Common Ground Education Podcast CommonGround Education Podcast

Margot Wagner is a recent graduate of Aurora University. She earned her MSW and PEL certification during one of the most intensive years in education. We discuss the pandemic year and the challenges we are facing in education. Come listen to Margot's inspiring personal story and her unique perspective on diversity and inclusion.

Margot joins Common Ground as a new host! We are so excited to have Margot join the CG team and look forward to her episodes!

Welcome to an important episode that features Brittany Brunell, Co-founder of EveryDaySpeech. In this episode we learn about EveryDaySpeech's origin story and their journey with social emotional learning. Brittany shares about the features and functions that EDS has to offer in their completely digital SEL curriculum (games, video modeling, interactive-avatar social games, evidenced based content). In this episode, EDS gifts Common Ground listeners 25% off with a promo code. In addition, EDS has given Common Ground 5 free annual memberships to raffle off in the Common Ground Resource Page on Facebook. Come learning more about a curriculum that can impact both Sped and Gen Ed in your building! https://everydayspeech.com/

"Everyday Speech is a social-emotional learning platform. We empower teachers with video-modeling curriculums to nurture the fundamental strategies and skills that all students need to maximize potential towards a healthier, happier, and fulfilling future." -EDS

It's interviewing season and Common Ground Education brings a few quick tips to support fellow school social workers. In addition, the podcast describes a vision of advocacy using podcasting.

Patrick Mulkern is School Social Worker who serves as the Wellness Coordinator for a high school in the San Francisco area. As the Wellness Coordinator he leads a multidisciplinary team that works to reduce barriers to services for LGBTQ+ students. This program provides individual and group therapy, case management, mentoring and sexual/reproductive health services. Patrick brings his expertise and targeted experience in this area to help educators and school social workers envision and strategically plan for more inclusive environment for LGBTQ+ students.

1:00- Introduction to Patrick Mulkern and the Wellness Program
4:15- Tiered Supports for LGBTQ+ Students
8:15- Barriers LGBTQ+ Students Face
10:15- Providing Support to Queer and Questioning Youth
14:20- Challenging Staff
18:10- Creating Inclusive Environments for Students Across ALL Grade Levels
21:15- How to Engage Families Around Issues of Sex and Gender
23:00- Where Can School Social Workers Start?
26:00- Ideal Supports at the High School Level
30:00- Hopes for 2021- Policy Considerations

Dr. McMurtrey is an immunologist/virologist that's been working with Covid-19 since nearly the inception of the pandemic in the United States. In August, Dr. McMurtrey began a phase two vaccine trial. Still unaware of a placebo or actual vacccine, Dr. McMurtrey walks us through his experience. Further, he answers questions about the virus and latest research. Who better to ask than an expert in vaccines currently using a Covid-19 vaccine?

0-7 min- Vaccine Experience
7 min- How to know the validity of the vaccine trial results?
12:06- Latest Research
13:40- Long term health impacts
15:40- Comorbidities
19:20- Thoughts on prevention
26:00- Hyper-Individualism vs Collectivism
27:00- Conflating the circumstances between Small Business and Education
29:30- Any good news?
31:00- How does life change for a person once they take the vaccine?
33:00- 2021 Predictions

Ali Hearn is a powerful education consultant. Her gifts surrounding educational systems, macro perspectives and empathy provide unique and effective ideas. In this podcast we consider the difficulties of returning to school, empathizing with teachers and Ali shares some AMAZING ideas to help support our students. Ali holds a unique gift that allows her to put students first while finding tangible ways to support staff.

@heyalihearn On Ali's new website heyalihearn.com you can sign up for the SPARKS newsletter where Ali provides meaningful/helpful strategies, tips, resources, humor, reflections and lessons learned from the field to inspire, ignite and impact educators/communities.