer too. Between consultant, trainer, and facilitator. All hats, depending on the weather. And we've got another email for the PowerPoint. Awesome. OK.

All right. Well, thank you for giving us a feel of who's here. It's really awesome to se so many facilitators are already with us. On an upcoming slide, in just a moment, I'm going to ask you to do some annotations. And if you haven't, you may have already done this in Zoom. If not, this was a trick that was new to me. It seemed like some magic. And that's just because everything is new to me. I'm new to a lot of technology. But if you haven't, here's a little tutorial on how to annotate.

So the first thing is, on the next slide, you are going to go up to the window where you see that you are viewing Jorge's screen. So click on that, on View Options. And when you click on View Options, next slide, you're going to scroll down to where you see Annotate. So next slide. There it is. Click on Annotate. And then you're going to click on the T for text. So that's how you can annotate right on the screen.

So this is what I'm going to ask you to do. On the next slide, everybody who would like to annotate, please do that. And I want to talk about what factors make participation difficult. So one of our foundational values is inclusive participation. So think about what factors make participation difficult in groups. And just go ahead and type it anywhere on this screen.

Assumptions. Yeah, definitely. Hidden agendas. Sure. Power structures. Lack of diversity. Yeah. Different roles. Yep. Yeah. Fear of sounding. Probably sounding something negative. Incorrect. Fear of sounding incorrect. Yes. Organizational culture.

All of these can make participation difficult. Competing priorities. And then no one wants to hear my opinion. They won't get it. Newer folks feeling like they don't know. That could definitely be a hindrance to participation. Time constraints. Yeah.

Oh, you don't have that-- if you don't have that option in the View menu, then just put it in chat. Go ahead and put something in chat and we can also read that out. Emma, if you can help me look at the chat and read those out as you see them.

Emma Diaz: Absolutely.

Becky Foreman: Sure. OK. Yes. Give you multiple. opportunities.

Emma Diaz: Somebody puts scheduling.

Becky Foreman: Scheduling. OK.

Emma Diaz: [inaudible] that puts scheduling.

Becky Foreman: All right. No perceived value. OK.

Emma Diaz: Somebody else put in time. Yeah.

Becky Foreman: Sorry. Emma,

Emma Diaz: That's a big one.

Becky Foreman: And I take it over.

Emma Diaz: That's OK. That's a really big one.

Becky Foreman: You do this. Lack of buy-in. Poor facilitation. Sure. Yeah. No perceived value for outcomes. Yeah. Unsure of your own ideas. Sure. Yeah. Fear retaliation for speaking their opinions. Sure. Sure.

Emma Diaz: There's another comment in the chat, Becky. Fear of what others will think if he or she speaks their opinion.

Becky Foreman: Sure. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. OK.

Emma Diaz: Being in a new county and being shy.

Becky Foreman: Oh, sure. Oh, yeah. Shyness is a big factor. Yeah. And I know that I've dealt with that my whole life.

Emma Diaz: And then another one is not clear objectives of what is being asked.

Becky Foreman: Oh, OK. All of these are true. All of these factors make participation difficult. They can all hinder it. So we'll go ahead and move on. Jorge, we need to, of course, clear the screen. Got to clear that screen so that we don't keep on bringing these forward with us. I'll give Jorge a moment to do that. There you go. The first time I did this, I just kept-- the notes just kept on popping up and I panicked because I didn't know what I was supposed to do. But here we are.

I wanted to talk a little bit then about facilitation dynamics. These are just things that might be cleared-- Jorge, go ahead and unmute if you'd like and tell everybody how you did clear the screen.

Jorge: Yeah. Go ahead-- is there an echo? Go ahead and go to the screen where you annotated. And it's towards the right where it's just clear. There's a little trashcan icon. And then you go clear all drawings or clear my drawings or the clear the viewer drawings.

Becky Foreman: Thank you, Jorge. Yeah, I did see another thought that came up right now of deficit thinking, which I think that Emma talked about that. And that is definitely something that can impact participation.

So now talking about facilitation dynamics. Let's go on to the first part of that. Next screen.

OK, this is really essential. Facilitators focus on process more than content. And I know a lot of you are facilitators already so you know this well. But as a facilitator, you don't walk in with an outcome in mind, other than whatever the rational aim is. But you're not going to decide for them what their plan's going to look like, what it is that they're specifically going to do because that's up to them. It is the process that you want to be able to focus on, the methods that you're going to use to get them to that place. So you focus on process. You are not focusing on the content.

OK. Kristie, what was that note? Just hit Save and the screen did what?

Kristie: My computer now has a ping file of the last screen you were showing. So if you want to capture a slide like a screenshot, I just learned that and I was excited. I felt the need to share.

Becky Foreman: Thank you. Well, I was this many days old when I learned that from you. That is awesome. Thank you. OK, cool. All right, so the next slide.

Facilitators are flexible, which is an essential quality because you can't just panic when things don't go the way you think they're going to go. Just stick to the process, stick to the methods, but sometimes you have to reevaluate what you're going to do.

And just as a simple example, when Emma and I were first preparing these slides and talking about it, we had said with the slide that said, which role are you most often in? We were not thinking, oh, well, people aren't going to be on camera because we were going to say, oh, by a show of hands. So then of course, people aren't on camera. So that's when I said just respond in chat. It's the same outcome. But just have to be flexible, be able to adjust to whatever the situation is.

Last night I was facilitating for a group and half of my sticky wall fell down, but that was OK. I understood those things happen. People jumped up to help me and we just taped it back up again. So you have to not panic. Be flexible. Next screen.

Understanding group dynamics. I know this is something that's familiar to everyone, regardless of what role you're in. But especially as a facilitator, you really need to understand how different groups work and talk and plan together, and what are some of the things that can get in the way of that?

A lot of the things that you mentioned earlier about, do you have people in the group who are really shy? Do you have people in the group who are new? Who may not be familiar with whatever it is you're talking about and may feel a little bit hesitant about participating or people that overshare, over participate or people that might just be a little bit obstructive.

So you need to understand the dynamics of the group. You're still going to use your same methods and processes, but this will really help you as you are guiding the group through them. Next slide.

And this, again, this is really a key. Facilitators do not know the right answers, but they know the right questions and they trust in the wisdom of the group. So it's not about having the right answers. It's about asking the right questions and letting the group guide themselves to that answer as you guide them through the methods.

And so finally, facilitators get things done. I like to think of us as superheroes. We get things done. And we really do. We make sure that things don't drag on and on, that plans don't keep spinning and spinning. Everything is done purposefully and intentionally. And the methods allow us to make sure that things are going to get done.

And these are the methods that we're just going to briefly touch on today. I will spend a little more time talking about the first one, which is the focus conversation. But we're also going to touch on the consensus workshop, the action planning method, and then finally strategic planning, which is a combination of these methods. All of these methods can be used alone or they can be used in different combinations. And the strategic planning method uses all of them. So let's move on to the next slide.

This is the focused conversation. So the focused conversation is a method that allows the group to review, reflect, discuss any topic. And it doesn't have to be a controversial topic. It doesn't have to be something where they're all going to come to the same conclusion. But it's a way of allowing people to process things. It's a great method to use, following a report that they may have just had to absorb or read, a chance for them to reflect, get a deeper knowledge of it or a deeper understanding. And it's a way to share diverse perspectives as well.

So we're going to do a demonstration. It's going to be a little different since we are on Zoom. So it's not going to be exactly as it would if we were doing this in person. But we're still going to go through it so you get an idea of what this method is. So right now, we're going to share something together and have a focused conversation afterwards.

And what we're going to share is a TED Talk. It's called Every Kid Needs a Champion, and it's by the late Rita Pierson who was a teacher. So I think that she will be presenting perspectives that everybody can relate to in one way or another. So Jorge, if you want to go ahead and start the video for us.

[video playback]

- I have spent my entire life either at the school house, on the way to the school house, or talking about what happens in the school house. Both my parents were educators. My maternal grandparents were educators. And for the past 40 years, I've done the same thing.

And so needless to say, over those years, I've had a chance to look at education reform from a lot of perspectives. Some of those reforms have been good. Some of them have been not so good. And we know why kids drop out. We know why kids don't learn. It's either poverty, low attendance, negative peer influences. We know why.

But one of the things that we never discuss or we rarely discuss is the value and importance of human connection. Relationships. James Comer says that no significant learning can occur without a significant relationship. George Washington Carver says all learning is understanding relationships. Everyone in this room has been affected by a teacher or an adult.

For years, I have watched people teach, I have looked at the best and I've looked at some of the worst. A colleague said to me one time, they don't pay me to like the kids, they pay me to teach a lesson. The kid should learn it. I should teach it. They should learn it. Case closed. Well, I said to her, kids don't learn from people they don't like. She said, that's just a bunch of hooey. And I said to her, well, your year is going to be long and arduous, dear. Needless to say, it was.

Some people think that you can either have it in you to build a relationship or you don't. I think Stephen Covey had the right idea. He said, you ought to just throw in a few simple things, like seeking first to understand as opposed to being understood. Simple things like apologizing. You ever thought about that? Tell a kid you're sorry, they're in shock.

I taught a lesson once on ratios. I'm not real good with math, but I was working on it. And I got back and looked at that teacher addition. I taught the whole lesson wrong. So I came back to class the next day and I said, look guys, I need to apologize. I taught the whole lesson wrong. I'm so sorry. They said, that's OK, Miss Pierson. You were so excited. We just let you go.

I have had classes that were so low, so academically deficient that I cried. I wondered, how am I going to take this group in nine months from where they are to where they need to be? And it was difficult. It was awfully hard. How do I raise the self-esteem of a child and his academic achievement at the same time?

One year I came up with a bright idea. I told all my students, you were chosen to be in my class because I am the best teacher and you are the best students. They put us all together so we could show everybody else how to do it. One of the students said, really? I said, really. We have to show the other classes how to do it. So when we walk down the hall, people will notice us. So you can't make noise. You just have to strut.

And I gave them a saying to say, I am somebody. I was somebody when I came. I'll be a better somebody when I leave. I am powerful and I am strong. I deserve the education that I get here. I have things to do, people to impress, and places to go. And they said, yeah. You say it long enough, it starts to be a part of you.

And so I gave a quiz, 20 questions. Student missed 18. I put a plus 2 on his paper and a big Smiley face. He said Miss Pierson, is this an F? I said, yes. He said, then why did you put a Smiley face? I said, because you on a roll. You got two right. You didn't miss them all. I said, and when we review this, won't you do better? He said, yes, ma'am. I can do better. You see, minus 18 sucks all the life out of you. Plus 2 said, I ain't all bad.

For years, I watched my mother take the time at recess to review, going home visits in the afternoon, buy combs and brushes and peanut butter and crackers to put in a desk drawer for kids that needed to eat, and a washcloth and some soap for the kids who didn't smell so good. See, it's hard to teach kids who stink. And kids can be cruel.

And so she kept those things in her desk. And years later after she retired, I watched some of those same kids come through and say to her, you know Miss Walker, you made a difference in my life. You made it work for me. You made me feel like I was somebody when I knew at the bottom I wasn't. And I want you to just see what I've become. And when my mama died two years ago at 92, there was so many former students at her funeral, it brought tears to my eyes. Not because she was gone, but because she left a legacy of relationships that could never disappear.

Can we stand to have more relationships? Absolutely. Will you like all your children? Of course not. And you know your toughest kids are never absent. Never. You won't like them all. And the tough ones show up for a reason. It's the connection. It's the relationships. And while you won't like them all, the key is they can never ever know it. So teachers become great actors and great actresses. And we come to work when we don't feel like it and we listen to policy that doesn't make sense and we teach anyway. We teach anyway because that's what we do.

Teaching and learning should bring joy. How powerful would our world be if we had kids who were not afraid to take risk, who were not afraid to think, and who had a champion. Every child deserves a champion, an adult who will never give up on them, who understands the power of connection and insist that they become the best that they can possibly be. Is this job tough? You betcha. Oh God. You betcha. But it is not impossible. We can do this. We are educators. We're born to make a difference. Thank you so much.

[end playback]

OK. So before we go through what the method is, let's just stop screen sharing for a moment, Jorge, or for a few minutes. And we're going to have a conversation. So yeah, I've already seen in chat some great responses to this video. So I wanted to go through some discussion questions. And it is going to be a little different because we have so many people here in our group. I would like you to, if you feel comfortable, to unmute and answer. Please do that. And if you'd like, you can go ahead and drop your responses into the chat. And we will try to keep up with them and read them out.

But we're going to start-- I just want to start by asking just really simply, just what's one word or phrase that you remember hearing, just a word or phrase. Don't explain why. And I'll start. What I remember hearing is kids don't learn from people they don't like. Somebody else. What's a word or phrase that you remember hearing?

Emma Diaz: They come for the connection.

Becky Foreman: They come from for the connection. OK.

Emma Diaz: And some relationships.

Becky Foreman: OK, great. Yeah. Let's try to keep up with the chat. Education is about relationship. Yep. Tough ones are never absent. Yeah. OK.

Jorge: I'm the best teacher and you're the best students, and we were chosen to be together.

Becky Foreman: OK. All right.

Emma Diaz: They must never know. We show up anyway.

Speaker 1: Using plus.

Emma Diaz: It says you are someone.

Becky Foreman: Other words or phrases that come to mind.

Emma Diaz: We are educators and this is what we do.

Becky Foreman: OK, all right. Thank you. So what emotions did you see from Rita or from the audience? What were some emotions you saw?

Emma Diaz: Passion. Passion twice. Love.

Becky Foreman: Acknowledgment. Love. Love. Yeah.

Emma Diaz: Commitment.

Becky Foreman: Thank you. Preach. Hope. Caring.

Emma Diaz: Compassion. Realization.

Speaker 1: Willingness to admit an error.

Becky Foreman: Thank you.

Speaker 1: In her story.

Emma Diaz: Energy and appreciation. Warmth. Caring. It says profound joy, vulnerability, and connection.

Becky Foreman: OK. All right.

Emma Diaz: Authenticity.

Becky Foreman: A little bit of guilt maybe and connection. Heart. Yeah. All right. Well, I just want to go on and ask you, what emotions did you experience personally while you were watching this? And I see love, relationships, connections, and valuing, heart. So experienced personally love. Able to admit you may not like everyone. Joy. Grateful to be a teacher. Hope. Empathy. What else? Moved to tears.

And again, you're welcome to unmute and speak it if you'd like.

Emma Diaz: Goosebumps.

Becky Foreman: Goosebumps. Pride. Hope. Go ahead, Emma. I'm taking your job.

Emma Diaz: Inspired and sadness.

Becky Foreman: Thank you.

Emma Diaz: A sadness that I didn't have such a teacher. Thank you, Wendy. Would love to be that inspiring. Energized. I have things to do and places to go. I want to be in her class. Inspiration. Wish that teacher was-- wish that teacher-- wish that every teacher was like her. Sorry. As the screen moves, I have to move with it.

Becky Foreman: Plus one on what Michele said.

Emma Diaz: Yes, reminder that we can make a difference in people's lives.

Becky Foreman: OK. So what did she say or do that made you smile? Anything that she said or did that made you smile. Oh, and we also hope we all need a champion at any age and stage in life. Thank you. Reminded we can make a difference in people's lives. Yeah. So what did she say or do that made you smile during the video?

Emma Diaz: The plus two is better than a negative 18. Her passion and optimism. Authentic language in truth. It says share her mistake in teaching the lesson. Never say die attitude. The tough ones are never absent. Unwilling to give up on students. I love the way she reached her-- sorry, recreated her students interactions.

Becky Foreman: Yeah. Yeah. OK. Well, thank you for that. I'm going to ask you next, if you would like to share, what memories from your own life did this bring back? Anyone who would like to share. And also I wanted to make sure we didn't miss. In chat, we've got her body language projected joy, confidence, a sureness in herself, and playfulness. I love that. We can do this. We are educators. OK.

So anybody who has memories from your own life that this brought back that you are willing to share with us? And for this, you may want to just unmute and speak. Well, we also have one in the chat. Teachers who checked in, not just taught the lesson.

Speaker 2: She made me mentally review in my mind all of the good teachers that I had had.

Becky Foreman: Thank you.

Speaker 1: It made me think about-- so I'm in my late 60s and it was a time of-- or discipline and pull yourself up by your bootstraps was very much the message. So there was not having teachers who are willing to be that-- a human being, but remained authority is what it made me think of.

Becky Foreman: Thank you.

Emma Diaz: Again, in the chat, they have great teachers I had and still remember them 20 plus years later. She referenced that kids can be cruel and remembering times that that was true. How most of my teachers were like the ones she spoke of who had an arduous year.

Speaker 3: When she was talking about the funeral of her mother, I found myself thinking, I wonder if any students would come to mine?

Maryann: I want to share about the teacher that I had in high school, my math teacher, who I remember the most and made the most impact, yet I did not like him at all. When he was teaching me, he always expected me to have the top score like everybody else. And I didn't think I could do it. I was an A-minus student, a solid A minus student. And that was OK with me because I figured it's still an A. But he always wanted me to have the top score.

And he always taught me-- and I remember this to this day. And he would say to me, Maryann, you must learn how to compete. You must learn how to compete. How are you going to get into Harvard if you don't learn how to compete? And I remember one time being so frustrated because I finally got a score above 95 and yet I was in an-- we didn't have gifted classes. I was in an accelerated math class.

There were only two or three other females in the class because math classes were for boys. I mean, I went to school in the '70s, in the early '80s. And so I just remember being so frustrated because I got a score finally above a 95 and he still said, but everybody else got 100. And so you're still at the bottom even with a 95 basically. And again, how are you going to learn how to-- how are you going to get into Harvard if you don't learn how to compete? And I said, I don't even want to go to Harvard.

But I still remember that to this day. And everything that has carried me through life has been about working towards being better than what I think I can do. And he believed in me and that's why he was so hard on me. And it did impact my entire life so that I do still remember him about learning how to compete and being-- and he meant competing with myself and getting up in those scores where he believed that I could be and not at the bottom of the curve.

Becky Foreman: Oh, thank you for sharing that. And I know we have a few more in chat. I do want to make sure we capture those. Emma, are you tracking those?

Emma Diaz: Yes.

Becky Foreman: OK.

Emma Diaz: So back-- we left off, I think, with Martha. So Dan and Battista said, we can do this. We are all educators. Teachers who checked in. And then we went into--

Becky Foreman: I think we maybe have left off with Ryan, teachers who made me feel smart. Although, I now perceive that as possible unconscious bias.

Emma Diaz: A desire to have teachers like her at the schools I attended, from Veronica. And then from Darlene, I had a teacher that said, OK, when I said that I didn't study for the test because my dad was in the hospital. He told me that I still had to take the test. I said no and was very angry that he still wanted me to take the test and didn't give me a break about my dad being in the hospital. I eventually took the test. He taught me that life goes on and you must continue, and so I did.

And then Wendy, with reference to Maryann's story that she just shared, tough love and sexism rolled into one. And then Tishell, Dr. Arlene Piper, Mandy, one of my college professors started every class with a daily affirmation and ended every class reminding us that we were kings and queens and we were the guardians of our own destiny. And Diana, thanks, Maryann for sharing. And Crowley, the memory of being called on to participate, the feeling of being recognized.

Becky Foreman: Oh, thank you all for sharing those.

Emma Diaz: Thank you everyone.

Becky Foreman: So what do you think was the intended message? Anybody? What do you think was the intended message? Well, but before you tell me that, Tom has shared with remorse. I remember as an elementary aged kid scoring a quiz by dad-- oh, scoring quiz my dad brought home from the fourth grade class he taught. I remember writing a giant letter F on student papers. I was oblivious of how this could impact the kids. Thank you, Tom.

Yes. And Maryann is saying, yes. And the teacher who believed in me was male and I never got that from the female teachers. OK.

Let's just get a couple of responses. What do you think was the intended message? One or two responses to this. Intended message.

Emma Diaz: Wendy has, be human with your students and give them what you would like to be given.

Becky Foreman: Thank you. Thank you. OK.

Speaker 4: I can say something. I think it's what she wanted to communicate is the power that teachers have, and that it is something that's built into them. And I think that that's a universal trait. Like I studied in India and I can still-- I relate to some of my teachers and the message that she was communicating.

So it doesn't matter where in the world you're from. But most people who go into this profession want to make a difference and are genuine and will do anything to change lives, and it can change lives based on the example that she gave. Thank you.

Becky Foreman: Thank you very much. Thank you.

Emma Diaz: And in the chat, Diana said, you can make a difference. And then Kim said, absolutely. Also grace in this time. And then Justin, teachers teach because that's what we do, no matter what. Learn to inspire in all we do. Educators have the power to change the entire outlook in self-perception. At the end of the day, it's all about the relationship. My teaching motto, students don't care how much you know until they know how much you care.

And then meet students where they are. And then teachers each have their own style and authentic self to impact students be you and build relationships. And love the inspire comments. And the impact of your teachers stay with you for a lifetime.

Becky Foreman: Thank you. So again, just a couple of responses to this, what myths about teaching does this video dispel? Myths about teaching.

Emma Diaz: That it's the fault of the kids if they don't learn.

Becky Foreman: The question is what myths about teaching does this video dispel?