The Framework Every CTE Teacher Needs ft. Tisha Richmond | My EdTech Life 348

Dr. Alfonso Mendoza: 0:10

Hello, everybody, and welcome to another great episode of My EdTech Life. Thank you so much for joining us on this wonderful day. And wherever it is that you're joining us from around the world, thank you as always for all of your support. We appreciate all the likes, the shares, the follows. Thank you so much for engaging with our amazing content and connecting with our magnificent guests. As always, this wouldn't be possible if it wasn't for our sponsors. So thank you so much to Book Creator, EduA, Yellow Dig, and Peelback Education. We appreciate you uh believing in our mission to bring these amazing conversations into the education space so we may continue to grow both professionally and personally. And I am excited about today's episode. I'm just gonna tell you a little backstory. So I'm I've been on break this whole week, and all of a sudden, I think it was either Friday or on a Saturday, all of a sudden I see my great friend uh Tisha putting up a post about some great news. And immediately I jumped on it. I got up to TikTok, I got on a DM and said, Hey, would you love to be on the show? And I'm excited to have her on the show today. So, guys, I want to introduce you to Tisha Richmond, who is joining me this morning here on my ed tech live. Tisha, how are you doing?

Tisha Richmond: 1:28

I'm doing great. It's so wonderful to be on your show. Thank you so much for having me. I've been looking forward to this.

Dr. Alfonso Mendoza: 1:34

Oh, I've been looking forward to it too, because like I said, just the the subject matter of your book, what you're gonna be talking about today and and sharing with the world today is something that as of late, like for some reason, like I just got into this like CTE mode and just wanting to learn more. What can we do to improve the programs? What can we do to help our students out even more within you know the career technology education fields, and of course, just to kind of talk about and and do away with maybe some misconceptions that may be out there about CTE and things of that sort. So when, like I said, when I saw your post and your most recent release, I was like, I gotta have Tisha on because I know she is doing some fantastic work within her classroom. And we're gonna be talking about your amazing framework, your magical framework, which I'm excited to learn more about because just in the little warm-up chat that we had, I was like, this is just mind-blowing. And just the fact that you took your time to go through that and be very intentional with that process and that framework, I was like, yes, this is amazing. So, Tisha, for our audience members that are joining us today or listening today, that may not be familiar with your work yet or haven't connected with you yet, can you give us a little brief education and excuse me, a little brief introduction and what your context is within the education space?

Tisha Richmond: 2:57

Yes, absolutely. So I have been in education since 1996. It's a long time. And most of those years have been in the current technical education classroom. I taught for five years in San Diego, came to Oregon, uh, was full-time mom for a few years, and then jumped back into the classroom again, uh, teaching current technical education, specifically interior design and culinary arts. Went on teaching for another 17 years, uh, took a brief jump outside of the classroom for five years and got to explore tech integration. I was our district's tech integration specialist supporting teachers K through 12 and how to bring innovative ideas and technology into the classroom. I had a three-year opportunity to work with Canva for education. And I was a Canva learning consultant, getting to work with educators from around the world and how to bring Canva into classroom learning. And then last year I had this kind of unexplainable tug on my heart to return to the classroom again, teaching culinary arts at the rival school across town from where I taught before. And I just, it was truly unexplainable. It was just not something I was looking for. The opportunity was there. And I jumped uh very quickly a week before school started into this role. In fact, I didn't even spend the first three weeks with my students because I was tying up some loose ends with my uh previous job. So it's been a wonderful journey in education. I'm so grateful for every experience that I've had. I've had the amazing opportunity to publish through Dave Bridges Consulting, some books that are near and dear to my heart. I've had the opportunity to present around uh the world to educators on topics that are near and dear to my heart. So I'm just I'm grateful for it all. I truly am.

Dr. Alfonso Mendoza: 4:54

That is wonderful. You know, the the experience that you've had, and like you mentioned, you know, seeing the classroom, seeing what it's like, you know, outside the classroom as, you know, tech integrationist. And then of course, your your uh time through Canva as well, and then you know, coming back into the classroom, you know, sometimes I feel that uh those perspectives really help out a lot. And just seeing things through different lenses helps so much that now, like you said, you felt that tug and you came back to the classroom. I'm sure that now things, although maybe you you're teaching the same thing in culinary arts, but now things look different. You know, now you come in with this renewed vision and a renewed sense of like what can I do? Because now you've kind of seen it all, and now you're kind of bundling all that knowledge that you you not only gave to teachers that, but you also learned from them and now bringing it back into the classrooms, and now your students get to reap the the and sow the root, you know, that knowledge that you're pouring into them, and that's something that is wonderful and amazing, and especially with culinary arts. That's to be honest with you, if if I could go back in time, I would probably like would love to have been a chef because I'm just a huge foodie and I love to watch all those like chef competitions and everything. And um, so it's just fantastic. So tell me now a little bit more. I want to talk uh, you know, you mentioned, you know, you published some books, and uh, you know, so I want to talk a little bit about that as far as your publishing that you've done, you know, what has been the motivation or what was, you know, the the influence behind those books and to just put that out into the world?

Tisha Richmond: 6:39

Yeah, so you know, every book that I have written is truly just such a part of my heart, a piece of my heart, because they all tell a different story. And my first book that is called Make Learning Magical was really about how I went from a teacher that was burnt out, kind of ready to throw in the towel, and how I was able to really transform what teaching looked like for me and how I could create unforgettable experiences for students was really my manifesto. It was my story of how of that journey and what those seven keys were that really unlocked the magic in my classroom. Uh, so that was just an incredible opportunity for me to be able to share that story, hoping that I could help others that may have been feeling that they're in that same position. Maybe they are ready to throw in the towel too, and how I was able to uh reinvigorate my joy, re-spark my joy, and really hoping that that might do the same for other educators. Really, I'm speaking from a career and technical educator standpoint, but I really wrote it for all educators to be able to do that. Um, the Dragon Smart book that I wrote with my son uh is a gosh, I can't even express how special that story is to me because we wrote it together. I wrote the story based on his educational journey. And then he came alongside and brought all of that the stories, all the lines of that story to life with his amazing illustrations. And it was an opportunity really to come, I don't know, for his story to come full circle, because here I am writing the story about his educational journey and how his brilliance may not show up like every other student's brilliance, or it may not be really acknowledged in grades or good test scores, however, uh really highlighting all the ways that he is brilliant. And it's a conversation between a mom and a son about um how he shines in ways that maybe the world doesn't always recognize. And so to see him learn how to truly learn how to draw and illustrate through the process of writing this book and then have it released to the world has been the most amazing bonding experience for my son and I. And for him also to realize, wow, his story matters and he can share this story with the world and now see the impact it's gonna have on kids across the globe and truly have heard those stories where, you know, parents will write us and say, Oh my goodness, like I can't even tell you how this story touched my daughter or my son, or how it just really spoke to me as an adult, right? And so, oh my gosh, that has been an amazing, uh, amazing journey with my son. We've been able to present at conferences together. We've been able to do read alouds in classrooms virtually and in person. So that's been incredible. Um, I did write an ebook that I uh collaborated with with John Kripo and Marlena Hepburn. It's the Edu Protocols Companion Guide, where I wrote um, I created Canva templates to go along with their Edu Protocols book one. And so that was such a different experience, right? Because it wasn't um an educational book like Make Learning Magical. It wasn't a picture book like Dragon Smart. This was a uh a guide that went along with an incredible, a credible book. And so I collaborating with that was amazing. And then this recent book, The Magical CTE Classroom, again is so near and dear to my heart because it's truly speaking from my career and technical educator lens, and I've been in this world for a long, long time, and really helping give some tools to educators on really how can we bring that play, innovation, and joy into our classrooms because career and technical education is so vital and so important. And I want to I want to help educators see how we can infuse some of this this playful learning in a really meaningful way that is really going to help them as they move from our classrooms into this real world of work, um, how it can really be uh powerful.

Dr. Alfonso Mendoza: 11:16

Oh, I love that. You know, and especially, you know, now diving in a little bit more into this conversation is just something that is exciting, and especially about uh your most recent uh release. And to me, that gets me really excited because the way that you talk about this throughout your experience. And then um oftentimes, and again, this this is just me and my experience, and I don't know about your experience uh, you know, in the previous schools that you were in and now in your current school, but it just seems like oftentimes uh CTE teachers are kind of siloed and kind of left out. You know, we uh sometimes we just focus more on that core curriculum, on whatever's gonna be state tested. And so we focus more on that math, reading, science, and social studies. And then oftentimes we just forget that there is also a curriculum for, you know, CTE for the teachers. And when, you know, being in a in a role as a digital learning coordinator for many years, oftentimes the the comments or the questions were were well, what about us, Mr. Mandelsa? Like, why why don't we get to go or do these trainings and do all of this? Why isn't there anything available for us as far as you know, just tech integration or finding great ways to that uh things that you can implement into classrooms? So I love the fact that you're bringing your experience and that lens into the CTE classroom and like you mentioned, making that learning enjoyable, interactive, fun, where the students truly feel like creators and not just those consumers and really taking it to that next level. So I want to ask you, I uh so I know that this is uh make CTE magical or the magical CTE classroom, sorry. And so what where did that come from? Was it something that you were seeing too? Like, hey, you know what, like CTE doesn't always have to be just this cut and dry, or you know, just tell me a little bit how the book came to fruition.

Tisha Richmond: 14:18

Yeah, so you know my original book, Make Learning Magical Again, was a book that really kind of talked about how I was able to re-spark the joy in my own teaching. I was kind of at this point in my career where I was going through the motions. Like I had been teaching for a while, like I was pretty dialed in. Like I knew how to teach. However, I wasn't enjoying it. I had lost my joy for it. And I think in return, whatever emotion we bring into the classroom is contagious, right? So if we're not excited about what we're teaching and we're not bringing that joy into the classroom, our students aren't going to probably be as joyful about learning it. And so um it really truly transformed what the learning landscape looked for looked like for me as well as my students. And so the magical CTE classroom is really um making that accessible, where I feel like make learning magical was the story and really kind of breaking down those seven keys. And I do have some great strategies in that book as well. The magical CTE classroom is just giving so many ideas and strategies that teachers can take and use right away. So you, I want this book to be bookmarked. I want there to be post-it notes all the way through it and for teachers to be able to flip through, oh, yeah, I want to try this one, or hey, I want to try this. I also really wanted to reach that CTE educator that maybe is coming straight from industry. So many teachers in CTE are not going through the four-year teaching program and and you know, they're coming from industry. So they might be getting their CTE credential, you know, after like they've had this full career, maybe 20, 30 years in a career in the industry, and now are jumping into education. And so they are having to kind of backfill and and find those strategies and really try to learn all of the lingo that comes along in education. And I really wanted to provide some simple lesson frame unit and lesson frameworks for those educators to be able to see like this is how this is how I structure my classroom. This is how I kind of build a lesson, this is how I um can infuse that joy right in. And some of the tried and true, just foundational pieces that has really helped me create this um CTE learning atmosphere that is very lab-based and hands-on. And like you said, a lot of times in our PD programs within our districts, it's speaking to the core subject areas. We're not learning what it looks like when you are in a classroom with moving parts and hot burners and, you know, power tools, and students are moving and they're they're not sitting for very long at all. My class is very lab-based. My students are up and they're moving, and you it takes intention to create a learning atmosphere where students are creating, collaborating, communicating from beginning to end, right? And um, and again, with hot burners, power tools, pick things that could potentially be dangerous. And so I really wanted to help teachers that are in career and technical education, whatever career pathway they might be teaching, I wanted them to have kind of this access to what that structure can look like and how we truly can make it a joyful learning atmosphere.

Dr. Alfonso Mendoza: 18:19

Oh, and that is great. You know, I I think you hit the nail on the head on something there that I didn't even think about too, which is like you mentioned, a lot of these the educators that are coming in into the classroom that are CTE, uh, they're coming in exactly like you said, like from industry. And that kind of took me back to when I first stepped into the classroom. I mean, I came into industry, but I mean, I went into one of the course subjects. And yeah, it was it was a very interesting thing. Like, you know, you're having to learn how to teach while you're teaching. And luckily I had some amazing mentors that really helped out and really helped me understand, you know, how just really pedagogy and all the standards and how to unpack that. And so that is really helpful. So now, like you mentioned, this is a wonderful resource talking about how many new teachers are coming in into that CTE uh, you know, kind of pathway and career pathways that are teaching there that don't have that the, you know, the ed the, I guess you would say the the four-year education background, you know, going in as educators. And now they have a wonderful resource that they can have on hand to try out within the lessons that they may have, the curriculum they may have, and embed it in such a way to make that learning, like you mentioned, memorable, make it actionable, make it something that's long-lasting. And I think that this is great, that there's finally the resource. And I'm really excited about that because now I'm like, hey, maybe I should, you know, kind of share this also there with our district leaders and say, hey, you know, maybe do some kind of book study or be able to, you know, do some kind of uh professional development based on those things and seeing how this the teachers may be able to integrate into, and like I always say, sprinkle it onto what they are already doing great, and then just to really take that lesson to that next level. And so that way the students too enjoy it and they enjoy it because, like you mentioned one thing, that's something very important too. That that attitude that you kind of bring in is kind of like what is also gonna set the tone for for the class and the course. So I think that that's something that's great. Now, one thing that I I would love for you to share is I just learned it right now from our pre-chat that actually magical is a framework that you came up with. So maybe our audience and our listeners listening to this uh were not familiar with that. So, would you be able to tell us a little bit more about your framework and expand on that so that way our listeners, you know, whether they're in CTE or not CTE, but can share this uh, you know, out and be able to say, hey guys. I just heard this show and here's a book, you know, that can help uh you as a CTE teacher.

Tisha Richmond: 21:06

Yeah, absolutely. So as I shared before, um, you know, as a teacher that was kind of ready to call it quits, I was able to really kind of re-spark my joy and really be able to transform things. And when I really sat down to think about, well, what was it? Like what are what were the keys that really helped unlock that joy again in my classroom learning? And I really, when I really sat down and thought about it, it it broke down into these seven keys: memorable beginning, authenticity and agency, gamified experiences, innovation, creativity, collaboration, and curiosity, authentic audience, and legacy. And so, you know, I again in that original book, I break down what each of those different keys mean and what it looked like to be able to unlock those keys in my classroom and kind of how you as an educator can unlock that in your classroom too. And then in the magical CTE classroom, I really kind of build off of that framework to really be able to show teachers how you can set up your unit and your lesson plans with that framework, and then some really actionable strategies that you can use right away to be able to tap into those different keys as well. And I really feel that this book, a lot of the strategies are going to be able to be used across the board. But I really wanted to speak from my perspective as a career and technical educator and really speak to career and technical education because I feel like we talked about before, oftentimes there isn't a lot that are a lot of resources and books and PD that are speaking to those that are in these career and technical uh-based classrooms. And um, that was really important to me to feel like I could provide that to educators in this space.

Dr. Alfonso Mendoza: 23:15

Oh, and I think that's great and such a great framework. And one of the things that I mentioned to you even pre-chat too is just how how thoughtful that framework is. And it just hits on so much that we normally do in in what whatever classroom you may be in, uh, you know, that you know, framework is definitely something that would be very useful, like you mentioned, for straight across the board. But I'm glad that there is something now, like you mentioned, a resource that we can share with our CTE teachers that can feel like, hey, this is for me, this is specifically for me. Now I have something where I can go ahead and learn from to as well and implement and just really take my classroom to that next level and those ideas, like you mentioned, that they can go through and you know, say, hey, you know what, maybe this six weeks or this, you know, nine weeks, I'm gonna try this activity, or you know what, let's see how I can implement this next activity. And then they kind of just start owning it and seeing where it is that that might be able to fit in into their curriculum and just kind of ease into it. And then before you know it, it's like, hey, you know, it's they get reinvigorated, like you mentioned. It's like now the learning kind of, even though you may be teaching the same thing, but the experience is different now. Like you said, they feel more comfortable. The students are engaged in a different manner in a different way. And I think that that alone, too, also really helps an educator out just feel like, wow, this is great. It's things are going better. You know, I've just it was a small tweak, but it was an effective tweak that made and enhanced the learning. And now students are able to understand the concept better, or now they're creating or or now I'm seeing their thought process in a different way too, as well. So I think that that's great. So I want to ask you, Tish, if you can, uh, can you give us maybe one example from your book that you might be able to share just a, you know, as a preview for our audience members that are going to jump on the link and order your book?

Tisha Richmond: 25:17

Yeah, absolutely. Um, one of the things that I dive into is a little bit about how we can create games around the vocabulary and terminology in our courses. Um, because oftentimes, I mean, we our courses are full of terminology, right? We are teaching um terms straight from industry that are going to be really essential for them to understand and to be able to be able to use. And so one of the things that I love to do is find games that allow us to be able to teach that vocabulary acquisition in a fun and engaging way because we are they're using it in lab-based settings, but to really truly understand what those terms are and to be able to practice that takes intention. And so I have created a whole section in this book that really um takes a set of vocabulary cards. So, like you might, you might just on an index card write all of your vocabulary terms. You can use that same stack of index cards to be able to um to create these fun games for learning that vocab. And so I have a whole section that is just called Words at Play, reimagining vocabulary through games. So I have a game called Time's Ticking. I have one that's inspired by the headbands game, you know, where you wear the headband with the word called Top of Mind. Um, I have a game that I created inspired by cranium called the Wild Unicorn. Um, so I have it's chock full of these games that you can use to teach vocabulary. And then every game not only gives instructions, a lot of them have um a QR code that leads to a template that you can use. And I also have why this works. And so for each game, I break down like why this works for vocabulary acquisition and CTE. So you can really think about okay, this is why, this is what I'm really wanting to work on with my students. Like this is definitely a game that I want to try to bring in.

Dr. Alfonso Mendoza: 27:24

Nice. I love it. And you know what? That's a nice spin too, because oftentimes, like I said, it's these classes are so intense. And like you mentioned, you know, right now, as you were mentioning, you know, vocabulary, I was thinking about, you know, our our nursing classes that we have, or you know, where the students are there and they're having to learn, you know, just words that I I have never seen that I can't sometimes I can't even pronounce, but just to take it to that next level where instead of just sitting there the way you normally do, just through repetition and through matching and or just outright just sitting there wrote memorization, we don't want that rote memorization. Like we want the students to really, you know, own those words and really learn the words. And I think that just having that little tweak, like you mentioned, and all those options that you offer the teachers, that's something that is great, where, like I mentioned, they could do that the first six weeks, they can practice before a test, they can review continually. You know, I was thinking, you know, they can do their time sticking, you know, as and as soon as they come in, they practice that depending on the length of their classes and so on. And just so as the students go throughout the year, those vocabulary words are always present and they're always there, uh, you know, for them to practice. So, you know, things like that make a huge difference. And not like I mentioned, not like and like you mentioned too, not just for CTE, but really for all classrooms where you're learning vocabulary. And I think that's something that is great. So again, yeah, wonderful resource because now even myself, just coming in, I would say, you know, this right here is if you give me this as an educator, now I have options and now I can pick and choose what I feel comfortable with and what I might be able to implement. And now when my teachers will ask, Mr. Mendoza, like, is there anything for us? Well, yes, yes, there is. And let me tell you a little bit about it. And here's what can be done. And I think that that would be great just to have as a resource on hand for any CTE educator to just have their on their desk, like you mentioned, bookmarking, making notes. And now this is how I would implement this into this section of my curriculum or this section of the lesson, and so on. And I think that's fantastic. Tisha, I want to ask you now, just a little, just uh, you know, getting away from the book talk just a little bit, you know, as like I mentioned to you, my experience at CTE, you know, and that I've seen, it's oftentimes, you know, it just feels a little apart, a little set apart from like the focus on the main content that and, you know, core curriculum, you know, as far as the math, the reading, the sciences, and so on. But I want to ask you, in in your experience, you know, what might be some barriers or obstacles that CTE teachers may face, other than the ones that we just talked about right now, where they might feel like there aren't any resources for us. And since you've lived it and you've done it for many years, you know, have things gotten a little bit better, or is it still something that you feel like you still need to go outside and start looking and finding resources?

Tisha Richmond: 32:14

Yeah, I mean, I do feel like CTE has become a little bit more front and center over over the years, uh, over the recent years, but there are so many different pieces and parts to career and technical education that a lot of people don't think about. One is um just the Perkins funding. A lot of our programs are funded through uh federal Perkins funding, and there are there are specific requirements to be able to be eligible as a Perkins program. So that's that's one piece that we're that we're navigating. Um our classrooms um have equipment, right? There's upkeep of equipment. There is um things that we have to do, like grocery shop, right? Like in my class, that's a huge piece. Like I'm I'm at the store at 6 a.m. Um at least one to two times a week going grocery shopping for class and like having to do inventory on that. So having to keep up, you know, those consumables and making sure that I'm I'm staying within budget. We have budgets within our our programs that we have to stay within and have to budget for. Um programs have articulations often with community colleges or colleges to get uh college credit. Um, there are a lot of very diverse learners in our classrooms, right? And we want to make sure that we're creating an atmosphere that really is inclusive of all of the learners that that we have. And trying to navigate that and you know can be really tricky. Um, and then we we touched on this earlier, but just the safety aspect, because we are teaching students how to use tools that are out there in the industry, um, there is safety that goes along with that and really helping ensure that students are safe and we're able to um create a continued safe environment with a lot of students within that space. So, you know, my classes are up to 34 students. And so when you think about that, you have 34 students in a space with lots of moves moving parts. Um it's really important to create a structure that is going to support meaningful learning, but be able to do so in a way that there is some there's that we're taking in account the safety aspect of that and creating an uh an environment where every student feels like not only they are included, but that they are safe within that space. So no, there's a lot of a lot of pieces, a lot of pieces to it for sure.

Dr. Alfonso Mendoza: 35:07

Oh, definitely. And like you mentioned also like the funding aspect, and you know, with so many changes and like you mentioned, there's so much compliance too, as far as funding. Like, you know, the money has to be spent a certain way or by a certain time and things of that sort. And, you know, yeah, definitely a lot of moving parts, not only for you know, leadership, but also on the teacher side of it, you know, making sure that students are ready, maybe even for a certification and things of that sort. So that's kind of my my next question to you, also as well. Uh, you know, industry certification. I I sometimes, like you mentioned, it is coming a little bit more front and center. And just we were talking a little bit about the importance of even looking at those options of having industry certification, somebody graduating and has maybe one or two industry certifications and they're ready to go into the workforce and those advantages. And so I want to ask you, you know, through your lens and then your experience that you've seen, you know, do you do you feel that that industry certification is something that is very beneficial to students that may be coming in or coming in, you know, outside of high school? And how have you seen that, you know, work for maybe some of your students?

Tisha Richmond: 36:23

Yeah. So first of all, my students um get their food handler's card like pretty much straight out of the gate. That's like one of the very first things that we do in my class is get their food handler's card. And that's a very real, applicable thing for our students because many of my students are are working in the food industry right away, right? They're wanting to work either as a as a barista at a local coffee shop or they're working at McDonald's, fast food. I mean, so many um different jobs that students are going to have in high school are going to require that food handler's card. And so um that is something that um is immediate connection and immediately students are keyed into because they already know that's something that they're going to need. Um, you know, there are a lot of programs we are not at, we are not offering it now, but there are programs within um culinary that offer serve safe, which is just kind of a step up from the food handlers um certification. Um, and I think it depends too on, you know, what's available in your area and what uh community colleges, like what those articulation requirements are requiring. And it requires that you have, in some instances, the equipment to support it. So in order to get those certifications, students are having to show that they have used the specific equipment that is needed. And every career pathway has those different um, those different requirements and those different certifications that are going to make sense. But I think it's super valuable for our kids to be able to come out of high school having those certifications. And I also think of just employed employability skills in general are so important to teach. And that's something that I think about every day when I'm in my classroom and I'm just kind of seeing, you know, all the wheels in motion and I'm seeing my students learning and I'm watching them communicate with each other. I'm watching them collaborate with each other effectively. They're problem solving, they're having to troubleshoot when maybe something goes wrong, or maybe they added that extra tablespoon of something. They're having to figure out, okay, what can we do to remedy this? Or what would we do different next time if we were to, you know, so all of those pieces and then allowing students to demonstrate their learning in creative ways. Um, I love that about my class is that I can teach them the foundational skills, I can teach them the methods, but then empowering them, okay, now you know the method, show me what you can do with this method, you know? So they they I might teach them how to make a pie crust, but then maybe kind of as their end of unit challenge, I'm giving them the formula. They have to show me that they can make a pie crust without the without the instructions, and then they have to make it into something amazing. And so now they're all coming together creatively, collaborating and and thinking about what are the possibilities for this. And they feel so empowered doing it. And then, you know, you bring in the authentic audience, you bring in um staff members to come and now judge and and give feedback on that thing that they've created. And now, like they you truly see that learning come alive. And and those are all transferable workplace skills. I mean, it doesn't matter, you know, where you're going to be working. We need to help students be creative learners, problem solvers, collaborators. We need to teach students how to to communicate effectively. And so I look at it as a win-win. Whether or not my students are going on to a career in hospitality or culinary, I know that in my class I'm preparing them for a world of work. And that is such an amazing feeling to be able to see those skills in action.

Dr. Alfonso Mendoza: 40:19

Oh, it absolutely is. I mean, just on everything that you hit on, you know, that goes on in the classroom and especially the collaborative aspect, you know, that communication skills, so important, all those soft skills that we mentioned, but just the critical thinking, being able to problem solve, and especially like you mentioned, you know, with that task of, okay, you know, create something, you know, based on what you've learned. And now you maybe your own rendition or your own recipe or something that, you know, taking it to that next level, and then for them to have to go through that creative process, go back and remember all the learning that they've done, and then put that into action and now create something. And then you mentioned giving them an authentic audience where it may be you and maybe other teachers, it may be their peers that now are tasting, are doing all of that, and now they get out of there and they're going into actual workforce and bringing those skills into that, you know, whatever, like you mentioned, whether it's a coffee shop, whether it's a restaurant, wherever it may be. And now it just seems like they can easily, you know, transfer those skills into that workplace and be effective right away. Because, like you mentioned, one of the things too, they'll already have their food handler's license at an early stage. So that's already one less barrier to entry for a job they may be seeking as far as it, you know, anything handling food and then bringing in those additional skills. I think that will definitely go a long way in and preparing them. So I think that's fantastic, Tisha. And that's wonderful the work that you're doing. And I just thank you for that continued work and obviously for this amazing resource. So, Tisha, if you can let us know. I know you mentioned that this was done through DBC Publishing, Dave Burgess. Can you tell us where our audience might be able to find the book and where they might be able to order it and how they may be able to connect with you?

Tisha Richmond: 42:09

Absolutely. Well, you can find the books on Amazon and um on Barnes and Noble. But uh, if you go to Amazon and you just uh type in my name, Tisha Richmond, no R and Tisha, just Tisha Richmond, you're gonna find all the books that are gonna come up. And the very top one will be the Magical CTE classroom. And um yeah, I I'm just so grateful to DBC for trusting me with all of these projects. Again, each book is near and dear to my heart, and I truly hope that it resonates with all of the readers. And you can find me in all of the social media platforms. I am on LinkedIn. I'm on Instagram at Tish Richmond. I'm on X at Tish Rich. I'm on TikTok at Tisha Richmond. So, you know, everyone is slightly different. It's a little tricky. And you can find me on Facebook as well. I'm trying to be better on TikTok. So I'm going to have some plans in the coming year to kind of expand my presence there. I also have a YouTube channel that I'm going to try to be a little bit more consistent in bringing some content to. And that is Tisha Magic. And then I have a blog at tisha richmond.com where I have blogs written all the way back to about 2015 and just kind of sharing my educational journey and I share resources there as well. So lots of different places that you can connect with me.

Dr. Alfonso Mendoza: 43:38

Awesome. Excellent. And we will make sure and we link all that info in our show notes, guys. That way you can guys can definitely connect with Tisha. And I promise you, she as amazing as you hear her now in person, she is equally amazing, just wonderful and just so full of knowledge and always just smiling and just being very joyous. So thank you so much, Tisha, for being here today. And a big shout out to DBC also for the work that they're doing and not only publishing your content, but I mean just the amazing authors that they've been working with too. So we'll make sure and link them on the show notes too as well. That way you can check out all those wonderful books and resources that you can get on hand. And just like I always say, the things that you can sprinkle onto what you are already doing, great. But Tisha, before we wrap up, I always love to end the show with the last three questions. And if you have been uh listening to the shows, and you know, I uh you you'll be very familiar with those questions, but let's start off with question number one, and I want to ask you in the current state of edge, well, uh backstory here, as we know, every superhero has a pain point or a weakness. So for Superman, kryptonite was his greatest weakness. So I want to ask you in the current state of education, what would you say would be your current edu kryptonite? That pain point, that thing that just makes you like go, oh gosh.

Tisha Richmond: 45:07

Well, you know, I think one of the things that I struggle with is I my passion is education. And so sometimes I I just want to be in it all the time. Like my like weekends, I'm in education. I want to like be every time I watch a show, I'm thinking about like how it transfers to learning. Every time I play a game, I think it transfers to learning. And so if anything, I think my kryptonite is just being able to just like shut down sometimes and just just do something completely, you know, uh separate where I'm not I'm not thinking about education because it truly is a passion of mine. And I I love I love finding ways to make uh learning magical for everybody.

Dr. Alfonso Mendoza: 45:52

I love it. That is a great answer. And I might echo that sentiment too, as well, where sometimes I just need to learn how to shut down a little bit. But but like I tell people, like this, this is my this fills my bucket. This is where I just feel great and being able to interview some amazing people. And so sometimes it's just very hard to shut that off. And then especially like even on break, you know, I batched, you know, this is gonna be like I think the sixth episode that I I record this week, but just because I just it's the time where I get to, it's almost like I refill my bucket, like you know, and it just feels great. But I do agree with you. Sometimes I just need to kind of like shut that down a little bit and then just relax. But you know, but yeah. All right. Question number two if you could have a billboard with anything on it, what would it be and why?

Tisha Richmond: 46:45

So I have this saying, it's actually on this necklace here that says, no risk, no magic. And when I think back on my educational journey, I think about the fact that it's made, it's been made up of lots of risks along the way. And stepping out of my comfort zone, whether that's trying something new in my classroom or that's writing a blog post or a book or trying out what podcasting looks like. Um, and I'm so grateful because through that I have become so much more confident, so much more courageous, and it's led to so much magic. And so um, I encourage educators to just step out there and take those little risks because each risk leads to a bigger risk and more magic.

Dr. Alfonso Mendoza: 47:32

There you go. Great. I love it. And the last question, Tisha, is if you could treat places with a person, any person for a single day, who would that be and why?

Tisha Richmond: 47:45

You know what? I was thinking about this question this morning, and this is this might sound funny, but I love Jimmy. I love the tonight, the late show with Jimmy Fallon. And I think I don't think I'd want to switch places with Jimmy Fallon because like that is why I love the shows, because I just think he's so funny and I just love how he engages with his audience and with his uh his guests. But I think it would be fun just to be able to switch places with somebody who works closely on that show. And so then you'd get to meet like all of these super interesting and fascinating, talented people. And then I just feel like I would laugh a lot because I just think he's super funny. So that's what I would say.

Dr. Alfonso Mendoza: 48:24

Love it. Well, thank you, Tisha, so much. I really appreciate you taking the time out of your day to come and be on the show and tell us all about your wonderful book. And I'm just so excited for your success in this book. And I definitely look forward to seeing this out there on many CTE teachers' desks, even though it's not just for CTE, because I know the magical learning can take place everywhere, but I think it's something that is great that CTE teachers can feel like, wow, there's something out there specifically for me. And thank you for just really thinking about that and bringing it into the world. I really appreciate it. And I wish you continued success in everything that you do, my friend. Thank you.

Tisha Richmond: 49:02

Thank you so much. Such a joy to be with you. I appreciate that.

Dr. Alfonso Mendoza: 49:05

Excellent. And for all our audience members, please make sure you visit our website at myedtech.life where you can check out this amazing magical episode and the other wonderful episodes where I promise you, like I keep saying, you'll find a little something that you can sprinkle on to what you are already doing. Great. So please make sure you visit our website. And as always, thank you for all of your support. Big shout out to our sponsors, Book Creator, EduA, Yellow Dig, and Peel Back Education. We really appreciate you supporting us. And if you're interested in being a sponsor, please make sure that you drop us a message because uh the new year is filling up. So we're we would definitely be excited to have you on board as well. But again, thank you as always for your support. And until next time, my friends, don't forget, stay techy.