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The Power of Being Seen: A Teacher's Mission · Momtalk Maryland

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Hey friends and welcome to MomTalk Maryland.
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: I'm your host, claire Duarte, founder of the Columbia Mom, and this is your spot for real conversations, local love and a whole lot of community.
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: Whether you're folding laundry, running errands or hiding in your car for some peace and quiet, let's dive in.
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: Are we ready to get started?
• 0:19
  Speaker 2: A hundred percent.
• 0:19
  Speaker 2: I am ready for this.
• 0:21
  Speaker 3: Of course you are.
• 0:22
  Speaker 3: I love it.
• 0:23
  Speaker 3: Well, I am so excited to finally have you on, jessica, since I met you, it was definitely like a little star struck celebrity moment for me, but I first got to see you.
• 0:38
  Speaker 3: I don't think I didn't formally meet you then, but was at the, the women's summit or the women's conference, um, earlier this year, and I've been, I've been, honestly, that had been on my I don't know vision board for years to be able to go to, but because of it's a, it's an all day event and it's held on Friday and, um, because of my kids being in preschool and childcare, um, I had no way to essentially go because I, you know, was schlepping them to and from school, but anyways.
• 1:07
  Speaker 3: So how perfect then.
• 1:08
  Speaker 3: What was I finally get to go?
• 1:10
  Speaker 3: Mind you, I was recovering from COVID and I was, you know, masked up and there's 400 plus people in this room, but who speaks was you, and I remember just being so moved and so excited and I was just, I really was just like so wowed and all of you.
• 1:26
  Speaker 3: And, frankly, at that time this was back in March, but podcast had not even been launched yet.
• 1:32
  Speaker 3: I had the idea had been planted and I think I've had maybe had some things in motion, but my podcast hadn't even started and, like I said, I didn't even meet you that day.
• 1:40
  Speaker 3: I would just we'll sit in in, you know, the back wall table.
• 1:44
  Speaker 3: You know what I mean in this big room of people.
• 1:46
  Speaker 3: So, without further ado, today we have with us Jessica Nichols, who I like to endearily call Teacher of the Year, which is your, which I think that is the badge of honor that you get to have forever.
• 1:58
  Speaker 3: But with that, tell us a little bit more about yourself and your recent award.
• 2:07
  Speaker 2: Sure, so I'm Jessica Nichols.
• 2:09
  Speaker 2: I am starting my 21st year as a teacher.
• 2:13
  Speaker 2: This is the beginning of my 11th year here in Howard County and I have spent all of that time teaching in high school.
• 2:23
  Speaker 2: So I am a high school social studies teacher, where I primarily teach advanced placement micro macroeconomics, and I also teach a bunch of other things.
• 2:35
  Speaker 2: This year I'm teaching GT United States history and I'm also teaching American government two of my favorite things to teach, alongside with advanced placement micro macroeconomics.
• 2:47
  Speaker 2: I do hold the distinction of being one of less than 10 African American women in the state of Maryland that teach advanced placement economics.
• 2:59
  Speaker 2: So what I love to do.
• 3:02
  Speaker 2: I started teaching in Montgomery County and my husband lovingly said that I was on the all county tour of Maryland.
• 3:11
  Speaker 2: I arrived at Howard County and I really felt like I found home, and so I've been here for 11 years and super excited about that.
• 3:24
  Speaker 2: I've been here for 11 years and super excited about that.
• 3:30
  Speaker 2: My journey into teaching was very interesting because I didn't start out this life thinking I was going to be a teacher.
• 3:34
  Speaker 2: I thought I was going to be an oil and gas attorney living in New York City but having a penthouse on the first floor because I am deathly afraid of heights, right, right.
• 3:47
  Speaker 2: So if anyone was going to have a penthouse apartment on the first floor, it was going to be me, yeah, and then you know, life, life happened.
• 3:56
  Speaker 2: You know, I had my son when I was 21 years old and I was at a crossroads in my life and I had to figure out what in the world could I do with this love and passion that I had for social studies and law, but at the same time be present for my son, who deserved to have mom there?
• 4:17
  Speaker 2: And so I went on a journey.
• 4:21
  Speaker 2: I talked to my mom, who I think is one of the smartest people I ever had the opportunity to know, and she said well, you know, you love law, you love social studies, you also really like teenagers, so maybe there's something you can do with that.
• 4:40
  Speaker 2: And that planted a seed.
• 4:42
  Speaker 2: And then I called my favorite social studies teacher, my eighth grade social studies teacher, mr Copies, and Mr Copies said why don't you come on down?
• 4:53
  Speaker 2: So I went to my old middle school no way, oh, I did.
• 4:57
  Speaker 2: And when I got there he said okay, guys, this is Ms Enriquez, because this was before I was married.
• 5:05
  Speaker 2: This is Ms Enriquez, because this was before I was married.
• 5:06
  Speaker 3: This is Ms Enriquez and Ms.
• 5:08
  Speaker 2: Enriquez is trying to figure out what she wants to do with her life, and so she's going to try teaching.
• 5:13
  Speaker 2: All right, Ms Enriquez.
• 5:15
  Speaker 2: Today we are learning about the causes of World War I, and they are all yours Go.
• 5:23
  Speaker 3: He was thrilled that you showed up that day.
• 5:25
  Speaker 3: He was like you know what I get to?
• 5:27
  Speaker 3: I get to put my feet up and let her take the floor.
• 5:31
  Speaker 2: Well, I said to myself I was like what do you mean?
• 5:34
  Speaker 2: Go so right?
• 5:36
  Speaker 2: And he was like causes of World War I.
• 5:38
  Speaker 2: And I remembered you know that 1980s song you know she's a maniac and I started singing that in my head and I was like, oh, that goes with the causes of World War I.
• 6:02
  Speaker 2: So we started singing it's mania, mania, and we link that to the causes of World War I.
• 6:10
  Speaker 2: And I was hooked after that, oh my gosh.
• 6:14
  Speaker 2: So went to Maryland and majored in secondary education with my concentration in social studies, and from then on out I have been in a classroom someplace ever since.
• 6:27
  Speaker 2: Absolutely love it.
• 6:29
  Speaker 2: The crowning achievement of my career in education was becoming the 2024 2025 Howard County Teacher of the Year, and I will tell you that journey was the journey was wild.
• 6:44
  Speaker 2: Tell you that journey was the journey was wild Mostly because I didn't know I had been nominated until I became the semifinalist for the award.
• 6:54
  Speaker 2: So five of my students got together and they decided they were going to nominate me for this and for anyone who's ever filled out the nomination for Teacher of the Year, it's a very lengthy packet with a lot of writing.
• 7:09
  Speaker 2: They had to coordinate with the principal.
• 7:12
  Speaker 2: They had to find someone on staff to write a letter for me.
• 7:15
  Speaker 2: Each of them wrote letters, they wrote seven essays for this and their last hurdle was getting my resume because they didn't want me to know.
• 7:26
  Speaker 2: So, luckily for them, my daughter was at our school and they went and they asked my daughter hey, can you help us get your mom's resume?
• 7:36
  Speaker 2: So my daughter comes to me and says mom, I need a copy of your resume.
• 7:42
  Speaker 2: And I was like, why do you need a copy of my resume?
• 7:43
  Speaker 2: Mom, I need a copy of your resume.
• 7:45
  Speaker 2: And I was like, why do you need a copy of my resume?
• 7:47
  Speaker 2: Oh, mom, I need it for English class.
• 7:51
  Speaker 2: And I said, but you're, but you're in ninth grade.
• 7:53
  Speaker 2: You don't need a resume until 11th grade English Cause I was thinking junior interviews.
• 7:56
  Speaker 2: She says, oh, mom, but I'm in GT English.
• 8:00
  Speaker 2: And I said, oh, okay, it made sense to me, it perfectly checks out, yeah, yeah.
• 8:11
  Speaker 2: So she took it and she gave it to them and I honestly didn't know I was entered until I got the email from the county saying congratulations, you're a semi-finalist for teacher of the year.
• 8:23
  Speaker 2: Congratulations, you're a semi-finalist for teacher of the year.
• 8:28
  Speaker 2: And I thought my daughter had nominated me.
• 8:29
  Speaker 2: So I was like Allison, what did you do?
• 8:30
  Speaker 2: And she says, mommy, it wasn't me, it was your five students.
• 8:34
  Speaker 2: And I knew that I.
• 8:36
  Speaker 2: I knew then that I was going to fight as hard as I could to win, because my children believed in me.
• 8:45
  Speaker 2: And whatever a student puts their faith and their belief in you, it's incumbent on us, as educators, to honor that with all of the effort that you give.
• 8:59
  Speaker 2: So I did, even though I still am, but at the time I was the board chairperson of Columbia Community Care.
• 9:06
  Speaker 2: So I was on the Howard County Commission for Women.
• 9:11
  Speaker 2: I am an elected member of the Democratic Central Committee and even though I didn't think I could spin one more plate, you know what it is when your kids say, mommy, I need you.
• 9:23
  Speaker 2: Ain't that the truth?
• 9:25
  Speaker 2: Yeah, you just find another way to spit a plate.
• 9:28
  Speaker 2: That's right.
• 9:29
  Speaker 2: And luckily I was successful and I was named county teacher of the year.
• 9:36
  Speaker 3: Yeah you were, yeah, you were.
• 9:38
  Speaker 3: But I mean, look, I have no idea what that process is even like, but I feel like knowing you and getting to know your story and just kind of the warmth and energy that you naturally have, I feel like this wasn't something you fought for, this was something you earned, this is something you deserve, this is something that was bestowed upon you and that, to me, that's kind of what would embody such an award like this.
• 10:06
  Speaker 2: Oh, thank you, I appreciate that.
• 10:11
  Speaker 3: Well, and I remember when I again, when I finally did get to meet you and you telling me this story, it just I love hearing it and I love hearing it again because it's just, it's so sweet and it's so wonderful and again, I think that does speak to the character that you have and the energy that you bring to your students.
• 10:28
  Speaker 3: So you kind of already shared this a little bit.
• 10:34
  Speaker 3: But to dive in a little bit more, let's talk about your why, what first inspired you to become a teacher and what still motivates you to show up every day.
• 10:44
  Speaker 2: So I, in my life, I have had some really, really good teachers.
• 10:50
  Speaker 2: I am not the typical kid that ended up becoming a teacher.
• 10:54
  Speaker 2: This was not something I ever thought I was going to do.
• 10:57
  Speaker 2: I was not the kid that had, you know, the dolls lined up with the chalkboard teaching them things.
• 11:04
  Speaker 2: That was just never me.
• 11:05
  Speaker 2: But all along the way, I've always had teachers who were kind and were amazing and showed up for me.
• 11:15
  Speaker 2: I did not have the typical dream American childhood.
• 11:20
  Speaker 2: My mom was a single parent, and so we struggled with food insecurity my whole entire life, and I was.
• 11:28
  Speaker 2: I was the kid that was staying at school after school because there was no one at home.
• 11:34
  Speaker 2: I didn't want to be at home by myself.
• 11:36
  Speaker 2: I was the kid that didn't have lunch and would try my best to figure out a way to feed myself in a time period where free and reduced lunch just wasn't a thing, where I was growing up, and so throughout all of it, I always had a teacher who saw me, my fifth grade teacher, ms Dunning.
• 12:00
  Speaker 2: She saw that I wasn't really an angry child.
• 12:06
  Speaker 2: I was a child that was hungry.
• 12:08
  Speaker 2: I was a child with all of this joy somewhere locked behind a very hurting child, and so she would bring two sandwiches every day, and every day she would ask me to eat lunch with her.
• 12:25
  Speaker 2: And it didn't diminish my pride because my teacher invited me to stay with her.
• 12:33
  Speaker 2: She invited me to eat with her.
• 12:35
  Speaker 2: So this wasn't me asking for food, this was her saying have lunch.
• 12:40
  Speaker 2: So she respected my dignity and fed me every day.
• 12:45
  Speaker 2: And then, when I got into middle school, I had Mr Copies, who, when I would present with anger I'll never forget, he whispered in my ear.
• 12:57
  Speaker 2: He was like you know, I know that there's something that you're carrying and you don't have to tell me something that you're carrying and you don't have to tell me.
• 13:07
  Speaker 2: But if you ever want someone to hear you, then I'll hear you, I promise.
• 13:09
  Speaker 2: And I remember being shocked because all of my other teachers were like you're just this angry child, why are you so angry?
• 13:18
  Speaker 2: And I would just get angrier back.
• 13:20
  Speaker 2: You know, because I wanted someone to see me.
• 13:24
  Speaker 2: You know, see me, who I was.
• 13:28
  Speaker 2: And so Mr Copi saw me and he encouraged me.
• 13:33
  Speaker 2: One of the things that he did was because I had such spotty attendance and I also had such a spotty record.
• 13:41
  Speaker 2: He looked for a reason to celebrate me and he gave me at our eighth grade graduation ceremony.
• 13:48
  Speaker 2: He gave me the first and only reading award that they gave at our school, because I read 100 books my eighth grade year and they were chapter.
• 13:59
  Speaker 2: They weren't like tiny books.
• 14:01
  Speaker 3: Yeah.
• 14:02
  Speaker 2: So discuss these things with me, and he was like he gave me this money and he told me.
• 14:07
  Speaker 2: He was like hey, and he gave me this hug and he goes listen, you are a genius and a scholar.
• 14:13
  Speaker 2: He was like I just want you to remember that, you know, and I've just had these people along the way who encouraged me and saw beyond what I presented to them, into who I was, and so that's what still motivates and inspires me to become a teacher.
• 14:32
  Speaker 2: I've always wanted to be that person who looked beyond what a student presented to find who they actually were, and I feel like, as a teacher, the greatest honor that I have is when a student like sees my heart and sees who I am and then lets me help them or lets me be a part of their lives.
• 15:02
  Speaker 2: I tell you this quick, this quick anecdote from my, my current school I was at, I was late, I was at school till like 4.30.
• 15:14
  Speaker 2: I'm usually there 4.30, 5 o'clock, and so I'm sitting in my classroom and this student I didn't know came into the classroom and she looked at me and I said hi, and then she left and I was like okay, she kept walking by.
• 15:29
  Speaker 2: So then I said, I said sweetie, why don't you come in here?
• 15:31
  Speaker 2: And so she came and she sat down and she didn't say anything for a good 10 minutes and I just let her sit in her space.
• 15:40
  Speaker 2: And so finally I said hey, what can I do for you today?
• 15:46
  Speaker 2: And she looked at me and she was like it's so stupid.
• 15:49
  Speaker 2: She was like but she was like you have a student who's a good friend of mine and he told me I shouldn't go home until I talk to you.
• 15:58
  Speaker 2: And I was like, okay, she told me the student's name and I was like well, this is a pretty smart kiddo.
• 16:03
  Speaker 2: I told her, I said so, if she said you should come and talk to me before you go home, you should come talk to me.
• 16:09
  Speaker 2: And I said so, what do you, what do you need to say?
• 16:12
  Speaker 2: I promise I'll hear you.
• 16:13
  Speaker 2: And she said it's really stupid.
• 16:16
  Speaker 2: I was like, well, this kiddo's really smart and if he doesn't think it's dumb, then I guarantee you I won't think it's dumb.
• 16:23
  Speaker 2: And she says well, so I want to die.
• 16:27
  Speaker 2: And he thought you would care.
• 16:29
  Speaker 2: And I said well, a hundred percent, I care.
• 16:33
  Speaker 2: And we were able to get that kiddo the help that she needed, that she needed.
• 16:48
  Speaker 2: But it was all because my student knew me and trusted me with his friend that I didn't know, but he trusted that I would be able to see that child and what that child needed and would care enough to do anything to help that child.
• 17:00
  Speaker 2: And so that motivates me.
• 17:04
  Speaker 2: For all of my students, both seen and unseen, it definitely motivates me to continue to go to work every day.
• 17:13
  Speaker 2: Yeah, and so yeah, that's why I do that.
• 17:18
  Speaker 3: Well, and I just think that's so beautiful, how, like, you take those stories from you know, from your childhood, from your middle school, to really kind of letting it shine directly through you about feeling hurt.
• 17:31
  Speaker 3: And you know, I mean, and I think like that just kind of keeps going back to what my earlier point of like I know that I've only known you for a short period of time, certainly I haven't been a student of yours, but I can just there again, you, there's a feeling, right, Like you, I can feel your character, I can feel your aura, if you want to use that word.
• 17:48
  Speaker 3: You know what I mean and clearly your students can too, right, and there's, that's, that's something that speaks really volumes.
• 17:55
  Speaker 3: You know what I mean.
• 17:56
  Speaker 3: And the other thing, too, is that I mean it's funny, I had somebody else in my podcast and we're talking about therapy and connection and things like that.
• 18:04
  Speaker 3: And the reality is, as humans, we are wired for connection.
• 18:08
  Speaker 3: We are human beings, we are meant to be with one another.
• 18:12
  Speaker 3: So I say that to kind of connect and bridge that point of you.
• 18:15
  Speaker 3: Know, obviously we all need to be, feel, seen and heard, but you know even more so our children, our teens.
• 18:24
  Speaker 3: You know what I mean, and taking the time to do that is just so impactful.
• 18:28
  Speaker 2: A hundred percent.
• 18:29
  Speaker 2: It's incumbent on us to to ensure that our children have the best chance at living whatever their lives are going to look like after they are in school.
• 18:42
  Speaker 2: I do this with my own children.
• 18:46
  Speaker 2: I'm not a big fan of telling kids what I think they should be, but I am a big fan of supporting them, loving them, helping them to discover who they are as human beings, so that they can go out there and live their best lives and maybe reach down and help somebody else figure out.
• 19:08
  Speaker 2: What does it look like outside of the space that we're in?
• 19:11
  Speaker 3: Right.
• 19:12
  Speaker 3: Well, so on that note, my next question kind of goes in that direction a little bit.
• 19:19
  Speaker 3: I know I probably I know I shared a little bit with you again when we first met.
• 19:23
  Speaker 3: But I mean I'm speaking from essentially being a neurodivergent mom, even though my son doesn't have like a formal diagnosis.
• 19:32
  Speaker 3: I mean he, you know, when he was assessed with his IEP, they you know he was given developmental delay, developmental delay.
• 19:47
  Speaker 3: But I know so many other families are walking a similar path or just wondering this too.
• 19:49
  Speaker 3: But how can parents continue to support students with diagnoses that need more attention in the classroom, especially in this ever-changing education landscape?
• 19:59
  Speaker 2: That is a very, very good question.
• 20:00
  Speaker 2: I think the very first thing is, in working with your educators, understanding that your educators are in this profession to be helpers, but that they may not have the support that they need to do everything that needs to be done, and it's not.
• 20:22
  Speaker 2: I'm not, in any way, shape or form, giving any excuses whatsoever.
• 20:25
  Speaker 2: There may be things that you know about your child that your educator doesn't know, and it may take a little while for that person to know them.
• 20:37
  Speaker 2: So what I love is when my parents of neurodivergent children send an email to me saying hey, you know, little Janie is going to be in your classroom, and I know that you're going to receive documentation telling you that these are the accommodations needed for little Janie.
• 20:59
  Speaker 2: These are the things that I've found that have been helpful throughout the years.
• 21:04
  Speaker 2: You know, these are the things that other educators have reported back to me, that have been things that have been happening, and so just letting you know that I am extremely excited about my kiddo being in your class and also that you can reach out to me, here's the best way to get in contact with me.
• 21:26
  Speaker 2: I'm so happy to have you on our team and by having that idea of a team approach, that we are all in this together, but also letting us know what you've seen growing up.
• 21:40
  Speaker 2: That's extremely important.
• 21:44
  Speaker 2: My son is neurodivergent and he has been diagnosed with a couple of things, but one of the things is that he's been diagnosed with being profoundly gifted, and so I would build relationships with my teachers, mostly because when you have a child that's profoundly gifted, they will learn the material before the teacher's done with the sentence Right, and so it presents a different challenge.
• 22:15
  Speaker 2: It does present a different challenge, but like working with the teachers and saying, hey, listen, when my son is turned around and talking, it's not that he's asking questions, it's because he already has it.
• 22:27
  Speaker 2: So these are the things that I found that's worked.
• 22:30
  Speaker 2: These are ways that you can engage him, and this is a way that you can utilize other resources to ensure that your life is easier as a teacher while he's also engaged.
• 22:43
  Speaker 2: Those are things that helped as he went through school as well, and those are things that teachers have always told me that they've appreciated when I would reach out to them and say, hey, this is what his particular needs are, and these are the ways that you can help, and there have been times that I've gotten the phone calls at home, and that's perfectly fine.
• 23:06
  Speaker 2: I was super excited that the teachers reached out to me saying this is something new that we're seeing.
• 23:13
  Speaker 2: That wasn't on anything.
• 23:15
  Speaker 3: Right, and that's going to happen, you know.
• 23:18
  Speaker 2: Especially as we grow and they change right.
• 23:21
  Speaker 2: So definitely, having that team approach and making sure that you're building the relationship with the educator, that definitely is very, very helpful, particularly as we are changing in this in education and also not being afraid to be an advocate.
• 23:41
  Speaker 2: You know, these are your babies, these are your most precious gift to the world, and that is super, super important, and so there's nothing wrong with advocating, there's nothing wrong with calling and saying, hey, these are my child's needs, they need to get these needs met, and holding the school accountable is 100% what parents should be doing as well.
• 24:06
  Speaker 3: Oh, yeah, for sure, and granted, I feel like I'm very, I feel like I was going to say I'm new to this world.
• 24:12
  Speaker 3: I'm in no way new.
• 24:14
  Speaker 3: You know the little back story which I've shared clearly on my platform lots of times.
• 24:20
  Speaker 3: But you know, Grant had a speech delay and I think we formally got linked with infant to toddlers at 14 months old and then the assessment at two and a half, where we received developmental delay at the time, and then he started, um, he did the rec program um, last year.
• 24:42
  Speaker 3: Um, he started preschool at another school, um, and we were kind of hopeful that he would have been able to kind of bridge the gap.
• 24:50
  Speaker 3: Um, we did pal support off-site um or on-site there at that school and um, unfortunately it wasn't just enough of the support that he needed at the time.
• 24:59
  Speaker 3: So he transferred back to the county where he's been ever since.
• 25:05
  Speaker 3: And again, kind of to your point too, just like the journey that we're on, that we're still on.
• 25:09
  Speaker 3: And again, this talk today is certainly not about him, but just so much of you know, my husband and I are certainly no strangers to being advocates and you know now that he's starting kindergarten and it's it's this weird thing as a parent, which I know that you can relate to too, of like I know that he's in a large classroom it's like, you know, larger than he was in preschool and of like I don't want to be.
• 25:35
  Speaker 3: I know that I want to and will be an advocate for my child and I'm not afraid of that, but I was like I know that she's got a lot of students to begin in the school year.
• 25:42
  Speaker 3: It's like I don't want to be a burden, or one more email that's, you know, feels like a lot to say.
• 25:49
  Speaker 3: But hearing you kind of say about kind of sending a message does kind of like cause, I mean feel encouraging to do Cause.
• 25:55
  Speaker 3: I mean I know that I'm going to have an IEP meeting soon enough, so I feel like okay, like could just wait to kind of share all the information then.
• 26:10
  Speaker 2: But you know I hadn't really thought about reaching out like that, in that way that you'd mentioned.
• 26:12
  Speaker 2: Well, I find the emails when I do get them from parents, extremely helpful.
• 26:15
  Speaker 2: In fact, I did get an email this particular year from a parent that said you know, my young person likes a certain type of fidget, so I went out when I was doing my back to school shopping and I purchased it.
• 26:31
  Speaker 2: Now I know, more likely than not, this young person will come with it, because that parent said this young person's coming with it.
• 26:39
  Speaker 2: But what if they leave it at home?
• 26:42
  Speaker 2: Right, which you know sometimes kids do.
• 26:47
  Speaker 2: I just wanted to make sure that that that young person felt just as at home in my classroom as they would at their own home, where they have access to all of the things that they need.
• 26:58
  Speaker 2: I want them to find home in my classroom.
• 27:01
  Speaker 2: So, 100%, let your educators know.
• 27:05
  Speaker 2: You know what's going on you know, particularly because sometimes, as much as we want the IEP meetings to go off, when they go off, there's sometimes there's things that happen.
• 27:19
  Speaker 2: People get sick, you know, sometimes parents aren't able to make it, sometimes they have to move your IEP meeting, which really shouldn't happen, but sometimes it happens.
• 27:29
  Speaker 2: So just letting your educators know through a really quick email helps them to have that information, regardless of when a meeting happens.
• 27:39
  Speaker 3: Yeah, ok, that's definitely encouraging and it wasn't something that had, like, directly crossed my mind.
• 27:46
  Speaker 3: Again, I feel like I'm new to again I say new to this world.
• 27:49
  Speaker 3: Like, I feel like kindergarten to me feels so different than, like you know, we had so much more handholding in preschool and things like that.
• 27:55
  Speaker 3: But, okay, to shift gears.
• 27:58
  Speaker 3: I know this has been heavily talked about.
• 28:02
  Speaker 3: So, again, because I have a kindergarten and a first grader, I feel I know the conversations are occurring and my daughter may.
• 28:12
  Speaker 3: Again, I don't know because it's still so new.
• 28:16
  Speaker 3: But my point is let's talk about AI.
• 28:18
  Speaker 3: You know it's coming.
• 28:21
  Speaker 3: We're all talking about it.
• 28:22
  Speaker 3: Obviously, you guys have been talking about it since it's your world, but I'm sitting on the seat of being a parent while I also use AI.
• 28:34
  Speaker 3: We're all personally using it, right, and the crazy thing about this world is that there's just more and more tools coming out.
• 28:43
  Speaker 3: The technology and, frankly, the ai is going to continue to get better.
• 28:46
  Speaker 3: Um, which is great news, but there's a lot of fears, challenges and risks associated with that and um, which I think can be tremendously scary for high schoolers that are in front and younger right are getting access to that.
• 29:05
  Speaker 3: But now I'm looking at.
• 29:06
  Speaker 3: Okay, I have a kindergarten and a first grader, I don't even and my.
• 29:10
  Speaker 3: So my question to you isn't about how do I approach my first grade and kindergarten with it, but in talking about just AI in general, um, how do you see it being used in education?
• 29:20
  Speaker 3: How can we help shape our kids, who are being introduced to this much younger than frankly we are, because we're all living this in real time?
• 29:30
  Speaker 2: 100%.
• 29:31
  Speaker 2: I think that the most healthy way to consider AI is to teach kids that it's a tool much like a calculator, much like a hammer.
• 29:41
  Speaker 2: The tool is designed to continue to make certain tasks easier and easier.
• 29:47
  Speaker 2: Right now, ai isn't perfect.
• 29:50
  Speaker 2: It's getting way better, but sometimes AI makes up its own sources.
• 29:56
  Speaker 2: You know, sometimes AI will tell you what it thinks you want to hear, and so having kids use AI as a tool but then always go back and check on what AI is telling them, is a way that I use it in the classroom.
• 30:12
  Speaker 2: In the classroom, I will tell, I will tell chat GPT to create, create four problem sets for microeconomics in this particular unit.
• 30:24
  Speaker 2: Make sure one of them is completely wrong.
• 30:28
  Speaker 2: And then I will have the kids work through the problems and evaluate how did AI do in creating this particular problem set?
• 30:39
  Speaker 2: And oftentimes my kids will find errors in the ones that are supposed to be correct, as well as finding what's wrong, and then I ask them well, tell the AI gods how to fix it and they will advise.
• 30:56
  Speaker 2: You know, this is what needs to happen to make this problem set actually viable.
• 31:01
  Speaker 2: Right?
• 31:01
  Speaker 2: And so I do that so that my students understand that AI can be a powerful tool, but you always have to check on it, and in order to check on it, you have to understand the information yourself.
• 31:15
  Speaker 2: It's fine to use as a tool but, don't let it do the thinking for you, and so that's.
• 31:24
  Speaker 2: I believe that's a very important way to think about AI.
• 31:28
  Speaker 2: I know a lot of the same conversations happened around calculators.
• 31:32
  Speaker 2: You know, kids never know how to do math if they have a calculator.
• 31:37
  Speaker 2: But what we learned is that kids do know how to do math.
• 31:41
  Speaker 2: They're just able to do it quicker, which allows them to do higher and higher levels of math.
• 31:47
  Speaker 3: Right.
• 31:47
  Speaker 2: I believe that AI is going to help our young people to be able to do way more complex thinking by helping them to get rid of the lower level, mundane levels of research and understanding.
• 32:04
  Speaker 2: So I definitely think with younger kids, teaching them that AI can be a tool, but you have to know how to teach AI.
• 32:15
  Speaker 2: You have to know what questions to ask to get the best results.
• 32:19
  Speaker 2: You have to know how to navigate in order to make it work the best way that it can.
• 32:25
  Speaker 2: But remember that sometimes you're going to have quizzes and tests and you're going to have to know how to do this stuff with AI.
• 32:33
  Speaker 2: So I think that's a very healthy way to talk about AI.
• 32:38
  Speaker 3: Yeah, no, and I think that you framed that really well of you know you're definitely right about the calculators, because that is certainly a great tool, right, and you know about how having a calculator allows, you know, and that probably shaped, probably absolutely shaped the.
• 32:59
  Speaker 3: You know what education, math education, looked like and you know education, math education looked like and you know, because of a tool like that probably allowed you know, higher levels of math to be taught, potentially even at younger ages, developmentally appropriate, of course, because of it having a tool like that, you know.
• 33:13
  Speaker 3: So you talk about opportunity, right, and obviously I think the same will be for AI.
• 33:18
  Speaker 3: My question for you is how do you grant it again?
• 33:21
  Speaker 3: This is it's still new, it's going to continue to evolve very quickly, but how do you feel you know this is just kind of a pull off of you know your students, how do you see your students perceiving it?
• 33:37
  Speaker 3: Slash, using it, versus how it's kind of how the education system is kind of seeing it.
• 33:46
  Speaker 2: So I know that in the education sphere.
• 33:48
  Speaker 2: There are a lot of teachers that are very afraid of AI.
• 33:52
  Speaker 2: Anytime there's new technology that's out there, there usually is a bunch of fear surrounding it.
• 33:59
  Speaker 2: It's questions about oh my goodness, will kids actually learn material for themselves, or is this the beginning of computers doing all of the thought work for us?
• 34:09
  Speaker 2: You know the concern about whether kids will be able to be effective outside of the classroom environment if they are so able to utilize technology to do the things that we're asking them to do.
• 34:26
  Speaker 2: I do think that we are at an inflection point in education where we, as teachers, are going to have to embrace the fact that AI is among us.
• 34:36
  Speaker 2: The kiddos already know how to operate way, way higher levels of technology than we do, so we can either fight against it and lose.
• 34:49
  Speaker 2: As you know, almost every high school kiddo has a TI something in their backpack.
• 34:56
  Speaker 2: That's right, even those of us with phones.
• 35:02
  Speaker 2: We're there doing our basic math on the phone.
• 35:06
  Speaker 2: We're not there trying to calculate sales tax or anything like that, right.
• 35:13
  Speaker 2: But as those particular tasks go the way of AI, I believe, as teachers, if we embrace that, that's what's happening.
• 35:23
  Speaker 2: If we look at what in the world do we need to do in order to help prepare our kids to be the ones that are offering AI and guiding AI and utilizing it as a tool, then we are going to be preparing our kids for a world beyond that which we're ever going to see.
• 35:42
  Speaker 2: Right, and that's the goal of education, right?
• 35:45
  Speaker 2: Yeah, we're going to prepare our kids for a world that we may never get to see, but that they're going to shape and form.
• 35:52
  Speaker 3: Right and they literally are, which is kind of a crazy wild thing that, like these, there are guinea pigs.
• 36:02
  Speaker 3: Whether we like it or not, they just are, you know, and that's just.
• 36:05
  Speaker 3: But kind of like.
• 36:06
  Speaker 3: You know, when the internet came about, like we're just, we're Nate, we were nature's guinea pigs.
• 36:12
  Speaker 3: Then too, you know what I mean.
• 36:14
  Speaker 3: So there's kind of like no way around it, and you know it.
• 36:18
  Speaker 3: When you look at it that way, it kind of is a beautiful, cool thing because, yes, I mean, there's risks associated with everything and anything.
• 36:30
  Speaker 3: And and, um, you know, as a parent, I feel like, um, I feel like my first thought is like, okay, I can see, for instance and I don't know if this trend is true or real, but I'm like, okay, I could see homeworks now, all of a sudden, either maybe an increase in turn in rate or a lot of higher scores, but you know, test scores could drop, because if they're showing, you know, able to complete homework, if they're, you know, maybe falsely using, you know, ai to help with homework, but then at the end of the day, if they don't know the material, then they're not going to test well.
• 37:06
  Speaker 3: So, again, that's an assumption I have.
• 37:09
  Speaker 3: I don't know how accurate or that trend is actually occurring, but what message do you have to parents then, who I know share similar fears?
• 37:23
  Speaker 3: And how do parents, how do we walk this line with our students?
• 37:31
  Speaker 2: So I think, reiterating the message that at home hey, this is a tool.
• 37:37
  Speaker 2: This should be something that you're using to check the work that you do.
• 37:41
  Speaker 2: This should be something that you are using to build, not something that you're using to do your work, because that's very different.
• 37:52
  Speaker 2: Utilize the skills necessary in order to guide AI, not utilize it to do the skills that you need to learn and acquire, because you're going to have to have those skills.
• 38:05
  Speaker 2: Those skills are, once you acquire those skills, those are things that no one can ever take from you.
• 38:10
  Speaker 2: Those are things that no one can ever take from you.
• 38:13
  Speaker 2: I equate it to my grandpa, who taught me that all the knowledge in the world is somewhere in a book somewhere.
• 38:20
  Speaker 2: So if you read books, then you're going to learn everything you need to learn.
• 38:25
  Speaker 2: Well, ai and computerized technology takes what my grandpa said about books and grows it exponentially.
• 38:35
  Speaker 2: Good, bad, awful, amazing.
• 38:46
  Speaker 2: It is all at our kids' fingertips.
• 38:46
  Speaker 2: So, making sure that they know how to think about AI, not as something that's a get out of homework free card, but something that they need to bend and shape.
• 38:54
  Speaker 2: I also encourage parents to make sure that they're keeping those lines of communication open with your kiddos.
• 39:01
  Speaker 2: Ask them what they're exploring, ask them what they're interested in, so when they're learning about being a digital citizen, they're able to also tell you what they're looking at.
• 39:13
  Speaker 2: Tell you what they're thinking about.
• 39:15
  Speaker 2: Helping you to understand what their world looks like behind that screen is integral to building them and also continuing to build those communication skills.
• 39:27
  Speaker 2: If they're talking to you, that efficacy and how do I effectively communicate what I'm doing, what I'm thinking and what am I seeing on a daily basis?
• 39:41
  Speaker 2: And that helps them to do nothing but grow.
• 39:43
  Speaker 2: And the last thing I would say about this to parents is don't shy away from it.
• 39:49
  Speaker 3: Yeah, that's what I was going to add too.
• 39:51
  Speaker 3: I was like I think I mean that can go to any one of these things Like soon, as we, I feel like, are eliciting fear.
• 40:00
  Speaker 3: You know that kind of it always has the opposite effect with our kids.
• 40:06
  Speaker 3: It ended up kind of like putting a wedge between us and our children and we need to.
• 40:10
  Speaker 3: We so, but I think it goes back to us.
• 40:13
  Speaker 3: We need to practice the openness because, regardless of whether your job uses ai or not, um, you will be and it is being used in some capacity, and um and the more that you can kind of practice it and use it and get familiar with it.
• 40:30
  Speaker 3: Because the reality is just like the internet it's not going away, it's going to become a part of our lives and if you can find a way to embrace it, then you can get better at having those conversations with your child.
• 40:42
  Speaker 3: So that way you can continue to be probably a better I don't want to say advocate, but kind of like helping your child walk through this world as it's happening.
• 40:52
  Speaker 2: Absolutely, and I think one of the things that I really wish parents could hear from my side of the desk is how influential you guys really are in the lives of your children.
• 41:04
  Speaker 2: They talk about y'all all the time.
• 41:09
  Speaker 2: Is it good stuff?
• 41:11
  Speaker 2: Because?
• 41:12
  Speaker 3: I feel like, and I remember being a teenager too.
• 41:16
  Speaker 2: I'm like I mean, it really really is.
• 41:20
  Speaker 2: I hear about how, oh well, my mom and dad said blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.
• 41:26
  Speaker 2: Or my aunt said dah, dah, dah, dah, dah.
• 41:28
  Speaker 2: That, that importance that parents or guardians have in the lives of did this, or my dad did this, or my guardian said this, or they, oh.
• 41:57
  Speaker 2: But they don't think about that that way.
• 41:58
  Speaker 2: They think about it this way.
• 42:00
  Speaker 2: Right, If I had a dollar, I would be a multi-millionaire.
• 42:05
  Speaker 2: That is how important what you say and who you are to your kids.
• 42:11
  Speaker 2: That's how important it is to them.
• 42:14
  Speaker 2: So, when it comes to the digital space, even if teenagers are acting like they don't want you there, oh, they want you there.
• 42:23
  Speaker 2: They want you to be there with them in these aspects of their lives.
• 42:28
  Speaker 2: So don't shy away from it, Don't, don't give up on it Right, and don't be afraid to ask them to model.
• 42:37
  Speaker 2: How do you ask for help Like, hey, Jake, so I'm trying to do this Right and you have no idea how to make this computer do this.
• 42:48
  Speaker 2: Can you help mama?
• 42:49
  Speaker 2: Can you help mama figure out how to make this work Right?
• 42:52
  Speaker 2: And roll their eyes and mom, it's okay, so you did that really quickly.
• 42:59
  Speaker 2: Can you teach me how to do this, so that I can do this on my own.
• 43:06
  Speaker 2: and it makes them a lesson yeah, it makes them open to asking those questions and it also gives you an opportunity to ask how did you know that?
• 43:18
  Speaker 3: Hey, right, and it opens up an area of dialogue that then continues to build that connection my mind is blown here and, like you, just so naturally weaved in so many um, just life lessons, but like your teaching style and I'm like, and that point about like hey, can you show me like I need to write that down or you know somewhere, because I'm like man, like that is so true, because I was like I mean, I, for instance, know that I learned best, I mean, through examples, through visuals and kind of re-talking it through, and that's like the subtle ninja move of like you know, hey, parents.
• 43:56
  Speaker 3: Like you know, hey, you can learn from your kid, which is one byproduct, but little do you know.
• 44:01
  Speaker 3: You're not only teaching your child, but your child is doubling down on what they're learning, because it's a different way of being able to process the information by externally sharing it.
• 44:10
  Speaker 3: So that's kind of just about the perfect way to wrap this up, because that's such a cool way to package it.
• 44:16
  Speaker 3: Um, we'll probably have to do another talk on in like six months, in a year, when you know again, all we're going to have all new technology, which again is very exciting, and but I think the reality is is like, I don't think this is something we need to fear, we just need to embrace the, the ever changing atmosphere of it, because the reality is, guess what?
• 44:36
  Speaker 3: Just just like the other classes, there's down the road, at some point there's going to be AI classes taught in school and even in grade school.
• 44:43
  Speaker 3: You know what I mean.
• 44:43
  Speaker 3: And and we will have more parameters around.
• 44:48
  Speaker 3: Obviously, anything new feels scary because there's not a lot that, but you know it's being built out now, you know.
• 44:55
  Speaker 3: So I think you're absolutely right.
• 44:57
  Speaker 3: Just, you know these are, these are tools that are going to help and continue to shape all of our lives.
• 45:03
  Speaker 3: But on that note, jessica, I wanted to say thank you so much for your time today and sharing all of your little nuggets.
• 45:09
  Speaker 3: You know we talked about so many wonderful things from, obviously, your background neurodivergent kids, ai.
• 45:14
  Speaker 3: We could probably sit here for another hour just talking about so much more, but you know, thank you again.
• 45:22
  Speaker 3: Congratulations for the honor of the year and for all the work that you do here in Howard County.
• 45:29
  Speaker 3: We are so blessed to have you in our school system and I think any kid that is walks into your classroom or, you know, get to interact with is such a treasure.
• 45:39
  Speaker 3: So, thank you again.
• 45:41
  Speaker 3: I'm so excited to have you here and can't wait to chat with you again in the future.
• 45:48
  Speaker 2: Absolutely.
• 45:48
  Speaker 2: I would welcome it and thank you so much for having me this afternoon.
• 45:52
  Speaker 1: Thank you.
• 45:53
  Speaker 1: Thanks for tuning into this episode of mom talk, maryland.
• 45:56
  Speaker 1: If you loved it, leave a review, share it with a friend or tag me at the doc Columbia mom on Instagram.
• 46:02
  Speaker 1: I'd love to hear what you think and don't forget to follow the show so you never miss an episode.
• 46:07
  Speaker 1: Until next time, keep showing up, keep supporting local and keep being the incredible mom, woman, human that you are.