The Accidental and Delightful Career of a Zestful Biology Teacher

WEBVTT

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There are some people that make their
work just another thing they have to do,

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and there are those that make their
work something that they want to do.

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Welcome to Working on Purpose with your
host Elise Cortez. In our program,

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we provide guidance and inspiration from those
people who have found deeper meaning and

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personal connection to their work life.
It's beyond nine to five. It's working

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on purpose. Now Here is your
host, Elise Cortez. Welcome back to

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Working on Purpose. Thanks for tuning
in again this week. I'm your host

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of these Cortez joining from Dallas,
Texas, which is home base for me.

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This program is all about helping people
more meaningfully connect with their work and

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equipping organizations do the same for their
employees. I bring on guests. You

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have a particular perspective or experience that
I think expands the conversation about the workforce

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and often draw on the meaning work
research I've been doing over the past fifteen

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years with the work that i do
at Insydnium, which is a global management

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consulting firm. I'll get to the
program at just a moment, but first,

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a big thank you to my media
partner and sponsor, jobbing dot Com.

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They are the lead leading locally focused
jobboard in the nation, and they're

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dedicated to helping employers find quality talent
in their own backyard and giving job seekers

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control where their search if they can
find work close to home. Great partnership.

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Thanks jobbing dot Com. Last week, if you missed the show live,

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you can always catch the podcast.
We were on the air with Kim

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Olsen, who was a twenty five
year veteran of the Air Force, past

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school board founder and director, and
she also founded Grace After Fire. She

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is now turning her passions and talents
into running for the Texas Commissioner of Agriculture.

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We talked about the importance of everyone
eating a healthy diet of non processed

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foods to avoid the diabetes epidemic,
and children, why school gardens work so

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well to educate kids about where wholesome
food comes from and involve them in its

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cultivation, and why expanding farmers markets
and other farmer co ops are good for

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everyone. Who's a great conversation,
very very inspiring with us. This week,

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I'm happy to tell you that we
have miss Christy Waynwright with us.

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She is a well respected and loved
teacher at Bishop Lynch High School in East

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Dallas, Texas. She teaches freshman
biology both honors and regulars, and the

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ap Biology course offered to upperclassmen.
In addition to teaching, Miss Waynwright also

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moderates the Medical Society student Club.
She joins us today from Dallas, Texas.

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Miss Wainwright, Welcome to Working on
Purpose. Hi, thank you for

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having me. Isn't this fun?
I have to tell our listeners just why

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you're with us. So this show
happens to be listened to across the globe.

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There are listeners from Japan and China. Thank you very much listeners,

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and all over in India. It's
just incredible to get to connect with people

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like that. So I met Miss
waynewright because she happens to be my daughter's

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biology teacher. And when I was
in student or she's me teacher parent conference

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night, and when you told your
story of how you became a teacher,

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and just I saw the zeal and
the zest. And of course I've heard

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my daughter talk about how much she
enjoys you. I thought, you know,

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everybody has. I hope everybody has
a teacher who has made it profound

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difference in their lives. Somebody who
turned them onto something and maybe that's why

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they got into the work that they
do, or maybe it made a difference

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in how they chose their lives.
And I thought, here, it is

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September, it's the beginning of the
school year for most of us, at

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least in the United States, and
I thought, why not bring you on

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and have you share your story.
So that's why. In case you're wondering

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why did she ask me to come
on the show, that's why. So

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welcome, Thank you, you're welcome. So to yeah, so well,

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to kick us off, would you
please share that story that you shared with

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us on a parent teacher conference night
about how it is that you became a

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biology teacher. Of course, growing
up, every kid has a dream of

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what they want to do with their
life, and my dream was to not

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become a teacher. I had no
aspirations of becoming a teacher. How obviously

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this is where I was meant to
be, so it's where I wound up.

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But originally I wanted to go into
the medical field. I was really

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passionate about helping people, and so
I felt that, well, maybe not

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necessarily a doctor, but I really
wanted to go into physical therapy. So

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I started going to college at Saint
Mary's University. I played softball there as

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well, and I was a bio
major. And then about halfway through that

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education, I did an internship at
a local hospital here in Dallas, Baylor

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Garland, and we were interacting with
people, which was great. I had

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a lot of fun interacting with people. It was the actual physical care of

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people that I had an issue with. I didn't like the blood, the

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guts to taking care of people,
and so I kind of had to take

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a step back and rethink what I
wanted to do. I was three forced

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the way through with a biology degree
and I no longer wanted to go into

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the medical field. So I kind
of had to sit back and figure out

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what to do, and honestly didn't
come quickly. Had I had no clue.

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I graduated, got a job,
didn't know what I was going to

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do. I had a friend who
worked in skincare and managed to get me

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a job at the mall. So
I worked at the mall selling skincare for

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about three and a half years,
and then one day I came up to

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my alma mater, which happens to
be Bishop Lynch, so I teach my

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Alma Mater to visit a teacher who
was going through a little bit of a

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rough time. I was bringing her
a sonic tea because sonic teas fixed everything.

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And I walked in and we got
to talking, and I told her

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that I still didn't know what I
was going to do, and she was

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like, you should teach, and
I was like, no, I don't.

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I don't have a patience for that. There's no way I'm going to

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be a good teacher. I don't
even know how to teach. And she's

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like, just go talk to the
principal. So I didn't, and I

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walked in and I left with a
teaching position. I was a substitute teacher

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for a ironically enough, my former
biology teacher here Bishop Lynch. She was

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pregnant and she was do pretty much
any minute. So I started watching her

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and coming to class just like a
student would, and I sat in the

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back room and I saw how she
taught and the way she was teaching.

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And I got a phone call one
day that said, all right, you're

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it. She went into labor and
so I started teaching, and honestly,

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I haven't looked back. I have
been here ever since. I've been at

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Bishop Lynch. Ever since, I've
done a couple of odd jobs here and

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there. I've taught biology obviously,
I've taught chemistry, I've taught anatomy,

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and I've taught theology. So I've
kind of, you know, dipped my

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toe in as many different subjects as
I could before I found the niche that

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was biology. But I can tell
you I'm putting that that biology degree to

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good use now, even though I
thought I would never be a teacher.

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But it's been a fun ride.
M love the story, Miss Waynwright.

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I love the story. And what
I what I want to call out for

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our listeners that is so important about
what you said there, among many things,

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is that this whole notion that you
know, you thought you you were

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pretty secure that you were going to
go into the medical field. I mean,

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that was the that was the idea, that was the ticket, that's

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the train. We're on, the
train, we're going, and then you

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get you actually experience it and you
realize that's not for me. So what

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I really like to reinforce to people, and I mean anybody, especially students

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who are out there dipping their toe
trying to figure out what they're going to

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be when they grow up. And
that's so hard, is really getting as

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much experience and exposure to different kinds
of work as they possibly can. Go

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shadow your parents, go shadow their
friends, right. That's it's just so

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important to be able to get those
experiences because then you can figure out pretty

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quick before you actually do the whole
entire degree, right that ooh this is

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for me or it's not for me
exactly. You get backed into a corner.

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And I honestly, when I got
back to the corner, I shot

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down for a little while, and
then I figured out this is where I

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needed to be, and it's just
everything opened back up so well. So

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you clearly have a passion for teaching. I mean it is abundantly obvious.

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And I was like, I want
to be in her class. I told

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Yabby, I said, you know, how do I how do I come

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to work class? What if I
behave myself? Can I come? So?

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What is it that you love about
teaching. It's going to sound cliche,

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but I really do love hanging out
with the kids. So I started

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out teaching just freshman level kids,
so it's fourteen and fifteen year olds,

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and we all know that fourteen and
fifth year olds have their special little character,

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right, They're not quite mature enough
yet, and they like to crack

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inappropriate jokes, which works. It
works along great with my personality because I

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like to laugh at inappropriate jokes.
So we kind of feed off of each

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other. But it also gives me
a chance to give them more of a

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framed learning experience while letting them grow
into their own learner. For a long

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time, they're told take notes this
way, do it this way, do

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it that way, study this way, And I'm more about what works for

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you. You have to know this
material. Does it help if you learn

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it as a dance? Does it
help if you learn it as pictures?

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Does it help us you learn it
as an outline? So we do a

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little bit of each to allow the
students to say, oh, you know

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what, this outline thing, it
really works, or you know what,

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I can't do an outline, but
these pictures, these mind maps, I

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can totally wrap my brain on it. So I really like working with the

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kids to help them figure out who
they are as a student. Wow,

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you know, as an identity researcher, you know that completely moves all of

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my dials, You know that,
right? Yeah? I love that because

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really, if that that is okay. So that's so powerful. And here's

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what's great about that is that everybody, we generally each manufacture our own meaning

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individual and that's what it is.
We create our own meaning. It's not

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just hanging out there someplace. We
create it. So the fact that you

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see your role as a way to
help these people find themselves and who they

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are. I don't know what one
answer I was expecting, but that wasn't

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it. Well, I'm glad I
could shock you, surprise you. It's

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wonderful. It's it's wonderful to be
dazzled. Yes, it's true. I

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mean it truly is it truly is
about I mean, at the end of

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the day, I know the biology
material. At the end of the day,

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I'm not the one taking the tests. I'm not the one trying to

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move on to chemistry. I know
the material. My job. My goal

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is to maybe not necessarily get the
kids to like biology as much as me,

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maybe not to have them all major
in biology later, put them to

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at least understand how they got from
A to B. So if that's what

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I can, if that's the success
that I can get out of them,

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that's my goal, So that's why
I strive for Okay, I love the

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endgame. Now, what I also
know is that you know, it doesn't

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matter how much passion and zest and
motivation we bring to our work. Sometimes

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there are challenging and hard days,
right, That's just all there is to

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it. So you are a very
energetic person from what I could tell,

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and that just at this one meeting. So where do you get your energy

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from? I like to feed off
the students. However, when they take

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it upon themselves to become the teacher
and they talk to each other and they

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shout things out, it kind of
gets a little chaotic, and it weighs

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on me a little bit because as
much as I like to be loud and

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have fun, I like to be
loud and have fun in a structured kind

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of way. So when the the
rough patches of it down days, sometimes

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the kids can tell the kids are
like miss wayn right, what's wrong?

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And I'm just like, you know
what, It's just one of those days

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where I'm off. But I do
still try to add fun to it,

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and I do still try to laugh
at myself and crack jokes with the kids,

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even if I'm not my normal bubbly
self. I want to make sure

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that the kids still get the same
amount of information out of it. I

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mean, everyone has a down day, everyone has a hard day. I

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had a hard day on Monday,
and I literally I went home and I

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had a bunch of works that I
needed to be graded. Sorry, guys,

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your tests did not get graded.
I apologize, and I just kind

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of sat there and I had to
turn on something that would just numb my

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brain. I had to just you
know, deflate. So I turned on

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the Hallmark Channel because that's that's my
go to. I turn on the Hallmark

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Channel, and then just life just
kind of chills out and gets better.

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And so I just kind of had
to deflate mentally. And then Tuesday I

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woke up, I got here,
was rareing to go and we just start

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a new day. So the Hallmark
Channel. So part of what must recharge

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you is relationship or positivity. Yes, I am one hundred percent a relationship

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person. I am one understent a
positive person. I do I do not

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function well in a situation where there's
a lot of negative or complaining. So

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I don't think I could ever be
like a therapist, like an actual therapist,

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because when other co workers come to
me, your students come to me

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and they're complaining, I'm like,
nope, check it out the door.

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I can't. That negative just weighs
on me. I can't. I can't

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handle your negative. I'm sorry.
So, yeah, I really get that

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in So it's just so interesting to
see the part of the reason I asked

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the question about what would refuel you
is it tells me a lot about who

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you are and where you get your
motivation and your sense of connection from.

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So when you say the Hallmark Channel, I'm like, I got it,

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totally get that. The kids will
it makes fun of me for it,

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and I'm like, you don't even
understand how amazing the Hallmark Channel is.

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You have to give it a try. Oh well, I My daughter teases

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me because I'm sap. I'm one
of the first person to cry in a

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movie. And you know, at
anytime there's anything like soft about a movie,

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my daughter will look down the way
and see, is mama crying yet?

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Okay, good, we're on track. That's how it is the best

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where I am in my family.
Yeah. Okay. Well, so when

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you're teaching your students, as you
say, you've got a job to do.

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They got to get this stuff about
biology. So when you think about

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that, what is most important to
you in teaching your students, What are

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you really trying to affect in them
besides that sense of identity relative to biology,

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what are you're really trying to get
them to get well? I think

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the most important thing for them to
understand about biology is honestly how important it

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is to everything. I actually had
a student today we were studying chemistry,

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and I told him I was like, guys, chemistry is not my strong

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point. I can do this,
this and that, but as far as

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in depth questions are going, these
are all great questions. I don't know

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the answer to them, and I
can look them up and get back to

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you. And one of my students
this is like, well, why are

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we learning chemistry if this is biology
class? And I said, that's a

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great question, because biology is the
foundation of every other science. Biology is

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how life interconnects. Biology is how
the brain functions, so it goes to

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psychological things and physical things, and
it's how you move, it's how you

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groove, it's how you know,
you pass on information. So biology is

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the foundation of all sciences. And
whether you know the intricacies of how muscle

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contraction works. I need you to
know that your brain is controlling your bicep

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when you raise your hand to ask
a question. So my interconnectiveness and showing

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them just how important biology is,
whether they choose to major in it or

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not. Biology is a part of
their everyday life, and biology is a

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part of every other science that they're
going to study. So laying the foundation

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for them is very important to me
as far as understanding goes. And I

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want to crack into that a bit
more after when we get into the next

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segment, because I really want to
bring that to life for our listeners too,

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as to you know, what do
we get from biology in our everyday

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life? But before we get there, I do want to address the fact

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that you what I when I think
about the role that you play, the

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work that you do, it seems
to me that you have three major audiences

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to deal with. You have,
you know, the school staff, the

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principle, et cetera, and your
other teachers, well, and you have

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which and your boss. You have
parents, and you have kids. So

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and I heard you just easily,
you know, go back and forth between

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the parents and the kids. When
when I was there. So first I

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want to understand what is your approach
to working with parents. I'm told this

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can be one of the hardest groups
for teachers to actually navigate well. I

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personally don't have any children, and
so I will never As of right now,

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I do not know what it feels
like to trust another person with my

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child. However, I've been a
child and I have learned from my parents,

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and I think the most important thing
for parents to understand with teachers is

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you can't make an enemy of each
other. You have to understand that your

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partners, your teammates, because at
the end of the day, what is

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both of your goals? Your goal
is for your child to be successful.

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Now I get a lot of I
wouldn't say like negative attitude, but I

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get a lot of questionings when it
comes to grading. Sometimes, because although

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I like to have a lot of
fun and I like to learn a lot

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of things, I do not accept
late work. I am drop dead if

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it is not here by the deadline. I'm not going to grade it for

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X, Y or Z. I
don't care the reason. I gave you

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plenty of time to get it done, you didn't contact me. It's a

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zero and so I get a lot
of parents they're like, well, why

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did they get a zero? And
you know that's not fair, and I

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go, listen, yeah, it's
not fair. But they've learned their lesson.

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Now, they learned that they can
open up a conversation with me.

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Now they learned to prioritize their homework. Now they learned to make sure they

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check their backpack in the morning for
their homework. So it's kind of a

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tough pill to swallow. I would
say the toughest pill to swallow is when

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I give a zero to a homework
assignment that doesn't have a name on it,

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and I look at the student in
the face and I say, if

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it's not important enough for you to
put your name on it, if you're

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not proud enough to put your name
on it, I'm not going to devote

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my time to grading it. And
that's one of the real hot pot button

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topics of parents is well, they
did the work, why aren't they getting

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any credit? Their name wasn't on
it. At the end of the day,

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it's homework grades. At the end
of the day, it's quiz grade.

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At the end of the day.
You and I, being the parent,

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need to be on the same page. As far as yeah, you

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didn't put your name on it,
it's a zero. Now. If things

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escalate further, obviously the parent and
I can have a conversation about it.

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But as far as as far as
that's concerned, I think teamwork is the

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most basic way to describe our relationship. The parents and teachers, both of

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them equally forget that they are working
for the well being of that child,

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and I think that's where a lot
of tensions form. It strikes me,

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miss Wayne, right that the fact
that you're very clear about you know,

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this is how I roll, this
is how it goes. These are and

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that's communicated to the students and to
the parents, and then you actually follow

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through with what you said you're going
to do. What I really like about

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that, appreciate that is that that's
that's life. There's consequences when you actually

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don't do what is ask of you
or what is expected of you, or

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what has been communicated to you.
And I personally very much appreciate that approach.

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So you got one parent that's with
you, and many more I know,

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but this one for sure, And
here are we all already We're on

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We're ready for our first break the
time flies so fast. I'm your host,

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Elise Cortez. We've going on the
air with Miss Christy Wainwright, who

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is a biology teacher at Bishop Lynch
High School in East Dallas, Texas.

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She joins us to day from her
school office. I believe we've been talking

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00:18:38.279 --> 00:18:41.559
a bit about just how it was
that she got into teaching, what she

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loves about it, and after the
break we're going to talk at about her

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approach to actually how she brings it
to life in the classroom. State with

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us. Friend us on Facebook to
keep up with what's empowering the world.

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00:19:06.920 --> 00:19:14.119
Voice America Empowermanson Elise Cortez is a
speaker and engagement and development catalyst. She

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00:19:14.279 --> 00:19:19.079
designs and delivers professional development, leadership
and engagement workshops and can bring her expertise

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00:19:19.160 --> 00:19:23.880
to your organization. She will help
ignite meaningful development within your workforce that will

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00:19:23.960 --> 00:19:30.000
increase employee engagement, performance and retention. To learn more or to invite Elise

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00:19:30.039 --> 00:19:34.319
to speak to your organization, please
visit her at www dot Elise Cortez dot

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00:19:34.400 --> 00:19:40.319
com. She would welcome the opportunity
to help get your employees working on purpose.

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00:19:41.160 --> 00:19:45.200
Have you friended us on Facebook yet? Why not. Just go to

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Facebook dot com, forward slash Voice
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Once you are part of our Facebook
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a always active discussions on our wall. Just go to Facebook dot com,

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forward slash Voice America or search for
Voice America. It's your world. Motivate,

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change, succeed, Voice America Empowerment
dot com. This is Working on

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00:20:26.279 --> 00:20:30.640
Purpose with Elise Cortez. To reach
our program today, please call in to

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00:20:30.759 --> 00:20:34.599
one triple eight three four six nine
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00:20:34.640 --> 00:20:38.839
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one. You may also send an email

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00:20:38.920 --> 00:20:44.759
to Elise A. L I.
S. E. At Elise Cortez dot

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00:20:44.839 --> 00:20:51.640
com. Now back to Working on
Purpose. Thanks, thanks for staying with

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00:20:51.759 --> 00:20:53.559
us, and welcome back to Working
on Purpose. If you're just joining us,

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00:20:53.640 --> 00:20:57.400
my guest is Miss Christy Wainwright.
She's a well respected and loved teacher

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00:20:57.440 --> 00:21:02.000
at Bishop Lynch High School. You're
in East Dallas, Texas. She teaches

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00:21:02.039 --> 00:21:07.160
freshman biology both honors and regulars,
and the ap biology course offered the upperclassmen.

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In addition to teaching, she also
moderates the Medical Society Student Club,

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00:21:12.799 --> 00:21:17.000
of which my daughter is actually a
member of. And I'm I'm looking forward

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00:21:17.039 --> 00:21:19.640
to learning more about that myself.
I'm your host, Alice Cortez. So

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00:21:19.799 --> 00:21:22.960
before the break, we were chatting
a bit about just how you found yourself

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00:21:23.000 --> 00:21:26.119
in this crazy career of yours and
how much you love it, and it's

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00:21:26.160 --> 00:21:30.839
important for you to be able to
impart to your students. What I'd love

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00:21:30.920 --> 00:21:33.279
to do next is hear a bit
about your actual teaching approach. I'm going

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to guess that some of the people
that have tuned in are maybe aspiring teachers,

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00:21:37.640 --> 00:21:41.359
or maybe they just love their teacher
and they want to know what's behind

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00:21:41.400 --> 00:21:45.559
the curtain. So let's talk pedagogy. So I heard you say in your

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00:21:45.599 --> 00:21:48.960
introduction when we had the Parent Teachers
Conference that you did not know how to

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00:21:49.079 --> 00:21:53.160
teach when you came to bl So
first, how would you describe your teaching

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00:21:53.200 --> 00:21:57.799
style today? So when I first
got here, I would say that I

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00:21:59.000 --> 00:22:02.519
tried to drink from a fire our
hosts when I learned about teaching and I

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00:22:02.599 --> 00:22:06.279
was just like trying to absorb everything
and it became very, very overwhelming.

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00:22:07.319 --> 00:22:08.599
And when it became overwhelming, I
kind of shut down a little bit and

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00:22:08.640 --> 00:22:14.640
I just made sure that they had
the basics and it wasn't necessarily fun like

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00:22:14.759 --> 00:22:18.880
I perceived my classes today. So
when I finally got the full time job,

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00:22:19.799 --> 00:22:26.400
I went through a program called ACT
Accelerated Certification for Teachers, and they

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00:22:26.480 --> 00:22:30.920
have several different branches of ACT throughout
the state of Texas, like Dallas,

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00:22:30.920 --> 00:22:33.960
San Antonio, Houston, and it
was a concentrated course and it was meant

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00:22:33.000 --> 00:22:37.039
to work on your own time skills. So I became a student for two

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00:22:37.079 --> 00:22:42.119
weeks and I learned everything there was
to know about teaching because I felt like

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I knew how to interact with the
kids. I knew the material. I

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think where I lacked or where I
was weakest when I started teaching was my

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ability to convey that information to them
because I would say something and I would

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only say about half of what they
needed to know, and I'd be like,

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well, why don't you understand,
and they're like, you didn't give

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00:23:02.440 --> 00:23:03.640
us an information. I'm like,
oh, yeah, I didn't tell you

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00:23:03.720 --> 00:23:07.640
half of that. I knew it, but I didn't convey it to them.

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And that's sometimes where I still find
myself going, what are you missing?

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00:23:11.599 --> 00:23:12.200
And they're like, oh, you
didn't tell us any of these things.

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I was like, oh, okay, good to know. So when

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00:23:15.680 --> 00:23:18.480
I first started teaching, that was
the hardest part. That was the hardest

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pill to swallow, was understanding what
my students did or didn't know and how

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00:23:22.480 --> 00:23:26.160
to relay that information to them.
But once I took the ACT program,

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they taught me how to create a
lesson plan, They taught me how to

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convey the information. They taught me
how to set up a test. The

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first test I ever gave was twenty
five multiple choice questions and they were done

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with it in about twenty minutes,
and I was like, what do I

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do it the risk the class period, I didn't plan anything. So it

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was basically I felt like I was
thrown into the deep end of a pool

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in a good way. In a
good way because I am a very big

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proponent of you learned from your mistakes, and as far as I'm concerned,

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a mistake is only when it happens
more than once. If it happens once,

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it's a learning experience. If it
continues to happen, it's a mistake

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and you need to rectify it.
But if you learn from it, how

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can it be a mistake. It's
just a learning experience. So I learned

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a lot that first year of teaching. Last year was my first year to

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teach ap biology. And if my
parents were on the phone with us,

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they could attest this. I don't
know how many times I would go home

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or I would call them and I
would just cry. I'd be like,

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I don't think they learned anything today. Class was a joke. I messed

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this up. The lab didn't work, I didn't have the right paper copied,

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and it would just be so overwhelming
that I would, you know,

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shut down inside myself. And then
I had to realize that I had a

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bunch of students that reassured me.
They were like, we learned so much

380
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from your class. Yeah, it
wasn't perfect, it didn't go the way

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it was supposed to go every time, but we learned what we were supposed

382
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to learn. So I'm kind of
a control freak. I like things to

383
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go perfectly. I like to roll
things out when I know things are going

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00:24:52.079 --> 00:24:57.319
to work. And as a teacher, you can't. You can't be stuck

385
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on the perfection because it's the imperfections
where you actually learn the most. So

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I think that was one of the
biggest things that I had to learn when

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I first started teaching brilliant. I
have two things I got to say to

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that, so that imperfection, notion
of that's where you really learn the most.

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There is a fantastic book out called
Black Box Thinking. Have you ever

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heard of it? I have not, but I just wrote it down.

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Okay, highly recommend it. Here's
why I mean in the business world,

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of course, that's the world that
I generally navigate in. Is what's great

393
00:25:27.480 --> 00:25:33.559
about that book is it's all about
embracing failure and what we learn from failure.

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That it's critical to fail in order
to learn. And yet so much

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00:25:37.920 --> 00:25:41.519
of our society is about avoiding failure
at all costs, right, so now

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00:25:41.599 --> 00:25:45.519
we miss all of these lessons.
And it talks about how businesses can embrace

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00:25:45.680 --> 00:25:49.640
and learn from failures, how individuals
can do so it's just fantastic. So

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00:25:49.799 --> 00:25:55.400
to me, that echoes the point
that you were making about imperfections. And

399
00:25:55.480 --> 00:25:57.400
then the second thing I wanted to
say is that what you said about your

400
00:25:57.480 --> 00:26:03.160
experience of being thrust into the teaching
world with that really much experience. I

401
00:26:03.440 --> 00:26:07.880
can remember when I started I want
to identify back in I think twenty eleven

402
00:26:07.039 --> 00:26:10.960
or so twenty ten that I thought
it might be kind of fun to actually

403
00:26:11.079 --> 00:26:15.160
teach in the college arena because I
have a PhD. And I love all

404
00:26:15.240 --> 00:26:18.359
of the concepts, et cetera.
But I didn't know how to teach either.

405
00:26:18.039 --> 00:26:22.680
So I actually opted to go to
work and start teaching classes at at

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00:26:22.799 --> 00:26:26.920
night time for the University of Phoenix. And the reason I did that is

407
00:26:26.000 --> 00:26:30.640
because they taught you how to teach. They gave you, you know,

408
00:26:30.720 --> 00:26:33.079
here is you're going to use this
textbook. Here is your syllabus, it's

409
00:26:33.079 --> 00:26:37.079
already ready for you. It's all
uniform. Here's the general lesson plan that

410
00:26:37.119 --> 00:26:41.319
you're going to make that you're you're
going to do. Now you create all

411
00:26:41.319 --> 00:26:42.559
the activities of what you're going to
do in a classroom, and they teach

412
00:26:42.559 --> 00:26:45.160
you how to do that, and
then you go bring it to life and

413
00:26:45.279 --> 00:26:48.559
you make these students learn something.
And so for me it was like an

414
00:26:48.599 --> 00:26:52.079
easier way to access the world of
teaching because they taught me how to do

415
00:26:52.200 --> 00:26:56.599
it. Now of course. I
teach at Southern Methodist University, and I

416
00:26:56.880 --> 00:26:59.559
do it on my own. I
know how to create my own lesson plan

417
00:26:59.599 --> 00:27:03.799
et cetera. But I really want
to echo and applaud what you did coming

418
00:27:03.839 --> 00:27:07.000
in to teach, not having that
experience, Miss waynewright that it's just it's

419
00:27:07.039 --> 00:27:08.720
phenomenal that you did that and you
got through it and you still loved it.

420
00:27:10.319 --> 00:27:11.319
There were some days where I didn't
think it was going to happen,

421
00:27:11.440 --> 00:27:15.599
but I did make it through it. I learned a lot more than I

422
00:27:15.680 --> 00:27:18.480
thought I was going to. I
probably learned. I tell my students this

423
00:27:18.519 --> 00:27:21.000
all the time. I go,
you know what, I learn more in

424
00:27:21.119 --> 00:27:23.559
a day at school than you do
because I'm learning things about you. I'm

425
00:27:23.640 --> 00:27:26.319
learning things that don't work. I'm
learning things that I need to change.

426
00:27:26.640 --> 00:27:30.119
So don't just assume that I know
everything, which is kind of hard for

427
00:27:30.200 --> 00:27:34.519
them to wrap their brain around.
But I mean we're in the same boat.

428
00:27:34.519 --> 00:27:38.319
I learned something new from these kids
every day when I have a project

429
00:27:38.440 --> 00:27:44.440
that I have planned out and then
it totally flops and I'm like, Okay,

430
00:27:44.920 --> 00:27:48.960
I don't need to do that again. So it's just being very versatile

431
00:27:48.119 --> 00:27:52.359
and learning for my mistakes. It's
definitely the key to being successful. And

432
00:27:52.440 --> 00:27:56.880
I think in any type of field, but teaching especially, I have a

433
00:27:56.960 --> 00:28:00.640
sense to miss Waynwright. I don't
know this to be true because I don't

434
00:28:00.680 --> 00:28:03.359
know you at all yet, but
I have a sense that part of it

435
00:28:03.480 --> 00:28:08.160
also makes you so affective with your
students is that you are authentically available.

436
00:28:08.319 --> 00:28:11.240
You you know, you don't show
up with all the answers and you don't

437
00:28:11.279 --> 00:28:15.880
try to be something that you're not, and you're accessible, and that you

438
00:28:15.920 --> 00:28:18.440
don't always know everything, and that
you you know, you can be a

439
00:28:18.880 --> 00:28:22.640
full human being who has hard days. And I would I wonder if that's

440
00:28:22.680 --> 00:28:26.079
part of your your your recipe for
success. Well, thank you, I

441
00:28:26.759 --> 00:28:30.920
personally it has. It has served
me well these past these past four and

442
00:28:30.920 --> 00:28:36.519
a half years, being just I
mean, it's almost kind of like grassroots

443
00:28:36.680 --> 00:28:38.039
all the kid will ask a student'll
ask me a question and I'll say,

444
00:28:38.480 --> 00:28:41.240
yeah, I don't I don't know
the answer to that, but I will

445
00:28:41.279 --> 00:28:44.599
tell you. Next class, I'll
do my research and I'll figure it out.

446
00:28:44.599 --> 00:28:45.839
And the next class I come back
and I go, okay, you

447
00:28:45.920 --> 00:28:49.240
know, little Johnny, you ask
me this question. This is the answer

448
00:28:49.440 --> 00:28:55.599
so it gets I mean, it's
it's asinine for teachers to believe that they

449
00:28:55.680 --> 00:28:59.119
have to know everything about everything.
So that we want to student answers their

450
00:28:59.200 --> 00:29:03.279
question, they can sound intelligent.
I'm not worried about stunding intelligence. I'm

451
00:29:03.279 --> 00:29:08.519
worried about making sure that everyone understands
how important it is that we all have

452
00:29:08.720 --> 00:29:11.960
water in our bodies. I could
care less about being perfect, I could

453
00:29:12.000 --> 00:29:17.920
care less about making sure that I
sound like the most intelligent person in the

454
00:29:18.000 --> 00:29:21.039
room, because you know, it's
some days that's not the truth. I'll

455
00:29:21.079 --> 00:29:25.880
be honest with you. Some days, I have several students who are highly

456
00:29:25.960 --> 00:29:30.000
motivated in scientists in different aspects.
I have one particular student who loves chemistry,

457
00:29:30.359 --> 00:29:33.519
and he taught me something today and
I'm open to it. I'm one

458
00:29:33.640 --> 00:29:36.640
hundred percent okay with that. And
I told the kids, I said,

459
00:29:36.880 --> 00:29:41.480
if I close myself off to learning
something new from you, I've shorted myself

460
00:29:41.680 --> 00:29:47.240
and I've shorted you on that experience
of teaching someone something, Because whether you're

461
00:29:47.240 --> 00:29:51.759
a teacher or not, you should
be able to teach another human being something,

462
00:29:52.160 --> 00:29:56.640
whether it's teaching someone how to do
laundry or teaching someone how to drive

463
00:29:56.680 --> 00:30:00.480
a car. You have to be
able to teach someone something to allow you

464
00:30:00.599 --> 00:30:06.440
to interact socially. So even in
the most basic concept of teaching, I

465
00:30:06.559 --> 00:30:08.279
have to be open to that teachable
moment too, just like the students are.

466
00:30:10.559 --> 00:30:11.799
You know, it just struck me
as you were talking when when you

467
00:30:11.960 --> 00:30:15.519
said that, you know, little
Johnny or somebody might ask you a question

468
00:30:15.519 --> 00:30:17.400
you don't know the answer too.
Wouldn't it be amazing? And I bet

469
00:30:17.440 --> 00:30:21.359
you'd do this already, But wouldn't
it be amazing just to say I don't

470
00:30:21.400 --> 00:30:25.079
know the answer to that question,
Let's go find out right, Yes,

471
00:30:25.359 --> 00:30:26.960
you draw them in and you're like, I don't know, let's go find

472
00:30:27.000 --> 00:30:30.480
it out together. How fun that
is to be able to enroll them in

473
00:30:30.519 --> 00:30:34.680
the learning process with you. I
just I just had that notion of that

474
00:30:34.799 --> 00:30:38.359
the joy of discovery that you can
actually engender, you have the power to

475
00:30:38.480 --> 00:30:41.480
engender in those moments. Instead of
feeling like, I don't know, I'm

476
00:30:41.519 --> 00:30:48.079
a failure exactly, let the students
teach you, and it's it's doable,

477
00:30:48.200 --> 00:30:52.400
and it's people relate to you more. You're more, You're more of a

478
00:30:52.519 --> 00:30:55.519
human being when you go yeah,
I don't know. Let's figure that out

479
00:30:55.599 --> 00:31:00.400
together. It's no quest characteristics to
the forefront. I think that's again part

480
00:31:00.440 --> 00:31:06.240
of your secret sauce. That's I'm
just going to go with that. Well

481
00:31:06.680 --> 00:31:08.920
for I want to also, not
just because you know you do teach my

482
00:31:10.039 --> 00:31:11.319
child, but for the sake of
all the listeners out there who want to

483
00:31:11.359 --> 00:31:14.839
go back to school. They want
to relay with the moment, and they

484
00:31:14.880 --> 00:31:18.680
want to be in the classroom again. Tell us what it's like a typical

485
00:31:18.720 --> 00:31:22.519
week in your classroom. What might
a student at Bishop Lynch actually experience in

486
00:31:22.599 --> 00:31:26.039
your classroom. Let's just say biology. Okay, So a typical student at

487
00:31:26.079 --> 00:31:30.920
Bishop Lynch, we're on what we
call block schedule. That means I see

488
00:31:30.039 --> 00:31:34.400
I see each student every other day
for ninety minutes. So if it's an

489
00:31:34.440 --> 00:31:37.839
A week, I see you three
times, if it's a B week,

490
00:31:37.039 --> 00:31:40.720
I see you two times, and
then the following week is either an A

491
00:31:40.880 --> 00:31:44.720
or B week, depending on what
the week before was. So in a

492
00:31:44.799 --> 00:31:48.759
typical class, for me, let's
do regular biology. We're doing chemistry right

493
00:31:48.799 --> 00:31:55.119
now. So today was the second
time I saw all my B day students.

494
00:31:55.880 --> 00:31:59.319
It just so happens that they took
a test on Monday. But after

495
00:31:59.400 --> 00:32:00.680
they take a test, we hit
the ground running and we move on to

496
00:32:00.759 --> 00:32:06.079
the next chapter. So today we
talked about chemistry, and the way we

497
00:32:06.200 --> 00:32:08.079
do it is the very first thing
that they do when they come into my

498
00:32:08.160 --> 00:32:10.720
class, if they had a homework
assignment, I go make sure you tune

499
00:32:10.720 --> 00:32:14.079
your homework in, put your name
on it, and staple it. There's

500
00:32:14.119 --> 00:32:15.359
a basket at the front of the
room that's labeled so they know where to

501
00:32:15.400 --> 00:32:20.640
put it. And then each one
of my desks has a number on it.

502
00:32:21.000 --> 00:32:22.559
It's on a post it, and
the post it is colored, and

503
00:32:22.640 --> 00:32:27.400
then each post it has a variety
of like four or five different stickers on

504
00:32:27.480 --> 00:32:32.279
it, and each number corresponds with
a place where they put their cell phones.

505
00:32:32.680 --> 00:32:37.079
That's how I take attendance. So
I make sure that each desk that

506
00:32:37.200 --> 00:32:40.559
has a body in it also has
a cell phone in the holder. If

507
00:32:40.599 --> 00:32:44.960
they don't have a cell phone,
obviously they tell me that and that's okay.

508
00:32:45.400 --> 00:32:47.920
And then the very next thing we
do, get out your planner.

509
00:32:49.119 --> 00:32:52.279
Let's go over homework. So that
takes about the first five minutes of class,

510
00:32:52.559 --> 00:32:55.960
ten minutes of class, and then
we hit the ground running. Normally.

511
00:32:57.720 --> 00:33:01.920
I love YouTube. I think you
tube is one of the greatest underused

512
00:33:01.920 --> 00:33:07.400
sources that a teacher can use because
there is literally a video on every topic,

513
00:33:07.759 --> 00:33:09.400
in every subject, and it doesn't
have to be a long video.

514
00:33:09.720 --> 00:33:13.839
Sometimes we watch a little two minute
video. Sometimes to watch a ten minute

515
00:33:13.880 --> 00:33:20.000
video. It depends on the subject
material. So today we watched the Periodic

516
00:33:20.079 --> 00:33:25.119
Table song by Tom Lair, and
it's literally a very I mean it's quick,

517
00:33:25.160 --> 00:33:29.119
it's like three minutes, but it's
all the elements of the periodic Table.

518
00:33:29.920 --> 00:33:34.119
I love music. I couldn't sing
if you paid me, but I

519
00:33:34.279 --> 00:33:38.519
love music. I prefer classical music, but in these cases I make exceptions.

520
00:33:38.599 --> 00:33:42.839
I try to tie in at least
one song, if not two,

521
00:33:43.039 --> 00:33:45.000
to every topic that we learn,
and the very first thing we'll do when

522
00:33:45.000 --> 00:33:49.519
we study that new topic is we'll
listen to the song. So today for

523
00:33:49.599 --> 00:33:52.839
the first fifteen minutes, we listened
to the song. We read over the

524
00:33:52.920 --> 00:33:54.240
lyrics, and then we tried to
sing it together, which the kid's got

525
00:33:54.359 --> 00:33:59.839
a hood out of, and then
we applied the elements and the periodic table

526
00:34:00.079 --> 00:34:02.839
notes. And the way notes work
is I put a power point up on

527
00:34:02.920 --> 00:34:06.720
the board. The kids don't write
what the power point says. The PowerPoint

528
00:34:06.839 --> 00:34:08.920
just backs me up and kind of
validates what I say. And then we

529
00:34:09.079 --> 00:34:14.840
draw on the whiteboard. Sometimes we
draw on the desktops. Sometimes we create

530
00:34:14.920 --> 00:34:19.039
mind maps on posters. It just
depends on what we're doing. I'm a

531
00:34:19.199 --> 00:34:22.639
very big visual person, and this
is where the drawing comes into play.

532
00:34:22.920 --> 00:34:23.920
The kids are always like, I
can't draw, I can't draw. I

533
00:34:24.000 --> 00:34:27.639
was like, I didn't ask you
to make me a masterpiece. I want

534
00:34:27.679 --> 00:34:30.360
you to draw me a water molecule. It's a ball and a stick.

535
00:34:30.480 --> 00:34:35.039
You can do this. So I
make sure that they can visualize, they

536
00:34:35.079 --> 00:34:38.639
can write it out with words,
something just besides the monotony of note taking.

537
00:34:39.400 --> 00:34:43.840
And so we'll do note taking and
then throughout the notes or at the

538
00:34:43.960 --> 00:34:46.119
end of class, depending on what
topic we're doing, we'll go over review

539
00:34:46.960 --> 00:34:50.840
and sometimes they do it in a
journal, Sometimes they do it on a

540
00:34:50.880 --> 00:34:52.360
worksheet that they turn in. Sometimes
they do it on a note card that

541
00:34:52.400 --> 00:34:57.039
they leave as they exit. It
just depends on what assignment it is and

542
00:34:57.119 --> 00:35:00.800
how long we need to give to
the notes. And then once we've gone

543
00:35:00.800 --> 00:35:06.719
over the material and a student sufficially
understands we basically will have a quiz over

544
00:35:06.800 --> 00:35:09.360
it with my Regulars class. It
takes about two class periods, and then

545
00:35:09.400 --> 00:35:13.480
we quiz with my Honors class.
I'll teach it to them one day and

546
00:35:13.519 --> 00:35:17.159
then they're quizzed over at the following
class period. So each week I see

547
00:35:17.280 --> 00:35:22.360
kids, like eight day weeks,
they'll have at least one quiz, and

548
00:35:22.440 --> 00:35:24.679
then B Day week. Sometimes the
Regulars kids have a quiz, but the

549
00:35:24.760 --> 00:35:28.880
Honors quiz. The Honors kids definitely
have a quiz on a B Day week.

550
00:35:30.519 --> 00:35:32.960
So here's what I got out of
what you said there. One,

551
00:35:34.239 --> 00:35:37.360
I just I like how you just
handle the classroom. You just handle it,

552
00:35:37.480 --> 00:35:43.400
And I think that structure is good
for for effective teaching, for effective

553
00:35:43.480 --> 00:35:47.199
learning, and I think it also
sets up a mutually respective, respectful environment.

554
00:35:47.239 --> 00:35:50.960
From what I could see, then, what I heard you say is

555
00:35:51.079 --> 00:35:54.320
that you really I assume this is
all very very intentional, but it seems

556
00:35:54.360 --> 00:35:59.920
like you're really trying to activate all
different senses or appeal to all different senses

557
00:36:00.119 --> 00:36:05.519
when you're teaching, so as to
maybe be able to enroll as many students

558
00:36:05.599 --> 00:36:08.079
in various ways of learning as you
possibly can. Is that what you're actually

559
00:36:08.159 --> 00:36:10.840
doing or am I way off and
left field here. No, no,

560
00:36:12.000 --> 00:36:16.440
no, you're you nailed it right
on the head. So the very first

561
00:36:16.480 --> 00:36:22.480
topic that we learn about in biology
class is we go over the scientific method,

562
00:36:22.000 --> 00:36:24.840
which the kids are like, oh, I've never heard of the scientific

563
00:36:24.920 --> 00:36:27.920
method, blah blah blah, and
I'm like, yes, you have.

564
00:36:28.199 --> 00:36:30.880
You use it every day. You
use it every day in the winter when

565
00:36:30.920 --> 00:36:34.639
it's cold outside. You walk outside
and you go, oh, it's cold,

566
00:36:34.719 --> 00:36:37.480
I'm going to wear a long sleep
coat. Scientific method. Okay,

567
00:36:37.760 --> 00:36:40.880
you've made an observation, you've performed
an experiment, you put on your sweatshirt.

568
00:36:42.440 --> 00:36:44.480
You're good to go. And they're
like really, and I'm like,

569
00:36:44.599 --> 00:36:47.079
yeah, in its most basic form, you've performed the scientific method. The

570
00:36:47.199 --> 00:36:51.239
number one thing you do in the
scientific method is you make an observation.

571
00:36:51.360 --> 00:36:52.920
And I stress these kids. I
say, how do you observe things?

572
00:36:53.000 --> 00:36:57.599
You're like with my eyes? I
go, how are you observing my voice

573
00:36:57.679 --> 00:37:00.519
right now? And they're like with
my eyes. I'm like, you're hearing

574
00:37:00.599 --> 00:37:04.480
me with your eyes? Like,
oh no, my ears too, And

575
00:37:04.559 --> 00:37:07.440
I'm like, you are using every
single one of your senses when you're trying

576
00:37:07.440 --> 00:37:10.920
to make an observation. So my
goal is to help them make those observations,

577
00:37:12.320 --> 00:37:16.239
make those connections in class with every
single one of their senses. I

578
00:37:16.559 --> 00:37:21.360
am a visual person. I am
a kinesthetic person. I like to move

579
00:37:21.400 --> 00:37:23.800
around and I like to see things
visually. You can say things to me,

580
00:37:24.239 --> 00:37:27.880
you can make me read. But
if I can create a mind map

581
00:37:27.960 --> 00:37:30.119
or if I can physically write on
it, I learned so much better.

582
00:37:30.679 --> 00:37:35.760
So I don't want to force kids
into being a visual learner or kinesthetic learner

583
00:37:35.840 --> 00:37:37.159
that I like I am, but
I want to give them a taste of

584
00:37:37.199 --> 00:37:40.239
it so they know, oh,
yeah, this is working a lot better

585
00:37:40.280 --> 00:37:44.800
for me. So I make sure
that I do use all those senses when

586
00:37:44.840 --> 00:37:49.079
they're learning and setting because I want
them to be able to apply or see

587
00:37:49.199 --> 00:37:53.280
things from all different perspectives. I'm
so let I ask that that's just really

588
00:37:53.440 --> 00:37:58.440
just yummy on all fronts for me. So and here we are ready for

589
00:37:58.519 --> 00:38:00.960
our next break. I'm at least
courts as your host. We've been on

590
00:38:00.000 --> 00:38:04.239
the air with Miss Christie Wainwright,
who is a biology teacher at Bishop Lynch

591
00:38:04.320 --> 00:38:07.880
High School in Dallas. She joins
us today from her school. We've been

592
00:38:07.920 --> 00:38:10.159
talking a bit about her actual approach
to teaching how she goes about it.

593
00:38:10.559 --> 00:38:14.840
After the break, we're going to
get into how biology prepares students for life

594
00:38:14.960 --> 00:38:30.639
and work. Stay with us.
Friend us on Facebook to keep up with

595
00:38:30.760 --> 00:38:37.840
what's empowering the world. Voice America
and Power Banks. Alice Cortez is a

596
00:38:37.880 --> 00:38:43.719
speaker and engagement and development catalyst.
She designs and delivers professional development, leadership

597
00:38:43.840 --> 00:38:47.480
and engagement workshops and can bring her
expertise to your organization. She will help

598
00:38:47.519 --> 00:38:53.480
ignite meaningful development within your workforce that
will increase employee engagement, performance and retention.

599
00:38:53.760 --> 00:38:58.400
To learn more or to invite Elise
to speak to your organization, please

600
00:38:58.480 --> 00:39:04.000
visit her at www dot Elise Cortez
dot com. She would welcome the opportunity

601
00:39:04.079 --> 00:39:17.760
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purpose. Look to the Star Spigency,

602
00:39:19.400 --> 00:39:23.639
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603
00:39:24.000 --> 00:39:30.840
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604
00:39:30.000 --> 00:39:35.519
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the Voice America Empowerment Channel. Tune into

605
00:39:35.559 --> 00:39:39.039
the Power Party for positive, uplifting, life changing talk radio. Visit Star

606
00:39:39.119 --> 00:39:55.440
Style Radio dot com. Star you
Lange follow us on Twitter for more great

607
00:39:55.519 --> 00:40:08.920
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608
00:40:09.400 --> 00:40:14.519
To reach our program today, please
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609
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610
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611
00:40:24.920 --> 00:40:34.119
Cortez dot com. Now back to
Working on Purpose. Thanks for staying with

612
00:40:34.239 --> 00:40:37.000
us, and welcome back to Working
on Purpose. If you're just tuning in.

613
00:40:37.199 --> 00:40:39.760
My guest is Miss Christy Wainwright,
a well respected and loved teacher at

614
00:40:39.760 --> 00:40:45.079
Bishop Lynch High School in East Dallas, Texas. She teaches freshman biology both

615
00:40:45.159 --> 00:40:49.880
honors and regulars and the ap biology
course offered to upperclassmen. I'm your host,

616
00:40:49.960 --> 00:40:52.239
Elise Cortez. So before the wreak, we were talking a bit about

617
00:40:52.239 --> 00:40:55.400
just how it is that you bring
the material to life your approach to teaching,

618
00:40:55.519 --> 00:41:00.239
which was fun and I hope that
was actually delightful for anybody else who

619
00:41:00.320 --> 00:41:05.440
remembers their teacher's family or is interested
in teaching themselves. For this last bit

620
00:41:05.559 --> 00:41:07.840
together, Miss Wainwright, I really
wanted to bring it home as to why

621
00:41:07.840 --> 00:41:12.360
in the world do we study biology
in the first place, and so you

622
00:41:12.440 --> 00:41:14.960
know, beyond what you teach in
biology, I'll bet there are at least

623
00:41:15.000 --> 00:41:17.000
a few key lessons that you want
your students to learn. So when you

624
00:41:17.079 --> 00:41:22.320
think about what do you want your
students to really know about life? So

625
00:41:22.679 --> 00:41:28.079
one of the very first lessons that
we do at the beginning of the school

626
00:41:28.159 --> 00:41:32.480
year is we do prefixes and suffixes, so we learn what words mean.

627
00:41:34.199 --> 00:41:37.039
And so when you actually take the
word biology and you break it down,

628
00:41:37.199 --> 00:41:42.679
bio meaning life, an oology means
study study of we are studying life,

629
00:41:43.280 --> 00:41:47.079
and if you're a living thing,
that should interest you. We've been going

630
00:41:47.159 --> 00:41:52.719
over the characteristics of life, what
makes something a living thing and kids wrapping

631
00:41:52.760 --> 00:41:55.760
their brain around the fact that a
dead tree is still a living thing even

632
00:41:55.840 --> 00:42:00.000
though it's not alive. They never
realize that a living thing is classified as

633
00:42:00.039 --> 00:42:04.440
a living thing even after it's no
longer alive. So, just being able

634
00:42:04.480 --> 00:42:08.960
to apply what we talk about in
the classroom to real life experiences, I

635
00:42:09.039 --> 00:42:13.079
feel like that is the most rewarding
thing that a student can give themselves.

636
00:42:14.880 --> 00:42:17.199
I know you always get you always
get the students in math class and they're

637
00:42:17.199 --> 00:42:22.480
like, there's a truck and it
has four apples and eighteen oranges and all

638
00:42:22.519 --> 00:42:24.360
these math forms, and you're like, when is this going to be applied?

639
00:42:24.519 --> 00:42:28.880
When am I going to use this
in my life? I can't make

640
00:42:28.960 --> 00:42:30.800
that argument for math, because sometimes
I do feel that way about math.

641
00:42:30.840 --> 00:42:32.719
I'm like, what, I don't
understand, I'm never going to use this.

642
00:42:34.039 --> 00:42:37.000
But biology, honestly, you use
it every day. You use it

643
00:42:37.079 --> 00:42:44.000
every day, and my goal,
my job is to make sure that kids

644
00:42:44.199 --> 00:42:47.880
understand that even if they hate biology, they need to understand that it's going

645
00:42:47.960 --> 00:42:52.360
on around them. They are a
part of a living entity and that they

646
00:42:52.440 --> 00:42:59.039
need to take care of that entity
on all aspects. Like we're fixing to

647
00:42:59.079 --> 00:43:01.800
study assets and bays, and kids
are like, oh, I don't I

648
00:43:01.880 --> 00:43:05.079
know what an acid. I know
what a base is, And then we

649
00:43:05.119 --> 00:43:07.079
start talking about practical applications of that. No one's going to go drink a

650
00:43:07.159 --> 00:43:10.960
vat of acid. I understand that. However, orange juice is a pretty

651
00:43:12.000 --> 00:43:15.880
popular breakfast food and a breakfast drink, right, So the kids are always

652
00:43:15.880 --> 00:43:17.239
like, yeah, and it tastes
horrible when you brush your teeth and drink

653
00:43:17.280 --> 00:43:21.320
orange juice. And I'm like,
why is that? And they don't understand

654
00:43:21.880 --> 00:43:28.119
that orange juice is acidic, toothpaste
is basic, and there's a chemical reaction

655
00:43:28.239 --> 00:43:31.960
happening in their mouth that's causing that
taste and being able to apply it to

656
00:43:32.119 --> 00:43:37.280
actually what we're talking about and to
understand why toothpaste taste horrible after you drink

657
00:43:37.320 --> 00:43:42.960
orange juice. That's the connection I'm
trying to make students to make at the

658
00:43:43.079 --> 00:43:46.599
end of the day. I know
that not everyone's gonna love biology. At

659
00:43:46.639 --> 00:43:50.159
the end of the day, not
everyone's gonna like science. But at the

660
00:43:50.280 --> 00:43:52.719
end of the day, what I
want them to take home with them is

661
00:43:52.800 --> 00:43:57.400
that it's important that it's all around
them and no matter what you try,

662
00:43:58.039 --> 00:44:00.639
it will follow you for your entire
life, and to be able to interact

663
00:44:00.679 --> 00:44:04.039
with it and to be able to
be a part of it instead of just

664
00:44:05.039 --> 00:44:08.960
sitting back and not participating. I
loved biology growing up. I don't know

665
00:44:09.039 --> 00:44:13.039
why I didn't study it further,
but I absolutely loved it, and part

666
00:44:13.079 --> 00:44:15.039
of it maybe it was I did
to have a great teacher too, But

667
00:44:15.880 --> 00:44:19.000
I'm interested to take this a little
bit further. I totally get in fact,

668
00:44:19.039 --> 00:44:22.320
I didn't know why I did not
know why toothpaste tasted awful after drinking

669
00:44:22.360 --> 00:44:24.519
orange juice. Thank you very much
for that. I did not know there

670
00:44:24.599 --> 00:44:28.599
was a reaction happening in my mouth. Now I get that. Thank you.

671
00:44:29.639 --> 00:44:31.440
I'd like it if you could just
share a little bit more about just

672
00:44:31.840 --> 00:44:35.000
because this is the love of learning, and this is the stuff like,

673
00:44:35.079 --> 00:44:37.320
oh man, that's why we had
to learn this stuff in life. So

674
00:44:37.719 --> 00:44:44.800
a couple more examples of how learning
biology gives competence and prepares students for life

675
00:44:45.039 --> 00:44:50.480
their practical skills that they're going to
get. Definitely one of my new projects,

676
00:44:50.679 --> 00:44:52.079
because you know, I don't have
enough on my plate right now,

677
00:44:52.280 --> 00:44:59.679
but I've decided to institute a school
garden, and so I really wrestled in

678
00:44:59.760 --> 00:45:02.000
myself elf what we wanted to do
with the garden and who we wanted to

679
00:45:02.840 --> 00:45:07.880
make the garden with, and ultimately
my Honor's biology class one because I only

680
00:45:07.960 --> 00:45:12.639
had two classes, which was fifty
kids as opposed to one hundred and change

681
00:45:12.920 --> 00:45:16.400
with my regulars classes. So what
we are doing is we are designing a

682
00:45:16.480 --> 00:45:22.320
garden and we are making it completely
sustainable. And my kids at the beginning,

683
00:45:22.360 --> 00:45:23.280
they were like, why are we
doing this? Why are we doing

684
00:45:23.320 --> 00:45:25.079
this? And I was just like, just do it, Just do it,

685
00:45:25.199 --> 00:45:29.000
trust me, just do it.
And so we've learned how to compost.

686
00:45:29.440 --> 00:45:31.320
We've learned what we can put in
a compostpile, we've learned how to

687
00:45:31.400 --> 00:45:35.079
kill a compostpile. Because the very
first week we did it, I was

688
00:45:35.159 --> 00:45:37.000
so excited and I threw all this
stuff in and I killed it and we

689
00:45:37.079 --> 00:45:40.760
had to start over. But they
were like, where am I going to

690
00:45:40.840 --> 00:45:44.280
use this? And I'm like,
how many of you had a salad today

691
00:45:44.320 --> 00:45:49.679
for lunch? And you know,
a good five or six girls raise their

692
00:45:49.679 --> 00:45:51.199
hand and they're like, oh,
I had a salad. I'm like,

693
00:45:51.440 --> 00:45:54.079
where did the lettuce come from?
Did the lettuce ferry bring the salad okay?

694
00:45:54.400 --> 00:46:00.159
Or did you actually have to work
and grow the lettuce? And so

695
00:46:00.280 --> 00:46:02.159
what we're doing is we're applying that, oh I can readily go down to

696
00:46:02.199 --> 00:46:06.280
the refrigerator and you get a glass
of milk. I can go down and

697
00:46:06.400 --> 00:46:08.559
get let us for a salad,
But where does it come from? How

698
00:46:08.639 --> 00:46:12.519
does it thrive? And so what
we're doing in the garden is not only

699
00:46:12.639 --> 00:46:16.840
are we growing plants, but we're
learning how they survive, why they survive,

700
00:46:17.079 --> 00:46:22.360
what purpose that they serve flowering plants. Most of my students have no

701
00:46:22.440 --> 00:46:24.519
clue what the purpose of a flower
is. They're like, it just looks

702
00:46:24.559 --> 00:46:28.840
pretty, and I'm like, it
doesn't just look pretty. That's the plant's

703
00:46:28.880 --> 00:46:36.480
way of communicating to bugs and insects
like butterflies that they're ready to be pollinated

704
00:46:36.800 --> 00:46:40.199
so they can make more plants.
So the flower is there actually as a

705
00:46:42.960 --> 00:46:46.480
mating enhancer. And they're like really, and I'm like, yeah, there's

706
00:46:46.480 --> 00:46:51.119
a purpose to that flower. There's
a purpose to that seed. Most of

707
00:46:51.159 --> 00:46:55.000
my students this is the one that
gets them all the time. The ripening

708
00:46:55.079 --> 00:46:59.880
of fruit. Most of my students
go, oh, yeah, it's ripe,

709
00:47:00.000 --> 00:47:01.400
so I can eat it. I'm
like, but why is it ripe?

710
00:47:02.280 --> 00:47:04.800
And I'm like, I don't know. What just happens. I'm like,

711
00:47:05.079 --> 00:47:10.039
that's actually the plant telling animals that
the seeds can survive their intestinal track,

712
00:47:10.639 --> 00:47:14.159
so it's okay to eat them now. And they're like really, and

713
00:47:14.239 --> 00:47:16.599
I'm like, yeah. The whole
point of a fruit ripening is to let

714
00:47:16.679 --> 00:47:20.679
you know that the seed coat has
formed. So if you eat that strawberry

715
00:47:21.119 --> 00:47:23.599
anywhere to defecate in the wild.
For some reason, all of those seeds

716
00:47:23.639 --> 00:47:29.719
would grow. So being able to
connect things that they already do in life

717
00:47:30.679 --> 00:47:35.400
is more important to me than them
going off and becoming a biomajor. Don't

718
00:47:35.400 --> 00:47:39.760
get me wrong, biomajors are awesome, But for a student who hates biology

719
00:47:40.119 --> 00:47:45.280
and wants to be an English major, who can use those experiences and relate

720
00:47:45.320 --> 00:47:49.440
it back to what we studied,
that's more valuable to me as far as

721
00:47:49.519 --> 00:47:52.880
learning goes. I am totally turned
on by this. I think this is

722
00:47:52.960 --> 00:47:57.199
just so fun. I do not
remember biology coming to life like this,

723
00:47:57.400 --> 00:48:00.719
literally coming to life like this,
But boy, if you can, you

724
00:48:00.800 --> 00:48:02.840
know when you ask the questions,
why why does this stuff actually occur?

725
00:48:02.960 --> 00:48:07.920
Why did these things actually happen?
And if you start pulling back the veil

726
00:48:07.000 --> 00:48:13.159
like that and you start thinking about
it's so much about just ensuring that there's

727
00:48:13.360 --> 00:48:16.599
ongoing life, right, that there's
reproduction. I mean, and I don't

728
00:48:16.639 --> 00:48:20.800
know what high school kid doesn't understand
that, but or doesn't who wasn't interested

729
00:48:20.840 --> 00:48:25.159
in that? Right? I love
that, and I really appreciate how you

730
00:48:25.280 --> 00:48:30.119
brought that literally to life for us. But I gotta ask, how did

731
00:48:30.159 --> 00:48:36.400
you kill the compost pile? So
I literally read every book and They're like,

732
00:48:36.480 --> 00:48:38.079
whatever you do, you can't kill
it. You can't kill it.

733
00:48:38.639 --> 00:48:43.239
And there are so many different levels
of composting, like bacteria and funguses.

734
00:48:43.599 --> 00:48:46.519
And I threw a bunch of fruit
juice in there because I had it's all

735
00:48:46.559 --> 00:48:49.639
from the cafeteria and they saved it
for me, and I was just like,

736
00:48:49.800 --> 00:48:52.360
dump it all in, dump it
all in, dump it all in.

737
00:48:52.119 --> 00:48:57.239
And all of a sudden, it
was just rancid, and it smelled,

738
00:48:57.679 --> 00:49:01.039
and it attracted all these fun and
insects and critters, and it just

739
00:49:01.239 --> 00:49:05.599
it smelled like death. It smelled
like death. And so I went and

740
00:49:05.679 --> 00:49:07.119
researched and they were like, so, what you've done is you put too

741
00:49:07.159 --> 00:49:13.639
many greens in your pile and there's
not enough browns, which are like dirt

742
00:49:14.119 --> 00:49:17.639
and carbon based materials, and it's
not breaking down and it's just sitting there

743
00:49:17.679 --> 00:49:21.440
and rotting. And I was like, oh great, So I went and

744
00:49:21.519 --> 00:49:22.679
I took I didn't tell the kids
this obviously, but now they know.

745
00:49:22.880 --> 00:49:25.480
I went and took all the compost
piles and I went and took them and

746
00:49:25.519 --> 00:49:29.840
I dumped them in the field behind
my house, and then I restarted them

747
00:49:29.920 --> 00:49:30.960
one weekend so the kids wouldn't find
out about it, and I was like,

748
00:49:31.039 --> 00:49:35.679
oh, yeah, they're doing great. And then I finally came clean,

749
00:49:36.559 --> 00:49:38.840
but I was like, yeah,
you have to balance out your greens

750
00:49:38.880 --> 00:49:43.079
and browns, which I thought I
was doing, but I evidently wasn't.

751
00:49:43.679 --> 00:49:45.960
I thought there's no way a pound
is going to make a difference. It

752
00:49:46.079 --> 00:49:50.920
does. It does, So that's
what I would advice I would give,

753
00:49:51.159 --> 00:49:54.000
Make sure you measure out your greens
and browns when you're composting. I also

754
00:49:54.079 --> 00:49:58.280
appreciate that just the whole wall,
we figured out how that didn't work right

755
00:49:58.719 --> 00:50:00.360
y, like you know, and
soon to figure out all the different ways

756
00:50:00.360 --> 00:50:04.400
of light bulb didn't work until he
finally found the way it did. Okay,

757
00:50:04.519 --> 00:50:07.480
I'm glad you use that quote.
I use that quote all the time.

758
00:50:07.039 --> 00:50:09.440
Yeah. See, isn't this great? This is kissment you're supposed to

759
00:50:09.480 --> 00:50:13.280
be on this radio show. I'm
just saying, yeah, okay, we're

760
00:50:13.320 --> 00:50:15.639
getting close to being out of time
already, and so I want to ask

761
00:50:15.679 --> 00:50:19.880
you two more questions if we can
swing them. So, knowing that this

762
00:50:20.119 --> 00:50:23.320
show is really about helping people more
meaningfully and productively connecting with their work,

763
00:50:23.400 --> 00:50:27.199
and then of course showcasing people like
you who are turned on by their work.

764
00:50:27.800 --> 00:50:30.559
I want to have you talk a
little bit about how you think studying

765
00:50:30.599 --> 00:50:36.199
biology helps students prepare for the world
of work. So biology is not necessarily

766
00:50:36.239 --> 00:50:38.840
all about numbers, but it's that
order. One thing leads to another leads

767
00:50:38.840 --> 00:50:43.360
to another. I have my class
design to where if you don't do your

768
00:50:43.400 --> 00:50:45.840
homework, you don't do well on
your quizzes, you don't do well on

769
00:50:45.840 --> 00:50:46.920
your quizzes, you don't do well
on your tests. And I feel like

770
00:50:47.000 --> 00:50:52.199
that's something at the most basic level
that a student understands. I think what

771
00:50:52.360 --> 00:50:55.199
people kind of miss out as far
as high school classes go. In high

772
00:50:55.199 --> 00:50:59.199
school slub, there's go, it's
a cascade. And at the end of

773
00:50:59.199 --> 00:51:02.360
the day, I'm not teaching my
students all about biology. I'm teaching them

774
00:51:02.760 --> 00:51:07.360
how to interact with one another when
they do a lab. I'm teaching them

775
00:51:07.559 --> 00:51:12.320
how to take initiative and accountability for
their own grade by sending me an email

776
00:51:12.360 --> 00:51:15.599
instead of a parent sending me an
email. I'm teaching them how to make

777
00:51:15.639 --> 00:51:17.920
sure that there's a name on everything. I like to use the check analogy,

778
00:51:19.000 --> 00:51:21.840
but since no one hardly writes checks
anymore, and gets lost on them.

779
00:51:22.079 --> 00:51:23.679
But if you don't put your name
on it, how is anyone ever

780
00:51:23.760 --> 00:51:27.280
going to be able to give you
credit. You need to make sure that

781
00:51:27.360 --> 00:51:30.400
your name is on it so people
will take you seriously. So it's just

782
00:51:30.559 --> 00:51:34.360
little things like that that they can
recall back in freshman biology and then be

783
00:51:34.440 --> 00:51:36.280
like, oh, yeah, I
remember that one time this winner and gave

784
00:51:36.320 --> 00:51:39.599
me a zero. This is why. So it's about the little things,

785
00:51:39.679 --> 00:51:44.880
the little nuances and little habits that
they are creating now that will apply not

786
00:51:45.039 --> 00:51:49.000
only to biology but all their subjects
and then later in life with their career.

787
00:51:51.079 --> 00:51:54.199
Wow, that is again, so
appreciate it. It's given that I

788
00:51:54.440 --> 00:52:00.360
also appreciate responsibility, accountability, and
it's even the approach that you're taking by

789
00:52:00.679 --> 00:52:04.760
the way that you teach is I
see it on the other side, and

790
00:52:04.880 --> 00:52:07.960
I can tell you I appreciate that. I love working with young people who

791
00:52:08.000 --> 00:52:12.599
are just entering the workforce, and
obviously you're now teaching people who are about

792
00:52:12.679 --> 00:52:15.559
soon soon enough to enter the workforce. So thank you in advance for that.

793
00:52:16.400 --> 00:52:22.840
No problem. So we're coming to
the end of the conversation, and

794
00:52:22.880 --> 00:52:25.639
I like to be able to let
you have pretty much the last word to

795
00:52:25.719 --> 00:52:30.119
the show. And so when you
realize that this is a show that's heard

796
00:52:30.280 --> 00:52:34.440
really across the globe and we are
focused on the world of work in general

797
00:52:34.519 --> 00:52:37.119
and being connected and passionate to the
work that you do in a purposeful manner,

798
00:52:37.920 --> 00:52:43.880
what would you like to leave our
listeners with today. Never underestimate the

799
00:52:44.000 --> 00:52:49.599
power or the will of a teacher. I know, I know. When

800
00:52:49.639 --> 00:52:52.679
I first started teaching, I was
like, teaching is so easy. All

801
00:52:52.679 --> 00:52:54.559
you do is hanging out with kids
all day. My brother in law likes

802
00:52:54.599 --> 00:52:57.559
to throw out in my face.
He's like, you get an entire summer

803
00:52:57.639 --> 00:53:00.840
vacation off, And that's a bone
to pick with him anyways. But never

804
00:53:00.960 --> 00:53:05.159
underestimate how much work and how much
efforts that a teacher is putting into your

805
00:53:05.239 --> 00:53:10.800
child's education, And never underestimate how
much good a relationship with that teacher can

806
00:53:10.840 --> 00:53:15.079
do for the child. I think
at the end of the day, it

807
00:53:15.280 --> 00:53:17.000
is all about the child. I
don't need praise as a teacher. I

808
00:53:17.079 --> 00:53:21.480
don't need sayings as a teacher.
What I need is for that child to

809
00:53:21.760 --> 00:53:25.280
learn and to understand and to enjoy
the learning process. So if I'm passionate

810
00:53:25.320 --> 00:53:30.280
about it, here at school and
you're passionate about it at home. Us

811
00:53:30.360 --> 00:53:32.960
being passionate together, that's going to
make a difference in that child's life.

812
00:53:34.880 --> 00:53:37.599
So at the end of the day, like I've been saying, it's all

813
00:53:37.639 --> 00:53:42.199
about the kid for me, and
if I can stress that to anyone out

814
00:53:42.239 --> 00:53:46.599
there, find what you want to
do with your life and make it about

815
00:53:47.119 --> 00:53:52.239
other people. Make it about someone
else. When you make it about someone

816
00:53:52.280 --> 00:53:55.840
else, you tend to enjoy it
more because it's not about the money,

817
00:53:57.079 --> 00:54:00.320
it's not about the summer vacations.
It's about working with the kids and actually

818
00:54:00.400 --> 00:54:06.880
seeing them grow. Everyone has that
passion that they love, whether it's underwater

819
00:54:06.960 --> 00:54:10.559
basket weaving or watching the mating habits
of banana slugs. Find out what you

820
00:54:10.719 --> 00:54:15.079
love and share it with others.
What a brilliant way to close the show,

821
00:54:15.119 --> 00:54:20.559
Miss Wainwright. That was just incredible, very very wise for a young

822
00:54:20.679 --> 00:54:23.440
woman, just a couple. You're
welcome. I really want to thank you

823
00:54:23.559 --> 00:54:27.960
for joining me on the show,
being willing to be recruited as it were,

824
00:54:28.159 --> 00:54:30.760
and saying yes, I'm game.
So thank you for joining us and

825
00:54:30.840 --> 00:54:35.559
sharing your passion, your purpose,
your approach, and your love for your

826
00:54:35.599 --> 00:54:38.199
field. It's been delightful to have
you on. Thank you. It's been

827
00:54:38.199 --> 00:54:42.920
a wonderful experience, very very enjoyable. I love them. I'm glad.

828
00:54:43.639 --> 00:54:45.960
If you want to learn more about
miss Wainwright and the work she does at

829
00:54:45.000 --> 00:54:49.400
Bishop Bishop Lynch High School, you
can visit their website. It's Bishop Lynch

830
00:54:49.679 --> 00:54:53.119
dot org. Join us next week
when we talk with Austin Kremers and Ramund

831
00:54:53.360 --> 00:54:58.960
Mayo of Driver's Select about the purposeful
culture they are creating within this automotive sales

832
00:54:59.039 --> 00:55:04.000
company that literally late drives everything,
no pun intended. It drives their employee

833
00:55:04.000 --> 00:55:07.199
engagement, performance, customer satisfaction,
and ongoing success. See you then,

834
00:55:07.320 --> 00:55:09.840
and remember that work is at least
one third of our lives. So let's

835
00:55:09.880 --> 00:55:20.400
work on purpose. We hope you've
enjoyed this week's program. Be sure to

836
00:55:20.480 --> 00:55:24.559
tune into Working on Purpose featuring your
host Alice Cortez, every Wednesday at six

837
00:55:24.639 --> 00:55:30.599
pm Eastern Time three pm Pacific Time
on the Voice America Empowerment Channel. This

838
00:55:30.719 --> 00:55:32.239
week, find your life's purpose at
work