For this episode of Passing Notes, I visited with Andy Moore and Scott Melson with Let’s Fix This. Let’s Fix this is a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to educating Oklahomans on politics and policy while providing opportunities for citizens to engage with their representatives. The produce a weekly podcast, Let’s Pod This, and provide resources and, when able to be in person, engagement opportunities for Oklahomans. I asked them on the podcast to talk about what advocacy will look like in the time of Covid and why it is just as important as ever, though it might be more difficu ..read more

EDIT: I previously posted this episode with a previous interview with Superintendent Hofmeister, it has since been updated. Every year I am incredibly fortunate to be able to connect with Oklahoma’s State Superintendent Joy Hofmeister. This past year, and no doubt looking forward, was quite an unusual year for #oklaed. A pandemic not only devastated our country it also hi-lighted and exasperated many of the systemic issues of racism and inequities that exist throughout our country and our beloved system of education. New Year’s Day is one of my favorite times of year, I love reflecting and dre ..read more

Councilperson James Cooper has represented Ward 2 of Oklahoma City since April of 2019. Before that he was an AVID middle school teacher in Oklahoma City Public Schools. I met Councilperson Cooper during the Oklahoma Teacher Walkout of 2018, holding up a really cool sign! Councilperson Cooper is also a writer and an adjunct professor who got his start in public service as a trustee on OKC’s transportation board. Upon being sworn in, Councilperson Cooper became the first Person of Color to serve Ward 2 and the first openly LBGTQ+ individual to serve as a councilperson in our city. In this epis ..read more

Let’s talk about dyslexia. Dyslexia is a specific learning disability characterized by having difficulties relating to language, particularly reading. It runs in families and is estimated that around 20% of the population. Payne Education Center, located in Oklahoma City, trains teachers to prevent reading difficulties in children and to remediate dyslexia while serving as a resource and a referral center for teachers and parents. In recent years, the state of Oklahoma has updated laws and policies around teaching children with dyslexia. You can learn more about them and the work that they do ..read more

I have been holding on to this episode for too long. Truth time between having a new position in the district last year to a pandemic to just the regular day-to-day, I have found my self constantly behind. I am so thankful a historic ice storm gave me time to sit with some excellent recordings and prepare them for release. So meet Heather Malin, Ph.D. Dr. Malin is director of research at the Center on Adolescence. Her book is Teaching for Purpose: Preparing Students for Lives of Meaning. Dr. Malin focuses her work on applying research to education practice (YAY!) and exploring how schools can ..read more

For this episode of Passing Notes, I decided to do something a little different… I’ve been wanting to do a Back to School episode for awhile now (well since the beginning of last year) where I could talk through the things I’m most excited about for the school year, resources, and books teachers should look into to start the year. Well, there is no time like the present and let’s be honest there is going to be no year like this year!  To start out, I’m going to do introductions like I always do because I realize I may have never introduced myself. I’m Stephanie Hinton, I’m the Director of ..read more

For this episode I interviewed Dr. Giordana Cote. Dr. Cote currently works for Tools of the Mind as the Director of Partnership Development. She has a long career in teaching early childhood and coaching teachers. She completed her dissertation in Social Emotional Learning and uses her expertise in the area to consult for local and regional school districts in Massachusetts. Social Emotional Learning or SEL has become an important part of our professional development and regular discourse around the current climate of education. How we connect with students and develop their SEL skills are an ..read more

Whew! This last month has been… so many things but normal. As I’m sitting in my home office thinking about everything that has happened, I’m truly overwhelmed. Like many educators, I’m concerned about our families and their children. I’m worried about my teachers and how they are adjusting. I’m thinking about week 3 of our Continuous Learning Plan, when week 1 came out yesterday. I’m amazed by our SNS team who continues to serve more meals everyday and our instructional staff who handed out thousands of learning packets to families. This. This has truly been adjustment but I have seen the best ..read more

Another year, another legislative session which means the OSDE and State Superintendent Joy Hofmeister are gearing up for another season of new bills and finalized budgets. I sat down with Superintendent Hofmeister to reflect on the past year of her superintendency and look ahead to the coming year. You can find Superintendent Hofmeister on Twitter @joy4ok ..read more

For this episode of Passing Notes I had the opportunity to interview my previous principal, Mr. Lee Roland. Lee Roland is a former teacher, principal, district-level administrator, and the author of the book Fantastic Voyage: a Story of School Turnaround and Achievement by Overcoming Poverty and Addressing Race. Lee Roland is known for his work at Tulakes Elementary in Putnam City Schools. In this episode we explored the topics he covers in his book and his experiences of school turnaround at Tulakes Elementary. Reflective Questions: What does your current culture/climate look like? What area ..read more