Latest / The Recess-An Inside Look at the Auburn School District / Episode #13: Ryann Mead, Assistant Director of PK-8 Student Learning

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Episode #13: Ryann Mead, Assistant Director of PK-8 Student Learning · The Recess-An Inside Look at the Auburn School District

• 0:15
  SPEAKER_01: Hello and welcome to the Recess Podcast.
• 0:18
  SPEAKER_01: I'm your host, Dr.
• 0:19
  SPEAKER_01: Alan Spicciati, the proud superintendent of the Auburn School District.
• 0:23
  SPEAKER_01: The Recess Podcast is a place that we get to tell some of the behind-the-scenes stories of the district and feature some of the powerful people and programs that make Auburn such a wonderful place to be.
• 0:35
  SPEAKER_01: My guest today is Ryan Mead.
• 0:38
  SPEAKER_01: She's the assistant director of PK through 8 student learning.
• 0:43
  SPEAKER_01: She is really on point with our literacy work, and uh that's what we're going to spend the most time talking about.
• 0:51
  SPEAKER_01: We have a powerful program called Science of Reading, which, if that sounds like jargon to you a little bit, we'll we'll kind of uh say that in uh in ordinary speak, if you will, so that it's um it's really clear what we're doing because it's getting great results for our young readers, and uh it's something that I think all of us are really excited about.
• 1:12
  SPEAKER_01: And Ryan is right in the middle of that work.
• 1:14
  SPEAKER_01: So uh we're we're really pleased uh to be joined by Ryan Mead today.
• 1:20
  SPEAKER_01: Welcome to the Recess Podcast.
• 1:22
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you.
• 1:23
  SPEAKER_01: Um Ryan has been with us for 12 years, for 10 years, sorry, 10 years, uh just a year longer than I've been in Auburn, um, and really has done a great job.
• 1:36
  SPEAKER_01: We're gonna get to know a little bit about her and then uh we're gonna dive into how we teach literacy and some of the things that we've learned and seem to be working uh so that our community or staff or parents, whoever's listening to this, can know a little bit more about it.
• 1:52
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, but before we do that, we're gonna start with uh the question we ask all of the guests on the recess.
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_01: Uh tell me about when you were in school, uh, tell me about your experience and your favorite teacher.
• 2:05
  SPEAKER_00: Well, I'd like to start by saying um school and education has always been a priority and core value to my family.
• 2:14
  SPEAKER_00: My mom, she graduated from college here in the state of Washington, and my dad, he attended a vocational school just outside of Selma, Alabama, and it was a segregated school, and it ended in eighth grade.
• 2:27
  SPEAKER_00: They had opposite educational experiences and very different opportunities in their careers.
• 2:35
  SPEAKER_00: Both of my parents, they prioritized education for my siblings and I, and they supported us along the way.
• 2:43
  SPEAKER_00: I grew up in South Central LA, and it was a vibrant and diverse community.
• 2:49
  SPEAKER_00: I loved living there.
• 2:51
  SPEAKER_00: I remember skipping to school in the sunshine.
• 2:54
  SPEAKER_00: I I it was just such a joyful childhood.
• 2:58
  SPEAKER_00: But gang violence started to increase in LA, and my mom and dad decided to move here to the state of Washington because education was a priority.
• 3:09
  SPEAKER_00: Uh when I got here, it was a culture shock.
• 3:11
  SPEAKER_00: I remember that the students and the teachers they no longer looked like me.
• 3:16
  SPEAKER_00: I felt like an outsider.
• 3:19
  SPEAKER_00: And um, I really didn't feel like I was connected.
• 3:22
  SPEAKER_00: I didn't have anyone to go to.
• 3:25
  SPEAKER_00: As an athlete, I felt pressure from coaches through school to perform.
• 3:31
  SPEAKER_00: So I was a basketball player and I ran track, but academically I didn't feel supported.
• 3:37
  SPEAKER_00: I remember being shocked by how low my teachers' expectations were of me and how surprised they were.
• 3:45
  SPEAKER_00: They would say I was articulate when I did speak up.
• 3:48
  SPEAKER_00: Um, now I know that their biases were rooted in racism.
• 3:52
  SPEAKER_00: And at that moment, though, it was humiliating and I was exhausted trying to prove to them that I was more than just an athlete.
• 4:01
  SPEAKER_00: So even now as an adult, it's really hard to think about.
• 4:04
  SPEAKER_00: Um and all the ways that I felt harmed through school, it wasn't a safe place for me.
• 4:11
  SPEAKER_00: I'm grateful though for my amazing parents because at night they would fill me up with confidence and they'd help me understand all of my gifts and my talents.
• 4:22
  SPEAKER_00: So if I think and I find and I reach for a teacher, I did have one.
• 4:27
  SPEAKER_00: She was my high school pottery teacher.
• 4:30
  SPEAKER_00: Um, she really showed me compassion and she opened up the world of arts to me.
• 4:37
  SPEAKER_00: She nurtured my creativity and she connected me with a private pottery studio that allowed me to earn a scholarship to college based on my work.
• 4:48
  SPEAKER_00: So her name was Mrs.
• 4:49
  SPEAKER_00: Wyatt, and she really was ahead of her time when it comes to equity, inclusion, and social justice.
• 4:57
  SPEAKER_00: She was a good person, she had high expectations and a great big heart.
• 5:01
  SPEAKER_01: I appreciate you speaking from the heart and sharing your story and um helping us get to know uh your your experience a little bit.
• 5:11
  SPEAKER_01: Um and it's interesting to me that you chose a pottery teacher and art teacher.
• 5:16
  SPEAKER_01: Um uh several episodes back, I interviewed Elizabeth Ronley from Auburn High, and it it was funny because she was probably a half an hour into the interview.
• 5:29
  SPEAKER_01: Um did not use the word equity once and completely described what we're trying to do to create a sense of belonging and be student centered.
• 5:39
  SPEAKER_01: And you see it in her art and their projects and the students who are in her class.
• 5:43
  SPEAKER_01: So it's just it's uh it's interesting to me that that was a connection uh that you made in school with a teacher.
• 5:52
  SPEAKER_01: And uh I know it it takes courage and it's important.
• 5:56
  SPEAKER_01: It's important for people who look like me to hear stories like that and uh to keep working for the school district to feel like a place where every student and family belongs.
• 6:07
  SPEAKER_01: Um so I really appreciate you taking the time and having the courage to share your story and and do that authentically.
• 6:14
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you.
• 6:15
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you, Ryan.
• 6:15
  SPEAKER_00: And I remember listening to that episode and it reminded me of my teacher, Mrs.
• 6:19
  SPEAKER_00: Wyatt.
• 6:20
  SPEAKER_00: So I need to make my way across the street and meet that phenomenal.
• 6:24
  SPEAKER_00: You really should.
• 6:25
  SPEAKER_01: You really should.
• 6:26
  SPEAKER_01: Uh that's great.
• 6:26
  SPEAKER_01: Uh we did not rehearse this, by the way.
• 6:28
  SPEAKER_01: That was uh so that that's a fun connection.
• 6:31
  SPEAKER_01: I'm glad you're able to listen to that episode.
• 6:34
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, uh you work here in uh the Department of Student Learning, which we call DSL.
• 6:40
  SPEAKER_01: It's not the old slow internet that I used to have.
• 6:44
  SPEAKER_01: Um Department of Student Learning, if we say that acronym, uh I just wanted to prepare you for that.
• 6:50
  SPEAKER_01: Um so what is your role exactly in in the Department of Student Learning?
• 6:55
  SPEAKER_00: Well, I work to support teachers and learning in our elementary and middle schools.
• 7:00
  SPEAKER_00: And personally, I don't see my myself as a manager and I don't explain myself as like I oversee a content area.
• 7:08
  SPEAKER_00: Instead, I really partner and support our schools and the programs so our kids learn.
• 7:14
  SPEAKER_00: Uh together, we teach all students grade level standards, we emphasize the importance of relationships between students and staff, and we help build a solid relationship so that teachers can look at data and make instructional changes based on that data.
• 7:34
  SPEAKER_01: Great.
• 7:35
  SPEAKER_01: So that's what you do now.
• 7:36
  SPEAKER_01: We're gonna mostly talk about uh this the work you do with literacy, uh, but just briefly tell us about your journey to the role you're in now.
• 7:45
  SPEAKER_00: Well, well, I uh started um actually as being a gang interventionist and mentor in the Seattle School District.
• 7:55
  SPEAKER_01: I did not know that.
• 7:56
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, and it was a really exciting time in that I was also going to the University of Washington to earn my undergraduate and graduate degree.
• 8:06
  SPEAKER_00: I um juggled my learning with being a math teacher at Rainier Scholars, which was so exciting.
• 8:13
  SPEAKER_01: Yes.
• 8:14
  SPEAKER_00: I earned my degree in uh special education, so I supported students with social, emotional, and behavioral disabilities.
• 8:22
  SPEAKER_00: And I've worked in multiple districts along the way.
• 8:25
  SPEAKER_01: Great.
• 8:26
  SPEAKER_01: Well, we're glad you're here in Auburn, and again, I think you're just a few months uh shy of that 10-year anniversary.
• 8:34
  SPEAKER_01: Uh so congratulations and uh appreciate you uh making a lot of contributions here in the district.
• 8:40
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, uh, we're gonna talk about our early literacy program.
• 8:46
  SPEAKER_01: Explain to the audience what science of reading is, and we're we're really gonna work, you know, even when you hear that word science, I think.
• 8:55
  SPEAKER_01: The first time I heard it, I was like, so is this like integrating science and literacy instruction?
• 9:00
  SPEAKER_01: No, no, no.
• 9:00
  SPEAKER_01: This is about this is about what a whole body of research has learned about how kids learn to read.
• 9:07
  SPEAKER_00: Exactly.
• 9:07
  SPEAKER_01: So tell us about that and do it uh in in as laced terms as possible.
• 9:12
  SPEAKER_00: Sure.
• 9:13
  SPEAKER_00: So it's interdisciplinary, that's a big word, right?
• 9:16
  SPEAKER_00: What it means is that it's a huge body of scientifically based research about reading and writing.
• 9:24
  SPEAKER_00: And it's been conducted for over 50 years, and it helps teachers understand what to do and when to do it.
• 9:31
  SPEAKER_00: We look to that body of research to make instructional decisions, and what we know about the research is it's been conducted in multiple languages, and it's like a roadmap that can be referenced to learn and grow.
• 9:47
  SPEAKER_00: So as we are teaching, teaching, teaching, and we stumble upon a student who maybe isn't growing at the same rate as some of the other students, we can go to that body of research and figure out other tips and tricks of what to do to adjust our instruction to help.
• 10:05
  SPEAKER_01: That's perfect.
• 10:06
  SPEAKER_01: That's good.
• 10:07
  SPEAKER_01: Um let's just kind of uh shama, I'm not gonna I'm not gonna lead the witness.
• 10:14
  SPEAKER_01: Let me just ask you what makes SOR powerful?
• 10:18
  SPEAKER_00: Well, over 400 educators here in our district have signed up for a program called Letters.
• 10:24
  SPEAKER_00: It stands for Language Essentials of Teachers of Reading and Spelling.
• 10:29
  SPEAKER_00: And they signed up for this training so they can learn more about that body of research called Science of Reading.
• 10:35
  SPEAKER_00: The course is an intense one-year program where teachers and educators, all educators, principals, uh, program leads, have decided to commit their evenings and weekends to building their own knowledge.
• 10:52
  SPEAKER_00: Our amazing and committed teachers have now taken those concepts that they've learned and have plied them right into the classroom.
• 11:00
  SPEAKER_00: So that's what makes it powerful.
• 11:02
  SPEAKER_00: This is um research put into action.
• 11:07
  SPEAKER_01: What I like about Science of Reading or SOR, um I'm gonna put this into my own experience as a person who's helped to support literacy.
• 11:18
  SPEAKER_01: Uh I haven't taught it directly, but I've had a lot, a lot of professional learning around literacy.
• 11:24
  SPEAKER_01: And most of that came 10 to 15 years ago when the country was in what was in the media called the reading wars.
• 11:34
  SPEAKER_01: You remember this?
• 11:35
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
• 11:36
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 11:36
  SPEAKER_01: And so you it was like uh the old Colbert report.
• 11:40
  SPEAKER_01: We're we're at war, pick a side, right?
• 11:43
  SPEAKER_01: And so you were either for phonics or you were for whole language.
• 11:48
  SPEAKER_01: And um and both sides had kind of like this zeal uh and uh you know feeling of truth.
• 11:57
  SPEAKER_01: And what I love about science of reading is that you know that was a that was a fallacy that you only needed one or the other, and it blends concepts of uh phonics with uh comprehension, and they have this great visual, uh the the uh braided rope.
• 12:20
  SPEAKER_00: Yep, Scarborough's reading rope.
• 12:22
  SPEAKER_01: That that explains that.
• 12:23
  SPEAKER_01: So can you tell uh my listeners how that how that works?
• 12:29
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
• 12:30
  SPEAKER_00: So there's two major components of literacy.
• 12:33
  SPEAKER_00: There's word recognition and language comprehension.
• 12:36
  SPEAKER_00: And so there's a time and place for explicit instruction, and that is with word recognition.
• 12:43
  SPEAKER_00: Explicit instruction is when we have a targeted set of materials that's scripted, it's systematic, so it goes it marches right through a process and it's cumulative.
• 12:58
  SPEAKER_00: So first a kid needs to learn this, and then they'll learn that, and there's a process that goes along with that kind of learning, and that's with word recognition.
• 13:08
  SPEAKER_00: The other component of the reading rope is language comprehension, and that's a lifelong journey.
• 13:13
  SPEAKER_00: With language comprehension, we're always building our language skills, our background knowledge, our vocabulary, our ability to understand written word.
• 13:24
  SPEAKER_00: And so two things need to happen simultaneously for our students to become skilled readers.
• 13:31
  SPEAKER_01: So it may it just make sense to me.
• 13:33
  SPEAKER_01: And like a lot of arguments where you take one side or the other, the truth is in the middle.
• 13:38
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, but it's not just my intuition as an educator.
• 13:42
  SPEAKER_01: Now there's there's research, there's quote unquote science behind it.
• 13:46
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, you want to talk about that?
• 13:48
  SPEAKER_00: Exactly.
• 13:49
  SPEAKER_00: So the science of reading is considered settled science, meaning there's no longer debates about how to teach reading.
• 13:56
  SPEAKER_00: We know that teaching whole words or guessing or cueing or trying to establish a love of reading isn't teaching reading.
• 14:05
  SPEAKER_00: Instead, explicitly teaching strategies that increase automaticity and fluency and confidence of students is the way to go.
• 14:14
  SPEAKER_00: I am so proud that here in Auburn we provide lessons and materials to our students so that universally across our whole district, all kids have access.
• 14:26
  SPEAKER_00: Here in Auburn, our goal is 100% of students to learn how to read, and we can do that with great design, not by chance.
• 14:35
  SPEAKER_00: And our teachers are working so, so very hard to make sure that our kids are successful.
• 14:42
  SPEAKER_01: So we take it for granted that you know reading is, I call it, our first priority, first among equals.
• 14:49
  SPEAKER_01: It's not disrespect any other subject, um, but it is probably the most important thing that we do.
• 14:56
  SPEAKER_01: Why is reading so important?
• 15:01
  SPEAKER_00: Well, we know that reading really provides access in adulthood.
• 15:06
  SPEAKER_00: And without having strong communication and writing skills, lives are limited in so many ways.
• 15:13
  SPEAKER_00: We know that overall in our country, we have a problem with literacy.
• 15:19
  SPEAKER_00: And our prisons in the US make up approximately 80% of people in prison are functionally illiterate.
• 15:28
  SPEAKER_00: Wow.
• 15:29
  SPEAKER_00: So without literacy skills, we know that lives are limited.
• 15:33
  SPEAKER_00: And truthfully, learning how to read is a fundamental human right.
• 15:38
  SPEAKER_01: Couldn't have said that better myself.
• 15:40
  SPEAKER_01: That that's so true.
• 15:41
  SPEAKER_01: And and you just you look at the way that the world is changing and you know how much information we consume.
• 15:48
  SPEAKER_01: You look at uh the jobs that are being created and jobs that are going away, uh, which is not at all a knock on on trades, which are really important and will actually do really well in the kind of this information revolution.
• 16:02
  SPEAKER_01: But even those are changing, right?
• 16:04
  SPEAKER_01: They're much more technical.
• 16:06
  SPEAKER_01: Uh there's a literacy requirement for fixing a car now because of the complicated things uh that is just not going to be what your dad taught you or or you learned uh through a mechanics program.
• 16:18
  SPEAKER_01: So reading's important.
• 16:20
  SPEAKER_01: I think we knew that, but it's important to talk about why.
• 16:23
  SPEAKER_01: Um back to science of reading, how how does this program help all students become better readers?
• 16:32
  SPEAKER_00: Well, it really helps all and harms none.
• 16:35
  SPEAKER_00: We know that when a student is taught the code in our language, they understand that there are six syllable types.
• 16:45
  SPEAKER_00: And if children know how to decode a syllable, a long word is simply a set of syllables, or it's a multisyllabic word.
• 16:55
  SPEAKER_00: So now we have kindergarteners who are looking at words that are nine letters long and have the skills needed to break apart the word and read each syllable.
• 17:06
  SPEAKER_00: It is remarkable to go into kindergarten classrooms now and have students read words like fantastic.
• 17:13
  SPEAKER_00: Fan, tass, tick.
• 17:16
  SPEAKER_00: And then they learn how to blend each syllable and they read it easily and with confidence.
• 17:21
  SPEAKER_00: It just changes everything.
• 17:24
  SPEAKER_01: That's great.
• 17:25
  SPEAKER_01: Do you have a story or two about an individual student or maybe something you've heard from a teacher who's used the program?
• 17:33
  SPEAKER_00: Dr.
• 17:33
  SPEAKER_00: Spacati, I have thousands.
• 17:35
  SPEAKER_00: I forgot.
• 17:36
  SPEAKER_00: Thousands of stories.
• 17:37
  SPEAKER_00: And I do because there are thousands of data points now that show that this is working.
• 17:43
  SPEAKER_00: Um I have been in grade level team meetings where there are tears of joy.
• 17:49
  SPEAKER_00: Um teachers are excited, students are confident.
• 17:54
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, and a personal experience that I've had is as you know, in our community, we have a really diverse group of students who are new to our country, many coming from the Ukraine and Afghanistan.
• 18:06
  SPEAKER_00: And when I've sat in those buildings to test students on their decoding skills, the first question when they come and sit with me, I'm a perfect stranger to them, right?
• 18:17
  SPEAKER_00: Um, they come to sit with me and I ask them, what is your name?
• 18:21
  SPEAKER_00: And there are many students who can't answer that question yet because they don't have a working level of language yet to answer that question.
• 18:32
  SPEAKER_00: So instead they sit and I slide the sheet in front of them and I'm measuring simply their decoding skills.
• 18:40
  SPEAKER_00: And it is remarkable to sit with a student who's been in this country for less than one year and they can decode and read like the wind, because we know that is a big hurdle for many, many students, and once they're over that, then the important work of language comprehension with the support of their multilingual teacher and classroom teacher will happen.
• 19:06
  SPEAKER_00: So there's moments like that where I just get chills because the growth is happening with our brilliant diverse community in ways that builds confidence and sets them up for success.
• 19:20
  SPEAKER_01: That's that's perfect, and and I don't doubt that you have so many uh examples because we we hear that uh from our teachers, and we've done a number of presentations before the school board about SOR, and we always bring teachers uh to present and talk about their experience.
• 19:38
  SPEAKER_01: So I go to a training or I go to a a celebration.
• 19:42
  SPEAKER_01: You know, I was up at uh Willowcrest last year and they were celebrating the growth of students in in the SOR program.
• 19:50
  SPEAKER_01: Uh we've seen that at Terminal Park and many, many other schools.
• 19:54
  SPEAKER_01: Um can you share uh from your perspective and maybe give some illustration how teachers have responded to science of reading?
• 20:07
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
• 20:08
  SPEAKER_00: So our teachers uh all graduated from various programs around the nation to earn their teaching certificate.
• 20:15
  SPEAKER_00: But collectively I can say that most teachers in college do not learn the skills necessary to be reading teachers.
• 20:24
  SPEAKER_00: And this is a shame, truly, in our nation, and there's a lot of really smart people working to fix the college systems.
• 20:32
  SPEAKER_00: But being uh unprepared and feeling overwhelmed by not knowing what to do when a kid struggles is probably one of the biggest heartaches that a teacher faces.
• 20:46
  SPEAKER_00: It's exhausting.
• 20:47
  SPEAKER_00: And our teachers, they work so hard, and just being paralyzed, not knowing what to do, um, is deflating in a lot of ways.
• 20:56
  SPEAKER_00: So, what this has done, leaning into the body of research called the science of reading, implementing structured literacy, was which is putting that research into practice, has given our teachers an opportunity to actually make a change.
• 21:15
  SPEAKER_00: And as that change is happening, it's almost like it fuels the system, right?
• 21:20
  SPEAKER_00: There's joy from our students because their confidence is building.
• 21:24
  SPEAKER_00: There's joy from our teachers because they know they're making an impact.
• 21:28
  SPEAKER_00: Our leaders are celebrating this growth.
• 21:31
  SPEAKER_00: So I feel like we're in the middle of a revolution here in the Auburn School District.
• 21:36
  SPEAKER_00: We are doing some really amazing work for our community.
• 21:39
  SPEAKER_01: That's very exciting.
• 21:41
  SPEAKER_01: I love hearing that.
• 21:42
  SPEAKER_01: Uh I see so many teachers working so hard.
• 21:45
  SPEAKER_01: And like you said, it's it's it can be um you know, a downer to to put in that effort and not know if you're going to see the results.
• 21:54
  SPEAKER_01: And when they see our kids reading and they, you know, it's not even about a test score to our teachers.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_01: It's about that kid who couldn't read something when they walked in the door and now they can.
• 22:04
  SPEAKER_01: Uh that's a sense of accomplishment, and I'm really glad to hear that.
• 22:09
  SPEAKER_01: Uh I maybe should have started with this, but I I want to ask, this is not on our prep sheet, just give a little perspective to the audience because different schools and grade levels are in different places.
• 22:21
  SPEAKER_01: So talk about which schools are deeply uh first in the SOR work, and then what are we doing that has touched all early literacy teachers, maybe if their school isn't in the the deep SOR work yet?
• 22:38
  SPEAKER_00: Well, we started um during COVID school closure time, and we really organized ourselves to think about what we can do to support some of our schools that are um most impacted by some of the variables in our community.
• 22:57
  SPEAKER_00: So we uh found three leaders who are ready to pilot a process with us, and so we started with Terminal Park, Dick SCOBY, and Lee Hill Elementaries.
• 23:07
  SPEAKER_00: They are now on their third year of implementation, and each year we've brought on an additional three schools, we're up to nine now, where we provide leadership coaching for their administrators, coaching for their teachers, and fishbowl lessons within their schools, and then training and support for their classified staff because we know paras make a huge difference with our students, and when they're well trained and ready to go, it makes all the difference.
• 23:38
  unknown: Yeah.
• 23:38
  SPEAKER_01: I'm glad you mentioned paras, because uh on a day-to-day basis they deliver a lot of the instruction and get to do that really important small group work.
• 23:48
  SPEAKER_01: Uh and they're just uh big superstars in our system.
• 23:51
  SPEAKER_00: So thanks for uh Oh they're the heartbeat of our schools, and I believe that.
• 23:56
  SPEAKER_00: A lot of this work has included inviting our paraeducators in for training.
• 24:01
  SPEAKER_01: Good.
• 24:02
  SPEAKER_01: Uh well thanks for for clearing that up for us.
• 24:05
  SPEAKER_01: Um it's it's a little bit complicated.
• 24:08
  SPEAKER_01: We are an SOR district, uh, but it's very intensive uh to do the coaching work and the training that it that it takes, and it takes time to do this well, and we're taking that time and we are building capacity and rolling up uh so every year we're doing a little bit more.
• 24:26
  SPEAKER_01: Uh my guest is Ryan Mead, our assistant director of PK8 Student Learning.
• 24:32
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I've asked all the kind of the hard questions.
• 24:35
  SPEAKER_01: We're gonna finish with two fun ones.
• 24:37
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 24:37
  SPEAKER_01: Um so the first is tell us about your own love of reading.
• 24:42
  SPEAKER_01: Um and like what kind of reading do you like to do?
• 24:45
  SPEAKER_01: Do you have a favorite book or it's an open-ended question?
• 24:51
  SPEAKER_00: I do love to read.
• 24:52
  SPEAKER_00: I love nonfiction, and often what I find myself reading are uh different heavy books to help me uh do this important work better.
• 25:05
  SPEAKER_00: So some of the books include uh Stamped, for example, where I'm doing a deep dive on culture and the history of our of our world.
• 25:16
  SPEAKER_00: Um also I uh had a commitment as a mother to my son to read 10 books a day.
• 25:24
  SPEAKER_00: And so when he was growing up, I would stage and I had a little tally chart to ensure that I got 10 books in every single day because I know what research says around increasing vocabularies at a young age uh really helps students in the future.
• 25:42
  SPEAKER_00: And so one of his favorite books is Caps for Sale.
• 25:47
  SPEAKER_00: It's a classic.
• 25:47
  SPEAKER_00: Do you know that book?
• 25:48
  SPEAKER_01: Excellent, yes.
• 25:50
  SPEAKER_00: And so I would uh read and reread the book many, many times, and I'd always do a funny accent over it, and I would talk about what the monkeys are doing with the caps, and it ended up being um a time for bonding, and and it was wonderful.
• 26:05
  SPEAKER_00: So I do love to read, but truthfully, in my free time, I tend to read about work.
• 26:12
  SPEAKER_01: So you are a lifelong learner and a professional grower.
• 26:16
  SPEAKER_01: Uh you've also taken on kind of a a side job this year as a principal intern.
• 26:24
  SPEAKER_01: You you've completed your coursework for your uh administrative program.
• 26:28
  SPEAKER_01: Uh you want to just say a word about that learning as well?
• 26:32
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
• 26:33
  SPEAKER_00: It has been absolutely amazing.
• 26:35
  SPEAKER_00: I have loved every minute of my internship, and being in building with students is really where the magic happens.
• 26:42
  SPEAKER_00: So I am exhausted every night after being with students during the day, juggling my full-time job on the side, and um doing my coursework from Gonzaga University.
• 26:54
  SPEAKER_00: My only regret is that I didn't do it sooner.
• 26:57
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 26:58
  SPEAKER_01: It's been really great getting to hear about what you do and explaining uh every literally every time I hear about SOR, I learn it a little bit better and a little bit deeper, and I think it helps me to lead and contribute to the work that we do on science of reading.
• 27:14
  SPEAKER_01: So even just sitting across the table from you here, I've taken away a little bit.
• 27:19
  SPEAKER_01: I hope our audience really has.
• 27:21
  SPEAKER_01: Um This is time for the last question.
• 27:25
  SPEAKER_01: What was your favorite thing to do at Recess?
• 27:28
  SPEAKER_00: Well, I love to double douge.
• 27:30
  SPEAKER_00: So we would make up chants and take turns and skip and do tricks, and so I have a lot of fond memories double dutching growing up.
• 27:39
  SPEAKER_01: That's fantastic.
• 27:41
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, do you still do it?
• 27:42
  SPEAKER_00: Uh I haven't tried, but I would love to.
• 27:46
  SPEAKER_01: You know, when do the adults get recessed?
• 27:48
  SPEAKER_01: This is this is a cruck.
• 27:49
  SPEAKER_01: We need to get back out on the playground.
• 27:51
  SPEAKER_01: And uh uh for me, kickball is one of those things.
• 27:54
  SPEAKER_01: I'd love to go back out and play kickball.
• 27:56
  SPEAKER_01: So I hope there's some double dutch in your future, Ryan.
• 28:00
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you so much for taking the time with us and uh doing such a great job for our kids and explaining SOR for our audience today.
• 28:09
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you.
• 28:10
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks for having me.
• 28:11
  SPEAKER_01: This has been the Recess Podcast uh from the Auburn School District, and uh again, thanks to our guest Ryan Mead, the assistant director in in DSL, uh the Recess Podcast is produced by Vicky Alonzo, and we uh put episodes out twice a month to tell the stories of the district.
• 28:30
  SPEAKER_01: If you enjoyed this episode, if you know people who are interested in how we teach reading in the Auburn School District, uh or maybe want a good book recommendation, uh please send them a note about the recess podcast and especially this episode with Ryan Meade.
• 28:48
  SPEAKER_01: Uh that'll do it for this week, and I look forward to telling more stories of the Auburn School District next time.
• 28:55
  SPEAKER_01: I hope you'll join us.