Author: communications

Anthony Godfrey:
Hello and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. Today, we're talking about an exciting new program which will allow some high school juniors and seniors to sleep in. If they choose, you can start school at 9:00 AM. We're talking about a first of its kind. Late start blended learning program, which is being piloted in all Jordan School District High Schools in the upcoming school year. Students will have to provide their own transportation for the late start. This is an option, not required, but we are excited about the possibilities. Here to talk about the program and how it will work is Instructional Design Specialist, Michelle Truman. So you've done blended learning for about 20 years. How would you define blended learning? Let's start with that.

Michelle:
The main thing that you have to think of the difference between blended learning and a technology rich classroom. In blended learning, students have some control over the pace of their learning, the place of their learning. So whether that's sitting on a beanbag in a classroom or on their bed at home or at the kitchen table. The path of their learning, there's some choice involved in that as well. So those three are the things that are going to distinguish blended learning from a traditional classroom that's too technology-infused.

Anthony Godfrey:
And that makes a lot of sense because if those three things are flexible for students and for teachers, there's a lot higher chance of engagement.

Michelle:
Absolutely. Who doesn't want choice? Right? Do you want the blue lollipop or the red lollipop? Well, I like red better. Okay. Well, here you go.

Anthony Godfrey:
Everybody wants choice. And this provides choice, not just about where you learn or how fast you learn, but even when you learn. We'll talk more later about what a blended learning model is. But basically it's an online course that still allows students the chance to interact in person with the teacher, as necessary. We're setting up classes like this at each of our high schools. We have a total of 36 teachers teaching 13 different courses that will allow students that level of flexibility that hasn't been available before. We know the health benefits for students, not just physical health but social and emotional wellness that can come from being able to sleep on a rhythm. That makes more sense as a teenager. Even when teenagers try to go to bed early or do go to bed early, they're on a different pattern and they're on a different rhythm. As anyone who's been watching the news knows it's been a hot topic lately, but it's something we've been working on for a while. And I'm really excited to have Michelle here to talk about what the program's going to look like. So Michelle, tell us a little bit about what this program is starting to shape up to be out in our high schools.

Michelle:
They are initially coming in for the late start at 9:00 AM, and that is exactly what's happening. Teachers volunteered at each of the high schools to participate in this. And when I say volunteer, they volunteered to be instrumental in changing education for kids in Jordan School District. What we're going to do is take the traditional curriculum where teachers typically lecture, give assignments, kids go home and practice via homework. What we're doing is creating fully online, interactive, engaging courses that kids can work on at home, at any time they choose, whether it's midnight or 6:00 AM. Then when they need extra assistance or they're going to work with their peers, come in and do a chemistry lab. They can come in to their traditional classroom teacher and work on that with him or her.

Anthony Godfrey:
So will the teacher have office hours where they're available outside of normal class time?

Michelle:
Absolutely. Teachers meet periods one through four on one day and periods five through eight on another day. So when kids come in late start would be first period and fifth period. And so if they need some extra help, they can come to school during that block of time and meet with their classroom teacher. But that's also changed. We have one of our schools. They've had two math teachers pair up so what's happening is the first math teacher's gonna come in the standard time for first period. And he will be in the classroom during that time. The second math teacher is going to come to school two hours late and stay two hours later after school. So if I'm a football player and I want to come in and get extra assistance, I would come during that first period of time. But if I'm another type of student who would rather come in after school, we will have a teacher there to support that as well. So these two teachers are going to share that. They're each going to be responsible for their own classes, but they will share that extra assistance giving on either side of the time schedule.

Anthony Godfrey:
So in other words, it creates greater flexibility for students and for teachers.

Michelle:
Absolutely.

Anthony Godfrey:
So from a student perspective, what this looks like is, rather than signing up for eight classes where I'm going to go to a classroom, I can sign up for two classes, first and fifth period as a blended learning course. And now I don't have anywhere I have to be before nine o'clock. And so I can get some extra rest and set a schedule that more matches my lifestyle as a teenager. Is that correct?

Michelle:
Absolutely. And not only that, it allows for flexibility. So as long as I have an internet connection, I can go to class anywhere.

Anthony Godfrey:
I can think of many reasons that students might want to do this. It might sound like laziness, not starting until nine, but really, there are great health benefits to allowing students to get more sleep in the morning. And there may be health issues that can be addressed by allowing for greater flexibility and in the school day.

Michelle:
Not only that, they will be required to come to school at points during the quarter because if I'm taking a chemistry class, it's great to do an online simulation. But now I've experienced that online simulation, I need to come in and get my hands dirty. I want to play with the beakers and I want to dump solutions and see things that happen. And we need to act like real scientists and that's what real scientists are gonna do. They're gonna study and figure out what they want to do, and what they need to do it.

Anthony Godfrey:
I have to tell you, if I could go back in time to the 1980s, I would have loved this as a high school student, just having this level of flexibility. I'm excited that our kids are going to have that chance coming up this next year. How are the teachers feeling about it?

Michelle:
It's funny. There's been a little bit of reaction across the board. The teachers are involved, they are go-getter teachers and a lot of them are young. And I say, young, in their thirties. So they have their teaching-chops underneath them. But they have a lot of energy and they've grown up and in this environment with technology. And so they don't see it as an adjunct. They don't see it as something in addition to. It's just part of their everyday. It's not anything unique to them and they're really excited about doing this. They look and say, Oh, wow, this is a lot of work. Essentially when you're putting your content online, you are creating not only a textbook, you're creating a digital online interactive book, and now I've got videos I'm creating, and now I'm creating Nearpod slide decks. And I'm creating all this really rich information that's going to go along. And not only that, I can also add an extra helps if I'm in a classroom and I'm teaching. That's the teaching. If kids didn't get it, then somehow we have to come up with something else to help them. Right? But online, what I can do is I can provide the lesson, and then at the end of the lesson, I can say, and if you need some other strategies to help you, here's a video, here's a text, here's some additional readings.

Anthony Godfrey:
How do we look at blended learning versus just online learning? What's that difference?

Michelle:
With online learning, there's typically not that component of face-to-face.

Anthony Godfrey:
What you've described is exactly what I like about blended learning. There is a human component to it and so it's just one more part of the continuum of learning. A traditional classroom on one end of the spectrum and a strictly online class on the other end of the spectrum. And in between you have blended learning that has positive elements of both. What are some of the myths that you encounter when you're working with people who are not used to blended learning or learning online?

Michelle:
It's that technology is going to replace the teacher. Look at all the research. Every piece of research will show that the biggest component of a child's education is the teacher in the classroom. Now, whether that's a virtual classroom, a blended classroom or a face-to-face classroom, it does not matter. It is the teacher that is the most important thing.

Anthony Godfrey:
So technology is still just another way of connecting to that teacher that is essential to effective education.

Michelle:
Absolutely. Kids need to have a connection with a person, whether it is virtual or live. Like I talked about, my adult students still need me to be able to communicate with them, to look at their papers, to give them feedback, to be there for support, same with the students in our classrooms. They can come to you as a face-to-face teacher and say, Hey, I need assistance with this. You can do that virtually online, but how rich is it to be able to take an online class with all the contents there that I can be up when I'm wide awake at midnight, take my class, understand the material. And if I don't the next day, I send an email to my teacher and say, Hey, I'm going to pop into your class at X time, or can you meet me in the lab and be able to arrange for either a one-on-one or a small group assistance.

Anthony Godfrey:
So it's no longer a command performance. It's 7:30 AM, Monday morning time for math. Now, you can match up. You can make that fit into your schedule and everything a lot better.

Michelle:
Say that I'm I'm a football player and we're doing two-a-days because we have this big game coming up. And so I really am not going to have time to do a bunch of work this week. I know that on Saturday, I'm going to sit down and I'm going to do a couple hours worth of coursework. Then I can go take a run, clear my brain, and then I'm going to come back in and do another couple hours. I've now front-loaded all that instruction that I would have had to sit in class and do and get that method of the traditional school model. Now I don't have to. Now I freed up my time because I've completed a week's worth of math on my Saturday when I had the time to do so. And now I can dedicate myself to something I'm passionate about, and that's my sports.

Anthony Godfrey:
We're going to take a quick break. When we come back, we'll head out to Riverton High School, where we talk to teachers about blended learning in Jordan School District.

Break:
The possibilities are endless for anyone looking to grow with a team of professionals, working together to provide the very best for students in education. If you're looking for a great job with great pay and benefits in a supportive environment, head to workatjordan.org and find your future career in Jordan School District. People come for the job and stay for the adventure. Explore the many options. apply today at workatjordan.org.

Anthony Godfrey:
You're at Riverton High School, talking with a couple of teachers who are working on the blended learning project to help allow high school students to have a later start. If they'd like to do, using blended learning is a way to accomplish that. Please introduce yourselves to the folks at home and tell them what you teach.

Teacher:
Hello. I'm Victoria Johnson. I teach biology here at Riverton with my best friend and coworker.

Teacher:
Hi, Bethany Allston. I also teach biology here at Riverton and I'm just happy to be here.

Anthony Godfrey:
What interested the two of you in being part of this, in converting some of your classes to blended learning?

Teacher:
Two years ago, we were looking at ways to assess students better. And Tori said, we got to get on Canvas a little. The following year the State purchased the licenses for all public educators to have Canvas. There's also some really cool features on Canvas for teachers to grade. So you can give some really descriptive feedback pretty quickly, which is a godsend for teachers so we can give students what they need faster.

Anthony Godfrey:
So you told me how you started out with putting classes online and using Canvas and kind of moving toward blended learning. You said that it was because you wanted to give better evaluation of student work. What are some of the other factors that made you want to be teaching in this way?

Teacher:
It's just nicer for kids. We have a lot of kids that don't get it the first time we teach it, especially where we have limited time in the classroom. It's just nice to have those resources there in a concentrated area. So students have the ability to go back through what they're learning. If they did miss something, they have resources available to help them relearn. It's also just nice for communication with feedback. What else?

Teacher:
It's great for differentiating education as well. Certain assignments can be assigned to students who maybe need more help. Those assignments don't have to be assigned to everybody. The students who get those assignments, nobody ever knows that they got the extra work. There's some really great futures for meeting kids where they're at and teaching them, moving forward without ever having anybody else know the better.

Anthony Godfrey:
So the learning is more personalized. It's more flexible. Parents can be more involved. And it sounds like it's easier for teachers, in some ways, once you get it up and running. It's probably a lot of work to get to that point though. Is that true?

Teacher:
A lot of share-ability. It does take some time to load everything in and get it in the order you want, but doing that work upfront makes our job as teachers a lot better. We transfer more into a role of mentoring and assisting students in learning rather than just lecturing all day.

Anthony Godfrey:
If there's a parent or student who isn't sure about whether they want to take a blended learning class next year, what would you you say to them to explain what the advantages might be for them individually?

Teacher:
As far as the advantages go, I would definitely say it's more contoured to what they need so we can meet their needs better at an individual level, personalize the learning. Especially with late start, if they need to do the work at home, but they need to do it later so they can get a little more rest that could benefit them. They benefit.

Teacher:
Yeah. It's helpful for students who have different work schedules. We know a lot of students actually work in the morning or if they work in the afternoon, it just helps them be able to do their learning in their own time. And then we are available still as resources to them. They can come in during a selected amount of time or they can email us or video chat or whatever else is needed. It just is a little bit more autonomous for them where they can kind of pick and choose when they get to do their work, with the exception of assessments and labs which they will have to be in class for. So they'll have their schedule, will have to work in order to be here for those mandatory days.

Some other suggestions that we've made, especially in the course descriptions that we've written, are that if the students plan to take a blended learning course, they need to be prepared to be pretty self monitoring, to make sure they get the work done. Of course, we'll check in with them. And we plan to, for lack of a better word, hover over what they've been able to accomplish to keep them on track. But it's going to require some effort on their part to make sure they're keeping up with the class.

Anthony Godfrey:
I like that you described how parents now aren't just relying on Skyward to look up grades. They can get right into the course. And it's probably the sort of format that allows parents to be more involved in their student's education than ever before.

Teacher:
Yes, which we're really excited about.

Anthony Godfrey:
Thanks to dedicated teachers at Riverton High School for sharing their thoughts on the blended learning. When we come back some final thoughts with Michelle Truman on how your student can get on board.

Break:
Do you want ideas for being happier and healthier? I'm McKinley Withers, Health and Wellness Specialist for Jordan School District. Please join us every week for Wellness Wednesday, a feature on the Jordan District website that offers free and simple tips for improving your health and wellness. We cover a variety of topics to help families with things like reducing stress, improving eating habits, finding more time to build relationships and increasing overall happiness. Check out Wellness Wednesday every week on the Jordan School District http://www.jordandistrict.org For additional health and wellness resources, visit http://wellness.jordandistrict.org.

Anthony Godfrey:
Back with Michelle Truman, talking about the blended learning late start, that will be available at each of our high schools next year. Students who take at least two classes through a blended learning model, which is a combination of online courses and interaction with the teacher, will not be required to be at school before 9:00 AM, but will still be able to access all of the classes they would if they were registered like everyone else. We're excited about this option. How do students access this?

Michelle:
It's going to be different depending upon the high school. All high schools will have it on their website. Some high schools will be having informational meetings in which parents and students will be invited. All high schools will have some sort of communication come home. There'll be a Skylert, and we will also be sending things directly to parents via your children. So be on the lookout for both of those.

Anthony Godfrey:
So to sum it up, I'm really excited about this because students will have the flexibility to start their day at nine o'clock by taking a couple of blended learning courses. Those courses will include very visual and personalized learning that is connected to a teacher at the school they attend the rest of the day. So they have access to the human being behind all this instruction, and in fact, have regular intervals at which they meet with that teacher. And I think that combination can really kickstart a different type of learning for students and provide the type of flexibility that can help them be healthy and happier at school, and just in general. Absolutely lots of exciting things happening. We're going to take another break. When we come back with Michelle Truman, two truths and a lie.

Break:
If you're always looking for opportunities to learn something new, why not join us for the next Jordan Parent University? Jordan Parent University is an opportunity for parents to better understand issues that impact their own students and education. It's an evening class designed to help parents with things like planning for the road beyond high school, better understanding students' social and emotional health and wellness, knowing who to call when there are issues involving a school or a student. Jordan Parent University is free and open to the public. For a list of upcoming classes, times and locations go to http://jpu.jordandistrict.org. See you there.

Anthony Godfrey:
We're back with Michelle Truman. And now it's her time to lie to the Superintendent. It's only been a few months that she's worked in Jordan School District, so this is her chance to lie to the Superintendent on the Supercast.

Michelle:
Okay. I have two children. I was a speed skater when I was in middle school, and my favorite thing to do is go to the beach.

Anthony Godfrey:
A speed skater in middle school. I did not know there was such a thing as middle-school speed skaters, but there must be. I'm going to say you hate the beach.

Michelle:
No, I love the beach. You know what? I think I might've actually said three truths. Did I say three kids or two kids?

Superintendent:
Two kids.

Michelle:
Yeah. It was supposed to be three. I have two kids. All those were true. I set you up for failure.

Anthony Godfrey:
All right. Two truths and a lie, but Michelle cannot tell a lie. Michelle is the George Washington of Jordan School District. Please don't chop down any cherry trees, but we appreciate everything else you're doing here. It's awesome. You're doing great. And I'm excited about all of the energy teachers are bringing to this and more to come. We'll talk more as the program gets put into place next year, to talk about what's happening out there. Thanks again, Michelle, for being on the show and remember whether you're at home at school or anywhere else, education is the most important thing you will do today. We'll see you out there.

Anthony Godfrey:
Welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. If you have already lost all hope of hanging on to a new year's resolution, you're not alone. It is something entire family struggle with this time of year on this episode of the super cast health and wellness specialist, McKinley Withers shares his thoughts on realistic resolutions and how to make them last working together as a family. But first we have some fun with Riverton elementary school students who have their own ideas about the best resolutions, like taking more naps in the new I'm Dr. Godfrey, what's your name? Kenneth. I want to ask you, do you know what a new year's resolution is? No. No. Do you have any guesses? Yeah. What do you think it might be?

McKinley Withers:
It might be where like, I, it, like, if you were like, promise yourself that, that like, to eat more healthier or to work out more.

Anthony Godfrey:
How did you know what my new year's resolutions were?

McKinley Withers:
Cause my mom does it, have you made any new year's resolutions? Yeah. What is your new year's to get, take, to give my dog more attention.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh, did your dog ask you to do that as a new year's resolution? I've got an idea. Good luck with your new year's resolution. I'm Dr. Godfrey. What's your name? Hi Brock. Can you think of any new year's resolutions you would want to make

McKinley Withers:
At Marvin? I think I should nap more. Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
So you want more naps? Do you like naps? What do you like about naps?

McKinley Withers:
The pivot gives me more energy to play.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's very cool. So you decide, I invest in a nap and I can play with more energy. What do you like to play

McKinley Withers:
Tech tag?

Anthony Godfrey:
So you take a good nap and there's more tag left in you, right? Do you know what? When you're my age, you'll probably like naps even more. So you have a lot to look forward to tell me your name, Megan. Hi, Megan. What grade are you in? Do you know where the new year's resolution is?

McKinley Withers:
It's a goal that you make for the new year.

Anthony Godfrey:
Very good. Did you make any new year's resolutions? Oh, tell me your four resolutions. They're up here on the board where we're standing outside of Megan's classroom. And there's a, there's a card for a set of four cards, 2020, and each one has a number on it and each one has a resolution inside. So will you talk us through your resolution scan?

McKinley Withers:
So my first resolution was, I will serve people by looking for the, for those who need help, at least every Wednesday. And I can help them. And I drew a picture and it's like,

Anthony Godfrey:
You're saying, let me help. Who are you helping in the picture?

McKinley Withers:
Just some random person that can't tie their shoe.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay. Oh, they can't tie their shoe. I see the laces there. Okay. Let's see.

McKinley Withers:
The second one was, I will continue to learn my Spanish. Tell me something in Spanish. I don't know.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay. That's a good resolution. I love that. Yeah.

McKinley Withers:
And then my third one is I will try to be kinder to everyone by being more patient with everyone. Always. My last one is I'll get better up here. Know by practicing at least 15 minutes every day, all day, wait, 15 minutes a day, every day. And then there's a picture of me doing PT.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's a really good drawing. And I like that. Your hands are up and your fingers are out and you're just ready to bam on the keyboard. All right. Thanks for talking to me, Megan. Good to meet you. I am Dr. Godfrey. Tell me your name. Naomi. Naomi, do you have any ideas for what you might do as a new year's resolution?

McKinley Withers:
Being nice to others?

Anthony Godfrey:
That's a great one. So what are some things you could do to be nice to others?

McKinley Withers:
Help them get up and play with other people.

Anthony Godfrey:
A lot of people have trouble keeping their resolutions and your resolution is to be kind to other people. How long do you think you can keep that resolution

McKinley Withers:
For like 50 years?

Anthony Godfrey:
For 50 years. But in 50 years in your sixties, you're just going to say forget it. It's over. I'm not being nice anymore.

McKinley Withers:
Oh, well, my mom told me I have to be nice to my big sisters. I have three sisters.

Anthony Godfrey:
Can you think of any new year's resolutions? Your parents might've made?

McKinley Withers:
I don't really know if they made one.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah. Can you make a guess at what they might've made? What are some things they might do?

McKinley Withers:
Like keep, so they might make me clean my room every day.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh, their resolution would be to maybe make you do something. Yeah. Oh, all right. It sounds like my type of resolution. Do you need to clean your room more often? Naomi. Okay. Do you? Yeah. What happened?

McKinley Withers:
I have a lot of stuff on my floor

Anthony Godfrey:
By Steph. Do you mean clothing? Ah, do you just stuffed things under the bed and into the drawer? Do you put them where they go?

McKinley Withers:
Sometimes I, you stuff it under my bed.

Anthony Godfrey:
Do you, are you surprised that I knew that you put things under the bed?

McKinley Withers:
Yeah, but my sister got sick of me, like sleeping in the room. Cause I was snoring a lot, but I don't actually snore. I keep telling her

Anthony Godfrey:
Now you keep telling her that.

McKinley Withers:
Yeah. And that's why you have her own rooms now

Anthony Godfrey:
Because of your snoring that never really happened now. How do you know you're not snoring if you're asleep when it happens?

McKinley Withers:
Well, I don't know. I'm just breathing quietly. Any Lisa calls it snoring and she took a video of me sleep.

Anthony Godfrey:
She took a video of you sleeping. Wow. You guys were going to end up in separate bedrooms from the start and you can see this coming a mile away. So she filmed you snoring? Yes. And yet you still say despite video evidence that you were not snoring,

McKinley Withers:
But you at least deleted that video. Cause you didn't want me to see,

Anthony Godfrey:
She didn't want you to see, I saw it on mom's phone. Oh, so she deleted it, but your mom still had a copy?

McKinley Withers:
No, my mom like video in it too.

Anthony Godfrey:
Really? So there are two videos of you snoring and you still claim it didn't happen. Yeah, really? Wow. Okay. Well I'm, you know what, there's more to you than meets the eye. I'm pretty impressed. I'm Dr. Godfrey. What's your name? What grade are you in? Sam. Do you know where the new year's resolution is? What is it?

McKinley Withers:
It is a goal for a new year. That goes until the next year. Most of the time.

Anthony Godfrey:
Very good. Most of the time? Yes. Sometimes that's right. People don't always make it all here. Did your parents make any new year's resolution? No idea. Okay. Do you have any guesses what they might make if they're making a resolution?

McKinley Withers:
My dad would definitely do try to go to Buffalo, wild wings.

Anthony Godfrey:
I think that's a good resolution. Tell me your name. Ava. Eva. Do you know what a new year's resolution is? A new year's resolution is something that mostly adults make and their resolution is because the new year is starting. They think, well, in this new year, I'm going to do something different. If you were to make a new year's resolution, something you wanted to do differently in 2020, what would you do?

McKinley Withers:
I would want to go swimming, everything,

Anthony Godfrey:
Go swimming every day. That would be your new year's resolution. Any guess what? Your mom and dad might've made as a new year's resolution?

McKinley Withers:
I think they were like not working anymore,

Anthony Godfrey:
Not working anymore. That's a good new year's resolution, but it does come with consequences. Doesn't it? You might not get to swim as much if they didn't work, their new year's might interfere with your new year's resolution.

McKinley Withers:
That's awesome. Thanks to all the students at Riverton elementary school for sharing their thoughts on new year's resolutions that kids can keep. We're going to take a quick break. And when we come back health and wellness specialist, McKinley weathers has some advice for parents and students on how to make our resolutions last be, you want to know what's going on in Jordan school district, maybe see your child or a friend featured in a school story, check out our website@jordandistrict.org or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter at Jordan district let's connect today.

Anthony Godfrey:
It says McKinley. Weather's third time here with us. He's our health and wellness specialist for Jordan school district. But he's also one of my favorite people to talk with just because he has such great ideas and such insight into how to improve life just on a day-to-day basis, by changing our perspective, changing some of our habits and just changing the way that we approach life and the many things that it throws at us. And I know we're in a mode with the new year either. You're trying to keep your new year's resolutions or you've already abandoned them because many of them don't last very long, but there are some things that we can do to take better care of ourselves and to better meet our goals and, and to really advance and, and, and the little decisions make a big impact. And, and Mr. Mr. Weathers has such great advice on this front that I thought it was timely to have him back and, and talk with us about how we can improve our lives with small decisions and small changes in perspective. So welcome back to the show. Thanks for having me. I'm excited to be back. You're the first, you're the first person with friend of the show status. So there may be others to come, but it's I'm grateful

Speaker 3:
For that. And it's definitely going in my gratitude

Anthony Godfrey:
Journal. Now that's perfect. That's a perfect segue into the gratitude journal and that's, that's one aspect of having a healthy, healthy life style and, and really good self-care is, is gratitude. That's one important component of self-care. So tell us a little bit about that. Mckinney

Speaker 3:
Is actually it's funny that we, that we started here, but there's actually some research that people are more committed to goals who are, who experienced gratitude more often. So you are more likely to stay committed to, you know, even something like a new year's resolution, if you're experiencing gratitude more often, because you're thinking a little bit more about your future. You're thinking a little bit more about what's gotten you to where you are. So having a practice of gratitude actually does habits. So,

Anthony Godfrey:
So gratitude is a way of reflecting on what has gone right in your life, or what has helped you, or what resources you have available to you. And then assessment of those aspects of your life can really be a good launch to making improvements and actually achieving the goals that we set,

Speaker 3:
Right? Yeah. It, it kind of, it can help instill a sense of hope that your goals are worthwhile and meaningful and that they are going to pay off. If you approach it, starting with you don't even have to be grateful for anything related to the goals, but experiencing gratitude often will help you be more

Anthony Godfrey:
Committed. How do you think parents can help their kids be more grateful and be focused on gratitude?

Speaker 3:
There are, there, there are a lot of ways to increase gratitude. And I think that it's important to find what works for you and your family, because if you force your child to write down three things they're grateful for before they can have their dinner, it may not be, you know, as effective as, you know, something that they choose or that they're a little bit more invested in having a little bit of choice is important, but gratitude journals are a big one, you know, just having, or even just the daily family practice of hunting, the good things that have happened, hunt the good stuff as a way of phrasing that. So, you know, just identifying three positive things that have happened rather than maybe the, the few negative things that have happened can instill kind of that appreciation for the things that do go, right? Because in any given day, there's at least a few things that have gone well.

Anthony Godfrey:
I've heard you talk about this a couple of different times in front of different groups, students, administrators, teachers. And the thing I find interesting is that as I listened to the advice, we've heard a lot about gratitude. We've heard a lot about being grateful, various ways that we can do that. It's deceptively simple. And I think some of the things we'll talk about today are deceptively simple. It seems like it would just be so easy to do that. We overlooked the power that pausing and really focusing on being grateful can have

Speaker 3:
Yeah, it, it really is a, it's a simple strategy, but knowing that gratitude matters is not enough. It's, it's all about making it a repeated practice that feels natural and easy to, to, to continue. So whatever that looks like, if it is a gratitude journal, if it's going to be a pain for you to get out your gratitude journal, and you're not going to want to do it, pick a different goal, right? Find another strategy that you're actually going to look forward to, or you're going to be invested in. Are there other, some other for students

Anthony Godfrey:
And parents that they can use besides a gratitude journal?

Speaker 3:
Well, one, one way to also foster good relationships is pausing to think people. So that's also an ex a gratitude practice. So if there was, you know, once a week, you wanted to call somebody or reach out to somebody and just thank them for something that had that, that had happened. A handwritten note or letter can mean a lot. I had a principal that was really good about that. And I, I think that the interesting thing about gratitude is the benefits of the gratitude giver may actually outweigh the benefits to the reader.

Anthony Godfrey:
[Inaudible] Writing a letter, reading an in person, even just having a daily practice, calling them out.

Speaker 3:
Yeah, yeah. Thinking

Anthony Godfrey:
That that will really boost the giver as well as the recipient in terms of their overall health.

Speaker 3:
And a lot of people might might use prayer as a gratitude practice. There are a lot of ways to find gratitude.

Anthony Godfrey:
Awesome. Ideas about gratitude. The idea is to act, not just think about it. I'm grateful you're here. Yeah. Thanks for [inaudible]. We're going to take a quick break. And when we come back more self-care tips and how to maybe take a better approach to thinking about those new year's resolutions. When we come back with McKinley weathers, stick around.

McKinley Withers:
Hey, you okay? Yeah. I just have a lot of stuff going on in my head. You need to talk, dude, stop hiding behind the happy face. Talk with no filter, get the safe UT app, download it now available on the Apple app store, Google play or safe ut.org

Anthony Godfrey:
Back with McKinley weathers. Thanks for joining us. I just said, thanks for joining us. Someone experiencing gratitude, and I am very grateful for our listeners out there. Thank you for, for tuning in and making us a part of your lives. Mckinley's here to talk with us about self care and making those resolutions stick or meeting the goals that we've, that we hope to achieve. And gratitude is a big part of that. We talked about research that suggests that those who are grateful also are able to better meet their goals, but there are some other things that we need to do just in terms of self care, in order to even be in a place to make advancements and, and improve our situation. And you've talked in the past McKinley about the need for ongoing self care. Tell us, tell us a little bit about that.

McKinley:
Well, if you think about wellness in general, it's not something that can be saved up or stored. Everything that you do to improve your wellness will work, but it's not going to last. You can't have a really good year and then stop or you're just never going to have another struggle again. Right? So it's important that we are constantly maintaining it. It can't be saved. I like to call it the wellness waterfall, so it can dry up easily if there's not something feeding it. It's more like a waterfall, not a reservoir. You can't store wellness and then rely on that really good year when times are tough. You have to maintain the same rituals, habits or routines when times are tough and when things are going well.

Anthony Godfrey:
How do we do that? That seems overwhelming to try to keep constantly feeding that need for self care.

McKinley:
It can seem overwhelming, but that's why it's really important that we focus on small changes that are very easy to maintain. An example of that would be, some companies have created what they call an irresistible staircase to encourage people to use the stairs more. So it can be hard if you're faced with either an elevator or stairs and you're going to the sixth floor. You'll probably naturally default to the easiest option, which is the elevator. But if the elevator is difficult to find, and before you get to the elevator you face the most beautiful staircase you've ever seen, oak stairs with big windows and an amazing view. That's going to be more attractive than trying to find the elevator. Finding ways we can make our healthy habits a little bit more irresistible.

Anthony Godfrey:
Parents working with students. If your child has difficulty getting to homework, the irresistible staircase comes in where you create an environment where doing homework pleasant. A well lit spot, maybe with a snack that's quiet. That's a place where you want to be.

Having some way that it's not choosing between, I have all of my favorite video games right here on a comfortable couch and amazing snacks. And then there's that dingy table over there with a textbook on it and a pencil. Any kid is going to go for the video games. So how can we make it more specific?

Anthony Godfrey:
This was my dad's theory with television, because we had a black and white television all through the eighties. It was the nineties before we got a color television and you actually had to turn the TV off and on for the horizontal hold to take place. Otherwise, the picture would just kind of scroll. It was impossible to watch. I didn't realize that M.A.S.H. and Happy Days were actually filmed in color until the nineties, because his theory was kind of like the opposite of the irresistible staircase. If we have a terrible TV, maybe the kids won't watch it. I still got my pop culture fix, but I think to an extent, it's true. It was kind of a miserable experience compared to what it could have been. Yeah. And so, actually in a previous podcast where we talked about nutrition, the idea is to have healthy snacks easily available and readily available. And the problem for me personally is that there's a lot of convenience associated with foods that are terrible for me.

McKinley:
Yes. I think it's very convenient to pull out my phone and burn time as opposed to do the things that they should be doing.

Anthony Godfrey:
And that's probably very true for students too. If it's irresistible to you to pull out the phone and it seems very resistible to be working on homework, then where are you going to end up spending your time. With the things that are easy and attractive

McKinley:
Yeah. There's actually a way you could join those two together with it's called temptation bundling.

Anthony Godfrey:
Bundling temptation does sounds like something that Verizon offers, right?

McKinley:
They might bundle and save. So if you can find something that is tempting and enticing for you that you actually enjoy, you can bundle it with the thing that you should do, but you're not as inclined to do. I think it's important that you find ways to actually look forward to the thing you have to do. So if that means every time, if you like soda rather than just say, you've got another goal that you're working on, every time before you're about to sit down and do homework. If that's going to motivate you to do something that you need to do, have the Big Gulp by your side and enjoy it through the process so that you can have something to look forward to.

Anthony Godfrey:
At the break, Sandy, one of our producers was talking about cauliflower crust pizza. I have a lot of other goals to meet before I start eating cauliflower crust pizza, let's just put it that way. I have a lot of other things to work on in terms of how food, before cauliflower gets involved, a last resort for you. I don't use those two words in the same sentence. Generally. I admire all of you out there who do. I just have a lot more steps to get there. And speaking of food, I love food analogies. Tell us about the hamburgers of happiness and how that relates to self-care and meeting our goals and expectations for them.

McKinley:
Okay. So before we talk hamburgers, I'm going to just clarify. When we're talking about self care, it can be easy to think of, for some reason, the image of MaCauley Culkin in Home Alone when he is in the hotel room with all the ice cream and he's watching whatever he wants and just enjoying the moment. That can sound like self care. And to some degree, maybe it is. Every once in a while, it's good to have that indulgence, but treat yourself right. But on the opposite end, sometimes we think self care is only eating cauliflower pizza. If you spend your free time at the gym, you haven't really you've stopped enjoying life because you're taking such good care of yourself.

Anthony Godfrey:
Exactly. So where is the middle between those two?

McKinley:
That's what the hamburgers of happiness is. This is from a psychologist from Harvard named Tal Ben Shahar. There are a lot of different kinds of hamburgers in the world. Some are better than others and you want to find the hamburger that tastes good now, but is also healthy enough that it's good for you later. So it might make it easier to understand if we think about the contrast. There are some hamburgers out there that taste really good now, but are probably bad for us later. There are junk food burgers out there. There are some that are delicious, but they have absolutely no nutritional value, no health benefits. So they're bad for us later. That would be kind of one end of the scale where our self-care would be ice cream, TV shows,  just indulging in the present and we're enjoying the present. But it's to our future detriment that's not good.

Anthony Godfrey:
Just so you know, my punch card is almost full at the hamburger restaurant that offers that exact thing.

McKinley:
Okay. Okay. Okay. So you're, well-versed in the junk food burger I'm familiar with. Yes. All of us are. And I think that's important not to beat ourselves up if we're not hitting these exact really high goals. But just doing the best that we can to make small adjustments makes a difference. So, another type of hamburger is called the rat race burger. So that's where we give up the here and now. That's where we're only eating cauliflower pizza. We've sworn off all sweets, all desserts. We spend all of our free time at the gym. That would be like a hamburger that's so healthy that it tastes bad now, but it's really good for us later. That's not what we want. We want the balance of what tastes good now and it's good for us later.

Anthony Godfrey:
So for students, what the burger analogy can teach us is don't sacrifice all of your present for a future, that may or may not be what you expect it to be.

McKinley:
Right. there are a lot of ways we can try and enjoy the good behaviors a little bit more. There are a lot of ways we can make them easier. A lot of ways we can make them more enjoyable,

Anthony Godfrey:
Any parting advice on how to improve our self care, and as a result, get closer to the goals we've set?

McKinley:
I'll give two parting tips. One is just to remember that willpower is never enough. You're just relying on trying harder, or just your willpower. If you've set a goal to eat less candy, but you still have candy in your pantry and you still buy it when you go to the grocery store, your willpower is not going to resist that.

Anthony Godfrey:
I feel like that's a very personal message, by the way, but go on.

McKinley:
And then the other is gratitude. I think that gratitude facilitates staying committed to goals. Sleep, our willpower is also very heavily reliant on whether or not we're getting enough rest. So if we're setting new goals or we're trying new hobbies or routines, we've got to prioritize getting enough sleep. Your willpower needs rest to in order to function. So I would just say sleep is very, very important.

Anthony Godfrey:
We know for students that's  a big problem. That's a big issue. And so focusing on kids getting enough sleep, so they're bringing their best selves to the challenges they face throughout the day.

All right. Well, thank you for joining us again, McKinley.  I'm grateful for what you do for our District. And I'm grateful to the listeners out there. Thanks for joining us. And remember, education is the most important thing you'll do today. We'll see you.

Superintendent:
Welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. Today we look inside the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program, better known to most parents and students as DARE. It is a program that has evolved over the years, empowering students to respect themselves and others, to make healthy choices in life and to rely on something called "their helping it work". First let's head over to Terra Linda Elementary school, where West Jordan police just finished a DARE graduation ceremony, and we had the opportunity to speak with some graduates. So tell me your name.

Student:
My name's Nancy Ali.

Superintendent:
What grade are you in?

Student:
Fifth.

Superintendent:
And you just completed the DARE program here at Terra Linda Elementary. What did you think of it?

Student:
I thought it was really fun. And especially since I won the DARE essay.

Superintendent:
Yeah, we got to hear your essay. That was really awesome. Tell us some of what you read to the audience.

Student
I wrote to them about bullying and about how we shouldn't do drugs and what drugs can do to you. I told them we should all be just be friends and be kind to each other. And I told them about how happy I was with this DARE program and that Officer Kim was there to support us and let us have this big opportunity today.

Superintendent:
Tell us about Officer Kim. What she liked?

Student:
Officer Kim is a really happy lady. She's never quiet or scared to do anything or say anything. She's always positive and she helps us out a lot. She makes us happy and she gives us stickers, high fives and hugs.

Superintendent:
That's a really good combination. Is she someone that you look up to?

Student:
Officer Kim's one of my heroes.

Superintendent:
That's really cool. Tell me about the help network. I saw drawings at the back of the room and the big banner. What does that mean?

Student:
So the help network is someone that matters to you and who's always there for you. Someone who just cares about you and they can get help with. I picked my two best friends. Their names are  Millie and Bryn. Bryn is just a girl that's really positive is not scared. She's tough and she stands up for herself. Millie's just a funny dork and she likes to exercise a lot and get her energy out. And then I'm just the one that gets scared a lot.

Superintendent:
So it's nice to have friends and Officer Kim who help teach you to kind of stand up for yourself and be yourself.

Student:
Officer Kim is a good officer. And also, I also wanted to thank my teacher, Mr. Pascoe, and our other teachers, Ms. Snowball, Mr. Barber and Mr. Grinch and everyone that's in my class and almost everyone that's in my grade and everyone who was here today.

Superintendent:
I've seen some of your teachers in action. I know some of them over the years and they really are great teachers in this grade.

Student:
Yeah.

Superintendent:
Okay. Thanks very much for talking with us. Have a great day.

Another DARE graduation was held at Mountain Shadows Elementary school. That's where we caught up with Sergeant Jay.

Officer:
Yeah. We are excited. We've revitalized the DARE program here within West Jordan. We have 17 elementary schools in West Jordan city, which is a huge number of elementary schools. The DARE programs focus on the fifth graders of each school and we talk to them. It's a program about prevention and boundaries and healthy lifestyles and choices. Anti-bullying, there's many benefits. Those are just the core areas that we have been teaching. DARE also has several other core areas that involve mentoring and being a good friend, even down to suicide prevention and things like that. So we're just excited to have this program back. We were able to secure some grant money, which enabled us to have three DARE positions this year as a pilot program to start.

I'm currently the supervisor over that program. And it's my interest to hopefully see this program grow and bring some public awareness to it, on how much of a benefit it is to our elementary school children. And hopefully, we can increase and allocate more resources to put into this for the District, for the kids.

Superintendent:
I have to say, we're here at Mountain Shadows Elementary for a DARE graduation. And I've attended a lot of these over the years and the enthusiasm of the kids is really fun to see, and it does empower them. It gives them some tools that you referenced, to give them a higher level of social and emotional wellness. We've been focused on that a lot lately as a District and as a society.

Officer:
Yeah, absolutely. I mean, we talk a lot today in the back of this graduation. I know that this is an audio interview, but one of the things that you can see, these kids have drawn their circles of support network, their health network that they have. And it's fun to go through and read those that the kids have put. Some of those are their friends. Some of those are police and fire. Some of those are their pets at home. But just helping the kids recognize that they have a help network, they have a support network and that we as police officers and school officials are part of that help network, or that we should be, so that those kids can rely on us to answer questions they have. We spend a large amount of time with these kids every day at schools and they need to be able to know that they can utilize some of those professionals in their lives for part of that help network. And I just think that it's a really cool gesture. It's a small gesture, frankly, of what the program offers, just a glimpse into it. So great things happening.

Superintendent:
I love the concept of the circles and the help network and being deliberate about thinking about who can help you, in advance of when there are problems.

Officer:
Yeah, for sure. Oftentimes, we don't know. We deal with children sometimes that don't know that they can utilize certain aspects of that help network, such as police. And that is one thing that the DARE program is great for. It teaches kids that we're a resource for them, not something to be feared, not something to be afraid of, but something that should be familiar to them. Hopefully where they see us, they don't see us and equate that with "Oh, there's trouble" or something like that. We're here as a support system for them

Superintendent:
Right. Kids viewing police officers as a support and as a help and as a positive is a great benefit of the program. And I have to say, as I walked into the school, three different people said how excited they are to have the DARE program back and to have you guys here in schools,

Officer:
For sure. We've received very positive feedback. We're appreciative of that. I am appreciative of the officers that I supervise that are administering this program. They're very busy. certainly, I would say that our staffing is at a minimal level right now in this pilot portion of the program, but we hope to expand and grow and allocate more resources. Of course, that comes challenges as there are many different aspects of policing we're working on right now, to spread resources out.

Superintendent:
I think that we all can relate with that, but we're very excited to be back in the schools with this program.

Officer:
Well, we're grateful for this new focus, for the support you give us in so many ways. Just with a wide variety of issues that come your way and come our way. And it's a great relationship and thanks for everything you're doing. I appreciate it.

Superintendent:
Thank you. We're going to take a quick break. And when we come back, we'll hear more from students in the DARE program and from Officer Kim Welty who teaches there and is devoted to empowering kids to do the right thing.

McKinley Withers:
Do you want ideas for being happier and healthier? I'm McKinley Withers, Health and Wellness Specialist for Jordan School District. Please join us every week for Wellness Wednesday. It's a feature on the Jordan school District website that offers free and simple tips for improving your health and wellness. We cover a variety of topics to help families like reducing stress, improving eating habits, finding more time to build relationships, and increasing overall happiness. Check out Wellness Wednesday every week on the Jordan School District website jordandistrict.org. For additional health and wellness resources, visit wellness.jordandistrict.org.

Superintendent:
Welcome back. We're talking about the DARE program and what students walk away with when they graduate. And we're about to meet the very popular Officer Kim who teaches DARE. Tell me your name.

Student:
Isaac.

Superintendent:
You've just graduated from DARE, right?

Superintendent:
Yes. You're a fifth grader here at Terra Linda Elementary. Tell us about what you learned in the DARE program.

Student:
We learned a few things about drug facts and health effects and a few things about bullying.

Superintendent:
What are some of the things you learned about responsibility?

Student:
How to respect others and also treat others how you want to be treated.

Superintendent:
What about drug facts and smoking and other things you learned about not particularly in that order?

Student:
One of the things is we try to stay off of that stuff is because it can also lead to death.

Superintendent:
It's very dangerous. How about bullying? What did you learn about bullying and treating other people?

Student:
The different types of bullying, like cyber bullying and physical bullying, and just how to stop that stuff.

Superintendent:
What are some of the other things that you liked about the DARE program?

Student:
Officer Kim was really nice.

Superintendent:
Tell me more about Officer Kim. I've heard a lot about her.

Student:
She is really kind and she listened to what we had questions about and stuff like that.

Superintendent:
Did going through the DARE program, give you a different perspective or thought about police officers?

Student:
Yeah. Uh, normally I thought police officers just helped out with traffic and stuff like that. But now I heard that they do like all sorts of different things.

Superintendent:
Are they friendly?

Student:
Yes.

Superintendent:
What do you think of Officer Kim?

Student:
She's a good teacher.

Superintendent:
I can tell. What do you think of officer Kim?

Student:
She's the best.

Superintendent:
Well, that's good. That's good. What's that? You don't want the other officers to feel bad.

Student:
She's the nicest.

Superintendent:
So DARE is back in West Jordan and Officer Kim is here with me. She is the teacher at the two schools whose graduation I've just attended. I heard a lot of really nice things about you from kids today. What do you think of this program and what is it like working with these kids?

Officer:
I love this program. The kids have, I don't even know how to explain it. Like overwhelming. You start off thinking it's going to be one way and it just spirals out of control with goodness. It's beautiful. The kids are amazing. They're so warm and welcoming. They want so much to be part of our lives and for officers to get to know them and they want to share. They want to tell us how much they know and they're smart and they're beautiful. It's just amazing. It's wonderful.

Superintendent:
I've been really impressed with how articulate all of the kids are about the program, about the things that you've taught. It's really interesting because you don't always see that happen in the classroom, despite our best efforts. But boy, they are all conversant in the aspects of the DARE program. Why do you think that is?

Officer:
Well, I have to give a lot of it too, back to the kids cause they really are smarter, bigger and better than we can imagine. They really are. They are the best of all of us, and then some. And then I'll give myself a little bit of credit, by just repeating things. I repeat things and repeat things and repeat things to them that I find super important and that I know are important to them, by how quiet they get in class, how they'll get a look on their face when something means something to them. And that will tell me, this is a topic that's important to these guys. So we'll spend a little more time on those aspects of it. I like to just watch the kids and see what's important to them.

Superintendent:
I love that. The look on their faces. I miss that look on their faces. I'm not in the classroom anymore, but it's really fun when you see that connection. And obviously you are making that connection a lot. Participating in the DARE program is probably the most interaction they've had with an officer at this point. What is the value of being able to create that positive relationship?

Officer:
Well, as part of the DARE program, our final lesson was the health network and it is talking about those additional people in our lives that are there for us. And I really wanted to showcase police officers and their relationships to us or the ones they can have with us. I want them to know that we're here and we're not off limits. And I feel like that they take the time to see that, and the more that we take the time to reach out to one of them or talk to one of them, then they're going to realize that we're not off limits. We're not the bad guys. We really do care so much and we want to be there for him. I think it'll just help their relationships. I think there'll be less afraid when they see one. They don't know.

Superintendent:
I agree. I've loved looking at the pictures of the help networks on the back wall. It kind of makes me want to be sure that I'm someone that would be included in a lot of help networks because it's very touching to read the descriptions.

Officer:
It is. And I, when I presented to them, "Hey, let's find one person in your life that's part of that help network," it blew me away how beautiful and creative they were. Some of them even put their pets on there because we talked about how much or how important our pets are to us as part of our help network, right down to their best friend who is always there for them. Every single person has somebody different. That's important to them. And it's important for them to remember  and to think about, "Oh yeah, I do have somebody. I'm not alone."

Superintendent:
Exactly.

Officer:
I can really imagine people thinking the kids realizing, "Hey, wait, I really do have some people in my corner, so many people I can pick" and that's right. I have a lot to pick from, more than I thought. And it's really more of a help network, even because when we're connected with others, that's how we can be healthy. That's how we can feel safe and secure.

Superintendent:
Yeah, very much. Okay. Thank you very much. Officer Kim, it's a pleasure meeting you. Thanks to everyone who works so hard to support students in our schools. We appreciate the partnership with West Jordan, South Jordan, Riverton and Herriman Police Departments, all offering DARE in Jordan District Schools. It's a program that builds a healthy relationship with police and empowers kids to make healthy choices.

Thanks as always to all of you for listening. And remember, education is the most important thing you will do today. We'll see out there.

Superintendent:
Welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. Today I'm taking you to the Jordan Academy for Technology and Careers, the JATC South Campus in Riverton, where students are finding out first-hand what it really takes to be a Firefighter EMT. Trust me, it's even harder than it looks. I know, compared with you guys, I looked very soft and undisciplined and not ready for this, but are you guys ready to put me through my paces?

Students:
Let's do this.

Superintendent:
So, your instructor can maybe help me with this. Tell me your name.

My name is Taylor Sandstrom.

Superintendent:
And your title?

Instructor:
I'm a Firefighter Paramedic with Unified Fire Authority and currently the JATC Fire Science and EMT instructor.

Superintendent:
That's a mouthful. That's a lot of responsibility,

Instructor:
A lot of stuff on your email closing. We emphasize in any EMT program, besides the skills, what do you need to be an EMT. One of the things you need to do is be active in your community, in educating people about what to do in case of emergencies and how to perform before we arrive. We've found across the country that if we can educate people about hands only CPR, when somebody has a cardiac event and collapses, then our survival rates go way, way up in that five minutes to seven minutes it takes the EMS providers to arrive. If somebody else has already begun doing chest compressions, survival can double. So, we teach in the community, hands only CPR so that people aren't intimidated to just start doing compressions and do them correctly. So they would like to teach you how to do hands only CPR.

Superintendent:
I have to admit that hands only CPR sounds a whole lot better than just regular old CPR.

Instructor:
It is. And we have found that people are hesitant. They take a CPR class every couple of years, maybe, but they don't practice in between. And it can be very complicated. We've simplified it down to push hard and fast and in the center of the chest at 120 beats per minute.

Superintendent:
Now, let me ask you this. I'm a music fan is the "Staying Alive" thing true, that you do it to the beat of standards?

Instructor:
That is pretty good.

Superintendent:
"You Should Be Dancing" or "How Deep Is Your Love"?

Instructor:
Both of those, I believe are a hundred beats per minute. Also, "staying alive" seems to be the right mindset.

Superintendent:
Because really every BG song sounds about the same. You know exactly. Okay. Alright. I'm going to do "Staying Alive". It makes sense. But you know, you could mix it up if you had to is what you're telling me. Okay. So we've got three torsos with heads that seem to be screaming out in internal pain. Is that right? Do I have that right? Okay. Is that the expression part? They're like, no, I'm in pain. Okay. All right, here we go. So should I try this one?

Instructor:
All right.  First, you'd arrive on the scene. The person that you're looking at is going to be unresponsive. But you want to check to see if there's a response in the first place. So you want to say, "Hey, are you okay?" Maybe he gives him a few claps to make sure that sound doesn't wake him up and he's not just sleeping on the ground.

Superintendent:
Right. Okay. Hey, are you okay?

Instructor:
If he doesn't respond, you need to give him a painful stimuli, something that'll wake him up. We call them painful stimulus. There's two though they teach us. You can do a trap pinch, which is just pinched the trap muscle on the end, what they call a sternum rub and you use the second knuckle on your fist and you just rub across the sternum.

Superintendent:
So I rub across the sternum to try to give them a little bit of pain, to wake them up. Okay.

Instructor:
If that doesn't wake them up, probably nothing will. So you probably should start CPR at that point. Something that you want to do before you even start compressions is you want to get people going on the scene. You want to delegate and say, "Will you call 911" and get another person to get an AED? Those are the two things that you need to do.

Superintendent:
Would you call 911 and you go get an AED?

Instructor:
Perfect. Okay.  And then as soon as you delegate to the people that have jobs, you want to start CPR. You want to take your dominant hand. That is what I like to use. You want to take your dominant hand, you want to place the butt of your palm in the center of the chest, right in the center. And then with the other hand, you want to stick on top of that and lock your fingers across them. When you push down, you want to push straight down from your back.

Superintendent:
Okay. Now, can I ask you this?

Instructor:
Yes, of course.

Superintendent:
How can I mess this up? Because that's what I'm always worried about is I did something wrong. I hurt the person. And I think a lot of people are worried about that. So how would I avoid doing something wrong and hurting someone?

Instructor:
So there is a depth. It's two inches or a third chest depth. Right? So that's about this deep, as long as you're pushing down, you're helping if I'm in trouble.

Superintendent:
Yeah. Okay. So I go like this,

Instructor:
So there's some resistance, right? So you want to push down hard and fast. You want to push from your hips and your back, not necessarily bending from your elbows or from your shoulders.

Superintendent:
From my hips and my back.

Instructor:
Yes. So you just want to push down nice and solid. Just push it down.

Superintendent:
Oh, wow. So I'm pushing down and it's giving way. Really. It kind of feels like a chest would give away. That's kind of strange. That's a strange feeling.

Instructor:
Okay, great. As you keep going, you want to make sure that when you push down and you let go, you want to allow the chest to fully recoil, allow it to fully, come back up

Superintendent:
Go back down again. So \that's another thing I don't want to do wrong. I want to let it come all the way up.

Instructor:
We're gonna keep it down here. You want to allow, alright

Superintendent:
Down and all the way up. Yep.

Instructor:
And then as you go, just make sure you're doing 120. Okay.

Superintendent:
Huh Huh Huh Huh, Staying Alive. Am I doing it? The right speed?

Instructor:
Yeah. That's about right.

Superintendent:
Too fast?

Instructor:
Oh, a little faster. Yeah. A little bit faster.

Superintendent:
You can tell by the way my singing, I probably don't know the lyrics after that, but that's a little faster. Okay. Yeah.

Instructor:
And so, if you need a person to switch out, you can get another person to help you and just coordinate and say, "Hey, come switch me out" and just instruct them on how they would do it the same way. And then have them just keep going along with CPR. If you get tired and you switch out.

Superintendent:
Okay. So how do I switch out?

Instructor:
Just count down just three, three, two, two, one. The reason you should stop is if there is an AED present or if EMS arrived on scene.

Superintendent:
I'm honestly feeling like this might be the safest room in the District right now with you guys here. This is awesome. That was so good. I feel like I can do it. I mean, I need to be a little faster. Any other, any other pointers?

Instructor:
Just the sooner you start compressions, as soon as you see a problem, the sooner you act, the better chances the person's going to have it survival.

Superintendent:
Your instructor keeps nodding his head behind you. So you guys have done a great job. Congratulations. That's great. We've saved a life. That feels good. Tell me your name.

Student:
My name is Dax.

Superintendent:
So Dax. What are some of the life skills that you're learning?

Student:
Um, by the end of the semester, we can test for our EMT license and we can become practicing EMTs at that point. And so it allows for really good job opportunities and we really have a straightforward career path.

Superintendent:
Is this something that you want to do as a career?

Student:
Very much so.

Superintendent:
And how about you? What's your name and why are you here?

Student:
Robbie. Um, I really like emergency services. I like trauma and all that stuff. And so this is just a pathway into what I want to.

Superintendent:
Do you like dealing with the tough stuff?

Student:
Yeah.

Superintendent:
So, are you like cool and calm and collected in most circumstances?

Student:
Yeah. When it's like crazy is when I'm coolest. I take a deep breath and just do everything the best I can.

Superintendent:
I'm glad people like you want to do this. Okay. What was the biggest change for you? Obviously you didn't use to be this disciplined. What are some things that you're more disciplined about now that you're in this program? Focusing on homework and home studies?

Student:
Definitely.

Superintendent:
I get the impression that there is no excuse for not being caught up in your classes.

Student:
Just lazy work. If you're not getting your work done, it's because you're lazy.

Superintendent:
Okay. I like that attitude is exactly what we want education to look like, hands-on and the type of thing that doesn't just teach you facts or skills, but the teaches you to be a better person. And that's obviously what you're getting here. So congratulations to your instructor and to each of you for the effort you're putting in.  So should we get into the equipment a little bit is going to be a Fire Science class?

Instructor:
In here, we're prepping, we're prepping students to go to a Fire Academy and become firefighters. Now, here is one of the things to show you.

We're going to do it with you, if you don't mind. People often ask why we set up our equipment the way we do and why we put our boots inside our pants and things like that when we're at the station or even out and around the town, in the in the rigs. When we get a fire call, we need to be able to respond as quickly as possible. And the first part of that is getting dressed appropriately to go to the fire. So we keep our boots inside our pants so that it's faster to get our boots and pants on. We have a fire hood that's made a Nomex that we wear over head and ears, and our coat. We typically call this our bunker set. So we have special pants, special coat, and then a helmet and gloves. Who's demo-ing?

He's gonna get ready, and we have some gear for you.

Superintendent:
Oh, great. Wow.

Instructor:
He's going to slowly go through with it and show you how to put it all on. And then, oh sorry, this is a Cade. We call him Nickel Cade. And then over here we have Sophie. Sophie is going to then show you what it looks like after you've practiced in your full speed.

Superintendent:
Okay. Okay. Now I have to admit ,without taking away from what you're doing here, this looks a lot like my ten-year-olds bedroom floor.

Instructor:
Yes it does. And in our rigs and in our stations, it's not laid out quite this extravagantly. We keep it nice and neat. As you can see, everybody's lockers looks the same when you're here, it's put away. A lot of what we do is team oriented. I'd say firefighting is the ultimate team sport. You don't do very well by yourself. You need your team and your team needs you. So in our class, we emphasize that teamwork and that working together, the ultimate team sport.

Superintendent:
I like that very much. So, is Sophie the fastest?

Instructor:
Sofia is one of the fastest. She is. It's kind of a race all the time. The state standard for firefighters is one minute to put on your turnout gear. Our standard in our class is 45 seconds and some of these guys are in the thirties.

Superintendent:
Holy mackerel. I can tie a tie pretty fast, but I don't think that'll help. Alright, here we go.

Instructor:
All right. Follow along with Cade.

Superintendent:
Alright, so he's going to demonstrate. I don't see myself doing this in 30 seconds anytime soon. You guys can laugh. It's okay.

Student:
Suspender's right here, hanging on the sides. The suspenders, you grab those and throw them up.

Superintendent:
Maybe I shouldn't take the sport coat off, but I'm in now, baby. I'm in now.

Student:
And then you got a button it.

Superintendent:
Wow. I can't wait to see Sophie do this. I really can't.

Student:
And velcro.

Superintendent:
Oh wow. That's very eighties.

Student:
And then click on top of that. Just leave it buckled.

Student:
And I set out my coat is in a way that I can stick my arm in.

Superintendent:
This feels heavy. It already feels heavy.

Student:
And then you to get your zipper and then velcro strap. And then the next up right here comes across, and then you bring your hood and wrap it around the collar and then we clap and then you're done. That's her heel.

Superintendent:
I'm not even very good with your gloves.

Student:
I've been doing that for awhile.

Superitendent:
We're going to take a quick break. When we come back more with Unified Firefighter, Taylor Sandstrom and his students from the JATC.

Sandra Reisgraf:
If you're always looking for opportunities to learn something new, why not join us for the next Jordan Parent University? Jordan Parent University is an opportunity for parents to better understand issues that impact their own students and education. It's an evening class designed to help parents with things like planning for the road beyond high school, better understanding students' social and emotional health and wellness. And knowing who to call when there are issues involving a school or a student. Jordan Parent University is free and open to the public. For a list of upcoming classes, times and locations go to jpu.jordan.district.org. See you there.

Superintendent:
Welcome back. Suiting up in heavy fire gear or bunkers as they call it is really hard. But one student, Sophie, does it better than almost anyone, beating the clock. Every time she even comes in much faster than what is required for actual firefighters. So let's listen in, as she tries to completely equip herself as a firefighter in record time 45 seconds, right? No pressure.

Mark set go. Sophie is killing me. I took longer on the buckle than she's taking on the entire thing right now. She's got her mask on seriously. She looks like she's ready to run into a burning building, like right now. This is not messing around. Wow. 38 seconds. That was awesome. That was awesome. Wow. That is incredible. I have to say, I'm glad I tried it before I watched you. I have tremendous respect for what you just did. It's around 60 pounds of gear. I'll run upstairs into a burning building, dragging a hose out. That is something else.

Instructor:
Our standard, just for all calls,  we want to be out of the station and on the road in about 90 seconds. So some of the stuff, like air pack buckles, we'll be doing that on our way to the call. But we want to arrive again, our standard is five to seven minutes from the time we get the call, we want to be at the incident.

Superintendent:
So, it sounds like they're meeting the standards and exceeding the standard as high school students.

Instructor:
That's my goal. My goal is when they leave here and go to a Fire Academy to get their State Certifications that they can walk in and the skills and knowledge is already in place.

Superintendent:
So tell me, if you're talking to parents or students who might be considering either program, uh, what would you tell them to expect first of all? And then we'll talk about the benefits.

Instructor:
Lots of hard work. These courses aren't about grades, in my opinion, they're not about anything other than showing me your best effort. Working hard, studying hard, having the discipline to be to class on time every day. Just like when you and I go to work, we need to be right on time, every day, ready to go. There really aren't excuses. There might be reasons, but there are no excuse, other than lack of preparation or lack of effort or lack of time in the program.

Superintendent:
I heard students say exactly what you were just saying. That it's lack of effort, lack of preparation. If you're not ready, you're lazy. There's a real work ethic that goes with this. I can't imagine a class that teaches a better work ethic.

Instructor:
I can't speak to other classes. All I can say is that I take my job seriously and people depend on us, right? We are teaching them that. And I tell them on the first day, when someone calls 9-1-1, they're not having their best day ever. They're having their worst. And they have an expectation that whoever shows up will know how to make it better. And that's a very serious responsibility. And I try to instill that in these students, if nothing else, when they leave my class, I hope they know whether this is what they want to do or not.

Superintendent:
What are of the other benefits of being in there?

Instructor:
This class is  a college credit, cheap, $5 per credit. If you take both of these classes, you can get nine for EMT and seven for Fire sScience. You're going to be well prepared to go out into the workplace. And frankly, myself and all of the instructors in this course are full time Firefighter, Paramedics, and EMTs. And this becomes a job interview. It's a semester of interviewing for a job because when you apply, they will call me, if you put me down as a reference, and I will tell them exactly what I think about you,

Superintendent:
Because lives are at stake and you can't risk having someone respond to a call, that's not  ready.

Instructor:
Yes.

Superintendent:
It sounds to me, like you said, sometimes students learn if this is what they want to do by being in the class. Sometimes they learned that this is not what they want to do by being in the class. I imagine everyone takes away lifelong lessons, that they're changed the way they view themselves and the world around them.

Instructor:
Absolutely. You are as some of your experiences.  And this is an experience I think, powerful enough that it will make a difference if you don't want to be an EMT and work on an Ambulance or work for a Fire Department. If you've taken this class, we have taught you some things that are going to be helpful someday in some situation.

Superintendent:
It strikes me that just with the discipline and the skills and the mindset they have, whether they take the job or not, it seems to me like they're going to be in a position to save a life.

Instructor:
I hope so. This summer, I was able to go back to the field and work with some of my students who have been in this class and now work for my department. And it's awesome. It's a super great feeling for me, to see them thrive and do what they train so hard here to do is an awesome experience.

Superintendent:
So tell us, why did you decide to be a paramedic?

Instructor:
That's a long story. My dad and brother were both firefighters. My dad was an EMT. My brother was a paramedic. That was a strong influence in my life anyway, but I also had the misfortune, or fortune, to be one of their patients at one time, they saved my life.

Superintendent:
So you thought, I need to pay that forward. I really admire what you're doing here. Thank you for choosing to be a teacher. In addition to everything else you're already doing, it was my mom's fault. Any last advice for parents of kids thinking about the program?

Instructor:
It takes a lot of time. This program, both of them are half of their day. It's four credits or four classes and appropriately, I send home four classes worth of homework and expectations. So this class will take a lot of their time. But have you guys ever been in a class you liked more?

Superintendent:
I'm going to ask them about that. So you work harder in this class I'll bet, than you do in any other, is that true? You agreed, 100% hardest class, toughest class you're in and it is the toughest class, but it is worth it? For all of you, it's your favorite as well. So how was your hardest class also your favorite?

Student:
I don't know. We have fun working hard and it's not just a class where we just sit down and bookwork all the time. We get to apply the stuff. I think why I think it's fun.

Superintendent:
How about for you?

Student:
I think when it's something you want to do, and it's something you want to learn about, it's still hard work, but it pays off and you like it at the end of the day.

Superintendent:
What would you have to say about liking a class that's so difficult?

Student:
I liked that he shows us real world experiences and we're making a difference by doing this class.

Superintendent:
I can agree with you there. How about you? You said it's very difficult, but it's worth it.

Student:
It just really helped me grow as a person and in my work ethic as well. I really increased my work ethic and, obviously, my discipline as well. And I think that this class has really shaped me as a person.

Superintendent:
Well, if you ever want to work for a children's school district, you all have a job. I'm going to shake your hand. You guys are amazing. Thank you so much for that experience and your good teachers too. You guys got me up to speed. Well, not up to speed in terms of how fast I could put on my fire outfit. What do you call it? Turn-out gear. Fire outfit is probably not the proper term. You guys are amazing. That's great. And I want to thank you guys.

Thanks so much to Unified Fire and their unique partnership with Jordan School District, which is helping high school students pursue a career in Fire Science. This is just one of many hands-on programs offered at the Jordan Academy. It's a program for students who have a passion to help others and save lives.

And thanks to all of you for joining us on the Supercast. And remember, education is the most important thing you will do today. We'll see you.

Superintendent:
Welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. Today we're talking nutrition, starting with students at Hayden Peak Elementary School, where they spill the beans on their favorite snacks, and we find out if cottage cheese makes the cut. We're cooking up some fun with kids. Then Jordan School District Dietician, Katie Bastian joins us in studio to talk about getting back on track with better nutrition in the new year for students and families. First, let's check in with our friends at Hayden Peak. Tell me your name.

Student:
My name is Shannon.

Superintendent:
Shannon. What is your favorite food?

Student:
I would have to say it's kind of weird, but I love carrots. I love their baby carrots with ranch dressing.

Superintendent:
Baby carrots with ranch dressing is not weird. What's your name?

Student:
Sierra.

Superintendent:
Sierra. Tell me some of your favorite foods.

Student:
Mac and Cheese.

Superintendent:
Okay. What type of Mac and Cheese? Do you like it with the fluorescent orange powder whipped into a cream sauce?

Student:
Normally, my family just buys a Velveeta Brand Mac and Cheese.

Superintendent:
Velveeta Mac and Cheese is definitely next level. I love Velveeta Mac and Cheese. It's kind of like gold being poured over your pasta?

Student:
Yeah.

Superintendent:
What do you not like? What foods do you definitely not like?

Student:
I hate green beans.

Superintendent:
You hate green beans. Did they do something bad to you?

Student:
No, I just don't like them.

Superintendent:
You just don't like them. Okay. You don't like them. Hate is kind of a strong word if they haven't ever hurt you. Is it because they're kind of fuzzy?

Student:
No, it tastes bad to me.

Superintendent:
What's your name?

Student:
My name's Kylie.

Superintendent:
What do you like for snacks? I like to eat talkies.

(02:10):
Hockey's those are hot. Not for me. Not for you. We bought this big multipack of chips and I was the one that was in charge of eating the talkies because no one else could stand them.

(02:22):
Yeah. I love them. I had snack.

(02:25):
Okay. I admire you. Tell me your name. Ellie. Ellie. What food do you like? Chicken legs. You like chicken legs on or off the chicken? Either way. Either way, whatever happens. Okay. Um, I like it. So you like chicken? What do you not like melted cheese? You don't like melted cheese. What is it about the melted cheese that you don't like?

(02:53):
It has a weird after taste and it's like greasy.

(02:57):
That's exactly why I like it. Tell me your name. Miles. Miles. What snacks do you eat? Yeah.

(03:04):
Hot Cheetos. Normal Cheetos, hot Funyuns, normal Funyuns,

(03:11):
Hot Funyuns. Now wait a second. I was unaware that there was such a thing as hot Funyuns. I've been known to devour an entire family sized bag of Funyuns in one sitting. And I don't even know that there are hot Funyuns. How hot are they?

(03:26):
Well, some people say they're hot, but I don't think they're all.

(03:30):
Okay. I can see that you and I are a snack friends here. Um, what, what foods do you not like?

(03:38):
I kinda don't really like fish. I just think it has weird taste, but I like catching fish, but I just don't like eating it. What's your name? My name is

(03:47):
What's next. Do you like?

(03:52):
Uh, I like cereal. I don't know.

(03:56):
Ooh. I love to have cereal as a snack. What are your favorite types of cereal?

(04:00):
Um, cocoa puffs, cinnamon toast crunch and cookie crunch. Cookie.

(04:06):
I was about your age when cinnamon toast crunch came out and it was a wondrous thing. It was absolutely beautiful. I like every single one of those. And I love how the cocoa puffs turned. The milk chocolate. It tastes good. What foods do you not like? I don't make any beans. Any beans? Garbanzo, Lima, Navy. You're against them all? Yes. I'm against the wall. Okay. Fair enough. At least you're an equal opportunity being hater. All right. Thank you. What's your name?

(04:37):
My name's Connor. And my favorite food is rainbow jello.

(04:44):
Is there whipped cream involved? Yes. That sounds absolutely delicious. What foods do you not like? I absolutely hate butter. Well, you're not just supposed to eat a stick of butter.

(04:56):
Even if anything has like butter on it, just plain butter on it. I will absolutely not eat.

(05:03):
So even if the rainbow jello had butter, you would not eat it? Nope. Do you eat things plain? Like toast?

(05:09):
I usually cook up some Friday eggs and then dip in the year.

(05:14):
Do you, do you cook the eggs yourself? Yes. And you know just how to cook it. So the yolk is just right? Yes. My mom taught me. I admire that. Good job. Tell me your name. Jenna. What? Uh, snacks do you like? I like apples and her. Ooh, that's very good. What foods do you not like cottage. Cheese. How does cheese? Thank you so many people like cottage cheese, and I've never understood it. It's like milk. That started to turn into cheese, but didn't quite get there. I'm with you, Jenna. I agree. 100%. Tell me your name, the last defender. The last defender. That's correct. I like that. You're going by this moniker. Well done, sir. What foods do you like? Hot wings. Hot wings. Do you like it? Bone in bone out both. So do I, I like the bone out because it's not as messy, but I like the bone in when I just want to get crazy with it.

(06:12):
Yeah. So where do you like to have hot wings? Buffalo. Wild wings. Me too. Tuesday nights, bone in Thursday nights, bone out, half price, right? Yeah. This guy knows what is up. He's not just the last defender. He knows what's going on. When it comes to food. What sauce do you get? Ranch or blue cheese? Ranch. Oh, this guy is hitting every note. He's hitting every note. If you and I were at the Buffalo wild wings on the same night at the same time, we'd be ordering the same stuff. Yeah. What's your name? Ashley. What food do you like? Um, I, uh, I, Oh,

(06:51):
It's Italian pasta. It's very shiny because it does have, it has lemon juice. It has, it's a little green cause there's a little bit of, um, I can't remember. There's a lot of garlic and crushed red pepper plate.

(07:08):
Where do you have this dish?

(07:10):
My dad makes it so at home a lot. Most of the time,

(07:13):
I think that's pretty awesome. Your dad can make that my signature dish is hotdogs on the grill. Yeah, I know. It's not very fancy. Well, it works. It does. It works on a Sunday afternoon. They taste pretty good. Now I'm really hungry. So I'm going to go eat lunch. All this talk of treats is making me hungry. So let's head to a break. And when we come back, we're in studio with district dietician, Katie bastion, who shares some tips to get kids excited about healthy eating. And she has me do a little taste, testing myself, stay with us.

(07:52):
How many times do you hear your child ask what's for breakfast or what's for lunch? Find out what's on the menu at your child's Jordan school district school every day by simply downloading the Nutri slice app to your smartphone or desktop. The neutral slice app gives you quick and easy access to daily menus, pictures of meal choices and nutrition information. Along with allergens present in the food. The app also allows students and parents to give feedback on food. Download the neutral slice app today and enjoy school breakfast and lunch in your school. Cafeteria we're back in studio with district registered dietician, Katie bastion. Katie, how are you? Welcome to the show. Thanks. Thank you for having me. So tell me what does a dietician do? I, I suspect people don't even realize we have a district dietician.

(08:59):
Yup, yup. We do. So, um, I do several things, uh, in the district. Um, I work with the, the other ladies in our office and we put together menus that have to meet the federal guidelines. So we, we have nutrition criteria that we have to meet. And we also, when we build a menu, we put together food components. So we have to have fruits, vegetables, grains, meats, and dairy. So we have to make sure every meal has all those components to serve to the kids.

(09:28):
So our food components, what we used to call food groups in the seventies, is there still a pyramid? There's not a pyramid anymore. There's a more pyramid. My plate, my plate. So tell me about the place.

(09:40):
So my plate is just a visual representation that USDA has put out.

(09:45):
My plate is usually a visual representation of menu item number two in the drive through, but don't tell me what my plate is supposed to be

(09:53):
Sure you've seen it, but it's just a plate broken up into, it shows like half of your plate should be fruits and vegetables. And then the other half of it, you know, in smaller portions, you've got your meat and your grains and then dairies are, you know, off to the side for our program. Um, our dairy has to be our fluid milk. So that covers the foods. And then of course, fats and oils don't really have a section anymore, but they're, they're in there sparingly. So,

(10:20):
Okay. So we know that fats and oils are part of the equation. They don't get their own section. That seems right. Yeah. So tell me, what are some of the requirements in terms of the menu you have to set up that parents might not be aware of where people may not have realized?

(10:38):
Yeah, so we, like I said, we have to make sure we have all the food components for each meal, so the kid can choose to have all of them. Um, and then when we're looking at the nutrition criteria, we have to make sure it meets a certain calorie range, average over the course of a week. And we're also watching sodium levels and saturated fat levels.

(10:58):
Those are three things I do not watch. So I'm glad that you're watching it for the children of Jordan school district. Are there foods that we used to offer that we can't offer any more that we wish we could offer? What are some of those rules, uh, changing what we used to order years ago,

(11:17):
The way things like some of the favorites we've just adapted them. So, you know, we've always made our bread from scratch here in Jordan school district. And so, you know, those lovely white rolls that you used to see, well, we make them from scratch. So now everything needs to be whole grain rich. So now we add the whole wheat flour and so they're a whole grain rich version and they're still lovely, lovely rolls, but they are now a whole grain weight.

(11:44):
I can smell it now. Yes.

(11:46):
When you, if you go out to the schools, you can bring rich. Yes.

(11:50):
Okay. And are there other things that been, uh, adapted as you said recently?

(11:56):
Yeah, definitely. A lot of our, we make, um, like our ranch condiments from scratch. So we're using lighter options of Mayo and that type of thing for condiments, um, with the sodium sodium levels, being watched a lot of the things that we purchase and make ourselves the levels have decreased over the years from what they were. So we try and use other spices and stuff, you know, to flavor things. I mean, we still have have salt, but those levels are lower than what they were. Yeah. And then the fat is always something, but fat is always been something that I think those national school lunch program there's always been limits on that and the calories, but sure. Yeah. So of course we got to have food. The kids like to,

(12:45):
Right. What are some of the most popular items?

(12:48):
Oh, you know what the kids, as far as things we make, the kids love the Mac and cheese. Like, I don't know the kids like the school's Mac and cheese better than my Mac and cheese, but it's um, they also, of course, some of the kids' favorite things are going to be pizza and chicken nuggets, like elementary school kids. I'm sure you will. You'll hear that. So we just try and have healthier alternatives of, you know, we don't have any fryers nothing's the fries or the chicken nuggets or anything like that. Isn't fried it's, it's all baked and steamed and stuff. So it's healthier alternatives, whole grain breading, lower fat cheese. So yeah.

(13:27):
So the pizza's popular, the chicken nuggets are property.

(13:30):
Yeah. Yup, yup. But yeah, Mac and cheese. Let's see. What are some other ones? Oh yes. Mandarin orange. Yeah. The Asian foods right now are really big. Teriyaki chicken and rice. Mandarin, orange chicken Kung Pao chicken. Yeah. Those are really big right now, too.

(13:47):
If you're not getting hungry, listening to this podcast, I'm shocked. Think about that. Kids are missing out if they're not getting that multigrain rich. Is that what you said? Multigrain rich rolls made from scratch made from scratch ranch sounds fantastic. Yeah, it's delicious. So are there some things we've experimented with food wise that have not worked out or some, what are some of the failed experiments in school lunch?

(14:16):
Um, a lot of times. So we do have a menu committee that we meet with, um, some elementary managers who meet with us on a monthly basis and then a secondary menu committee of secondary managers, like five or six of them. And we meet with them and we go over, what's not working and try new recipes. So they'll be our pilot schools that will go out and sample new recipes. So a lot of times what we're going for with those many committees is things that people are seeing popular in the, um, you know, like when they're going out to restaurants. Um, and then we're always trying to keep our culture here in Jordan is we try and make as much as we can from scratch. So we're always trying scratch recipes or, or, you know, something that's a little bit more homemade than your typical, I don't know, processed items that kids love.

(15:05):
But, um, I guess I could tell you about the, um, Shepherd's pie. Oh, it was great. And you know, the teachers and we got a lot of great feedback that the teachers loved it and staff loved it. It was not a big hit with the kids, but so actual shepherds. I, yeah, I don't know. She and I, I don't know, but yeah, it didn't, it didn't go over big. So, you know, we'll try it on a menu cycle. We'll give it a few times. Cause once, twice, you know, that doesn't give you a good indication, but after several times through the menu cycle, if they're still not like, you know, they were like, Oh man, we gotta let this one go.

(15:42):
Menu cycle for me is how many times I've ordered in a day and I'm not going to give you a number. So, uh, that's very interesting. So the Shepherd's pie feedback, I guess, has a different connotation when you're talking about food in the cafeteria. But yeah. So the feedback that you've had on Shepherd's pie was positive from the adults, but the kids not so much.

(16:04):
Right? Yeah. I don't know if it's, you know, like kind of food that's touching each other and it makes together or just maybe adults are much more familiar with it. They just grew up with it. And everyone has their mom's own version of Shepherd's pie that they made. But I don't, maybe I don't think kids are seeing it as much now. Yeah.

(16:22):
Right. Foods touching each other is an issue for kids. And that is one of the charms of the cafeteria lunch tray that it has a separate compartment for everything so that you can keep it in. Yeah.

(16:32):
Yep. It doesn't run together.

(16:34):
You brought a couple along here and I have to tell you, it's bringing back memories.

(16:40):
That's old school,

(16:41):
Plastic trays. It is old school. Yes, indeed. Yup. Are you saying I am old school, correct? Yes. But these trays do bring back some memories. We're going to be back with Katie and just a few moments to talk about how your kids can maintain a healthy diet at home. Stay with us.

(17:02):
Do you want to know what's going on in Jordan school district? Maybe see your child or a friend featured in a school story. Check out our website@jordandistrict.org or follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter at Jordan district. Let's connect today.

(17:25):
And we're back with Katie bastion, the registered dietician for Jordan school district. Katie, before we go into some tips for parents, let's just talk about the scope of what you do. We've talked about menu items, school launch, how that's changed, trying new items in the menu. Remarkably. I didn't realize the extent to which we make things from scratch. Yeah. That's incredible. It is.

(17:50):
Yeah. We, we are. We're proud of what we do. It's it is like you say remarkable.

(17:54):
It's better for kids when it's made from scratch. Yeah.

(17:56):
Yeah. We have more control over the ingredients and,

(17:59):
And it tastes better. Yeah. I've tried making Doritos from scratch because they might be healthier for me that failed. And I just went back to the cool ranch bag and it's just, it's just easier that way. So I don't know. Maybe I'll try some other time, but in the meantime, just to give parents an idea of what you're up to every day. Yeah. Your choices, you and the committee, the menu choices. How many kids are served at the lunches every day in Jordan school district?

(18:29):
So in Jordan school district, we serve about 33,000 lunches every single day through all of our schools,

(18:35):
33,000 lunches a day.

(18:38):
Yep. And that's not even counting. Breakfast is a lot of the schools do breakfast meals too.

(18:44):
Wow. That's 10, 10,000 times the number of meals. Uh, the average family is preparing everything. Yeah.

(18:50):
Yeah. It's it's, it's a lot, it's a large scope.

(18:53):
Yeah. Yeah. That's a big deal. So parents of kids who are picky eaters, I'm sure there are one or two out there. Oh yeah. So I have a niece who I think she has lived on two foods, her entire life, chicken fingers and grapes. And I think that's it. And my son is not much better. He eats five or six things, but it's really hard to get him to try something new. Right. So do you have some advice for parents on how they can help their kids eat a wider variety of foods?

(19:27):
Yeah, definitely. So I think if they start, when the kids are younger, just keep introducing them to new foods, new foods. And if they don't want to eat it, don't force them to eat it. But you know, encourage them to take a bite. And if that's all they want that's okay. Cause maybe after trying carrots and curates are popular, kids like carrots, but you know, whatever the food is maybe after trying it, you know, five, six, seven, eight, nine times. Maybe after a couple of years, it'll be like, Oh, you know, I like this. I tell my kids, we have to keep trying things because our tastes chains, you know, I didn't like tomatoes when I'm little when I was little, but I like tomatoes now. So we have to keep trying things. So we, we know if we like them or not, our tastes do change. That's true. I think

(20:12):
When you said that, that kind of resonated because there are things you used to like that you don't like anymore. Yeah. The idea is that people get to keep is that you continue to give your kids a chance to try different foods.

(20:24):
Right? Right. Yeah. You, your, uh, job as a parent is to give your kids the opportunity to try all these different foods and you know, just keep introducing them, whatever you're having for dinner that night, make sure everyone has some of it on their plate. Even if they don't like it.

(20:41):
We've all been in the situation where we've been told to clean your plate. And I know you told us not to force kids to eat a certain food that they don't like continue to give them the opportunity, but don't force them. Right. How about just quantity where we're frustrated. We know they're going to be hungry in another 30 minutes. If they don't finish what's in front of them, how do you handle that?

(21:04):
Um, so just we encourage, you know, set up set meal times, you know, like if your family can eat together, that's great. There are so many benefits of eating meals together as a family. And so if your kids, kids are all about routine, if they know that when they eat, you know, they sit down and they're going to have their certain meals of the day. And if they sit down and they're going to have, you know, there are certain set snacks and they're just not snacking all day. They'll know, you know, I need to eat while I'm here. And then that encourages them. You know, like if they're hungry later, okay, we're going to eat. And just a little bit, you know, like kids need snacks too, you know, if they can't make it in between meals sets, you know, they're they're little. And so yeah, definitely just encourage them to, Hey, you know, we're, this is where we're eating and you know, you talk, you eat you. But yeah, we, I, um, it's hard because kids tell you they're hungry all the time, but if you let them snack all the time, are they ever going to get really full or they're just always going to be hungry and snacking. So

(22:04):
They're just going to be grazing all the time. So you set meal times partially, so you can be together, but partially, so it's predictable. And then you try to set snack times as well. Yeah,

(22:14):
Yeah. Yep. So they know, you know, when we're sitting down here together at the table where we're eating and, and they know to expect, I will be eating again, you know, like they're not scared that they're not going to be fed or, or whatnot, but yeah. And then like, as far as clearing their plates go, kids are incredible. Like kids have the best sense of, um, knowing when they are full, like as adults that gets, you know, a little skew because we have so many other things going on, we're so busy. You know, you have these, uh, behavioral choices that you make. You know, when we're getting, when we get together, we have cookies and milk or, you know, these, these set rhythms, but kids are really good at knowing when they're hungry and when to stop eating, you know, babies are the very best at it when they're done, they're done. Right. But, um, so kids have a really good sense of that. And you know what, really, if they don't eat everything on their plate, we always say our house, you know what? You can save it for later.

(23:12):
Let's talk about allergies and how you handle that in schools, because it seems like more and more there are allergies or sensitivities to certain foods. What are some of those sensitivities that we deal with and how do we help students in that situation? Because I'm sure there are some listeners, uh, whose kids are dealing with that circumstance.

(23:34):
Definitely. Yeah. So that's another big part of my job is kids who have allergies or intolerances to the major allergens, you know, we and eggs and dairy fish, shellfish, peanuts, tree nuts, those major things. If they are allergic to them or have intolerances to them, um, you know, they can go through the paperwork and get a doctor's note. And from there, my job is helping. How can we make accommodations to our mills? So if they want to eat occasionally and have, you know, do something different, other than lunch from home, we can make that possible for them. So how can we make this, this smell dairy free or, you know, gluten-free, or that type of thing. We make a lot of accommodations for kids here in the district. So if they want to eat, you know, with the rest of the student population, we'll, we'll, we'll do what we can to, to make those accommodations for them to use.

(24:25):
That's cool. Which really is remarkable, especially considering, as you mentioned earlier, tens of thousands of meals served every day that you're able to specialize and individualized to that extent.

(24:36):
Yeah. And I talk with every, you know, every paperwork that comes in, I talk to every parent individually, and I have to give a lot of credit to the kitchens too, because they're the ones on the front lines when they're making, you know, 1400 meals, that's a lot of meals, you know, like at some of our middle schools and high schools. And then to make sure that when they're making these special diets, it takes time. You know, they're making sure that they don't cross contaminate and you know, they're being careful about it. So I have to give the credit, you know, to the frontline, cause they're the ones actually making those meals, you know, I help set them up, but they, they get it done. So the kitchen, the kitchens and the staff there should really be commended as well. Cause it's, that's pretty good.

(25:17):
I should mention too, that we've had, uh, we've talked with inspectors who inspect kitchens and restaurants throughout the state. Yes. The health inspectors. And what I've heard is they have said our cafeteria kitchens are the envy of the industry and any restaurant would love to have our scores and have the kitchens as clean and well maintained as ours. Yeah.

(25:43):
Yes. We do have really clean kitchens. Even if the school is older, we try and make sure that their equipment is up to date and the kitchens are clean. They're organized. Like you say, stuff is working. We do really have well-maintained kids.

(25:59):
It's a particular aspect of our operations as a district that just blows me away. It's just, um, I have difficulty following the instructions on instant oatmeal and to make 30,000 meals a day from scratch. And it's just, it's really astounding. And I love that. We're so deliberate through your work and the work of the committees in what those meals are made up of. And that it's a complete nutritional package for, for kids because it's so important, not just to their health and wellness, but to their learning that they have, that they are well fed.

(26:34):
If a kid, I mean you and I know that if you're at work and are doing anything, if you're hungry, your mind is wandering. What's the next I'm going to eat, or you're grazing, you're finding something to you. So if kids are fed, it's one less thing that they have to think about or worry about. And the behavioral problems, you know, is a whole different thing. But you know, if kids are fed, they're just going to do better all around.

(26:58):
I'm not sure if the Mike has been picking it up. Okay. I am definitely, uh, my stomach is growling with all of this food talk and you have brought some samples along. So let's talk about what you have here. It's very colorful.

(27:12):
So we, um, brought just some healthy snack ideas, you know, as a parent, if you can go to the grocery store and buy these these items and make it and have it in the fridge, show it, your kids can just grab it. Cause your kids are not going to get a cucumber out of the fridge, wash it and peel it and slice it. Not ever going to happen, but if you can buy, so here we have cups that have yogurt in them, peanut butter, and then ranch, right?

(27:40):
Not all on the same cup. These are different

(27:42):
Separate cut. Yes. Yes. So with the ranch, we have, um, different vegetables. We have carrot, celery, peppers, cucumbers, little tomatoes. Um, let's see, what else do we have with the ranch? I think that's all we have with the ranch, just a little ranch in the bottom. And then the yogurt has, you know, berries in it. Um, Apple slices, uh, let's see. And then the peanut butter is another good one. You can put carrots and celery sticks in that apples crackers. Um, another good ones, cottage cheese. So if you can have snacks in it, and these are cute cups because you know, they look cute. They're easy to make a bunch of them, cover them, put them in their fridge and your kid can grab it out. And it's their afterschool snack. That's great. But anything, if you even just, you know, get a bag of carrots, cut them all up so that it's ready. If you can just have something that's ready for your kid to take it, take it out and eat it. They're going to be much more likely to grab that. You know, that's, you know, when you, they get a bag of chips out of the pantry, it's because, you know, it's, it's there and it's easy.

(28:46):
So convenience is a big component of helping kids.

(28:49):
Yeah. So if you're a parent yeah. Make it a convenient choice for them.

(28:54):
Okay. Yeah. Well, it's very convenient now. So I'm going to grab, let's see. Okay. Let's go with the savory to start with. Yeah. And, uh, I'm going to have a carrot stick and maybe some celery.

(29:07):
Oh, that's great. Yeah.

(29:11):
That's the sound of nature's bounty. Hmm.

(29:15):
Yeah. Yep. Yep. They make the ranch from scratch.

(29:18):
Oh, this is the, from, from scratch ranch. Okay. I just had some very colorful vegetables in some homemade ranch or cafeteria made ranch. That was amazing now. And it was convenient. It's right in front of me. Right. Um,

(29:35):
That goes for adults too. If you can pre, you know, make your food. So it's easy to grab. Your carrots are much likely to go bad in your fridge if you just grab them out and wash them and cut them up.

(29:46):
Unfortunately, the vending machine is also very convenient. So there's competition. Now, these colorful foods, remind me of the adage. I've heard that you're supposed to eat the rainbow every day. Do the colors of your foods matter? Are you supposed to eat a wide range of colorful fruits and vegetables? Yeah.

(30:05):
Yeah. The, the colors do matter. Um, I think it's just also the adage, you know, just eat a variety of foods.

(30:13):
I like pres the presentation on this. So convenience and probably presentation helps with

(30:19):
Definitely. Oh yeah. Kids are, you know, they are not different from adults in a lot of ways. If it, you know, we eat with our eyes. So if it looks good. Yeah. And kids are no different than we are when it comes to that. That's for sure.

(30:34):
Okay. I'm going to try a pair paired with yogurt. Let's see. Okay.

(30:43):
Yeah,

(30:44):
No, that's a tasty treat. Yep. That's good. Nicely done. What liquids should kids be having? Okay. So would there be an emphasis on water milk? Is juice a bad thing?

(30:56):
Yeah, definitely not. So, um, kids as well as adults, you know, uh, fluids are very important for us and water should be a big part of, you know, what we all drink every day. Um, milk is great because it's got the dairy calcium nine essential nutrients that can't be found in any other Bedford. So milk is great. Water's great juices, you know, great in, I'd say smaller amounts maybe, but juice isn't necessarily a bad thing, but just smaller amounts. Cause you'd want to be getting, you know, the nutrients that you get from like a hundred percent orange juice, you might just want to eat the orange instead, but in small amounts, that's okay too. Cause kids like is sweet and they like it. Um, as far as, you know, sodas and uh, all that, the other flavored beverages, you know, sparingly is, is probably best. Um, they've got a lot of added sugar in a lot of them. Um, so you know, if you try and focus mainly on, you know, water, milk,

(31:57):
Katie, we end every super cast with two truths and a lie. Okay. And you've told us a lot of truth about foods. What's good for us, what we need to be focused on. Now let's talk about you. Give me two truths in the line. Let's see if I can pick out the lie.

(32:12):
Okay. Um, one I've lived in Alaska. Uh, two, I was originally a blond and three I've climbed the tallest mountain in Utah. There you go. Wow.

(32:31):
I'm going to say you have not climbed the tallest mountain in Utah. Oh Nope. You have. Yeah. Were you blonde when you did it? Oh no, but maybe I would have had more fun if I was blonde. Now this is my worst two truths and a lie yet. So you have not lived in Alaska? No, I have. Yep. You have? Yep. Yeah. Alaska just for a summer, which is the lie. Um, I, yeah, I wasn't a blonde. Oh, you were not, you were never a blonde was never a blonde. Okay. Yep. Alright. Well, neither was I until my hair faded to blonde. Thank you very much for joining us today. It's been great having you. And I'm going to finish my meal here even though no one's going to force me because that would be bad. That would be done. Thanks for listening to the super cast. We hope you'll join us next time. Remember, education is the most important thing you'll do today. We'll see you out there.