PAGE Talks

A Teacher's Guide to Becoming a Millionaire

Professional Association of Georgia Educators — Fri, 04 Aug 2023 14:00:00 -0400

Did you know teachers are more likely to become millionaires than attorneys or doctors? In this episode, PAGE Talks host Craig Harper, PAGE executive director, presents a conversation with Dr. Steve Frandsen about his book “The Millionaire and Me: A Teacher’s Guide to Becoming a Millionaire.” Steve is a career educator and administrator in a metro Atlanta school district. He presents five levers that increase your chances of retiring as a millionaire.

Professional Biography

Dr. Steve Frandsen’s career in education has spanned three decades. Throughout his career, he has held many positions in a large urban school district in Atlanta. He has worked as a high school teacher for Spanish and English as a Second Language (ESOL), an assistant principal at the elementary and middle school levels, and a principal at the elementary and high school levels. He has also worked as an adjunct college professor teaching graduate courses in education for the past 15 years.

Dr. Frandsen holds degrees from Brigham Young University, Brigham Young University-Idaho, Piedmont University, and Nova Southeastern University. He also earned his Leadership Add-On Credentials from the University of Georgia.

Apart from spending time teaching and learning, he loves spending time with his wife and his five children.

Contact Dr. Frandsen: millionaireandme@gmail.com

Resources

The Millionaire and Me – Buy the book from the website

The Millionaire and Me - Amazon

Are you interested in the millionaire research by Ramsey Solutions? National Study on Millionaires

Production Notes

Music for PAGE Talks is Inspirational Outlook by Scott Holmes

Podcast cover art by Dolly Purvis with PAGE Communications

Episode Notes

(Timestamped notes are summarized from comments and are not intended as a verbatim transcript)

02:10 - For the past 20 years, I've been in the hiring business trying to recruit and retain teachers which led to the book.

02:29 – Recruitment to the profession is an issue because of the belief that as a teacher you're going to be on the short end of the stick when it comes to financial stability and well-being.

02:55 - When considering to be a teacher my mother questioned whether it was a good idea.

03:09 – Received the messages that you're not going to become a millionaire. You're not going to be rich. You're going to teach. You're going to fulfill your passion. You're going to impact the community. You'll sacrifice wealth and riches for the altruistic, wonderful aspects that the profession provides.

03:47 – Noticed that department head and husband had a beautiful home and lifestyle as well as most of retirees recognized by the district at the end of the year.

04:21 - They were relatively young people retiring and going off to this next chapter and they were all doing very well. And I started to think, how is this possible? How are they figuring out how to make this profession pay?

04:42 - I wanted to pass this knowledge on to new hires. They would look at me like “Why are you talking to me about investing? I’m 22. I just started teaching.”

05:15 – Assignment to learn about saving, investing, and compound interest.

05:55 – Encourage teachers to stay in the profession because they are walking away from a lot of money.

06:12 – I talk to them about how retirement works and what they are giving up.

07:00 – Three different conversations that I would have with teachers at three different times. With beginning teachers, you talk a little bit about finances and budgeting. At five years, it’s about the next steps with your career, getting the next degree. And then frustrated teachers who are about to leave, it’s “No, don't leave because of this incredible pension that we have.”

07:49 – From all of these conversations, I decided that I was going to write a book and put it all in one spot so that we can hand it to the beginning teacher.

09:22 - Most people would never believe that teachers are No. 3 on the list of millionaires behind engineers and accountants.

10:29 - That tells you that the College of Education produces more millionaires than the law school, than medical school, than tech, than computer and technology, than a lot of other professions, and it's surprising.

11:21 – A contributing factor to success is that teachers are planners. We make lesson plans every day. We know how to create a plan, and we know how to execute a plan. And we do a good job of adjusting.

11:42 – If teachers grasp the plan of how they can retire 10 years before the national average of 65, teachers retire much earlier than that in good health with lots of energy. They can put the components together and be worth a considerable amount of money at age 55 and really set themselves up for a great second chapter in their career or in their life.

13:44 - A millionaire, or a true millionaire, is just someone who has a million dollars’ worth of net worth. You add up everything they own and then you subtract everything they owe and you have a million dollars left over.

14:16 - A millionaire equivalent is a term I made up for the book. It’s that with our pension, we can have the equivalent of a million dollars of streaming money coming to us very easily.

15:39 – According to TRS (Teachers Retirement) in the state of Georgia, the average payout might be like $41,000. That means that TRS retirement is worth a million dollars. It is the equivalent of a million dollars sitting in a 401(k) that's kicking out $40,000 per year.

17:00 – In addition to TRS, teachers have opportunities to invest in 403(b) or 457 funds, and most contribute to Social Security. Those are three streams of income for retirement. If you add all those up and it equals more than $40,000 a year, that is the equivalent of what a million dollars would produce following the rule of 4 percent. Or, if it's $80,000, it would be following the rule of 8 percent, which is a little bit more aggressive, but still not wildly aggressive, according to finance folks.

18:21 – The Five Levers to become a millionaire or a millionaire equivalent. 1) Maximize your retirement plan (TRS); 2) Make the profession pay you; 3) Tell your money what to do (budgeting); 4) Put your money to work (investment): 5) Expand your options.

19:24 - The first and biggest lever that we have as teachers is TRS.

20:17 - The second lever is make the profession pay you. It didn't take long to figure out that when I started teaching at 25, 26, I was working really hard, and the people next to me were making a lot more than me.

22:37 – An advanced degree pays off in many ways beyond moving up the pay scale.

24:30 – Lever three is tell your money what to do. This one is huge because as teachers, we're used to telling things what to do. We tell kids how to walk into the classroom. We tell kids how to turn things in. We're telling people what to do all day, mostly, or we're being told what to do. We're in the telling things what to do business. And, that should apply to our money, too.

25:31 - We just have to follow basic financial rules. Our incomes, our salary, may not be as big as the next guy, but we're really good when we tell that money what to do. And that's how teachers climbed up that list so much. And that's how teachers are beating the lawyers and the dentists and the computer software guy. It's because of this third lever.

25:56 - If we if we're successful at telling our money what to do, then that leads us to Lever four which is put your money to work, which is just a basic financial principle. Anybody who's going to accrue any money needs to put their money to work. So if we can tell our money what to do, have 10 to 15 percent left over, then we take that 10 to 15 percent and we invest it.

28:15 - Compound interest is so powerful. If we invest early, we will become not only millionaire equivalent, not only a millionaire, but we will be multi-millionaires because it's that powerful. So that's the lever where we kind of dive into some basics of investing.

29:23 – Lever five is expand your options. We are professional, we're trained, and we're educated. Some of us have very specialized talents. We need to expand our options during that time that we aren't on contract to see what we can do to bring in a few extra bucks.

30:50 - Expanding your options is how can you use your skills, your time, your talents to do a little side hustle, to do some things that might help you pay off your cars quicker, increase your rate of contribution from 5 percent to 10 percent to 15 percent. How can you continue to sharpen your professional and personal saw to maximize this time between the ages of 25 and 55 that we're trying to accrue enough to last us for the rest of our lives?

32:35 - There's a pretty consistent theme about being intentional and being steady. And it's not a get rich quick strategy. This is throughout a career, being mindful of what you're doing and how you're doing it with an end goal in mind.

32:53 - I've read “The Tortoise and the Hare” hundreds of times. It's a wonderful story. And every time I read that story, it's pretty great. It's pretty consistent that the tortoise wins. We are definitely the tortoise that this profession can help us retire a full decade before the national average, having accrued a million dollars and a healthy pension. In addition to the million dollars, it is tremendous. And it's the best kept secret in the world.

33:30 - Everybody thinks, “Oh, you're going to be a teacher. You're going to be poor.” It just hasn't been my experience. I'm surrounded by folks and seen folks who retire young and not poor, time and time again. And I just wanted to put it together so it can help us recruit talent into the profession.

33:48 - This can help us when the profession is tough. Teaching is so tough. And when we're there and we're thinking this, this may not be the thing for me. But wait a second, if we understand the financial ramification, that might be enough to help us get through that tough year or that tough administrator or that tough class that's really got me on my last string.

35:01 - Financial planners acknowledge the benefit of teacher retirement.

35:38 – Discussion of varying outcomes from counseling teachers regarding financial well-being throughout their careers.

37:54 – Thank you to entire Spanish language department at South Gwinnett High School from 1998 to 2002. That first group of teachers made it possible for the principal to ask me to come back in year two. Had it not been for them and relying on them, I would have been completely unsuccessful, and I wouldn't have been surprised if they would have said, “Thank you for your service. You need to go do something else.” So that whole department was just instrumental in a young teacher's career to figure out the ropes of the profession, how to manage a classroom, how to set up a grade book and how to make this career pay off.

Michael Kobito - 2023 Georgia Teacher of the Year

Professional Association of Georgia Educators — Tue, 08 Nov 2022 06:00:00 -0400

In this episode, PAGE Talks host Craig Harper, PAGE executive director, presents a conversation with 2023 Georgia Teacher of the Year Michael Kobito. Michael is the AP Music Theory teacher and band director at Woodland High School in Bartow County, his alma mater. While attending college at the University of Georgia, he served two years as the drum major for the Redcoat Marching Band.

Professional Biography

PAGE One Magazine Feature

Georgia Teacher of the Year - A program of the Georgia Department of Education. PAGE is an organizational sponsor of the Georgia Teacher of the Year program.

Teacher Burnout in Georgia: Voices from the Classroom - This report commissioned by the Georgia Department of Education, and produced by a teacher task force chaired by 2022 Georgia Teacher of the Year Cherie Goldman, was published in June 2022.

Music for PAGE Talks is Inspirational Outlook by Scott Holmes

Podcast cover art by Dolly Purvis with PAGE Communications

Show Notes

03:12 – Biographical details: Born in Okinawa, Japan; early childhood in England; moved to Cartersville, Georgia, in Bartow County; graduated from the University of Georgia; and returned to alma mater Woodland High School as a band teacher.

04:07 – “Dream Come True” to return to Woodland High School as a band teacher.

04:24 – Learned the involvement and commitment required from educators to offer a successful band program that wasn’t obvious as a student.

05:42 – Stars aligned with former band directors agreeing to take care of the band program to make it possible to serve for one year as Georgia’s Teacher of the Year.

07:06 – Responsibilities of Georgia’s Teacher of the Year include ex-officio member of State Board of Education, service on education-related non-profit boards, keynote speaker and panel participant at education conferences.

09:06 - State Board of Education experience rewarding, and board members are interested in listening to the teacher voice.

10:24 – State Board focus this year is career preparation across the spectrum from college prep to vocational areas. Michael emphasizing the importance of the arts as a way to support that industry as well as helping students in academic work.

12:06 – Teacher pipeline issues are important to the State Board and the Georgia Department of Education. The Teacher Burnout Report – produced through the work of a task force led by 2022 Georgia Teacher of the Year Cherie Goldman – highlights the challenges teachers face and that sometimes lead to their dropping out of the profession.

14:41 – Teachers’ social media posts often refer to the lack of time available to provide core responsibilities for student instruction and preparation for instruction. Bartow County has done a good job of protecting time.

17:32 – Future Georgia Educators conferences are informative and engaging for high school students. Presenting to students provides a different level of excitement and is enjoyable connection while out of the classroom.

18:48 – “The Magic of Teaching” is the foundation of message to students and encourages them to join the profession and be that magical teacher for somebody in their classroom.

21:09 – The portrait wall of inspiring teachers prompted the dream to become a great teacher.

22:36 – The journey to being named Georgia’s Teacher of the Year and the joy of meeting so many inspiring educators.

26:23 – Culture clash in earliest experiences in Bartow County highlighted the need to understand differences in experience and perspective. Learned the critical importance of acknowledging students’ needs.

30:40 – Every student, every human being wants to learn.

33:22 – Differentiation naturally required in band program and strive to help students discover their musical voice.

36:10 – In order to model how to play all the instruments, Michael learned the basics of each instrument so they can trust that he knows what he is talking about.

37:03 – Academic knowledge is important, too. Students were 100 percent successful with AP Music Theory Test even though students came with a wide range of knowledge and capability.

39:12 – Friday night band experience is always fun and enjoy alumni and community support and appreciation for the program. It’s a “family reunion” every Friday night.

41:11 – Emily Kobito one of the best teachers Michael knows and is an inspiration.

42:22 – As an educator couple, only talk about school issues on the way home and avoid it at home to provide balance.

43:43 – Travels throughout the state and observing and talking to others has highlighted that the needs are different and require different resources. Encouraged by all the education supporting organizations that exist to make an impact for students and learning.

46:03 – The difference between bubbles and silos and making the effort to seek answers from others.

46:53 – Love working with PAGE this year and encourage teachers to join in the fight for students and public education.

Benefits-Based Accountability More Accurately Tells the Story of Schools

Professional Association of Georgia Educators — Thu, 31 Mar 2022 09:00:00 -0400

This episode is all about the design and implementation of benefits-based accountability for schools.

Executive Director Craig Harper hosts this conversation with John Tanner, accountability researcher, author, and founder of bravEd, and Dr. Marc Feuerbach, superintendent of Cartersville City Schools, in Cartersville, Georgia. John is the leading designer of the PAGE initiative that resulted in True Accountability for Georgia Schools (TAGS). Cartersville City Schools is one of the original pilot districts that formed TAGS and is implementing benefits-based accountability throughout the system.

Georgia school leaders interested in learning more about TAGS and how to join the initiative should contact John Tanner at john.tanner@brave-ed.com.

Music for PAGE Talks is Inspirational Outlook by Scott Holmes

Podcast cover art by Dolly Purvis with PAGE Communications

Show Notes

(Timestamped notes are summarized from comments and are not intended as a transcript)

John Tanner

03:45-Over the last five years we've gotten better at thinking about, talking about, and getting benefits-based accountability systems in place.

04:05-We can all collaborate on what accountability ought to look like in schools and figure out the best way to bring benefits-based systems into schools.

04:28-A basic benefits-based system can be in place in a few months in a school.

04:45-In the beginning of this work, it seemed like everyone needed to understand accountability in the same way and at the same depth as I did, and that was a mistake.

05:00-Where we've come in the past few years in terms of the old "Name that Tune," we've gone from naming that tune in 10 notes down to three or four.

Marc Feuerbach

05:35-To be truthful, benefits-based accountability wasn't attractive at first.

05:55-This seemed like a way to find something good to show if test scores weren't good.

06:15-This opened my eyes that this really is about the stakeholder, the community, those involved in our organization ... focusing on all areas we should be accountable for.

06:50-As we dived deeper into this, it's a more holistic approach to what we do in schools and what we're held accountable for.

John Tanner

07:40-My professional background is testing and I knew that world well. However, I was Interested in accountability, not testing and so was never obsessed about testing.

08:15-Testing is designed as a research instrument for narrow and specific purposes and not as a social decision-making tool for judgment.

09:15-Standardized testing instruments are legitimate research tools used for deeply inappropriate judgments.

09:30-There are a limited number of research functions these tests can play, and they play almost none of them. This leads in awkward and bad directions that do not share the whole truth.

10:00-It would be helpful to have better tests, but we could have the best tests in the world, and as long as we have the same accountability environment that we do, it's going to have the same effect as we have at the moment.

Marc Feuerbach

11:00-Pillars of the benefits-based accountability system described: Student Achievement; Student Readiness; Engaged, Well-Rounded Students; Community Engagement & Partnerships; Professional Learning/Quality Staff; Fiscal and Operational Systems; and, Safety and Well-being.

12:00-Only have capacity to do so much and must select areas of focus and timelines for that effort within these pillars. District and school improvement plans determine specific focus.

13:25-Bringing district, board, and school community into the process.

13:50-Test-based measurement is an easier process; benefits-based accountability involves more systems and broader involvement.

15:20-School board members get calls about much more than test scores and must address all systems of accountability, and therefore benefits-based accountability makes sense to them.

15:45-Next year, benefits-based accountability will be part of induction for new staff and then throughout the year we will have check-in points for any staff, parents, and community stakeholders who want to participate.

John Tanner

16:35-Benefits-based accountability is a much higher and more truthful accountability with greater complexity

17:00-As an example, graduation rates present a false indicator of achievement even if a school has 100 percent graduation rate.

19:00-Truth at the right level allows continuous improvement that everyone can understand from community to board to students.

19:50-"Smartness Profile" is a tool for individuals to better understand the value of schools beyond typically tested academic content.

20:50-Best way to understand the power of benefits-based accountability is to talk about Hopes and Dreams for students, which are common across all the divisions present in society.

22:30-Hopes and dreams conversations can make sure organizational priorities and stakeholders' priorities are aligned.

24:00-The formula to be a successful adult is to be really smart and passionate at a handful of things and capable in a few other things. Often the "smart" areas involve content or skills that are not narrowly focused in tested areas.

Marc Feuerbach

27:15-Not once in community discussions did someone highlight a singular desire for their children to do well on high-stakes testing. They are focused on longer-term success in broader areas of capability and interests.

28:20-How many students have we not allowed to follow their passions because we only focused on areas of weakness?

28:40-We need to find a way to bring students' passions into the work of schools to better support student growth.

John Tanner

29:15-The most remarkable learning is how incredibly empowering benefits-based accountabilities are for creating a partnership between stakeholders and organizations.

30:35-Once a partnership is built, it's impossible to stigmatize schools, neighborhoods, and communities, which is incredibly empowering and effective.

Marc Feuerbach

31:50-Cartersville City Schools is committed to this process and is learning and growing our ability to implement benefits-based accountability as the basis for continuous improvement.

Resources

Benefits-based Accountability in Schools Policy Framework

The Accountability Mindset

bravEd

Cartersville City Schools

Professional Association of Georgia Educators

A Progression of Learning about Benefits-based Accountability

To better understand the progression of learning for TAGS and benefits-based accountability, listen to a John Tanner interview with David Reynolds, host of Lead. Learn. Change. - a PAGE-affiliated podcast. This episode was published January 22, 2020.

Accountability is About the Future

2022 Legislative Issues Preview

Professional Association of Georgia Educators — Mon, 03 Jan 2022 10:00:00 -0400

This episode is all about the 2022 session of the General Assembly which begins Jan. 10. PAGE

Executive Director Craig Harper hosts the PAGE legislative staff as they present member-driven legislative priorities, discuss the results of a recent member survey, preview the big issues expected this session, and consider what may happen with the state budget.

Your PAGE Legislative Team

Margaret Ciccarelli, director of legislative services

Josh Stephens, legislative services specialist

Claire Suggs, senior education policy analyst.

Stay Informed

You don’t want to miss PAGE’s daily comprehensive reports on all the activity under the Gold Dome this session.

2021 Georgia Legislative Session Review

Professional Association of Georgia Educators — Thu, 29 Apr 2021 09:00:00 -0400

This episode is all about what happened under the Gold Dome during the 2021 session of the Georgia General Assembly. You can access a written wrap-up report of the session as well as many other highlights and analyses on the legislative webpage HERE.

Host Craig Harper, PAGE Executive Director, is joined by Legislative Services staff Margaret Ciccarelli, Josh Stephens, and Claire Suggs.

Topics Discussed

COVID-19 adjustments for the 2021 legislative session
Gov. Brian Kemp's Teacher Pipeline Bill
$1,000 educator retention supplement
$3,000 educator tax credit for qualifying teachers in high needs and rural schools
TRS return-to-work bill and why it would not take effect until July 2023
Explanation of two-year process for fiscal impact bills
Paid parental leave for state employees, including school employees
Charter school funding and expanded educator eligibility for state health
Home school students qualification to participate in public schools sports
Expansion of the special needs voucher
Fiscal impact of vouchers
Voucher bills that did not pass: Educational Savings Accounts and expansion of student scholarships
Partial budget restoration of austerity reductions and fiscal outlook
Additional federal funding for schools through pandemic spending
Allocation formulas for federal funding
Get to know your legislators now for better advocacy later

"Inspirational Outlook" by scottholmesmusic.com

COVID-19 Vaccination Legal Concerns for Educators

Professional Association of Georgia Educators — Tue, 09 Mar 2021 09:00:00 -0400

This episode is all about legal rights related to COVID-19 vaccines. Effective Monday, March 8, all preschool to secondary educators became eligible for vaccination. Most districts are working with their area health departments and other providers to distribute the vaccine as efficiently as possible to those who want it. According to a recent PAGE survey, overall about 66 percent of educators want to take the vaccine with those living in highly populated areas more likely to be vaccinated compared to educators in rural Georgia. The decision to be vaccinated – or not – is very personal. Many members are concerned about their legal and privacy rights regarding that decision.

Host Craig Harper, PAGE Executive Director, is joined by Matthew Pence and Leonard Williams, two of the six PAGE staff attorneys, who answer questions from members related to vaccinations.

Topics Discussed

Will my district know if I'm vaccinated?
Can a Georgia school district require its employees to be vaccinated?
Are there potential repercussions for not getting vaccinated?
Do my students or their parents have a right to know whether I'm vaccinated?
What should I do if I believe I've been treated negatively by my district due to my vaccination status?

If you are a PAGE member and would like to speak to a PAGE attorney, call the PAGE office at 800-334-6861 or find additional contact information on our website at www.pageinc.org.

Additional COVID-19 information for educators and PAGE advocacy may also be found on the website.

"Inspirational Outlook" by scottholmesmusic.com

COVID-19 Vaccination Information for Educators

Professional Association of Georgia Educators — Tue, 09 Mar 2021 09:00:00 -0400

This episode is all about COVID-19 vaccines as Georgia added all preschool to secondary educators to the eligibility list on Monday, March 8. Most districts have worked with their area health departments and providers to distribute the vaccine as efficiently as possible to those educators who want it. According to a recent PAGE survey, overall about 66 percent of educators want to take the vaccine with those living in highly populated areas more likely to be vaccinated compared to educators in rural Georgia. The decision to be vaccinated – or not – is very personal. Our intended purpose in this podcast is to help educators make an informed choice.

Host Craig Harper, PAGE Executive Director, is joined by Dr. Georgina Peacock, the chief medical officer for the Department of Public Health and a physician with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Dr. Peacock shares the latest information on the three vaccines now available for use.

Topics Discussed

What are the vaccines are intended to accomplish?
Are the vaccines safe?
How is the Johnson & Johnson vaccine different than Moderna and Pfizer?
Does the vaccine have side effects?
Do vaccinated people still have to follow mitigation strategies?
Should younger, healthy people still consider getting vaccinated?
When will school-age children be approved for vaccination?

Visit the PAGE website for COVID-19 information for educators and our advocacy for educators.

Music
"Inspirational Outlook" by scottholmesmusic.com

2021 Legislative Session Preview

Professional Association of Georgia Educators — Thu, 07 Jan 2021 09:00:00 -0400

This episode is all about the 2021 session of the General Assembly which begins January 11. PAGE Executive Director Craig Harper hosts the PAGE legislative staff as they present member-driven legislative priorities, discuss the results of a recent member survey, preview the big issues expected this session, and consider what may happen with the state budget. In addition to these topics, they discuss the importance of establishing relationships with your legislators and talking with them about critical issues for educators, students, and public education—particularly during the ongoing pandemic.

Your PAGE Legislative Team: Margaret Ciccarelli, director of legislative affairs, Josh Stephens, legislative affairs specialist, and Claire Suggs, senior education policy analyst.

You don’t want to miss PAGE’s daily comprehensive reports on all the activity under the Gold Dome. Sign up for Capitol Reports HERE.

PAGE Legislative Webpage

Music
"Inspirational Outlook" by scottholmesmusic.com

A Conversation about Conversations & Changing the World through Changing Behavior

Professional Association of Georgia Educators — Mon, 07 Sep 2020 09:00:00 -0400

In this episode, Craig Harper, executive director of the Professional Association of Georgia Educators, talks with Joseph Grenny – social scientist, researcher, best-selling author, and founder of VitalSmarts. In coordination with research partners and co-authors, Joseph developed the communications and relationship frameworks of Crucial Conversations, Crucial Accountability, and other concepts designed to improve the lives of individuals and the effectiveness of organizations. Joseph has co-authored four New York Times bestsellers. You can learn more at vitalsmarts.com and josephgrenny.com.

Issues Discussed in this podcast

See something, say something when actions, behavior, and circumstances don’t match
Make Truth more important than Power in organizations and relationships
Retribution for speaking up less likely than feared
Happiness is a function of our capacity for Truth, Love, and Connection
Safety and protection are required for honest expression of ideas
Lag time in addressing issues determines the health of any social system
Speaking “up” within an organization is possible, and when done properly, results in broader trust, involvement, and opportunity
Communication is more difficult today because technology and virtual connections create more opportunities to avoid real contact and healthy conversations
Motives, intent, and responsibility matter when addressing difficult issues
Generational vs. technological differences in communication
Help for people to overcome chronic behavioral issues that led to criminal justice consequences

Note to PAGE members: Listen carefully for a professional learning opportunity.

Music

"Inspirational Outlook" and "Postcards" by scottholmesmusic.com

A Distance Learning Conversation with Baldwin County Educators

Professional Association of Georgia Educators — Sun, 03 May 2020 09:00:00 -0400

Meet five Baldwin County educators and learn a little about how they and their school district are meeting the challenges of school closures, distance learning, and all that it means for students and educators. When schools first closed due to COVID-19, PAGE surveyed our members to find out how educators and schools were dealing with the early days of the crisis. More than 15,000 educators responded. Among the survey findings, educators from a few districts indicated they believed their district, schools, and peers were doing everything possible to meet student needs. Baldwin County was one of those districts. Even with issues of student poverty, limited technology resources, and no prior emphasis on preparation for distance learning, educators were rising to the challenge. Baldwin County is a public charter school system of about 5,200 students in central Georgia. Milledgeville is the county seat — 40 miles east of Macon and 100 miles southeast of Atlanta. The district’s student body is majority black at 67 percent of enrollment and 93 percent of all students qualify for Free and Reduced Lunch. Dr. Noris Price, superintendent of schools, praises her educators for responding to the needs of the community, and for their heart for kids.

Music

"Inspirational Outlook" and "Postcards" by scottholmesmusic.com

A Distance Learning Conversation with Dalton Public Schools

Professional Association of Georgia Educators — Mon, 20 Apr 2020 09:00:00 -0400

Among survey findings from the PAGE COVID-19 Educator Impact Survey, four districts were identified by their educators as doing a particularly good job with the transition to distance learning. Not surprisingly, three were metro Atlanta districts known for their ongoing work with digital learning resources. The other district was Dalton Public schools – an independent city school system with about 8,000 students in northwest Georgia. In this podcast, PAGE speaks with Dalton educators about what set them up for success to deal with the rapid change to distance learning, and also spotlights the experiences of two Dalton teachers during this unprecedented national health crisis. The conversation echoes large-scale survey themes which were discussed in Episode 1 of the PAGE Talks podcast.

COVID-19 Educator Impact Results Overview

Professional Association of Georgia Educators — Wed, 15 Apr 2020 09:00:00 -0400

PAGE Executive Director Craig Harper, Director of Legislative Services Margaret Ciccarelli, and Senior Policy Analyst Claire Suggs highlight many of the themes from our PAGE COVID-19 Educator Impact Survey. A summary report and a full report were released April 15, 2020.