Video Gallery

Teacher Interview podcast - Amy Sylvester

Go to Video Gallery Added Sep 19, 2019 •

Copy this URL:
Embed code:	<iframe class="edlio-embed-player" type="text/html" width="640" height="360" src="//golden.fullertonsd.org/apps/embed/?v=224642" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> Change dimensions

Go HD

Show Transcript

welcome to the teacher interview podcast I'm your host West kriesel is director of innovation in instructional support in Fullerton school district and every week we sit down and get to know a teacher better my goal is to learn what drives and guides teachers especially when venturing into that risky territory of try something new join me today I'm a teacher interview podcast we spend time with Amy Sylvester she teaches at Golden Hill Elementary in Fullerton alright so we're going to talk for about 20 minutes or so and the topic is just the idea of taking risks Innovation trying new things and I was wondering if you could just tell me a little bit about you and your journey into teaching how did I get here well I started teaching about 20 years ago but it wasn't my first career but I thought it should have been my first career so I was at kid in first grade Grace home and said all my stuffed animals out and teach them whatever I learned that day I was that dorky little kid and then progressed through high school and I happened to be good Math and Science and other things and I ran into a counselor that I really feel did not like her job probably so she told me like why would you want to be a teacher you're so good at math and science you should be an engine just cuz you're good at something doesn't mean it's a passion for you so I didn't last long long story short I want of getting a degree in environmental design like the words of don't be a teacher wear in my head then I wound up moving to California I got involved in the hotel industry did all sorts of stuff with that an opportunity came up where the hotel I was with was sold and I had that moment of saying it but I always wanted to be a teacher I'm going to go back and get my credential and so that's what I did and how long left you know I don't have to teach stuffed animals at school so we we interviewed three people ahead of time so Alex your daughter because one of the questions we asked was his as a bonus is there anything that we should know about to ask and he said you know my mom used to work in the hospitality Hotel industry industry but answer this but I wonder what she would say if you asked her what relation that had or what impact that had on your teaching so what do you think about that question that's a really that's interesting I think you know based on the story I just told you that me wanting to be a teacher had an impact on when I was a general manager of a hotel because I'm going to tell you our break room had the best bulletin boards out of any breakthrough or Trulia is like this frustrated side of me I think one of the things so is that when you're in the hospitality industry you have to think on your feet all the time like no day is ever the same and when you think about it like teaching is kind of the same deal no year is the same no day is the same employee I mean if it is that's that's kind of sad so I take it from being and I was a bartender in a server to be in a general manager of a hotel in a regional vice president and what not and anyway yeah I think it's running right what kind of events gosh well I would work a lot of trade shows until a lot of times we would have liked vendor events where we would invite our clients to come and so that would be going into a city and trying to figure out like 12 where am I going to take them you know McDonald's so I'm trying to work with that and then initially when I'm in the sleigh bed for a large part of my time I was a catering director and a director of sales and so that's where people would come to me and say we're $10,000 in this is what we want to do all right I'll send your money so it's a very from you know just your regular Banquets to setting up complete trade shows to galleries we did some Gallery things and weddings and dinner the teaching I think what I can do is connected like I'm just some of the things I do outside of my teaching day so for example Arts Fest at Golden Hill that's that's my wheelhouse tells about that in case people don't know awesome awesome thing where it's a full day devoted to kids just exploring the Arts and so we set out all sorts of tables with different stations for them to visit and they just get to sit and explore and find out like what it's like to sit behind an easel and try to draw Still Life or what it's like to try to use cardboard and make sculptures or to do a puppet theater and it whines something about 25 print station so that involves making sure you have the tables in the tablecloths in the materials and people to matter to Something in Laurel NSAID and she said I said what's the like the bonus question what would you want me to know and she she's literally said you live and breathe the Arts so tell me about that would somebody say that like you you're doing this outside the class what does expand on what is that what is that sends me to you I do live in breathe it's just who I am like I looked I I didn't realize that I look at things differently until I took one of those like Melody test in a cohort when I was getting my master's and I kept answering the questions again that's what everybody thinks that's how everybody sees apparently not really shocking to me that you know I am like this 1% of a person that just you know and that doesn't make me better than people or anything it just difference that I look at everything through a lens of either it's a story to me or I see a painting or in a music making snakes mean colors that go to a lot of concerts I go to a lot of plays art galleries that's how that's how I relax has to be able to do something like that that sends where you say so I'm the one percent so how do you then work with colleagues who are you noticing things differently than you and describe the kind of professional relationship a team as that when you're very kind of uniquely focused and maybe they aren't you know what's that like is challenging I am going to say that and unfortunately people won't see but I know that I'm this person where there's just this chaotic Whirlwind around me and in my head what not and I whether there's some people that they are the parallel line person and I know that I have to really try to focus and work with that fortunately for example the two people I work with things are very similar that way maybe not quite as much and so they understand that I'm going to come at them in the morning and got oh my gosh I just had this idea and I think we should try this and both Matt and Sean early oh yeah and then we could do this then let's go ahead and do that and so I'm so fortunate to work with them and the people that I know her vastly different I love working with I think that's what makes the world go round and I think they are kids need to have teachers that are all sorts of different types of teachers so that they get to experience and have people there like oh you're just like me find the past me find something that you have in common with them that's a good I was just going to ask for a strategy can you think of a time where you were trying to navigate something and you were able to find common ground or how would you help somebody else to do that like so I think fortunately like being at Golden Hill in with us having a focus on the Arts a lot of times that can be the common ground that there's something either that they can help me with us or I can help them or that we are bouncing an idea off because we're working together working with artsfest is a good example or doing the plays a really good example because if it was only me and my in a whirlwind of yarn and color and everything it might not be as successful do you need other people that can say did you ever think that maybe we might need to do ABC and I haven't yet I probably would have got there but it might have been that then I'm like the day before Oh my gosh I forgot to order chairs or whatever it might be so it's good to have to have all those types and she also talked about being a player so she says I would do anything you could have to help other people and she mentioned developing the Strategic plan for the Arts at Golden Hill that was like the specific time when she saw that we've been working really hard to develop that and trying to make it so that it's also not overwhelming not overwhelming for a new teacher that walks on Charter campus and looks at this and says hey I'm not an artist what am I supposed to do with this because you know that's that that would be horrible like to be a new teacher and realize I gosh I don't belong here but really anybody can be at our school and teach the Arts and 1/2. Yeah that's really cool all right so I'm going to choose another quote infor okay soda listen to two people so Lauren and Alex both talked about during a play when you're in the back and they talk about that moment where your uses phrase about being your completely engaged with the kids and you're like supportive but subtle like you're not the star show but you're I don't I don't know what that looks like I don't know that I've seen that but how would you describe that moment like Alex your daughter says I'm talking about loud being in the back and watching you like you there's the MacBook and you're just the backstage crew from your MacBook in the dimly-lit table at the back those are kind of the favorite moment well I love directing a play it's definitely a labor of love and you know or else I wouldn't do it I guess and sitting at the back by that time there's nothing else I can do because they're honest so how are you dressing are supper you say a prayer and cross your fingers and hope for the best and so at that point of more like the proud mom I think you know that I'm just to see everything and see them all being there Austin just thinking back to like what they were like even when they auditioned because every year and last year was such a great example that every year we have one or two kids or like I want to do it I just want to be cruwear The Ensemble and then they rock it they're amazing so our leave last year because like I just can come and do crew and so we have the first time when we roll out everything with the play we have every bit Tommy we just do some group singing and we'll walk around and kind of listen and I listen to see and I watch who's kind of enthusiastic but you wouldn't think they would be so those are the kids I always go up to and say you were thinking about doing crew just come to a couple auditions let's let's just see how that goes where you at and two of our guy actually is our lead lead Joseph cuz he was our lead that was him and then one of the brothers with the same way yeah so it's it's really need to see that open to like when they come to you they may not know what the outcome is going to be in you also don't know so you're open to watching them like in their into it like what do you what do you see when the kids just like at the first rehearsal and they're into it what are you looking for are they open their mouth and now that's part of it start to actually move a little bit and so then it's like okay cuz you have to be able to move and sing at the same time if you're going to be in musical theater is kind of a thing so yes if they seem like they're just enjoying the whole I know that they have a possibility honey time I didn't totally the same for me and one reason why it's a few years ago I really really pushed hard to try to make the seating in my classroom flexible was because I was kind of that kid that didn't want to sit still either and I let you know and I learn differently when I was comfortable and so when you start seeing kids that are you know they can't sit in this seat or they want to stand up and pee when you let them then all the sudden their product comes out and so that's one element is just met I'm sure they're not comfortable and safe learning environment and then the other just today we was sneaking a little math on how to do percent but we talked about how we're Smart in many different ways and then how are you smart you know who are you Arts Ma are you a smart do you think you're 40% art smart and 10% and created a grass out of it and had discussions and you know I'm from constructal with that and I will go over and I'll go cash but you know I really love what you wrote that birthday so maybe writing is your thing do you think riding sure thing so you just have to talk and see what they have to say and clearly I have no issues with talking to people that's the great that's a great tool to engage and and sometimes I think I mean it's like you're treating them like they're adults right you're getting them to think about their their process or their feelings in the midst of like this cognitive our artistic process so that's that's really cool thing you want to ask just because I teach ever grade kids this is the time where they start thinking I'm not good at Art I'm not good at math you know so anything we can do to make sense differently at all about that respect for that year or possibly a lot longer and that's one reason why I really loved variety show is that if they don't get up on a stage in elementary school they probably are not going to all of a sudden decide as a freshman in high school hey, go get on the stage so it's really neat because then when I was I'll go and she plays it from the skulls and I'll look in the program and there's kids from Golden Hill all over the place back stage furnace stage yeah it's really no questions asked people was if they had to sum you up so I'm just going to call Matthew out for cheating cuz he said multifaceted slick multi-faceted in one word what do you think his answer to me well I think I I think he means that you know I like doing a lot of different things and this and nothing really stops me something I can't do something so even like directing the play honestly like there I didn't really have that much experience walking into doing it but nobody else was really stepping up and I'm like hey I like Blaze and I like music I know how to like organize people deal with kids so I can do this that's good I think that's part of it and that's yeah I think that's okay so I'm going to throw another another word so Alex said brilliant so I don't know what that means precisely but to you if your daughter says you're brilliant how do you interpret that I think it kind of relates back to that too is that I just I'm willing to try things but to try things sometimes you have to learn a little bit before your before you can do it so I love learning I've always jokes like if I won the lottery I would go back and get more and more degrees I would be that person custom College I just love that opportunity so I think that might be part of it because both likely I don't do that to them but both my kids were in college like they'll tell me about the classes are taking him like I want to go see cuz I want to see you're doing but that sounds so fascinating and what a great I mean like posture as a teacher because then the whole road in front of you I mean every year to teach the same grade but then you have like how much more we can learn, and I'm sure you're since since the the death that you want to go with them I think so and I think like that is true like every year it's something a little bit different and because that would be boring if it were right and that's one reason why I changed grade levels is once I start to feel like like I love teaching 4th grade but I knew it was time to look at a different grade level when when I went to Mission San Juan Capistrano and other side you know it was like it was it wasn't this relative been so it's time to change it up you have time is internal sense of like I need to move since it's different for everybody but do you want to talk about that a little bit like how do you know like you talked about shifting grade levels but how do you know like what is it feel like to you when you're teaching and you're like no at this needs something new when I start realizing that it feels stagnant to me and that I'm not passionate about it that it's time for me to either switch you know completely or look for ways to make a different or one of the things that I and I love again teaching like older kids and having iPads is but by the time but by December and they've got all the Aaron's in all of our routines down and they start exploring more and showing me things inside let's try this then that's great idea let's apply it over here because part of it too is in if this is kind of bird walk but it makes me sad that a lot of kids walk in and like they would rather like put a pencil in their eyes and talk about history or do anything like that but for most of them it's been my memorize the states and capitals or in what year did this happen that is boring that's let me know that's what Google is for it this client looking for ways to make it different for them and that Entertain Entertain Me . so Hammurabi's law video People's Court spin on it and so they think it's hysterical to be in a shovel clip of Judge Judy and how they can be you know then it's a little bit more relevant forum Dover Lane Matt Flair for the dramatic that theater on top of the continent I don't think you can be in my classroom and not walk out like a little bit of having the flare for the dramatic by the time you're done Floral in one word and she said sure and then she gave me like a real theater person you know and then she said the Arts team player positive supportive enthusiastic so pick one of those and just talk about why that resonates with you as take supportive positive team player out for the Arts Reel Theater for they're all wonderful I don't know which one to take I like enthusiastic and I like positive sometimes I like all of them but you know I think I think that's the best way to be as positive like if you go into it with a mindset if I can't or or even liked I was tired it was Friday last night was back to school night you know I didn't so I can walk in and just be like or the more bling I have on it means the more tired I probably I'm so like let's do it put on a T-shirt and then than what I walk in and ready to go. In Starbucks play the read your mood psyching myself into it about the time that we have I was wondering if there's anybody anybody after school in like know he's directing a play or there's iPads and they're just sitting there nobody's using them like what would you say to a teacher who's looking at that risk how jump in both feet do you have to do you know it's sad to me people don't want to try something and it's okay to fail you know it and I think I've been that way since I was a child I'm that person that I'm just going to go for it and I'm not going to make a big deal about it and it works out that's fantastic and if I fail then I'm going to look and see like how can I tweak this to make it better the other thing is is there so many people available to ask for help and I think that's hard and I think sometimes in the situations where we work sometimes we get so involved in being maybe a little bit competitive or just like kind of in our own world that you failed to realize like you're working with a field of expertise everybody good at something and everybody knows a little bit about something that might help you so you know that's where it with the play I'm like not a great dancer but I know people that can choreograph a play like crazy so so that's that's what I find the support people and thank you so much see you next time people this is been a teacher interview podcast thank you for joining us

Video Gallery

Teacher Interview podcast - Amy Sylvester

Popular Videos