Click here to share encouragement, questions and feedback

In this episode, Dr. Burkhalter explains her focus on the discipline gap and its importance in education.

• Details
  • Explains that her doctorate focused on discipline systems, which she found were closing rather than opening doors for students
  • Noted that college doesn't prepare educators for discipline challenges, focusing instead on instructional piece.
• Dr. Felicia: Shares how she "failed forward" as a teacher and wanted to support other teachers who were becoming discouraged

Multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS)

• Details
• Tier 1 as universal supports that all students receive
• Tier 2 involves small groups and targeted interventions
• Tier 3 provides intensive support like functional behavioral assessments
• Details
  • Traditional discipline involves dictating behavior to student
  • A strong connection to 'Choice Theory" and putting "the ball in the court of the learner". Students are looking for guardrails but also wanting ownership with concern to their behavior.
  • Practical implementation steps
• Practical implementation Steps
  • Start with student focus groups to learn what they need and what their triggers are
  • Involve parents in solution development
  • Listen to staff to determine what they need and will support.
  • Analyze data together and having real conversations about what's not working...modify as necessary.

Multiple discipline approaches

Check out the linked resources below to learn more about the specific approaches discussed.

• Trauma-Informed-Decision Making
• Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports
• Responsibility-Centered-Discipline

Contact Info:

Dr. Felicia Burkhalter

Email: feliciaburkhalter1913@gmail.com
http://linkedin.com/in/dr-felicia-burkhalter-674b8817

#jackeduppodcast #education #knowledgeispower #edchat #professionaldevelopment

Click here to share encouragement, questions and feedback

In this powerful episode, we sit down with **Isormari Pozo**, an instructional leader whose 24‑year journey through public education began long before she ever stepped into a classroom as a teacher. As a former ESL student, a bilingual learner, and now an ESL Department Lead, Isormari brings a deeply personal and unapologetically honest perspective on identity, belonging, and the systems that shape multilingual learners’ experiences.

We follow her story across five pivotal chapters of her life—each one revealing the hidden barriers, biases, and breakthroughs that ultimately shaped the educator she became.

Segment 1: Disrupting the ESL Stereotype
Isormari opens up about the assumptions people make when they hear “ESL student” and what it feels like to carry that label as an American citizen. This segment grounds the episode in identity, belonging, and the misconceptions that persist in schools today.

Segment 2: Elementary Years — Representation, Music, and the Power of Expectation
We explore her early experiences in a dual‑language classroom, where music became a cognitive lifeline and culturally responsive teaching accelerated her language development. Through stories of affirmation—and moments of being underestimated—we surface themes like the Pygmalion Effect, stereotype threat, and the critical role of representation in children’s literature. Educators walk away with a clear takeaway: culturally responsive teaching literally builds neural pathways and confidence.

Segment 3: Middle School — Names, Poverty, and Survival
Isormari recounts the painful moment her name was mispronounced on her first day in Louisiana, sparking a conversation about belonging, uncertainty, and identity safety. She shares how poverty shaped her learning, how hunger impacts cognition, and how she was placed in remediation based solely on her last name. This segment exposes the real consequences of implicit bias, tracking, and opportunity gaps—and challenges educators to assume brilliance before deficiency.

Segment 4: Ninth Grade — The Breaking Point
High school brings a turning point marked by exhaustion, work responsibilities, and a traumatic algebra experience that led to public humiliation. We unpack what happens when a high‑performing student suddenly declines, how threat‑state learning shuts down the brain, and why disengagement is often a sign of injury, not laziness. This segment is a call for educators to look beneath behavior and see the unseen battles students carry.

Segment 5: Becoming the Teacher She Needed
Returning to Puerto Rico becomes the catalyst for transformation. Isormari discovers her calling in education and commits to becoming the teacher—and later the leader—she once needed. She shares how her lived experiences now shape her leadership, her advocacy for multilingual learners, and her belief in “Assume Brilliance” as a daily practice, not a slogan.

Closing Call to Action
Isormari leaves educators with one powerful message: every child deserves an adult who sees their potential before their pain. Her story is a reminder that identity safety, high expectations, and culturally responsive teaching aren’t strategies—they’re lifelines.

Ginott Quote Ed referred to:

https://ncaeyc.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/NCAEYC-ginott-quote-poster2017.pdf

Click here to share encouragement, questions and feedback

Send us a text

Empowering Students Through Activist Teaching

Ed and Jacqueline interviewed Allen Levie, a retired educator and author, about his experiences teaching for 20 years at Horlick High School in Racine, Wisconsin.

Levie shares his philosophy that learning is a political act and discusses how he empowered his students, particularly those from
working-class backgrounds, to become active participants in their education and community. He describes organizing events like Black History programs and voter drives and connecting students with community organizations to address issues like immigration and racial profiling. Levie credits influences from Pablo Freire, Saul Alinsky and Jonathan Kozol for shaping his teaching approach,
and emphasizes the importance of building students' confidence and sense of worth to help them see education as a pathway to success.

Challenging School Tracking Systems
Allen shared his experience as a social studies teacher who challenged the traditional tracking system in schools, which separated students by academic ability and maintained low expectations for working-class students. He described how his approach, which involved engaging students in community issues and fostering relationships across different social groups, led to positive changes
in both students' academic performance and teachers' attitudes. The discussion highlighted the resistance he faced from institutional structures and the importance of student-teacher relationships in driving educational change.

Teacher-Student Connection Strategies
Allen shared his experience as a teacher who built strong connections with students by spending time with them outside the classroom and listening to their personal stories. He emphasized the importance of prioritizing students' well-being over curriculum and making subject matter relevant to their lives. Allen also discussed his work with a nonprofit that aims to inspire future teachers by connecting them with successful former students and supporting youth-led clubs in schools that address various social issues.

Education Technology and Relationship Building
The meeting alluded to educational technology and its role in teaching, however, Allen stated that while tools like AI are important, the foundation of education remains building relationships with students.

Next Steps
Allen shared his vision to use his book "Thriving in a Public School" as a tool for professional development and staff training at both the high school and college level.

Contact Information and social media inks
To contact Allen Levie for public speaking, professional development or to continue the conversation: allen.levie@gmail.com

Purchase the book https://tinyurl.com/mryz9hjh

Facebook: Thriving In A Public School:
https://www.facebook.com/share/168o5afi43/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/thrivinginapublicschool?igsh=M3Rtc2I1OGh6eGNw