I want to start off by apologizing for my last podcast episode. I wrote that content out of frustration and it did not align with my intentions for this podcast. My goal is to keep people aware of what is happening in the world of education and be part of the solution.

So, it’s time for me to practice what I preach. Own it, fix it, and move on. Last week’s episode has been deleted. It is my goal moving forward to put out content that informs parents, educators, and legislators so that we can work together to give our children a quality education.

I am sure we all have acted out of frustration and in hindsight went, ouch, I should have handled that better. I appreciate the grace that has been extended to me and for those that held me accountable. Now, let’s move on!

The IDOE sent out an announcement on May 8, 2024 with and update on the required training provided by Keys to Literacy. There is a screenshot of this memo in the blog post for this episode, if you would like to read it yourself.

Again, not always fond of the word choice in these communications. There was such a high sign-up rate for the training because teachers did not want to get stuck paying for the training out of their own pocket or losing their job because they could not renew their license. I appreciate the IDOE working to open up more cohorts. I still think we need to work on the attendance policy and training schedule. Flexibility would be much appreciated.

                  I get that teachers do not need to complete the training until their license expires and for some that is five years or more down the road. However, as I have said before, the panic comes in because the training will only be paid for if it is completed through Keys to Literacy by June 30, 2025. Based on the wording in this memo, it sounds like we still have to complete the training by June 30, 2025 for it to be free, they are just adding more slots.

                  I appreciate that the IDOE is allowing educators who complete the literacy endorsement to use the 80 hours to fulfill their 90 PGP requirement, by taking away the additional 10 PGPs to reach 90.

                  The memo states that a teacher can receive a $1,200 stipend upon completion of the training. The IDOE did share that currently they only have funding to provide 9,500 teachers with this stipend. Hopefully, more money will be allocated to this, so that all teachers who complete the training will receive the stipend.

                  It should also be clarified that teachers are grateful for the stipend, but it equals out to $15 an hour. This is far below our professional pay and becomes more of a point of contention when the 80 hours of work were mandated, not chosen. I have said several times, there are good intentions behind this piece of legislation however the lack of input from educators has led to a huge amount of frustration that could have been avoided.

                  Had educators been brought in on the planning and rolling out of the PD, we would have seen 85% buy in and 15% push back. As it is, this mandate threatened the livelihood of educators immediately putting them on the defensive causing 85% push back and 15% buy in.

                  Now, I started this podcast by apologizing for reacting in frustration and I appreciate the grace that has been extended to me. Hindsight is always 20/20. So I say, let’s own it, come together to fix it, and move on.

                  I did want to give a quick overview of the Keys to Literacy training. I signed up for the first cohort so I would know what was being asked of our teachers. We all know about the seven live sessions. In addition, we have an asynchronous component that contains 31 assignments. Some are reading an article and responding. Others are watching a video and responding.

                  I have only completed the reading assignments so far. The articles have been very informative, and I have enjoyed learning the content. Each assignment with these has been very light. Most of the time you just list the key points of the article. There was one assignment, that I plan to give feedback on as I do not feel it is appropriate for a practicing educator. It was asking that you read a writing lesson plan and then write a detailed lesson plan mirroring the plan you read. This was a very detailed word for word lesson plan and is not realistic for a teacher in a classroom.

                  The live sessions have been great. I have really enjoyed learning new strategies and having current teaching strategies validated. It has also been great to connect with teachers and administrators across the state to share resources and ideas. On top of that the trainers have been wonderful and very knowledgeable.

                  I feel like a broken record when I say this, but teachers want this training and those in my cohort are enjoying the training. The mandates surrounding the training are the frustration point. I am hopeful we can come together and create a better plan for rolling this training out to all teachers.

                  Thanks for listening and as always stay educationally aware!