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Sara Medalen is a TItle 1 Reading and Math Interventionist (grades k-5) at Sunnyside Elementary in Minot and has nearly 30 years of classroom experience. Sara was a finalist for the 2019 North Dakota Teacher of the Year and is widely known for her Books & Braids and Dudes and ‘Dos before and after school programs. She believes students must feel loved, respected and understood. Sara focuses on relationship building to reach the best of what’s inside each child. In this podcast, she offers her thoughts on her Girl Power Project, how her students are helping other students in Haiti, and her focus on improving literacy. She also offers advice on taking risks, especially when it comes to investing time with students before and after school Resources: http://www.teddintersmith.com http://www.ndunited.org/thecuttinged Twitter: @thecuttinged @NDDPI @tdintersmith @bistom @PrairiePublicEd @smedalen @sunnyside_mps

I (along with a team of educators) am involved in innovative education! It's an outdoor learning opportunity for fifth-grade students. We would love to get our adventure in education noticed throughout the state. I would suggest interviewing us as a group. We are partnered with Fish and Wildlife and our outdoor opportunities are at Sullys Hill National Wildlife Refuge. Thursday we have conferences in the afternoon. Resources: http://www.teddintersmith.com http://www.ndunited.org/thecuttinged Twitter: @thecuttinged @NDDPI @tdintersmith @bistom @PrairiePublicEd

Dr. Andi Dulski-Bucholz is the Dean and Chair of the Division of Education at Mayville State University. In this episode, Dr. Dulski-Bucholz is joined by Dr. Kelli Odden, Professor of Early Childhood Education at Mayville State. They’re teaming up to talk about how they’re training our next generation of teachers, more commonly referred to as pre-service teaching training. We discuss challenges and opportunities in preparing teachers, whether it’s talking about how teachers factor into a world of online learning, a shift from teaching content to teaching skills, and what’s being done to prepare teachers for working with the many social and emotional issues impacting our children.Resources:http://www.teddintersmith.com http://www.ndunited.org/thecuttingedTwitter: @thecuttinged @NDDPI @tdintersmith @bistom @PrairiePublicEd @kelliodden@mayvillestate

In this episode, I talk to Nikki Doll and two of her students—Teegan Henke and Shelby Meckle—about service learning.You’ll hear about how service learning impacts the community and students—and how it sets a foundation for building 21st Century skills. The students find needs in the community—or world—and look to fill the voids through projects, teamwork and collaboration.Resources:http://www.teddintersmith.com http://www.ndunited.org/thecuttingedhttps://www.facebook.com/CenterFfa/Twitter: @thecuttinged @NDDPI @tdintersmith @bistom @PrairiePublicEd @NikkiFideldy

In this episode, I visit with Williston High School’s Director of Bands-Eric Rooke.Eric focuses on building relationships to bring the best out of his students. He says, ”Education happens at its finest when we get to know our kids and our kids get to know us as human beings.Resources:http://www.teddintersmith.com http://www.ndunited.org/thecuttinged Twitter: @thecuttinged @NDDPI @tdintersmith @bistom @PrairiePublicEd

Beatrice Hill is in her fifth year at West Fargo high school teaching English language arts. During her first year, she was approached by students who wanted to begin a literary magazine. Hill allows the students to take the lead on every aspect of the magazine, from providing content and page design to seeking out fundraising sources and including advertising. Hill says she serves as an advisor and says when the students run into problems they develop the skills to problem solve.Hill says she comes from a long line of teachers and that education has been really valued within my family. She says she not only comes from a line of exceptional teachers, but she’s also had the privilege of being taught by exceptional teachers. She believes that every teacher she’s had along the way has inspired her in some capacity and has influenced her to help her get where she is today.Resources:http://www.teddintersmith.com http://www.ndunited.org/thecuttinged Twitter: @thecuttinged @NDDPI @tdintersmith @bistom @PrairiePublicEd

In this episode, I talk to Rolla agriculture instructor William Fritz. Fritz uses inquiry based learning to teach 12 different semester classes throughout the school year. The classes range from agriculture business to livestock production, and everything in between. He wants the students to experience agriculture. He says a lot of students still believe agriculture education is just for farm kids. Fritz teaches agriculture processing, the sales side of agriculture, natural resources, veterinarian science, and horticulture with focus on Floriculture. He also requires all of my students to have an agri-science project and supervised agriculture experience project. In 2018, he was fortunate to become an National Agriscience Teacher Ambassador. The program only takes 20 agriculture teachers each year into the program. He spent five intense days learning how to incorporate inquiry base learning into the classrooms/labs/shops. One of his responsibilities as an ambassador is teaching others about inquiry base learning through workshops. Resources: http://www.teddintersmith.com http://www.ndunited.org/thecuttingedhttps://www.facebook.com/RollaFfa/ Twitter: @thecuttinged @NDDPI @tdintersmith @bistom @PrairiePublicEd

In this episode I visit with Anne Kelsch, Ryan Zerr and Melissa Gjellstad from the University or North Dakota. We’ll talk about the importance of general education and why it’s critical in helping students develop 21st Century skills. The three offer advice on what current high school students—looking ahead to college—should know—including the thought that the career they study for may be much different when they enter the workforce. Resources: http://www.teddintersmith.com http://www.ndunited.org/thecuttinged Association of American Colleges & Universities: https://www.aacu.org/ UND College of Arts & Sciences: https://arts-sciences.und.edu/ A “Value of Essential Studies” which is a compilation of curated resources linked from within the page: https://und.edu/academics/essential-studies/value.html Twitter: @thecuttinged @NDDPI @tdintersmith @bistom @PrairiePublicEd

This podcast is designed for teachers, students, parents and others interested in education in North Dakota. I’m your host Tom Gerhardt. In this episode I visit with Solen Cannon Ball Supt. Justin Fryer and Title 1 Math Teacher Vanessa Peach. A switch to trimester schedules a couple of years back has lead to increased student engagement and graduation rates. Resources: http://www.teddintersmith.com http://www.ndunited.org/thecuttinged Twitter: @thecuttinged @NDDPI@tdintersmith @bistom @PrairiePublicEd

This weeks podcast is with Lynnae Liese—the Personalized Learning Coordinator at New Rockford-Sheyenne. The school recently started a Personalized Learning Academy—empowering students and giving them voice and choice in their learning. Lies says its an opt-in program where students choose three or four courses they want to study. An instructor is there one period of the day acting as a coach—allowing the students to take on their own learning choosing what they want to learn and when they want to learn. Lies says collaboration is a huge part of the learning environment.Liese will talk about how and why the program began and offer advice for other districts who may want to look into a similar program.Resources:http://www.teddintersmith.comhttp://www.ndunited.org/thecuttingedTwitter:@thecuttinged@NDDPI@tdintersmith@bistom@PrairiePublicEd

This weeks podcast is with Sara Bohrer, who started a program at Bismarck Century High School four years ago called “Peer to Peer.” She says several years ago a group of parents and administrators got together to talk about how they could get students with disabilities more involved.Resources:http://www.teddintersmith.comhttp://www.ndunited.org/thecuttingedhttp://leslyethiery.blogspot.comTwitter:@thecuttinged@NDDPI@tdintersmith@bistom@PrairiePublicEd@MrsThierysClass@leslyethiery

Leslye Thiery says growing up in small town North Dakota (Ashley) she’s felt her whole life has been geared toward being a teacher.Her father was a science teacher in New Rockford and her grandmother was also a teacher. She says those influences along with compassion for others made her journey to the classroom almost preordained.Thiery says her philosophy in education has never wavered. It’s always been about the whole child and helping them feel included, balanced, valued and loved.Her path to an innovative approach in the classroom came from her first job in education. After graduating from Valley City State in the 90’s, Theiry says she had to wait a few years to get a job in Ashley where her husband owned a business. She says she got a job directing preschool and she says there was a lot of playing, experimenting, questioning and environment of curiosity. That stayed with her.She says when she took a job teaching second grade she was handed manuals to teach, noticed students in desks in straight rows and also a lot of disengagement—a far cry from her days in preschool—but says she went along with it because she thought that’s what she was supposed to do.Since then, she’s sought out ways to think outside the box, try new things, remain curious and put kids first.Resources:http://www.teddintersmith.comhttp://www.ndunited.org/thecuttingedhttp://leslyethiery.blogspot.comTwitter:@thecuttinged@NDDPI@tdintersmith@bistom@PrairiePublicEd@MrsThierysClass@leslyethiery

Growing up, Pete Stenberg enjoyed math and science and decided he wanted to become a civil engineer. After three years of engineering classes he decided he couldn’t see himself in an office setting all the time, so he took an education class. As they say, the rest is history. Stenberg has been teaching and coaching in Minot for 28 years.As an educator, Stenberg has adapted with the times. He pushes 21st century skills by integrating technology into his classroom, utilized flexible seating, and engages students in hands-on experiential learning all while integrating differential instruction (IDP’s, 504’s) and concentrating on social-emotional learning.In this podcast, Stenberg has his class on site at Roosevelt Park Zoo in Minot for a hands-on, cross-disciplinary lesson that also gives students a chance to participate in a community project.Resources:http://www.teddintersmith.comhttp://www.ndunited.org/thecuttingedTwitter:@thecuttinged@NDDPI@tdintersmith@bistom@PrairiePublicEd@Stenny65@NDUMinot

Third grade teacher Jessica Schmidt and 7-12 teacher Wendy Bichler collaborate between grade levels in Ashley. The teachers say it’s great for the students helping them to become more confident, creative and communicative. The older students help the younger ones with writing with the third graders becoming more comfortable sharing their work and the older students asking questions to flesh out details and providing feedback. Collaborating also saves the teachers time because the students edit and proofread each story. That frees up Schmidt and Bichler to move around the room to ask and answer questions and guide the learning process.The two also talk about how they’ve grown, changed and continue to adapt as teachers in rural North Dakota.Resources:http://www.teddintersmith.comhttp://www.ndunited.org/thecuttingedTwitter:@thecuttinged@NDDPI@tdintersmith@bistom@PrairiePublicEd

Annette Hovey of New Rockford-Sheyenne was a finalist for the 2019 North Dakota Teacher of the Year. She teaches band, jazz band, choir and more. She says her love of music stretches back to her childhood when her parents put her in piano lessons. She told me one piece of music defines her as an instructor. About 2015, she pulled out a piece called Bogoroditse Devo by Rachmaninoff. It was a piece she sung in college, and Hovey wasn’t sure if her students could pull it off. She says from the first measure, her students were hooked.Hovey says she has thirty-one students in choir—about a third of New Rockford-Sheyenne High School. She says what defines her as a teacher is that she continues to challenge them—and that her students are up to each challenge.Performing Bogoroditse Devo earned her choir a spot at the North Dakota Music Educators Conference.Resources:http://www.ndplaylist.orghttp://www.ndunited.org/thecuttingedTwitter:@thecuttinged@NDDPI@tdintersmith@bistom@PrairiePublicEd@NRS_Rockets

Leah Juelke is an English Learner teacher at Fargo South, the same school she graduated from in 2001. But things have changed in terms of population and demographics in the area in the last seventeen years. Juelke says South has a much more diverse student population then when she school there and she believes its made South a better school.Juelke took an indirect path to teaching. After attending NDSU, she joined the Army National Guard and served as a medic. She hoped to become a nurse. But after training soldiers in the medical field, she realized she loved teaching. Couple with visiting around two dozen countries, she has a unique and appreciation for differing cultures.Juelke teaches immigrant and refugee students that are learning basic English all the way up to students in English 4 ready to transition to mainstream classrooms. She says her main objective is to develop skills they can use in real life. She explains why she focuses on personalized learning, projects and teamwork, and the confidence her students gain by sharing their personal stories.Resources:http://www.ndplaylist.orghttp://www.ndunited.org/thecuttingedhttps://ellfargosouth.weebly.com/Twitter:@thecuttinged@NDDPI@tdintersmith@bistom@PrairiePublicEd@ndtoy2018

Heidi Demars began her career as an occupational therapist working in schools. However, her career path changed one day when she recognized a boy who was struggling in class. Demars said she knew something had happened to him and could see he wasn’t wiling to share about it. She decided to use a calming practice with him—and he opened up. She says that moment she realized teachers are at the forefront of dealing with social and emotional issues daily.Demars now works with teachers and schools across the state as part of her Mindful You, Mindful Me practice. In this episode, Heidi explains how mindfulness can positively impact social and emotional health and shares tips and resources for implementing mindfulness in the classroom.Resources:http://www.ndplaylist.orghttp://www.ndunited.org/thecuttingedGrowing Up Mindful by Christopher WillardMindfulness for Teachers by Patricia A. JenningsCultivating Mindfulness in the Classroom by Jeanie M. IberlinTwitter:@thecuttinged@NDDPI@tdintersmith@bistom@PrairiePublicEd

The Alexander Public School District made a bold decision this spring (after much investigation and consideration) to move to a 4-day school week beginning in the fall of 2018.In this episode of The Cutting Ed podcast, we’ll hear about the decision through the lens of a kindergarten teacher.Deb Hankins started her teaching career as a paraprofessional in special education in Oregon. Following a stop in Utah, she and her husband moved to North Dakota where she has taught for five years beginning in Watford City and now in Alexander as a kindergarten teacher.Hankins says the idea for the 4-day school week came from students in an innovations class. They pitched the idea to Superintendent Leslie Bieber in 2017. She liked the idea enough that administrators and students visited other schools with 4-day school weeks. Next, a presentation was given to the School Board which provided consent to take the next step, which included a parent survey and public meetings. The School Board approved the application in February and NDDPI approved the application in early March.The school staff have been trained over the last two years in Project Based Learning. This is so totally my style of learning and wished back in the day when I was in school I had this. I love hands on projects that bring the real world experiences to life in the classroom. Almost everything we do is connected to more then one subject and can be connected to real experiences. I take the fantasy world Kinders come with and try to move them into real experiences.I believe that a child educations is like a triangle. The two points at the base represent the teacher and the parents supporting the top point the student. Some times a student come to us with a missing base point but that doesn't matter. The end goal is the top point the student. I will use all resources I have to build their base so they will be successful. Relationships are the key in education, I a child feel needed, loved and a safe place they can learn anything the world has to offer them.Resources:http://www.ndplaylist.orghttp://www.ndunited.org/thecuttinged@thecuttinged@NDDPI@kirstenbaesler@tdintersmith@bistom@PrairiePublicEd@ndunited

Tioga High Science Teacher Sarah Klug says she originally wanted to be a doctor. While attending Minot State, she says she didn’t have the passion for the medical field and decided to take an intro to teaching class with a friend and ended up loving it.Klug, now in her fourth year of teaching, says it was her student teaching experience with Mary Sandbo at Des Lacs High School that introduced her to an alternative classroom setting. She said that style of teaching, using hands-on applied concepts, was exactly how she wanted to teach. She wanted kids to realize that science isn’t just notes and memorization but can be applied to everyday life.In this episode, well learn how Klug integrates technology into her classroom using things like drones, 3-D printers and a forensics lesson which allows students to evaluate mock crime scenes. She has also started a wildly popular STEM club and believes there is a lot to be learned by trial and error as she works to help prepare students for the real world by giving them real world problems to solve.Resources:http://www.ndplaylist.orghttp://www.ndunited.org/thecuttingedTioga High School on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tiogapirates/@thecuttinged@NDDPI@kirstenbaesler@tdintersmith@bistom@PrairiePublicEd@ndunited

Eileen Zygarlicke says Grand Forks Community School is the best kept secret in Grand Forks. Her pride in the school and passion for teaching are evident the minute you meet her.Mrs. Z, as the students call her, has been teaching at Grand Forks Community School for around 16 years. She works with at risk students, but is quick to point out that at risk sometimes simply means the students don’t fit into a traditional classroom setting.Zygarlicke teaches English and uses student choice project based learning to personalize learning for her students. She says four of the seven children in her family are English teachers, and while her plan was to become a writer (she freelanced for awhile) the classroom called her back and she’s been teaching ever since.In this episode Zygarlicke explains how she teachers her students to think, and how student choice has lead to better results.We will also hear from one of her students. Austin Moen says he was active in high school but struggled with school after his brother died in an snowmobile accident. He says he decided to attend Grand Forks Community School and things have been going great since he made the switch.Resources:http://www.ndplaylist.orghttp://www.ndunited.org/thecuttingedhttps://www.grandforksherald.com/opinion/letters/3887765-letter-teacher-thank-you-grand-forks@thecuttinged@NDDPI@kirstenbaesler@tdintersmith@bistom@PrairiePublicEd@ndunited