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- This is One-On-One.

- I'm an equal American just like you are.

- The way we change Presidents in this country is by voting.

- A quartet is already a jawn, it’s just The New Jawn.

- January 6th was not some sort of violent, crazy outlier.

- I don't care how good you are or how good you think you are, there is always something to learn.

- I mean what other country sends comedians over to embedded military to make them feel better.

- People call me 'cause they feel nobody's paying attention.

_ It’s not all about memorizing and getting information, it’s what you do with that information.

- (slowly) Start talking right now.

- That's a good question, high five.

(upbeat music) - Hi, everyone, Steve Adubato.

We kick off the program with an in-depth interview that my colleague Jacqui Tricarico did with Stefanie Lachenauer.

Who's Stefanie Lachenauer?

She is the New Jersey State Teacher of the Year.

Jacqui Tricarico talked to Stephanie about a whole range of issues regarding teaching today, educating our children today in 2025, and what it takes to become the Teacher of the Year.

Check it out.

- Hi, I am Jacqui Tricarico, Senior Correspondent for "One-on-One," and I am so pleased to be joined now by Montgomery Upper Middle School teacher, Stefanie Lachenauer, who is the 2024-2025 New Jersey State Teacher of the Year.

Congratulations, Stefanie.

- Thank you so much, and thank you so much for having me here today.

- It's great to have you on.

So first, I wanna talk about that day you found out, because I know the NJEA, the New Jersey Education Association, who ultimately hands out this recognition to its teachers every year, loves to surprise the educators.

So, talk about the day that you found out that you were named the State Teacher of the Year.

- Oh, boy, that was quite a surprise.

So we were having an assembly, and fortunately my principal let me know that they were gonna ask me to speak.

So I had something ready, but I didn't know what it was about.

Like, it was just kind of vague.

It was a kickoff to the school year.

So I was like, okay, I have some rah-rah things to say.

And then they called me up to share.

But before they had me speak, they handed me a gift, and the gift was a plaque that said that I was a state teacher on it.

So, I got the surprise in front of everyone, which was such a beautiful thing because the work that I do is with the school.

So I was with all the people who have, you know, championed me and also worked alongside me the whole time.

So it was, this is really...

It belongs to all of us, so it was very exciting.

- That's awesome.

And being a State Teacher of the Year, I know, goes...

There's a lot of different elements to it.

And one of the things is you have this year long paid sabbatical to do a lot of different things in and around the state.

So talk about first, the last couple of weeks, some things that you've been working on and what you will continue to work on during this time that you're state teacher.

- Yeah, so I do have a paid sabbatical, which is great.

We have wonderful sponsors.

ETS actually sponsors my salary so I can have the sabbatical.

- And ETS is?

- ETS is Educational Testing Services.

- Okay.

- And they're actually located in Princeton, so they're nearby.

- Great.

- And NJEA also provides my car so that I'm able to get around, which is amazing.

And I work closely with the DOE, which is also one of our sponsors.

So right now, in the month of January, I am in the office almost all the time 'cause I'm doing lots of meet and greets.

So I'm learning a lot about how our education system works and learning a lot about the behind the scenes in NJDOE.

And it has been so eye-opening for me.

I was unaware that there were so many resources and so many things that are available to us.

So I've actually been sharing a lot of that out also on my social media.

So I've made that also part of my platform because I think of this as my year of service, but it really is my year of service not just to the DOE, but also my year of service to teachers.

So I'm trying to bridge that connection as much as possible.

And as I'm learning more about that, it can support the educators, and I'll be going in and out of classrooms throughout the state.

So my goal is to visit all the County Teacher of the Year schools first, and then as different school districts have interests, I'm doing assemblies, I'm doing professional development opportunities for teachers.

I'm also connecting with all of the universities and colleges in New Jersey, that teacher ed programs, so I'm really looking forward to that work.

And then also my cohort of State Teachers of the Year, we'll be going to conferences and having events together.

- That's great, a busy couple of months ahead for you.

And I know, getting a recognition like this really means that you're doing incredible things in your school, in your classroom.

So I wanna talk about some of those things.

One that really stood out to me is the Youth Action Board and things that you're doing to make sure that your students are supported when it comes to mental health.

Talk about that for us.

- So I'm so fortunate to work closely also with our Municipal Alliance, which is front and through our Montgomery Health Department.

So, I talk a lot about how things can't happen in silos.

So it is a community effort.

So working with them, we started the Youth Action Board, and it's made up of students from Montgomery High School and anyone who lives in Montgomery and a high school student can also participate.

And they champion mental health.

So they get to choose what their goals are.

So what are they looking for?

What are they noticing in school?

And not just, "Okay, this is a problem."

It's, "Well, what are we gonna do about it?"

So we're noticing that kids are having a hard time with social media.

Well, what's our action step?

So right now, one of the big projects is we are working on our social media campaign, funny enough, right?

But we're sharing out, as we're learning different things about mental health, we're sharing that out on our social media platform.

So that's the big thing.

And then we always have an event that we've been working with Municipal Alliance on, and we'll be hosting something in May.

- That's great, something that I know so many folks, especially educators, are making sure they're paying more close attention to.

Also, there's a program, Skills for Success, that you teach your seventh graders.

Talk to us about that.

- Yeah, I'm really fortunate that I get to teach this class.

It's for all seventh graders.

And what's really cool about it is the class is really about learning about themselves.

So I tell them like, "This is gonna be the most fun subject 'cause the subject is you."

So they learn their personality, we do personality assessments, we also learn about their learning styles, and then I teach them coping strategies.

So what is stress?

How does stress impact our body?

And then what do we do about it?

How do we cope with that?

And then later on, they start to learn more about different careers and how those careers might connect with them and their personality type, their strengths, their strengths finder, and also what might be some of the stressors in that job, and how might you handle that?

What are some coping skills that you could see yourself implementing?

- What do you see as those students that are taking this class with you?

Talk about the impact that it's having.

What are you seeing in the classroom?

- So it was really cool to see students utilizing those coping skills and sharing them with their friends.

Or sometimes, you'll overhear something in the hallway where someone's really worried or stressed about something and you can overhear students say, "Well, did you try that breathing technique?

You know, the one that the fingers, like..." So it's really cool to hear and see that happen.

Or parents reporting back that the parent was like, "Oh, I had this really intense meeting at work and my daughter asked me, you know, what I was doing to cope with it."

And they did a mindfulness practice together.

So I think when you watch the student also become the teacher, and to start sharing it not just for themselves, but with others, I think that's just so powerful.

- You've been an educator now for 18 years, and something that we hear so much about is teacher burnout.

And it's one of the reasons we're seeing a teacher shortage across the state and the nation.

How are you avoiding teacher burnout and how do you make sure that other colleagues of yours are avoiding it as well?

- That's a great question.

So, I have to practice what I teach, right?

I have to practice the things that I'm preaching.

So some of the big things that I do for myself is when stuff for me becomes more stressful, or I know that things are more intense, high stakes, that's when I know I have to double down on whatever my self-care practices are.

So for me, my big thing is sleep.

Like, I need nine hours of sleep.

If I can, 10.

Like, I'm a serious sleeper.

And for me, that's something that I know is super supportive.

I'm practicing my mindfulness practices.

The busier that I get, the more I know I have to schedule those things in.

Because if I don't, I don't show up as my best self, and then I'm useless to anyone else.

- That's great advice, too.

Just, you know, making sure we're taking care of ourselves is so important.

And I know the next couple of months and even beyond that are gonna be so transformative for you doing so many different unique things, being the New Jersey State Teacher of the Year.

So congratulations again, Stefanie, and thank you so much for joining us.

- Thank you, thank you so much for having me.

I really appreciate it.

- Thank you so much.

We’ll be right back after this.

- [Narrator] To watch more One on One with Steve Adubato find us online and follow us on Social media.

- Hi everyone, I'm Steve Adubato.

Recently my colleague Jacqui Tricarico and I traveled with our team to do a series of interviews down at the 2024 New Jersey Education Association Convention Annual convention.

We talked to educators, educational administrators, authors, poets, people engaged in a whole range of activities, impacting our kids, impacting our schools in the world of education.

Here now are those conversations.

Jacqui, myself and some really interesting people in AC.

- We are honored to have Mychal Threets, who is a librarian, a literary ambassador, one of the keynote speakers here at the NJEA and the PBS resident librarian.

- Yes.

- First of all, as a part of the PBS family myself, you have to explain that.

What does that mean and how did that happen?

- Yeah, you know what, I love PBS.

I grew up on PBS as a PBS kid, a homeschool kid, a library kid, raised on Mr. Rogers, LeVar Burton, "Dragon Tales," Arthur Read.

So, having the social media partnership with PBS Kids means I get to have book recommendations, share library stories, and just see my name on PBS's Instagram, TikTok, Facebook.

So for me, a PBS kid, it's a dream come true that I never even knew was a dream.

So, it's so very special to be working with PBS.

It's one of the honors of my life that I never knew would ever, ever happen.

- That's awesome.

Mychal, talk to me about this.

Your healthy obsession, your passion for libraries comes from where?

- It comes from my mom, it comes from my grandparents.

My grandmother lived to be 90 years old, and she never had a library card when she was a kid.

She wasn't allowed to.

And then, there weren't libraries for her, but she always encouraged me to read.

All of my grandparents did.

I grew up with four grandparents, two great grandparents, and they all were like, "You're going to read, you're gonna read an hour every single day."

And that trickled down to my parents.

So, it all come from my grandparents, my parents, and then, just growing up in libraries.

I was homeschooled from kindergarten all the way to being a senior in high school.

So, I spent every single week at my local library, it's why I have a library card tattooed on me.

- Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.

You've got a library card tattooed on you?

- I do, yeah.

- And when did you do that?

- I did that when I was 23 years old, just because I love libraries so I want to immortalize it on me forever.

It's Arthur Read's library card.

So, I have Arthur Reed on my arm and in the whole library card.

- And he also, I don't know if our camera gets this, "Mr. Rogers Neighborhood" is... - [Mychal] Yes.

- [Steve] Embroidered onto your sweater.

- [Mychal] Oh, yes.

- There's no tattoo there, right?

- I wish there was, not yet.

Maybe soon.

I would get his face tattooed.

Him and Bob Ross.

- Hold on.

I gotta understand this.

You're such an upbeat, positive person, but you came up with this expression called Library Joy.

Explain it.

- I don't know if I came up with it, but I am obsessed with Library Joy.

- Well, hold on, where did it even come?

Do we even know where it came from?

- I don't know.

I just started saying, all of a sudden.

I was making videos on social media about library kids, library grownups, about all the visits from library people.

And I just said library joy.

I get so much joy from libraries.

The library is for every single person.

We all belong in libraries.

I mean, libraries are more than just books now.

We have musical instruments, we have board games, video games, programs, homework help.

There's something for everybody.

And well, the library is a place where you can be just as you are.

It's a place where you've always belonged.

And that to me is library joy.

If it's falling in love with a manga book, a graphic novel, audio books, no matter who you are, the library is there for you.

And I will always love that my entire life.

- Connect libraries, library joy.

- Yeah.

- To quote unquote, mental health advocacy.

- You know what, I think they're directly, they're directly correlated.

Libraries and mental health go hand in hand because there are people who are mentally ill, people who are struggling, and they turn to the library.

The library's the last free space.

You don't, there's no obligations.

There's no expectations.

You don't even need a library card to go inside the library.

We want you to have a library card, but you don't have to.

And that's where the connection is, is you can be suffering, you can have anxiety, you can have depression, but then you can find your favorite books at the library.

You can fall in love with Beverly Cleary's character, with Junie B. Jones, with Amelia Bedelia, with "Chronicles of Narnia."

And you will become the best version of yourself just in that local free space, the library where you can be just as you are.

- Have you gotten any pushback, any resistance, pushback to your message, to the work you're doing?

Because I've heard through the grapevine that not everybody's on board.

- I wouldn't say not everybody's on board.

I think some people think I'm like, toxic positivity.

(Steve laughing) And to me, I think it just- - Wait, you just said toxic.

- Toxic positivity.

- Define that, please.

- I can't, I think I don't, I don't think.

- As if we don't have enough positivity.

Really?

Seriously?

- I think it just that people are just like, it's too much joy.

But I think it just means that they're not ready for joy.

They're not ready for happiness.

And that's okay, because joy and happiness are gonna be there for them.

So, I think for me, I'm just trying to encourage them and say, yes, this is where we're at.

Maybe you're having a hard day.

Maybe you're not ready for joy on a Thursday or a Friday, but maybe next Monday, next Tuesday, it'll be there for you.

So, yeah, so, I've gotten some pushback.

Some people don't like what I do too much, but I think at some point they're gonna need what I'm talking about.

They're gonna need libraries.

- Well, let's do this.

There is some pushback, not so much against you.

- Sure.

- Or your message, but there are folks.

- Oh, yes.

- Millions of them who are very caught up in quote, the banning of books.

- Yes.

- You say what to that movement and those in that movement, because they believe there are books that are sending, that send the quote, wrong message to our children in libraries.

- I would say that literacy rates across the world are already plummeting.

We have so many kids who are not at third grade reading level, not at fourth grade reading level, fifth grade reading level, and so on.

So, banning books hurts literacy.

But look, the answer to literacy is Library Joy.

It's getting kids to love books, to love the practice of reading, of opening those pages, of putting on their headphones and listening to audio books every single day.

And when you're banning books, you're telling those reluctant readers, you don't need to read.

We don't want you to read.

That's all that they hear.

That's all that kids hear when we ban books.

So, if we fight for the right to read, if we say, "Yes, you deserve to read.

We want you to read, we want you to love reading."

That's how we're gonna get them to fall in love with books so that they get to all the reading levels and we see literacy rates skyrocket because they're loving books.

So, my answer to those banning books is, one, please just read the books.

So, many people who want books banned, they don't even read the books.

- But Mychal, along those lines, you do believe in quote unquote, age appropriate books and content.

- Absolutely.

Which is all, which is honestly is all books.

I mean, different- - What do you mean it's all books?

- I mean, there are books.

There are kids who are in kindergarten are ready to read books that are meant for seventh graders, because that's the way their brain works.

Their parents have been reading books with them all these years.

So, sometimes kindergartners are ready for seventh grade books.

Sometimes fourth graders only need fifth grade books.

So age appropriate books.

All these authors and illustrators are trying to do is just share a story.

There's no agenda from these authors and illustrators writing for kids.

They just wanna tell stories.

They wanna talk about imagination, about curiosity and discovery.

So any book made for kids is age appropriate.

There may be times where you're like, oh, this kindergartner is not ready for this second grade books.

Maybe the first grader isn't ready for Dog Man and Captain Underpants.

- All different.

- It's all different.

But all books are for different people.

They're all for everybody.

- What about our teachers here at this convention?

You have thousands and thousands of educators from across the state.

The connection between your work and the work of the teachers here at this convention, please.

- Oh, I love education.

My mom is a teacher.

She's been a high school teacher for the last 15, 16 years.

She homeschooled me for an additional 10-15 years.

So she's been a teacher for almost three decades.

So I love teachers.

I love education.

And libraries need teachers.

Libraries and teachers are my favorite people.

We work hand in hand.

We all support one another.

We're supporting literacy.

We're supporting the future of our kids.

Without teachers, there are no libraries, without libraries, there are no teachers.

Education, it is the best thing in the world.

We all have the right to the best education possible.

There's been so much, there's been so long where we didn't have education, where we weren't able to be our best educated selves.

And I will always fight for teachers, for library people.

And that's why I'm happy to be here today talking with you, supporting and amplifying teachers and educators and anyone who's fighting for the future of our kids.

- A very positive message from Mychal Threets, who's a librarian, literary ambassador, keynote speaker here at the NJEA Convention and also the PBS Resident Librarian.

Thank you so much.

- Thank you.

- Well done.

- Appreciate you.

- [Narrator] To watch more One on One with Steve Adubato find us online and follow us on Social media.

- Joining me now is Dena Grushkin.

She's a retired school teacher and now is supporting educators through NJEA's ACCESS model, we'll get to in just a second.

Great to have you with us, Dena.

- Thank you.

Happy to be here.

- So, retired educator, 36 years in education.

Talk about that journey for yourself.

36 years, that's really something to celebrate.

- I have to say, and when I share my experience over with people, I always say that I was gifted a really fabulous career, you know?

I mean, it's amazing to wake up in the morning and go and do what you love, right?

We should all have that opportunity in our lives.

And so, you know, I mean, there were mornings, trust me, that I woke up and I'm like, "Ah, my God," you know?

But they really were few and far between, you know?

I really just really loved it.

I was laughing and doing what I love, which is learning and teaching and working with people who also, you know, like-minded.

We're all about kids.

And so it's been a fabulous career and one of the reasons why I'm still in this field in a different capacity.

- Right, I wanna talk about that 'cause 36 years dedicating yourself to students, to children here in New Jersey, and switching it just a little bit to then now support educators, folks just like yourself.

Talk about that, describe the ACCESS model and what it is and how you are supporting educators - in the state.

- Sure.

So I think it's important to share just a little bit about how I came to it.

As a school teacher, I was always very, very concerned.

It was of utmost priority for me to make sure that my kids were not just learning, but feeling safe and comfortable in the classroom.

And so when I came to, when this job opportunity came, it was an incredible opportunity for me to continue to do the work that I love so much, which is in the area of wellness.

And so I came on board and I've been now working as an ACCESS Consultant for the past year and a half.

This is my second year.

I was chosen to work in Trenton.

The ACCESS program works in three districts in the State of New Jersey, at Trenton, Camden, and we just started in Cherry Hill.

And so I'm working in Martin Luther King High School, working with teachers, working on a variety of different things, coaching, restorative practice work, working on curriculum, and teaching yoga.

So I'm having the opportunity to do, again, do what I love in the classroom.

- So yoga ties into mindfulness to self-awareness, to having a good mindset to be taking care of oneself so you can take care of others in so many ways, right?

- Absolutely, absolutely.

- How have you seen the educators respond to what you're teaching in terms of mindfulness and how do you see it as more important now than ever when we hear so much about teacher burnout?

- Well, you know what?

When I started in my career 36 years ago, no one was really concerned about how I was thinking and feeling.

And quite honestly, they really weren't thinking about how kids were feeling either.

And so we've evolved, you know.

I have to say, I think the problems have always been there in terms of kids experience, you know, growing up is hard, teaching is challenging, and so the levels of stress have always been there.

I think certainly over time that those kinds of things have changed, but they still exist.

And so, but the difference is now is that it's become really integral part of the program that we do.

So we work on not just how can we bring these practices to the kids, but how do we bring them to the teachers?

How do we train teachers?

How do we teach teachers, first of all, to be aware and in touch with what they need for themselves in order to be their best selves in the classroom?

And then in turn, taking those practices and turn-keying them into the classroom and teaching them to kids.

And so the response has been incredible, you know.

Rarely, I have to say, I don't even ever think I've ever heard a teacher say, "Oh, this is a waste of time."

You know...

They love it.

They love learning about what they can do for themselves and how they can bring this kind of work into their classroom, so they've been very, very responsive.

- Can you give us an example of that, how you've seen this really directly impact a teacher in such a positive way?

- At Martin Luther King, with the person that I'm coaching, 'cause that's my responsibility, to go in and coach teachers, we've been working on PLCs.

Professional Learning Communities.

And so they take place once a week and we have an opportunity to meet with teachers, the entire staff.

Not all are together, but they're broken down into groups.

And we meet with them and we work on these restorative practices.

And so we always start with breath work, sort of calming ourselves down, and then moving into this space.

We talk a lot about how we can make adjustments, sort of take a critical look at ourselves as teachers and how we can make adjustments to the way we bring ourselves into the classroom.

And that can be looking at the way, our teaching style.

It can be the way we organize ourselves.

It can be the way we choose to handle behavioral problems.

And so based on all of those, those are just an example of some of the things that we work on, based on those and working on ways in which to make adjustments to ourselves so that we can build better relationships with kids.

And so we work on that.

We work on breath work, we work on movement.

And generally speaking, by the time that PLC is done, that 45-minute period, teachers are feeling like they've been heard, they've been validated, they've shared, they got a little bit off their chest, and they're breathing better, they're moving better, and then they're headed back to the classroom.

- So we're seeing this in Trenton, we're seeing in Camden, now in Cherry Hill.

Do you anticipate it'll keep growing and be reaching other- - What I'm really, really proud of about this program is that the NJEA, we are the only union in the entire country that actually takes teachers and brings them back into the classroom.

And so it's teachers supporting teachers.

And so when I walk into a school, I'm not accountable to the administration, but I am accountable to the teachers that I work with.

So it's a really beautiful relationship because there is trust.

You know, no one feels judged.

They feel that they can come to me and they can share and we can talk.

And what happens between them and myself is strictly between them and myself.

And so I think that it is an incredible program, and I would, you know, I mean, I would love to see other unions throughout the country begin a program like this.

We're pretty special here.

- Well, Dena, thank you for the 36 years in the classroom with our students and now continuing that in the classroom with our educators.

Thanks so much for taking the time to speak with us.

We appreciate it.

- Thank you.

- So, for Jacqui Tricarico and myself, and our entire team down in Atlantic City at the 2024 New Jersey Education Association Convention, we thank you so much for watching, we'll see you next time.

- [Narrator] One-On-One with Steve Adubato is a production of the Caucus Educational Corporation.

Funding has been provided by NJM Insurance Group.

The Russell Berrie Foundation.

Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey.

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Englewood Health.

Citizens Philanthropic Foundation.

NJ Best, New Jersey’s five-two-nine college savings plan.

New Jersey Sharing Network.

And by United Airlines.

Promotional support provided by The New Jersey Business & Industry Association.

And by NJ.Com.

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