(Season 7, Episode 1) On Ghosts and Cloaks: The Invisible Parts of Teacher Life

 Sure, we’ve all experienced the very public job/side of teaching: how a teacher lectures or constructs a lesson.  But what about those more veiled parts of the job of teaching that no one sees? What stories can we share about invisible parts of teaching across a range of grade levels?  And what costs and benefits lurk in these often-hidden parts of our work?  Join Toby Lowe, Hannah Woodward, and Saana Watson for an in depth discussion on these themes.  

Show notes:

• (3:55-5:15) A glimpse into Saana’s spookiest time at St. Andrew's! (To learn more,  read this blog!)
• (5:18-7:24)  Hannah’s ghostly disappearing/reappearing act at SA; imagine the possibility within three inch binders; Toby and Hannah as polar opposites on the first grade team
• (7:32-11:01) Why work-life balance isn’t “one size fits all” and one hidden benefit of long work hours (shoutout to Mr. Chris!); also the very quotable: “Sure the work will still be there tomorrow, but so will all these children!”
• (11:02-12:31) The irony of working ahead.
• (12:50-14:52) Put plainly, differentiation just takes time. 
• (14:53-16:15)  Toby used to chug Sunny D; and the ebb and flow of productivity.
• (16:17-20:00) Why Toby’s SPOOKY invisible work is more about remaking systems;  also writing his own tests and homework
• (20:02-20:17) Why we should all stop giving  planners like Hannah a hard time! “I’m not miserable! This makes sense to me!”
• (20:18-22:32)  Why the timing of our invisible work matters 
• (22:50- 24:20) Why teaching kindergarten is just like teaching any grade but with a bit more material-prep. 
• (24:21-25:25) The glory and delight of how teaching takes up residence in your brain. 
• (25:25-26:58) That one time Zander knocked over a water glass on my laptop while we were playing Headbandz and the gentle reminder of “maybe one thing at a time.” 
• (27:03-27:42) Julie’s unpopular opinion:  grading papers is the best.
• (28:18-29:22) Hannah has some good advice if you plan to work late; good news though: there are lots of good areas to sleep in lower school. :)  
• (29:44-30:53) Another invisible teacher truth: we pay attention to our students’ social dynamics and care about the health of their friendships.