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[00:00] Grace: She called me out on what I did, and I was so embarrassed, Cal. But, that's one of those moments where I was like, ‘Okay, yeah, you messed up. This is embarrassing. You should be embarrassed. And now you can either crumble and not go into teaching because of this one moment or you can learn from it. 

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[0:49] Grace: Hi, everyone! My name is Grace Davis, and I currently live in South Lake Tahoe, California. I currently teach for my own company, English With Grace. I teach primarily adults in China. I teach them the English language, and that is––I think most of my students are intermediate to advanced. And then, I also teach online for a program called EnGen. 

And most of those learners are refugees or immigrants, and they live in the US and Canada. There are all different levels from beginner to advanced, all learning English. I like to say [I’ve been teaching for] over 10 years, probably 12 to be specific. I think I've always wanted to be a teacher. Even when I was little, I have three siblings and a lot of cousins, and I remember we would play school and jobs, and 

I think I always was interested in teaching. But, I don't remember a specific moment as a kid where I was like, ‘Oh, I wanna be a teacher.’ So, I think that that's, yeah, probably just, I was always interested in it. 

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[1:58] Cal: So, let's flashback to the beginning of your pathway. Can you tell us briefly about your childhood, where you grew up and a little about the culture you grew up in?

[2:08] Grace: So, I'm originally from Mount Pleasant, Iowa. That is in the southeast corner of Iowa. I would say it's a predominantly middle-class white town, not a lot going on. And I am the oldest of four. We grew up in the country. I didn't grow up around a lot of neighbors or anything. So, I spent a lot of time with my family. And yeah, my high school I think was around 500 people. So, once I started traveling, that was really a big eye-opener for me. 

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[2:43] Cal: When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up? Did you ever think you would become a teacher? 

[2:47] Grace: Yeah. So, going back to what I said earlier, what did I want to be when I grew up? I didn't necessarily think I wanted to be a teacher, but I was always really interested in education, specifically history.  I actually originally wanted to be a history teacher, and then I later added Spanish. Other than that, I don't really remember what I wanted to be. So, I know that's boring, but that's my answer. 

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[3:13] Cal: Looking back on your childhood education, what do you think has changed the most in our education systems since then? 

[3:22] Grace: Looking back on my childhood, what I think has changed the most in our education systems––well, at least for me because I'm a 90s baby––technology for sure, and technology integration into the classroom. Then I also wanted to comment on standardized testing. I think we still see a lot of standardized testing, but Iowa Basic Skills if you know, you know.

I think now they're trying to do less of that and more, I don't know, improving the testing structures, at least in the US. Then I think it's similar to my answer for higher ed, focusing on inclusivity and making sure that our practices are inclusive for all students. But, I think those–– technology, diversity, and standardized testing––are what have changed the most. 

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[4:13] Cal: Who was your favorite teacher in grade school and why? 

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[4:40] Cal: Think back to any class during grade school. What classroom activity do you remember to this day because it made learning fun? 

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[6:07] Cal: How do you want the American public school system to change in the future? 

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[6:47] Cal: Think about someone who's in high school that may be considering entering the education profession. What electives, activities, or extracurriculars would benefit them throughout their careers?

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[7:33] Cal: OK, so let's move along to the next stage of your pathway. Can you tell us briefly about your higher education and how that led to a career in education? 

[7:47] Grace: So, for higher education, I started at Iowa State and I was pursuing a degree in history and education. I wanted to be a history teacher, started taking Spanish classes, studying abroad, caught the travel bug and decided to teach Spanish. So, I switched my degree to Spanish education, and that led me to Spain for a couple years. I came back and I was teaching in Minneapolis, Minnesota when I decided to go to grad school. 

When I started at the University of Minnesota, I was studying a degree in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages). And then, I didn't finish my degree there, but I transferred to the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, which is where I met you, Cal. My destiny was changed forever. And I was studying two degrees, TESOL and then International Education Management. And I finished that degree in 2021. 

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[8:42] Cal: What professor positively influenced your career the most during your higher education and what did they do to leave that impact? 

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[9:39] Cal: Think back on any class during your higher education. What classroom activity do you remember to this day, because it influenced your understanding of the world? 

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[11:01] Cal: Thinking back on your higher education, what do you think has changed the most in our higher education systems since then? 

[11:11] Grace: Definitely virtual learning, hybrid learning. While we were at MIIS, everything went online. So, I think that has changed a lot. I also think that we have had, as we should have, an eye-opening to diversity, equity, and inclusion. I think a lot of people are being much more intentional as they develop their curriculum and class syllabi and stuff like that.

But, I think those are probably my biggest ones, virtually, and then diversity, equity, and inclusion movements have probably been the biggest changes I've seen. 

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[11:45] Cal: How do you want higher education to change in the future? 

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[12:48] Cal: Think about someone who's about to start their higher education who may be considering becoming a teacher. What advice would you give them to best manage their responsibilities and stress in this early stage of their careers? 

[13:05] Grace: I think it's really important to––excuse my language here, but––show yourself some grace. This is a really, it can be a really difficult field to get into, especially if you struggle with perfectionism and wanting things to go your way. I think you have to make sure that you––You can have an idea of how the lesson's going to go and how your class is going to go, but be okay with it changing and then adapting. 

And then, another one, this is kind of getting into tips, which I will repeat this later as well, but Kathi Bailey taught me to set a time limit for lesson planning. I think as educators, it's really important to make sure that if you are working from eight to five, make sure you're working from eight to five. That might be hard to find time to lesson plan. I know teachers go above and beyond, but if you can stick within your time limits of what you're paid to do, that would be my recommendation for not burning out and enjoying the job. 

Cal: Okay, let's take a short break. 

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[14:16] Cal: So, now let's focus on the most critical stage of a teacher's career, the first five years. Think back to post-graduation. What was one of your first jobs? How did you get it? What were some high points and low points? 

[14:31] Grace: Right after I graduated from Iowa State, I actually immediately went back to Spain because I wasn't satisfied with my Spanish-speaking abilities. So, I got a job as an Auxiliar de Conversación. I went over to Spain for two years and I was basically a teaching assistant. I found that job through, I believe, one of my cousins. A distant cousin was doing that program while I studied abroad. So, she told me about it, and then I applied, I got that position and I was in Spain for two years.

So, then I came back to the US and two of the people I met in Spain, two of my dear friends still today–They are from the Minneapolis area. And I moved from Iowa to Minneapolis, Minnesota for a 0.1 FTE position teaching Spanish. Point one FTE basically just means I was like 10% of a teacher. So 1.0 FTE would be full-time and then you can go up from there. So, I was teaching three hours a week, but because I took that job, I then immediately started subbing in the district, and then, that led to my ESL transition. 

Living in Spain was amazing. I got to improve my Spanish. I met so many cool people. A big point of that program is to have Fridays off so you can travel. So, lots of high points. I would say the only low point for my time in Spain was that it really drove home that I was ready to have my own classroom, and really excited to, you know, have, yeah, just basically be in charge of my own classroom and run things the way I wanted to run them, rather than being a teaching assistant. 

And then, once I was in Minneapolis, yeah, I enjoyed teaching Spanish, but I fell in love with teaching English as a second language or ELL, English Language Learners. And I knew I wanted to get my Master's in that almost as soon as I started working towards my certificate. Low points, I had no experience with classroom management and I felt like I was just trying to keep my head above water, and that really opened my eyes to lack of resources and lack of, I don't know, just certain things in education that I've mentioned that I wish were different, but not talking poorly about anybody I worked with or the schools I worked at, I really, I had a great time there. I learned a lot in that first-year teaching. 

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[17:02] Cal: Look back on the first five years of your career: How has your practice or skillset changed since then?

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[17:56] Cal: Who is a mentor, leader, or role model that you are thankful to have had as support in those first five years of your career? And what do they do to support or encourage you? 

[18:10] Grace: This question is interesting because it's not one specific mentor or leader that pops up, apart from the ones I mentioned from my grad school experience and professors, of course. But, I would say my friends, like, I have had the pleasure of meeting some amazing people who challenge me to be better and be my best. A lot of them speak other languages. Cal, you're one of them, always pursuing different projects, and just––I feel like I have had the just great luck of meeting some really, really cool inspirational people who want the best for me and then continue to support and encourage me to chase my dreams.

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[18:51] Cal: Think about novice teachers in the first five years of their careers. What teacher tip do they have to know?

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[21:09] Cal: What is one hard lesson you learned in those first five years that helped you to better manage your professional responsibilities? 

[21:17] Grace: I think this goes back to something I already mentioned about adaptability and flexibility. I think I had this idea in my head that when I had my own classroom, everything was just going to be dreamy and easygoing and I wasn't going to have to deal with any classroom management issues and I was going to have a great relationship with all of my students and I just, I think I had this idea of what I wanted it to look like and then, it didn't look anything like that.

And so, adaptability, flexibility––that's something I mentioned for a previous question, but––I really, just, it was a hard lesson to learn, but then once I accepted it and I was like, ‘OK, let's just focus on this today and see if we can achieve that goal. And if we can't, that's OK.’ And specifically, I think it's difficult for language teachers. I was in the K-12…I was in K-12 at the time, and I think I wanted to have 100%, you know, using the target language, and I just, I couldn't do it with the resources I had at the time. So, yeah, I think being able to adapt and be flexible and OK with ‘go with the flow’ is really important in the beginning stages of your career. 

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[22:31] Cal: Think about novice teachers in the first five years of their careers. What advice would you give them to manage symptoms of burnout? 

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[23:57] Cal: Think about novice teachers in the first five years of their careers. What should they keep in mind when they feel like quitting? Why should they push through the tough times? 

[24:08] Grace: Um, so why educators should push through the tough times? I think one thing that I realized after I went to grad school was being in education can look different for everybody. You don't necessarily have to be––If you decide that you get a degree in elementary ed, that doesn't necessarily mean you have to be a K-5 teacher for the rest of your life. You can add different certifications. You can switch to higher levels or lower levels. You can choose to teach a different content area. 

And so, I think being an educator can be––You can choose to go down a different career path and then be a yoga instructor. Like, that's technically still education. So, I think my recommendation is to stick with it, because it is a field that has a lot of jobs, and I'm hoping in the future things change around, you know, teacher support and how we value teachers in this country. 

But, I think that my recommendation would be if you find yourself teaching classes and feeling really passionate about it and you like the way you feel after teaching a class, that you are probably meant to be a teacher of some sort or in the education sector. So, um, chase the ideals, find the joy, and make sure that you are doing things that don't result in burnout, because you're probably in the right profession. 

Cal: Yeah, that's part of the––again, perfect guest for my first episode––As I explained the pilot episode, that's part of the the motivation behind this whole podcast––is talking about those example cases of professionals who have taken a path that is not just one classroom, one role the entire time. That's definitely a winding road we take. 

Grace: Absolutely.

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[25:53] Cal: What is one thing you hope will be different for novice teachers in the future?

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Cal: Now that we have a clearer picture of your background, let's focus on the bulk of your career. Where are you currently working and in what capacities? What projects are you currently working on?

[27:30] Grace: So, I currently work at an education consortium in South Lake Tahoe called Advance. My title is Bilingual Transition Navigator. So, I work with the Spanish-speaking population in South Lake Tahoe. And as a transition navigator, my goal is to help my clients with their goals. So, that can be career or academic, but they come into our office and we focus on personalized pathways and holistic case management. 

So, wraparound services to help people achieve these goals. So Cal, if you come into my office and you say you want to learn how to speak English, you would be sent to me. And then we would figure out a plan to get you to whatever level of English you're trying to get to. And usually the other goal along with learning English is, ‘I want to get a job. I want to get a better job. I want to feel more accepted in this community.’ A lot of people I work with are immigrants and refugees, so, adapting to daily life. And then, two people can have the exact same goal, but how they achieve that goal looks very different depending on that person. 

Do you have kids? Do you live with a lot of people? Do you have housing? Another thing we talk about in my job is Maslow's Before Bloom. So, Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. Do you have your basic needs met? Because if you don't––they talk about this a lot in K-12––those kids probably aren’t going to learn, because they're hungry or they have other things going on at home. 

So, that's a big part of my job as a transition navigator, really focused on one-on-one and building that relationship with my clients to help them achieve whatever goal they have set. Projects I'm currently working on. Okay, how many can I name? no! I'm working on––I actually, this is an exciting announcement, I was just given a grant from the TIRF Bailey Award. 

Yeah, and I'm going to do some research on how we use Burlington English, an English language learning platform, at the college. And I want to see, just, kind of the impact on teachers and students. So, that just came in last week that I got approved. So, I'll start that soon. I also, as I mentioned, have my own English language teaching company and podcast. And I'm really trying to dive back into that this winter. 

I want to start doing some individual episodes and really focus on––I'm around English language learners every day. So, the specific questions that they ask, I'd like to do some more recording for that. And then, other projects at my current job, we use EnGen. I also teach for EnGen, and making sure that my students are not having any barriers to attending these online classes and I want to focus more on the personalization, using that platform as well. I would say those are my big three right now. 

Cal: I find it funny you mentioned Maslow because we're going to really test you and see if you know it, Maslow's hierarchy! When we play the Pedagogy Pop Quiz later. There just may be a question.

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[30:42] Cal: So, based on your CV––I analyzed your CV, and I turned up with some numbers. So, based on your CV, you've worked in 17 different teaching roles in three states, over five countries, working with students from kindergarten through university and adulthood in both public and private contexts, both physical and remote contexts. I also counted at least 22 leadership roles or experiences, including four conference presentations––very interesting––and four professional association memberships. Does this sound nice to hear that in review? 

[31:22] Grace: Euh, it's kinda wild. 

Cal: So, thinking back over all of these wonderful experiences, what was your absolute favorite professional experience during your career? 

Grace: Oh my gosh, this is like when you asked me who my favorite teacher was. Honestly, I think getting the opportunity to teach in Spain for two years, and I just developed so many skills, not only my Spanish, but cultural competency, traveling, meeting so many amazing people who I mentioned before that have now supported me, that led to more jobs. But those two years, I was really living paycheck to paycheck, but really enjoying my life. And I think that I just learned so much during that time in Spain. 

Cal: I'm glad you mentioned your teaching cultural competency. I also noted you've taught such a wide variety of subjects. Let's see, I have, of course, Spanish and ESL. I have cultures, literacy, immigration, empathy, digital literacy, entrepreneurship, ACT preparation, educational technology, teaching methodologies, and career readiness. You're kind of a catch-all of human preparation, I guess. 

Grace: Yeah, I guess. Yeah, I have really really taught a lot of different––I didn't even put yoga on there! But yeah, I've had a lot of different opportunities pop up and that's what I––back to the question about being in education––it can take so many different paths, different subjects, topics, levels, age groups. So, It's a fun field to be in if you like to switch things up a lot and I think that's obvious from my CV. 

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[33:11] Cal: That's a perfect segue into our next question. Can you think of a job you took or something you accomplished that you had no prior intentions of doing that your younger self would be surprised by? 

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[36:01] Cal: Do you consider yourself a leader? If so, what leadership roles have you held or what leadership responsibilities have you taken on? When and how did you become aware of your leadership potential? 

[36:14] Grace: Yes, I would consider myself a leader. I think I've always felt like a leader because I'm the oldest child, so just naturally in my––growing up, like, and my cousins––I have a lot of cousins and I'm the second oldest. So, it was just always kind of like a natural thing for me to maybe be––some might say bossy––and then throughout high school, I think that I would have taken on more opportunities, you know, volunteered for certain activities, to lead groups and stuff like that, 

But the real awareness, I think, happened in grad school when we took the leadership course with Kathi Bailey and she said, ‘All teachers are leaders’ and we talked about leading through the periphery and all that stuff and so I think just naturally all teachers are leaders, and that can look differently for everybody. But my biggest leadership role, I think, was starting my own company. Since then, I've worked with people. I've had to kind of take charge in that role, and then that has bled into my other roles as a transition navigator, and as a teacher for other companies, and presenting at conferences, and asking people to collaborate. I think that the leadership just has increased since grad school after that class. 

Cal: That's a perfect answer. I would agree, Kathi's leadership course was inspirational. But yeah, I think your number one would be starting your company!

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[37:45] Cal: What is one teacher skill or practice you think all educators should adopt? 

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[39:54] Cal: Think about the professional development activities you have participated in during your initial training, or that were provided by your employers, or that you sought out on your own. What kinds of activities were beneficial and what kinds of activities were not quite as useful? 

[40:14] Grace: I have been lucky enough that a lot of my admin and mentors, bosses have been big advocates for professional development. So much so that sometimes I didn't even realize that's what we were doing. One of the conferences I have to point out that I've only gone to twice, and this year, it's relatively new and it filled up, so I don't get to go this year. But, it's the COLEGAS Conference in California, so that's California Community Colleges. 

And then, supporting the Latinx community. And so you can be a teacher, or admin, educator, whatever you want, navigator, classified staff. But that conference is really, really incredible. And I feel like I've always learned a lot at that one. And then, I think for me, I've never been to a conference where I was like, ‘Well, that was a waste of time,’ because a big part of doing that is getting to speak to other educators, which I think is what you're doing with this podcast, and hearing their story and hearing what works for them and what doesn't work for them. So, anytime I get a chance to go to a conference, it really fills my cup, as well as I always attend at least one session that I learned something incredible from. 

And then, when I was first starting off professional development wise, I'm going to refer to this book I read called Champs, and that was all about classroom management. And actually, by the end of my first year teaching, it completely flipped my classroom. Like, I went from barely keeping my head above water to really feeling like I had a sense of control in the class and students knew what was expected of them. 

So, I'm going to give Champs a little plug there, but that's been a long time since I've used that. So, it's about conversation, the C: ‘Can we talk right now and how am I allowed to communicate at all or a little bit? Is it a whisper or are we presenting?’ H is Help, A is Activity, M is Movement? I think P was Participation, and I forget what the S was. But each letter basically had something that the student then knew exactly what was expected of them and helped the teacher kind of run their classroom. 

Cal: Okay, let's take a short break and we'll be right back. 

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[42:31] Cal: Okay, okay. We're back! So, let's head on to our next question. This is a segment called Teach Me Summ’n: In one or two minutes, can you teach us a concept that is one of your absolute favorites to teach in class? 

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[45:04] Cal: Can you tell us about a moment in your career where your practice was significantly altered, where you learned a trick that made your job a lot easier? 

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[46:16] Cal: What accomplishment in your career are you proudest of? 

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[46:54] Cal: What's the funniest moment of your career? 

[46:56] Grace: I don't think I have one specific moment. Like, I have a lot of fun, but Cal, it's usually grad school stuff. I mean, the whole grad school experience maybe, but the funniest moment, I don't have a time that really stands out. And I wish I did. There's so many stories as an educator that you can share. You know, part of that is speaking Spanish and making mistakes in Spanish, teaching and having students react in ways that you're embarrassed or they're embarrassed. That I was struggling to think of a specific moment. What did you share? 

Cal: I, actually, in my recording said that I was pretty sure that your funniest moment might be shared with me. 

Grace: Okay, because I was going to do that, but am I allowed to share that story? Because that's definitely it! 

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Grace: ‘What do you think about this!?’ 

[50:16] Cal: And I have never––Grace and I, over Zoom, can hear each other gasping…

Grace: God, I don't know how that happened. I was at the local Dunn Brothers and people had to ask me if I was okay. I should have asked you before if I could say that story, but actually I'm really glad that now people know. Like, I didn't have a specific moment, but that is it, hands down. 

Cal: A close second was a similar situation. You and I were on Zoom and it was also working for SOWLE, and––anyone who knows Grace, she's a lovely, nice gal, but anxious about everything––and when we were sending out, I think, the announcement or the call for proposals or something. The CC included like hundreds, maybe close to a thousand. 

Grace: Oh, yeah, at least 800! 

Cal: And we're on Zoom and you're like, ‘Okay, are we ready? Did we check all the spelling and everything a thousand times?’ And we were both sure. And I said, ‘Yes, hit send. We're good!’ And you hit send. Then I immediately saw a ding in my inbox. I said, ‘Yes! Way to go! It's done!’ And then ding, ding, ding, ding, ding. Somehow the email sent like 5,000 times in a row. 

Grace: It was so embarrassing! And then I'm in the middle of nowhere, terrible Wi-Fi––That's why it happened! I was in Iowa at my parents' house. We had terrible Wi-Fi. and then Cal was like, ‘Why am I getting this email 5000 times?’ I'm glad that SOWLE really, you know, that was a, that was a big one.

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[51:50] Cal: Who is one of your favorite fictional educators and why? 

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Cal: If you could start over and do it all over again, knowing what you know now about all of the successes and all of the challenges you faced, would you still choose to be an educator? 

[52:34] Grace: I would choose to be an educator again, and this goes back to my previous answer––I'm not sure what number that was, but––where education/educator can mean so many different things and look so different. And I think originally when I started, I was like, ‘Oh, I don't think I can do this forever,’ but then I added my ESL credential, I kept learning Spanish, I kept trying out different levels.

I kept trying out different skills. It turns out, I hate teaching reading and writing, and I love teaching speaking and listening. And so just exploring and figuring out what works for you is such a big part of this journey. But yes, no regrets on any of the teaching experiences I've had. They've all shaped my career and I would choose to be an educator again. 

Cal: Yeah, I love what you said. You don't have to like every subject and every part of that subject. 

Grace: ACT Prep? Eugh! 

Cal: Ew, yeah, no. Yeah. Every artist doesn't have to paint in every medium, you know. 

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[53:38] Cal: What is one problem or challenge you faced during your career that you want educational leaders to focus on now so that it isn't a problem in the future? 

[53:50] Grace: It depends, are you teaching in the private sector, the public sector, are you teaching online, are you teaching in the classroom? If I go back to my beginning days of teaching, smaller class sizes would have been great and the ability to feel like I had the bandwidth to teach the types of lessons I wanted to teach. I just felt like I was surviving and not thriving in that moment. And so I think anything that helps teachers feel more supported, and I know that that's an easy out, but that I think is different for every teacher. It kind of just depends on what they need. So, I know I mentioned more opportunities for professional development, mentorship, resources, smaller class sizes. 

I wish that our country valued education more and we spent more money on it than we do on our military. You can cut that out if you need to. But there are just certain things that I wish we were prioritizing and it's not necessarily admin or teacher's fault. It comes from––You gotta ask ‘Why’ five times and then you'll get to the root usually and it's not anything in the schools that I think would solve the problem. 

Cal: No, I'm not gonna cut it out. I will bravely take the burden of saying teachers are better than everyone and we should be being paid more than everyone else! 

Grace: Pay me like a doctor! Pay me like the doctor I am! 

Cal: Don't get me started ranting on how much NFL players make. 

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[55:17] Cal: What is a moment in your career that you are thankful to have experienced? 

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[57:11] Cal: What is one self-care habit you practice to avoid burnout? 

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[58:03] Cal: And our last question: What does the future of your career look like? What are your next steps and goals for the future? 

[58:09] Grace: My future career? I hope it is even more leadership opportunities. I think the dream would be to just completely run my own company. Maybe it's not called English With Grace, but one where I'm the director or lead teacher, CEO, co-founder, something like that. I hope I'm still in podcasting or somehow connected to that because it really does bring me a lot of joy and I enjoy interviewing people and hearing their stories.

I hope that I keep incorporating my Spanish and using my Spanish skills in my future career, but I think it's going to be a blend of what it is now, teaching for my own company, teaching for other companies, working as a navigator or a teacher in the public sector. EnGen is also a B corporation, so working for places that are truly trying to make an impact, whether that be for myself or for another company. I think that's where I'm headed. 

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Cal: Now it's time for our mentoring moment, the segment where our listeners write in to ask for professional advice from our guest. This week's question was submitted by our beloved friend, Dr. Kathi Bailey, and she has a question for you. As someone with many hats that you're wearing and many roles that you are currently working in, how do you make time to conduct research? Since you just recently won the Kathi Bailey Award, how do you make time to conduct research alongside your other responsibilities? 

[59:55] Grace: No, I love this question! Actually, when I was filling out the proposal to submit to the TIRF Bailey Award, my current boss said, ‘Are you sure you have time to take this on?’ I'm going to move some stuff around. And I think what's important for me, because I know myself, I do like to have new projects that I can work on, that I can then go back and––For example, like the podcast. I kind of took a break this summer, and now I'm back and working on it. So, I have some personal projects that I can kind of pause as I need to. 

And then, I do have a great boss, Frank Gerdemann. He knew I was taking on this research proposal, and this will help our current students, our current teachers, and so it's for the betterment of the ESL program. And so then I know that he will give me some time during my full time job where I can allot for research. And because I really, really was careful with this, Kathi, to answer your question, I made sure that this is something I'm interested in and something I want to research rather than, ‘Hey, research the Great Depression.’ Yeah, no, thank you!

I'm going to research how Burlington English is impacting our teachers and our students. And I love interviewing our students and getting a chance to talk to them. So, I think that answers the question. 

Cal: Yeah, that's a great answer! Yeah, thanks for your Mentoring Moment and thanks Kathi for our inaugural question for our Mentoring Moment segment. We love hearing from our listeners. So if you have any questions you'd like to ask our next guest, don't be shy, send it our way. You can submit your questions by connecting with us on social media or by visiting professionall.pro/pathways. Submit your question there on our website. 

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Cal: This is a segment I've been looking forward to the most. It's time for the Pedagogy Pop Quiz, the segment where we put your educational knowledge to the test. Whether you're a novice or a pro, you've got to know your profession. So, this is your chance to prove how much you know about the fascinating history of the education profession.

Each episode we challenge our guest with 10 trivia questions to show off their pedagogical expertise. Before we hear Grace's attempt at the Pedagogy Pop Quiz, if you want to give it a try before we hear the answers, head over to our website and you can give it a try yourself. So let's dive into today's Pop Quiz. 

Grace: I'm really nervous about this. Just so everybody knows, this is my least favorite part! 

Cal: Don't be nervous! Don't be nervous! Don't worry about getting it right. This is more just about exploration of some interesting facts. Now, some of them you should know. I will let you know, I've tailored some of the questions to you. 

Grace: Oh boy. 

Cal: Okay. Question one: What year was the Department of Education established in the United States? 1978, 1867, or 1890. 

Grace: 1890. 

Cal: Close! 1867. It was earlier, a lot earlier. So, question two: Which of these US presidents was a teacher before entering politics? Was it Lyndon B. Johnson, George Washington, or Abraham Lincoln? 

Grace: Johnson. 

Cal: Very well done. Yes, LBJ was the child of two teachers and worked as every job under the sun at schools, including janitor to principal. 

Grace: Love that! 

Cal: Question three: What percentage of public school teachers spend their own money on classroom supplies? 

Grace: A hundred percent. 

Cal: Okay, your options are 65%, 78% or 94%. 

Grace: Ninety-four. 

Cal: Close to what your guess was––Correct, yes, it's 94. Question four: In 1954, which US Supreme Court case declared segregation in public schools to be unconstitutional?

Grace: Brown versus Board of Education. 

Cal: You got it! 

Grace: That was multiple choice? I'm proud of myself. 

Cal: Yeah! Good job! You know your history. Number five: First introduced in 1953 by Eleanor Roosevelt, National Teacher Appreciation Day is celebrated on the first Tuesday of which month each year? Is it September, June, or May? 

Grace: I thought it was May. 

Cal: Ding, ding, ding, very well done! You knew that. 

Grace: Yeah, we have, well, every, I work at a college, so every year there's––

Cal: Right, that's why I forget. I'm so detached.

Grace: Yeah, you teach online. 

Cal: Yes! Number six: Which ancient Greek philosopher was the tutor of Alexander the Great? Was it Plato, Aristotle, or Socrates? 

Grace: Socrates? Oh!

Cal: No, it was Aristotle. 

Grace: Dang it! Always go with your first guess! 

Cal: Oh, don't doubt yourself. OK, number seven: What event in 1957 led to a nationwide increase of science education programs? Was it the start of the Korean War? Was it the launch of the Soviet Union's Sputnik, or the election of JFK? 

Grace: Sputnik, the second one. 

Cal: Nice, yes! It was the launch of Sputnik that inspired a big uptick in science programs. Okay, number eight: According to Maslow's hierarchy of needs, introduced in 1943, which category is found in the middle of the five-tiered pyramid? 

Grace: This is without multiple choice? 

Cal: I have them, but do you want... 

Grace: No, hold on. Let me see if I can do it. I want to say love and belonging. 

Cal: Wow! Ding, ding, ding. You got it!

Grace: Okay, well I was preaching Maslow's earlier, so I should be able to at least… 

Cal: Exactly! Very nice. Well done. Yes, it's psychological needs, safety needs, love and belonging, esteem and respect, and then self-actualization. 

Grace: And that's going up the triangle. The top is self-actualization, obviously, and then down at the bottom is physiological. 

Cal: Very nice, very nice. So number nine: What year did the Adult Education Act, the AEA, first pass in the United States? 1966, 1971, or 1980? 

Grace: Oh, I think it was probably later than we like. 1980? No.

Cal: Earlier than you think! 

Grace: Really? Oh, wow!

Cal: Yeah, it was ‘56 actually. For adult educators––I picked this for your adult education experience––it marked the first direct and sustained effort by the federal government in adult basic education for other than vocational or work training purposes. 

Grace: Oh, interesting. Interesting. Yeah. 

Cal: Okay. And your last question, number 10: What was the first public university established in Iowa? Do you want your options? 

Grace: Well yeah, I think you're gonna give me the three biggest ones. 

Cal: The options are Iowa State University, University of Iowa, and Drake University. 

Grace: Drake. Is it Iowa State? 

Cal: No. Oh University of Iowa. 

Grace: Wipe this from the record, please! That's embarrassing. 

Cal: You lost your state license. 

Grace: Well, I don't want to say University of Iowa. I'm a cyclone. And Drake's closer to the Capitol. That's where I was going with that. 

Cal: Wait, you went to University of Iowa, didn't you? 

Grace: No, I went to Iowa State! 

Cal: Oh, okay, okay. Sorry. I should have picked that one. 

Grace: Yeah, ask me who the cyclones are, I can tell you. 

Cal: It was first established in February of 1847, only 59 days after Iowa became a state. It was the second official act of the General Assembly of Iowa. 

Grace: Good on you, Iowa. 

Cal: They prioritized education. Congratulations, you got six out of 10 questions correct. 

Grace: Oh, great. 

Cal: Passing on a French standard, we can say. 

Grace: Well, um, I also hate standardized testing, so––no, I’m just kidding! 

Cal: This is all just for fun, of course! If you want more information, check out our website for the sources and more information on the questions I posed to Grace here today. If you have an interesting piece of trivia you want included in the next episode, send us a message with a citation from a credible source, and this has been the Pedagogy Pop Quiz.

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Cal: Okay, Grace, it's time to wrap up. Thank you so much for taking the time to explore your pathway with us. Is there any last thing you would like to share with our audience? 

Grace: I don't think so. I'm going to repeat: chase the ideals and find the joy. There's a lot of different paths and a lot of different meanings for the word ‘educator,’ so, you can make it whatever you'd like. 

Cal: Absolutely couldn't agree more. If you want to hear more from both of us, you can find us on the second Professionall podcast, soon to come out, called The Case Report Podcast, where Grace and I will explore some challenging situations in the education profession to see what a pro would do. So, check out that podcast soon. And Grace, I can't thank you enough for being my first pilot guest. I've had a great time exploring your pathway with you, and I can't wait to see where your pathway takes you. 

Grace: Oh, absolutely, Cal. I was honored to be asked to pilot this with you and I think this is going to lead to a lot of great things, so thank you. 

Cal: Thanks.