The Found Podcast with Molly Knuth20 Juli 2021

Episode 47: Educating the Youth with Kelly Simon

Today, I'm SO honored to welcome my mentor and role model (even if she doesn't know that yet), Ms. Kelly Jo Simon. Kelly is the Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment (or the CIA) for Western Dubuque County Community School District in Iowa. Being the Director of the CIA is no small task. For one, the size of the WDCCSD makes it the largest in the state of Iowa in terms of square miles (555 sq mi). They serve students and families from five counties for a total of over 3000 students. In addition to the logistical challenges that poses for Kelly and her colleagues, her role has her also requires her to lead educators and administrators in each of the district's eight schools in addition to the students in her charge. It is truly a feat. During her time in her role, Kelly has gone from trying to organize schools and curriculum to creating a culture of happiness, success, and opportunity. During her tenure, WDCCSD has become a sought-after district for young families, but also for people looking for a job in education. I am honored and excited to share this interview with my friend Kelly with all of you here at Small-Minded today. Key Takeaways

The hardest question she's ever been asked is "what is your role?"
"What are you willing to struggle for?" She believes that this is the question we should be asking young people when helping them plan for themselves and their futures.
She was told in high school that she wasn't college material. She said she owned responsibility for the choices she had made to get to that conversation with her guidance counselor, but that helped her forge forward to go to college.
"Be careful labelling potential in their high school years." A student/child cannot have their potential defined in their formative years.
"One of the best and most humbling parts of small town living is owning up to your past mistakes…Embrace it, move forward, you don't run." Just because it was your story then, doesn't mean it is your story forever. The faster you own up to it, the faster you can move on.
"Our product is people." In order to provide the best education for all students, Kelly and the district's admin team have created a culture around The Happiness Advantage. This approach helps teachers and staff find what makes them happy and choose happy, so they can take that into their classrooms and share the same concept with their students.
And a TON more. Make sure to listen in to the full episode for all the gold that Kelly shares about her philosophy on education and what WDCCSD is doing right to care for all the kids in their district.

Connect with Kelly! Follow all that Kelly, her colleagues, and her students are doing at www.wdbqschools.org or follow Kelly at @kellyjosimon on Twitter. Follow for More Follow Small-Minded on Instagram and Facebook Follow Molly Knuth Media on Instagram and Facebook For more about our Instagram workshops this month at MKM visit mollyknuthmedia.com/shop.

Det här avsnittet är hämtat från ett öppet RSS-flöde och publiceras inte av Podme. Det kan innehålla reklam.

Avsnitt(283)

260: What Table Were You Actually Built For? A Self-Leadership Framework for Small Town Business Owners

This one is personal. Episode 260 is a solo cast, and it's the episode I've been sitting with for a while. I'm sharing what's been happening in real time in my career this year, not as a pivot story o...

8 Juli 34min

259: 28% Is Not Enough: Sarah Jakle on DemocraShe, Civic Engagement, and Why High School Girls Are the Future of Government

I get pitches in my inbox every day. Most of them I can't fit into the schedule, no matter how great they are. This one stopped me cold. Sarah Jakle is the founder and executive director of DemocraShe...

1 Juli 50min

258: In Order to Succeed, Help Others Succeed First: Josie Manternach on Teaching, Military Life, and Making a Difference in Rural Iowa

I've known Josie Manternach since she was roughly in first grade, and I still learned things about her in this conversation that I didn't know. Josie is an educator by trade, a military spouse, a mom,...

24 Juni 42min

257: Stand at Your Full Height: Serin Silva on Nervous System Leadership, Energy Work, and the Future of Heart-Centered Business

I told you this was going to be a different kind of conversation, and I meant it. Serin Silva spent two decades inside high-pressure corporate environments at companies like MSNBC and Hearst, leading ...

17 Juni 43min

256: 10 Things I Know for Certain About Building a Business (Part 2)

We're back with Part 2 of my two-part series on 10 things I know for certain about building a business, not from books or courses, but from almost a decade of living it. If you missed Part 1, go back ...

10 Juni 36min

255: 10 Things I Know for Certain About Building a Business (Not From Books, But From Living It) Part 1

It's a solo cast! It has been a while since it was just me and you, and I'm glad to be back in this format because I have some things to say. This episode was sparked by a moment that happened in Marc...

3 Juni 39min

254: USA Today Bestseller to Director of Leadership Formation: Lindsay Leahy on What It Means to Live with Intention

Lindsay Leahy is back on The Found Podcast for the third time, and this one is unlike any conversation we've had before. You might know Lindsay as the founder of The Restoration Project, the author of...

27 Maj 51min

253: Stop Tying Your Worth to What You Do: Brooke Fitzgerald on the Path to Enough, Imposter Syndrome & What's Next

This is Brooke's third time on The Found Podcast. Every time she comes back, she brings something that stops me mid-conversation and makes me reach for my notebook. Brooke Fitzgerald is the Energy Bui...

20 Maj 40min