001minuscule allotted budgets, evolving student needs, or the everchanging political landscape. But I stand before you with the utmost confidence because I know the strength lies in the collective power and dedication of the entire BCAS membership. I know your dedication, your resilience, and your unwavering belief in the power of public education. As your union president, I want to reaffirm our commitment to collaboration, transparency, and serving as your advocate. The BCAS executive board is here to support you, listen to you, and to work alongside you to ensure that every school is a place where both staff and students can flourish. Let this school year be one of unity and progress. Let us lead with empathy, act with integrity, and never lose sight of why we do this work in the first place, which is to uplift lives
002through education. Once again, welcome back. Together, let's make the 2526 school year extraordinary for all Bridgeport stakeholders. Thank you, and may everyone have a successful and rewarding school year. Thank you everyone. [Applause] >> And I believe at this time we have a video from uh local 1522 union president Sher Weller. >> Good morning. Welcome back. I'm Sher Weller, president of Vasme Local 1522. This year our theme is rooted in purpose driven by passion. And I cannot think of a group of people who embody that more than you do. Our pair professionals and clerical staff are the foundation of our schools. Rooted in purpose. You show up every day with a clear commitment to support our students, our teachers, and each other. And you are driven by passion. The love you show our students, the encouragement
003you give them, and the pride you take in their success. Your passion fuels our classrooms, turning challenges into opportunities and small steps into victories. So, as we begin this new school year together, let's remember that there is nothing we cannot accomplish. Take pride in the incredible role you play and shaping the futures of our students in ways that will last a lifetime. Thank you for all that you do. Have a great year. [Music] [Applause] biggest. Here we go. [Music] [Applause] I want to hear you. Okay. I want to hear you. [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] Come on, listen. We sing [Music] [Applause] [Music] on this and Lord come [Applause] up there and there [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] we have them. Got them. We have [Music] them. We have all [Music] >> and this is
004the time when you get to sing with us. The chorus is very easy. It goes la. >> That's it. That's it. >> And it goes like this. La. >> Come on. I'll help you out. La >> everybody come on la. >> Come on the people from back. Come on this say la. >> Oh yeah boy. I feel you. That la this la. >> Here we go la. I know we have guns [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] taste. Oh, there we have. [Music] Cheers that. Thank you. Thank you. I'll be back. Thank you, God. You're the best. Thank you. Say it was all about the kids. When I first walked in that Lawnfellow school and I saw the children it w I wasn't sure whether I wanted to stay in this field. uh I didn't know that
005education was something that my passion but walking looking at kids and talking to them I said you know what I can make a difference and children are children everywhere so why not Bridgeport and that was my whole thing why not Bridgeport why do I need to find something else and honestly I never I don't think in my 31 years I have applied anywhere else there were opportunities Please, I didn't want it to go. >> Before I call out um Miss Carbone, really quick, I want to give some shout outs that I forgot that wasn't on a list. Charge it to my head, not my heart. Shout out to Aquaculture, >> BLC, >> JRC, >> Classical Studies, and adult >> ed. [Applause] >> Okay, thank you very much, Mr. Jones. I appreciate that. We didn't want
006to forget anybody on purpose, so we apologize, but we love you all. With that being said, we'd like to just shout out to um Howard Saffin. He's the amphitheater owner. He has been uh generous enough to host us and be a true community partner. Mr. Saf Saffin quietly does so much for Bridgeport behind the scenes and we're grateful for his continued support and generosity. At this time, I have the honor and the privilege to call up Commissioner Charlene Russell Tucker. Good morning, Bridgeport. >> Thank you so much uh Principal Carbone for the introduction. It's wonderful to be here with you all in community as we begin a new school year. Convocation is always a moment of celebration, reflection, and renewal. is a time to look forward with purpose and determination for the year ahead. And
007if I were this morning, we're in a music amphitheater here. If I were to sing a song, I take a line that says, "Wind beneath my wings." Because that's what you represent this morning. You represent the heartbeat of our school district here, and you're the wind that we know that we will go forward through this year. So if you are a board member, teacher, administrator, school counselor, social worker, interventionists, related services providers, para educator, food and nutrition staff, our school staff, municipal leaders, educational professionals who support our school district, bus drivers, crossing guards. Did I get all of you? Could you just raise your hand if I called your position? Raise your hand. You're a teacher. You're an educator. You're working all up in the balcony. Thank you all for what you do. We're here
008today to celebrate all of you. You give 100% maybe 150 each and every day. And so why don't you give yourselves a round of applause. [Applause] It was really important to me and to us at the Department of Education that we gathered together today in community. And the reason I wanted that to happen because I wanted you to see those that are behind the scenes. You may not see them every day, but they're working on your behalf and they're here to support you. We have the members of the state board of education. If you could just wave your hand, that would be great. We have the technical assistance team that you see that's around here with you. We have those from the Department of Education, the two deputy here and others that's not in the
009room. When I brought together the team of everyone in our agency working for and with you, I had a room of over 35 staff members that touched Bridgeport Public Schools. So, thank you. I thank them for their work. Mayor Ganam. Yes. And his team. Dr. Muko is here uh somewhere in in the crowd. Uh interim chancellor of the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities instrumental in making sure that you do have your central registration center at Connecticut CT State who's supporting your board of education. We've got Cab Patrice. Thank you very much. Certainly around you every day, inter superintendent Avery and his team working to support all of you, the union representatives and the local board of education. But most of all, I'm here today to thank you and to honor you, educators and school staff
010of Bridport public schools. You are the people in the arena. Yes, you are literally in the arena. Teddy Roosevelt talked about those in the arena that the credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena who strives valiantly and that is what you do every single day making sure that we can say failure is not an option. Do you agree with that? The credit belongs to you. Long hours but you inspire curiosity. You're creating safe spaces and welcoming spaces for our students to learn, to grow, and to thrive. And I'm so thrilled of the work that we're doing together with all of you. We kicked off our work in Bridgeport with a round table of educators, teachers, with the governor, the mayor, and our local representatives. Oh, by the way, could you give
011a round of applause to the delegation, the legislative delegation for Bridgeport, making your voices heard in Hartford, those conversations that we had guided the work that we're doing in Bridgeport every day. We've heard from you. You told us what you're looking for, and we're planning to deliver that for you. I just wanted to quickly talk about some of the things that we've accomplished over 50 listening sessions hearing from you and also from the Bridgeport community. So thrilled today I know we've got new educators in the room that we started off with a lot of vacancies in special education. I think as today we're down to two vacancies in special education and that deserves a resounding round of applause. As you know, we've worked together to restore the bus service because we want to make sure
012our students can come safely to school every single day that they're present. Last year, over 6,000 students were chronically absent. We've got to be working on that starting day one to make sure they're here, they're present, they're engaged in learning. You some of you have have experienced an extraordinary three-day training. special education staff, regular education staff. That's the work that we're doing with you. Targeted training for our board, supported our district leadership here, rein student literacy, literacy training, and just continuing the work more and more every day. But that demonstrate that we stand with you as a partner in change as we work together to improve student outcomes, build a stronger, more supportive school system that meets the needs of every student in Bridgeport. The department is committed to supporting, uplifting, and empowering your work
013and your impact. We will continue to walk alongside you with a firm belief that Bridgeport's 20,022 students deserves the very best and that be that begins with supporting you, the educators who serve them every single day. The challenges are real, but so is our resolve and our sheer commitment to creating transformative, sustainable reforms that will elevate educational excellence and secure a bright future for every student in Bridgeport. It is now my pleasure to introduce our special guest, staunch supporter of public education who knows the district well, who will pick up the phone and call me and ask what's going on in Bridgeport. Welcome our governor, Ned Lamont. [Music] So, hello Bridgeport. Hello, Bridgeport teachers and Bridgeport PAR educators and the bus drivers and the administrators. How you guys doing there in the Jack Daniels Club?
014I like that section over there. I think you guys know what you're doing. Hey, this is back to school. Look, I remember uh I love summer vacation as much as the next guy, but also you remember it's a fresh start and that's what back to school is all about. And I know how much you mean to these kids. Look, I've been around for a long time. And you know, you look back in time, you say, who are the people that made a difference in your life and hopefully you had a mom and a dad and a brother and a sister and maybe a first girlfriend and you also always had a teacher and you never forget that teacher who made a difference in your life. And I just wanted you to remember how important you
015are to these kids every day. Hey, look, you can have uh the new math and the new new math and you can test and you can retest and all the stuff that comes out of Washington DC. Having a great teacher in the classroom is the most important thing. And that's what each and every one of you do. That's what you mean to these kids. That's why we love you. That's why we're here today. and especially here at Bridgeport. Um, give these kids that hope and opportunity, that chance. I had the opportunity, I don't know, 30 years ago to do a little bit of teaching in Harding High School. The old Hey there's Harding where our our Harding High School is a little beat up. Yours is cool. Looks like a spaceship just landed. It's amazing,
016you know. But I remember there um few years back for the first day, the first school and I talked to the custodian and I said, "What's the difference between this Harding High School and the old Harding High School?" And he told me something interesting. He said, "The old Harding High School, the place was a bit of a mess at the end of the day." Uh kids didn't care as much. This new Harding High School, the building says, "We love you. We care about you." And they cared about the building. and they said it's a much neater and cleaner place for the amount of work. That's what these buildings do. That's what Bassic does. That's what the new central does. That's what Bullard Haven does. And all these buildings are great and they're thanks in part
017because you got a mayor who's very aggressive and pushing every day for you up in Hartford. Woo! He pushes. And uh you've got an amazing uh delegation that never says no. But let me tell you, buildings are great. All these programs are great, but it's really about each and every one of you. And from the bottom of my heart, I want to say, what are you guys doing way over there? You know, it's plenty of room in the middle. But I want to say from the bottom of my heart what it means for these kids. The little bit of teaching I did at Harding, I remember those kids like yesterday. I hope they remember me. Um, you know, we got to get the kids back in the classroom believing that it makes an enormous difference.
018And there you can do it. We had the lead program. We knock on doors. We say we miss you. We want you back because uh there's still some folks who are not coming back to school. And I got to say, the feds are not making it any easier either. You're safe in our schools. You're safe in our Bridgeport schools. We want you here in these schools. We're going to protect you. That's what um Connecticut's all about. And that's what you guys are all about. So anyway, tomorrow's the first day. I want you to be there with a big smile on your face. Greet them. Let these kids know we love them. I want you to know on behalf of the state of Connecticut, we appreciate what each and every one of you do every day
019for these kids. We got your back. Thank God for Bridgeport. Thank God for our teachers. Take care everybody. >> My name is Jessica Papasters. Uh the kids know me as Miss B. I have been in the city for 20 years. Uh I started as a kindergarten pair professional and worked my way up to preK and after that I am special education resource fifth through 8th grade at Discover. >> Okay. At this time, we would like to recogn public schools. I went K through eight, also a Central High School graduate. Um, I stay in Bridgeport because I think the kids deserve the best. We have the best kids here. And I don't just say it to say it. It's the truth. We have the best kids and they deserve the best from us. So, that's why
020I say >> at this time, I'd like to take a >> We are the people who spend the most time with the kids. So that is the most important thing. Our kids need to feel safe. They need to feel loved. Uh they need to know that they have a special place in your heart so that they can trust you and know that you have the best intentions for them. >> Now I think it's my turn. Okay. At this time I'd like to take a moment to introduce two of our student poets because this is what it's all about listening to our students. So at this time I'd like to call up Isabella Kenyon Bridgeport Public School poet laurate finalist. Good morning everybody. Hello. Hello. My name is Isabella Konz, but I might assume that you
021know that already. I am a sophomore at Central High School and I was a finalist in the um poet law competition. This is my poem that I just like to call school or this is what school reminds me of. Walking in front or behind within or beside I in single file lines. This is what school reminds me of. Pen and paper write in the lines. I'm sure it'll be fine. This is what school reminds me of. Endless faces old and new. People I knew never enough. This is what school reminds me of. Letters under nightlight. Sleepless overnights to run towards the limelight. This is what school reminds me of. Hiding in my hands because I just got a number that dictates my worth. That throws me in the dirt. This is what school reminds me
022of. Smiles and laughs. Stupid jokes that'll pass even if they won't last. This is what school reminds me of. The pitter patter of my feet. Ankles worn in the raging sun. running because I just missed my bus. This is what school reminds me of. Kids looking down at their blue phone lights instead of their own blackboards because our own world is decaying. This is what school reminds me of. The place where kids grow to evolve. A place that all should go to grow to know. For knowledge is the biggest motivation. To achieve more information is to understand. But the world is in the palm of hands of people who don't know us attempting to shut off our world. Kids yesterday, today, and tomorrow with a voice saying that school just closed today or that they
023can't go or that they don't deserve to. School is a right treated like a privilege morphed into an image distant from what it is. A place of education. That's all they said it was. But in it, kids sanctuary. Why can't anybody understand? You can't until you step back into the mind of a student. Monotony and gray colored walls, words lined in a dry erase, doomsdays on the wall. And yet I'm stuck here staring at kids with slack jaws. Because not everyone here is copy pasted, no matter how many times statistics say it. You know my face. You may not remember my name, but remember this single lines of people not known. I can find home, maybe more so, but there's so much that I have yet to know. This is what school reminds me of.
024[Applause] What a beautiful job. And we have one more poet for you. At this time, I'd like to call up Senine Wilson, who's also a Bridgeport Public School poet, Laurette. Hello everyone. Um uh I will be reading a work titled How do we forgive our how do we find our power? This poem is inspired by the piece, How Do We Forgive Our Fathers by Dick Warry and is dedicated to all of you teachers and staff that keep the education spark alike when it's time to begin, but we don't feel ready. How do we find our power when a new journey starts but the old one is still unresolved? How do we find our power when above seems so strict and below acts so loose? How do we find our power when our paths keep shifting
025and things keep changing? How do we find our power when the world keeps world winding around us and the guides keep not guiding us and we have to help others through when we can't help ourselves? How do we find our power? We find through force, find through feeling, find through fiery passion, find through first reason. Yes. Remember the reason you came. Remember what started first journey. What wants made you start walking, wanting to change, wanting to encourage, wanting to inspire, wanting to help, supporting the same way someone did for you all those years ago. These reasons fuel power. Want your passion. Your fiery persistence fuels your power. And above can't take that soul fuel. They can dim the fire, but they can't take your wood. They can take the map, but they can't take your
026compass. They can lock the door, but they can't take your key. And they can stomp on the ashes, but the coals of your soul are still a light. You are still a light. You are a light for many. Lighting our paths through the whirlwind. Shielding our eyes from the sands storm. Pulling our bodies through the flood. Being our light when we can't see one at the end of the tunnel. When you struggle to find your power, look to within to fiery soul you have. When you struggle to find your power, look to the young. whom you've swarmed to protect. When we all struggle to find our power, we simply must look at ourselves. Thank you. [Applause] My name is Harry Bell and I'm a security officer. I represent the security of the Bisport school education
027department. I believe my passion impact the students that I encounter daily is because they look at me as one of them. And if I could bring something great to the table, especially a table that they are accompanied at, it'll let it'll let them know that they can do the same or even better. That is possible. I hope I hope at least one kid that cross paths with me daily understand that it's possible. It's possible to be great. It's cool to dream again. Don't matter no matter where you come from, no matter what doors are closed. If you just put one foot first, a heart and a mind that anything is possible for them students in our Bridgeport Board of Education. >> I really wish I knew that monitor was right there a long time ago.
028That would have helped. At this time, I would like to welcome Dr. Royce Avery, our interim superintendent. accompanied by the board of education members. Good morning, Bridgeport Public Schools. How we doing out there? I would like to take a moment to pause a little bit. Francine, where are you? Come for a sec. I want to recognize Francine for all the all the work that she's done to support to bring this thing together. Uh she's been done an amazing job today and I thank you from the bottom of my heart. >> Thank you. I appreciate it. >> My pleasure. Thank you. >> I stand before you this morning. I have beside me the board of education. They've been very instrumental in driving the work that that we are doing uh over the last nine months. Uh
029and so I want to personally thank them and I had them stand beside me as I present my my message to you this morning. Uh again, thank you guys. Rooted Rooted with passion driven rooted in passion driven by Let me try one more time, guys. >> Rooted in passion driven by rooted in purpose- driven by passion. But that's why we do it, right? I rehearsed this 15 times and still didn't get it right. Uh but again, our greatest strengths is everybody in this room. We we have the heart and the passion to do the things we do for good for for for kids. You know, as the interim school superintendent, my job is to channel those things, the passion and the dedication to to make a strong unified effort to align across this district, making
030sure that everybody has an input into making this district successful. Who we are, we are the people. We we are committed you know and we have the passion again to do everything that we we seek out to do. Our vision is to that I believe that every student, educator, leader, we have the power to make the difference in our lives and our children. Uh and it's through these lenses that we will empower each and every one of you to do what we got to do for the betterment of this district. As we as we take this journey, I use the principles of the odds principle to make this work this all come together. And we talk about the commitment to a culture where you see it, you own it, you solve it, and you do
031it, and we do it all together. The the pillars that we're going to take to really kind of bring this thing together is clear roles and responsibilities. Everybody knows what they need to do to make it happen. You know, building the capacity through professional development. And I do want to thank the the Connecticut State Board of Education. They have done a lot to kind of tailor that that PD for us to make sure that we make sure that we touch everything that we need to do to move forward. Establishing clear feedback mechanisms to really get the feedback from not only the teachers, administrators, you know, but our parents and our students as well. And then taking that data and using it to drive the success within our districts. And I'm I'm a real good, you
032know, uh, you know, mindset to have a theory of practice. If you do certain things, you'll get certain outcomes. And so when I look at doing these things and getting the sharp shortterm outcomes, it's talking about increased capacity, increase the clarity of the things that we're doing, that's important. Uh, number two, improve satisfaction. We want staff to stay within this district. So we have to make sure that we we satisfy your needs, you know, wherever you are within the district. And then again, having that strong collaboration is the third short-term goal that we that we anticipate to have. Again, looking at the long-term pieces, right? You know, that will bring higher student achievement. You know, kids will be here if you're here. So, we want to make sure that you connect those dots to make
033sure that kids are here. and when they're not here, let's make sure that we touch them to kind of get them in within our systems. Number two, talk about district-wide culture. You know, the feel that I had coming in this morning, seeing teacher smiles, seeing custodians connect, seeing maintenance workers connect with everybody, that's that's very very meaningful for me as well. And then as as we build this system or rebuild this system, making sure we have a sustainable model to be able to continue the work that we're that we're establishing as we speak right now. I do want to pause, but because I think it's important that there is funding issues within this district and the things that we need from outside this district, but I'm going to challenge each and every one of you.
034If there's grants out there that you know of that we can tap into, reach out to the grants department. make sure that we can we can get out there and and and fight for some of those dollars. And again, and then as we talk about, you know, this the community, the state, making sure that we can advocate for those funds. And we need everybody in this room to help us do that. One of the things I'm going to push out there to you guys, we have a brand new program, you know, that's starting now. It's called In It to Win It. And and it's really an opportunity to recognize your colleagues out there and recognize students. uh more is to come about the the in it to win it program, but I want to make
035sure that everybody understands that everybody, you know, even when you're not, you know, connected, someone's watching to make sure that they can acknowledge you as well. And then as we speak, as we as I got to stage right now, you have a brand new website that's going to be launched. If you do the uh uh the QR code there, you can tap right into the brand new website. So, I want to make sure that that is important for me to to extend that out to you as well. Uh, so as I close for the year, again, I want to welcome you back. I thank you for engaging me. I thank you for engaging my board. I thank you for engaging this community. Uh, and everything that you do counts. Uh, I want to take your
036your dedication, your passion, your hard work because it all makes a difference. Uh again, start the the new school year with passion, dedication, and we all love you. Thank you. [Applause] Let's give a shout out to Ron Jones for doing a great job. Right. I guess I'm good to go. Okay. At this moment, I would like to introduce Duncan Young, the CEO of Effective School Solutions, and he will be introducing our keynote speaker. Um, I won't take anything away from his introduction, but I will tell you the administrators had an opportunity to see the keynote speaker and she is amazing and I think you're all in for a really special treat with her today. >> Good morning, Bridgeport Educators. Great to see everybody this morning. Uh, I've got the easiest job uh at this gig
037this morning. I'm going to be introducing our keynote speaker uh very, very shortly. Uh, I'm Duncan Young. I'm the CEO of Effective School Solutions. We are a longtime partner to Bridgeport Public Schools, providing high acuity mental and behavioral health support across the district. This year, we've also partnered with Dr. Avery and his team to launch a comprehensive initiative led by today's keynote speaker to equip educators with fresh tools and strategies for supporting students facing significant mental health, emotional, and behavioral challenges. With that in mind and without further ado, it's my pleasure to introduce today's keynote speaker, Lane Whitaker. Lane is the vice president of professional learning at Effective School Solutions, a dynamic and nationally recognized speaker, the co-host of the MindBeat podcast, which is focused on school-based mental health. Lane brings over 15 years of
038experience as an educator working with atrisisk youth at the Department of Children and Families. and as a high school dean of students. She's a certified parenting coach, an advanced trainer in the nurtured heart approach, a certified mental health first aid instructor, and holds a master's degree in leadership from Cababrini University. At ESS, Lane uses her expertise in school-based mental health to lead professional learning initiatives, coaching programs, and strategic consulting for educators, district leaders, and families. Her work is grounded in a deep passion for cultivating safe and supportive learning environments for every student. Please join me in welcoming to the stage my friend Lane Whitaker. [Music] Hello. Hello. Thank you everybody for the wonderful welcome. Um it is a pleasure and an honor to be here today. So good morning Bridgeport. Good morning. Thank you. Um
039what a powerful site to look out and see educators, leaders, uh and change agents. And so it's just an honor and a privilege to be here to speak uh to the district today. I first want to just take a moment to acknowledge some of our special guests. Governor Lamont, Commissioner Russell Tucker, Mayor Granham, Chairman Perez, Superintendent Avery of course, and so many other distinguished guests. So again, my name is Lane Whitaker and I'm really honored to be here. As you heard, I've had a lot of varied experiences in my career and so it's been a real privilege and an honor to be working with your district to create change here. You can go next. Sorry, I'm queuing my people for the slides. So, I don't know who needs to hear this right now, but you
040are an amazing educator. You are changing and affecting lives in a powerful way and you are appreciated. You have no idea the impact that you are making on the daily lives of kids. And so I just want to thank you and honor you for that. Next, I want to ask you to Hello. Is this working? I want to ask you to think about leading with your why. Because when the why is clear, the how is easy. Meaning once we have the methodology, once we have the wherewithal why we're doing something, we can walk in purpose. We can walk in passion. And so when our passion is fueled by purpose, it's so easy to do. So I want us to uh think about our why. I want you to think about the impact and the change
041that we can make and why it's so important to do some things I'm going to advise you on today. You can go next. So, I have a quote I'd like to read to you. I've come to the frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element in the classroom. It is my personal approach that creates the climate. It is my daily mood that makes the weather. As a teacher, I possess tremendous power to make a child's life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration. I can humiliate or heal. In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis will be escalated or deescalated. And a child humanized or dehumanized. That is not only a daily decision, it is a momentto-moment decision when we're working in challenging
042uh environments with kids with challenging behaviors. So, it is a daily and momentto- moment decision. I have some tips and tools to help you navigate that. Next, the the secret tip is and uh hearkening to your Oz principle to the Wizard of Oz, as Glenda the Good Witch said to Dorothy, you the power is in you. You always had the power, my dear. You just had to learn it for yourself. So, I have a few things to teach you to keep this momentum, this joy, this happiness to carry into the new school year. And let's let's talk about it next. So we know that we are the change element that we know that we are the game changer in the room. So how do we get from those beliefs to reality that that bridge is
043our four core of attunement. Can you next slide please? So here is our four core uh core four of attunement. This is something we've been working on in your district and so I want to share a little bit of it with the entire district so you get a taste of what we're working on and hopefully we'll make it to a school near you very soon. Our I love this like symbol here. If you see this is our way of when you're stuck when you're in a situation and not sure how to navigate those behaviors. I want you to remember this. It's not an accident that it's in a circular motion or a cyclical motion because you can start anywhere where you feel stuck. curiosity, care, connection, and collaboration. So, let's go through each of them
044and talk about how we can start implementing those into our daily practices. Next, first I'd like to just give you a definition of what attunement means. What does it mean to be attuned? To be aware of, attentive or responsive to something or someone to bring into harmony. We want to be attuned to our students needs and even more importantly attuned to the needs of ourselves. We've all heard that expression that when you're on an airplane and you're with a child and it's going down, who takes the oxygen first? It's counterintuitive, but the adult because once the adult has oxygen, I can now save the child. And so, we need to think about that self-care uh that we'll talk about in just a moment and how to be more attuned. Next slide. So, let's start with
045curiosity. And I'm gonna ask you to pledge. You can just do it in your heart. You don't have to do it out loud. But I'd like you to make this pledge to yourself and to your students that I will lead, teach with openness, inquiry, and reflection rather than assumption and control. If you can agree to do that, that means that you're now going to realize that sometimes we make up stories about our kids and they're often nefarious. They're often maliciously aligned when honestly a lot of times what's beneath the surface, what's beneath that behavior is communicating that I need help. I need support. I need you to co-regulate with me. There could be a number of things going on. So, we just want to remember to remain curious. Next slide. Our guiding question as we
046think about remaining curious with our students is, am I approaching this with curiosity or assumption? Am I making poor assumptions about my students that fit my narrative and that usually make me the hero or the victim and the student the perpetrator? So, let's approach with curiosity. Let's be open to there are other reasons causing the behavior and that we actually have the power to support those students. Next, I want to talk about care. Not only is this care for our students, but this is care for ourselves. We need to think about our own self-regulation. Then it leads to co-regulation. Now, if you're born in the 1900s like me, you probably didn't have a foundation of learning how to self-regulate. I doubt it was conversation at the dinner table growing up or with family and friends
047asking you, hey, how do you manage your emotions? What do you do in these tough situations? And I imagine many of us never had those conversations. I can see people shaking their heads. No, no, that didn't happen. Right? And so we've done our best to kind of white knuckle it and get through life. And we have some maladaptive coping skills to do that and some appropriate adapt adapt excuse me adaptive skills for that. But we need to think about what it is that helps you get regulated. Think about how you even know when you're disregulated. What does it feel like in your body when you see a child who is disobeying or making you feel disrespected? What does that feel like? Where do you feel it in your body? Do you feel it in your
048shoulders and your stomach and your throat? What does that tell you in your mind? What are the thoughts and stories we start to make up about this this child and their behavior? So once we recognize that, we can take a moment to breathe and reset ourselves. And now that we are regulated, I can share my calm rather than my chaos with students that I can help them regulate as well. Because when we're disregulated, we're disconnected from our frontal lobe, the place where we practice logic, reasoning, impulse control, highlevel social nuances. So when we can get control and collect ourselves, we become reconnected with the part of our brain that helps us navigate tough situations, that helps us make more logical, rational decisions. So not only are we going to practice self-care, we're going to practice
049self-compassion. The days are long, but the years are short. And so we have to make ourselves um come to school with the joy and happiness that you feel today. I hope you can grab some of this in your heart and take it with you throughout the year when we're having these tough moments that are sure to come. Um, next slide. So, the guiding question for care is, am I approaching this with care or am I trying to control the situation? Am I caring for my needs? Am I approaching with self-care? Am I self-regulating so that I can then offer co-regulation? Please think about this is so critical because you're teaching your students either way. You're either teaching them how to behave when you're disregulated and what is acceptable or you're teaching them that yeah, human
050experience is to be disregulated at times. But to be an exceptional human is to be able to regulate and make a different choice. Next slide. Connection. Oh boy, this is one of my favorites. I'm a connector. Humans are wired for connection. We all crave connection. Even the most introverted al among us still require deep connection. And so you're not going to get the best of your students until they feel this connection with you. There are a lot of ways to connect, to get to know your individual students and their stories and their needs and become attuned to those needs. But one of the best ways to do that is through play. We're not playing enough. I would love to see us play more in school and make this a place where kids want to be.
051where I know we're going to have fun, where I know we're going to play. And by the way, play isn't just an activity. Play is a spirit. Play is how you arrive, how you show up with a spirit of playfulness. That I see you and it immediately regulates me. I feel that we're going to have fun, that we're going to play, that school is a place where I want to be. You do this. You watch your attendance rise. You watch your connection with your students sore and you watch grades increase and their regulation increase. They will become attached to you in a way that is significant and supports them in their journeying into adulthood. Next, the guiding question for connection is, am I approaching this with connection or compliance? Because I'll tell you, I would
052much rather have cooperation than compliance any day. I would much rather have a child cooperate in their education and in their journey with me because we have an affection for one another, not because I'm forcing them or because I'm using a power dynamic over them to force compliance. We want to have this connection that's so strong that when we feel that disconnect, we're eager to quickly make that repair and get back online with our students. Next, and the final C in our loop here of the core four of attunement is collaboration. So in collaboration, our pledge is we will grow together, student and teacher, through repair, problem solving, and building community. So what does this mean? This means that again, we're going to have those challenges. Those days will surely come. And when we're in
053these moments where we feel stuck and want to go to our default settings of harsh discipline and consequences, this is a time where we regulate. I like to call the three C's of uh CPR, right? Check, call, care, check on myself, call in my inner resources to reset myself, and then I can care for the person in front of me. And once I do that, we can collaborate on a solution to whatever the problem is in front of us. Instead of telling Johnny, "No, you cannot do such and such and you're just going to have to deal with it." Let's figure out what the root of this behavior is and how we can problem solve together. How we can find solutions to alter that behavior so that our students have appropriate ways to deal with
054disappointment that will surely come. And finally, our guiding question for collaboration is I'm approaching this with collaboration or punishment. And again, we are often going right to punishment. What is the consequence? And I like to think of that as giving Tylenol to a headache. And the headache keeps coming back every day. And we wonder what is going on with this headache. And that punishment is the Tylenol. It only treats the symptoms. We're not getting to the root cause. So once we've done those other three C's, once we've been curious about what is really going on with the behavior, once we have regulated ourselves and shared our regulation with our students, once we have connected and played, well then now the collaboration is easy. Let's find solutions rather than go to punishment. Let's address the underlying
055problem and find solutions. We also need to recognize too that sometimes it's a skill set deficit. I know I'm on fire, but wow. [Laughter] We need to acknowledge that sometimes it's a skill set deficit. Sometimes our kids don't have the skill to regulate and we need to teach them. Sometimes our kids don't have the skill for reading or math. And we need to teach them rather than punish them for acting out when they will surely be disregulated when they don't have the skills. because most kids would rather be the bad kid than the dumb kid. So, we have to make sure that we are recognizing when there is a skill deficit rather than assuming that it's a behavior. And we're going to collaborate to make changes to find solutions to uh creative solutions to complex
056problems. Next, in closing, everybody knows Rita Pearson, right? The great late Rita Pearson, who is a champion for students. Now, in our coaching program, uh, in in Bridgeport and elsewhere, we refer to the educators that we work with as champions because they're champions for our cause. They're champions for students. But even the best champions require training. Even the best champions, that requires a skill set. The best champions require a coach. So, we're here to do that, to make champions, champions for children. And in the great words of Rita Pearson, we need an adult who never gives up, understands the power of connection, and insists that they become the best they can possibly be. Here's to you, the champions of Bridgeport. Thank you so much for having me. I'm honored to be here with you. Thank
057you. Thank you. And I wish you the best of luck in this new year. I will be here with you. We will be here walking hand in hand along the way supporting you, supporting our students. Really excited. Thank you for having me in your district. Thank you for allowing us to be agents of change in your district. Thank you so much. Have a great school year, everybody. >> My name is Miss Evans and I'm a cafeteria 81. I've truly enjoyed working with the um kids. Um I've worked in several schools in the city of Bridgeport, so I' I've grown accustomed to how things are done around here. I'm very passionate about seeing the smiles on the kids' face, and I'm just open to learning new things. When I go to different schools, it's always something
058different. So, I personally think that every child needs to be acknowledged and recognized. So, I make sure to say hello to every student that passes me. If they are not looking at me, I go out of my way to make them look at me. Um, and I have a pretty good response here. I pretty much know all the kids. And, um, I just think everyone needs to be seen. So, everyone needs to know someone's there for them. I have stayed here in Bridgeport because I am very passionate about life. I look forward every day to come to work and even though we go or we've had so many difficulties, uh I do it for the kids. I genuinely do it for the kids. I like to make sure they're they have what they need. uh
059that they can come to school and know that they can get things done because we provide what they need. >> All right. Well, it is about that time. I would like to thank you all for your attention, your patience, and I wish you all a fantastic 2025. Thank you so much for coming today, everyone. Drive safely back to your schools. Oh yeah. [Music] Thank you so much, guys. Thank you so much. There we go. Sunset. [Applause] I love [Music] that. Here we go. [Applause] [Music] [Applause] for [Applause] [Music] Africa. [Music] [Applause] Woo! I've been gone. [Applause] [Music] Oh, nothing. [Music] [Applause] Woo! Wow! >> Thank you. [Music]