An Educational Podcast
Mosaic Days is hosted by Allison Smith and Leonard Martinez. With over forty years of experience in education combined, they discuss leadership, advocacy and personal and professional development as well as share tips for educators and families to support the growth of all of our children.
“As teachers and administrators, those first few days of new school year are filled with unexpected surprises. Nothing ever goes as planned.”
In the first episode of Mosaic Days, Allison Smith and Leonard Martinez discuss Back to School tips for teachers and administrators.
“Building strong relationships with families, students and staff is so crucial within the first few weeks of school for both administrators and teachers.”
In episode 2, Allison and Leonard talk about developing relationships on campus during the first weeks of school.
“Today is going to be a great day!” Students know that each day is a fresh day when they feel welcomed and supported.
In episode 3, Allison and Leonard talk about building community and promoting positive behaviors by implementing consistent practices throughout the school as well as into the classroom.
“We want that new teacher to feel a part of the community because if they feel a sense of belonging, much like we talk about with our students, they will be more apt to return that next day, that next week, that next year”
In episode 4, Allison and Leonard talk about the struggles of a first year special education teacher and how leadership can provide critical support for teacher retention.
Tune in for Episode 5!
“Funding for special education has never been what it should be.”
In episode 5, Allison and Leonard discuss the biggest challenges facing special education including rising costs related to higher rates of incidence to staffing shortages and everything in between.
“This is what we’re here for right? Teaching, instruction. This is the primary purpose for our existence as educators. We’re here to teach content to a variety of learners with a variety of experiences and backgrounds.”
In episode 6, Allison and Leonard discuss the basics for creating lesson plans that engage all students.
Check out the latest episode of Mosaic Days! Now streaming on Spotify and iTunes!
The affective domain can either severely impact or positively impact the learning process for our students in schools.
In episode 7, Allison and Leonard discuss the ways in which student emotions can impact student learning and achievement. They examine some of the causes and how teachers can transform student experiences into student gains to build community.
“Let’s be thoughtful. Let's be intentional. Let's make sure that we are putting systems in place that everyone is going to be involved in, and let’s implement this together”
In Episode 8, Allison and Leonard continue the discussion on how best to support student social emotional learning through an intentional three pronged structured support system focused on prevention, intervention and postvention strategies.
HOT TOPIC ALERT!
“If there is no oversight at the federal level, then we have to self monitor, we have to self regulate. With the potential lack of federal monitoring, it is a founded fear that districts are going to try to reduce costs by reducing services.”
In Episode 9, Allison and Leonard discuss the latest blow to education as the Office of Special Education Programs has been all but eliminated.