Every morning at Quil Ceda Tulalip Elementary on the Tulalip Reservation in Washington, drummers and singers greet students at the gym doors. Kids dance on a floor that stands for a longhouse. Then they walk back to class, where first and second grade co-teachers Kristin Page and Dr. Melissa Cullen carry that energy into every lesson until the last bell. I've studied their classroom for a year. In part one of our S6E8 Schoolutions conversation, they show us how culturally responsive teaching builds classroom belonging, student engagement, and real resilience in six- and seven-year-olds. Their students learn one word that resets the whole room. They learn to say "I need a break" instead of throwing a pencil. And at family conferences, they tell their parents "I need more sleep" before anyone mentions an i-Ready score. Ask yourself three questions as you watch: What do the first ten minutes of your school day tell students about whether they belong in the room?Is there one word your students know so well that saying it once resets the class?When a child shuts down or acts out, do you ask what's wrong, or which part of them is out of balance?In this episode you'll hear: How a sacred circle puts a six-year-old and an adult at the same eye level, and why that matters for equity in education and student participationThe four SIAB agreements: take care of learning spaces, speak, listen, and act like a role model, show grit and stamina, and respect elders past, present, and futureHow Tulalip stories like Lifting Up the Sky and the Mud Swallow become everyday cues for classroom behavior and attention in classThe Quil Ceda Tulalip Resiliency Framework (physical, spiritual, mental, emotional) and how it turns low engagement into a conversation about balanceWhy Kristin and Melissa treat behavior as communication and push students toward self-regulation instead of bailing them outHow student-led, strength-based conferences change parent communication and build the home-school connectionThe day Melissa forgot her glasses, Kristin forgot her hearing aid, and they told the kids exactly whyThe research behind their instructional strategies: the science of reading, a trauma-informed lens, Sue Dockett's work on Indigenous children's transition to school, and a full hour of playChapters: 0:00 Three questions to reflect on 1:35 Meet Kristin Page and Dr. Melissa Cullen 2:20 Inside the Quil Ceda Tulalip morning assembly 4:15 The sacred circle and equity of voice 5:20 Lifting Up the Sky and the Mud Swallow story 6:30 Co-teaching nearly 50 first and second graders 7:00 Why sitting at eye level flattens the hierarchy 7:45 The four SIAB agreements 8:50 Teaching SIAB to brand new students 9:40 One word that resets the classroom 10:20 The Quil Ceda Tulalip Resiliency Framework 11:15 Strength-based family conferences 12:00 Behavior as communication and self-regulation 13:55 Modeling vulnerability with students 14:30 Lightning round: favorite morning assembly 15:40 How Kristin and Melissa refuel 16:35 The growth that surprised them most 17:30 Science of reading and trauma-informed teaching 18:55 Favorite unit: Becoming SIAB 19:20 Research that has their back: Sue Dockett and play 22:35 What's coming in part two Coming in part two Kristin and Melissa explain the Seventh Generation Principle and why first graders talk about protecting salmon. You'll hear how their students become cultural guardians, the picture books they return to again and again, and how they built a full unit alongside the Tulalip Tribes. Part two drops Friday. Partner with me: You don't need a new program to build this kind of resilience. You need routines that come from your own community and the confidence to design them yourself. I partner with teachers, instructional coaches, and school leaders to build a resiliency framework, a morning circle, or shared agreements that fit your students. Start coaching or explore a school partnership here. Schoolutions is the podcast for educators and caregivers who are ready to grow alongside their children. Each episode delivers research-backed strategies rooted in the five practices of expert teachers from my upcoming book, Forever Getting Better: Five Essential Practices for Reclaiming Teacher Expertise, so every student finds their spark and receives the support they need to thrive. I hope to have the book in your hands by June 2027. #Schoolutions #SchoolutionsPodcast #ForeverGettingBetter #5PracticesOfExpertTeachers #CuriosityDriven #EvidenceBasedClassroomReadyStrategies #OliviaWahlCoachingConsulting #ThrivingStudents #culturallyresponsiveteaching When teachers, coaches, administrators, and families grow together, schools change. Students get engaged, get support, and get the chance to thrive.
