Greetings Friends!
Let’s bring the FUN! As we hit October it seems like there are more opportunities to take a breath and have a conversation. Even look out at the changing color of the leaves.
In our last few episodes I lifted up the teamwork and collaboration that helps the World of Learning Institute to thrive. There are so many euphemisms that talk about teamwork - one I particularly like is ‘Many hands make light work’.
In this episode I talked with Sonya, Lauren, and Olivia who definitely make the work light. Our whole team does so much with supporting our students and district teams. Along with our VLS’s Erin and Melissa, everyone is in great hands. And as we highlighted in our last episode, we all rely on our team at the IU, too. They help with invoicing, purchase orders, hiring, payroll, TIMS reports, and so much more. We couldn’t have grown in the ways we are witnessing without all this support.
Lauren welcomes Sonya who is new to the podcast the way she welcomes are districts - with so much warmth and a giant smile. You can hear how much she values Sonya’s contributions to the World of Learning Team and to the fun we had in this episode.
Sonya lights up as she tells us about the adventures of being the mother of four children. She loves sports, and homesteading - cooking, baking, canning, and gardening. And she is a self-described soccer Mom - without the van.
She wants students to feel the love and connection from our team. She wants every child to have what they need to learn. She values the importance of connecting with students on a personal level. She goes above and beyond to ensure that students have everything they need for their virtual classes, from workbooks to art supplies, to create a more caring and supportive learning environment.
Olivia waits - but doesn’t miss the opportunity to bring out the laughter that we can’t capture in the transcript or the show notes. Our discussion went a little sideways when Sonya told us about the ‘sprinkle it with fairy dust’ button when she was working on a book return placard. She is so creative - whether cooking, baking or making our calendars, post-cards or book placards. Our placard is so much more than - just send your book back. Olivia highlights how this and so many of our little touches builds the culture.
Would you be more likely to return your book with THIS or
This??
This carries over to how we interact with the people who are in the classroom with the students who have a virtual instructor. When everyone brings their own true selves and are able to better engage everyone in helping to create a successful student experience.
Lauren highlights that taking the time to meet with people helps, too. And email can only go so far when you are trying to explain something. That a phone or Zoom call helps to make the connection - then our school colleagues feel more comfortable reaching out in the future. Look for Lauren making videos in a pirate voice in the future! Argggggh
Olivia also tells us how she noticed a ‘gimmick’’ a while back in Dr.Tom Butler’s Newsletter that had her scrolling through all the information - the invitation to play, to be curious about the ideas, books and videos he shared. And, she highlighted how our VLF’s do this not only in our live sessions, but also in the assignments and recordings they create for our students.
Our ASL course is a good example of the play and fairy dust we offer to students at the World of Learning. Whether it is in our World Language or Extended Campus offerings - we want schools and districts to have courses that engage learning and spark the creativity that Sonya wants for all our students - and for her four children, too.
Here are a few resources that highlight some of what we talked about in this episode:
As always, we are here to support you if you can’t find a teacher or just need to think about how to make your own online learning experience authentic, relevant and engaging.
Thanks for listening in today!
Pat
Teamwork and Creativity - Our Fairy Dust