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>> Hey, everyone. Sarah Brown Wessling here from the Council of Chief State School Officers National Teacher of the Year Program and I'm excited to introduce Voices from the Classroom: The State Teacher of the Year Podcast. CCSSO's National Teacher of the Year program provides a platform for exceptional educators to elevate issues that affect teachers and their students, expand their leadership roles, and inform policy and practice. I was named National Teacher of the Year in 2010 and since then, I've been committed to sharing the stories and elevating the voices of the State Teachers of the Year. It is my hope that this podcast will give you insight into the incredible work they do. The 2021-2022 school year has commenced and many educators have used their experiences over the last two years to reflect on how they can better serve students to ensure their overall success. In these new episodes, the 2021 State Teachers of the Year will share how they used the shift in learning environments as an opportunity to refine their approach to teaching so they can better support students and their varying needs. You can join the conversation on social media by using the hashtag #NTOY21 or by visiting us online at ntoy.org. That's N-T-O-Y dot org.

>> So, this is Caroline Phenicie, press secretary at CCSSO. Welcome, Jena and thank you for joining us today. To start, could you please introduce yourself.

>> Hi, my name is Jena Nelson and I am the Oklahoma State Teacher of the Year.

>> So, we know that so much about education has changed in the past two years, but what is one practice, strategy, concept, or ideology you are going to keep for this school year?

>> For this school year and for the rest of my career, I am always going to look at my classroom through a trauma-informed lens. I think that, you know, we have seen, not only within my state of Oklahoma which has one of the highest ACE scores in the entire country, but across the country, that our kids have been in trauma due to this pandemic. And so we need to take our practices and really adjust them so that we look at every kid because they have all experienced loss and isolation. And I think that is very, very important going forward that we address those issues but we also make sure that we also include all those practices that are going to help our children feel successful.

>> So, what are those practices that you're implementing to help them feel successful?

>> So, the first thing is that we need to get rid of homework. And I say that because when they are within our four walls they are protected and they're going to be educated wherever they're at because that's what good teachers do. Once they leave, they're not going to have that support. And there are so many things that are going on in our children's lives that can interrupt and affect that and that if we take a grade -- if we're really focusing on that as being any kind of way to give them a grade, it's not fair. Because then we're truly grading them on access. And so that's something that I think that is very important. Keep it within your classroom, really and truly. Keep your mind open. Instead of asking -- you know, if a kid is misbehaving, don't sit there and go, you know, what is wrong with you? Ask them, how can I help you today? How can I help you be successful today? The language that we use in our classroom can either elevate and escalate a situation or it can completely solidify relationship that those children desperately need. And I know because I was one of those kids and because a teacher did that for me and he saved my life. I'm here today. So those are the practices and things. Those are just, you know, the tip, the tip of iceberg. The things that we can do to truly make a difference in children's lives.

>> Besides the pandemic, are there particular circumstances that your students are going through that, you know, maybe affect them uniquely versus others around the country?

>> And I'm not sure if it's uniquely, but in Oklahoma we do have to think about food and security. That's really a big issue in our state and there are many programs that are trying to address that now. I'm so glad that we have, you know, the federal assistance program this year to make sure that all of our children in Oklahoma have access to a hot lunch and some breakfast because that doesn't happen all of the time. And a lot of times we pack bags on Friday for our children to take home to make sure that they've got food to eat over the weekend. We know that during the pandemic that was a big issue in our state. We were so concerned, not only about the education, but we knew that that's what kids were eating. And so as a teacher and, you know, it's something I think about a lot. Because we know kids don't learn if their bellies are empty. They're too distracted. And so that is a big thing for my state is to think about, do our children have access to food?

>> So, circling back, you said you're getting rid of homework. Is there something else that you are just letting go of for this year?

>> For this year, I think that for me personally, policing those little things, and maybe this is not a very popular opinion, but policing those little things about hoodies. I'm a middle school teacher and obviously that's what kids in middle school love to wear. But, you know, it's a trauma thing as well. They're using it for comfort. They're not using it to be nefarious or anything like that. But really focusing on building relationships and letting go of those little policing things. That's not going to do anything but get in the way. It could possible escalate a situation if you don't know why that kid needs to wear that hoodie or, you know, has a certain bracelet or something like that. You really need to make those connections and understand culturally where they're coming from, what's going on at home, and just really focus on building the relationships.

>> OK. Wonderful. Is there a particular moment that stand out to you so far this year as a great moment for the 2021-22 year?

>> For me, because I was on sabbatical all last year, walking in and seeing their faces again after being on the road for a year and traveling and getting to meet all these wonderful people, but coming back, it was a homecoming for me. You know, even though they didn't know me and I didn't know them, but just seeing the kids and the colleagues and the joy the kids had of getting back into the school building. Because, you know, we were off and on quite a bit last year and we were on -- then we switched to an A/B schedule because of how many kids we have in our school. So just seeing the joy that they had of being back in the building, that was wonderful. That's it. That's great.

>> Wonderful. All right. Well, thank you so much for joining us, Jena. This is wonderful.

>> Oh my goodness. Thank you so much for the opportunity.

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>> Thank you for listening to the latest series of Voices from the Classroom: The State Teacher of the Year Podcast. This podcast is brought to you by the Council of Chief State School Officers National Teacher of the Year program. It's our honor to elevate the voices of educators across the country and provide them with a national platform to amplify their message and advocate on behalf of their students and colleagues. Please, share these lessons on social media with the hashtag #NTOY21. That's hashtag N-T-O-Y-2-1. Let's keep the conversation going.