Zach Diamond 0:02 Music. Welcome to the modern classrooms project podcast each week, we bring you discussions with educators on how they use blended, self paced and mastery based learning to better serve their students. We believe teachers learn best from each other, so this is our way of lifting up the voices of leaders and innovators in our community. This is the modern classrooms project podcast, Toni Rose Deanon 0:28 Hello and welcome to episode 210 of the modern classrooms podcast. My name is Toni Rose Deanon, they them pronouns, a designated hype person here at MCP, and I am joined by a fast track DMCE distinguished modern classroom educator, aspiring MCP expert, mentor and self proclaimed competitive speed puzzler, Sabrina Montserrat Lindsay, what a fantastic bio. Welcome, Sabrina. Sabrina Monserate-Lindsay 0:56 Hi, hello. I'm happy to be here. Toni Rose Deanon 0:59 Yeah, it's so exciting to be in this space with you. And thank you so much for saying yes to the podcast. I know that this is our first time actually connecting with each other, so I'm really excited to hear your stories and hopefully elevate some of the ideas that you have in your classrooms. And so before we get started, what is bringing you joy? Sabrina Monserate-Lindsay 1:17 Currently, I have a chocolate cake in my fridge right now from Costco. I'm heartbroken because they've changed the formula, so, like, there's chocolate mousse in the middle now, versus just like, strictly chocolate cake. But it's just me and my husband, so that's why it's bringing me joy. So I do not have to share at all. Toni Rose Deanon 1:36 I love that so much. And I feel like companies are changing ingredients and changing recipes for a lot of things, and not even just like food to eat, but even, like my chapstick has changed, and I hate that. It's the worst. Sabrina Monserate-Lindsay 1:48 Yes, especially like size as well. Like the size of things is just shrinking. But, you know, that's a whole other conversation. Toni Rose Deanon 1:56 But you know, honestly, Costco itself is what brings me joy. It's but definitely my second favorite place in the world. Sabrina Monserate-Lindsay 2:04 So like my go to place to food shop, Toni Rose Deanon 2:06 it's just so fun. And my sister and I complain all the time about how much money we spend at Costco, because we literally just like, put whatever we want. And like you, we don't have kids either, right? So we're just like, oh, we want a pillow. The pillows on sale, so we'll get three, Sabrina Monserate-Lindsay 2:21 and now they got Legos too. Like, if you go to the toy section, yeah, it's a, it's a, Toni Rose Deanon 2:27 definitely the listeners, if you know, you know, I feel like we're getting at that age towards like Costco. I love that so much. So thank you for sharing that. Tell us more about who you are and how you started your MCP journey. Sabrina Monserate-Lindsay 2:44 Yeah. So this is my current sixth year of teaching. And so my first year of teaching was actually like, 2019 2020 so like I got the first in person experience at the tail end of 2019 but then, you know, March 2020 happened, and so we went virtual. So where MCP came in is, after the 2020, school year, my school went full virtual, like we went completely virtual, like zoom meetings, Canvas, the whole shebang. And so we very, very quickly had to adapt our ed tech skills. And so that's where I became really proficient with, like recording videos, and like doing editing for those videos, and like using Desmos, like just a bunch of tech tools to try to make my math classroom as engaging as possible. And with that, I kind of became, like the tech person for like math department. Like, I became the go to person who knew how to do tech? And so when we returned to in person learning, our district actually received funding to kind of reincorporate the class called Foundations of math one so there were huge learning gaps from covid. And so with that funding, we were able to hire on another teacher to like explicitly dedicate to students who had those learning gaps to get them back on pace. But what ended up happening is me and my math department had Danielle Hamilton. She approached me and was like, Hey, let's tag team this course together, and we're going to use something called the matter modern classroom project. It was over the summer she sent me an email. I literally had not seen this woman for like, a year and a half, and was just like, if we're gonna do like, foundations, we gotta do it right? And so I ended up doing the free MCP course, and I fell in love, like she had this vision that, like, Okay, if they're gonna be taking two math classes anyway, let's, let's make it different, and make it different by providing additional support. And so that's kind of where it ended up. So I've been doing MCP in my classroom for foundations of Bath one for the last three years, and every single year I fall more and more love with it, because the benefits are really like reaping the rewards if I can just add on, like something that I want to. Celebrate is last year, my district started involving the modern classroom project, so there's now an official collaboration with them. And so they had reps visiting schools, and I guess we must have been doing a really good job. And so at some point, just I had MCP reps come to my classroom, just spontaneously, presumably because they were working with another teacher that day and had heard what we were doing, and they what they saw on their visit. It earned me automatic credentials for the distinguished modern classroom educator. So I was really, really, really, really proud of that. And then because I got the DMC credential, I got exposed to being an expert mentor, and because I've been so passionate about MCP, I was so excited, I had immediately applied over the summer, and then I got accepted. But the school year has just been so crazy that I just had to put it on hold for right now. So MCP has been really, really kind and understanding about letting me join a future cohort to be an expert mentor, and so I'm really, really looking forward to that once everything settles, Toni Rose Deanon 6:08 I Okay. First of all, congratulations. Thank you. Exciting. I'm always talking about how we need more mentors, right? Like who look like me, honestly. So this is really exciting news. And so congratulations. That's really dope. So when you were talking about your math lead, Danielle Hamilton, right, yeah, did, was she aware of modern classrooms, or were you the one who put her on Sabrina Monserate-Lindsay 6:34 she was the one who put me onto it, got it. And so I don't remember where she found it, but this was maybe, like, 2020, 2021, like, like, the summer before. And so she's the one who approached me with it. Toni Rose Deanon 6:46 And a follow up question Is that you, you started teaching in 2019 2020, so really, you're like, a brand new teacher. Ish, right. Sabrina Monserate-Lindsay 6:54 Oh, yeah. I had never had a full, like, quote, unquote, normal year, like my Yeah, the year that I started MCP was, like, my third year of teaching. Toni Rose Deanon 7:05 That is wild, I guess, like, I would love to hear perspective, right? Because 2019, 2020, covid happened, right? Like, half of the semester you were in class, half you were out, and then, like, trying to just survive out here, because it was a mess. It was messy, right? And beautiful at the same time, messy, beautiful, all the things, right? How did you, I guess, like, perspective, mindset wise, right? You're like, Okay, I just had my first year teaching covid. Happened? I know that I have to do all of these things. How did you come into acceptance, I guess, or just embracing, like, Hey, I did my first year of teaching this way. But then I'm going to implement modern classroom, which is a little bit different. I'm I'm assuming, right. How did that feel for you as a brand new-ish teacher, as well as, like, just with covid happening, like everything, tell me all the things you have so many layers here. Sabrina Monserate-Lindsay 7:56 So I guess the biggest thing why I felt so comfortable jumping into MCP to start with, was because of my my math department had Danielle Hamilton, like I like, even with the first two years working with her, I had implicit trust about like she knew, like, anytime Danielle came with an idea, I knew it was for the benefit for the kids and also for the benefit of us. And so I would immediately jump on so, like, when she approached me, and I was like, okay, but also a big part of it is I, I, how do I say this? I want to be humble about it, but I feel like being a teacher, one of the main skills that you could use is being adaptable, right? And like being flexible, and considering the fact every single year of my teaching career at that point looked totally different, like I was just like, all right, might as well throw me into another piece of chaos, like, let's just figure out how it works. And so I think it was really just the support of my department head, but also the willingness to try something new, because everything was crazy anyway, Toni Rose Deanon 9:01 yeah, and I was, I was also gonna say, too Sabrina, like, no, don't be humble. Like, brag, right? Like, we want to brag about that. I don't think, as a society, we brag enough. Like, there's arrogance. We don't want arrogant, right? But we want to be able to, like, brag about our strengths and like what we bring to the table. And I, I do love this concept as a newer teacher, right? Like a newish teacher of just like, You know what, I had to be adaptable, because I knew it was gonna be different every year moving forward, right? And so kudos to you for naming that. That's really important, right? Because we do want to keep being adaptable and changing, because things change all the time. And I was also chuckling too at the fact that, you know, you said it's chaotic. It is chaotic. Teaching is chaotic, and I think that's what makes it fun. And also I think I thrived so well, I, like, I just was thriving in a teaching position because I had, I had ADHD, so knowing that, like, or I have ADHD, so it's like, oh. Oh, I could do 10 million things together all at the same time. That's why I was so good at it. Sabrina Monserate-Lindsay 10:08 Really, really harping on multitasking skills here, Toni Rose Deanon 10:11 right? Like, shout out to my neurodivergence. Thank you for letting me handle my middle schoolers. The way that I handled it right beautifully is how I would say it honestly. So thank you for sharing that that's really impactful and powerful. And you know, I was also thinking about having a teacher who was newish right to teaching and then how, and hearing their stories about how they implemented the model. So this is actually the universe always provides. This is beautiful. So yay. Okay, so again, shout out to Danielle Hamilton, I hope you're listening to this, because we are sharing, you know, we're just celebrating. Hey, great, great. So, Sabrina, when we're talking about student engagement, right, you had your first year of teaching, and then you went all virtual, and then now in person setting. So how have you seen student engagement change since implementing the model? And then are there any like strategies or techniques that have been particularly effective in keeping students motivated and involved? Because this is a question that we always get asked, and especially if it's virtual spaces, right? Because it's like, oh, how do I get students to engage? So, yeah, share all the things. Sabrina Monserate-Lindsay 11:27 So how do I say this? There's a saying of like the first pancake, right? Like, whenever you're making pancakes, the first one always looks trash. She's not the cutest. She may be edible, but she's not the cutest. I think that was like my first two years of MCP, because building up the curriculum, building up the resources, building materials, it does take time, but I think now that I'm on my third ish iteration, it's beautiful, right? And so I think that I have found the key here to be most effective for me is to really have a predictive classroom like predictive classroom structure, right? So to give some context, at my school, it is a year round and not year round, but it is year long classes, and students have seven periods a day. So I see the same students five days a week for 48 minutes, and because they're dual enrolled in a math one class, like a regular, oh, there's, there's my cat, a regular math one class, it was actually really, really important to me to provide variety and diversity in what they were seeing, right? Like, I didn't want to give them double up where the teacher was already talking in their first one, and then they come to me, and I talked to them some more. And so MCP was able to give me that variety that I was looking for to be supportive. But going back to the idea of predictive classroom structures, like the way that I get my ninth graders locked in is that quick three minute warm up at the start of class, like as soon as they come in, it is my expectation that they have their folder on their desk, they take out their Chromebook, they have their warm up out, and they know that as soon as that bell rings, I'm immediately flipping to the warm up, and they have three minutes. And so going ahead and setting that expectation that when we are in class, we are in productive is really, been really, really helpful for this school year, but then also least having that consistent transition of like, okay, after my warm up, now I'm going to do my lessons right, and then while I'm doing my lessons, my teacher is going to be checking in with other people, and my teacher may not be available to me right now, so like, I gotta do my lessons otherwise, like sitting there twiddling my thumbs. So that's one strategy so predictive classroom structure. The other thing that I find is like, just being real with my students about why I have my classroom set up the same way, right? Just like being totally honest that I'm giving you videos because I want to be supportive to you and have one on one conversations, I cannot have one on one conversations with everybody. And so by everyone doing the video and doing the guided notes and doing their practice and working independently. That's what gives me the privilege to be able to talk to you for like, 510, 15 minutes, like however long it needs for me to clarify your questions. So like, having that expectation of after you do the warm up, the teacher is already kind of like focused on other students. So it's like your responsibility to do what you need to do to be on pace. And then the last one, they're high schoolers. They're students like positive reinforcement. So I'm a very, very smiley, happy t shirt. I don't know if you can tell, but at the beginning of the year, I am very, very quick to randomly award, like small trinkets, small candies, to students who are doing things that I want them to do. Like, I'll pull out my candy bin and give it out to the student who got their stuff out before the bell ring. Like, I'll pull up the I'll give them a starburst for I don't know, giving me their resources without me prompting them. So, different ways to encourage behavior, but then also make it super obvious to everybody else that is happening. Like, oh. My gosh, like, So and so has all their stuff ready, and I didn't have to tell them, thank you so much. Here's a dumb, dumb and so now I don't do that often, but like, it helps build in that routine of, like, I have expectations you should be doing things if you want a reward. I guess in their mind, do this. But then also, I think this is the biggest one that I've implemented this year is just like loudly thanking students for helping me support another classmate. So I have the public pacing tracker during class. And so if I'm busy with another student and I can tell someone's been waiting for a really long time, I'll go, Hey, so and so I know you mastered this lesson. Can you help me? Help so and so while I finish up this conversation. And then afterwards, I'll follow up with them. And if that person was able to get their question answered, I'm like, I told you they were great, right? Like, see you were able to help me out. Like, I appreciate your time. Thank you so much. But those are the main strategies that I have. So having a predictive classroom structure, being totally honest with students, but then also encouraging and rewarding students for the behaviors that you want. Toni Rose Deanon 16:07 You know Sabrina, I love this, this phrase that you're using of predictive classroom structure, right? I, and I, I'm always saying too, that we want our we want learning to be predictable in a sense, where students know what they're doing, as opposed to pop quiz here. You know pop quiz there, because I feel like that creates a lot more tension and a lot more stress with students. And so when a classroom structure is predictable, right? There's a routine there students feel a lot more comfortable and a lot safer to navigate these learning challenges and experiences that they may have in the classroom. So I really love this. Now I do have to ask, how long did it take for you and your students to get that routine done? Sabrina Monserate-Lindsay 16:58 We're only three weeks into the classroom, and they already had it down by me, too. Toni Rose Deanon 17:03 Beautiful, beautiful. Sabrina Monserate-Lindsay 17:05 I think a big part of it, though, was just, I think it's the follow through, right? When you're a first, second year teacher, you're very earlier into your career, like, it's, it feels wrong to, like, Call someone out, you know what I mean, if they're not doing what they're supposed to be doing. But just like making a neutral statement, like, I need you to take out your stuff. Like, our stuff should be out already. Like, it's incredibly effective, because once you make that statement out loud to everybody else, everybody else is like, Oh, I gotta get my things ready. Otherwise, I'm gonna be the one that Miss Montserrat is talking to. Yeah, yeah, Toni Rose Deanon 17:39 yeah, yeah. And I really like the focus on the why, too, this whole concept of being real, let's be real because, you know, honestly, like everybody hates someone who's trying to be fake, let's be honest here, right? And so when we're thinking about being real, it's really providing this space, again, to have a conversation of, hey, this is why we're doing this, right? And I think as human beings, it is very much a natural desire to know why we are doing the things that we are doing. Why is this important? Why do we have to do it this way? Why do we have to do it that way? Right? And so I think again, thank you for naming that whole concept of just be real, right? We want to be as authentic as we can be in the spaces that we're in, especially with students. And I also really like that you stated you have rewards for students who are doing the things without prompting, right? And I can already, I've done this as well in the beginning of my classroom experience, and quickly realize I don't have the budget for this. Actually, Sabrina Monserate-Lindsay 18:40 it's inconsistent. It is inconsistent and random. Toni Rose Deanon 18:44 Yes, and that, I think, is beautiful to make it random. So it's not that every single time students get a reward, it's more so they never know, so you're keeping them on their toes. And I mean, you know, I may have gone to Costco earlier this week and gotten some Starburst starbursts, and then maybe I have some to give out. You know what I'm saying? So we never, because that's what I did throughout, like, my 10 year of teaching. Like, in the beginning, I had a lot and then I was like, bro, who's spending all this money? Like, no, there's also better ways to internally motivate students, as opposed to continuing that and so and then I think I and you did a really good job of shifting right, like you went from Hey, there were little rewards for students, and then also saying, it could just be as easy as loudly thanking and loudly acknowledging students, right? The positive reinforce. Reinforcement goes such a long way, not just for students, also for adults, right? And so I think sometimes when I when I have conversations with educators, I also think like, hey, what would you like? What would you have liked if you were in this classroom? You want to be seen, you want to be acknowledged, you want to be celebrated. And so providing that, that opportunity to really name and celebrate the wins, even if it's so tiny, right? Right? Yeah. And I think also, instead of focusing on the I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to meet with you, right, there's that apology piece. I think it's even better for me. Anyway, in my opinion, Sabrina, to say thank you so much for waiting, right? Because now there's like, I you know what? I appreciate you. I see that you've been waiting, and because of that, I again, I appreciate it, right? Thank you for sharing. Thank you for your flexibility. Thank you for blank, right? Instead of saying, oh my gosh, I'm so sorry I didn't get to whatever, right? It's just shifting it from like I'm sorry to thank you for recognizing a positive thing that they are doing. And so I Yes, thank you for that. I appreciate. I appreciate that, and I just really appreciate this predictive classroom structure. I think I'm just hyper focusing on that now, so Sabrina, I have a follow up question, and I know this is not part of our conversation. I'm curious, though. I can hear people say, or just concerns, right? I can hear concerns saying, well, predictive classroom structure is great and all. How do you ensure that they don't get bored, that students don't get bored, that students want to keep working instead of or not working, but want to keep learning instead of not, right? So how do you make, how do you kind of mix it up, because you were talking about creating different ways to teach and learn, right? So how do you ensure, and I know you're three weeks in. So what are your thoughts on this? Sabrina Monserate-Lindsay 21:24 So I have found that when I did the first two years of MCP, of like, well, first year of really, of just, like, strictly watching videos and then repeating again and again until the test came, that my ninth graders hated it, like it was too predictable, like it was too repetitive, it got too boring. And so I started learning to incorporate more days, like where we can play games as, like a whole class, so rather than focusing on the individual progression, bringing everybody together as a community. So like, for example, the day before a test, I always have review games. Like just yesterday, we all played a Kahoot together, like just competing. But I also incorporated a day where I said, hey, everybody needs to be on listen for by this day so that I can talk to you guys about a difficult topic that many students struggle with. And so not only do I just do the videos, but also I still teach in front of the class, and that's something that they've enjoyed. Another way that I often do it is I'll have days where we can kind of just chill out, right? So if you are currently ahead of pace right now, you have earned the right to sit in my bungee chair. Or if you are ahead of pace right now, I'm willing to award you with the opportunity, like of a snack of choice for you to be my peer tutor. But yeah, those are the things that can come to mind. Toni Rose Deanon 22:43 Yeah. And those are great. Those are really great actually, because it's a it's a good reminder for folks who are listening that just because you're implementing the model doesn't necessarily mean you don't have whole class lessons. Yeah, yeah. I definitely still had whole class lessons. And sometimes what I would do, honestly, is we would watch the video together as a whole class. Oh, yeah, yeah, I would pause and then say, okay, let's talk about it. Because I know my sixth graders really struggled with thesis statements, and so that was something that I, you know, I was like, You know what? Let's work on this together as a whole group. And the students really loved that, right? So really mixing it up, because, like Sabrina said, it can become too predictable. And if that's the case, then students start falling out. They become less engaged, less motivated, and so really mixing it up. And I think this is where, again, the chaos is welcomed and invited into this space sometimes, right? So I love this whole you reflecting back of like first year you did this, and then second year, okay, you you go, go for it. Sabrina Monserate-Lindsay 23:43 There's something really I forgot. One thing that I started this year is I actually pull small groups on some days. So if I see a section or a group of students who are all in the same lesson and been on the same lesson, like, that's also another way that I remembered I provide variety. It's like, Hey, y'all, let's all meet up over here in front of the board. Let's talk about this and go through the lesson together. Toni Rose Deanon 24:04 Yes, exactly the small group. And I think that's what this model provides, opens up space and opportunities for is those small groups, those one on one connections as well. And I know that you've said like you get to interact with students and have those one on one conversations and to really just dive deeper into what they actually know. So that's really exciting, too. I know I've heard educators, you know, again and again about just, hey, we have a lot of groups work, right? There's even times, I know in my classroom, there were hardly any individual work, like the only individual work was really mastery check, but they could watch the videos together. They could do the practice together. But then, when it was mastery checks, like, Nah, brah, you gonna sit still for five minutes like you, yeah, like you've had the whole 50 minutes to go off the wall and do whatever you need to do, but these five minutes of mastery checking you gotta do on your own. Right? And so and that really, again, provides for provide students to really interact with each other, collaborate with each other. And again, those are skills that we need to create opportunities for, right, for students to utilize. Okay, great. So now we've been talking about diversifying lessons and how you teach, right? So can you share some examples of how you were able to continue differentiating instructor instruction more effectively, specifically in this model? And then also, how does it allow you to cater to students with diverse learning styles and needs? And I know you've talked about small groups already. I know you've talked about one on one check ins. Is there anything else that you want to add on? Sabrina Monserate-Lindsay 25:44 Hmm, I don't think so. Because I think really a lot of my differentiation in my conversation comes when I get to have one on ones with students like, I think it's like reasonable, or I guess it's my minimum expectation that you watch the video first. But of course, at the beginning of the year, I will always have students who like, say they hate watching videos. Like, why am I watching this Edpuzzle? Like, why am I like, why are you making me do this? And for those students, I also give them the option to say, like, okay, like, just watch it one time. And if you really, really hate it, I will talk you through it. And usually, once they realize that they have to maybe wait for me a little bit, once they finish that video to, like, talk through because I'm talking to somebody else, they kind of just kind of intuitively go, oh, right, well, I watched the video, and I do actually kind of understand what's going on, so I'm just going to do the practice and wait for Miss Maura to come back. But there have been a handful of times where, especially if students are really absent for several, several days, like, because everybody is already working on their lessons independently, like, I'm able to work one on one with that student for an extended time, because that expectation of everybody is being productive has already been set. Toni Rose Deanon 26:57 Yeah, and I think it works really well, specifically for those students who cannot be in school for whatever reason. Sabrina Monserate-Lindsay 27:03 And I tell them at the start of the year, I was like, y'all this entire unit's posted. Like, all the lesson materials are there. You can grab as many papers as you want. I don't recommend it, like, go lesson by lesson, but if you're ever absent, like, you don't need to technically be in the classroom to get caught up in your work. All my stuff is there. Toni Rose Deanon 27:20 Yeah, and then also, right? Teachers can be absent, Sabrina Monserate-Lindsay 27:24 yeah, yeah, which the subs love. By the way, I every year I have the exact same lesson plan for those class periods for foundations of math, one the students know what they need to do, yeah, the students already know. And I've had minimal complaints about like, about, like, subs have to take, take over anything. I never have to worry about foundations. Toni Rose Deanon 27:47 Yeah. And I was also now I'm thinking, Man, I really need to have a sub in the on the podcast to talk about their experience as well, because I've had the same with subs for my classes, right? They'd be like, Oh no, put me in a class where there's MCP, because I know that that students know exactly what to do. And I think the beauty of it too, is that my sub plan really is students know what they're supposed to do in the pacing tracker. And then I say, if you really have any other questions, clarifying questions, here's like a teacher, like a student, teacher, and then I would have conversations with that student, be like, Hey, I'm gonna be out for the next three days, and I'm banking on you to kind of help our stuff out. And they love that too. Like they are so great. Sabrina Monserate-Lindsay 28:29 It empowers them too. Like, I thought the same thing too. When I announced it, I was like, Hey, I know I'm not gonna be here. You're my buddy. Okay, you're gonna be the one to answer questions, and I'm gonna post it in Canvas that you were the person. Toni Rose Deanon 28:41 Yes, Sabrina Monserate-Lindsay 28:42 they're like, Okay, Toni Rose Deanon 28:44 yeah, they celebrate that too. It's kind of like a badge of honor, right? One of the things too, that I was thinking about Sabrina when you mentioned instructional videos and how students, in the beginning at first, are just resistant to it. And my initial response was, I bet they have a tick tock and I bet, I bet that they do a lot of micro learning from their tick tock videos. And so I feel like, if I were in the classroom, I would just name that like, hey, who watches Tiktok videos. Who've seen Tiktok videos Sabrina Monserate-Lindsay 29:22 still watching YouTube, by the way, like, Toni Rose Deanon 29:24 right? And that's the thing, YouTube shorts are a thing. There's real so if it's not even Tiktok, there's reels. Facebook also has, there's videos everywhere, right? And we're constantly consuming things with videos. And I think students sometimes see that as a there's a difference, right? Like, oh, this is instructional videos. I don't really, I hate videos. I hate videos. Like, no, you don't. You don't hate videos. I think there's just, like a barrier of, like, how you perceive school to be, and that's why there's such a tension and resistance to that. And I'm hoping there's really one of my hope. For this model is that we're shifting that a little bit right, and putting more joy in our learning, because learning is fun, and so, I mean, you teach ninth grade, 10th grade, yeah, like math. Have they been exposed to this model already, or is it their first time? Sabrina Monserate-Lindsay 30:16 So I think there are a few other teachers at my school who do MCP. So I think in terms hmm, I don't know, because by the time they get to me, I'm not sure if they've had experience with it before. I usually ask them at the beginning of the year, like, Hey, has anyone had any classes where, like most of the video, like most of the instructions through videos, and I get kind of like, inconsistent responses, I guess so I don't, I don't know if it's as popularized right now before, yeah, lower than ninth grade. Toni Rose Deanon 30:49 I mean, like you said, too, with covid happening, right? Yeah, there was a forced shift Yes, to creating videos. And I think we just didn't have those quote, unquote best practices of instructional videos, and so for the students who were exposed to those instructional videos, and then learning that they're 30 minutes long, 45 minutes long, then I can understand why there's hesitance again, right about instructional videos. So, okay, yes, all of that makes sense. Okay, so let's shift a little bit to mastery based learning. What changes have you made to your assessment practices to align with mastery based learning? And then, how do you ensure that like your students truly understand the concept the material before moving on to the next topic? Sabrina Monserate-Lindsay 31:34 So for context, bringing it back to the idea that my students and foundations are dual, enrolled in the regular math one class, like the way that I give my lessons, I show them the content before they see it in the regular math one class. So there's like, an inherent incentive to do the work in my class. And I repeatedly say this, like, like, I need you to do it now so that when you see it in math one later, you get to be the one who knows what's going on. But also, what I've done for mastery based grading is I, like, I guess, like, the first year, I only had maybe two versions of a mastery check for math content, and I had rampant cheating. Like, like, cheating was a huge, huge issue for me, and so I started adding more and more versions, and where I'm currently at in my iteration is that mastery checks are one individual. They are completely closed notes, and I actually have them turn in their lesson materials to me. So like, you're not allowed to have your phone, that's that's a school rule anyway, but I have them turn in their guided notes their practice everything to me, and I hold on to them as like a trade, like, you do not get this graded mastery check until you trade in your lesson materials. And I've had found that to be really, really effective, because when I grade their stuff and I see something that's like, very, very wrong, I can go back into their notes and I can see that like, hey, it's because they skipped the problem. They skipped the problem that was related to that idea. And so when I next see them, I pointed out, I'm like, Hey, I really need you to actually try on the practice and check your work as you go, because and I'll show them like, this is the exact same problem, just with different numerical values. And so I encourage them, and I say, hey, like, I really want to help you. Like, the whole point of me doing modern classrooms, or this type of classroom structure is I want to be able to have conversations with you, and if you don't tell me that you don't know something, or you don't express your needs, like, I'm not going to be able to support you in the best way that I can and I don't want you to be confused. So like, let me help you. That's usually how I about I go about those conversations. But one other thing that I like to do when it comes to mastery based grading to sort of like, promote the idea of, like, recognizing the mistakes. I do try to ask them before they do a revision whether or not they want assistance. So a big part of my class is I want to help build their math confidence. So if I give them a paper and I say, like, the Question one is wrong, I'll ask them like, Hey, do you want to figure it out together, or do you want to find the mistake yourself? And so I'm hoping that's promote promoting self advocacy, right? So if I'm explicitly asking them that question, they get to reflect on their needs and see whether or not they actually want the support. But it also opens up the conversation so that they don't have to, like, admit that they, like, don't know what's going on. Like, by introducing it, that gives them, like, a free pass, basically, to ask what they need. Toni Rose Deanon 34:37 And I love that concept of, hey, do you need support? Or here are ways for you to get more support, just like you said, right? Because there's a lot of, I don't want to say shame, but with high school, middle school, right? They want to they want to look cool, or whatever it is that they want to do. And asking for help is something that they definitely need a lot of help. Help on, right? Like asking, even as adults, we struggle to ask for help, and so giving them this agency, and again, this skill set to be able to ask and admit and acknowledge, oh, I actually don't understand. So I need help with this is really important. And so I do, I do want to ask about the timing of mastery checks, right? So you say you take up all of the lesson materials that they have. Are they able to take the mastery checks whenever they're just finished with the lessons? And then, how do you keep your sanity? How? Yeah, how does that work? Sabrina Monserate-Lindsay 35:34 I should clarify so I have a bin on my front desk where they throw in their guided notes, and they also, when they're finished with their mastery checks, that's the same bin that they put it in during class. I'm not actively grading unless I have downtime. And I guess, like, students are kind of like working their things that I will pull it. But usually there's like, a one class period turnaround time for or like, one day turnaround time for revisions. So I'll tell them, like, don't expect a response right now. Like, I'll get it back to you tomorrow. So I'm grading mastery checks pretty frequently, but I think what helps me to I guess, reduce the amount of mistakes that I see in their mastery checks is just like, really, at the very beginning of the year, like, harping on the idea, like, do your practice, check your work, make sure you're good. Like, don't do the mastery check until you feel like you're ready. Toni Rose Deanon 36:30 Okay, okay, yeah, that's really interesting, because I know from my own practice, the different quarters that we had it was, we ship. We changed the model so much. We had different iterations just to see what works and what doesn't work. And when we transitioned to virtual our mastery checks were due on Thursday, so Thursday was the day that you did your mastery checks. And then, therefore they still had self pacing. Monday, Wednesday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, everybody was doing their mastery check. So that is just one way also that our listeners could implement that so that it doesn't get too overwhelming. Of like, oh, I had five people turn in this day, and then I have six turn in this way, and then now they have to make revisions. And you know, there's just a lot of logistics that you can think about. And I know Monty also did hers on Fridays, like her mastery checks were on Fridays. And so just thinking about ways and how to keep your sanity, right? So, okay, Sabrina, I have a question. Why? Why no notes for mastery checks? Sabrina Monserate-Lindsay 37:32 I need them to actually. How do I say this? I feel like notes in mathematics. It's, it's definitely like a, like a security blanket, like it is a I have my notes that means I'm okay, but I want them to shift their trust into the notes, into themselves, right? Like I make it close notes, because I want them to feel like they have the confidence to get it done. And so by giving me their notes, they're sort of like relinquishing the power that having notes access has Toni Rose Deanon 38:10 interesting. Sabrina Monserate-Lindsay 38:11 And so that's why I say, like, don't give me your notes until you've had an opportunity to practice. Like, like, the mastery check will really let me know whether or not you understand. And so when they make a mistake, they recognize, like, okay, maybe I wasn't, like, maybe I wasn't paying attention, or, like, maybe I made, like, a careless error. But what I have found is, because I just started this year, and I've had such really high expectations, most of the time, students are able to, like, point out their mistakes and be like, Oh, okay, yeah, let me try it again. Let me try to let me try it one more time. They are actually very open to trying again, which is a new attitude that I'm welcoming and really excited about. And so when I ask a student, like, even though they have quote, unquote mastered the topic by getting it right, I'll ask them, Hey, do you want another one? Just to be sure, a lot of them say yes. Really. A lot of them say yes. Like, even like, Oh, I'm getting goosebumps. Like, one student today, she came to me during lunch tutoring, and she was finally able to do a question without assistance. And I was like, Okay, do you want to do one more? Just to be sure? She was like, yeah, yeah, yeah. Let me just make sure that I do so. And it's been great. It's been great. Toni Rose Deanon 39:26 All right, Sabrina, clearly, you're expanding my brain, and I my brain literally just exploded, because in my head, I was like, Oh my gosh, we have guided notes, so why won't we let our students use them for mastery checks? And you just crumbled that belief for me, because you just said, I don't want them to be dependent on this piece of paper. I want them to be dependent on themselves, and really just work on this confidence. And you know, we often talk about how people are afraid of math, and I really want to and I. Want to say it's probably because of how it was taught, honestly, right? Math is scary because there was just very little room to make mistakes. Like, you have to get it. If you don't get it, then you're labeled a certain way, or whatever. And so for you to just say, like, Hey, you have your guided notes for practice. You can use your guided note to practice as often as you would like. That is totally okay for mastery checks, though, like, I want to make sure that you have processed that learning inside your brain, so that you're not having to depend on a piece of paper. And it's a way to say, also, yo, believe in yourself. You got this, you did the work so you got it, and I love that. Oh, my God, Sabrina Monserate-Lindsay 40:47 there's a lot of praise that happens when they master it. I'm like, fantastic job. Like, perfect. You did a great like, there's a lot of positive reinforcement happening in my classroom. Toni Rose Deanon 40:56 Okay, so I have another question, again, we're deviating, and that's okay, because I now I'm just so enthralled, right? Okay, so when students don't master it the first time they, of course, can revise, redo it. Can they have access to their guided notes then, Sabrina Monserate-Lindsay 41:11 oh yeah, oh yeah, I give it back to them. So usually the first try is where I go, close notes. And then at the beginning of the year, I go like, Hey, if you want to revise this, the notes will be here, but I want to encourage you not to check it. Like I want to encourage you to not try to utilize it. Going back to the idea that it's like, I want you to build trust in yourself, like you know this information, like, Trust yourself, trust your intuition. And a lot of times when I see them mastery checking the notes maybe, you know, they do a little quick peek, but they're not like directly copying like they were when they were doing practice. Toni Rose Deanon 41:48 Oh, I love that so much. Because, you know, I'm also thinking about my brain, right? My brain is going 150 miles per hour, and sometimes I just forget. And so, like, I would love the opportunity to look back at my notes to make sure that you know what I do. Have this. I have it. I need reassurance for my paper that I have it. So I love this, this concept of, yes, it's available the first try. Really don't want you to look at your notes. Really trust in yourself. Build this confidence, right? And then if you don't master it, that's okay. I'm not punishing you. I'm not shaming you. Nothing like that. Go back to your notes, take a look at it and then do it again, right? Sabrina Monserate-Lindsay 42:25 Yeah, revising is not that deep in my classroom. I'm just like, you gotta fix it, because I gotta, you gotta trust that you're gonna be able to do it without me. I, that's what I tell them. I was like, I don't take the test for you. Like, so, like, I kind of need you to do it by yourself. Toni Rose Deanon 42:39 Yes, yes, yes, yes. I have so much in my brain right now. I love this. I love I love when people expand my brain, honestly, because sometimes I just get stuck in my ways, and I'm just like, oh, this is always should be done and it's not. There's so many ways to do it. Sabrina Monserate-Lindsay 42:55 That flexibility Toni, we got to be flexible, Toni Rose Deanon 42:58 I know. And being adaptable, right? Like all these things as as quote, unquote, good educators are, Zach Diamond 43:07 hey there, listeners. This is Zach just dropping in with this week's announcements. First off, we're attending MassCUE in Foxborough, Massachusetts, from October 15 to 17th, and we have four of our teacher leaders presenting on the modern classrooms model. So come on out and find us if you're there. And second, as you've probably heard me say on previous episodes, we are hosting a book club with scream and Kami. The community has chosen to read UDL and blended learning by Katie Novak and Catlin Tucker join us in this 10 week community of practice to learn with and from educators across the country. Receive premium access to both screenpal and Kami and to deepen your understanding of UDL and blended learning, you can get your must do reading pages for our third session, which is on Thursday, October 24 at 7pm Eastern. Registration links are in the show notes. And now let's hear from Emily. Emily Dia 44:03 Hi, everyone. Emily dia here, Senior Director for Educator support, I am wondering, are you an educator in Alabama, Baltimore, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Chicago, dcla, Minnesota, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont, New York City, Oakland, St Louis, or Tulsa County, Oklahoma, then you're eligible to apply for one of our scholarships to work with a personal mentor and learn the MCP model through our self paced virtual mentorship program. Applications are open now for our October and January sessions, and scholarship recipients receive a fully funded seat in the VMP and eligibility to earn a $500 stipend when you finish the course. The deadline for the October session is fast approaching and seats are limited across all locations. Head to www.modernclassrooms.org forward slash, apply, dash, now to learn more and submit your application, that's modern classrooms.org. Forward, slash, apply, dash now we would love to learn with you this year. Toni Rose Deanon 45:07 Okay, so we were talking about independent work, right? There's this, like video concept, there's the the practice, and then the mastery. Mastery checks. So my question now is collaboration. How does that look in your space? How do you prioritize collaboration? And how do you practice collaboration in your in your space? Sabrina Monserate-Lindsay 45:28 So ninth graders and 10th graders are teenagers, so they're inherently very, very sociable. So at the very beginning of the year, I'm not like it has to be a silent library, but I do immediately and consistently call out unproductive conversations. Like, as soon as I start hearing that gossip, I go, I was like, Whoa, lock in. Like, no, we're not talking about that right now, but if I have to remind them again, I usually like my phrasing is, if I can't trust you to work productively together, I'm going to separate you. And so that's where, like, the consequences come in. And so usually what will happen is, if they don't listen, then I do a seat change. And so after like, the first two weeks of doing so, they kind of get the gist, like, when I say, be productive, like they know what I'm talking about, and they're able to self correct. But at the beginning of the year, and I guess, like, right now, I do try to pay attention to students who are on similar pace. So I have pulled, like, a handful of small groups. This is a new thing that I'm trying this year. But at the end of my small group interaction, I'll remind them, like, hey, like, you are all on the same pace right now. Like, these are the people you could talk to, to work together, if you would like to. The other thing that I like to do is I really try my best very early on, to lean on to the idea of my like peer tutors in the class, like, if you're ahead of pace that, and I haven't like, interrupted you a billion times this week. But I try not to, by the way, I try to make sure that the people that I ask to assist me with other students I haven't like, they've had their own time to process information and work that, that I'm not the only expert in the room, right? Like, if you've mastered the material, like that is my stamp of approval that you know what's going on. And so I trust you, like I trust you to be able to guide another student's understanding, because if you understand the material, your perspective is actually unique, and you may have insight that I don't have to be able to explain something. And I also remind us, like, Yeah, I'm an adult, right? Like, sometimes being able to talk to your friends about something else makes more sense to you. And so if you've got that that insight, like that's that's incredibly valuable, and that could really use your help bridging that gap for somebody else. And so, yeah, that's usually what collaboration looks like in my classroom. Toni Rose Deanon 47:54 Thank you for sharing that, because I think again, setting it up from the beginning right, and then providing that opportunity to mess up and to practice what collaboration looks like. And then also, here are ways to find folks to collaborate with, right? I love that. And so you know how you were talking about, oh, I call, I call in or call out unproductive conversations right away, right? And you say it in a nice in a really nice way, of like, ooh, that's not lock in, right? Lock in. I think, for me, the way that I do it, which makes me chuckle, because then I'm thinking, Wow, am I a quote, unquote bad teacher. But when I hear my students talk about different things, oh, I pop in, I'm like, Oh, tell me more. Like, I want to know all the tea Sabrina Monserate-Lindsay 48:40 now I'm not saying, like, it's a little early in the year for me to be doing that, but that is absolutely where I am. What's the routine I can like, you know, relax my shoulders a bit like, oh, that's me. That's 100% Toni Rose Deanon 48:54 I am so curious how I'm going to survive when I get back in the classroom. Sabrina Monserate-Lindsay 49:00 Honestly, the gossip is the reason why I love teaching high school. Like, Toni Rose Deanon 49:05 yes, and then I would be, you know, if they're cracking jokes, or if, like, I had a student playing, you know, whatever video games be like, Oh, that's so dope. Like, tell me more about that. And then I engage with them for like, 30 seconds, and I'm like, okay, cool, you know. Like, get back to that once you do the things that the must do, right, like, please. And so it provides this way of like, Hey, I am paying attention to what you're interested in. I'm asking questions, and I'm not reprimanding you, right? But I love this call out to Sabrina of saying, like, hey, lock in, lock in. And also the call out of, hey, this is the beginning of the school year. I need to create the routines. And then once I have it locked in, I will start, you know, the whole Gradual Release of, like, you know, what? Tell me all the tea. I want to hear all the gossip. What's out there? Sabrina Monserate-Lindsay 49:50 I'm in, like, beginning of the year brain, where, like, structure, structure, structure. Toni Rose Deanon 49:54 Yes, yes. Thank you for that reminder. Because me, I would be like, girl, tell me more. Sabrina Monserate-Lindsay 50:00 I'm slowly getting there. They're they're building my trust in their ability to do what they need to do. So, Toni Rose Deanon 50:06 oh, I love that so much. And I know this, this praise also, um or not praise. It's more the statement that you share with the students of I am not the only expert in this room naming that already is so impactful in so many ways. And I feel like students really grasp or like just hang on to that. Of just saying, oh, wait a minute, it's not just my teacher. I could also be an expert in this in a different way. Of course, an expert doesn't necessarily mean you know everything about it, right? It's just you know a good amount of information about you could always learn, because learning is a forever thing, and so I love that you start this off with, I'm not the only expert in the room, y'all. And it's, yeah, it's just your passive way of saying, like, don't come ask me for help all the time. Sabrina Monserate-Lindsay 50:59 I really lean into it in the sense that, because I try to have really authentic, like, like, real, like, Help, try helpful conversations with my students after this discussion, if I really feel like they've got it, I'd be like, hey, you know, if another student has this question, can I ask you to help them out? And their answer could be No, right, like, but really, like pushing it out, like, hey, please don't forget what we just talked about, not only for your benefit, but like you may be able to assist me later on. Toni Rose Deanon 51:28 Oh, I love that, Sabrina, that's so good. If, like, if someone were to ask me this, can you also share? And then, like you said it, it then becomes their thing to talk about, right? And then it Re and then it makes you realize, as an educator, did they actually understand what we talked about? Oh, goodness gracious. Where have you been? All right, all right, all right, all right. So like, one more question, challenges. Let's talk about them, because there are challenges. Y'all, nothing is perfect. Again, we a little bit messy out here, and that's okay. So what are some challenges that you faced implementing this model, and how did you overcome those challenges? Organization? Sabrina Monserate-Lindsay 52:13 Toni, oh, my goodness. I mean, when I was in school, like, there was definitely, like binder checks. And like, I had a table of contents in all of my classes, and so I've never really been on the teacher side of like doing binder checks before. But as my iterations of MCP have progressed, I realized, like, there has been a greater need. And I think a huge portion of my success for the start of this school year is not only the predictive classroom structure, but also, like, teaching them how to be organized. So I used to have a wall in my room where, like, it was just all the assignments, and they just pull their folders, like, pulled from a folder something that they wanted. But then I kind of like, like, that was it? That's all I gave them. Like, I didn't give them a specific way to place things. I didn't give them a specific way to organize things, but this year, I made it like my PDP goal to like, like, help students be organized. So I ended up purchasing folders on my own dime, just because I wanted to really try it out to see for their benefit. If, like, if I give you a folder, I want you to put your in progress, materials on the left side. So as soon as you open it up, you know exactly where you're doing. And then anything that you finish, you put it on the back. Anything that you are working on or finish, I'm expecting that pacing tracker to be marked, like I have built in time into my class periods at the start of the school year where, like, okay, at the end of class, like, before you pack up. Like, don't rush. I need you to mark where you're at. And so I'll follow up that conversation the next day when they ask me, oh, what are we supposed to be doing? Because that is a very common question really early on into the school year, like, what are we supposed to be doing? I'll say, pull out your pacing tracker. I see you didn't mark where you were at at this point. Like, I have the one that's on the board that's public for everybody, but it doesn't tell you, like, what you're working on yesterday. That's your responsibility to keep track of. And so I say that's one of the biggest challenges, is like being able to support students in their organization. And I found that the answer is, provide the organization for them. Now I'm sure there are issues that will eventually pop up. Like, for right now, I see I gave them too many, like, what is it called, sheet protectors? I thought putting sheet protectors in there would help them. It's not working. They can't figure out the sheet protectors, oh my gosh. Or, like, sometimes the sheet protectors are too like rigid and so they have a hard time anyway. I digress. But other than teaching students to be organized, the other challenge that I faced with MCP was definitely, like, the first year, like, implementation for creation, right, having to dedicate time to make the videos and, like, have the guided notes and make the pacing. Trackers, it can be very, very daunting. But my recommendation is anyone who's listening who wants to do this, if you are working with a PLC, a PLT, like one other teacher who is also doing that course with you, like, share the load. Like, share the love, share the lesson. Creation. So me and Miss Hamilton, we have like 5050, 5050, like video creation right now. Like half of the videos, or half the lessons were made by me personally, and half the videos were made from her, which I think helped significantly. So if there's anybody else that you can, like, buddy up with to do videos or anything like that, would be my recommendation, yeah. Toni Rose Deanon 55:41 And I would even add on to there were, there were four English teachers when we implemented this model and we shared the workload. And so students were able to watch videos, not just created by me, but also created by other three teachers. And then it created this community of like, everyone is actually our student. Like, Oh, I really like, how MS D is saying this, so I'm gonna go to Ms D and, like, have conversations about this specific skill. So the whole, like 200 students that we had, they were all our students, and it became such a close community, and it also showcased other teachers. So my students were like, oh, that's Miss Reyna, or miss Kolp or MS Mariucci, like that, I've heard your voice. I even had the math teacher come in and record a video as well, like one of the sixth grade math teachers, and my students were like, wait a minute, that's my math teacher. And it's just so cool. Like you get to really be creative with it. And of course, like, if that math teacher, the math teacher that I asked, had time and they wanted to help me out, and we had a it was a fun time creating. So highly, highly recommend finding that partner to create and have fun creating. And so if you mess up, you mess up, keep it on there. Kids actually really love the mistakes, and I chuckled with the sheet protectors, because those things still exist. Lol, I feel like, Girl, what we so use that. Sabrina Monserate-Lindsay 57:06 I thought I was being smart, okay? Because, like, I guess, like, at least in my school, the trend has been like, no more binders. I want folders instead, yeah, I mean, granted, because they have seven classes, right? Like, who wants, like, seven binders? And so I was like, oh, yeah, if I give them a sheet protector to put in their folder, maybe they'll hold on to it. Now, like, no, Toni Rose Deanon 57:26 yeah, no, things fall out more. And those sheet protectors and, like you said, then they take the time to, like, try to put the things in. And then now they're just wasting time brought like, yes. And these are things that you got to think about too, and you don't think about it until you do it. And you're like, Oh, that was actually a really bad idea. And I love this, this focus on organization as well, right? Super important. And me being neurodivergent, I kind of chuckle looking back now of how organized I was in the classroom. And time and time again, I say this, y'all, when students can see how you move, they mirror it. So I kept a really clean classroom. So my classroom was clean, immaculate. My students were cleaning, wiping, making sure nothing was on the floor. And then I liked my binders or my materials a certain way, and so students know, oh, we got to put it back this way. So again, it's just like this modeling. And students pick it up, and they mirror it. And so the organization is like, yes, we would love for them to figure out how to stay organized, no matter the age. Yeah. And it is also so much better and less stressful for you as an educator when you teach your students how to organize something because it's different in each classes. Sabrina Monserate-Lindsay 58:40 That's maybe been my reflection from the last, I guess, like, so far in my years, teaching is, like, it actually really helps to be explicit. Like, yes, assuming that a student knows something is, you know, little rocky road, Toni Rose Deanon 58:53 right? Assume nothing. Sabrina Monserate-Lindsay 58:55 But just, like, take some time to just be very literal and be very clear. It's, it's really helped out my communication with my students. Toni Rose Deanon 59:02 And model, model, model, repeat, repeat, repeat, like you may I mean, you all know, as educators, we repeat ourselves, like 10 billion times, and that is okay. And so give yourself grace. Give your students Grace like this is a whole just an interesting way of shifting right. And so we just have, we need to have a lot of patience. Okay, well, thank you for all of that. Sabrina, what do you hope to see in the future? What goals do you have? Because your is your third year implementing. What does the future hold for you? Sabrina Monserate-Lindsay 59:35 So I've had a lot of qualitative data, like, I just, like, I guess students just telling me how helpful my class has been for them. But really my goal is for 100% of all of my foundation students to be proficient on the math one at USC, like, I think that's really like my driving force here. Like, everything that I do in foundations is to, like, set that up, set that win up for them. Because I think that'd be a huge confidence builder, but also kind of like a cycle breaker for some of my students. So that's kind of my goal, and I've already been praised by my my assistant principals on the success of of my class. And I really attribute MCP to be like a huge vital component of that success. So in a perfect world like right now, 100% I mean, for 100% passing at the end of the year, Toni Rose Deanon 1:00:25 oh, we got this. It's gonna happen. We're gonna put it out in the world. It's gonna happen, and we're gonna celebrate when it does happen. Yeah, Sabrina Monserate-Lindsay 1:00:32 it's like, aim for the start. Wait, what is it like? You aim for shoot from the moon. You still. And if you don't make it, you still, you still land, among the stars. Like, that's, that's where I'm at right now. I know 100% is, you know, not perfectly. Like, that's not a reasonable goal, but that's, that's where my sites are at. That's where my sites are at. Toni Rose Deanon 1:00:48 I love it. I love it, and I'm sure you will reach it. So, Sabrina, how can our listeners connect with you? Because as I don't, I, I have been in education for a while, and you are still teaching me so many different things. So how can our listeners connect with you? Sabrina Monserate-Lindsay 1:01:05 Okay, this is really silly. I was actually talking to my sister about this. I no longer maintain a public like teacher social media account, but I am a competitive speed puzzler, and I do post publicly that way. I don't feel super comfortable sharing my email out right now, but if you find me on Instagram, is at a puzzle underscore bites like that is the public way that you can reach me. If you send me a message saying that you're you wanted to know more about MCP, I am more than happy to share my email and like send you resources that way, especially if you are a foundations of math one teacher in North Carolina, like, I got all the things, like, if you need anything, I got you. So feel free to DM me on my instagram, and I'd be happy to share resources. Toni Rose Deanon 1:01:51 Yes, y'all shoot that shot. That's what I say all the time. And I am now going to follow you on Instagram because I have to watch this. I don't even know what speed puzzling is, but I am excited, excited. Sabrina Monserate-Lindsay 1:02:04 Oh, that's another conversation. I'm like, Baby influencer there, by the way. Like, Toni Rose Deanon 1:02:09 okay, baby influencer. I love that. Sabrina Monserate-Lindsay 1:02:13 I don't even know if I can quantify as influencer, but like, you know, I just started it. Like, it's a very brand new thing. I have, like, I have some followers, so, like, I don't know, Toni Rose Deanon 1:02:22 oh my gosh, I love this. This is so exciting. Because, again, that's something I've never heard of. I've, I've, I've talked about, like, word search, the speed word search. Like, I love word search. I'm, like, I want to, like, compete. Sabrina Monserate-Lindsay 1:02:33 Well, okay, so Toni, I have homework for you, and I have homework for anybody who's listening. Like, you got to check out the world jigsaw puzzle competitions that are happening in Spain right now. Like, there is a, there is a, it's a huge thing right now in the puzzle community, and it's really exciting to watch. I mean, if you like puzzles, I love puzzles. Toni Rose Deanon 1:02:51 I have, okay, I love puzzles, meaning I buy puzzles, and then I have a puzzle mat, and I have all the things I need to start a puzzle. I have not started yet. I'm gonna get there. Well, Sabrina, this was so so much fun. It brought me joy today. Sabrina Monserate-Lindsay 1:03:11 Yeah, I really appreciate this brought me joy talking into you. Toni, I really appreciated this opportunity. Toni Rose Deanon 1:03:16 Yes, thank you so much for sharing your experience and expertise with us. Listeners, remember you can always email us at podcast at podcast at modern classrooms.org and you can find the show notes for this episode of podcast at modern classrooms.org/ 210, we'll have this episode's video uploaded on modern classrooms YouTube channel and transcript uploaded by Friday, so be sure to check back to access those also. We're asking our listeners to leave a review of this podcast has been helpful in supporting you to create a human, centered learning environment through a blended, self paced, mastery based model. It does help other folks find it. Thank you all for listening. Have a great week, and we'll be back next Sunday. Bye. Zach Diamond 1:03:54 Thank you so much for listening. You can find links to topics and tools we discussed in our show notes for this episode, and remember, you can learn more about our work at www.modernclassrooms.org and you can learn the essentials of our model through our free course at learn.modernclassrooms.org you can follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at modernclassproj, that's P, R, O, J, We are so appreciative of all you do for students in schools. Have a great week, and we'll be back next Sunday with another episode of the modern classrooms project podcast.