"Human First: Why SEL is the Foundation Every Student Deserves"

Molly Nilssen is a proud Milwaukee native who attended Milwaukee Public Schools from K4 through 12th grade. She went on to earn her degree from the School of Education at the University of Wisconsin–Madison before beginning her career teaching kindergarten and later first grade.

After teaching in three different schools, Molly found her home at the Milwaukee College Prep campus on 38th Street, serving predominantly minority learners. Over her career, she has taught every grade in elementary and middle school and nearly every subject, giving her a rare, full-spectrum understanding of how children grow, learn, and struggle across developmental stages.

For the past four years, Molly has taught Wellness, a subject that blends self‑regulation, brain science, hygiene, puberty and development, sex education, core values, boundaries, social justice, mindfulness, and more. Her work sits at the intersection of academic learning and human development.

The realities of Milwaukee deeply shape Molly’s commitment to SEL, one of the most racially segregated cities in the country, and a community grappling with high rates of violence and the disproportionate incarceration of Black males. These systemic conditions show up in classrooms long before they show up in statistics. Molly sees firsthand how chronic stress, community instability, and generational inequities impact students’ nervous systems, attention, behavior, and sense of safety.

Her message is clear: SEL is not optional in a city like Milwaukee. It is a protective factor, an academic accelerator, and an equity imperative. With 17 years of experience spanning major shifts in technology, AI, and post‑pandemic learning, Molly brings a powerful, urgent perspective on what today’s students truly need to thrive and survive, not just academically, but as whole human beings.

School Website: https://www.milwaukeecollegeprep.com/38th-street

Resources:

Videos

A Tour of the Brain (for kids)

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6vqSehMYQQ&t=87s

Brain Basics for Kids (and also adults!)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eD1wliuHxHI

What is my Lizard Brain? (Self-regulation lesson)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLaBYt3AHVI&t=19s

Neurons and Synapses

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0rHZ_RDdyQ

Zones of Regulation Curriculum Website

https://zonesofregulation.com/

Articles:

Power Of Brain Breaks

https://www.edutopia.org/video/the-mysterious-power-of-brain-breaks

Projects, Purpose, and the Teenage Mind

https://www.edutopia.org/article/projects-purpose-and-the-teenage-mind

Survive and Thrive During Testing Season

https://www.edutopia.org/blog/survive-thrive-during-testing-season-lori-desautels

Intentionally Slowing Down to Ensure Students Learn Material Deeply

https://www.edutopia.org/article/slower-instruction-deeper-learning

#jackeduppodcast #newpodcast #education #knowledgeispower

 #global #professionaldevelopment

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

All right. Welcome back, listeners, to the Jacked Up Podcast. Tonight I am flying solo, which is all right, because this is going to be a real good intimate conversation with my friend Molly from Milwaukee. Ed is somewhere on Broadway. I don't know. He's making his debut. Whatever the case is, he's gone for the evening, but I am really excited, as all the episodes have been, one after another. This one is really great because we have someone straight out of the trenches. Today we're going to dive into a topic that I would say feels pretty urgent than ever: the role of SEL. In other words, social emotional learning and play and how that helps our kids actually learn. So I am really thrilled to have Molly Nielsen with us tonight. She is, like I said, from the trenches. She is a wellness educator who teaches students from K4 all the way through eighth grade. And that means she literally watches kids grow up across a decade of development. So how cool to be able to follow those students through their development. So, Molly, welcome. We're excited to have you here. If you could just tell us a little bit about your background and where you're from and where you're at.

SPEAKER_01 1:10

I'm so happy to be here. Thank you for that introduction. Um, yeah, my name is Molly. I grew up in Milwaukee. Um, I went through all of Milwaukee public schools, went on to UW Madison, University of Wisconsin-Madison, which was at the time the top best school of ed. Um, I was in a really specialized program that actually really focused on developing a whole child and um just diversity of education and looked at a lot of different lenses and angles. So it was a program within the program. Um, and then yeah, I went on to teach a year in Wawatosa, a year in Waukesha, a year in a I guess we'll say a private school. Um I had a diversity of experiences and different um looking at how different school systems ran. And then I landed where I am now. I've been at my school for 14 years, which is a Milwaukee school, Milwaukee College prep. So we're uh um right in the middle of the city. Um and we are we are an amazing school, and I've stayed there for all these years because I just love our family, I love our our team, I love our just I love what we do there.

SPEAKER_00 2:17

So yeah, you kind of found your home, right? Like after having a couple of different experiences, and I know that knowing you outside of here, like just how you enjoy what you do and who you serve, that's for sure. Um, and I just wanted to also identify when I was looking at, and I'm from familiar being from Milwaukee, of the school, but it was interesting. I kind of just checked into their mission and vision, and and I know the students that you serve. So talk to me a little bit about the demographics of the school that you serve.

SPEAKER_01 2:45

So we are, if not 100% over 95% of black students. Um we have little diversity of race. We we do have some, um, but we have a wide diversity of income, um, so not socioeconomic background. Um people come from all over the city, so our kids live in a wide variety of neighborhoods around the city. We we we actually don't have busing at our schools, so our kids get there through parents private, they have to have the the Rhineland transportation.

SPEAKER_00 3:16

Excellent, excellent.

SPEAKER_01 3:17

I do want to be clear, we are a public school, but we don't, we just we we operate as a charter of MPS.

SPEAKER_00 3:23

Okay, yeah, and that's good to make that distinction, right? Because there's so many different formats of schools and how they work and so on. What really struck me that I thought was fascinating, knowing your background and knowing what we're going to talk about today, which is SEL, is that I noticed their mission is quote, knowledge plus character, pave the road to a college and beyond, focusing on preparing students for higher education. So I just thought, wow, like what Molly does truly is a value in in these schools. Is that true, Molly? You feel like it's not just a role, but it's actually part of who you guys are.

SPEAKER_01 3:57

100%. I'm so grateful and lucky that we have given not only an entire role, um, but our our classroom teachers as well have SEL programs that they do in, you know, in the morning to get ready for the day. We start our day with an assembly, which shakes off any of the nonsense you came to school with. You know, we dance, we sing, we join together. Um, and so I I really believe that we l live our mission truly, which is a huge part of why our kids are so successful and and feel so loved and just really they, I mean, our attendance is over 96%. I mean, our kids love school, and and it's a huge part of why. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 4:35

Yeah, that's awesome. Yeah, and when we talked about like the title of this, it's like play is not optional, because we're gonna talk a little bit also about just that play factor as well as awareness of different things and emotions and why that really SAL is an academic rigor, right? So it's like we can we can pair those up. Um, and I just wanted to mention that I was sharing um a little bit earlier with Ed when we were talking about the episode. I actually back in the day, and I'm much older than you, um, I could be your mom. Um, I could be your mom, but um back in the day in Milwaukee Public Schools, proud, proud person I attended as well. But I as I was going through college, I was a para in um at Fernwood Elementary, and it was a K8. And it was interesting because I actually was um hired as the assistants to the assistant principal as like the in-house detention teacher, right? Now keep in mind I'm young, I'm only like 1920, I'm almost just starting college, and I'll never forget that like my first day, they were like, okay, so you're gonna be down in the basement, you're gonna be in the old shop room. And when I say shop room, literally there were hammers and and screwdrivers and big wooden benches with divots in it. And I was given um a basket of pencils and a stack of paper, and I was told that when the students, keep in mind this is K through eight, so these are babies. K through eight, when they're kicked out of class, um, our step is they will come down to you with the infraction and you will have them write a hundred times. I will not blink. So literally, my this is true. This is true. I will not throw a chair at the teacher, right? So I'm supposed to have this third grader do this, and and I don't want to take too much time on this, but what what I think is an interesting lead on, I I seriously back at that young of an age remember saying, this ain't right. Like it didn't feel right to me. I was already thinking to myself, what has happened to these kids versus why are they acting this way? Like that's where I just naturally went. Or in the case of SEL, that I want you to get into is like, what regulation kinds of things do they need to learn? Like when you're angry and you feel mad, no, we don't throw pencils, but do they know what else to do? Right? Like, so at my young age, we we together as Mr. Sebesta was very, very supportive. We turned a classroom into what I would say back then, if I would have only jumped on this and made a million dollars, it was SEL in the making. It was before SEL was sexy, right? And it was literally like what you know, it was let's get some money in here and let's get kids in here. And we had programs and we had peace days and we had like feelings lessons and all that good stuff. So it this isn't about me, it's about Molly today. But I just wanted to bring that to your attention that I don't know if you're aware of that. Yeah, but it wasn't always sexy. So talk to me about you've been in teaching for a while.

SPEAKER_01 7:35

Um 17 years?

SPEAKER_00 7:38

I can't even believe that. How is that possible? Um, and and I love how you talk about you've been through it all. You've been through like the advancement of technology, you've been through the pandemic, right? So you have seen and the context you've been in, kids changing, families changing, schools changing. Um, but really, what is it that grounded you in this journey? And and I can tell your heart really changed is is in this, you know. So, what changes have you seen in how kids learn, communicate, regulate? Why do you know this is of value?

SPEAKER_01 8:09

Yeah, so you know, there's been that age-old argument of, you know, is play important? Um, but all research and best practices show that play is essential for learning. Um, but especially now the way technology is running our kids. I mean, their screen time, their their the social interactions, our pandemic babies missed huge developmental milestones of learning not only how to play, but how to be in school with each other. I mean, we are definitely still seeing, you know, the outcome of all of that. Um, but I think most importantly is we're living in a world where education and children, not just education, but children are being devalued. Um, and so not only are teachers not as well trained and not going into the profession because we're not getting that who would with what they're paying us and what they're doing, but we're losing programming. Kids don't have things to do after school, kids don't have sports, kids don't have, you know, the the community around them has been so stolen from them. Um, and so to have these moments in school where they just have pure joy and they just really actually learn how to interact and like you said, regulate. I mean, regulation is the key to success in this world because we all know at any given minute something can pop off that can just go the wrong way. And I I tell my kids this to me isn't just about, you know, we'll get into everything we do, but I'm not just teaching you a cute little, you know, this is your brain, but uh for me it's life or death, you know, because you just you you have to know how to regulate those emotions before it gets to a point where you can't turn back from something you said you did, somebody else's reaction. Um, especially, you know, Milwaukee is a s is a is a hurting city. So a lot of my kids are living in situations where one wrong move and that could be it, you know.

SPEAKER_00 10:08

Right.

SPEAKER_01 10:09

Yeah, it's not just about playing with toys, it's how how do I actually become a whole healthy person so I can actually exist without hurting my, you know, getting in a bad situation.

SPEAKER_00 10:21

Yeah, and I love that because like again, what you're talking about is is skill sets and understandings that go beyond the classroom walls. And there's not anyone out there listening that wouldn't argue that all of us, adults included, need these kinds of things in today's context, right? And again, bringing back for those of you who don't know about Milwaukee, please feel free to look it up because that's where I was born and raised. And um, yeah, when you take a look at, you know, the segregation issues and the prison pipelines, and I mean, we're dealing with a lot and the violence, um, you know, heavy stuff. So as I talked about another, you know, kids are coming with invisible backpacks, right? Like I've heard that phrase before, right, Molly? And you think about it when you said, I love the morning meeting. That's one strategy that you use because kids are coming from somewhere, they're human beings who have lives, and they're coming to us with something that's already attached to them. And so talk to me about those morning meetings. What are some of the things that you've done and you see and how it how it supports those students? How does that look for someone out there saying, What is that?

SPEAKER_01 11:23

Yeah, so one of the things I fell in love with when I started here is every morning in the gym, the school after breakfast, we all come to morning assembly, and you know, the principal might lead and different teachers have roles, but we say we call it our our declaration of excellence. So we kind of like join in our kind of our school, you know, what we say every morning.

SPEAKER_00 11:43

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 11:43

Um, but we have games, we talk, we uh um talk about the attendance, you know, we have a we have a competition between elementary and middle school of who has higher attendance, and so that keeps them motivated. Um, we talk about, you know, any kind of news we need to announce, any kind of like, you know, spirit days or things coming up. Um we, you know, provide um other information that they might need, like if testing is coming up or anything like that. And then and then we play games like we'll have teachers versus staff, or like right now we're talking about the value of kindness. So they had to come up and create posters and see whose poster was prettier, you know, like just things that get them in in the mindset of what we're doing, but in a fun way. And we always walk off to our classrooms with loud music playing, kids are dancing, teachers are spinning them, they're you know, smiling as they walk out. So um it just it really even as an adult, you know. I I come to school not ready for my day, and by the time that's over, I'm like, let's get this, you know. Yeah, that energizer, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 12:47

Yeah, I love that you say that, right? Like it's you know, we've talked in a previous episodes about like my space is your space, like adult and kid, we can't separate the two. The climate and the culture is the climate and the culture. You know, it's interesting. We had Dr. Hanuk on um not too long ago, and she was talking about some of those things that she did, and um like just really thinking differently about way school looks like. And we referred to the factory model of you come in the door, you sit in your seat, the bell rings, and that's shaking it up. What you just described is shaking it up, and we have to be innovative, right? And and think of some of these ways. And I love that you mentioned the common language, like having whether that's you know, certain things or phrases that you say, or um, just any type of language that's attached to who we are as a community and a school, bringing people together and bringing the students together. That's awesome. So, you know, here we talked about like the academic rigor, because I think some people I'm gonna push back on the outside would be like, oh, play and oh, how you feel, like that's so soft, and like we got a cover and we got tests and we got to do this. So, why are we like, come on, just get into the ABC's one, two, threes. So, what are your feels on that, Molly? And talk to us about what you see in regards to how this supports or doesn't support. What do you think about academics?

SPEAKER_01 14:07

So, I'm my my first thing I'll ever say when people you know talk about this is I want you to put yourself as an adult, think of a PD day, think of a meeting, think of a class you're taking. Could you sit from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. without a break? Could you sit from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. without a turn and talk, without get up and move, go grab yourself a snack, use the bathroom when you need to, feel free to get a drink of water. I mean, as adults, facilitators constantly recognize our needs as human, human being, you know. And so you think about these kids, if you're expecting them to sit in a classroom with none of those, you know, human accommodations that we make for adults, what why would we and and then developmentally they're not even at the adult level, so they need it even more than we do. And you know, we're so quick to facilitate for adults that way. But then when it comes to kids, especially kids in urban settings, low-income settings, um, it's it's just drill, drill, drill. Um, and so it's I mean, it is an issue of you know, racial inequity and socio economic socioeconomic inequity, right? Um and just just not being developmentally aware and appropriate for what kids need. Um if you you're not providing even the smallest breaks, you're you're not teaching because they're not getting it. I there if if you sat me down for eight hours by by a few hours in, I'm done with you. I'm not listening, I'm not learning.

SPEAKER_00 15:40

Like, yeah, and I mean, and and there's definitely like you said you alluded to earlier, like there's brain research out there that we can look at and we can put in the notes for people that are interested going down the path. But you and I know being in the profession, and just like you said, research, look around. I and you add the level of technology today with attention span. So when I started teaching again a long time ago, I remember it was like the five-seven rule. And I taught high school, okay, and they said, you know, five, seven, eight minutes, you better stop and do something, turn and talk, uh, make a connection, draw a picture, um, you know, whatever that looks like. Those numbers are going down, right? Molly, I mean, you know, and you're dealing with the little ones. I mean, would you feel like attention over the years of you being in the classroom that the impact of technology has even kind of lessened the amount of attention span that I have because of us constantly being bombarded? What do you think about that?

SPEAKER_01 16:35

100%. And you know, rightfully so, if I'm used to scrolling every three, you know, the the TikToks and Instagram reels that hit the most are, you know, usually between four and eight seconds. And if that's what I'm doing, I I'm sorry, I love me, but I'm not gonna hold your attention when you looking at my face all day is not gonna be as interesting as scrolling through crazy videos with sounds and songs. And I mean, it it is like a withdrawal. I mean, we our kids have to put their phones away, and I I know you did an episode about that, but yeah, our kids have to put our phones the phones away in the morning, um, so they don't have them in school. Um but I mean it's like withdrawals. I mean, it really is. I mean, I think about again back to us as adults. Could we go eight hours without our phones? I mean, we'd be we'd be fiended, you know.

SPEAKER_00 17:25

Right. No, a hundred percent.

SPEAKER_01 17:27

Wondering who, you know. So um, yeah, it's it's hard because it is it's an addiction. I mean, it it really is. It's you know, it's that's the way we're wired, it's a dopamine hit when you scroll, you find the next, you know.

SPEAKER_00 17:41

Right.

SPEAKER_01 17:42

So when you're sitting there staring at a human face all day, it's just not the same.

SPEAKER_00 17:46

Right. But I think too is true um that sometimes I think I get responses from teachers I work with that they they say that and they're like, How can I compete with TikTok? Like I have to do a dog and pony show. But at the heart of it, and I think again, being on the end where you're the K through eight, you know, talk to me about what you think about this. I I'm I'm working primarily now with uh with high school. Um I don't I I don't believe that. Like I I know the kids are into that, but I can just see really good, tight, relevant instruction that I use the term shake it up. And what I mean by that's not very technical or professional, but what I mean by that is shaking up strategies, right? So however we get the information, I'm shaking it up. It's not always me saying it. How you do and what you do with your learning, we're shaking it up. We're not always writing it on a worksheet. How I test you and check for evidence, I'm gonna shake it up, right? So we're not always doing pencil paper, we're doing something else, you know. And you talked about movement. You know, what do you think about like you know, I sometimes think that we say, oh, we're we're defeatists, where we can't compete with TikTok. No, I still believe that just good tight instruction, kids engage. What what do you think about that, Molly, from what you've seen?

SPEAKER_01 19:03

100% agree. And I and I I love that you said that because I uh if I rewind back to what I just said, I what I I don't want to sound defeatist. What I what I mean to say by that is if you're just going to sit there and and lecture all day, like you said, if you're taking notes, your pencil paper, me talking at you all day, that doesn't compete. But I do believe that, like you said, shaking it up, um, different instruction. We'll get into like different SEL you know practices. Um, but and and at the core of it is just good relationships, you know. I mean our kids are more hungry than ever to learn. You know, they they want to learn. There is not a lack of uh curiosity, intellect. They are as brilliant as any child children have ever been, they just don't always have that opportunity. And when you have those strong relationships and they trust that you're gonna teach them, it's it's a lot of trust, you know. Um when they trust that you'll give them instruction that will actually help them learn and they'll be able to do what you ask them to do, that that is in itself the biggest motivator. They they don't want to sit there and and here, you know, they want to get to it. Let's learn, let's get, let's get the information, let's put it into practice, let's do this.

SPEAKER_00 20:16

Um and I trust that you will actually do that for me and not just you know try to control me or yell at me or tell the class to be quiet or you know, and water it down, you know, when you talk about the the the reality of who you serve and unconscious bias. I think my experience being in Title I schools, my entire work is about again, am I how am I approaching students and their potential? And and you see when students that have traditionally been looked at as they can't or they don't want to, and when they get an opportunity to and they are challenged with appropriate means and scaffolds, there's no limit. And I think once you experience that, that's where the passion and like oh almost the um how do I say it in an appropriate way? I won't settle for less for students who are typically disenfranchised. I won't, because I saw with my own eyes when I got better at the kinds of things that we're talking about, they rose. So you can't tell me it's them, right? Because I've seen it myself. And I'm not claiming that I've saved everyone or I'm not claiming that everyone that I've served had reached their potential, but I got better, as I got better, they got better. And and that's why I I really am convinced with that. Let's let's just kind of go back though, too, because not sure where our listeners are with understanding of S SEL, Molly. Do you mind just talking about the curriculum itself? Like what are some of the content? Because we were talking about a lot of actions, but what are the contents itself? So if we think of a bucket of knowledge, what are the kinds of things kids are learning in your atmosphere in regards to social emotional learning? What does that look like? What is the curriculum?

SPEAKER_01 21:59

Don't get me Alex.

SPEAKER_00 22:01

That's why I'm having you on because you're jacked up about it. That's I we we pick our guests specifically. Listen.

SPEAKER_01 22:11

So I center all of my every unit and every lesson and every every action I do, we center around our brain. So we learn the anatomy of our brain and we focus primarily on the amygdala and the prefrontal cortex, which just not not to disrespect any listeners, but I'll just give a real brief your amygdala is your emotional center. Um so you know if you've seen inside out all the emotions, we kind of look at that and um starting with the younger grades. Um and your amygdala is also in charge of your survivor brain, so your fight, flight, or freeze. And then your prefrontal cortex, which is the last to develop and doesn't fully develop until you're 25, um, is the part at the front of your brain that controls your critical thinking, your decision making, your problem-solving skills, um, your communication, your academic. I mean, pretty much everything you're doing is up there. And so we use the zones of regulation, but um basically what we talk about is whatever emotions you're feeling, your neurons are constantly communicating all day long. So you're so so literally the language I use is your amygdala is like, why is she looking at me? She's making me mad, I'm freaking out, and your prefrontal cortex says, Chill out, bro, you're in school, it's not that serious, you know. And then your amygdala's like, okay, but she's on my nerves, and your prefrontal cortex says it's it's it's not worth getting in trouble. Take a deep breath, you're okay. Um, and then once you get into the red zone or the you know, where you're in survivor mode, and it's amazing to watch the research. I mean, we watch clips of actual neuron, you know, they've done it.

SPEAKER_00 23:48

Yes, the synapses, isn't it amazing? It is brain-based research is amazing.

SPEAKER_01 23:53

Um, but your prefrontal cortex shuts off, and you can ask any kid from K4 to eighth grade in my school what happens when you have really big emotions. My prefrontal cortex shuts off, you know.

SPEAKER_00 24:02

So um we are offline, yeah. You're offline, right?

SPEAKER_01 24:07

Your amygdala is in full freakout mode, and no, it's your your brain is it's left on red, you know, not even on red, it's left undelivered. It doesn't even get the message, so it can't help you. So everything we do is in the lens of regulating and and keeping our prefrontal cortex on and healthy. Um, and you know, we talk about that. It's never it's never bad when you get into that, when you're angry, sad, scared, you're panicking, you're those are not bad things. We just want to be regulated in school because that's where we can learn our best. We're the most focused, and right, and so everything we do is around that. So our our regulation strategies, we learn mindfulness, we learn, we journal, we play with play-doh, we have full, I have a kitchen set, I have dress up, I have so you know, we um do meditation, we do dances, we do breathing techniques, right?

SPEAKER_00 25:01

Like any right, you're giving them knowledge as well as the techniques to actually do that when they're kind of sprinkled out throughout the year, but then we actually have like focused units.

SPEAKER_01 25:12

Like I do teach sex ed um to the middle school, I teach um, I teach about hygiene, I teach about dental care, I teach about core values, I teach them about boundaries, I teach them so all these things are woven in with the understanding of how this is important to our overall wellness and how that regulation plays a role in that. So I would say like brain brain knowledge and regulation is like the umbrella for everything we do.

SPEAKER_00 25:42

I love that. I love that it's like the anchor for them to take teach, you know, and knowing like even how we learn, and that's that's really what that is, but it's like the how we behave and learn together, right? So it's moving them together. And what about the rest of your peers? It sounds like do you guys do PDs all together as a group so that you're again? I like what you said at the beginning, it's not like a silo, like they're not just coming to you for this time of the day and they get it here, but it's interwoven as well as the mission statements. So that's so I'm assuming, Molly, how does that look for you and your colleagues as far as how you continue to teach each other?

SPEAKER_01 26:17

Yeah, that's another um amazing part of uh where I am and what I do that I'm so grateful for. Um, you know, we do a monthly PD, but even just on a day-to-day, I'll send out like if our big unit is boundaries, I'll send out the language we talked about. And you'll literally hear it, you know, I've it's it's been four years of specifically wellness. And in those four years, I I mean our entire community has transformed. You you literally hear teachers say, like, just tell them your boundary, you don't need to put, you know, and that language gets infiltrated into the whole community. Um, so I I push out kind of the bigger units we're doing, like one of the morning assemblies, we did a whole thing about some kids came up and read their boundaries to the whole school, and you know, it was really beautiful.

SPEAKER_00 27:03

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 27:05

But and in addition, I reach out and uh teachers will tell me, like, hey, this is going on in our classroom, can you talk about this? Or, you know, the other day I even had, you know, it's fifth grade. Can you please reteach the importance of deodorant? Because we're having some social issues with you know, we're having root cause, right?

SPEAKER_00 27:24

The root cause has to do with taking care of yourself.

SPEAKER_01 27:28

You know, so yeah, so we you know get back to that. And so I I I'm very grateful that our teachers are so receptive and open and they they they reach out to me and I communicate. And so, and I have a principal who is amazing who will, you know, push out those big big language, you know, and and support what we're doing so that we we really get the message out. And and you know, I'll hang little posters around the building depending on what we're learning or sure.

SPEAKER_00 27:54

Sure. No, that says a lot about your culture and climate again, right? Like people aren't looking at it like that's Molly's job. It's a it's a total community effort. So I can I would love to meet your your leaders and how how then we had an episode talking about like MTSS for discipline. So talk to me a kind of about how you feel. I don't know, are you doing any kind of hard data? Do you do any kind of tracking of the impact of what you do? And or it's kind of a two-sided question. Like, is your discipline within the building tied to the work that you do? Like, are you pulled into that? Like, what does it look like? Um, what do you think about those?

SPEAKER_01 28:35

So I I wouldn't say that we've specifically done research um on exactly what I'm doing, which would be really interesting. Um, I don't it would be difficult to pinpoint, but it would be cool to look at how to do that. Um we do track, so we have what's called we do we use the dojo program. So for points, um track. Um we have something called a withdrawal, which means things escalated to like it's a write-up basically.

SPEAKER_00 29:02

It's a what what they used to call demerits or whatever you know right, right, or 72 cards or whatever they were back in the day, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 29:09

Um, and so we use withdrawal because it's withdrawing from your account of trust and you know, whatever. Um, and then we have suspensions, and those rates have both gone down pretty, pretty significantly. Even since last year, we've seen a pretty big decrease in.

SPEAKER_00 29:24

Um I could get you the numbers, but I mean it's yeah, but no, it's just interesting how you capture the good work, right? Or even, you know, and I know and and I don't, and you know, data can be that pain point as well. I don't mean to take away from the power of what you're doing in the relationships and being like, give me a number, because that well, yeah, but there's also that qualitative, right? So I'm just thinking like, you know, student surveys, parent surveys, those kinds of things, but definitely like even just I can feel your staff in how you describe them. Um anything else in regards to strategies that you would like to share with our listeners? Um, we like, and again, there's a mix of leaders as well as teachers, um, policymakers. Um anything that you can share with them, words of wisdom that they could teach.

SPEAKER_01 30:12

So I would say the important thing, you know, we've talked a lot about relationships and trust, and you know, I mean, I mean, I would say immediately implement some kind of um at least a lesson or something in every classroom about the brain, because I I really feel like even as adults, I tell them all the time, what's inside your own head, we don't even I didn't learn about that stuff. I never like to learn prefrontal cortex, you know. Right, right, and just having being equipped with that is such a is such a strong tool. If I can understand what's going on, I can you know do something about it. But I think even more so than that, um, in classrooms and in any kind of programming with children, um, I think it's important for kids to know and to trust that you will give them that time, that they don't have to earn. You're not gonna take away you know what uh if it's recess, if it's a dance break, if it's going everybody to get water, literally any kind of what's good for a human being. I I hate when um you hear like, well, you're gonna lose your, you're gonna I'm then we're not going, you know, it's for recess when two kids are acting crazy.

SPEAKER_00 31:23

We're all standing for recess. Yeah, and it's that happened when I was in school.

SPEAKER_01 31:27

Yeah, and they don't they're not gonna trust you, and then every day is different. If you consistently do what you say you're gonna do and you let them have that time, you might be so irritated that they get to go run around after they just did what they did all morning, but your afternoon's gonna be a lot better for it, you know. So yeah, I I I just really wish I could just ingrain that in educators that you you you gotta keep that trust. You know, you can't you can't say we're gonna take a dance break one morning and the next morning you're mad and we don't get to do that. Then I don't know what's going on. Am I gonna have that time? Am I not? Am I gonna so you know again? I just go back to consistent and and and it's a it's not a it's not something you should earn. It's your right as a human to have these breaks, to have these moments, to have these um opportunities to just be a human being. Right. And then your learning is so much deeper for it.

SPEAKER_00 32:24

Yeah, and we should know better. There's enough research out there. Again, it's not the 1920s. We should know better. We know how our brain works, we know we know what's good for people. Like you said, water breaks, turn and talk, move, get silly. Um, so I I love that. Um, anything else that you can think of? I think the the play aspect is I'm assuming I've heard you say brain breaks, so that's being intentional about taking that time in the classroom, but then also still at the elementary level having those times where you guys are physically outside and advocating, I'm assuming, for physical education classes. So you guys have that all as well built into your yeah, we're we're rare.

SPEAKER_01 33:07

We have full-time music, RPE, and wellness. So our teachers get a prep every day, which also is super important for the well-being of the school, you know. Um, but that's a different issue.

unknown 33:17

Right.

SPEAKER_01 33:17

Um, but yeah, so our kids get the specials every day. They have 45 minutes out of their own teacher in their own classroom and they're with us, and they, you know, we communicate to the specials team. Um, and if that's not available, because I know that's not true in every school, how can you build in, you know, 10 minutes before lunch? I'm gonna honor that we're gonna stop and do this, or you know, at one o'clock between math and reading, we're gonna stop and honor that this is our time to do 10 jumping jacks. You know, it doesn't have to be you don't have to get out a whole kitchen set, you know.

SPEAKER_00 33:56

Right, right.

SPEAKER_01 33:57

So, I mean, there are things you can do for free and for easy that are so impactful in your classroom.

SPEAKER_00 34:04

Yeah, even just like I've seen so many teachers just utilizing YouTube, what a great um amount of resources again for your just stopping instruction and getting kids up and moving and singing and dancing and those kinds of things. You know, and and again, adjusting it for the older kids, but still, you know, and and I battle too, because I think sometimes at the high school level, we have a tendency, and I'm one of them, we have a tendency, oh, that's just for kids. But again, I love your analogy that as adults think about sitting in a PD and how antsy you are. So just because they look like grown adults, they're still developmentally like you talk about the brain, what they need in order for this learning to happen. So that cramming without taking that um seriously and giving them times to to break.

SPEAKER_01 34:48

Yeah, even if it's you know, at the high school level, you get five minutes just to talk or put your head down. You have two choices talk to a friend or put your head down. Some of them will knock out for five minutes, some of them will have a you know, and just be a human for five minutes, do something that you need in this moment, you know, right?

SPEAKER_00 35:05

100%. Yeah, because they're you know, again, when you talk about knowing the developmental place of where students are, I mean, they're the ones that want to sleep in, they're up all night, right? And and I've been blessed to see a lot of schools that choose even that late start. Like you think about something that's that, right? Is having the older kids start a little later. That in a way is is helping us support that. So let's just kind of wrap it up with like the urgency, because I mean, I think when I looked at um the ideas that you have and you talked about the work that you do, you know, I would say, and talk to me how you feel about this, that ignoring SEL and play isn't just ineffective, but it can be harmful. Um, you know, so how do you want to leave our our audience with just kind of that idea of, you know, it's a sense of urgency. How would you sell it, Molly? You have to sell it. What would you say as is why this needs to happen now, today in 2026?

SPEAKER_01 36:00

Okay, I I get emotional about it.

SPEAKER_00 36:02

So I'm sorry. That's okay. That's okay. That's okay. It's okay, take a minute.

SPEAKER_01 36:14

I mean, I do there there is the urgency of the future, and like I said, I mean, it's in in many ways it is life or death with all the things going on in our world. Um but just you know, back to what you were saying is we treat certain children differently, and and you wouldn't tolerate that in in a suburban school, you know.

SPEAKER_00 36:41

Um it's okay. I'm gonna cry too. We've gonna we've had episodes where we cry and it's okay because it's uh we're very passionate about what we do and we care. I mean, this is our life's work, right? Yeah, I appreciate you being vulnerable.

SPEAKER_01 37:04

If you just think about, you know, kids waking up in the morning. I want them to want to come to us. You know, I want them to be so excited that they cannot wait. And and you know, part of all this that we're talking about is the culture of my school is our kids are hugging us. They're you know, they hi, this doesn't, you know, it's the best part of their day when they see their teacher, when they, you know, get to come to these different classes and see their and they're walking around just comfortable. Like school is their vibe, you know, they are feeling it, but they're not scared of a a higher a principal or they're not scared of you know, they're they're just in their zone, they're they love being at school, and that's for most of them, a lot of them, their safe space, the place where they are actually the most comfortable. 100% so when you think about these kids who wake up every morning, why would you want to be a place that they dread? You know, why would you want to be a place that's just just militaristic and like you said, the school-to-prison pipeline? Like we're not, we should be the most joyful place that they can be.

SPEAKER_00 38:11

Because when they feel loved and secure and joyful, they learn like it's despite what they're dealing with outside of school, and and that right, and and so that's that's our responsibility. Yeah, yeah, it's it is, and I can totally relate because, like I said, my whole life's work has been advocating for those that are disenfranchised, how whatever group that is, yeah, because there's so many different angles to what that means and how how we need to approach things better, you know. Yep, yeah, and there's a lot going on that that's our future is at stake. So we need to invest, right? We need to invest. So I want to thank you so much for being here, Molly. I I was really excited to have you here talking from the trenches. Um, in our notes, we'll put some resources if you don't mind sharing some of the things that you've used. Maybe our listeners would like to take a look at some of those things. But thank you so much because you've really given us a lot to think about. And the fact that these are what seems simple but yet so powerful, right? Like what it can do to change human beings and change our students and and make it.

SPEAKER_01 39:20

I love what you said that it is, it's about human beings, you know.

SPEAKER_00 39:22

Yeah, yeah, we're in the business of human beings. I have a very wise colleague that at one of our PDs at the beginning of the year, she stood up, and this is in high school, where again, I just feel like sometimes we don't remember because they don't look so small as what you deal with. And she stood up and she said, I do this because and I and her message to the staff was we're in the business of human beings, and they have whole lives outside of here, you know. So thank you again, Molly. It's a pleasure and best to you, and thank you for all that you do for these students. Okay. Love you.

SPEAKER_01 39:56

Love you too. Thanks, Annie. Bye. Bye.