Wes: [00:00:00] Welcome to the Teacher Interview podcast.

I'm your host, Wes Creel. I work as Director of Innovation and Instructional support in Fullerton School District, and we are now in season four of the podcast where we get to know teachers better. Our themes this season, our passion, drive and determination. Join me today, we spend time with Molly Esquivel, who teaches seventh and eighth grade science at Ladera Vista Junior High School of the Arts.

Here we go, Molly. This is the real deal. We're live. Uh, welcome to the podcast.

Molly: Thank you. Thanks for having me.

Wes: So, um, you came over, you're at Ladera Vista today. Mm-hmm.

Molly: How was your day? Today was a day. Today was a day. Oh God. My favorite [00:01:00] part about teaching junior high is that every day is different. Yeah.

The kids stay the same, but they come in in completely different moods, completely different personalities. And today was a day they had me just hysterically laughing at their little personalities. I love it. And you

Wes: have five periods? Six periods? Six periods. Seventh and eighth grade science. Those are two different preps.

Correct. Okay. So tell me. It's been a long time since I've been a seventh grader or eighth grader. I remember things like, oh, we did American government in this, but I don't remember how science was broken up. Mm-hmm. What's

Molly: it look like? So when we were kids, science was broken up. So sixth grade was earth science, seventh grade was life science, and eighth grade was physical science.

Oh, it's coming back to me. Yes. And the textbook was read. Green and blue now, however, it's completely integrated. Oh. So I teach. [00:02:00] I teach it all. Yeah. That's lost. Yeah. I never thought the way I was raised. I know. Oh, I know. Well, teachers do tend to teach how they were taught. What do I think? I love it as a teacher.

Mm-hmm. And I think the kids really do like it, because if you're not into earth science, for example, That year could be true. A jury for you. Yeah. Um, that's true. So it is nice for them to have it, you know, mixed up a little bit. Mm-hmm. But also, sometimes it's hard to pivot. So one moment we'll be talking about rocks and now we're talking about chemistry.

Yeah. Yeah. So it's sometimes the transitions are a little rough. Yeah. But it does keep the year moving at a, at a nice pace. Do you find

Wes: that you have to, or how do you help signal like students, like we're going from chemical equations or chemistry to more like rocks. Like do you find. Things that are helpful for students [00:03:00] to make those transitions.

Molly: So I talk about what the science is, so I usually talk about the root words. So we all know GY is the study of, and then I define what geo is. So earth. Yeah, the study of earth. But now we're moving on to chemistry. And then we talk about, well, this is a branch of science in which we, we study the micro world.

So we studied the natural world the way things are as we see them. Yeah. Let's talk about now why that is on a micro level. The micro scale. What so

Wes: find students interested

Molly: in Hmm. The same thing that adults are. So the, the same. I know, it's, it's amazing. See, and this is what draws teachers to the profession, is that they're really no different.

Um, the same thing that happens with adults. The, the adults that are interested in earth science and physics can't [00:04:00] stand bio and chemistry. Oh, and the kids are no different. Yeah. They're absolutely no different. They love the kids, love the chemistry, and the kids love looking at rock. Yeah. So I remember when I was a kid, I had a little rock collection and.

Oh my God. I did to see the kids are now different. They don't change. You know, our world changes so much.

Wes: I don't know. Seems like if you have a rock collection, I don't say this about you, but about myself. I don't know that I was a, um, you know, the mover and shaker at the parties. Oh, no. Or an introvert and looking at like rock than

Molly: you.

Yeah. But we change a little. I was very, very, very shy. Like hide behind my mom at the grocery store. Shy. Don't look at me, don't talk to me. Yeah. And now I'm, you know, stand on the stage every day. And so we change a little bit and I still have my rocks. We can be both. We can be both.

Wes: That's so great. So, so the [00:05:00] students, like they study the.

The micro, is that

Molly: what you call it? Mm-hmm. The micro

Wes: scanner? Yeah. Mm-hmm. Interesting. What's your

Molly: favorite? Oh, geology all the way. Geology all the way. Absolutely.

Wes: That's so cool. Okay, so walk us back through, where have you been? What is your teaching kind of career? Where'd you start? Where you now? Um, how long has it been, when, what have you seen, what have you done?

Molly: Uh, I'm the youngest of three. Okay. And was always the one being taught things and never had the opportunity to be the teacher. Okay. But I always knew, I always knew. I lined up all my stuff and taught them. Oh, you were,

Wes: you were that best

Molly: Math blessing. Yes.

Wes: Yes. Math back then. No.

Molly: Sure, sure. Okay. Two plus two.

It's always been, you have to know this Uhhuh and um, I grew up in a really small town. There were three elementary schools, one junior high and one high school. Wow. And so we [00:06:00] all was how old? This was in Summa Tunga in the San Fernando Valley. Wow, okay. So hour north. Yeah. And um, you know, we knew each other.

From the time we were in kindergarten to the time we graduated, everybody knew everybody's business. Yeah. And I needed to get out. I gotta go because everybody, um, went to Cal State Northridge. Okay. So I kind of took

Wes: a little more of a picture. What kind of music were you

Molly: into? Me? Yeah. Oh, goodness. Uh, I really love SC music.

Brega music. What kind of band? SC Band. Yeah. Oh. Um, like real big Fish. Okay. Less Than Jake. Yes. Uh, but, you know, I also love Rock too. I, I'm super into, you know, like Queen, like my, you know, classic rock was K Cute Krock. Yeah. Krock. I would go to almost acoustic. Yes, it was, I would go to almost acoustic Christmas.

[00:07:00] Every, every winter. Oh wow. Oh yeah. That was our thing. Um, but I took a leap of faith, went right to Cal State Fullerton and took two trains and a bus. What? Yeah. I commuted, no. Mm-hmm.

Wes: Wow. Commuted. What was that like?

Molly: Hell, that sounds like hours on it. Yeah, it was hours. But what's fascinating is my bus, bus number 26 would ride right by Ladera Vista every single day.

Okay. And I would think, oh man, it would be really amazing to teach there one day. No way. Yes, I would. What? Yes, I would. Wow. And I ended up begging my advisor, yeah. If I could student teach in junior high. Okay. And she said, if you could find two other people to do it with you, you can. And I did. Oh, wow. And I got placed at Ladera Vista.

Wow. And that's amazing. I never left. [00:08:00]

Wes: So you went from student teaching there at Cal State Fullerton to mm-hmm.

Molly: Right away finding, I got one job for one year at a private school. Okay. Cleared my credential. Yeah. And then in a very odd twist of fate, the law, long-term. Sub and slash student teacher for another teacher just bowed out from the job offer at the last minute.

Oh wow. And they called me. Wow. Said, I need you to come in tomorrow into a demo lesson. And I said, okay. Oh my. I'll be there. Oh

Wes: my gosh. That's

Molly: wild. It ist been an incredible, incredible story. I feel very grateful to be here. So

Wes: let's go. To Ladera Vista the first year. I think you told me when you walked in, we're talking about Irene Kim, who's somebody I reached out to.

You said you met her the year you started at Ladera Vista. Okay. So she has given us some quotes, some words about you, so I'm gonna dip into those. Um, so [00:09:00] she says you're. Passionate about teaching and education, and above all you're passionate about people. Mm-hmm. Tell me like, how, what does that distinction mean to you?

She says a little bit more, so I'm gonna add that after. But what do you, you care about people. You care about teaching, but above all, you're passionate about people. What does that mean? I

Molly: love people.

I love, I mean, you got a glimpse of when I walked into this building, I just,

Wes: yeah. You connected with Kelsey? Mm-hmm. Yeah. Immediately I

Molly: feel like,

Wes: oh, that's so different than the introvert you described. Yeah. I

Molly: told you people change.

Wes: Let's go to psychology here, or therapy. When did that change? Like do you know when you went from introvert to like.

I will gravitate to and connect with

Molly: people. I think my career as a server helped a little bit. Where you are forced, where'd you work? I worked at [00:10:00] Chevy's in Anaheim Hills. Okay. They're no longer in business. You had nothing to do with that? No, no, no. Nothing to do with that. Uh, okay. So being in there. Yeah.

I think when you're thrown to the wolves and are forced to confront that kind of fear of yours. That's right. You'd kind of slowly learn to interact with people and over time, and even as a teacher, you know, you're sit on the other side of tables, so the parents and. Yeah, you just come out of your shell or you don't, and I did.

And yeah, I feel like every conversation that I have with people makes me somehow a better teacher because I think about the things that they say and how that applies back to the classroom. Mm-hmm. This person sees the world this way. How can I foster that? In my [00:11:00] room.

Wes: So I'm gonna add a little bit more from Irene.

She says, more above all Molly's passionate about people. She sees all of you, if that makes sense and cares so deeply. This is displayed in her warm and kind nature and in her involvement with students. So it's interesting you were talking about the conversation is not just to get to point B. Whether you can learn about teaching from what those people, so is that, is that a valid connection to seeing all of you?

Or is there more, does she mean something else? How do you feel when she says, it seems so deep She sees all of you. I do.

Molly: I do. Well, and I, me and my husband laugh all the time because any trip for me, To the store takes hours. I don't know what, I don't mean to laugh. No, I don't know what it is. I don't know what it is because I don't ask for this either.

I don't mind [00:12:00] it. Yeah. And I grew to love it because at first is like, oh my God, someone stopped me and told me their whole life story. Wow. I don't know what it is. Wow. I don't know what it is. And I tell my cousin that too. And she's like, oh my gosh, my mom's the same way. Which is my aunt. Yeah. Like, they will just stop and say, and I say, oh, I'm a teacher.

And then they'll, they'll immediately dive in. Right. It's some weird like comfort thing, I guess. Yeah. That's awesome. And then we just strike up conversation and.

Wes: Four hours

Molly: later you go home. Yeah. With my bag of groceries. Yeah. And then my husband will say, would you learn about so-and-so today? And be like, oh my gosh.

They told me their whole life story. Like literal old life story.

Wes: Wow. How do you, because we, we also talked about you coming to the podcast studio on a field trip, and then you reminded me like, with six periods and 200 students, it's not the same as bringing a sixth grade class or [00:13:00] something like that.

When you're that kind of listener, how do you balance that with a room full of students who need your attention? Hmm. That's a really

Molly: good question. What's that feel like for you? That's hard, and I'm glad you recognized that because not everybody recognizes that that's very difficult, and there are days where you kind of do have to put the content to the side.

And you need to recognize that this student needs more of my attention than what the curriculum is worth. Hmm. Because this student is in dire straits. This student needs somebody to talk to. Right. And if they're in such desperation to. Speak in the middle of a classroom surrounded by their peers in junior high.

Yeah. [00:14:00] Yeah. You must recognize that that is a moment of vulnerability for a junior high boy. Yeah. Or a junior high girl. Right. Both are amazingly vulnerable positions to be in. Yeah. So not only do they feel. The safety to do that, but they feel the safety to do that with you. And so I think recognizing that and realizing that you have to capitalize on those moments, and maybe that's what Ms.

Kim meant by she sees people. Yeah. Yeah. You know, sometimes the day is more important with the person than with the material.

Wes: Yeah. I was just looking, one of the questions we asked is, um, bonus feedback, like anything else you want us to know? She said, there are so many great things to say about Molly. She is a truly great counselor and listener.

Um, and let's say we're not [00:15:00] talking about students, but peer to peer, like your relationship with Irene, what is. What's that balance of counselor and listener? Because you, you know, you usually associate counseling with giving advice or talking and listening with not talking. So like when you're with colleagues, what, well, first of all, does counselor does that fit?

Molly: I was just gonna say, please let me declare that I am not a licensed counselor. Because I was just

Wes: thinking, I was like, you're so, like you connected with Kelsey and all this, and you're. Kind of the the person you are connecting with people. I was like, I read that and I was like, oh, I wonder if you've ever thought about being a counselor.

And then it doesn't seem

Molly: like, no, I would never, ever take that on. I'm too emotional to take that on. Hmm. These are supposed to be just moments of passing. Hmm. Feel good moments in the time, and then I walk away. I don't wanna see you again in my office at a scheduled time. Right.

Wes: Got it. So [00:16:00] then back to the question about like just.

Being with colleagues and being counselor, listener, what is, does that, do you feel like Yeah, I do. I do counsel my

Molly: colleagues. I don't ever see, I don't look at my solly. Yeah. I don't see myself and I now, I'm, you're making me wonder, do people view me that way? Oh my God. Do people, you have something to talk about so people in their minds think, oh, I'm gonna go see Molly for this instead a thing.

Eh, I don't know. I don't know. I'm gonna have to ask Irene. Well, let me,

Wes: let me add this. She says, I always go to her to seek advice and feedback, even though I've been teaching longer than she has. Hmm. She is so knowledgeable beyond her young years. Nice. I also love that Molly acknowledges and celebrates all of the positives in your life.

Her words make you feel seen and important. She has a big heart and contagious laugh. Well, that's so nice. That was really I somebody say that about,

Molly: can you print that out? And [00:17:00] you that

Wes: definitely done send this to you. So she did say, Twice about making people feel seen. Yeah. That's great. That was really special.

Yeah. Uh, she does mention something else now that we're on Irene co-writing an article. Hmm. Is that, is that something recent or way back? Tell me about that.

Molly: Um, I'm currently in a doctoral program.

Wes: Okay. That came up several times in our, our research.

Molly: Yes. I, um, getting a doctorate in educational leadership.

Okay. Enjoying it. Oh, yes, yes. Absolutely. Absolutely.

Wes: That was one of the things, I think Bill Lynch, uh, pres de Vista said Genuine lifelong learner. Mm-hmm. So even in a, I associate doctorate programs with some half tos. Like, not always the things you wanted to learn, but you were gonna have to [00:18:00] do some things.

Mm-hmm. But genuine lifelong learning, even in the doctorate program. Oh, sure.

Molly: Okay. Yeah, definitely some things I like more than others. But What do you like about it? Um, I've never been more immersed in the world of education in my entire life. Even though it's something that I've always been studying, so to speak, I mean, even as a young girl, I would always just watch the teacher.

I never really spent, I know I never really spent so much time listening to what they were saying. I just kind of watched what they were doing. Oh my gosh. Mm-hmm. Wow. I've always wanted this. Yeah. And I just remember studying more of their style. Yeah. Than what they were actually saying. Do you

Wes: have a, a teacher that fascinated you or you thought they did something special?

Molly: Mm-hmm. Two. Yeah. Tell us about my kindergarten and my second grade teacher. You were studying kindergarten? Yes, I was. Tell me. Totally was. I know. I totally was. [00:19:00] What? I don't know. She just gracefully moved around the room and she had the most. Captivating stories and was so patient and was just, I mean, don't, don't I describe a kindergarten teacher right now.

That's great. And my second grade teacher, she, her room was like an immersive experience. Okay. She, the rainforest unit that we did, yeah. Was like living in the rainforest. Oh wow. And she had a parent come in and install misters in the room. What? Yes.

Wes: Okay. I just got, I know Michelles lucky. The pinks of it.

I know. She was, so when you're talking about immersive,

Molly: it was an immersive experience, but it We were all a part of it. Yeah. Except for the mystery. But, but every so often the room would start misting and we, as eight year olds were, it was magic. Yeah, it was magic. But she could [00:20:00] also like quilt her own quilts and she would bring them in and she would talk about them and Wow.

She just brought her soul into the room. And I remember thinking, I wanna be like her for, I wanna be like her. And so, Like I said, I, I watched my teachers more than listened to them, if that makes sense. Yeah. And so I carry a part of them Yeah. With me and each, each one I had, I just kind of picked up more and more and

Wes: more.

Yeah. So tell me, what do you think you would point out in your own classroom that reminds you of something from those teachers or something you've. Consciously tried to bring to your classroom either immersive experience or kindness or stories, or what do you think you're like, oh, this is kind of from that experience, and then the part B is like, what do you think you introduced in your classroom that maybe you hadn't ever seen?

It's just part of you that [00:21:00] you just, yeah, that's that. That's how you are not something you brought in from. Mm-hmm.

Molly: I think education has spent so much time parsing out the sage on the stage and guide on the side mantras that I think as teachers typically do, they teach as they were taught. And when I was a student it was very much, um, sage on the stage and.

I have kind of found, struck a really great balance of that. You know, there's nothing wrong with direct instruction. Mm-hmm. There is absolutely nothing wrong with direct instruction. And when your kids see you up there doing your thing, they either, I don't know, see you as an authority, or they see you as something else, and that's up to [00:22:00] you to decide.

Hmm. And to answer part two, that's kind of what I've brought. I've brought personality. Hmm. And so my teachers were just kind of the literal defined sage on the stage, like authoritarian. Like, you will listen to me and I demand your respect. I do remember those. Yeah, totally. And I think, you know, we learned from that and.

Realized it's relationships first. Mm-hmm. Before you can be that quote unquote sage on the stage. Yeah. You've gotta foster those relationships. Otherwise that direct instruction will fall on deaf ears. Right.

Wes: Yeah. Um, let me hop into another quote. Um, we're gonna shift bakes. Oh boy. Um, Somebody called you a force of nature.

Mm. Who [00:23:00] was

Molly: your husband? Absolutely. He did.

Wes: Tell me, what does that mean? What does that mean?

Molly: A force of nature. Oh, geez. Play

Wes: leaves, force of nature. She cannot be stopped. Mm-hmm. And I'm not just saying this as her husband, she's committed with her heart and soul to ensure the future of a free and public. A fair public education. That's right.

Molly: Yeah. Tell me about that. That's right. What else do you need to know?

I think he's spot on. I, I mean, listen, I took two trains and a bus. Yeah. To commute to Cal State Fullerton. That's right. Why? Because they were known for their teaching program. Yeah. I am committed to providing what he said, a free and fair education for all. Yeah. And I won't stop until we get that, cuz that's what we deserve.

In a democracy, that is what we deserve.

Wes: I love it. What does that look like in kind of your day-to-day? Where do you [00:24:00] find you're pushing that commitment? Maybe other people aren't feeling the same way, and you're like, no, we, we need X. What? What do you find that looking like

Molly: as the pedagogies? I value myself as the expert.

I earned the title. I went to school. I trusted the teachers who issued me the education. Yeah. I didn't just get this from Right. You know, the dark web. Right. I was trained by those that came before me. Yeah. Yeah. And I believe in the education that they provided me. Yeah. And you know, as. We also learned lifelong learning.

It hasn't gone away. Like I've continued my commitment to education and obviously with the doctorate. Yes, absolutely. And you know, with everything that I learned, I continue to practice. And when I feel like something is justified, I [00:25:00] will do it and I will be able to argue why it was justified. I don't just do things right because I was told to do something.

Oh, willing. Yeah, totally. And if I feel like it's best for my students, I will do it. Yeah. And I will justify it.

Wes: So let's tap into this. I think you're, is the dissertation or the doctorate studies around increasing the impact of technology in education, or is that something else? It is. So, okay, tell me

Molly: about that.

My dissertation is gonna focus around the, um, use of technology in the classroom. Okay. And the autonomy. That teachers have in terms of the integration of technology in the classroom. Okay. And so my study will focus on how much autonomy teachers have when technology is integrated into the classroom, and their feelings around the integration of technology in the classroom and where that is headed.

Yeah.

Wes: So as a [00:26:00] newbie, not having been in a. Um, that's actually, I was in a daco program. I just didn't finish that was for English. But do you have a free supposition, like where you think this is going or are you supposed to be like a documentarian, like I have no, my. I'm just recording.

Molly: Well, as a quality researcher, you're not supposed to have any bias.

Okay. Of course. And so if I, uh, vocalize my thoughts right now on this podcast, that could be harming the outcomes of my research. Okay.

Wes: No, uh, no decisions or judgments made ahead of time, but I

Molly: will follow up with you on the outcomes of my research. Okay. That sounds great.

Wes: That sounds great. Do you have a particular.

Uh, the way you like technology to play on your classroom? Is there something?

Molly: I like technology with a purpose. Okay. And if it could benefit or aid the curriculum, then absolutely. Yeah. But if you're just replacing [00:27:00] paper with a pad, a padlet, or a, I don't know, a Would it flip a clip? Yeah. Is that innovative?

Right? Or is it just a replacement? Right. Does that make sense? Sure. Um, so technology with a purpose, you know, there are some killer gizmos that we do in my classroom that we literally cannot do in my classroom with the materials that are given. Um, killer Gizmos is a new term. Oh, killer Gizmos is a new term.

Some amazing virtual labs. Okay. Uhhuh. So Gizmos is an online learning tool that my students use. Literally gizmos? Yeah, literally it's called Gizmos. Okay. Okay. Okay. And so they're online labs. Okay. And so given the limited supplies we have in an eighth grade classroom, of course technology is going to benefit us.

Right. However, if [00:28:00] we are just replacing pen and paper with an iPad, no. That's not benefiting my students. Right? Right, right. So again, it goes back to what's gonna benefit my kids. Yeah. That's

Wes: awesome. So do you have a, a, a killer gizmo? Like favorite the students, oh, they love this lab. What, like what does that look

Molly: like?

A good one. Ooh, there's a mystery powder gizmo. That's really good. Mystery. Yeah. Mystery powder. Okay. It's for chemistry. Yeah. And the students need to identify based on the molecular structure and the atoms, what the mystery powder is. Oh, it sounds like

Wes: something found at a crime scene. Yeah, sure. You have to figure out what what it is.

Yeah. That's more or less. Yeah. And there's a career

Molly: connection. Absolutely. Yeah. Absolutely.

Wes: Wow, that's awesome. Yeah, it's fun. Um, I'm gonna, That's an interesting goal. What should we, arts integration. I love arts integration. Okay. Because you're a science teacher. [00:29:00] So I, I thought maybe Bill Lynch had a typo here, but he says Molly has really been one of the leaders of aligning arts integration with academic curriculum.

So tell me about that. Well,

Molly: lathe to junior high school. The arts. The arts, okay. Mm-hmm. Uh, that has always been my forte, and again, that's how I was trained as a teacher. In the credential program at Cal State Fullerton, they gave us each an art journal exactly how we do at lv. Yeah. So I had my own heart journal as a credential student and gosh.

Wow. Hi. It's amazing. Yeah. And um, you know, I remember in my history class as a credential student, we had to make our own current events page and we used QR codes to link to the website where we found our source and we did a summary and that's, What I've carried into the classroom. That's cool. And so I plan on doing a marbled milk experiment tomorrow, actually, with my students.

Okay. Tell us about, what is that? So this is going to be a perfect [00:30:00] example of arts integration. We are going to do a lab called marbled milk. Okay.

Wes: It makes me think the milk is spoiled,

Molly: but keep Well, we will in fact be spoiling it. Oh, okay. All right. So a little bit of milk in the, in a tray. Maybe 11 by nine.

Yeah. And you put food coloring drops. Okay. And you dab a Q-tip in dish soap. Okay. And the soap mixes with the milk. Okay. The fatty acids in the milk. Okay. And it Chemistry? Yes. Chemistry. Okay. You immediately put it in the, um, drops of food coloring, and it makes a big burst of color. Mm. Big, big bur of color.

And then you take the Q-tip and you swirl it around and marble it. It's integration. I'm getting it. And then you take some watercolor paper. Oh my gosh. And you put it right on top, absorb [00:31:00] Uhhuh, and you pull it out and you have this beautiful marbled paper. Wow. And then we're gonna take our chemistry notes on the marbled paper.

Oh, what that is? Arts

Wes: integration. So you, wow, that's awesome. Like, I mean, Podcast listeners, there's no, there's no like, uh, none of that's in front of us. She just described it with words. I can picture it. Mm-hmm. And then I can imagine if I was a student and I did that, and you have to let it dry overnight.

Yeah. Overnight. Overnight. And then you're taking notes on it, and then the deep connection you have to the design on your paper, it's

Molly: yours. You've made it. That's cool. Wow.

Wes: That's cool. Okay. I, I confess I probably haven't, um, I don't have a deep, uh, reservoir of Arts integration. Um, this is something you work with, uh, with other teachers or how does, how do you come up with these ideas?

Are these just like you look for '

Molly: em, or, well, I think it takes a little bit of creative brain to [00:32:00] Okay. Just think I just am a creative. So it just comes up in my mind, no, God no, not this one. Dear God. No, God no. Not this one. But there are others that just kind of, yeah, pop into my head. I'm like, God, that's a good idea.

Care about it. Gonna do that thinking totally woohoo. That's great. And then we do others called Artist trading cards. I'm sure some listeners might, what's that? Artist trading cards? Yeah, they're just like baseball cards. Okay. So on the front you would have your. Concept as a visual. Okay. So let's say I was doing, oh goodness, Isaac Newton.

Okay. And you could put Isaac Newton as a, you know, profile picture. Right. And then on the back you could outline Newton's laws of motion. Okay. In great detail. Yeah. As a little trading card. Yeah. And then you literally have the students trade them. So students are

Wes: actually making these cards. Mm-hmm. [00:33:00] And then they trade them.

Mm-hmm. That's great. I totally could see

Molly: that. And it lends itself well to any content, any age, any Oh yeah. No, it's wonderful.

Wes: Yeah. Yeah. So it's art, arts and greens integration. You can get in school people. Yeah, it's

Molly: cool. Amazing. It's amazing. That's

Wes: good. It seems like you would tap into something for a lot of students who don't just naturally.

Absolutely. Low. Mm-hmm. Chemistry, let's say. Absolutely. But then the art mm-hmm. Is like a doorway.

Right.

Molly: For them it's whole brain learning. Yeah. It's right and left brain. Yeah. Mm-hmm. That's cool. Well, and what's amazing too about the marbled milk is it's not actually your artistic talent. Right. It's whatever comes on the page.

Yeah. Is your artwork by virtue

Wes: of the science Exactly. Like the science? Exactly. Helping that art. Yes. That

Molly: pattern. Right. And so you often get students that are a little gun shy when you introduce arts. Like, Ooh, I'm not a good [00:34:00] artist draw. But when you introduce concepts like this, they're safe. Yeah. So a couple weeks ago we made bristle bots.

Cut the head of, we, we cut the head of a toothbrush off. Okay. Attached a motor on it, hooked it up to a battery for circuits. Okay. And we put paint down on paper and we let our bristle bot run through the paint. Yeah. And then it, it, the bot painted a picture for us. Right. Our bots painted a picture for us.

And that there's your art integration right there. Yeah. And so it kind of, um, protects the gun shy kids from Right. You know, like, I'm not gonna making mis their little artistic mistakes. Yeah. And you build their confidence up from there. Yeah.

Wes: How do, how do you begin making mistakes? I just thought about sometimes on the podcast we talk about taking risks.

Like how do you feel about making mistakes in teaching or just in [00:35:00] general, like, are you a perfectionist type personality? Are you more like, Easy come. Easy go. I'll learn tomorrow. What's your personality

Molly: like? Oh, little perfectionist through, yeah, absolutely. How's that play out in the class? Classroom? In the classroom?

I think you have to let a lot go in junior high, and I think that actually might be one of the reasons that I love it, is it's a challenge to me. Yeah. You know? And you don't ever think of, uh, like kids being so. Cognitively challenging, but emotionally and physically Challenging, yes, but cognitively challenging.

Absolutely. Because there is, there are issues that come up and you really have to think, Ooh, I've gotta tread this lightly because this student. Will react this way. Right? But this student will react this way. Right? So you kind of need to meditate [00:36:00] on it a little bit and think it's a co junior high is a cognitive challenge, as I'm sure some grades, I've never taught anything but junior high, but I'm sure maybe kindergarten would have the same kinds of cognitive challenges.

First grade, I'm sure they all do to their own

Wes: degree by associate Junior High with. Student like getting disengaged from school. Mm-hmm. And that might look like testing the boundaries, like not willing to accept authority. Mm-hmm. Like maybe younger students are more compliant.

Molly: Right. But they all do that in such different days.

Yeah. That it's not predictable. Yeah. And

Wes: then you're trying to figure out right, what's the best path forward?

Molly: Right. When my job is improv every. I come in and I have to improv every day. Yeah. It's fun. It's fun. It's talk about fun.

Wes: I love it. That's great. Where, where do you see what's next? What are you excited about?

What's coming up this year, [00:37:00] whatever, next year with a doctor?

Molly: Mm-hmm. I have a final exam in two weeks for my last class of the program. Oh, wow. And then I will be all but dissertation. A, B, D. Okay. One year left. And my ultimate goal is to teach future teachers. I would love to teach. Yeah. In a credential program.

Yeah. I could see it.

Wes: I could see it. Mm-hmm.

Molly: Yeah. I would love to maybe dabble in a little bit of policy ed policy. Yeah. I think, you know, having a teacher with a seat at the table would benefit. Yeah. You know, the entire system cuz teacher voice is lost in the sea of politics and. We've got to make a change here with that.

Wes: Yeah. That's very cool. Mm-hmm. Ha. Have you had opportunities like that along the policy lines? What do, what does that look like? Where do you get to play in

Molly: that space? Yes. Um, I am working on [00:38:00] that as, as I go. Uh, I just had the privilege of presenting at the United Nations actually. Okay. Say more. Yeah. I, uh, of, in November did an hour workshop with some colleagues on, uh, internet governance in K to 12 systems.

Yeah. And how to protect the safety and security and digital privacies of children. Yeah. As it pertains to, um, Using technology in schools. Yeah. And affording more governance and support in that regard. And so this was, um, on Zoom obviously, uh, but hosted in Ethiopia. Okay. And so it was a global effort.

Yeah. That brought together the global north, in the global south. What was the expert? Oh my God. It was a 1:00 AM [00:39:00] presentation because it, I got this house in Ethiopia. But I just, you know, I have to pinch myself and, and constantly remind myself that this is really happening. And you know, as my husband says, she's a force of nature.

Yeah. And you're doing it. I'm doing it. And in a cool, you know, in a couple months I'll be presenting with, uh, democracy and technology on a sim similar topic. Oh,

Wes: that's, that's cool. Mm-hmm. Wow. That's exciting. It is. Yeah. Wow. That's cool. What, um, let me ask you, ooh, here's, here's a fun question I've never asked anybody.

Ooh. Um, but one of my favorite podcasts or interviewers, um, ask this question like, if you could put a message on a billboard that you just think most people like on the side of the freeway, they drive by and they had a chance to read your message to the [00:40:00] world. What's something you think people should know or think about or meditate on?

Wow. Anything. Yeah. You've been to the United Nations. There's your life billboard.

Molly: It has to be something about education.

Wes: Okay. Yeah. Think out

Molly: loud. Just yeah. And has to be something about education. That's my, that's my mission in life. Yeah. Um. I really believe that education needs to be kept free and fair and public.

Hmm. And accessible to everybody. Yeah, and free from corruption, free from harm to form, and [00:41:00] protect the future of democracy.

Wes: Yeah. That's powerful.

Mm-hmm.

Molly: That's powerful. So I would summarize that in a very brief message.

Wes: I think we can get on the billboard. Education needs to be free, fair, accessible, and protective.

Something like that.

Molly: But it has to include the word democracy. Yeah. Yeah. That has to be on there. Yeah. That's super. Something a lot that, that's my message. Yeah. And

Wes: I feel like a lot of teachers that resonates with teachers. I, I feel like a lot of us feel public, like we're serving the public. Mm-hmm. I don't know that I've ever really talked with a teacher who's like, worn in on their sleeve like you do.

And I think that's beautiful. Thank you. Yeah. That's cool. Thank you. Uh, let me look at our timer here. I know we're, [00:42:00] Oh yeah, it's time. It's time. We're over time. Oh my gosh. Um, but this has been great. Thank you so much for coming in me and taking part in sharing your journey

Molly: with us. Thank you so much for having me.

That was really fun.

Wes: This has been the Teacher Interview podcast. Thank you for joining us.