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[MOTIVATIONAL MUSIC] - Hi, I'm Steve Adubato.

Listen, every year we get together, four leaders in the world of education.

And by the way, speaking of education, our kids just came home from school, two are remote, the other one just came home.

We're taping from our home there's noise going on, all of our educators can relate to that, I know.

And here is the A team of educators and education support professionals.

First, Kimberly Scott-Hayden is the 2021 National Education Association Education Support Professional, that's ESP of the year.

Also an inventory control clerk at East Orange Public Schools.

And just informed us, I thought she had three grandchildren.

She said she has seven.

Seven, is that correct?

- Yes, sir.

- Yeah.

I'm going to see if you can name all of them real quick later, okay?

- Okay.

- We're doing that.

And also Philip Pallitto.

I'm not sure if he has any grandchildren, but he's a fifth and sixth grade teacher at Jordan Road School, and a 2020, 2021 Atlanta County Teacher of the Year.

Alicia Vilas is a fifth and sixth grade teacher at the Dr. Maya Angelou Elementary School.

Where is that, by the way?

- Jersey City.

- [Steve] Beautiful Jersey City and the 2020, 2021 Hudson County Teacher of the Year.

Mr. Nicholas Ferroni is an 18 year veteran who now says he's actually a one-year first year veteran because it's a whole new world in education, teacher at Union High School.

I want to thank you all for joining us, you honor us by your presence.

- Thank you.

- Thank you.

- Let me try this, Nick, 18 years, why did you say it feels like the first year?

- Because again, I always joke around that as educators, we can adapt to every situation, we're so resilient.

But as a veteran teacher, everything we learned, all the skill sets we have, we kind of had to adapt on the fly and literally overnight to do.

And, again, like, I feel like this year is my first year because I'm learning as I go.

Again, no one knows what hybrid is.

It's kind of...

It was an introduction this year, yet we are somehow making it work.

But I constantly apologize my students on a regular basis because again, it's a learning process.

Last year and this year have been a very enlightening experience myself and educational - By the way, our daughter who is in the fifth grade, a couple of days in we're in the Montclair School District, a couple of days in and several days remote, 'cause Wednesday's a cleaning day... Who was actually in the classroom right now?

Nick, are you in the classroom?

- Yes, I'm doing hybrid which is- - Phil, are you in the classroom?

I'm sorry I interrupted you.

Go ahead, Nick, again, what is it?

- Oh, it's hybrid where you have students in class and students at home.

- Phil?

- Yeah, same.

- And, I know that the Jersey City Schools as we speak, all remote and we're taping on the 22nd of April.

Alicia, let me ask you.

What's the most challenging...

I do a lot of leadership seminars and coaching and I do it all remotely, a couple in person situations, but my obsession is with engaging participants.

These are adults who signed up for a leadership seminar.

I'm thinking of a fifth and sixth grader, what are the keys to engaging students remotely?

- Well, I have to do a great job planning.

I feel like I'm constantly planning and thinking of engaging activities, interesting, fun.

They love breakout rooms, interacting with each other, engaging as if they were in the classroom where we would turn and talk to each other.

So I think if I can include as much interaction as possible, it will make my job easier, their job easier, enjoyable, they will do better, but it's just trying to think of fun activities because they get bored easily.

So thinking of fun games, incorporating games and videos and interactions with each other.

- By the way, real quick.

I want to make sure that everyone's on video when I'm coaching or teaching or doing a seminar.

Can you see every one of your students?

- There's a few students that I do not see, but I highly recommend that they all show me their face and they do.

I'm pretty lucky in that case.

Most of the students do turn on the camera when I request it, but if a student is having a hard time and there's other things going on at home, I understand, but yes.

- Yeah, there's all kinds of things going on at home.

We need to be more empathetic and sensitive to those situations.

Kimberly, may I ask you... By the way, can you do it?

Can you name the seven grandchildren?

- Sure- - She thought I always joking.

- No, I wasn't.

- I have Semiah, Senaja... Semiah, Senaja, Kayon, Kasier, Keandre, Kamari and Kelijah.

- That's impressive.

And the other thing I want to make sure Kimberly you get a chance to explain to folks, you're not in the classroom teaching but you're making a big difference in the school.

Describe what an ESP is, an education support professional.

- ESPs are essential school professionals.

My role in my district is the inventory control clerk/assistance to security services.

I will speak from a point of during the pandemic where we...

When we first happened, first of all, security staff in our district, we are required to monitor our fire and burglary system 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

So those individuals who work in central office never had a break throughout this pandemic.

They were never home with their families because their position to required them to be inside of the building performing such duties.

So as an assistant to the department, it was my responsibility to assist the director with making sure that we could put together a schedule to make sure that we were able to carry on such services.

I returned in person into my building in July of this past July and had to be in my building five days a week, and I have been every since that time up until the time when I donated a kidney to my husband.

So I've been working frontline assisting with various different essential school professionals making sure that we were providing adequate services that children needed during this pandemic.

- By the way, can you go back.

Say that again... Say that again about your husband.

- I actually donated a kidney to my husband in September of 20... (Kimberly chuckles) September of 2020, I donated a kidney to him.

He was diagnosed with stage five kidney failure and we were looking for a donor, we were on the wait list and he was... you know, the first thing they tell you is to try to find a sibling.

So we were going to go with his younger sister, but she had her own underlying conditions that she had to deal with, so knowing what dialysis looked like, my dad was on dialysis before he left this earth, so I knew the outcomes, the different things that you experienced by being on dialysis.

So I said to my husband, "You know what?

I'm going to get tested and let's see."

So lo and behold, I was a match, and now the joke around people is that we are a match match.

(Kimberly laughs) - I love it.

By the way, Kimberly's going to join us for a solo interview, we're gonna be talking about that, because we're very involved in public awareness around organ and tissue donation in cooperation with the New Jersey Sharing Network.

And thank you for sharing that.

Hey, Phil, let me ask you.

Fifth and sixth grade teacher, how long have you been doing this?

- I'm in year number 10.

- 10?

- Yeah.

- This obviously wasn't the year number 9 and 10 that you signed up for.

If you knew...

This is a tough one, if you knew then what you know now about the profession and what it means to be an educator in these times, would you have signed up?

- I would because I feel like I never...

I knew what it meant in terms of what the pay would be in terms of kind of what school taught you, I have a lot of teachers in my family, but what I didn't know was the growth and development in students and the rewarding feeling you have when you're kind of that glimmer of hope for kids And when you're able to just be that confidant for kids, that cheerleader and really able to be the only normal thing, especially in the middle of a pandemic, in these un-normal times for a lot of students.

- But, Phil, you, you talk a lot about the emotional needs of your students and you're there for them, you... And art is connected to that as well?

- Yeah, so, really, my pedagogical belief is that we really have to look at three separate things: social emotional learning, arts integration, and culturally responsive teaching.

So when we think of us as adults, what did we do to survive the pandemic or survive quarantine?

We turn to the arts, arts and crafts, TV shows, movies, we busted out our old records or CDs.

Well, you know, and that allowed us to really connect to ourselves, connect to our culture and kind of use as an escape.

So then when we talk about culturally responsive teaching, that's understanding the cultures where our students come from in order to make them feel welcome, in order to celebrate them and their uniqueness and celebrate really the great American melting pot.

And then when we talk about, you know, social emotional learning, it's really, they have academic needs but they also have social emotional needs.

They also have, you know, they also... and just again like us as adults, I know there's, you know, there's times I needed to get those social emotional needs for myself.

So then when we start to kind of combine them all, what's the biggest celebration of a culture?

A students art- - Art- - When we start art, right?

So music, dance, performance, when we start to look at how can students express themselves, express their emotions, express their mastery or understanding of a skill or concept, they can use their arts.

How can I as an upper middle class, white man from New Jersey relate to an 11 year old child who has lived in four different countries and doesn't speak much English?

Well, I can connect with them through their art, through their music.

- Nick, I'm gonna come back to you because your colleagues, Phil talks about social emotional learning, that's a big thing for you as well.

Before we were up against this break, and I'm gonna come back to Alicia also 'cause on talk a little bit about STEM if we could, but please, if we could, Nick, social emotional learning and its connection also to social media, which is an area you're heavily focused in.

- Well, first of all, I just want to go back, and I think Kimberly's my new hero.

I mean, hearing her story.

I mean, it's you are...

I mean, she takes selfless to a whole new level.

But I mean, as an educator... and again it goes back to anybody.

You could think about any educator you have, you have had, and the first thing you think about is how you felt in their presence.

And, you know, I had a supportive family.

I came up in the Italian household, had a supportive family, and I still need that affirmation from educators.

When it comes to social emotional learning, I would not want to grow up today.

These kids are dealing with so much on so many different levels, they're exposed to so much, yet at the same time, they're so inspirational because when I was in high school, I wasn't staging protests or looking to be socially active or things like that.

It's just, it's most things where during the pandemic, it exposed a lot of social emotional issues that our kids are dealing with.

Again, like Philip said, even educators.

I'm hanging by a thread certain days because this is so impersonal.

And I know all these other educators can relate.

It's being in the classroom, being in the presence of our students is what we want, it takes...

It's why we do it.

At the same time, this is so tough on so many people - Real quick, before we go to break, Alicia, let me ask you, I mean, we appreciate Nick's candor.

You know, the end of his rope, we know hanging on by a thread...

I said end of the rope, you didn't say that.

I want to apologize for that.

As good as all of you are, do you sometimes Alicia feel like... "I don't know if I can do this."

- Oh, I do have many days like that where I sometimes just feel like crying.

I'm trying so many different ways and it makes me sad sometimes to hear about the experiences of some of my students.

They're like my children.

- Are they?

- Yes, and I teach- - Is it that personal for you?

- Yes, and the children that I have, I taught last year as well, so I know how they were in the classroom.

And there are children that I taught in second grade, part of third, fourth, and fifth grade, so when they're going through tough times at home and have to do deal with some very difficult issues, it breaks my heart and I'm thinking of fun ways, at least to make it fun for them while they're in school and through a computer I can't hug them and see them, but it's tough and I do feel like crying at times.

And I don't, I don't.

Not in front of the children, but I have so many days, which it's overwhelming.

I have spent a lot of time on the computer finding fun activities for them, planning and just making it fun.

I just want to make it fun for them.

- Kimberly, I'm going to come back to you after this break, because I know it's personal for you as well, 'cause you care very deeply.

And it's not just about being recognized by the National Education Association.

By the way, the NJEA is a big supporter, the New Jersey Education Association, a big supporter of public broadcasting in our state.

I just want to get that out there.

Kimberly, I'm coming back to you right after this break, stay with us.

Excellence in Education, stay with us.

To watch more Think Tank with Steve Adubato, find us online and follow us on social media.

- Welcome back, folks.

Four educators who are really making a difference.

By the way, Nick may have to leave us because as we're taping, he's got a meeting coming up in about eight or nine minutes.

Zoom, every day, all the time.

Kimberly, let me ask you.

We were talking before about caring deeply on a personal level.

It's personal, isn't it?

- Very personal for me- - Because?

- Because I come from a family of educators.

My mom was a 40 year classroom teacher.

My dad worked in public education.

Actually he was a maintenance worker, just like I am working as a painter in a school district for well, over 20 years I work in a district where I graduated high school.

I have, like I said, seven wonderful grandchildren who all attend public schools.

My daughter was actually in Union High School and Mr. Ferroni was her teacher in Union High school, 'cause I live in Union.

So education is... (Kimberly laughs) I know small world.

Education is entrenched in my blood.

Giving back to people is entrenched in who I am coming from a family of service.

My sister works for the state of New Jersey as a tax investigator.

So public servant, public education, all these things are personal to me.

I'm currently taken care of, as the guardian of three of my grandchildren two who are in public school here in Union.

One who is thriving and doing exceptionally well with this whole virtual world.

And I have one who has a 504 who was actually struggling so- - And a 504...

I'm sorry for interrupting, the 504 is a designation for a child that needs some help.

- Exactly, absolutely.

So we're trying to put together all these pieces to make sure that we don't let him fall by the wayside during this whole virtual platform.

So it's very personal to me every day because I have to watch him to make sure that he's getting what he needs, aid from the district, aid for me at home as his guardian, and the support systems that he need are in place to make sure that he excels and thrives in his educational journey.

So all of this is important to me to see that students thrive because at the end of the day like I always say to my administrators, none of us would have a job if it wasn't for students.

- Absolutely.

Hey Nick, let me ask you something as you listen to Kimberly, very impassioned and committed professional, our passionate professional who makes a difference every day as an ESP.

there are some folks watching right now who say, "Hey, you know what?

Why couldn't teachers have been there from day one?

Just be in the classroom, I want my kids..." We want our kids in the classroom.

All of them all the time.

But it's more complicated.

What do you say to those folks right now who are saying, "Just from day one," or then at some point after just be in the classroom.

Why is it more complicated than that?

- Because we care about our students and their families as if they're our own and we don't... we don't see them as expendable.

We care more about your kids and your family than we do the economy.

We don't want to take that risk unless we can do it safely.

It's not political to us.

It's all about safety and putting our students first.

And I will say this and I'm sure other, obviously, other educators will agree.

In-person is so much easier than virtual.

I've worked more overtime and unpaid hours planning, prepping creating lessons virtually than I ever have before.

If we were selfish, we would want to be back in the classroom without anything.

At the same time, I don't want to risk my students and their families.

It's we... 'Cause again, it's our family.

- Let's do this, learning loss though.

I mean, we're talking about challenging it is for educators and for teachers and for parents, right?

All of us with kids in public schools.

But let me ask you this, learning loss, can you put that in perspective, Nick?

Go ahead, Nick - Learning loss is a myth.

Students are resilient, they're learning to adapt.

Everybody's learning to adapt.

They're learning skill sets that we'll be able to utilize in other forms.

We're doing creative activities.

They're going to cut... My whole belief with learning loss is it's a term which makes the situation look bad because if it was true, students would forget everything they learned over the summer the previous school year, they don't.

They retain it.

- So you don't buy it.

You don't buy the learning loss thing.

- I think students are adapting and they're resilient and they're learning different skills.

At the same time, saying learning loss is, I mean, that's fabrication.

Alicia, give me learning loss, go ahead.

- Yeah, I agree as well that I think it is a fabrication.

And I do not think it's as much as what the media and the public make it out to seem.

They learn so much.

They might not be learning the exact things that I would have if I was in the building, but what they have learned to do with technology and what they have learned to create is amazing.

There are things that the younger kids, kids that are in kindergarten and first grade and the videos that they are creating on their own using Flipgrid.

So they are learning different ways and they're showing they're learning different ways, but they're learning.

I do not see a learning loss.

And like I said, I taught my students last year.

It's the same group of students, and they did learn, they are learning.

- Phil, jump in on this.

- Well, I would agree and echo with what Nick and Alicia said, you know, I believe we're preparing students for jobs that don't even exist yet.

So we as educators, especially, you know, in the elementary and middle schools, we don't know what their future jobs are going to entail.

I mean, did Steve Jobs learn how to invent and build an iPod or an iPad?

No.

So the skill set that they're learning is a lot different but a lot more meaningful.

And it's learning out of survival, learning by necessity, not having their teacher over their head and kind of not, you know, not being able to meet with me for an extra 40 minutes of extra help and kind of navigating that world on their own.

Nick, go.

By the way, tell me why you're still optimistic.

Listen, I would rather have our kids in school all the time.

But hybrid is what it is, or in a situation in Jersey City, it's not that.

It is what it is and we have to make the best... Go ahead, Nick.

- If virtual teaching has taught me anything, it's how irreplaceable teachers are because now the accountability is so much more on the students where we can't give them those pep talks, we can't pull them aside, we can't have those meetings.

And I empathize with parents, I know how tough it is, because now we are co-teachers in this because now there's a dual responsibility that we never had.

We want your child to do well just like you do.

And again, it's not... We're not against each other.

We both want to see the success of your children.

I just want to thank you for giving us this platform and thank you to the other educators, you guys inspire me.

And please, Kimberly, thank you so much.

Thank you so much.

- Thank you, Nick.

- Bye-bye guys.

- Thanks, Nick.

We'll let Nick go.

Kimberly, let me come back.

You were talking about being a grandparent and parents.

What is the message you have for all the parents watching right now?

Many of whom they're hanging on by a thread, they're frustrated, they have this responsibility, and not to be a co-teacher, it's not because it's not equal, but we have...

There a lot of times where I'm exhausted, and our daughter, like I need to read and we need to go through things and I don't understand math, and you know... - Right, exactly- - Okay, I see, Alicia, you want to jump back in, but go ahead.

What's our responsibility, Kimberly?

- Our responsibility is always to be the co-educator that Nick talked about, right?

So the teacher is providing the lesson plan.

We are supposed to be the backup resource or help to the teacher, right?

To make sure that our children receive a adequate education.

So if a child is not growing and learning, it is our responsibility as the parent to provide the resources that are needed.

So if the school is not doing it, it's up to us to make sure that they have what they need.

Parents are frustrated, right?

They want children in classrooms.

People have to work so on and so forth.

I have many members who are telling me today that I can't afford to go to work the days that we are in school hybrid because I need to care for my own child.

So I get it.

I mean, this is a never ending process at this current time, but this is where we are, right?

And I tell people all the time that while we are going through the test, we go through the test to get to the testimony.

So at the end of this, the struggle is real, it's very different, we never seen it before, we're all in this together, and guess what, we'll be a lot better for it, a lot stronger for it, and our kids will be better afterwards.

- Hey, Kimberly, you should write a book 'cause a lot of people are gonna read it.

You're very motivational.

You're very motivational.

- Thank you, thank you- - I saw you, Alicia, shaking your head.

Go, we've got about a minute and a half left.

- We always had to work together.

When we were in school- - Parents and educators and education support professionals.

Go ahead.

- Yes, we always had to work together, but I always said, it's like a triangle where we have the student, the educators and the parents and guardians.

But this proves the importance of if we all work together we can see all children succeed at the level that they're at.

So this just proves all along what we've been saying that if we work together, we can create wonderful things.

- Alicia, you're hopeful?

- Yes, I am.

- Optimist?

- I'm optimistic.

I try to be, I try to always think of the positive and the good things that are coming out of this situation.

- You miss your kids.

- I do, I do miss them a lot.

- I'm trying to, I'm trying to do an Oprah make you cry.

(all laugh) - No, I'm gonna hold it back, but I do miss them, and I know I go see them soon.

- To Alicia, to Phil, to Kimberly and to Nick who had to run off to another zoom meeting, I just can't thank you enough, and by the way, Kimberly's actually talking, she's got other things going on.

See, we're multitasking even while we're on the air and public broadcasting live.

Kimberly, you thought I missed that?

- No, I'm actually talking to my daughter.

She just came to work and I'm like, "No, I'm live."

- How dare you parent, while you're on PBS.

- It never stops, it never stops, Steve.

- Thank you so much.

Listen, you honor all of us by the work you do every day, whether in class or remote or a hybrid, we thank you on behalf of our children and our families, all of us, thanks so much.

- Thank you.

- Thank you.

- Thank you for having us.

Congratulations.

- Thank you.

Those are three of the four extraordinary educators that are with us, you know, and Nick had to go, but I thank you so much for joining us.

Make sure you catch us next time.

Thanks.

- [Narrator] Think Tank with Steve Adubato has been a production of the Caucus Educational Corporation.

Funding has been provided by The New Jersey Education Association.

Hackensack Meridian Health.

NJM Insurance Group.

PSE&G.

Delta Dental of New Jersey.

Valley Bank.

The Healthcare Foundation of New Jersey.

NJ Best.

And by Georgian Court University.

Promotional support provided by New Jersey Family And by BestofNJ.com.

- Hello, this is Dr. Joseph Underwood, emergency medicine physician at Hackensack Meridian Health.

Health emergencies don't stop because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

So, if you're experiencing heart attack symptoms like chest pain or stroke symptoms, including balance or vision problems, please call 911 immediately.

To learn more about how Hackensack Meridian Health is providing you the best healthcare during this pandemic, visit HackensackMeridianHealth.

org/GetCareNow