Have a Good Life

Amelia Leighton Gamel shares her take on the real causes of educators burning out and leaving the classroom, as well as what solutions leaders need to be focused on to retain staff.  Classroom management bootcamps, teacher mentorship programs, parent involvement, and administrator support are all part of her equation to help teachers be successful and stay in the profession.  Happy teachers, happy principals!

Best way for listeners to reach out to Amelia: 

1. text/call 517.392.1207
2. direct email to my personal account - gamelamelia@gmail.com
3. website- equitableEDU.org

About Amelia Gamel
Amelia Leighton Gamel is a national speaker and consultant with comprehensive experience in the field of education having served as a public school teacher, published academic author, college professor and nationally recognized innovator of student success initiatives.

She is the recipient of the J. Ward Preston Outstanding Faculty Award and has devoted her career to encouraging student success and assisting educators in effectively engaging with students.

Her success is a result of her compassionate methods, interpersonal abilities, insights into the human experience and a thorough understanding of the experiences of historically excluded groups.

Sponsors

Transformative Principal Mastermind

Lead a school everyone can be proud of.

Being a principal is tough work. You’re pulled in all kinds of directions. You never have the time to do the work that really matters. Join me as I help school leaders find the time to do the work they became principals to do.

I help you stop putting out fires and start leading.

Learn more at https://transformativeprincipal.com

Just Right Reader

Just Right Reader Decodables are a great way to help your students learn how to read, with research-based strategies that are proven to be effective. Each grade level has over 100 books. Send books home in packs of ten, with video lessons accessible via QR codes on each book, with lessons in Spanish and English. Learn more at https://justrightreader.com

New Episode of @TrnFrmPrincipal

• News Item: A recent New York Times article reports that an increasing number of parents are buying Apple watches for elementary school kids

• Smartwatches for children are a booming sector of the tech market

• Hundreds of different models with a range of features

• Some smartwatches are tied to particular cellular companies, others are “unlocked”

• A 2020 survey showed that 31% of American teens owned a smartwatch, compared to 21% of adults

• Features and Selling Points of Smartwatches

• Limited apps / less distraction than phones

• Voice calls and basic texting (with cellular connectivity – typically part of family plan)
  • Importance of Communication with Child for Schedule Changes, Emergencies

• Location tracking by parents

• Geofencing for alerts

• Can help delay requests for smartphone

• Some watches come with apps to help with time management and to encourage physical activity

• Apple introduced “Family Setup,” which gives parents the ability to supervise a range of data on the phone and limit notifications

• Smartwatch Issues to Consider

• Cost

• Durability/Fragility of Device

• Maturity / Development of Child
  • Plan time to educate child on using device
  • Will child wear it every day?

• Battery / Power management

• Brand Capture

• Safety and Etiquette
  • Teach children to avoid distracted walking
  • Don’t be distracted by watch when interacting with other people
  • Understand risks of strange messages or calls
• Privacy
  • Is the child’s information on the watch protected?
  • Does the watch company comply with COPPA?
  • Does the CHILD understand that his or her location is being tracked? Transparency is important.
  • If smartwatch has a camera, child needs to understand privacy boundaries for themselves and others

• How Are Schools Reacting?

• Generally positive

• Fewer restrictions than smartphones

• Less distraction

• Recommended Brands

• Verizon GizmoWatch2 (~ $100)

• TickTalk4 (~ $190)

• Xplora X5 Play (~ $200)

• Apple SE (~ $300)

• Resources

- #2022–09–01 How tech can help keep your kids safe at school
- #2022–09–01 An Apple Watch for Your 5-Year-Old? More Parents Say Yes.
- #2022–08–31 The Best Smartwatches For Kids (And Parents) To Stay Connected
- #2022–08–30 Smart watches in schools, do they make kids safer?
- #2022–08–23 Best Smartwatches for Kids
- #2022–08–06 The 6 Best Smartwatches For Kids To Help Keep Them Active, Connected, & Entertained
- #2022–08–03 EARLY YEARS: Smart watches for kids could be smarter, safer alternative to cell phones
- #2021–10–26 The Best Smartwatches and Phones for Kids
- #2021–09–16 The Best Smartwatches for Kids, According to a 9-Year-Old and His Mom

Check out this episode!

• News Item – Students at Davisville Middle School in North Kingstown, RI set up a Discord subchannel to document inappropriate behavior by a teacher

• North Kingstown School District is a hot mess

• In April 2022, a series of lawsuits were filed against the District, high school administrators, and former boys’ basketball coach Aaron Thomas.

• The suit alleges that Thomas ordered boys to strip naked and then used calipers on their thighs to allegedly measure body fat percentage

• Complaints were made about Thomas’s behavior in 2017 and 2018, but the suit alleges that nothing was done

• Players felt coerced to cooperate because they were competing for spots on the team and playing time

• Defendants named in the lawsuit include:
  • School committee members
  • North Kingston finance director
  • Former district superintendent Philip Auger
  • Former HS principal and assistant superintendent Denise Mancieri
  • Former teacher/coach Aaron Thomas
• A second lawsuit alleges that the District was slow to take action against a different coach who stalked a young student for weeks
  • Parents complained repeatedly to school officials but received little cooperation
  • Eventually, the teacher was removed from the district but went on to work in two other districts and is still licensed in Rhode Island
• Retired judge Susan McGuirl conducted an independent review of the District’s response to the Thomas complaints and concluded that the District and several of its employees had failed to take appropriate action
  • When a school fails, they lost the trust of the community that they serve. Schools must recognize their failures and making the necessary changes to prevent something like this from happening again. That trust must be rebuilt, and that will take time, To rebuild this trust, they must be candid and transparent with the community they serve regarding the changes they are making and any future situations they may encounter.

• Following the report, administrators Auger and Mancieri resigned. In addition, the U.S. Attorney for the state of Rhode Island opened an investigation

• In July, six statements were filed with the U.S. Attorney regarding inappropriate behavior by two former North Kingstown coaches. They were accused of finding excuses to watch middle school girls in dance classes, inappropriate comments, encouraging sexualized dancing in class, and overly intimate spotting and assisting during gymnastics and exercise classes
  • In his statement, a current Davis Middle School male student alluded to a “log regarding the comments and conduct that bothered us.”
• The Boston Globe obtained a copy of the log and reported on it in early September 2022
  • Several sixth grade boys were uncomfortable with how a teacher was treating their female classmates
  • By seventh grade, they decided to take notes, and tried to tell adults (parents? other teachers? administrators?) what was going on. They did not feel anyone was taking them seriously.
  • In January 2021, decided to electronically document different incidents
  • They set up a Discord subchannel, named it after the teacher, and labeled it “Pedo Database.”
  • The kids took notes in real time: “During COVID, as they attended class online, they’d open the Discord channel on a split-screen and document the teacher’s comments …”
  • “Once they were back in class in person, the boys jotted down notes to add to the channel later…”
  • “The “Pedo Database” is in the hands of the US attorney’s Office, the state Department of Children, Youth, and Families, the state Department of Education, and with lawyer Matthew Oliverio, who is conducting the school’s internal investigation.”
  • Screenshot shows Discord conversation and the savvy with which the boys took notes: teacher comments, students at whom they were directed, date/time
  • [Discord.png]

• Takeaways

• Decent kids; great of them to look out for their classmates

• Adults should do a better job of listening to kids

• Kids are increasingly sophisticated about the world and how technology can be used to interact with it

• Kids are not necessarily fully cognizant of the harm that can be caused by casually using or misusing certain words

• Kids are not trained investigators nor are they necessarily unbiased observers

• Technology continues to shift traditional power dynamics; kids have access to endless communication and collaboration tools, many invisible to adults

• Potential for abuse by students is not insignificant; false accusations are not uncommon

• Resources

• S.E.S.A.M.E. (Stop Educator Sexual Abuse, Misconduct, and Exploitation)
  “https://www.sesamenet.org/
  ”

- #2022–09–12 New England Teacher On Leave After 8 Middle School Boys Keep Log Of His Alleged Harassment
“https://dailyvoice.com/connecticut/hartford/schools/new-england-teacher-on-leave-after–8-middle-school-boys-keep-log-of-his-alleged-harassment/843375/”
- #2022–09–11 A Rhode Island teacher is on leave after a group of middle-school boys who thought he was a ‘creep’ used a ‘pedo database’ to keep track of how he interacted with girls in their class
“https://www.insider.com/teacher-on-leave-middle-school-boys-creep-pedo-database-girls–2022–9
” - #2022–09–09 The middle school boys thought their teacher was a ‘creep.’ So they tracked how he treated the girls.
“https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/09/09/metro/middle-school-boys-thought-their-teacher-was-creep-so-they-tracked-how-he-treated-girls/”
- #2022–07–27 What you need to know about North Kingstown High School Coach Aaron Thomas and the ‘fat test’ issue
“https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/11/30/metro/more-news-about-north-kingstown-high-school-coach-aaron-thomas/
” - #2022–07–08 New allegations of ‘creepy’ behavior leveled against two North Kingstown coaches
“https://www.providencejournal.com/story/news/crime/2022/07/08/north-kingstown-school-coaches-accused-behavior-girls-uncomfortable/7831575001/”
- #2022–06–13 Naked fat testing of NK basketball players was ‘open secret’. What a blistering report says
“https://www.providencejournal.com/story/news/local/2022/06/13/aaron-thomas-scandal-judge-mcguirl-report-fat-testing-released-north-kingston-ri/7609644001/”
- #2022–06–09 Independent Review of the North Kingston Fat Testing Controversy
“https://www.northkingstown.org/DocumentCenter/View/5864/Judge-McGuirl-Report”
- #2022–06–01 A second former student has sued North Kingstown schools over a coach’s ‘fat tests’
“https://www.providencejournal.com/story/news/local/2022/06/01/north-kingston-ri-basketball-coach-school-district-sued-student-fat-test/7469424001/”
- #2022–05–16 Bill aims to criminalize sex between students and adults in ‘position of authority’
“https://www.providencejournal.com/story/news/local/2022/05/16/ri-bill-would-criminalize-sex-between-students-and-teachers-coaches/9793392002/”
- #2022–04–30 North Kingstown superintendent places middle-school teacher on leave, orders investigation after stalking allegations
“https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/04/30/metro/north-kingstown-superintendent-places-middle-school-teacher-leave-orders-investigation-after-stalking-allegations/
” - #2022–04–28 Another North Kingstown coach accused of inappropriate behavior with underage student
“https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/04/28/metro/another-north-kingstown-coach-accused-inappropriate-behavior-with-underage-student/
” - #2022–04–20 Former student sues North Kingstown officials over Aaron Thomas ‘fat-testing’ scandal
“https://www.providencejournal.com/story/news/local/2022/04/20/aaron-thomas-fat-testing-former-north-kingston-student-sues-school-officials/7383765001/”
- #2017–04–05 These high school journalists investigated a new principal’s credentials. Days later, she resigned.
“https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2017/04/05/these-high-school-journalists-investigated-a-new-principals-credentials-days-later-she-resigned/”

Check out this episode!

Dr. Marcus Belin serves as the Principal of Huntley High School and President of the Illinois Principals Association. Dr. Belin, native of Chicago, Illinois. attended Bradley University, where he received his bachelor’s in elementary education (‘10) followed by a master’s in education administration (‘14). He completed his doctorate at National Louis University in July 2020.

• Why it’s important for kids to feel like they belong.
• Everyone who intercepts can pour into them
• If you signed up to work in a school and you think your title matters, you’re in the wrong place.
• How do you make the interactions worthwhile?
• It’s like watering plants.
• A teacher that has literally saved kids lives
• Classroom is a netflix genre.
• What a relationship can be, if trust is the foundation.
• They’ll tell you those things that you want to hear, but also those things you don’t want to hear.
• A pound of flesh in discipline
• restorative practices - it’s not being soft.
• It was about punishment, then it was about discipline, now it is about learning.
• Remember what you told me.
• Restorative is not just about
• Classroom as a netflix genre.
• 720 episodes in a high school career.
• Kids come together for a time, help it be meaningful.
• How to be a transformative principal? to actively listen and hear the stories and voices that exist within your building.

Sponsors

Transformative Principal Mastermind

Lead a school everyone can be proud of.

Being a principal is tough work. You’re pulled in all kinds of directions. You never have the time to do the work that really matters. Join me as I help school leaders find the time to do the work they became principals to do.

I help you stop putting out fires and start leading.

Learn more at https://transformativeprincipal.com

Just Right Reader

Just Right Reader Decodables are a great way to help your students learn how to read, with research-based strategies that are proven to be effective. Each grade level has over 100 books. Send books home in packs of ten, with video lessons accessible via QR codes on each book, with lessons in Spanish and English. Learn more at https://justrightreader.com

New Episode of @TrnFrmPrincipal

News Item – On August 29, 2022, the California Senate unanimously passed the Age-Appropriate Design Act. It previously received unanimous approval in the State Assembly

• It is currently awaiting Gov. Gavin Newsom’s signature

• People expect him to sign it but it could anger tech companies, who might then be less inclined to support a Newsom run for president in 2028

• Earlier this summer, the legislature rejected a proposed bill called the Social Media Platform Duty to Children Act

• It “would have allowed the state attorney general and local prosecutors to sue social media companies for knowingly incorporating features into their products that addicted children.”

• The California law firm Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP (see resources) has an excellent summary article regarding the Age-Appropriate Design Act

• The California Age-Appropriate Design Code Act is modeled after the United Kingdom’s Age Appropriate Design Code, which went into effect in September 2021

• If signed, it will be the first piece of U.S. legislation "that imposes a number of novel restrictions and data protection obligations on businesses providing services to users under the age of 18, including:

• requirements to conduct a data protection impact assessment before any new services are offered,

• configure all default privacy settings to a high level of privacy (unless there are compelling reasons to suggest it is otherwise in the best interests of children), and

• provide an obvious signal to the child when they are being monitored or tracked by their parent, guardian or another consumer."

• The bill prohibits businesses from:

• profiling a child by default unless certain criteria are satisfied

• using the personal information of any child in a way that is materially detrimental to their well-being and

• using dark patterns to lead or encourage children to provide personal information beyond what is reasonably expected.

• Motivations

• Legislative and parental concern over impact of online services and products on children’s wellbeing

• The desire to create safer online spaces for children

• “The Act emphasizes that the best interests of the child should be taken into consideration by all businesses that develop and provide online services, products or features (“Services”) that children are likely to access and, in the event of a conflict between the businesses’ commercial interests and the best interests of children, the privacy and well-being of children must be prioritized.”

• Key features of the Act:
  • It’s very broad in its application. Applies to online products and services “(i) specifically directed at children and (ii) that are “likely to be accessed” by children.”
  • Prior to any new Services being offered to the public which are likely to be accessed by children, the Act requires that the business complete a Data Protection Impact Assessment and maintain documentation of this assessment for as long as the Services are likely to be accessed by children.
  • Default privacy settings must be high
  • Business must provide clear, age-appropriate privacy information
  • There must be an “obvious sign” that a business or service is tracking a child’s activity or geolocation
  • Businesses are required to provide prominent and effective tools “to help children exercise their rights and report concerns.”
  • Restrictions on the use of collected data, including:
  • Cannot be used in any way that is “materially detrimental” to a child’s mental or physical health
  • Profiling only under limited circumstances
  • No use of “dark patterns,” i.e., design choices that trick a user into performing some unintended behavior
  • Businesses are required to estimate the age of child users "with a ‘reasonable’ level of certainty
  • The Act establishes the California Children’s Data Protection Working Group, aimed at developing best practices
  • Penalties
  • Negligent violations can result in civil penalties of up to $2,500 per affected child
  • Penalties for Intentional violations are $7,500 per affected child
  • Businesses in substantial compliance otherwise have 90 days to cure
  • No private right of action
• National Relevance
  • As with so many other things, California is so large that the states rules and regulations have ripple effects around the country

• Resources

- #2022–09–06 California Senate Approves Landmark California Age-Appropriate Design Code Act
“https://www.akingump.com/en/news-insights/california-senate-approves-landmark-california-age-appropriate-design-code-act.html”
- #2022–09–06 California lawmakers approve groundbreaking internet privacy law for kids
“https://www.ijpr.org/media-society/2022–09–06/california-lawmakers-approve-groundbreaking-internet-privacy-law-for-kids”
- #2022–09–01 Twit.tv Episode with Leo Laporte, Jeff Jarvis, Stacey Higginbotham, and Ant Pruitt, with guest Mike Masnick
“https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvpjSoFiu-g”
- #2022–08–25 Op-Ed: Regulate social media? California still has a plan for that
“https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2022–08–25/social-media-kids-safety-california”
- #2021–06–30 The [UK] Age Appropriate Design Code: A quick, practical guide for games businesses
“https://www.gamesindustry.biz/the-age-appropriate-design-code-a-quick-practical-guide-for-games-businesses”
- [n.d.] Introduction to the [UK] Age appropriate design code
“https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/guide-to-data-protection/ico-codes-of-practice/age-appropriate-design-code/”

Check out this episode!

News Item – On August 29, 2022, the California Senate unanimously passed the Age-Appropriate Design Act. It previously received unanimous approval in the State Assembly

• It is currently awaiting Gov. Gavin Newsom’s signature

• People expect him to sign it but it could anger tech companies, who might then be less inclined to support a Newsom run for president in 2028

• Earlier this summer, the legislature rejected a proposed bill called the Social Media Platform Duty to Children Act

• It “would have allowed the state attorney general and local prosecutors to sue social media companies for knowingly incorporating features into their products that addicted children.”

• The California law firm Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP (see resources) has an excellent summary article regarding the Age-Appropriate Design Act

• The California Age-Appropriate Design Code Act is modeled after the United Kingdom’s Age Appropriate Design Code, which went into effect in September 2021

• If signed, it will be the first piece of U.S. legislation "that imposes a number of novel restrictions and data protection obligations on businesses providing services to users under the age of 18, including:

• requirements to conduct a data protection impact assessment before any new services are offered,

• configure all default privacy settings to a high level of privacy (unless there are compelling reasons to suggest it is otherwise in the best interests of children), and

• provide an obvious signal to the child when they are being monitored or tracked by their parent, guardian or another consumer."

• The bill prohibits businesses from:

• profiling a child by default unless certain criteria are satisfied

• using the personal information of any child in a way that is materially detrimental to their well-being and

• using dark patterns to lead or encourage children to provide personal information beyond what is reasonably expected.

• Motivations

• Legislative and parental concern over impact of online services and products on children’s wellbeing

• The desire to create safer online spaces for children

• “The Act emphasizes that the best interests of the child should be taken into consideration by all businesses that develop and provide online services, products or features (“Services”) that children are likely to access and, in the event of a conflict between the businesses’ commercial interests and the best interests of children, the privacy and well-being of children must be prioritized.”

• Key features of the Act:
  • It’s very broad in its application. Applies to online products and services “(i) specifically directed at children and (ii) that are “likely to be accessed” by children.”
  • Prior to any new Services being offered to the public which are likely to be accessed by children, the Act requires that the business complete a Data Protection Impact Assessment and maintain documentation of this assessment for as long as the Services are likely to be accessed by children.
  • Default privacy settings must be high
  • Business must provide clear, age-appropriate privacy information
  • There must be an “obvious sign” that a business or service is tracking a child’s activity or geolocation
  • Businesses are required to provide prominent and effective tools “to help children exercise their rights and report concerns.”
  • Restrictions on the use of collected data, including:
  • Cannot be used in any way that is “materially detrimental” to a child’s mental or physical health
  • Profiling only under limited circumstances
  • No use of “dark patterns,” i.e., design choices that trick a user into performing some unintended behavior
  • Businesses are required to estimate the age of child users "with a ‘reasonable’ level of certainty
  • The Act establishes the California Children’s Data Protection Working Group, aimed at developing best practices
  • Penalties
  • Negligent violations can result in civil penalties of up to $2,500 per affected child
  • Penalties for Intentional violations are $7,500 per affected child
  • Businesses in substantial compliance otherwise have 90 days to cure
  • No private right of action
• National Relevance
  • As with so many other things, California is so large that the states rules and regulations have ripple effects around the country

• Resources

- #2022–09–06 California Senate Approves Landmark California Age-Appropriate Design Code Act
“https://www.akingump.com/en/news-insights/california-senate-approves-landmark-california-age-appropriate-design-code-act.html”
- #2022–09–06 California lawmakers approve groundbreaking internet privacy law for kids
“https://www.ijpr.org/media-society/2022–09–06/california-lawmakers-approve-groundbreaking-internet-privacy-law-for-kids”
- #2022–09–01 Twit.tv Episode with Leo Laporte, Jeff Jarvis, Stacey Higginbotham, and Ant Pruitt, with guest Mike Masnick
“https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvpjSoFiu-g”
- #2022–08–25 Op-Ed: Regulate social media? California still has a plan for that
“https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2022–08–25/social-media-kids-safety-california”
- #2021–06–30 The [UK] Age Appropriate Design Code: A quick, practical guide for games businesses
“https://www.gamesindustry.biz/the-age-appropriate-design-code-a-quick-practical-guide-for-games-businesses”
- [n.d.] Introduction to the [UK] Age appropriate design code
“https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/guide-to-data-protection/ico-codes-of-practice/age-appropriate-design-code/”

Check out this episode!

James Moffett is a principal in Kansas and he loves kids.

• Pretty empathetic
• Relationships
• Teri Barilla
• Question things I did as an educator
• If you were doing these things before the pandemic, you were as ready as you could be for the pandemic
• If you wouldn’t accept it from your supervisor, don’t dish it out to your kids.
• Accountability, structure, consequences, - all structured in love.
• It’s such a mindset shift for educators because it’s not how school was for us.
• Model it, live it, let them experience it.
• How do we help schools see that kids are respected on day 1.
• Teachers are structured beings
• Each vs. every.
• The Rabbit Effect
• How to be a transformative principal? Rest and recover and put more focus on the relationships you have in your building.

Sponsors

Transformative Principal Mastermind

Lead a school everyone can be proud of.

Being a principal is tough work. You’re pulled in all kinds of directions. You never have the time to do the work that really matters. Join me as I help school leaders find the time to do the work they became principals to do.

I help you stop putting out fires and start leading.

Learn more at https://transformativeprincipal.com

Just Right Reader

Just Right Reader Decodables are a great way to help your students learn how to read, with research-based strategies that are proven to be effective. Each grade level has over 100 books. Send books home in packs of ten, with video lessons accessible via QR codes on each book, with lessons in Spanish and English. Learn more at https://justrightreader.com

New Episode of @TrnFrmPrincipal

In this episode, there is a bit of passing of the baton, as we introduce the next Transformative Principal, Eric Makelky. Eric will be recording the majority of the podcast episodes you hear over the next few months as we try a little experiment. We don’t know how it will work out, but we are hopeful.

Each month, Jethro will have a coaching session with Eric that you will get to listen to see what a coaching session is really like, and to see how someone grows over the course of a school year.

We’ll try this out and see how it goes. There are other episodes that Jethro has already recorded that will be coming out throughout the year as well, so you’ll still hear from Jethro.

If you’d like to connect with Eric, he has an email at erik at transformativeprincipal.com or you can follow him on Twitter at emakelky

Here are some things Eric is looking for support in this year:
- Matching expectations with culture
- Onboarding and supporting teachers new to the profession and new to the principal.
- Building trust with families.

Eric has a couple big goals for this year, too:
- Measurable improvement on district goals.
- Building trust
- Defining the culture they want.

Sponsors

Transformative Principal Mastermind

Lead a school everyone can be proud of.

Being a principal is tough work. You’re pulled in all kinds of directions. You never have the time to do the work that really matters. Join me as I help school leaders find the time to do the work they became principals to do.

I help you stop putting out fires and start leading.

Learn more at https://transformativeprincipal.com

Just Right Reader

Just Right Reader Decodables are a great way to help your students learn how to read, with research-based strategies that are proven to be effective. Each grade level has over 100 books. Send books home in packs of ten, with video lessons accessible via QR codes on each book, with lessons in Spanish and English. Learn more at https://justrightreader.com

New Episode of @TrnFrmPrincipal

In this episode we talk with Scott Rabinowitz about the ethical implications of advertising to GenZ.

Check out this episode!