Episode 1- "Me, Myself, and I"

Embark on an emotional rollercoaster with me, Ken Newton, as I peel back the curtains to reveal the raw and vibrant tapestry of my 28-year tenure in the education field. This episode of Teacher Talk isn't just another narrative; it's a mosaic of heartfelt stories, from the pride of family legacy to the exhilaration of instilling creativity in young minds. As I navigate the landscape of my career, the retirement headlights in the distance, and my young daughter's first steps into education, you're invited to witness the intimate crossroads of my personal and professional worlds.

With a nod to musical greats like Pink Floyd and the Backstreet Boys setting our backdrop, the session spotlights the dynamic journey of education, including the evolution I've observed firsthand and the wisdom I've gathered along the way. A special mention goes to a former student turned exceptional colleague, a living testament to the cycle of inspiration that teaching ignites. And to cap it off, Rita Pearson's powerful TED Talk serves as a poignant reminder that every child indeed needs a champion. So join me—whether you're an educator, a parent, or simply a lifelong learner—for this heartfelt exploration of the life lessons that transcend the classroom walls.

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:24

Hey, good afternoon Mr Ken Newton here, good morning. I'm Ken Newton. I'm a good one Me myself and I. I have a brand new, revamped podcast. I used to do a podcast all about educational technology, but I thought, hey, that was a good idea. However, I have so many stories to tell, so much to tell. I thought I would revamp my podcast into Teacher Talk with Ken Newton. So I look forward to you getting to know me and listening to my stories.

Speaker 1: 0:55

Good, bad happy sad and really some unbelievable stories. I think the rest of the world needs to hear what happens in the classroom, what happens outside the classroom. I think teachers are unsung heroes of society. Again, I have so many stories I've been blessed with of having a career of 28 years so far. I've been very fortunate to have taught thousands of kids, very blessed to have been named Teacher of the Year twice. I've been Apple certified, google certified. I've been very, very blessed to have had a great career so far and I see the retirement headlights and I see the retirement within reach. And I'm blessed to have my beautiful four and a half year old daughter who's in TK and kind of see as she begins her school journey as I'm ending mine. So I'm super excited to start off my podcast. I'm entitled Me Myself and I. I've told you a little bit about me. I look forward for you to all getting to know me as a teacher.

Speaker 1: 1:59

As a person, I absolutely love what I do. My parents have since passed away and my father was in education. My mother was in education, my grandparents were in education and I like to think I'm continuing my father's and my family's legacy in education. I really believe in a couple of phrases. For example, ralph Walder Emerson said nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm. And let me tell you I really try hard to bring enthusiasm and fun and allowing kids to be creative in the class on a daily basis. And I like to think my parents would be proud of me, not only in the classroom but as a father. So I appreciate my family support. I appreciate my wife support, my daughter support, my family support being a teacher and I look forward for you to getting to know me and after the next break we'll talk a little bit more about my career and in education. Alright, pink Floyd, and at the beginning of the last segment I started off with Van Halen, who loves that song, hot for Teacher and another brick in the wall trying to find some cool school songs. As we're talking about school, talking about education and a little bit of teacher talk from Mr Ken Newton.

Speaker 1: 3:31

Again, I am super excited to start off this revamped, brand new podcast with you and tell you a little bit more about me. I've been super blessed to have a 28 year career. I started off teaching first grade love first grade back in the day, and I'm going to tell you some stories on how education truly has changed. Friends, boy, I look back at my career and I think about how much it's changed. Like I mentioned, and good and bad. I'm politics, kids, parents but again, I think teaching is the best profession in the world. You get a chance to really make a true impact on the education in the life of children and I've taught long enough where now I'm teaching with my old students and I'll tell you a story about that down the road, and she's an awesome teacher, by the way. So, again, super excited and I'm looking forward to future episodes. And I'm going to end with one of my favorite TED Talks by an amazing teacher, and you can catch it right after the end of this break.

Speaker 1: 4:49

Alright, hey, friends, backstreet boys, mr Newton and our last segment, friends, I want to share with you one of my favorite TED Talks, done by an amazing teacher by the name of Rita Pearson, and it talks about every child. Every kid needs somebody in their corner, every kid needs a champion. So, without further ado, I'm going to share the TED Talk with you. Enjoy, and we'll catch you back with episode number two. So, again, so excited, so so excited to start this revamp, brand new podcast. Enjoy the TED Talk. Alright, hey, mr Newton, here. Backstreet boys and our final segment. I want to share with you my favorite TED Talk done by an amazing teacher, rita Pearson. Rita Pearson has always talked about how Every child needs a champion and someone in their corner, and I wanted to share one of my favorite TED Talks with you. So enjoy, and we'll catch you in episode number two.

Speaker 2: 6:07

I have spent my entire life either at the schoolhouse, on the way to the schoolhouse or talking about what happens in the schoolhouse. Both my parents were educators, my maternal grandparents were educators, and for the past 40 years I've done the same thing, and so, needless to say, over those years I've had a chance to look at education reform from a lot of perspectives. Some of those reforms have been good, some of them have been not so good, and we know why kids drop out. We know why kids don't learn. It's either poverty, low attendance, negative peer influences. We know why, but one of the things that we never discuss, or we rarely discuss, is the value and importance of human connection, relationships. James Comer says that no significant learning can occur without a significant relationship. George Washington Carver says all learning is understanding relationships. Everyone in this room has been affected by a teacher or an adult. For years.

Speaker 2: 7:22

I have watched people teach. I have looked at the best and I've looked at some of the worst. A colleague said to me one time they don't pay me to like the kids. They pay me to teach a lesson. The kids should learn it, I should teach it, they should learn it, case closed. Well, I said to her. You know kids don't learn from people they don't like. She said that's just a bunch of hooey. And I said to her well, your year is going to be long and arduous, dear. Needless to say, it was.

Speaker 2: 8:03

Some people think that you can either have it in you to build a relationship or you don't. I think Stephen Covey had the right idea. He said you ought to just throw in a few simple things like seeking first to understand as opposed to being understood. Simple things like apologizing. You ever thought about that? Tell the kids you're sorry. They're in shock. I taught a lesson once on race shows. I'm not real good with math, but I was working on it and I got back and looked at that teacher edition. I taught the whole lesson wrong. So I came back to class the next day and I said look guys, I need to apologize. I taught the whole lesson wrong. I'm so sorry. I said that's OK, ms Pearson, you were so excited. We just let you go.

Speaker 1: 8:55

And that's what makes Rita Pearson just an absolutely amazing teacher. She's no longer with us, but she lives on in spirit and millions of teachers' hearts and minds. So enjoy, friends. We'll catch you later in episode number two.