(upbeat music) - Welcome back to Inspire.

We're so happy to have you here.

Where did the summer go?

It's hard to believe kids are already heading back to school.

On today's show we discuss the impact of back to school preparations after a turbulent year for education due to the worldwide pandemic.

This and more coming up on the next, Inspire.

(soft music) - [Announcer] Inspire is sponsored by Kansas Furniture Mart using furniture to inspire conversation.

And by the Blanche Bryden Foundation.

(upbeat music) - Hello.

Welcome to Inspire.

It's great to be here with my lovely co-hosts, Danielle Norwood and Amy Kelly.

Ladies, what a year it has been.

It's still not over.

We're still dealing with COVID as students return back to school.

- It has been a year none of us will ever forget, including our younger generation who've had routines turned upside down, remote e-learning, hybrid schedules, masks, social distancing in schools.

It will be interesting to see how this year shapes up.

- And that's why we're here on Inspire.

Talking about back to school on today's show.

We'll discuss the process of reopening schools during what many hope is past the worst of COVID.

What can we expect this year as schools manage the reopening of schools?

Joining us today to discuss the transition and to a new school year are Dr. Tiffany Anderson, Superintendent for Topeka Public Schools, and Kaylee Soderlund, administrative intern at Jardine Elementary.

Tiffany and Kaylee, thank you so much for being with us.

- Thank you for having us.

- Thank you.

- Give us like an overview of last year.

How did it feel to actually be in the midst of something totally new like COVID and to have all these kids that you're responsible for.

How to actually fill them with a sense of assurance and security that everything was gonna be fine when everything was all chaos.

- You know, anytime you're dealing with the unknown, it's such a challenge.

And so helping people feel the reassurance that all will be okay while at the same time, not really being sure about what the pandemic would do next, what things would look like next was quite the challenge.

But it was also an opportunity.

So with great teachers like Ms. Soderlund, oh my goodness.

We opened up with letting people know that it was gonna be okay.

And whatever happened, we would make sure they would get through it.

- Nice.

What about you?

- Absolutely, I think that the schools were well-prepared.

We made sure as a district that there was COVID teams and task force put in place to make sure that we really knew what was gonna happen to not only help the teachers feel safe, but then the students, parents, and everyone else.

We had plans A, B and C in case anything happened.

And I think that continues to happen.

Student's safety is always our top priority, especially in our district.

And we went ahead and above and beyond.

I feel like in a lot of ways in 501, to make sure that we were prepared for that year and this year moving forward.

- I would say that I don't think anybody adjusts on the fly, thinks on their feet and goes with the flow, like educators.

They are masters at doing that.

So it's very impressive of what our schools have done this past year.

So tell us, what do you think this year is going to look like?

- You know while structure is so very important.

So we've already laid out just a great structure for what this year will look like.

Of course, depending what happens with the data as it relates to the pandemic.

And so, you know, one of the things that we've been looking at, are things such as masks and social distancing and all of those pieces.

So the big piece is really looking at what the CDC says we must do.

Putting that in front of everyone and educating everyone about that, and then preparing accordingly from that space.

The other thing is to pick up public schools launched a virtual elementary school last year.

We're one of 11 in the state.

And so for parents that have children that are immunocompromised, they still can use that.

We don't have a lot of families that are using that.

But we do have about 40.

So just making sure that there's an option for every family, with whatever it is that they need.

That's a big piece for us for this year.

The other item that I mentioned to you for this year, that's a little different than last year is just using technology differently.

I mean, this year we have so many different platforms with robotics and engineering that some of that was a COVID piece in terms of getting us started and just an entirely new platform in some ways.

And people will see more of that as well.

- Do you anticipate any masks mandate?

I mean, you're at the elementary level.

I mean, that might be, where we might see them most likely is at the elementary level, right?

- I think we'll have to follow the CDC guidelines.

And what our board decides on.

So I mean, I think that teachers and students, everyone is resilient.

And I think that that's what we learned more than anything in this past year.

Is that whatever can or could be thrown in our way that we're gonna handle it with as much grace and safety as we possibly can.

And that's what we continue to do moving forward.

So masks or no masks, I'm just really happy that the students are gonna be able to be in front of us as educators.

Or virtually whatever way possible, that they feel the safest.

But we're just happy that we can have students in the buildings learning 'cause that is our biggest priority.

- I gotta say, being in high school, those were some of the best years of my life.

And I feel very badly for the students who didn't really get to experience their prom, their, you know, their marching bands, their musicals, all that type of thing and their graduations.

What are you guys doing to try to make it even better this year?

Bring some of that excitement normalcy back, Dr. Anderson.

- You know, so the first thing is we started with the end of the year in May.

We actually held two graduations, one on Saturday and one on Sunday.

So for the 2020 students, they got a chance to still walk across the stage and still have some of those pieces.

Our convocation that's upcoming.

Normally it's a big event with 3,000 people.

Well, this year, every school is doing their own mini convocation.

Our student, one of our seniors in high school, Deandre Hicks will be doing the speaking and giving a huge presentation.

And we're just excited about that piece.

One of the items that we've put in place, it's a social, emotional measure.

You know, we give year exams, end exams.

Why not give a mental health exam before students start?

So we put three questions on the registration form.

We actually started this coincidentally right before COVID.

You know, suicide is one of the highest rated ways in which students actually die in the nation.

And so people don't know that.

It's one of the top three ways in which students do transition in life.

And so that's extremely scary for us.

So about two and a half years ago, right before COVID, we put those three questions, mental health questions on the registration form.

Parents fill it out.

If you say yes to any of those three, you get immediate mental health counseling before you ever start school.

So imagine being in a pandemic, we have tons of students right now that have social, emotional, mental health teams serving them right now, as we get ready to start school, right when they enter the door.

So that's gonna be a big piece.

Making sure students are well adjusted and ready after 18 months of being in isolation in some cases.

- I'm was gonna ask you about that in terms of trauma informed care.

'Cause I'm sure that you have a lot of counselors working extra to make sure that the kids are ready to go back to school.

But let's talk about in terms of education, 'cause I know some parents had a really hard time getting their kids to focus at home.

So how do you get them to catch up with their educational studies?

Because maybe some of them are lagging behind.

- You know, this is what I tend to tell people.

Educators, as we talked about are resilient, but literally anything that we need to do, we will do.

So we have met parents at the grocery store, the laundry mat, after work, Twilight School, which is really night school, Mrs Soderlund and many others did home visits.

We've done porch drops.

And this year alone, even during the pandemic, every school improved in science scores.

And we wanted to know why.

Well it's because we delivered all the science experiments to their home.

Even the facts class, when they were cooking, they actually had the recipe at home, cooked on camera.

So finding ways to engage families and that doesn't stop.

And in fact, we're gonna still do that virtually while students are in person.

Because what we know is that parents don't work traditional schedules anymore.

The other piece is mental health counseling for families.

We started providing that in home for families as well.

And that's just another added piece.

- Okay, Mrs. Soderlund, I have a question for you.

You're gonna be at the elementary school level.

What do you think will be your biggest challenge this year in light of COVID last year?

- I think that if anything, the biggest challenge is, that's a good question.

I think that the students readjusting back to school can always be a challenge one way or another.

I am excited though, to also see the adjustment that teachers are making in their classrooms.

Teachers had to learn a lot in this past year, as well as the students.

So how they take that learning that they were able to grasp this past year and then now see it in the classroom.

They learned a lot and I'm excited to see where they go forward with that this year.

But that can also be a challenge in terms of how you implement that to the best of your ability.

I think just having students back in the classroom in general, it was gonna be a success.

But in terms of a challenge, I think it's just continuing to navigate the day to day, whatever does get thrown at us.

And we know we'll do it to the best of our ability.

- Well, we're so happy to have you guys here and I know we're gonna be talking more and I know you're gonna want to listen more because there's so much that we still have to talk about.

We're going to take a quick break.

We'll be right back to continue our discussion on how schools are preparing for back to school and how parents can help.

Do stay with us.

(upbeat music) - And we're back with Dr. Tiffany Anderson and Kaylee Soderlund.

Okay, ladies, earlier we discussed what school might look like this year, especially in light of what COVID has been, and what we can expect from the students and what we can expect from the CDC.

And it's all up in the air.

And a big piece of this is the financial piece.

And I know that the federal government has been very active in giving monies to public schools, especially the ESSER funds.

Dr. Anderson, can you enlighten us on those?

- Well, you know it is a challenge.

Because when people hear that you have, you know, $60 million or $15 million.

First of all, understanding that it comes in phases, you have to spend the first amount before you can actually access the second amount.

The other part is there are 15 categories in which these funds can be spent.

So you can't spend them all on PPE equipment or extended programs like summer school and afterschool.

You have 15 different categories in which they can be spent.

So that being said, for Topeka Public Schools, when it's all said and done over the course of the next two years.

We have funds that has allowed us to provide busing for our summer programs for the first time we haven't had buses, but we have had summer programs.

Previously, a lot of those were enrichment, now they're also academic.

Remediation programs, additional teachers to keep class sizes small.

And just really closing that opportunity gap.

So it really does allow us to catch up much more quickly than what we would have otherwise.

And we still need to have some funds for PPE equipment.

The first set of funds were used for that already, you know, a year ago.

And so for people to understand those ESSER funds were used prior to now.

But we still have funds over the next couple of years.

- And Kaylee, as a teacher, there's been so much, I know a lot of teachers and they're all varying degrees of what they missed out on, worrying about how well their teachers were receiving, or their students were receiving what they were trying to teach.

And mentally, how's it been for for teachers that, you know, and being one yourself, going into being an assistant principal program?

- Yeah, I think that teachers are lifelong learners.

And I think that they did a lot of learning in this past year.

I like to say it was professional development that was, you know, really handed to us this year.

in terms of, you know, it wasn't necessarily by choice in this term.

But I think that we learned so much and we were able to incorporate that into our classrooms.

I learned so much, I'm good with technology.

And so being able to find new ways and meet with other teachers and find ways that were working in their classrooms.

I think now more than ever teachers are connected in how they're handling and talking to their students and finding ways to make it work.

Reaching out and having that professional development between educators is so important.

And I think that did happen this year, more than ever.

- And with the parents.

- Yeah, absolutely.

Yes, I think that the communication with the parents this year.

I mean, we got to see inside of other things.

Parents literally told me, you're a part of our home now.

You know, we get to hear you in our home every single day, you're a part of our home.

And so being able to bridge that was just an amazing experience that I do think that the connection between families and and education was so much deeper this year.

And I hope that that does continue.

I don't like the gap between school and home.

And I think that gap is really closed in this past year.

- As we talk about COVID and the Delta variant, what are we thinking in terms of later this fall, this winter.

Is there a possibility that schools could be closing again because of the increased numbers of unvaccinated people who are getting it and where do kids come into that?

- Well, so, you know, Topeka Public Schools was the first to really open up, like literally within the week in which it was approved for students to have the vaccination.

So those 12 and up.

We held the first vaccination clinic at Topeka High.

We actually have a hospital at Topeka High through University of Kansas, a pediatrician and all of that, that oversees that.

They will continue to serve.

We just, again, coincidentally right before the pandemic that opened up.

And so they were able to serve people throughout the course of the year.

But additionally, we're gonna continue that.

Encouraging for individuals to be vaccinated.

Now in the past, our school board has approved everything along with the CDC guidelines.

So people with masks, you know, are people that are generally unvaccinated people.

People that are vaccinated may have the option, but again, the board will be deciding that very soon.

In the meantime, we're gonna do everything we can to empower the public, to access medical services through the school system.

Schools are the center of the community.

And so as that Delta variant continues those that are 12 and up, getting that opportunity, families getting that opportunity.

And then just having vaccination clinics on our lots.

We had them at our pantry last weekend, food pantries on Saturday.

We're gonna have another one that's coming up Saturday.

So just doing everything we can to just be part of the community and making sure this is assessable, that vaccine equity is just crucial right now.

- So anticipating the known and the unknown this year, what can parents and caregivers do to help support teachers, to help support administration, to make the transition for their students easier this year?

- [Tiffany] Well, and perhaps we'll tag team on this from both of a classroom view, as well as just the district overall.

You know, one of the things I can say is structure.

You know, with such uncertainty, it's so good to have a structure.

You know, what's the schedule in which students will keep, whether they are remote or whether they're in person?

Making sure that there's that same assurance about safety and health.

And we've posted that online.

We also, during the pandemic, we taped classrooms and we taped instructions.

So every lesson is actually videotaped.

So if a family wanted to review the lesson and the day that they learned in-person, they can do that.

Parents should continue some of those routines and structures, routines are so important.

You have something to add to that.

- No, I think that that's exactly what we would want to see in the classrooms.

We saw parents become so hands-on with their students this year and being able to see and access all of that material.

And I agree just continuing to have that connection.

I think not knowing some of the other things moving forward, just continuing to be flexible and graceful in these terms with all of us that are maneuvering all of the unknown, still moving forward.

- Now I wanna get back to the sports and all that kind of fun stuff.

(all laughing) You know, that, I mean, that's just such a big part of shaping an individual, your coaches, your artistic directors, all that type of thing.

And I know they have really worked hard trying to, give them that extra bit of education, that extra inspiration and so forth.

What's in the grade school level?

What kind of things are you doing there?

- Well, our school very specifically, we are STEAM signature.

So we do have a STEAM teacher as well as an art teacher within our building, music, PE, all of those items as well.

But also a part of our afterschool program is that we will involve enrichment for our students that will be provided to them.

So that could include robotics.

It can include all kinds of other things that our teachers are going to provide to help some of those other opportunities for our students that we do find very valuable.

But on top of the STEAM signature, all of our teachers do incorporate that into their lessons daily.

And so that's something that's very, very important to at least our school very specifically.

- Absolutely.

You know, last year Topeka Public School won an award for music and the arts, fine arts is so important.

And so, you know, previously we had these special masks that we researched in terms of what you could wear while you're doing the fine arts.

And so we saw that happening at universities across the nation.

And so we adopted that in our schools, but this year we're looking forward to having the opportunity to have students fully engaged in ways they were before.

Violin in the classroom and outside of the classroom, arts, athletics.

Really making sure that there's a balanced opportunity to really serve the whole child.

And that takes academics, arts, athletics.

So I anticipate that you will see that full swing this year as in past year.

So we're excited.

We truly are excited this year.

- I can't wait for football season.

- Me too.

Friday nights lights, I'm all about that.

I'm all about that.

Well, thank you, Dr. Tiffany Anderson and Kaylee Soderlund, for being with us on Inspire and for sharing your expertise and insight on how schools are preparing for back to school.

Coming up next, we feature more inspirational women in our community.

We'll be back in just a minute.

(upbeat music) (gentle instrumental music) - Today we're gonna talk about safety considerations that people need to think about before they go hiking.

- Important facts about being on any trail, especially in Kansas in the summer is to stay on the trail and to not wander off into the greenery on the sides.

You can see anything from Poison ivy to stinging nettles, and we have ticks and mosquitoes, and sometimes snakes.

Thinking about snakes in Kansas, the first thing I would say is remember to stay on the trail.

And when you see interesting things on the side of the trail, don't pick them up, right?

Don't flip over a cool big rock or a log, just stay on the trail and keep going.

A lot of times the snakes are underneath those things.

Should you see a snake on the trail, sometimes they like to come out on sun themselves to get a little warm.

You are going to give it a wide berth.

We have poisonous snakes in Kansas, and should you be bitten by a snake, that's the worst case scenario.

We just finished first aid certification and you should sit down and be still, and dial 911 immediately.

The more you move, the more your body circulates your blood and thus passes the venom throughout your body.

So were you to get bitten by a snake, you should sit still, dial 911, and.

- [Jennifer] Wait for help.

- [Denise] Wait for help.

So, one of the things to watch out for on the trail, even if you're on the trail along the edges, often they're Poison ivy.

Poison ivy is leaves of three, leave them be.

Each leaf has a mitten shape, and there are usually three on a stem.

The leaves can be plain green, but they also have some redness sometimes in them.

And in the stem, you can also notice that sometimes Poison ivy climbs up the tree.

So it can be in a vine over your head or attached to a tree.

It can change and look different ways.

So really trying not to brush up against the foliage.

Once you do, or even if you're not sure, the tip to avoid Poison ivy is to avoid getting the urushiol oil from the Poison ivy plant onto your clothing or your skin.

So after a hike, your best practice would be to undress directly into your washing machine and go take a shower with Dawn dish soap.

It breaks the oil skin bond.

If it's good enough to get the oil off of birds in the ocean, then it can work for the urushiol oil from Poison ivy.

That way, when you put your dirty clothes in the dirty clothes hamper, and then pick it up to put it in the washer, you don't start all over again with the urushiol.

- And think about your furry friend.

If you've got your dog with you on the trail, your dog may very well be brushing up against Poison ivy, even if you've got your dog on a leash as recommended.

So be sure and just wipe your dog down or give your furry friend a bath when you get home.

- [Denise] This is Jennifer and Denise with Dirty Girl Adventures.

- [Jennifer] We hope we've inspired you to get out and get dirty.

(upbeat music) - Okay you guys, Danielle, Amy.

We have been really listening to what's going on this ups and downs, the parents, the teachers, the students, administration, what do you think is gonna happen, 21/22 school year?

- Who knows?

I mean, really it comes down to who really knows.

And they said it a couple of times, you know, we'll follow the guidance that we're given and we'll go forward.

Because nobody, nobody bobs and weaves like teachers.

I mean, they are just.

(clapping) Absolutely.

They can navigate any situation and make it work.

We saw that last year through COVID some of the things that they were doing.

Dr. Anderson and Mrs. Soderlund were sharing some of that.

It's just, it's so inspiring to see people so committed to their mission.

- They truly love the students.

And talking about the fact that the teachers they're usually with the students more than the parents are able to be because the parents are working and so forth.

So they play such a huge role in their lives and development.

- It's gonna be interesting to see how many parents decide to keep their kids home, just because the Delta variant, we don't know what's going on with that.

And how many parents are like, no, you need to be interacting with kids 'cause there's something so important about kids being around each other, the support system we're going through this together, we're going to learn together.

And so I hope more parents decide to actually put their kids back in school and then for the fine arts and for the sports component.

I mean, Friday night lights people.

I need to see some football.

I need to see the marching band out there, and the cheerleaders and all of that.

Because it's all a part of the school experience.

- Right, right, right.

And you know, your husband being in education, you're on the front row.

Both my parents were educators.

I mean, they don't get rich.

Nobody gets rich in this.

And I think that's been one of the revelations, one of the positive things for teachers.

Parents realize the value of the teachers and hopefully appreciate it.

Hopefully there'll be more pay coming out of it.

And hopefully the parents will adopt some of the things that they have learned as a family, some of the technology and so forth, and realize what an important part they play as well.

- Absolutely.

- I totally agree.

I think it's been interesting in the past where we've seen a lot of parents saying, you know, I went to school, I know how to do this.

I know how to teach.

And then when they were actually forced to kind of do that, yeah.

They're like, oh my gosh, what was I thinking?

You know, I own a car, doesn't mean I know how it runs.

You know, it's kind of the same thing.

And I think I agree with you exactly that with the technology and all the things that we've learned, that it's been an awakening for our education process.

And I really hope we are able to take it and run with it.

- And I wanna shout out to Piqua and Shawnee County Schools.

We just have some excellent teachers, administrators, you know, the parents that are in the school districts that are like, whatever you all need, I'm there for you, my kids, the priority, let's do what we have to do.

And I just, I love that we have an excellent community that cares about our people, our kids.

And so I'm just happy that we're here.

And of course, those of us without kids, we still care.

And we want to do what we can, you know, to be a part of, you know, making sure that this next school year is the best one.

- And I wanna shout out the small towns.

I mean, I had 28 in my graduating class.

You know, every small town, I mean the town shuts down on Friday night and then in basketball season, Tuesday night, Friday night.

I mean, it's like.

- And the musicals.

- And the debators.

I mean, there were a lot of us who were nerdy and we didn't, you know, I wasn't gonna do sports obviously.

But I was gonna be involved in something that had to do with like Quiz bowl and debate.

And so all of the, you know, scholastic things.

So I mean, shout out to all of them and I hope everything can get back on track.

Because we've had too much distance.

We all need to get together again.

- We have to together.

So everybody rally around your school, your students, your parents, your teachers, your administration.

And I mean, make this the best school year, make it memorable.

Whatever you can do to take part in it.

Get out there and support.

- Yes, and that is all the time we have for today.

We wish all the students, parents, teachers, and everyone involved in the important role of educating today's youth, the best of luck as the new year begins.

And as a reminder, you can watch this program again at watch.ktwu.org.

- We hope you've been inspired by the knowledge and passion portrayed by the women featured on today's show.

If you are inspired to learn more about our guests and find out what's coming up on future shows.

Be sure to visit our website @www.ktwu.org/inspire.

- Inspiring women, inspiring you on KTWU.

Thank you so much for watching.

See you next week.

(upbeat music) - [Announcer] Inspire is sponsored by Kansas Furniture Mart using furniture to inspire conversation and by the Blanche Bryden foundation.