Transcript from the English episode may be found below.
#WeAreGIPS
EPISODE TRANSCRIPT:
Podcast Intro 00:00
This is Grand Island Public Schools podcast, and these are our stories. We are learners. We are educators and teaching hearts as well as minds. We are 10,000 diverse voices, and we're changing the world together, one classroom at a time. These are our stories. We are GIPS. We Are GIPS. Somos. Que efe ese. We Are GIPS. Somos GIPS. We are GIPS. And this is, 'The GIPS Cast'!
Mitchell Roush 00:31
Welcome back to 'The GIPS Cast', a conversation based podcast exploring the voices of Grand Island Public Schools in Nebraska. I'm your host, Mitchell Roush, the Communications Director here at GIPS, and as always, I am grateful to bring to you new stories from all corners of our district, because here we're driven by our mission of every student every day, a success. Teachers are everyday heroes. How do I know? Well, for a few reasons. Number one, teachers have chosen a career that is dedicated to equipping future generations of humans for how they encounter the world, how they problem solve and how to accomplish great things. Not only is that incredibly high stakes, but to me, that's pretty inspirational. And number two, another reason I'm convinced that teachers are everyday heroes is the sheer amount of decisions that they have to make on a daily basis, alongside the variety of skills that they wield in the classroom on the daily let's take fifth grade, for example. I recently visited Mr. Jason Wiesman class at Howard Elementary. Mr. Wiesman has been in the district for over a decade, and all that time, he's been leading a fifth grade classroom at Howard. He's a fantastic educator and a great teacher collaborator. And do you want to know what those fifth graders were working on when I visited their class the other day, Shakespeare, our fifth grade scholars were reading Shakespeare, but not only that, they were they were they were doing more than reading. They were breaking down the text. They were discussing character traits. They were identifying the different parts of a play or a script. They were identifying and defining key vocabulary words that were new to them, and they were unpacking together with their classmates, the structure and discoveries found in the narrative. You can hear it in the background of my rambling right now. Actually, that's that's exactly what they're doing Shakespeare in fifth grade. It's pretty incredible, if you ask me. And you know what that was, only like 45 minutes of their day. Those fifth grade students also worked on math. That same day. They worked on science discoveries. That same day, they worked on ckla knowledge, where they discussed common topics, connecting to curriculum they've hit in either math, science or literacy. And they went to a special that day, either art, pe music or media. And of course, they enjoyed lunch and multiple recesses. And who facilitates all of that? Mr. Wiesman, an elementary school teacher. And in this case, a fifth grade teacher has to get up there and lead a class of approximately 18 to 25 ish students and curate the learning for all of those content areas. And that teacher is likely differentiating the learning for each of those students along the way, that teacher is also managing classroom expectations and affirming positive behavior. That teacher is ensuring students are participating in ways that make them feel confident, and that teacher is building connections with each student along the way, all while teaching Shakespeare and equations and how mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell and so much more. So, yeah, teachers are the real deal. It's a big job. It's high stakes, but it's also high reward. I like to think of it as an art form. Teaching, in many ways, is art. So I sat down with Mr. Wiesman after visiting his class. He graciously agreed to go on the mic and share exactly how he approaches the art of teaching fifth grade. Here's our conversation.
Jason Weseman 04:55
All right, I am Jason Weseman. I am a fifth grade teacher at Howard Elementary.
Mitchell Roush 04:59
Mr. Weseman, thank you so much for being here. Appreciate it, and thank you for letting me hang out in your class today. Thank you for the chance to be a part of this. Absolutely. So I'm going to start with an easy question, how did you end up as an elementary school teacher?
Jason Weseman 05:13
Well, I'm a third generation teacher in my family. That's awesome. My grandma was a teacher my mom, so I grew up with education chit chat happening around me. And so I think I knew from the time I was three, I wanted to be in education. I just didn't know where. Yeah, by the time I got to college, I was like, you know, I think I want to do, like, secondary ed history.
Mitchell Roush 05:33
So, like, high school history, right?
Jason Weseman 05:36
During that time I was I did some soul searching, and I thought, I don't know if that's what I want to exactly do, teaching the same subject every day. So then I kind of was like, you know, I like littler kids. I like mixing it up throughout the day. And I just kind of went down that path to elementary.
Mitchell Roush 05:53
And here you are in fifth grade, right? And you've been doing this a while. How long you've been doing this? Yeah, this is my 13th year, amazing. And you're all at Howard, right? Howard. All fifth grade. Love to see it. Love to see it. So along those lines, right, you talked even a little bit about it, right? Instead of focusing on one thing, you get to teach a lot of things, right? Elementary school teachers, you touch a lot of stuff, literacy, math, science, health, you name it. You've got all these sorts of things. So it's a delicate balance. I like to think, though, that teaching, in many ways, can be viewed as an art form. It's inherently creative, it's challenging, it's flexible, it's random, but it can also be very powerful, among so many other things. So let's talk about your art form, the way you artfully and creatively manage your classroom at the elementary school level. What are strategies you use for creating a positive and productive learning environment for your kids?
Jason Weseman 06:46
I really like to get my kids working together, whether it's as a partner or in a small group. So we work a lot on, you know, how does this connect to skills you're going to need in real life? Maybe you don't feel like Shakespeare is something you're going to use down the road, but how is it you're going to, you know, you're going to need to work together. So we work a lot on your working with people. Those might not be your friends, but they are people who you do need to get along with. You need to accomplish a task. So I approach a lot of things from that mindset and getting kids into like you're approaching a problem. How are you going to work together? You might be the person with the strengths in that group this time, and then there might be another time where you're the person who needs a little more support from the people you're working with.
Mitchell Roush 07:28
Absolutely.
GIPS COMMERCIAL 07:34
Public Schools. News flash, registration for the 2025, 2026, school year is now open at GIPS! That's right. Registration for Grand Island Public Schools is now open for preschool, elementary, middle and high school, all new or returning students may register online. March 31 is the deadline to request placement in your neighborhood school. Go to gips.org/registration for more information and to register your scholar. Today, we're ready to make the next school year a great one. Join us. Go to gips.org/registration, to learn more and to register your scholar for Grand Island Public Schools.
Mitchell Roush 08:11
You're reading A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare with your fifth graders, which is, Wow, amazing. But in your classroom. I saw a lot of different things. I saw your students working on independent reading time. I saw your students working on reading aloud. I saw them working in pairs to identify and collaborate on the work that they completed by themselves. I saw you pulling out name sticks to try to engage in dialog and whole classroom conversation. I saw learning vocabulary. I saw images matched up with vocabulary in just like the 10 minutes I was watching that unit of y'all working on a scene in Midsummer Night's Dream. I saw all those things talk to me. There's obviously intention behind that. So unpack that for me and our listeners.
Jason Weseman 08:57
I mean, in education, we call those opportunities to respond, and so we really try to mix up. How are we getting kids to respond throughout the lesson? Not just leaving it to are you raising your hand? Because not everybody's gonna raise their hand, right? So I'm trying to think on my feet. And a lot of those moments like, okay, it's been a little while I have the same people. I'm gonna draw sticks, or we're gonna mix this up. Now. We're gonna go find somebody. Get out of our chair, move bringing in technology. Some of those pieces are built ahead of time, but then some of those moments are as you get into the lesson and you see how your kids are responding and just mixing that up to keep them engaged.
Mitchell Roush 09:33
There's intention behind those things. It's, yeah, it may make the classroom a little bit more fun, but there's also, like, there's intentionality behind that, and I think that's easy to overlook. So opportunities to respond, having students work together, how do you see that influencing their learning?
Jason Weseman 09:52
It keeps them thinking on their feet. Yeah, they know there's, there's going to be a chance that they might randomly be called out. So they're, they're, they're less likely to disengage or just sit back because they know they're going to be held accountable.
Mitchell Roush 10:06
Probably gives you another tangible snapshot as you work around the room to see how students are progressing and how they're also expressing themselves, right?
Jason Weseman 10:13
It also, yeah, it just gives me a chance to to see who's with me, who's meeting the target for that day and that lesson. Because if you just rely on one strategy of students you know, voluntarily answering, you're only hearing from that snapshot of the group. So I like to find ways to to hear and check in with all the students as they're learning.
Mitchell Roush 10:33
I love that. It's a great way to make it more inclusive and to differentiate at the same time. That's That's great, as you know better than me. Teach in fifth grade for 13 years. Elementary students are naturally curious. They are interested in so many things. You're working on Shakespeare right now, but is there, like, another unit or a lesson that stands out to you for your fifth graders, that they're particularly excited about?
Jason Weseman 10:57
So in, like in math, they really get into, like, coordinate geometry, you know, using x axis, y axis to plot points, I try to make that engaging by kind of connecting it to, like Mario. So when you're playing Mario --
Mitchell Roush 11:10
You've got Mario all over your class. I love that.
Jason Weseman 11:12
It's my, it's my go to I love it and so, and I think kids connect to it really well. So using that as an example, like, hey, when we're when we're graphing points in the coordinate plane, mario has to always run and then jump to grab objects. It's the same thing you're moving along the x axis, running and then jumping. So I kind of tied that in.
Mitchell Roush 11:32
I could have used that when letters started getting introduced in math when I was in school. I could have used a Mario example. And I
Jason Weseman 11:39
don't know how it just came to me. That was something I kind of created. I think I thought that was kind of a boring thing. So I was like, How can we tie in something fun?
Mitchell Roush 11:47
Right? Like coming back to what you said earlier, learning can be fun even when you're working on hard things, right? And again, trying to make it engaging so the kids are actually picking up what you're sharing,
Jason Weseman 11:57
right? And, I mean, we've just finished a unit on the Renaissance, and so that's another kind of hefty stuff, it is. But you know what? What the like? What kid doesn't like art? So that's that's something where I try to bring in a lot of moments like, hey, Michelangelo, he was painting the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Let's take paper under the bottom side of our desk. We're gonna lay on our back and try to draw a picture. Yes. And so they get that feeling of like, wow, his back had to hurt for doing that multiple years, and they only did it for, you know, 15 minutes.
Mitchell Roush 12:28
I love seeing pictures like that. I've seen teachers share that out with that same exercise. And again, it just, it looks like a fun experience, but you know what the learning is connected to at the same time? Right?
GIPS COMMERCIAL 12:44
It's time to register for Preschool! That's right. Grand Island Public Schools is now registering students for their preschool program. Children who are four years old by July 31 are eligible to register for preschool, and children who are verified for special education at three years old are also eligible. Preschool is a great way for children to spark creativity and to learn how to learn. So go to gips.org/registration to register. It's time to register for preschool at Grand Island Public Schools!
Mitchell Roush 13:20
Managing a classroom, you've got over 20 kids in your class, and wanting to build a relationship with each of them, differentiate their learning. It's a big order. Teaching is no joke. We talk about that on this podcast a lot, and obviously student behavior can also fluctuate with that. And so you're going to have students in your classroom from year to year that are picking things up quickly, some that aren't, some that are maybe coming in with a hard day's worth of baggage from, you know, whatever's happening outside of the classroom and everything. There are all sorts of things at play. So how do you, how do you work on that piece to support your students who are struggling, while also helping your students who need to keep progressing along?
Jason Weseman 13:59
It's definitely a delicate balance, yeah, and I'm I'm working on that myself. Every year, I feel like I grow in that area. What I try to do is I really try to make the learning real for them. I try to connect it to something they're passionate about, and at the very least, I try to connect it to goals that they have set. Okay, so we work on setting goals all throughout the year, whether it's with some assessments or just, you know, things kids like, like, what do you want to be when you grow up? Okay, well, how does this maybe, you know you don't like Shakespeare, but Shakespeare is reading. Shakespeare is, you know, you're acting. You're having to put emotion into your what you're reading. How's that connect to what you want to do in real life? And just using that to kind of push them towards their goals.
Mitchell Roush 14:46
that's such a tangible way to make it more connected again, to something that's going to drive them right, like there's going to be aspects of school that you love and some that makes it feel like you're eating your vegetables. But if you can make the vegetable piece get connected to, hey, I'm a. Excited about this, and it makes a connection there. That makes a lot of sense to me.
Jason Weseman 15:03
Yeah. And, I mean, I tried to just work on, you know, you might not like some but even in your job, someday you might find it like, I'm passionate about my job. There are pieces I'm not passionate about, like that happen in the day to day. That's a real life experience, and it's a real life skill you have to you have to work on. How are you going to get through the mud? Yep, to get back to where you want to be.
Mitchell Roush 15:25
I love it. So again, you've been teaching fifth grade for 13 years. You're fortunate enough to say you've done that in the same building, which is really cool. I love that about your story. But looking back, if you were, if I was a first year teacher getting ready to step into a fifth grade classroom for the first time. What's one piece of advice you would give to me?
Jason Weseman 15:45
I would say, pick one thing you want to get good at in that first year and just stick to that, because education is literally drinking from a fire hose, and you're going to be so overwhelmed your first year. Pick. What is it, what is the one thing you want to accomplish in that year? And just really drive that home, yeah, and then the next year, pick something else, and keep building as you go, because you will never be good at everything, and you will have rough moments, but stick to what, what it is you want to do. And you will go miles with your students, if you, if you're working on your own goals and just sticking to them as well.
Mitchell Roush 16:26
Sounds like a good word. And so, as you're, as you're, I mean, we're recording this in March, and so you're about to wrap up year 13, and thinking ahead to year 14. What keeps you coming back to the classroom? Why do you do this every year?
Jason Weseman 16:39
Every year is a different year. But I also just love seeing how much my students grow. Yeah, within a year, I I just, I think that's it's almost addicting when you see, when you see the impact that you have on a group of kids and the role that you play. And just at this point, you know, I've got kids who are adults that have, yeah, that my first year they're out in the college age level. That's right. And so, you know, when you see those kids and where they went in life, and knowing that you played a part in that, that's just, that's what keeps you coming back.
Mitchell Roush 17:14
That's why we do what we do. That's why any teacher does what they do, right? And you do you, I would imagine, as like you said, drinking from the fire hose, but you do get the rare opportunity to have a front row seat to watching students grow and develop every year.
Jason Weseman 17:31
Yeah. I mean, you, somebody once told me, No, in education, you have the power to change trajectories for where kids are going. And I definitely see that. I can see students who where they like, knowing where they end up in life, and it's like, wow. And I know when you were in fifth grade, you that was a pivotal year. You really turned things and so knowing that you're part of that change and putting them on that right path.
Mitchell Roush 17:58
yeah, I I still remember Mrs. W was the teacher I had in seventh grade who was the first teacher to like, I was loud and disruptive, but she was the first one to tell me like I was good at storytelling and I was good at writing and I should share my voice in that way. And that changed everything, right? And it's just cool that you get that opportunity to be that teacher for something, yeah, and
Jason Weseman 18:18
You it's just unbelievable how the smallest little thing, like telling somebody, like, Hey, this is something you're good at, you can do this, and how that can just stick with them. Because I I have connections like that too. In my past, I had a teacher once tell me, like, you are good at writing, and I always thought, No way, you know. And that stuck with me. Even as I teach, there's pieces I bring in that I learned from that moment amazing.
Mitchell Roush 18:40
It's It's incredible to see. And so I ask everybody that guests on this podcast this question, because, as always, our regular listeners know I'm fascinated by the answers. So I want to ask you, Mr. Wiesman, what is one thing about public education you want people to know?
Jason Weseman 18:56
Just how many people are there for kids? We we truly are a village and how important every person is in that process. Because, as you said, like it's not even teachers who can sometimes have the biggest impact on a kid. It could be a custodian, a parent, a counselor, all those people are so impactful and so so important in the lives of the kids that we work with.
Mitchell Roush 19:23
That is a salient word. I just our last episode, we just published. I interviewed Chris Spellman, our director of nutrition services, and I asked her the same question, and she was like, me and our team, like, yeah, we're serving food. But she's like, it's the kids, yeah. Like, and I love that everybody doesn't matter what you're doing, if you're leading a classroom or if you're a support staff somewhere, everyone knows that that's why you're there.
Jason Weseman 19:48
The kids are the fuel to the fire for a lot of us. And and I feel that like when I around kids, I don't have the drive and the energy that I do when I'm in the classroom.
Mitchell Roush 19:58
I love that. Anything else you'd like to share?
Jason Weseman 20:02
No, I love being a part of this. This was awesome. Cool.
Mitchell Roush 20:04
Well, Mr. Weseman, thank you, more importantly, for what you do. You show up every day, you teach your fifth grade scholars, and you get them ready for the next chapter, and you help them realize their potential. So thank you for doing that.
Jason Weseman 20:15
Well, and thank you for showcasing all of the hard work all of us do.
Mitchell Roush 20:19
Happy to do it. Thank you so much, listeners as always, for joining us here at 'The GIPS Cast'! We appreciate you journeying along with us as we explore the great things taking place at Grand Island Public Schools. Of course, again, a major thank you goes out to Mr. Wiesman for being generous with his time and space and his voice in his classroom, and for all the ways that he champions his students for incredible learning. Friendly reminder, we are currently in our big push for registration. The 2025 26 school year is around the corner. We want all of our families to register by March 31 so please go to gips.org/registration, and register your students for the upcoming school year. We have opportunities in preschool, all through elementary school, middle school and high school. So register your student today. And of course, if you enjoyed 'The GIPS Cast', or you enjoyed this episode, we would greatly appreciate it if you gave us a rating or a review on your favorite podcast platform, on Spotify, Apple podcasts, iHeartRadio, wherever you listen to this podcast, it'll help other people discover us along the way. Thank you again for journeying with us, and we will be coming back to you soon with some more great stories from Grand Island Public Schools.
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