78-Collaborating for Advocacy

•  First, before starting this episode- I am acknowledging my gratitude to the trailblazing women who forged a path to which I may share my voice and passion, cast my vote, and hold a job which I am proud to serve in the classroom and various leadership committees where I can improve systems and policies.  2nd, I acknowledge the Men who have partnered and supported the women giving them the space and guidance to which they could break down the barriers.  I also give thanks to the thousands of educators who have shared their resources on our community forums, FCS facebook group led by Sarah and the many admin who protect those resources ensuring they stay ‘free’ for FCS educators.  I give thanks to Kim Graybill who shares and spotlights FCS teachers and their lessons on her website Family and consumer sciences.com, the Hyperdocs facebook page, the Instagram influencers, Tik Tok enthusiasts and twitter defenders as well as our associations, affiliates, and extensions who are all working hard to supporting all of us, so we may all have a unified voice. 

• Which leads me to today’s topic: Collaborating for Advocacy: Dreamworks Shrek said ‘There are many layer’s to an ogre’, not comparing our profession to an ogre but Family and Consumer Sciences education has many layers offering support.As an outspoken educator, I am informing you that we all have the same goal: Not only sustain our programs but grow them.  The resources I share here on the pod is designed for you to achieve those goals. Are you aware of how many professional organizations  we have access to supporting one another?  

•  We must collaborate and work together to ensure our voices and content are future proof.  I was recently chatting with Nancy Bock, AAFCS executive director who used this powerful word and it resonated with me. We must futureproof our content so students can continue to learn and be prepared for career or college in our classrooms.  As much that we know how valuable and important it is to society and our students, the outside world, beyond our 4 classroom walls. Even our schools and our district, they are not informed. we need to partner with community members, key clubs, Kiwanis groups, Eagles club, mayors offices sharing what we are doing and why it’s relevant for today’s students as well as future students. 

• When it comes to advocacy Melissa Martin from Phi Upsilon Omicron who will join the pod shortly recently shared this analogy from ‘Horton hears a who’ with me and hit’s the nail precisely with what our profession is going through. “Horton Hears a Who!”- adapted from the book by Dr. Seuss. At the end of the 2008 movie, Horton is working to convince his world that Who-ville is very much real and an important group of people living on the flower he is carrying around. In the effort to make themselves known, The Who’s yell at the top of their lungs in unison, “We are here! We are here! We are here!” I know that may be a silly example to share, but as some FCS departments are dismantling and funding for these programs slashed, I think it’s critically important that we keep sharing the message, “We are here!”

• I am proud to share with you that Nickie Pedeliski from CA who was on the pod in an earlier episode , and Tracy Way, NE and I have developed and will be hosting a live FCS Summit webinar December 9th starting at 4pm PST and broadcasted to my ConnectFCSEd Youtube channel and Facebook pages.  This webinar is free for all. We are future-focused: Building resilient communities. We will have 4 outstanding speakers touching these 4 topics:

Sharing strategies for recruiting and retaining teachers.Strategies for promoting FCS programsMental health spotlight with Rikki Cook, CounselorMentoring programs

Change is inevitable. As humans, we constantly grow throughout our lifespans, from conception to death but we know, the success of our profession is determined by us today. I hope you will join us celebrating our FCS Success and gain the tools you need for quick access and call to action.

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WHEN DOES IT AIR…

NOVEMBER 17th, 2021