Author: communications

Anthony Godfrey:
Hello, and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. It is a school that provides training for special education students in character education, independent living and vocational skills to last a lifetime. On this episode of the Supercast, we take you to the South Valley School where we meet an amazing young man who is about to graduate. A student named Jonathon, who is making his way in life thanks, in part, to skills he learned at South Valley. Jonathon's positive attitude is contagious and to be in his company is a real treat. Here is Jonathon's heartwarming story.

We're at South Valley School and I'm finally getting the chance to talk with Jonathon. How are you today?

Jonathon:
I'm doing quite good. How are you?

Anthony Godfrey:
I'm good. Jonathon is about to finish up his time here. You and I met back at a meeting early in the year with all of our student body officers from our various high schools.

Jonathon:
Across the, across the Jordan District.

Anthony Godfrey:
Exactly.

Jonathan:
At the Capitol.

Anthony Godfrey:
I feel like we hit it off right away. Do you agree?

Jonathon:
I can say the same.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay. You're a great conversationalist and as we were up at the Capitol, when we had speakers come in, nobody listened more intently or had better questions than you. You really seem to connect with the people that you talk with. Why do you think that is?

Jonathon:
Because I want to have a better understanding, a better understanding of what's going on around me. I like to know what's going on here. What the plans are, why things are this certain way, you know, I like to have a better, better understanding of things, cuz then I can have better knowledge of what's what.

Anthony Godfrey:
I really like that. And one of my slogans for the district, I've asked all employees to be curious and you live that.

Jonathan:
Yes I do.

Anthony Godfrey:
So, tell me what are some of the things that interest you Jonathon?

Jonathon:
Well, one of the things that interest me is the opportunities.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay.

Jonathon:
And the education that we give to all of the students.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me some of the things that you've learned here at South Valley,

Jonathon:
Friendship.

Anthony Godfrey:
Friendship. You know, when I talk with people from South Valley, that's what they talk about a lot. The relationships and friendships that they create. What are some of the friendships you've been able to enjoy here?

Jonathon:
Well, one of the things that I enjoy a lot is how nice and kind everyone is in this school. They help out with whatever you may need to help, to help transition into the adulthood of life.

Anthony Godfrey:
Can you think of some times that's happened for you here?

Jonathon:
One of the things that I have personally learned in this school is to be open with people and to share some thoughts, some ideas and to not only open my ideas, but listen to other people's ideas and opinions.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, like I said, you're very good at that and I'm impressed and you've opened up to me. We were talking a little bit about your work. Tell everyone about the work that you do.

Jonathon:
I'm a courtesy clerk at a grocery store called Harmon’s and it's close by my house. I help pack up groceries for the customers.

Anthony Godfrey:
Now, when you say the phrase courtesy clerk, it really takes me back because back in the 1900s, I was a courtesy clerk.

Jonathan:
Really?

Anthony Godfrey:
I was a courtesy clerk in high school. It's so funny to me that they're still called courtesy clerks. They used to call us baggers. Does anyone ever call you a bagger?

Jonathon:
Well, that's what it used to be before I applied for the job as well. Like a month or so ago before I even applied there, they were still calling us baggers, but they recently changed it to courtesy clerk because we do more than just bag up groceries.

Anthony Godfrey:
That is correct.

Jonathan:
I also, if the customer wants ice for any size, I go over and get the ice for them.

Anthony Godfrey;
Sure.

Jonathan:
If they want a car, a car side lift, well, I help put the groceries in the vehicle for them. I do that as well. So there's a little more than just bagging groceries for the customers and putting it in carts for them.

Anthony Godfrey:
What do you like about being a courtesy clerk?

Jonathon:
What I love is how I can meet some new faces and just, and it's overall just small talk too as well.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah.

Jonathon:
My managers have told me just to just do some small talk to see how their day's going and everything.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah.

Jonathan:
And I'll go over and as they coming up, paying for their stuff or say, ‘Hey, how you doing?’ You know, ‘how is your day?’ You know, that's pretty much it. Just little small talk.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah. It's interesting. I read a book a long time ago that talked about the importance of small talk. Small talk actually helps us find things that we have in common. Talking about the weather, talking about things you might be bagging up and you say, ‘Hey, I like this too.’ It makes a connection. And like I said, you're very good at making those connections.

Jonathon:
I've just flat out joked before where I would see them getting a Vanilla Coke or White Cheddar Cheetos. And I'll jokingly say, ‘Hey, that's my item.’

Anthony Godfrey:
Because it's something that you like.

Jonathan:
Yeah.

Anthony Gofdrey:
You and I have had very similar experiences as courtesy clerks. So your time at, South Valley School’s coming to a close, this is your final year.

Jonathon:
Yes, it is. I'm gonna be graduating when the school year ends, that's gonna officially be it for me.

Anthony Godfrey:
So what's next for you?

Jonathon:
Well, what's next for me is that I'm gonna work on getting my driver's license because once I get my license, then I'll have the freedom to go pretty much wherever I want. Also, another thing I'm gonna be working on is completing my GED.

Anthony Godfrey:
Great. I love that. Two great goals. Are you gonna continue to work at Harmon's?

Jonathon:
Probably for a long time, at least another five to six years.

Anthony Godfrey:
Good. It's good. I love being at a grocery store. Everybody comes through. Now tell me which Harmon’s you work at.

Jonathon:
It's the one in Cougar.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh, the Cougar Lane, the Kearns one kind of close to, just north of the airport.

Jonathan:
Yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay. Awesome. Well, people can get lots of courtesy from the best courtesy clerk around stopping by in Kearns.

Jonathon:
They sure can. They noticed right away, within two months, that I was a good worker, cause I'm fast and efficient.

Anthony Godfrey:
And you connect to people. You've gotta have all three.

Jonathon:
You do.

Anthony Godfrey:
Now, I like to talk to graduates about advice. What advice do you have for people?

Jonathon:
To never stop believing in their dreams.

Anthony Godfrey:
Good.

Jonathan:
That life can be challenging at times, but that's the whole, I feel that's the whole point of it in all my years. And especially coming here to this specific school that there's always obstacles everywhere you go.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah.

Jonathan:
You know, it's like that song from Miley Cyrus you know, there's always another mountain, you know? And she talked about how sometimes you just have to accept defeat, but what's most important is getting back up on that horse.

Anthony Godfrey:
It's very inspiring Jonathon.

Jonathon:
And all of the motivations that I've heard over the years when I felt down, one of the things is short but simple, that says you can either get up or give up, you know.

Anthony Godfrey:
Getting up makes a lot more sense. That's very touching. That really rings true for me, Jonathon.

Jonathon:
And I hope it'll ring true for others too in this school.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah. I think it will. I think it will. You really embody that, you're a very positive person. How do you manage to stay positive all the time? Like you do, we all get down. How do you stay so positive?

Jonathon:
I just go with the flow of things. One of the things I've learned, and especially in this classroom right here is just to glow with the, you know, go with the flow. If you mess up, it sucks, you know, own it, but just, just keep moving on.

Anthony Godfrey:
It's gonna be a lot easier for me to go through my week. If I keep that, uh, attitude in mind, that's really smart.

Jonathon:
Well, it's just part of, it's just part of nature as well. If a horse is all wild and galloping and stuff, there's just no way you can hang on. It's just, it just is what it is. You know, you can't hang on and sometimes that's life and sometimes that's you, but regardless what choice it is, it's not a matter of how many times you fall. It's the amount of whether or not you choose to get back up or not.

Anthony Godfrey:
You get back up on that horse. But I also like what you said, you can't tame every horse.

Jonathon:
No, you can’t.

Anthony Godfrey:
So some of those you have to just walk away from.

Jonathon:
Some things you just have to just accept.

Anthony Godfrey:
Accept the way it is.

Jonathon:
Sometimes those, sometimes every win's not a win. Sometimes a lose is just a lose. It may hurt, it may suck, but that's, I feel like that's the whole point of it.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, I sure appreciate your wisdom today, Jonathon. You're quite an individual. You're very well rounded in your thinking. You think about other people, you think about yourself.

Jonathon:
I always have empathy for others.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah, you really do. So I've been impressed with you from the start and that just deepens the more I get to know you. Sorry.

Jonathon:
No, you're good.

Anthony Godfrey:
You're quite miraculous. You're quite a guy. Sorry. I'm only crying Jonathon because I think you're pretty remarkable.

Jonathon:
Oh no. It's all good, man.

Anthony Godfrey:
It's just, I think you're quite a guy. I think you're quite a guy.

Jonathon:
I'm holding back myself too. Believe me.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah, no you're good. You're good. You know, you're leaving South Valley School. Tell me about a time that others have helped you when you've been here.

Jonathon:
There was, one of the people that had helped me was my old teacher Bob. And what I liked about Bob was that he's not only a great teacher, but he helps guide us into independent life. Just like with this class right here. But with this class it takes it a step up. And one of the things he always told me was to just, you know, keep going. You know, just keep moving.

Since I'm part of, you know, DSPD, I'm still special needs and everything. I would have, a little bit of time ago, I would have this one on one thing where a staff person from a community organization or whatever would come over and would help me out with whatever one may need. So one of those people that first came was named Michael. And at first I was very introverted. I just wanted to stay in my room all day. I didn't wanna do anything, but eventually he got me slowly but surely, he got me to come out the house and we ended up doing things together and we were having, you know, fun and all. I still hang out with him from time to time to this day.

Anthony Godfrey:
It's hard for me to imagine you being introverted, Jonathon.

Jonathon:
I think it's hard for anyone to believe that I'm introverted because I'm so better now at being sociable, compared to I was a couple years ago, per se. Even the first year starting in the school, I probably wouldn't be anywhere as good socially compared to where I am now.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, I think that's a great lesson that we can change, that we can improve, that we can grow. Because so many times we tell ourselves things about ourselves that keep us from that type of growth that you just described. Oh, I'm this type of person. I'm not that type of person.

Jonathon:
I've honestly compared myself way too much in life. I've looked at myself unharshly and harshly at times.

Anthony Godfrey:
I know you have a lot of great things in your future. I really look forward to seeing you at Harmon’s now that I know where to find you. I'm really glad to know there's gonna be a way for us to stay connected.

Jonathon:
Just be sure not to bug me and disturb me from all my work.

Anthony Godfrey:
Now I'll tell you Jonathon, I promise to buy things and then go through your line to make sure that we are connected without distracting from your professionalism.

Jonathon:
But hey, if things get a little too much, like, especially around the holiday season, it's all good.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me your parting thoughts about South Valley School.

Jonathon:
One of the things I love is the whole opportunities we give to all of our students overall. We help educate them in whatever level they may be in, in whatever level they may be in. It could be a physical disability where they may be in a wheelchair. It could be a mental or psychological disability. One of the things I personally have is that I have a learning disability, which means that I need a lot more learning on something. Especially if it's something new, compared to the average person.

Anthony Godfrey:
What I like though, is that you give yourself the time and it doesn't make you less curious or less engaged. You just know what you need to do in order to learn what you wanna learn.

Jonathon:
In fact, that's what made me who I am today. That specific thing in fact. Because since I had to look at something a lot more closer, I had to really make sure I'm getting what I'm getting. And that's why I'm generally a deep thinker and deep questioner as a whole. And by having extra push, extra juice, into looking at a specific theme or topic or whatever it may be, helped make me the one of who I am today.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, the result is quite remarkable. I know you have a lot of growth and great opportunities ahead of you as well. It's been an absolute delight talking with you and getting to know you. And I am thrilled that I know exactly where to shop, to stay connected. And Jonathon, I think you're quite a guy.

Jonathon:
I can say the same to you.

Anthony Godfrey:
Stay with us. When we come back, we're joined by Jonathon's mom and some staff at South Valley School.

Break:
Do you simply love learning online? We can't wait to have you join the amazing teachers in our brand new Jordan Virtual Learning Academy. In Jordan Virtual Learning Academy schools, we offer innovative, fun, and flexible online learning with daily real-time instruction from teachers. Enrollment is currently open for all K-12 students in Utah. Start on the path to personalized virtual learning success now at connect.jordandistrict.org. That's connect.jordandistrict.org.

Anthony Godfrey:
We're here with Rita Bouillon, the principal at South Valley School and Codee Flores, a teacher, Jonathon's teacher. Tell us a little bit about South Valley School and about the class.

Rita Bouillon:
So at South Valley we have students' ages 18 to 22. And our job really is to prepare them to be great citizens in their community. So we work with them on getting jobs, learning UTA, learning to be independent to a different level than they've ever been given the opportunity before.

Anthony Godfrey:
And Codee, tell me about the class and, and about Jonathon in the class.

Codee Flores:
Our class, like Rita said, is to prepare the students for life after the school is over. I mean, they've gone to school for all these years. There's a life out there that they're ready to get to. And this class is preparing them to get jobs, to learn how to use the public transportation, to be better community members. That is our goal for all of our students.

Anthony Godfrey:
And is there a sense of urgency for students who are turning 22, they're about to graduate and maybe they connect a little bit more with the content of the class because they think, ‘Hey, this is coming fast and I better make sure that I'm ready.’

Codee Flores:
I feel that they do, and especially in this classroom. It's kind of like Jonathon said, a little bit of a step up for him even. We hold them accountable, we treat them as adults and we really focus on what they can do and letting them fail is part of that. We can't always do everything right. And we learn from all of our mistakes every single time.

Anthony Godfrey:
This is a really remarkable school, and the progress that students make when they come here is really amazing. Angela, you're Jonathon's mom, tell us about Jonathon.

Angela:
Where do you want me to start?

Anthony Godfrey:
There’s a lot to cover.

Angela:
Yes. Well, to give you a brief background, because I'm just really proud of how far he has come, and South Valley has really been a big part of that. But Jonathon's a twin and they were both born four months early. And so they were extremely behind, developmental disability disorder is what they were diagnosed with. So what that meant was, Jonathon has come a long ways. So just to give you a good idea, in the first grade he was still wearing pull-ups, he was drinking out of a sippy cup and he wasn't eating food, and he didn't give eye contact. And so that’s severe and of itself at that age. And then he went from there to here over the years, from having a lot of guidance from family and great support, you know, people in the community. But really it’s Jonathon, just always, you know, pushing. The song that he brought up about the mountain. A lot of times I thought of that as kind of an analogy, because I felt like as soon as I'd pushed them a bit and as soon as the twins, especially, you know, John specifically, cuz we're talking about him, but as he would get to a certain top of the mountain, you know, a certain scale, there'd be another one right there behind him. I was constantly pushing him and he didn't always like it, but he's always taken the bull by the horns and just keeps going.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well the combination of your pushing and his determination, it's incredible. The progress that Jonathon's made and he's quite something.

Angela:
Yeah, I have three disabled children and they're all amazing that way. And I can't say that I'm perfect at knowing when to pull back and when to push forward, you know. I've been blessed that I’m able to do that, but I believe that it's because of them that I'm able to do that. They let me know. You know, like when you're growing up, back in our generation, parents would say, ‘because I told you so’, or ‘you can't eat in the living room’ cause you know, all these great things. And you think when you're a kid that when you grow up, you're gonna say that to your children. Well, it wasn't the case. My kids keep me very accountable. And you learn that you have to lead by example, especially individuals who are a bit challenged.

You know, you kind of have to walk the walk right along with them. Jonathon though, what's amazing about him specifically is that I don't even have to really do that. He does it himself. His goals for being a student body officer was from the first year he was here. He knew he wanted to work at Harmon's four years ago and he would let people know that those are his goals. So sometimes people feel like they need to push him to help him get to those goals. But he's pushed himself. So he'll like take a step out and then, oh this is too scary. I'm gonna go back in and then he'll step out. So Jonathon has like, always been really good about determining when he can do something. And when he can't, he has role models to look towards and his brothers. What he likes, what he doesn't like, and he determines his own path.

He is very introverted. That's one thing that not too many people know about him. He still is, but I think coming here has really got him out of his shell because it's forced him to really be sociable, you know. Not just work hard academically or on his skills, and he's starting to enjoy himself. This last year has been huge because he's, instead of like, ‘I need to be sociable cuz this is what I'm trying to work on.’ It's been, ‘I'm just having a good time. I'm really enjoying.’ And when he said friendship, that's actually how I see it too, is that friendship's been like the biggest thing that he's really learned and come across this year.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, congratulations on raising an incredible son.

Angela:
Thank you. I don't know that I have any credit for that.

Anthony Godfrey:
Thanks for joining us on another episode of the Supercast. Remember education is the most important thing you'll do today. We'll see you out there.

Anthony Godfrey:
Hello, and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. Teacher Appreciation Week is an opportunity for everyone to honor educators for their dedication to a job that changes lives. On this special "Teacher Appreciation Week" episode of the Supercast we find out what it takes to be a teacher with an inside look at the District's Teacher Education program offered at JATC South in Riverton.

We're here with Brenda Straley, the teacher in the Teacher Education program at JATC South. Thanks for taking the time.

Brenda Straley:
Thank you, Dr. Godfrey, thank you for coming in.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell us about this program. Many people may not realize that we have a Teacher Education program for students who want to be teachers.

Brenda Straley:
Yeah, so we've had this program for gosh, 14 or 15 years now, and I've been doing it for 13. Essentially, you know, we started out with the idea that we needed paraeducators. I think Todd Quarnberg was the one that originally started this. Then we slowly moved into really focusing on being Special Ed and general ed teachers, because obviously we see a need in our district and across the nation for teachers. One of the focuses for this program is that hands on ability to see things hands on. I really feel like if we had the switch of 80% of our time was spent working with a mentor teacher and 20% in the classroom learning things, then we'd be able to have teacher retention and be able to have those real opportunities to learn the things that are gonna happen in your classroom because you know, most teachers leave because of behavior management and they don't learn that.  So being in the practicums two days a week is an important part of this program where they get that hands-on learning. They work with a mentor teacher and are able to really see what it's all about.

We have Introduction to Education 1010, which is an introductory course that all colleges require of students. FHS 1500 is a three credit class and that's Human Growth and Development. And then SPED 1000, which is through Utah State University.  That is combined with the practicum, learning about Special Education, working with kids with disabilities.

Anthony Godfrey:
Wow. What a great start for kids who are interested in teaching. I love that they have that opportunity while they are still students. Do you think they look at their teachers differently as they're going through this program?

Brenda Straley:
They do. Some of my favorite comments are when I teach them about proximity control, and the teachers in their class will go around and stand by them as they're not paying attention. And then they look at their teacher and say, ‘I know what you're doing. It's called proximity control.’ Sorry teachers. That was me.

Anthony Godfrey:
Secrets out, secrets out.

Brenda Straley:
But yeah, they definitely look at their classes differently and they have more compassion for their teachers. Because they see what goes into being an educator, and they see how hard that teacher works, and how much time they put into a lesson plan.

Anthony Godfrey:
Teachers are taken for granted, there's no question about that. So for students to have that experience and to really see things from the other side, I wonder if every student ought to do a little bit of that so they can appreciate their teachers a little bit more.

Brenda Straley:
I think that's a good idea. Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me what draws students to the program. What do you find makes them want to be teachers as you talk with them?

Brenda Straley:
Gosh, you know, that's a really good question. I think they want to change the world. They come in with this idea of, they want to make a difference in kids' lives. Across the board that's what it's about. And sometimes they come in because a teacher made a difference for them. Sometimes they come in because they didn't have a teacher that made a difference for them. And I talk about that myself, and I say, ‘You know, I got into teaching because I was that student, and I didn't feel like I had a teacher who really understood me and liked me very much.’ And I was like, I'm gonna do something different. I really love high schoolers. I think they're the most amazing humans. And so I see kids getting into education, either wanting to make a difference or, you know, just being somebody that is there for students.

Anthony Godfrey:
Lots of great reasons to become a teacher and to have them reflecting on that at this age is just really exciting. What do you find that students think is most challenging about being a teacher when they first start?

Brenda Straley:
I think they're nervous about being in the classroom and behavior management is probably a big one. Being able to prevent the behavior, so I talk a lot about that. We want to manage our restaurant, we want to manage things. We want to make sure we prevent things from happening. And that's always really hard for students. And also that balance of wanting to be liked by the students. So important for a lot of future teachers.

Anthony Godfrey:
I remember being a student teacher, I was not much older than the high school students that I was teaching.

Brenda Straley:
Oh yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
And my cooperating teacher that I was teaching under and learning from, my mentor teacher, was at the end of her career. And so I was just starting out and it was really strange to teach students that were just a few years younger than me. Do the students in your class teach all grades or do they mostly focus on elementary to start? Tell us a little bit more about that.

Brenda Straley:
Yeah, so mostly preschool to ninth grade. They often wanna go into the high school and I'm like, you guys already know what it's like to be in high school. I'm pretty sure that we can just have you in, you know, elementary. And so what I do is the first practicum that they do is whatever they want. So it's their comfort zone. For some reason, everyone wants to be a second grade teacher. I don't know. So they all go to second grade and then they're like, okay, now it's time to shake it up. Now I want you to go outside of your comfort zone and you're going to something that you are not excited about doing, or you're afraid to do. And that's where growth happens. So then that usually is middle school, bless those middle school teachers. And they do middle school and they either decide they love it or they hate it. And then I encourage them to go into a special education classroom so that they have experience with working with kids with disabilities. And I let them know as well that any class you're in, you're gonna have many students with disabilities in your class. So you might think you don't, but you do. Those invisible disabilities.

Anthony Godfrey:
And helping them understand that being a teacher means focusing on the needs of each individual student in class is is a really great message for them.

Brenda Straley:
Absolutely.

Anthony Godfrey:
What would you say to students who are considering being part of this program?

Brenda Straley:
Absolutely do it. Even if you don't wanna be a teacher, you can find out if you do or don't. That's just as exciting to me as, you know, if somebody comes in my program and they're like, I wanna be a teacher. And then by the time they're done, they don't, that's just as exciting. That's really important. And that's what we're here for at JATC. That's what we're here for in CTE and Career Development is to give students opportunities to try on different hats and see what's gonna work for them. Because the only way you're gonna know is if you try it. We have so many great programs that you can just kind of try one on.

Anthony Godfrey:
And I think that's a great point. Maybe you join this program and find out you want to be a teacher, or you find out that you didn't want to teach second grade after all, and you do want to teach a different grade. I loved teaching eighth grade myself. Or you find out that it's not for you. And finding out it's not for you, like you said gives you different perspective on other careers you might consider and you learn something about yourself, no matter what.

Brenda Straley:
Absolutely.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, I love that you're doing this program. We love our teachers and I love that you're helping us find even more among our own students. And this is a great start for them to be on the path to a wonderful career and a rewarding career as a teacher. So thank you for doing that.

Brenda Straley:
Thank you, Dr. Godfrey. This is a great program. And I just really, I feel it's an honor to be able to teach and do this program.

Break:
Do you simply love learning online? We can't wait to have you join the amazing teachers in our brand new Jordan Virtual Learning Academy. In Jordan Virtual Learning Academy schools, we offer innovative, fun, and flexible online learning with daily real-time instruction from teachers. Enrollment is currently open for all K-12 students in Utah. Start on the path to personalized virtual learning success now at connect.jordandistrict.org. That's connect.jordandistrict.org.

Anthony Godfrey:
We're here with students from the Teacher Education program at JATC South, introduce yourselves.

Brooklyn:
I'm Brooklyn.

Jacqueline:
I'm Jacqueline.

Bode:
I'm Bode.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me, why are you taking this class?

Brooklyn:
I have a passion for social studies. I always knew I wanted to do something in that field. And my mom wants to be a teacher too. So we both have kind of decided to go down this path together.

Anthony Godfrey:
So your mom is pursuing a career in education also. And what does she want to teach?

Brooklyn:
The same thing, she's going to USU online and she's really close to finishing her degree. So it's been really cool to see her do that.

Anthony Godfrey:
So she's a little bit ahead of you.

Brooklyn:
Yeah, definitely.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah, that's good. She's forging a path. You can learn a lot from her, get some materials from her. Awesome. Why did you decide to take this class?

Jacqueline:
I decided to take it because I really wanted to just broaden my spectrum and like really understand what teaching is and what it's like to be in the education system. And it's given me the opportunity through practicum and interviewing with other teachers. And it's been really great.

Anthony Godfrey:
And what are some of the things that you've learned being in this program?

Jacqueline:
I've learned that teaching is not as easy as it sounds and there's a lot more than it looks. Teachers really dedicate their lives and their wellbeing to the students. And I think that's very important to consider.

Anthony Godfrey:
What is it that you want to teach?

Jacqueline:
I want to be an elementary teacher, fifth grade, probably.

Anthony Godfrey:
Great. And tell me why you decided to join the program.

Bode:
So originally I applied to the school with like the goal of going to Computer Programming, but I applied for Teachers Ed as well as a backup, because I always like helping people. That's always something I love doing throughout my entire life. So I didn't get Computer Programming, but I did get this class. And so over the course of it, I've grown a lot more passionate about helping out kids with their education and being able to be there for them and be a facilitator and also to help know that they're cared for and have a space to learn.

Anthony Godfrey:
What are some things that you learned that maybe surprised you?

Bode:
I guess I learned that both that maybe teachers deserve a little bit better, but also that teachers have a lot more than I thought too. It's like both those things at the same time, because I know that teachers have a lot more skills that they learn than I originally thought, and that they have a lot more things to do and that, so they have a lot more ways to connect with students and to be able to give them what they need in order to succeed in the class.

Anthony Godfrey:
And what do you want to teach?

Bode:
I'm kind of split between a lot of things right now. But right now, if I go into high school it would either be chemistry or astronomy. And if it's Special Ed it would probably be elementary, maybe like something like Severe Special Ed for like sixth grade, which is where I'm volunteering right now actually.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah. So you have a wide range of options ahead of you.

Bode:
Yeah, I do.

Anthony Godfrey:
Now, many people may not realize that there's a competitive aspect to being in this program. There are state and national competitions and you guys are participating at the national level. So tell me about that.

Brooklyn:
I competed in the division called Creative Lecture. It's like public speaking, but it's supposed to be around like a Ted Talk type of style. I chose that because I feel like I'm really good at kind of talking to people. Like, I'm not good at reciting off like a memorized speech. And so I thought that would be better for me because I'm really good at like talking and explaining myself through. And so that's the division I chose and I think it turned out really, really well.

Anthony Godfrey:
And you're going to Nationals.

Brooklyn:
Yeah, I'm going to Nationals. So I think I did a good job picking a division.

Anthony Godfrey:
What's your topic?

Brooklyn:
It was on what schools can do to help kids struggling from the pandemic. So like helping kids with their social and emotional health.

Anthony Godfrey:
And what category did you compete in?

Jacqueline:
I competed in Children's Literature Pre-K. So I was the illustrator of the book, my friend Abby, she wrote the book and it was just very, very fun going through and finding careers. So we titled our book Careers in the Alphabet and we wanted to really talk about that even though it's a Pre-K book. We wanted to like start broadening children's spectrums like about what's in the world, what you can accomplish and what you can go through. There's a lot of jobs and there's a lot of opportunities that are misrepresented and not really talked about in schools. I think it's important that kids are exposed to lots of different careers and lots of different things so they can really feel passionate about what they're doing.

Anthony Godfrey:
Is being an illustrator something that you want to do long term?

Jacqueline:
An illustrator would be a very good job. Yeah. I really do enjoy art.

Anthony Godfrey:
What category did you compete in?

Bode:
So I competed in Exploring Support Services Careers. So I had to job shadow someone who does a non essential teacher, like support service for students in the school. So I did an SLP at a preschool who helps out with children who struggle with pronouncing certain parts of words.

Anthony Godfrey:
And what did you learn through that experience?

Bode:
Oh, I learned a lot. I learned that it's really, really fun. I learned that a lot of people in support services, especially in schools, have a much more flexible like schedule and like curriculum that they have to teach and that they get a lot of support from the school to do what they need to do.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, great. Well congratulations on making Nationals and good luck back in DC.

Students:
Thank you.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me your names.

Kylie:
I'm Kylie.

Aubrey:
Aubrey.

Kali:
I'm Kali.

Markelle:
I'm Markelle.

Speaker 8:
I'm Elinor.

Anthony Godfrey:
What makes each of you want to be a teacher?

Kylie:
I really like people paying attention to me. Like, I think it's really fun but also, I just, I wanna see like myself making a difference in the world.

Aubrey:
Mine actually came from when I was a little kid. My mom was a preschool teacher and that really kinda like, you know, little kids think, oh, I wanna be just like mom, like just like dad or whoever. And as I grew older and saw more examples of like the impact teachers can have on students and just even the impact that they have on their students' learning, I really want to do that. Cause I think education is really important for kids and I want them to understand that not only is it important, but can be fun. It doesn't just have to be here, we're gonna sit at this desk and we're gonna take the notes and just move on.

Kali:
I've always wanted to be a teacher when I was little. I wanted to because I love bossing people around. But ever since fourth grade I had a really inspirational teacher who taught me to be myself and how to inspire others. And so just ever since then, I've been so inspired by her and I've wanted to be a teacher just like her, who can just help shape the students of our future.

Markelle:
I actually didn't wanna be a teacher until about 10th grade because I always liked the idea of being a veterinarian. And then I had somebody tell me you're really patient with people and I think you'd be like a teacher. And then I started thinking about it and then the aspect of changing his child's life really pushed me over to want to be a teacher.

Elinor:
Both of my parents are teachers and I saw how much they learned from the students and how much they taught the students and made an impact. And how like my mom was having students from, I don't know, however many years ago like contact her and be like, ‘Hey, I'm getting married. You should come.’ And so like, just like the connection, like in building with the students, like I wanted that and making an impact.

Anthony Godfrey:
You've all hit on really important and rewarding aspects of being a teacher, especially having everyone pay attention to you, you know, that's key. I'm really excited that you want to be teachers and you're all hired right now on the spot. So that's exciting for me that I just recruited five more teachers. So tell me about competition. I did not realize until a few years ago that there were teacher competitions. Tell me what category you competed in and a little bit about that.

Kylie:
So I was competing in lesson delivery and like lesson planning and delivery. And I taught a lesson about like how to crochet. I got third place, which is kind of cool, but it was really fun and really eye opening, just like to see the learning process of something I've been doing, like for the past 12 years. Just being able to see people starting out and I didn't win, but that's okay because I think that the process of it was really cool.

Anthony Godfrey:
And that's really the trick of it, is helping someone else get good at something you're already good at.

Kylie:
Yeah.

Aubrey:
So my contest, well not contest, competition was researching learning challenges. So this one was more, it was a partnership. So my partner was Braxon, but he's not here right now. And what we did is we went and we researched. The topic this year was visual impairment and the challenges they could have with learning and just in general, but also what could we do to help make it better? Like what are some possible solutions? And we ended up getting second place and that was pretty exciting.

Anthony Godfrey:
Great. Congratulations.

Kali:
All right. So one thing I just wanna say is I had no idea Educators Rising was even a thing until being here at JATC South and I want more people know about it because it was really an amazing opportunity to just better develop my skills. So I did public speaking and I kind of talked about in my speech, just the achievement gap between white, Black, Hispanic, and low income students. And just how schools and teachers can just improve equality within schools, especially after the challenges that came from virtual learning. Just doing all of that research really opened up my eyes to a lot of things that I hadn't recognized within teaching. And it also just bettered my personal philosophy about teaching.

Markelle:
So I also did public speaking. The topic this year was what are the gaps that people have had between white, Black, Hispanic and low income learning through virtual schooling. Our task was to come up with solutions as to what we could do to fix that. I loved learning and researching about different solutions and different things that people have done and kind of implementing them into my own. And then I made sure to mention, you know, the issues with like school funding, because none of this would be possible without teachers. And so I think, out of my whole speech, that was something that I loved so much was being able to tell the judges, you know, this school funding is such a big thing that nobody really ever tends to realize unless you're in education. So, I didn't place, which is totally fine. As long as I got my message across, I'm fine.

Anthony Godfrey:
And you learned a lot.

Markelle:
I did. I learned a ton.

Elinor:
So I wrote a children's book with a partner named Gracee, she's not here right now also. But we wrote a Kindergarten through 3rd grade children's book called Alphabet Animal Party. And like our focus was kind of it was ABC. So we had a different animal for each letter of the alphabet and they were all coming together to create a party for their best friend. And we just wanted to kind of put across the message that like, it doesn't matter who you are, where you came from, but coming together and creating something for a friend can bring unity.

Anthony Godfrey:
Great message and a great experience I'm sure. Well, you're all fabulous. I'm so impressed. And it's been a real pleasure talking with you and good luck in your career. I look forward to seeing you in just a few years.

Students:
Thank you.

Anthony Godfrey:
Thanks again for joining us on the Supercast. Remember education is the most important thing you'll do today. We'll see you out there.

Anthony Godfrey:
Hello, and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. They will be running, climbing, jumping, crawling, and making their way through mud, all to benefit kids in the classroom. On this episode of the Supercast, we dive into the Jordan Education Foundations Challenge Obstacle Run, which is being held on Saturday, May 14th at Veterans Memorial Park in West Jordan. Find out why it has become one of the most popular obstacle runs in the state resulting in fun for families and a big win for teachers in Jordan School District.

We are fortunate to have the director of the Jordan Education Foundation here, Mike Haynes. Mike, how are you doing?

Mike Haynes:
Well, thank you. Great to be here.

Anthony Godfrey:
You're always doing well.

Mike Haynes:
Well, thank you.

Anthony Godfrey:
And it's always great to be wherever you are. You're always so positive and ready to go. And we have Jason Casto, the past past president of the Jordan Education Foundation and longtime contributor and foundation board member. Thanks for joining us.

Jason Casto:
I'm glad to be here.

Anthony Godfrey:
Two of the most positive, energetic people I know, and I'm not exaggerating. And I know a lot of positive, energetic people.

Jason Casto:
I agree with you. It always is nice to be where Mike is at.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's right. You’re both so energized and happy because you get to do so many great things for kids and for teachers and for the employees of our district.

Jason Casto:
You’re right.
Anthony Godfrey:
One of the ways you accomplish that as a Foundation is through the Challenge Run.

Jason Casto:
Absolutely. The Challenge Run.

Anthony Godfrey:
It's one of the ways that we mark time. You know, one of those markers is that as spring comes, I know that the Challenge Run is approaching. It's something I always look forward to and we haven't been able to do it with COVID getting in the way. This is really an exciting thing that we're back in business.

Jason Casto:
Yeah. Two year hiatus. We're so excited to be back.

Anthony Godfrey:
We see people of all ages participate. Talk to me about who can come to this event and enjoy it.

Jason Casto:
Yeah. So I do wanna say very strongly right out of the gate that sometimes people hear an obstacle course and they think, all right, I'm out. You know, they might think of some of the extreme sports that we see kind of in our communities or on TVs. And this is not that. This is not the kind of obstacle course that you have to train for. We want to give people the idea of doing something fun. Doing something a little different, not your typical 5k or one mile walk or that type of thing. A little bit different, but not so intense that you feel like, all right, I have to have a training regimen going in. Anybody can do this. It's for the whole entire family. We say, you know, eight and up, but all in all honesty, we've had as young as a parent carrying their child in a little harness on their chest. And so we want everyone to feel welcome. You can really engage with the obstacles or hey, if this happens to be one that you don't want to go through the mud pit, you can go around the mud pit.

Anthony Godfrey:
I think Brené Brown, that's a quote from Brené Brown.

Jason Casto:
That’s it exactly.

Anthony Godfrey:
You can go through the mud pit or around it. I don't know something like that. Yeah, there really is an ability for people of all ages, and athletic ability to really enjoy it. You can, like you said, you can decide how much you engage with various obstacles. And there's a lot of work that goes into setting up a really exciting course. And so it is a challenge run. You challenge yourself and see how much you can get out of yourself in this run. And that's part of the fun of it.

Jason Casto:
Yeah. Maybe I can describe a little bit some of the things that they're gonna go through. So the run is done at Veterans Memorial Park in West Jordan, and it incorporates the whole entire park, including the rodeo grounds. The rodeo grounds and that area back there is kind of where most of the obstacles are.

Anthony Godfrey:
Is bull riding a part of it, or have we eliminated that?

Mike Haynes:
That's a good idea.

Jason Casto:
We had that on the table and it just slightly got voted down.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay. All right. Fair enough. Fair enough.

Jason Casto:
So some of the things that you'll do is there's the before mentioned mud pit. We always have a mud pit that people, you know, kind of tredge themselves through. Then inside the rodeo grounds, there are a whole bunch of cement barricades. So there's kind of a high hurdling of cement barricades. There's a sandbag carry where you gotta pick up sandbag and carry it kind of down and back. There's an army crawl. So crawling underneath the army net, which is super, super fun. Then we go inside where the cattle are normally held during the rodeo. And we kind of do a zigzag through there. We have a spiders web worth of rope that we tie. So you have to kind of wind yourself and weave yourself through there. There's some climbing underneath the bleachers. There is the Superman water slide towards the end where you get a running start and with the aid of water and soap, slide all the way down the hill. That's a highlight both from a fun standpoint and from a picture standpoint.

Mike Haynes:
Yes, there's where our highlights come from.

Jason Casto:
Our best pictures come from that, unquestionably.

Anthony Godfrey:
And we've had a drone taking pictures if I’m not mistaken.

Jason Casto:
Yes, indeed. We have, again this year, we’ll have several drones that will be there taking pictures of the whole event.

Anthony Godfrey:
So we’ll be well documented.

Jason Casto:
Well documented, absolutely.

Anthony Godfrey:
We want to have everything up front. Okay. After the slip and slide, sorry, I interrupted your rundown of the obstacle course.

Jason Casto:
Well, we finish with a 120 foot long blowup obstacle that people kind of jump and climb through, which is a fun way to finish towards the finish line. There's a couple of other things in the back area, way out in the back fields, where you stop at a station and you use a sledge hammer to break a brick. I mean, hey, when do you get a chance to do that? Everyone wants to swing a sledge hammer.

Anthony Godfrey:
So if there's any anxiety or frustration in your life, this will cure it.

Jason Casto:
Yeah. You hear about the rage rooms where you gotta go, you know, and pay some money to bust a computer up. Hey, you could do this and a bunch of other stuff.

Anthony Godfrey:
And, and if you feel like your kids are getting too much screen time, get 'em out into the challenge run.

Jason Casto:
Exactly. And after the break brick with the sledge hammer, there's also a station where you stop and you use a slingshot and a paintball to hit a target. I mean, just fun stuff.

Anthony Godfrey:
Stay with us when we come back, find out why participants will also be dancing the day away to great music as I DJ the event. More fun with the Jordan Education Foundation coming up next.

Break:
Hello, I'm Stacee Worthen, Secondary Counseling Specialist for Jordan School District. Do you know all the ways Jordan School District counselors can help you and your students? School counselors play such an important role in our schools. They provide parents with resources to help guide their children in academics. They provide support with the mental and social well being of students in our schools. And if you are in the process of preparing a student for college, or just beginning the conversation of higher education, now is the perfect time to reach out to your child counselor. We can assist with college applications and college readiness. I encourage parents and guardians to schedule an appointment and get to know your student's counselor. Together, counselors and parents can help develop plans and strategies for students to succeed long after they leave Jordan School District. Reach out! We're always here to help. You can find us and learn more at counseling.jordandistrict.org.

Anthony Godfrey:
I do have a role in the challenge that I'm quite proud of.

Jason Casto:
Yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
And that is I get to DJ the event. I assume that I'm on the docket again this year?

Jason Casto:
We also assumed that, so I'm glad to hear that. If the official invitation hasn't been extended, consider it officially extended.

Anthony Godfrey:
No, I'm planning on it. I've been working on my classic rock playlist with some new tunes for the kids as well. You know, what all the youngsters are listening to these days. But yeah, I like to mix it up and create a good sonic environment in which to challenge yourself and to complete the run. I like making people listen to the music I choose, really is what it comes down to.

Jason Casto:
Yeah. That classic rock list. That’s my favorite part of it.

Anthony Godfrey:
And I know Mike's penchant for RATT and other, you know, hair bands from the 80s.

Mike Haynes:
Anything where an air guitar is appropriate.

Anthony Godfrey:
My real goal is when I put a song on and then I watch for the groups of teenagers and see that I'm getting a reaction.

Jason Casto:
That's fun. That's when you know you've hit the mark.

Anthony Godfrey:
Ultimately, then the next song is for Mike. When he breaks into air guitar then I know I've hit my mark once again for the range of audience. But it really is fun. And, as I mentioned, the group of teenagers, there are teams that can be formed and schools can form teams. So tell us about how that works.

Jason Casto:
Yeah, that really defines the structure of the race. Remember the point is to get money into classrooms for teachers and students. So the way that we do it is we have teachers sign up, teachers do it for free. So teachers are given a code so that they can create a team for free. So when they sign up, they create a team. A school can create a team, or a single teacher can create a team, or a group of teachers can create a team. And then as the community in general starts to sign up for the race, they are required to select a team. So someone might say, ‘Oh, I would like to select a team of, you know, Herriman High School or South Jordan Middle School. Or they are joining because some specific teacher has said, ‘Come and participate, come help me get money for my classroom.’ Then they'll join that specific teacher's team. And so we definitely do it all around teams. The bigger the team, the bigger the grant that the teacher gets. So that's our goal for teachers to build as big of teams as possible. The school that has the highest participation, whatever school by a percentage has more participation than any other, they're the big winner. They're the Challenge champions. They get a trophy. We have a traveling trophy every year. The winner gets their name on the side of the plaque and the big trophy. And they get a $2,500 grant for their school.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's fantastic! That can make a big difference for a school.

Jason Casto:
Yeah, absolutely.

Anthony Godfrey:
And all of the money that comes from the challenge run goes to schools and to teachers. All of that is distributed.

Jason Casto:
Yeah, absolutely. All the money that comes in is distributed to the teachers for their classroom grants.

Anthony Godfrey:
Now as a runner in the event, you receive prizes. We have great sponsors that are there after the event. Great food. As DJ I expend a lot of energy.

Jason Casto:
And you need to replenish that energy.

Anthony Godfrey:
I need yogurt. I need sparkling colorful beverages. And all of those are available. Talk a little bit about that. And there's a shirt. So what do people get besides the sense of community and the chance to challenge themselves?

Jason Casto:
When you sign up, you do get a shirt, and so you're asked for your shirt size. So everyone will get a Challenge Obstacle Run shirt. And then, just as you mentioned, there are a lot of businesses that wanna participate and be part of this. So every year we have many that are there that are giving away freebies to the runners. We will have Chick-fil-A there that will be giving away breakfast sandwiches. Other places will be there, like in the past we've had In-N-Out Burger. Because after the race, there's kind of a festival atmosphere. There's rock climbing walls and trampolines. And we have mascots from the various Utah sports teams and from the various high schools. And so there's a lot of activity going on there. Things like face painting and then the different businesses will be there giving away free food. And so always things like ice cream, like Creamies and Fat Boys and Dannon and Pepsi have both been big sponsors in the past and will be this year, providing drinks, free drinks, you know, other types of treats and food. And no one goes away hungry.

Anthony Godfrey:
I remember hearing from runners over the years that this was the best event for the after run swag and food and everything else. I remember I got a phone case from Mike Haynes. We had a booth with all these phone cases that a vendor had donated. You just never know what you're gonna find. I spun the wheel at the In-N-Out booth and got a little sippy cup thing.

Jason Casto:
You definitely will come away with a big, you know, haul of swag from this event.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yes, you'll have to have some energy left to carry everything to the car that you end up with after your race. So do folks sign up for the race.

Jason Casto:
So if you'll go to J E F challenge, so J E F for the Jordan Education Foundation, JEFchallenge.org that will direct you right to the signup. It’s super easy to sign up, a very simple process. Enter your information and then select your team and you are ready to go.

Anthony Godfrey:
We'll include all of this information in the show notes as well, but tell us date, time, location and then that web address again.

Jason Casto:
Yeah. So JEFchallenge.org. It's May 14th. So we're about three weeks away. So Saturday, May 14th, we start at 9:00 AM. The run lasts for about an hour. We kind of stagger start times. Most people get through the course in about, you know, 30 to 45 minutes. And then from about 10, 10:30 to noon, that's kind of the festival after. It's in West Jordan City at Veterans Memorial park. The address of that is 1985 West 7800 South. So basically on the south west corner of Redwood Road and 7800 South.

Anthony Godfrey:
And what does it cost to sign up?

Jason Casto:
It's $20 to sign up. When you sign up, you get the aforementioned stuff that we talked about, all that good stuff. And you also are given the opportunity if you have someone in your network that can't participate or can do more than just simply sign up, every teacher who creates a team is given a fundraising team as well. And we encourage and ask for people to also do donations. So hey, you can come and run and have a great time to support your teacher. And you can also do a donation that will go directly to that teacher as well. And it's just a nice, simple way to do it. The whole signup process, you can contribute and sign up all the same site, very simple.

Anthony Godfrey:
And one of the things that I've always been so impressed with is the amount of effort that the Foundation puts behind this. When you described all those obstacles, that's the Foundation putting together this route, putting together everything that you've described, but you also visit every school to talk with the faculty and to be sure that they know about creating a team and how they can make this a fundraising event for their school or, or for their grade level.

Jason Casto:
So one of the things we love, it gets us into all the schools. As board members of the Foundation, our goal is to be visible and be in the schools. And so we try to do that all year. This event is another, you know, chance to be there. And that is true. We have been in a faculty meeting at almost every single school in the District, letting them know about it. If you happen to be listening to this as a teacher and you missed our faculty event or were not there, please consider this your reminder about it. And if you use Teacher2022 as a code, that's your code to sign up for free.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay, great. So the code is out there.

Jason Casto:
Cheat code out. Cheat code out.

Anthony Godfrey:
It’s been revealed. Our listeners get all kinds of perks, that's just one more perk that they get. I just want to reemphasize that about the Foundation. The Foundation is made up of community members, business owners, people who are just interested in helping the District. Some have kids in the District, some don't, and it's just a desire to help lift teachers, lift students, lift our employees and help provide support. And it's very, very inspiring. One of the most rewarding things that I do is to get to associate with Foundation members and see the dedication that they put into our District. It shows how important Jordan District is to the community. And it shows what a great community we have to provide us that level of support year after year, day in and day out. And it means the world. So thank you.

Jason Casto:
Well, thank you, absolutely. That, that perfectly, what you said describes me. I had children that all went to the school district and I wanted to be a part and a contributor. And you know, that was 13 years ago. I particularly had one teacher that made a miracle of a difference in one of my son's lives. And I thought, how can I give back? My kids are all grown now and have long stopped being in school, but I love the District and want to help. And there's a lot of people like me. There's other people that aren't on the Board, that are actively engaged in their school. And every year we are out and people get involved and then they ask, what can I do next year? Our committee and those who are participating just continue to grow because there's a lot of people who love teachers and students and want help.

Anthony Godfrey:
And it's like you said, it's based on those miracles that happen because a teacher cared about a child and went the distance to help them no matter what it took. And like you said, there are many, many people out there who want to help and it's inspiring to see the Foundation continue to support us as they do. So thank you for that. Give us the web address just one more time, Mike.

Mike Haynes:
So JEFchallenge.org

Anthony Godfrey:
To everybody out there, sign up, become a part of it. It's a blast. It's a great way to give back. And it won't feel like you're giving back because you get every bit of value out of that $20. It's a great morning for you. And just mention that you listened to the Supercast, come up and find me. I'll play your song for you. After I play Mike's hair metal for him. There you go.

Mike Haynes:
There you go.

Anthony Godfrey:
I gotta take care of him first, but you're next. Come talk with me and we'll get your song on. Thanks again for taking the time and thanks for everything you do for the foundation.

Mike Haynes:
Thanks for having us.

Jason Casto:
Thank you.

Anthony Godfrey:
Thanks again for joining us on the Supercast. Remember, education is the most important thing you'll do today. We'll see you out there.

Anthony Godfrey:
Hello, and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. He put his thoughts into words in a high school essay assignment, several months in the making. On this episode of the Supercast, a Riverton High School student, his mom, and teacher share some powerful lessons learned from the essay assignment. And we find out how one caring and compassionate teacher is impacting lives.

We're at Riverton High School with DeSean. He's a junior at Riverton, and he's done a project writing about his life, talking about some of the difficulties that he's gone through. And I want to talk with him about the project and about some of the things that he's learned as a result. We're also here with Shasta Burton. Shasta, tell us your role in working with DeSean and a little bit about the assignment to start with.

Shasta Burton:
Sure. So DeSean was in my virtual language arts class and we had a journal prompt that he responded to that was really inspiring to me. And so I made an offer to have a project replace some of his other assignments that he was missing and it just kind of blew up and turned into a really amazing thing.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me about your initial reaction to what he wrote.

Shasta Burton:
I was excited because he was completing an assignment and so there was some celebration there. And then as I was reading his response, I realized that there was a lot going on here that we could talk about. And really help him find himself again in school and getting him to participate more and just making sure he had his voice.

Anthony Godfrey:
And that's really what an effective assignment is about. Helping a student find their voice and helping them really discover something authentic about themselves. And so it's that authenticity and an assignment that can really lead to something. So I'm glad that you took the initiative and saw that there was something there so that you could pull DeSean into maybe a deeper exploration of what was going on with him.

Shasta Burton:
Yeah, absolutely.

Anthony Godfrey:
So DeSean, tell me a little bit about what it felt like to have your teacher ask you to explore this. Did that surprise you after your initial assignment?

DeSean:
Yeah, I was in shock. I didn't know what to think. I wasn't expecting it to like turn into that. I just did an assignment. So it was just really shocking to me.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me why this assignment sparked for you a little better than some others did.

DeSean:
I think the assignment was like a big thing in my grade. I don't know. So I just emailed her. I was like, ‘Hey, can I just write about my dad's addiction and his journey?’ And she's like, ‘yeah, that's fine.’ And so that's kind of just what I did it on. And like I have like all his journals and letters. So like I just wrote it off what he was saying how his life is.

Anthony Godfrey:
So tell me about what that was like. Tell me about how you learned about your father and some things that you learned about him and what you've learned for yourself as a result.

DeSean:
What I've learned from him is that I know what is right from wrong and that you should never pick up drugs. It's a really hard subject to talk about. Like, I don't know, he wasn't really there, so I don't know how it is to like grow up with it and stuff like that. So like when I did write it and like when I did get to meet him, like it was a good, it was a good time. Like we got really close, but like once he like died, it was just, I don't know, it kind of just turned. I think that's what the assignment really helped me change, because I've changed so much as a person from that. Just opening up about his life and how it has taken a part on me.

Anthony Godfrey:
I know it may be the difficult to talk about, but tell me about your father.

DeSean:
So from like what his journals that he wrote has said it's like, it's just like talking about how he grew up. Going over those, I do see how he had a really hard life. I didn't really know him. It was like seventh grade when I found out who my father was. And then like, I didn't want to meet him until I knew he was clean and sober, so I didn't. Then like him and my mom, like kinda reconnected and stayed in contact.

Anthony Godfrey:
And how long ago did your father pass away?

DeSean:
Almost two years ago.

Anthony Godfrey:
As you wrote the project, did it make you feel more closely connected to your father?

DeSean:
It did because I kind of just, it felt like I understood what he was going through and like how hard it was. Reading all his journals and his letters, it kind of did make me feel closer to him because those are the only things that I had of him. So like I could just read those and like kind of just, I had that connection with him. Like we kind of just got closer through me getting closer with his personal items.

Anthony Godfrey:
So really it was his writing and your writing, both that brought you closer together?

DeSean:
Yeah. Maybe it's like his plan for me to be his voice. Cuz like, I don't know his, I was just maybe his voice.

Anthony Godfrey:
We also have Laura here who is DeSean's mother. Laura, tell us how did this assignment change to DeSean?

Laura:
It meant a lot because I know the impact it's had on DeSean. He has been able to talk about things more. He's asked questions more and getting into his assignment, gave him a chance to explore what it's really like to be a child of somebody that's an addict and not know where to go or where to turn. And it gave him an option to kind of let those things out and vent in a way that maybe he and I couldn't relate to at the time. He and I relate great and we have a good connection. But I think going through something as traumatic as losing somebody and in that way to addiction, that it helped him kind of release those feelings and be okay with talking about things. And gave him a little bit more hope in life in general.

Anthony Godfrey:
Have you seen changes in DeSean since he wrote this and since he's been through what he has?

Laura:
Yes. This last year's been a complete full circle. He went from being quiet and depressed, sad, lonely to happy, outgoing, wanting to go to school, wanting to go to work, setting goals for himself and accomplishing those goals. And it's kind of given him more of a sense of communication. We can talk about things that maybe other people don't feel comfortable talking about because we've had that traumatic loss. He would ask me questions throughout the assignment and I would just push him to be open and honest and feel it and know that feelings are okay.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's the best kind of assignment that involves family, that has the support of a parent. And that really helps you explore yourself and understand yourself better. Your mom talked about some goals. What are your goals for the future and, and what are your plans?

DeSean:
I really want to graduate high school, which is kind of hard for me right now. I just want to be able to be successful in life. That's really just my end goal is just to be successful and in the future to be a father to kids and to get that connection, cuz I didn't grow up with that. So that's kind of what I want to set, is to be a good father figure too.

Anthony Godfrey:
I think that's a good combination and you're in the middle of your junior year. So there's time for you to accomplish whatever you need to to graduate from high school. So we'll help you. However, we can Stay with us. When we come back, DeSean reads an excerpt from his life changing essay.

Break:
Hello, I'm Tracy Miller, President of the Jordan School District Board of Education. There are seven members on the Board of Education, one in each voting district. We are committed to listening and serving our constituents as we work together to provide the best possible learning environment for the students we serve. As members of the Jordan Board of Education, we believe it is our duty and responsibility to: increase student achievement; provide parents with the choices they deserve and desire; recognize and reward quality in educators; empower school leaders through policy governance and professional development; and communicate with the public, legislators, business leaders, cities, and parents. We invite you to get to know the Board member who represents you in your voting district, and to please join us at our monthly board meeting held on the fourth Tuesday of every month. Or listen from the comfort of your home, on our live stream. For more information and to find your Board member, visit jordandistrict.org. With parent and community input and support we will continue our work to give students every opportunity to succeed in Jordan District schools and beyond. Thank you for your support. We look forward to seeing you soon.

DeSean:
So I'm gonna talk about the first time I met my dad.

Three years later, I finally met him. I was a nervous 15 year old. My mom had given my dad my phone number with my permission. He texted me March 26th, 2020. I received the text saying ‘DeSean, Hi it’s Wendell.’ I was shaking, had the jitters. I anxiously responded establishing the roots of a relationship.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay. Any advice for anyone out there who may be struggling, trying to get through difficult circumstances trying to graduate?

DeSean:
I would just say like you kind of just have to have the positive mindset. It's hard. I get it, it's hard. It is really hard like losing your dad through high school is, and it just takes a toll on you. And then like with other kids growing up, with them going through like addiction, they might not know what to do or like what to say. It's just like not a thing to keep quiet about. Like you have to speak up about it and let others know what is happening so they can at least try to help fix it.

Anthony Godfrey:
I admire that you were willing to not only write about your circumstances and the difficulties that you'd been through, but also to share that with us today for the podcast. So thank you very much for taking the time to talk with me and I wish you the very best through the rest of high school as you get to graduation and beyond.

DeSean:
All right. Thank you. It's a pleasure being on the show.

Anthony Godfrey:
Shasta. How does it feel to see an assignment of yours, and an assignment that you expanded, be so impactful in the life of a family and of a student?

Shasta Burton:
I really feel honored. At first it was really intimidating because it's such a sensitive topic and I wanted to be careful at the same time. Like we have this project with these standards and the things that we have to focus on. And how do I merge this with such an important story that needs to be told? And how do I approach helping him be a better writer without taking away from his story or making him feel like his voice is being squashed? It was intimidating for me because I wanted to do right by DeSean and his mom and his dad. So it was humbling. It was honoring. It was intimidating and I'm just, I'm really grateful to be here. And it's so exciting to see DeSean and the connections that he's been willing to make. The empathy he has for his father.

Anthony Godfrey:
Laura, any final thoughts about the project or the progress that Dashaun has made?

Laura:
I am very proud of this kid here. He's gone through a lot in the last two years from, you know, moving to a new school and having everything new, to losing his father, to falling way behind on online school. Having a teacher just give him the opportunity to expand himself and open up has changed him completely. He's a hardworking kid and he's got a lot of goals and a lot of things on his plate that he manages to do, but it's brought him out of his shell and it's given him a chance. He communicates better from this project. He talks to us more. We have good communication. It may not be the funnest of times sometimes, but I mean it's really helped him to be able to communicate not only with his family, his teachers and let people know like I'm not doing okay or I am doing okay and asking those questions.

Anthony Godfrey:
Communication is the key to having great support and giving everyone the chance to help you and for you to help them. I'm really impressed with your progress and wish you the best going forward.

Thanks again for joining us on the Supercast. Remember education is the most important thing you'll do today. We'll see you out there.

Anthony Godfrey:
Hello, and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. It is an academic program that has been getting Utah kids excited about history for 30 years. We're talking about the Utah History Fair. On this episode of the Supercast, we find out how some Daybreak Elementary students use their knowledge and talents to take first place and qualify for the State History Fair competition. It is a competition that involves more than 10,000 students from Utah. Proving that the process of learning about history is a whole lot of fun.

We're here with Ramsay O'Connor, one of the sixth grade teachers here at Daybreak Elementary to talk about the Utah State History Fair. And you have a few students who are advancing through regionals to the state competition. Tell me about what made you want to get students involved in this and what that process has been.

Ramsay O'Connor:
So I've been doing history day at Daybreak for, I think this was maybe my third year doing it. So I'm a lot better at it. The first year was kind of trial and error and then with COVID we took two years off. And then this year I wanted to do it again. And since we had that Walk to Read enrichment group time all the sixth grade teachers decided that would be a really good project for some kids that need enriching. So we started with about 30 kids and then I think I had about seven groups compete and two groups made it to the state competition.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, congratulations first of all, that they've advanced. So tell me about the structure of it. There's a theme for each year and then are there certain categories within which they can submit? And what are their options in terms of a project?

Ramsay O'Connor:
So there's a theme every year. We talked a lot about first choosing a topic that's interesting to you. And so we started with finding a moment in history that you find interesting; world history, local history, American history, they could choose whatever they wanted. And then talked about the categories; an exhibit, a documentary, a website, a paper, which nobody chose, and I think that was it. Those were the oh, and a live performance, which no one chose that either. Then yeah, they just go from there. They pick their category. And then we kind of talked about once they narrowed in on the moment in history that they were most interested in, then we talked about narrowing it down to really meet the theme. And we worked a lot on what's a thesis to help develop their project.

Anthony Godfrey:
I love the deep, personalized learning that happens as a result. They get to pick their topic, they get to pick the medium that they're most comfortable with, and then they get to work with someone else. Teamwork is involved and competition doesn't hurt. It sharpens your focus a little bit and you want to do well. On Friday is the state competition and you have two teams that advance to that level?

Ramsay O'Connor:
Yep. This is the first time I've ever had teams make it to the state level competition, so I'm really excited and proud of them. I'm excited for all the kids that participated because they did great. But to have kids go to the state, I'm really excited because I've never done that before or helped kids get to that point.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, I wish them the very best and I'll look forward to hearing how things go and thanks again for taking the time.

Ramsay O'Connor:
Of course. Thank you for coming.

Anthony Godfrey:
I'm here with students at Daybreak Elementary who have competed in the Utah State History Fair. Now that is not just the history of Utah, but it's a history fair generally and you got to pick your topics within certain categories. So we're gonna talk with each of the three teams that are represented here. So let's start with the two of you. Introduce yourselves and your project for me.

Lyla:
I'm Lyla.

Isla:
And I'm Isla.

Anthony Godfrey:
And tell me about your project.

Lyla:
We did it on the causes of the French Revolution.

Isla:
We thought it'd be a good topic because it's like in a different part of the world, which is fun to explore. And we decided to do the causes because that's a lesser known part of it.

Anthony Godfrey:
And after this project, what is your opinion of guillotines?

Lyla:
Well, the Reign of Terror was like not exactly a fun part in history and guillotines in my opinion are very bad.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yes they are. And dangerous. So the tell the people who don't know what the Reign of Terror is, what was the Reign of Terror?

Isla:
It was a time in the French Revolution kind of close to the end where thousands of people died because people were like getting really radical and violent during the French Revolution. Not what they wanted, but it just got really violent and tons of people died, they were beheaded.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah. You were saying the nicer term died, but your partner here reminded you that they were actually beheaded. Back to the guillotine issue that I brought up earlier. So talking about history, we are really supposed to learn from history and it's supposed to inform what we do now. So what did you learn from the French Revolution that we might need to think about right now in current society?

Lyla:
Well, it was a lot about like the government and how like everything should be fair. You shouldn't be like ranked on like depending where you were born. Yeah. Like you'd be born into a certain category or a state and depending on that, you would be treated unfairly.

Isla:
When it wasn't even your fault.

Anthony Godfrey:
So in other words, we want to be sure that people no matter where they're born or what the circumstances are around when they're born, that they have as much opportunity as anyone else. Would you agree with that? What was the theme of the history fair that made you want to choose this topic?

Lyla:
The theme was Debate and Diplomacy and the French Revolution goes with that kind of, because it was a big debate. The Estates General, which we focus on a lot, and that's what caused the French Revolution. So we decided to choose that because it matches the theme really well. And it also has some diplomacy in it at the end when they make peace and form a new government.

Anthony Godfrey:
Now you chose to do a website. There are lots of different things that you can do to demonstrate your knowledge of this part of history. Why did you choose a website?

Isla:
Well, we thought it would be a fun, new thing to explore. Like in grades in the past we'd often do like boards and it would be fun to try something new. So we decided on a website. We thought it'd be easy enough, but still fun. But actually it was very difficult, but in the end, we figured it out.

Anthony Godfrey:
So do you want to continue to study more and more history? Did this spark your interest and do you want to become a webmaster now?

Lyla:
This has made me more interested in history. I like learning about what happened earlier and how we can learn from our mistakes, but I don’t think I wanna be a webmaster.

Isla:
Yes, I agree there.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay. Maybe a queen, but not a webmaster. Okay. Shall we sing the French National Anthem together? Allons enfant de la patrie Okay. Never mind. All right. Thank you very much. And I'm excited to visit your website. You can share the URL with me a little later and I'll check it out.

Stay with us. When we come back more with the students from Daybreak Elementary.

Break:
Are you looking for a job right now? Looking to work in a fun and supportive environment with great pay and a rewarding career? Jordan School District is hiring. We're currently filling full and part-time positions. You can work and make a difference in young lives and education as a classroom assistant or a substitute teacher. Apply to work in one of our school cafeterias where our lunch staff serves up big smiles with great food every day. We're also looking to hire custodians and bus drivers. In Jordan School District we like to say people come for the job and enjoy the adventure. Apply today at workatjordan.org.

Anthony Godfrey:
Introduce yourselves and tell us about your project.

Ann:
I'm Ann.

Yolanda:
And I’m Yolanda.

Anthony Godfrey:
And what was your project?

Ann:
Our project was about Separate but Equal, Plessy versus Ferguson, and the failure of that. The failure of the whole cause. And because we were following the theme Debate in Diplomacy and we found Plessy versus Ferguson, because we wanted to tie into something that had to do with civil rights.

Anthony Godfrey:
And what did you learn through the process?

Yolanda:
I learned that there was other people, not just like Rosa Parks or like Martin Luther King Jr. I learned that there was other people that also had a part in the civil rights movement and like what was going on during that time. Like how people were being separated because of their color and their race.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me about some of the circumstances you learned about that you weren't aware of previously?

Yolanda:
Well, I was never aware that people had to like go to different schools because of their color. I was like not really aware of that. I was only aware of how people couldn’t go to the same restaurant or drink from the same fountain.

Anthony Godfrey:
So as an elementary student right now, is it hard for you to imagine that in the past?

Ann:
Yes and no, because we have dived into the whole segregation part and we've seen like, even for us as black people, we feel like a little portion of what like some of the people endured during that time. And like we believe that if Ruby Bridges, if she could endure all the hatred and like racism she was getting during that time, then a child can, you know, learn about it, if she had to like endure it.

Anthony Godfrey:
So is it inspiring to think that someone your age can have such a positive impact?

Yolanda:
Yeah, it is inspiring because I know I wasn't like born during that time, but get to knowing it through, like right now it's very inspiring.

Ann:
I think it is very inspiring that even though we might be really young and all that, we can help be a big part by learning about the things that happened in our history. So history doesn't repeat. And I think that as young people learning about it, because some older people or some people around the world, they don't take the time to learn about this history. And as young people and learning about the history of black people and segregation and the racism that was in America during that time, it is very inspiring that we can do that.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me about your specific project. It was a display board, is that correct? And I used the proper term of course. Right? Exhibit? Oh yes, exhibit. Pardon me. Tell me more about your exhibit.

Yolanda:
Well, the exhibit, it has like a bunch of information and a lot of pictures about like what was going on and then it like goes toward like Plessy and the court case.

Anthony Godfrey:
And as you were putting together the pictures and putting together the exhibit, did that deepen your understanding of the circumstance as you decided, how to place all of that and what to include?

Ann:
Yeah, and I felt like when we did the exhibit, with our story, Plessy versus Ferguson Separate but Equal. Why we did the exhibit exactly is because we wanted to show our pictures. All our pictures had a meaning behind it. And when each picture we put down, we took it in through our brain and just like, oh, this is what happened. Some of the pictures we used were like hateful and we really understood everything that we were putting on there. And how it tied into the debate and diplomacy.

Anthony Godfrey:
This is a project you'll remember.

Yolanda:
Yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
I thought it looked great and it reminded me of kind of a museum display that you might see. So does that interest you at all helping bring history alive for other people?

Yolanda:
It does interest me, but I also have like my mind on like other things.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay. What is your mind on?

Yolanda:
Like astronomy and stuff like that?

Anthony Godfrey:
So you're looking well beyond this orb. Well done. Yeah. My son wants to be an astronomer too.

Ann:
I feel like I would, after the history fair, I might wanna do it again. I think that it's really important for us to learn about our American history and all the things that went into place with what happened. Because of Plessy versus Ferguson, Separate but Equal, it was a failure since it was, it was basically a court case where it was justifying racial segregation and it was saying it's okay for races to be separate. We're still being equal, giving them equal rights, but it wasn't like that.

Anthony Godfrey:
And you've made a great point and everyone here has made a great point that we don't automatically learn from history. We have to be deliberate about seeking that out and seeking to understand what happened in the past and what lessons we can learn and what mistakes we need to avoid. Great. Well, thank you. Sounds like an awesome project.

Nora:
I'm Nora

Emma:
And I’m Emma.

Anthony Godfrey:
And tell me about your documentary. What was the topic?

Nora:
The fight for voting rights.

Emma:
The Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah. And tell me what you learned about the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Nora:
It's a lot more complicated than I think people realize. Everybody talks about the Civil Rights Act because Martin Luther king Jr. Had a lot to do with that. But the Voting Rights Act was really important because it opened the way for people to actually be able to have the rights that the Civil Rights Act gave them. Emma:
Yeah. It gave that population of people of voice essentially, to change things that they thought were unfair. And probably prevented quite a few things that probably would not have been so great if the Voting Rights Act was not passed.

Anthony Godfrey:
So because the Voter Right Act was passed, other great things were able to happen in society and other progress was able to be made.

Nora:
Oh for sure. We would be a very different society today if the Voting Rights Act hadn't been passed. The struggles that happened then are still going on today, but that opened a lot more doors for people of color and just everybody.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me, what are some of the lessons for today that we can learn from your project?

Emma:
Probably just that everybody is important and everybody needs that chance to be able to say what they believe and what they think should happen.

Nora:
And don't be jerks.

Anthony Godfrey:
Don't be jerks. Don't be jerks. What surprised you as you learned about the voting rights act?

Nora:
Probably the Selma to Montgomery March. It was this huge march of a lot of people from this little town called Selma to the capital of Alabama, Montgomery. And it was just, it was kind of scary to realize how rude people were to the marchers and how just how mean they were.

Emma:
Yeah. And it kind of brings a different understanding to it because of the importance that was to those people, because they marched it like three different times and they knew what was gonna happen. And they like still went out there and did it. So it brings of different like appreciation for those people.

Anthony Godfrey:
It seems like this was a very impactful project for you. Do you think this is something you'll never forget?

Nora:
No, probably because I was so scared the day of the competition.

Anthony Godfrey:
It's the terror of competition. Yes. We've all felt that in various ways. But it sounds like it went well.

Nora:
Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
Now does this make you want to be aspiring filmmakers? Have you texted Ken Burns? What is your plan?

Nora:
We talked about if we ever did this again, doing a website because the documentary was like, we have to get this whole recording done, this whole recording done and find like million pictures. So we're thinking a website next time.

Emma:
Yeah. But also sorry, just one thing to add. Yeah. Sometimes for me, somebody talking about it has a bigger impact than me reading an article. So if I were to do it on something that is very impactful or important to me, I would do it on, I would do a documentary again, just because of the influence that it has, at least in my mind. It was also super fun.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah. So do you have a greater appreciation for the work it to takes to create a documentary? If you watch a documentary, are you going to appreciate it more now?

Nora:
Oh yeah, definitely!

Anthony Godfrey:
It's inspiring. I need to go like bust out my history books because you guys have taught me a lot today. Thank you very much for taking the time and good luck to those of you who are competing at state this Friday. So congratulations on great work and the deep type of learning that we're looking for every day. So that's fantastic. Great work you guys.

Thanks for joining us for another episode of the Supercast. Remember education is the most important thing you'll do today. We'll see you out there.