Teaching Abroad and Empowering Communities: a Conversation with International Teacher Amanda

On the second episode of Making the Grade podcast, Christine and Georgia talk to Amanda, an international teacher who took a chance and moved from Massachusetts to Southeast Asia to teach kindergarten at an international school. Amanda shares how the international teaching community is welcoming and supportive, and how she found comfort in the similarities between schools around the world.

Amanda also discusses her experience teaching at a school for refugees and how education can empower individuals and communities. The importance of community building and the positive impact of education are front and center of the conversation, as well as Amanda’s current experience in her grad program at Harvard studying education policy. Tune in to this episode to gain valuable insights into teaching abroad and be inspired by Amanda’s unique perspective on education!

Georgia: Hello fellow educators and welcome to Making the Grade Podcast. We are your host, Christine in Georgia, and we are so excited you're tuning in to share your teacher voice. Today we'll be talking with our guest, Amanda, about knowing when it's time to pivot through paying attention to your inner voice, or rather your teacher voice.

Christine: So teachers, have you ever felt like you knew it was time to move on from something but didn't know quite how? Sometimes your career can feel like a relationship, a bad one at that, you know it's time to break up, but you have so much invested your time. Resources, your identity. Our guest, Amanda, can speak to all of this.

She is a former early childhood teacher who took her talents overseas to work internationally where she taught diverse students and refugees.

Georgia: We’re gonna be talking to Amanda about her teaching experiences in the US and abroad, pivoting her career and how what she's doing in her graduate program right now feels the most aligned with her purpose in education.

Make sure you stick around for her favorite and funny class moments, one of which may involve poop.

Christine: Yeah, you definitely don't wanna miss that. Thank you so much for talking with us

Amanda: today. Yeah. So happy to be with you all. Thanks for having me.

Christine: Of course. so yeah, a little background on Amanda. After teaching for a few years in Massachusetts, she left the classroom to go teach abroad and is now studying education policy and analysis.

At Harvard Grad School of Education, she is passionate about supporting families with young children and the education of displaced and refugee children. This is a seriously impressive

Amanda: resume. . No, I mean, thank you. That's really kind. But I really, I don't feel like it's any more impressive than anyone else.

it's been a really fun journey so far and I don't quite know where it's going next, but I'm really excited about where it takes me and, hopefully after listening to this episode, maybe some of you're listeners will be inspired to take a journey.

Georgia: I think that's probably gonna happen. I have a feeling

Um, but thank you for being so humble, but you're definitely very qualified. Thank you. We're gonna dig very deep into the teacher, Amanda, but first we thought it would be fun to get you get to know you as the human, Amanda . So we're gonna do one of our favorite making the grade segments, our rapid fire.

This or thats, so I hope you're. Okay. Promise. They won't be too hard. They're gonna be fun, . Great. so the, the first one is, would you rather watch a documentary or a reality TV show?

Christine: I'm really curious.

Amanda: Oh, re reality TV shows specifically, like cross-cultural dating ones are my favorite. Oh, so like 90-day fiance. So it's my like bad habit.

Christine: So then I have to ask, do you like the regular 90 day fiance or other way? .

Amanda: Okay. Well like very honestly, I haven't watched in a long time, but I could do either. I also really like married at first sight like that. Oh, that's so good.

Relationship. Mm-hmm. so good.

Georgia: I love married at first Sight.

Have you guys seen the one, I forget what it's called. They date in the pods. They don't see each other. Yeah. Until, is that love is crying, right? Love, love. Love is blind.

Amanda: Yes. Okay.

Georgia: That's blind. I love that one too. I, I'm with you. I mean, I love a good documentary, but I think as teachers we like to check out at the end of the day totally of the day.

And reality TV is one of the best ways. ,

Amanda: definitely. Exactly.

Georgia: All right. Good. Good answer. All right. Next one is eggs or pancakes. Sweet or savory? .

Amanda: Usually. Sweet. I really like going to breakfast with someone else so I can We can go have these. Yeah. Delicious, sweet,

Georgia: savory. Same. Same, same, same. You gotta have a little of both,

Amanda: right?

Yeah.

Georgia: I'm with variety. Variety, absolutely.

Christine: Makes sense. All right. And then, Let's do one teacher related one. Yeah. Okay. This one's tricky, . So would you rather teach through the summer or like immediate? No. or have the same group of students two years in a row.

Amanda: So I basically had the same group of students two years in a row.

after 2020 when we. The school year ended, obviously not well, and then I moved up to the next grade and I got most of my students with me again the next year. So, oh, that was a fun experience and I would rather do that than teach through the summer. Very easy.

Christine: Yeah, it's kind of like the devil, you know, I guess in a way, not, not to say children are the devil, but you know, , um

Georgia: I mean sometimes I think that's such a hard question cuz it totally depends on the group of kids.

Yeah, like you know, sometimes you have a group of kids that work so well together and you're like, let's see what you can do next year. This is great. Right. And sometimes you can't wait to separate those kids into different

Amanda: classes, and get a brand new set. Yeah, totally. And some of my students, I was a really excited to continue working with them.

And then some of them I wished had gone to someone else because like different teachers are better at in different areas. Right. And so I felt. Someone else's expertise might have been better suited to them rather than another year of me. So I think it's like a toss up.

Christine: Yeah, no, I would, I would actually do the unpopular opinion here, probably as a special ed perspective.

You always teach in the summer, so you kind of, this school year always extends and to serve students in their IEP goals, you always do that. So I think I just got used to that maybe, and yeah, I guess it wouldn't beat. Different for me, but yeah, no great answers. Mm-hmm. , makes sense. Okay. So, keeping on with teaching questions.

Yeah. can you tell us a little bit about your experience in the classroom and then what led to you wanting to teach abroad and Yeah. What was that like?

Amanda: Yeah, sure. so before, so I started my teaching career. Massachusetts, in public schools there. And that's where I have the pleasure of knowing Georgia from.

Mm-hmm. . Um, I, oh yes, . I was, my first school was not so great, my second school. I really enjoyed the opportunity to grow and learn there. I felt like I built really great relationships with my students. but my partner and I went on, we went on Safari one summer, which sounds. Actually it is amazing.

It doesn't sound amazing. It is like real life. Yeah. , yeah. Life, life goal. Yeah. It was really, it was so cool, to be just like somewhere else for three weeks on a full vacation. and we really enjoyed that. And we got home and we're kind of like, We should, we should do more of that. Like we should.

We should travel. we also met traveling, so we kind of have this connection about being somewhere else and traveling. so one of our goals was always to kind of live abroad again. And I knew, I knew about the world of international teaching, but didn't know a lot. but there is actually a fair, like a job fair every year right up the road from where we.

And so I thought like, why not? Why not see how it goes. I didn't have to pay for a hotel room or a flight somewhere. It was really like low cost to me. And if it didn't work out, then I would go back to my job that I really liked. And if it did work out, like how cool is that? Right? so. My partner's not a teacher, which is like some context for how that transition could betricky.

Mm-hmm. . but I got, so the first day I came home from the fair and I was like, oh, I dunno, maybe, maybe not this year. It's okay. And so he was like, yeah, right. And the next day I came home and I was like, so. Let's move abroad. We should get married. What do you think? ?

Christine: Like total 360.

Amanda: we're moving. And he was like, where? And I was like, I don't know yet, but , let's do it. so anyway, I took a really great job offer to teach kindergarten at an international school, which was basically what I was doing here, just mm-hmm. somewhere else. and I got started to learn that the world of international teaching is really like a whole community in itself, a whole world in itself.

a lot of my friends and family were really like surprised and yes, maybe, maybe concerned, like kind of like, what are you doing? but it was, it was a really. The people talked about it, like it was a really brave thing to do, but I didn't really feel like it was brave. I felt like it was really a safe risk, um mm-hmm.

and I really like framing it that way and that like, yeah, there were some unknowns about what it would be like to live in a place so different from here and mm-hmm. , but also there are comforts that exist, like schools are really similar all over the

place.

Christine: that's what I was gonna ask you. So yeah, you were, so you went from a Massachusetts school to the, which part of the world again you were in?

Amanda: I was in Southeast Asia in a major city. Okay.

Christine: And so how did the community, you were talking about the community of like support for teachers abroad versus Massachusetts. can you talk, speak a little bit to to that? Yeah,

Amanda: yeah. I mean, I guess like we're all pretty privileged to begin with mm-hmm. to teach in Massachusetts because it is a, a good place in the states to be a teacher, right.

Compared to plenty of other places. for sure. Yeah. So, I definitely wanna start off by acknowledging that, that mm-hmm. , we [00:10:00] have a good deal here. but in terms of my colleagues were from Australia, they were from the uk, they were from New Zealand, they were from all over the states. so there was a lot of learning kind of within our community.

And because you spent a lot of time with the people at your school and they, they might be some of the only other expats, you know? Mm-hmm. , you really build. Relationships. Like they kind of, I don't think it has to be like this all the time, but they also become your so social network. Like you've got built a built-in social network mm-hmm.

and professional one. so I kinda feel like in that way you have more opportunity to like, learn from people and build deeper connections than just like your colleagues, you. makes sense. Eight to four and then, you know, never hang out out with after school . And like sometimes that's nice, right? You don't hang out with everyone no matter where you work, uh, mm-hmm.

but, you know, and that makes sense though. Yeah. And, and then it, in the same way, it's also a community hub. For, for kids and families. So the city that I was in didn't have lots of parks, so lots of families would spend time after school in the playground. It's what I could like as I was leaving, like chat with families at the end of the day and.

That was really like casual in a, in a way that my teaching here hadn't been where it was kind of like, I don't know, I don't wanna make anyone upset.

Christine: yeah. No, that makes sense. That totally makes sense. Like the, I guess not wanting to cross the professional boundary into developing perhaps a closer relationship and making more of a social connection within the community and Yeah.

Connecting with families in that.

Amanda: Definitely. So like some of our, some of our closest friends when we left were like Terrance at the school who either, I had their kids or we, maybe we met somewhere like on a trip. And then our connection was that we both, I went to the same school as their kid. Right.

mm-hmm. . So that was like, it was just a really nice community in that way.

Georgia: I love that. It sounds like overall it was just a very. Amazing experience for you, and I'm sure that there was hardships involved. You were there for a few years, right?

Amanda: I was. I was there pre, during and hard air quotes around post covid, so Wow.

Hard air quotes, , hard air, air quotes there. That's a wild time to be there, I'm sure. Yeah. To be abroad. Yeah. But, but it was really like exciting to see before and then, even during Covid, we couldn't leave the country, but when you live in a place that's on the equator, there are beaches everywhere. And, really beautiful opportunities to go see nature and explore things that would maybe I wouldn't have otherwise.

Georgia: That's amazing. I, I think for one, that you were very brave for doing that, but I love brave the term that you called safe risk. I think that's a really cool term, and I think probably everyone has their [00:13:00] own definition of what a safe risk would be to them, depending on their unique. Interests and Yeah, passions and, I think it's, it's just cool to hear your story about what safe risk means to you and it's, yeah, it's very inspirational.

it's

Christine: a safe risk to me is like reading a new book by a different author in the same genre I always read, but Right. You inspire me to dig a little deeper there. . No,

Amanda: mean, yeah. No, I think it's great. Yeah. It's different for everyone. I think that's fully fair to acknowledge. But, Like really safe in lots of ways.

Like whatever your safety is, you can always try to nudge yourself a little bit, like we say to kids, right? Mm-hmm. , try just like a little bit more.

Georgia: Mm-hmm. for sure. That's a really good comparison. yeah, we're, as teachers, I think we're, we're so good at encouraging our students to be brave and try new things and we're pretty good at it as well, but we don't, you know, give ourselves the credit all the time.

We like downplay Yeah. What we do and [00:14:00] so, yeah. It's good to have some other teachers in your corner being like, you're doing amazing and you're, you're brave every day. Even just walking into your classroom. , ,

Amanda: sometimes it's like that. Yeah.

Georgia: is there anything that you wanna share more about your time in Jakarta or.

Sorry. We can edit that out. That's okay. Um, more about your time overseas or, about what kind of led to your decision that Okay, it's time to leave and move on to maybe a grad program or Yeah. Come back to the states.

Amanda: Yeah, sure. So working overseas was really wonderful. our school was super diverse, like kids from all over the world, all different languages, cultures, religions, and a, a place that really celebrated that diversity that was so nice for community building.

the kids were really encouraged to share, like what made them special and what they each brought. And so it was really beautiful [00:15:00] what the school didn't. was, socioeconomic diversity. So all of my students lived quite comfortably, which is great, and I'm very happy that they all live very comfortably.

But when you leave urban schools in America, like there's something about working with low income populations and people who like you, really feel like, I feel like we should edit that out. I feel like that's not nice to say. Mm-hmm. . Can I edit anything out? Yeah. Yeah. . No, definitely. I feel like when you work in the states and like you work with diverse learners, like people, you feel like you're really doing good work, like you're really helping people make connections and like hopefully gain more economic opportunity one day or make go to college.

Like I taught kindergarten, but I still hope that those kids like. , you know, the benefits they reap from me will help them be Yeah. Happy and productive, right? and so I kind of felt like my kids were gonna do great no matter what the world was, their oyster. and so that left me kind of feeling like I wanted something a little more meaningful.

Not that teaching isn't meaningful, but I had the school with all these resources and all these. With great stuff. And I just felt like, like, ah, so much of teaching is about like feeling like you're making a difference. And I wasn't sure I was doing that. a lot of my colleagues volunteered at a re a school for refugees.

So people who were displaced living in the country, who, kids and adults who didn't have access to schools, so, or income or work. And so these people just. , what do you do when you can't do any of those things? And so it started with a community that banded together that said we need to do something for our kids.

How can we, like who has what skills? What can you teach them who [00:17:00] can run like some activity classes for them or who can, you know, let's all pool a little bit of money together and rent a hou a house to make a school. And then like,

Christine: yeah, I just got chills thinking about that. Just like thinking about talking to my neighbor, like, what can you bring and how can you help these people?

Yeah. And like our people,

Amanda: like the people around us, like how can we make a difference for our community? Mm-hmm. . and that just like really struck me as like the goal of learning and education is like about empower. Each other. Mm-hmm. . so, so a lot of schools in the country were kind of built off that model.

And so I got involved with this one particular school in my, in the city and, My partner taught like jiu-jitsu classes to the kids. Like he would go and they would get to get some physical activity out and that was when things were in person. Mm-hmm. . And then by the time I got there, they needed, so the older students, because they didn't have access to school, like they could never get a diploma from the country we were in.

And that doesn't really leave you with anything. Yeah. Yeah. So this program was a G e D program so people could get their high school equivalency, degrees so that when they got resettled, they would have something that shows, like, look at my accomplishments. so I got involved with the, the school there and I taught English, e l a prep to these older students.

So they were, I don't know, 16 to 20. some of them were born there, some of them. Had made the migratory journey like really hard. Right. Like roots. Yeah. Um, and they were really grateful for the help and we did a lot of language learning. It felt really meaningful and so I just kind of felt like the time was setting in on our time at the school.

Mm-hmm. . it, it was kind of like an inflection point, like we could stay in this world. My husband got a role at the school, like we could stay in this world forever, and plenty of people do. And that's a great choice for them. You can live super comfortably. You can travel, your kids can go to the best schools, have all these resources.

it was either stay and we felt like we would really have to commit to that for the long term. Mm-hmm. . Commit to this pivot that we had been like percolating for a really long time. my partner wanted to go to law school. That was kind of his dream. And then we had this good thing and it was like, oh, did we stop this?

Good thing? I don't, that feels risky. but the more we sat with it, the more we really felt resolved that. the right time to move on. Mm-hmm. , and I think I, I think it's like teachers that can be really hard because about leaving. Yeah. Mm-hmm. . Mm-hmm. . Yeah. I think there's a part of us that's like, I am a teacher, that's part of who I am and that's what I'm gonna do.

Scary your identity as a

Georgia: teacher. How could you not be a teacher?

Amanda: But I like always had this, this feeling that I could never thought I could be a teacher forever. Like someone who's 35 years in. I, I don't know. I don't know. I don't know if that's for me. mm-hmm. , you give so much of yourself to your kids during the day that I like.

I don't know if I ever wanna have children, and I know that that's a full privilege, but I never thought that I could be with littles all day and then go home to littles and. Have anything left?

Christine: Yeah. , no, like giving, like your, your, I've heard the expression you're, when you're a teacher and a mom, when you come home, at the end of the day, your kids end up getting the rest of you not the best of you.

Amanda: Yeah. That always stuck with me. Yeah. Oh, how, yeah.

Christine: And not to say that's, that's a true statement for, you know, I know many amazing moms and teacher teachers who do it both. But I, yeah, it's good. I think it's good for those of us. Grapple with those questions and kind of like, is that gonna be me? You know, could I handle that?

And it's, it's good that you are asking yourself those hard questions in your pivot.

Amanda: Yeah. I think kind of just like all along the way, I didn't know that I could do that because I like to go home at the end of a teaching day and watch 90 day fiance and turn my brain off. Right. ? Yes. Yep. Um, so I had been trying to like, move out of the classroom.

I got, I have an ELL license. My master's is in beginning language. I was like, oh my gosh, there's so many options. I really wanna do this. And every time I started taking steps in that way, it just never worked out. Um mm-hmm. , you know, this, they were staffing shortages and so they really needed me somewhere.

Well, I don't feel like I can say no, but I really don't want to. Mm-hmm. . and so, I just kind of got to the point where it was like, I think, I think it's time for a break. I don't, I don't know that this is really what I fully want to be doing and I don't, and I don't think that teaching deserves anything but your full energy and respect a hundred percent.

Mm-hmm.

Christine: and like, cuz kids feel that. Totally. Oh

Amanda: yeah. . Yep.

Georgia: I'm like a big believer in like, if you're, something's kind of in the back of your mind, like a decision you might wanna make, like the universe kind of keeps like giving you reasons to make it, like encouraging you like those nudges. Yeah. And so you know, your example that you just said, you, you were asking for something, you thought you were gonna get it, and then it's like, Nope, actually not.

And it's just making you realize.

I don't know. I don't think that this is gonna work for me. I think I do need to make that really tricky decision. Yeah. Um, even if it's risky.

Amanda: Mm-hmm. to Totally. And I guess that's what it is, right? It's, it's listening to your gut and trusting. what your heart is telling you, even though that might be challenging.

Mm-hmm. ,

Georgia: even though your brain is like, you have this really great thing going here. Oh, why would you give that up? What's wrong with you?

Amanda: And so many, and so many of my colleagues, right? so many other teachers are like, but how, how could you, well, I guess I should tell the folks that like, I left teaching.

I, right. I stopped. Yes. I put in my notice for that year that we weren't returning and, I applied to graduate school and now I'm a graduate student, so. Mm-hmm. , maybe people didn't know that before. Um, yeah, now they know. Now they know. And, and so many people around you are, are like, what do you mean you're not gonna teach anymore?

What are you gonna do? How could you Oh, yeah. Walk away from this? Mm-hmm. but what else is there? I don't know, but I'll figure it out. , but you're so good at

Georgia: this, but what about, what about your retirement? What about ?

Amanda: Yeah.

Georgia: Yeah. They're losing such a good teacher, but

Christine: I, but like you said, like when, when you know that you're, you're not in it for the right reasons anymore.

Mm-hmm. , that becomes apparent and I just feel like everyone says oh, kids don't know everything, but they, they pick up on. The smallest little things, you know? Or even just oh, how come we used to do this and now we're doing this? And so, mm-hmm. , I think it was, it was brave of you to know when it was time to go.

and, oops,

Amanda: and, yeah.

Georgia: And to know that, you know, I know that you, you feel that this path of graduate school right now is, it's new and it's scary and it's different. You feel that doing this is kind of the way that you can make the biggest difference in education right now that you couldn't really make as

Amanda: a teacher overseas?

Yeah, yeah.

Georgia: Yeah. I mean, I think that it's just really cool that you made this decision to go back to grad school and kind of your inner knowing was telling you. This is the way that I can make the biggest impact in education is by going to this grad program and learning more, and. Making a difference in an education that I couldn't make as a classroom teacher.

Mm-hmm. . And that makes me wonder kind of, what would you say, how would you say your definition of success is different now than it was when you first started teaching? How are you making the grade now

Amanda: versus then? Yeah. Yeah. I think when I first started teaching those, those first days that were successful were ones where no chairs were being thrown across the room.

and, and at the end of the day, at the end of the year, all my kids were reading at grade level for whatever that means, and they were all ready to go on ready, ready in hard air quotes again to go on to the next, to the next grade. Right. I don't know. That always never felt super meaningful to me. later on it was like making the grade was building connections with students and families and seeing them throw. and now making the grade feels like seeing myself learning grow. Mm-hmm. , it's been a. Sh it's been a learning curve to learn how to take like this, like really charismatic and confident teacher, like classroom Amanda and put her in new contexts.

Um mm-hmm. , I think imposter syndrome is super, super real and teachers are told that they're really great at teaching, but feel afraid to take those talents elsewhere. Mm-hmm. . , but, but it's, I don't think it's true. and I feel like I'm, I'm learning it right now, and that feels like success. I

Georgia: love that.

Awesome. Yeah.

Christine: awesome. No, I, it, it makes sense though. You're, it feels like what you're saying is that you're, before it was always student focused, your success, and now it's almost like you're taking yourself into that equation. And I love that for you, . I really like that

Amanda: Thanks for phrasing it that.

Georgia: Not to, you know, use an overused phrase or anything, but you really can't pour from an empty cup. And so the best teachers, whether you're teaching in a classroom or. There's many, many kinds of teachers, I believe. the best ones are those ones that take the time to kind of reflect on what they need and want first.

Yeah. If you're happy and aligned, like that's when you can do your best work.

Amanda: So Totally. And that's advice that I would give to teachers right now is to take what you need, take what you need to fill your own cup to. Make sure that you are fulfilled and happy so that your students know that they can also be fulfilled and happy.

that's great advice. Yeah, that's great advice.

Christine: going off that idea, what do you think would make things even just a little bit better right now for students and teachers? Is there anything that you can think of? , yeah. I guess might make education a bit of a better place.

Amanda: Yeah, I think, I think the answer is always time.

there's never enough time for kids to play and develop those skills that aren't like super rigid academic skills. Um, not enough time for teachers to collaborate with each other and observe each other and make. , you know, informal learning communities. I think time. I don't know where the time should come from.

I don't have any grand like policy ideas. I just think that it's time. Yeah.

Christine: Yep. No, definitely developing those soft skills and networking, I think that would make a big difference. ,

Georgia: this has been such a great conversation. So if there's any other advice you have for teachers, we'd love to hear it. But what you just said about, you know, giving to yourself first, I think that's huge.

Mm-hmm. . Um, yeah. But if there's anything else, feel free to share. And we're also dying to know the funniest teaching moment that you said you wanted to share

with

Amanda: us. Sure. . So I, a final word of parting advice for teachers I think would be, And all grownups is about trusting your gut, trusting your intuition.

What is it telling you? You should listen. Mm-hmm. , speaking of guts, , um, oh boy.

Christine: Great transition. .

Amanda: I, yeah. Thanks. Um, favorite, funny, I don't know if it was my favorite at the time, but it's a great story to tell now. . at my last school, well, this is a poop story. Every early childhood teacher has a poop story.

Yes. Or two or three or four or five. Yeah. . So at my last school, we had, like bathrooms in the classroom. They were kind of like set in the back maybe where a closet would be. so in the room, but there were frosted glass windows, like separating the bathroom area from the regular. And so I had this one student who was, I was doing a read aloud and he was doing a lot of fidgeting and squirming and there were some noises and I looked at my assistant teacher and you know, we made eye contact like teachers do, and I was like, mm-hmm.

made the eyes so she knew where to go. Um, I wish

Christine: Amanda's face, . It's, it's her like, hmm. Teacher face right now. Like something's about to go

Amanda: down. . If you're a teacher, you know the face.

Christine: get ready. Yeah. So this, so this,

Amanda: this little guy is squirming. I make the eyes at my assistant to. Ask him to go to the bathroom to sort himself out and see what's going on.

I don't know. I don't wanna know, but I just want him to, you need to know . I need to know. Yeah, so she sends him to the bathroom. And like also teachers know that wherever you position yourself for a read aloud gives you, you know, purview of the room so you can take in everything that's going on. And so there I was reading a book, I don't know what.

or leading a discussion, I don't remember, but I remember looking up and seeing on the frosted glass window, okay, so you're watching the Titanic. It's like hot, hot and steamy scene. They're in the backseat, that car. And so the hand goes up on the window and slowly like, Drags down steamy. Okay, so the same thing happened in my classroom.

Oh, no. . on the tlass window, and here's the hand top. And the drag down. Oh no. Oh, oh, it wasn't Steve wasn't . It was not Steve. And I was like, oh, no, .

Christine: Oh, .

Amanda: Um, so it, it, it was, it was Poo and it was on the window. And, um, I asked my assistant to go help him out and I took my student, the rest of the students for an early recess and , that's all you can do.

And, and all the people who helped clean that up got coffee. I bought them all coffee for a week, like . Thank you. Oh man. Very funny. Oh my gosh. That is hilarious.

Christine: Wow. That was a good one. .

Amanda: That's just, that's

Georgia: definitely one of those things that sticks with you forever. Mm-hmm. .

Amanda: So it's, it's so visual. Everyone knows what the scene from the TE looks like and it's my god's Exactly that.

Yeah. But so much worse.

Christine: . Wow.

Georgia: Thank you for sharing that with us. Well,

Amanda: you are very welcome, .

Georgia: i have a pretty good visual. Everyone needs to hear that story. And for, for anyone who thinks teachers get paid, paid adequately, I think they need to hear that story .

Christine: Yeah,

Amanda: definitely. For sure.

Georgia: Well, thank you so much for being here, Amanda. I mean, hearing about your experience overseas in the US was amazing. You are so inspirational and brave. Whether you wanna admit that or not, I know that No, anyone, anyone listening to this teacher or not is gonna be inspired by your story and your decisions and the way you follow your gut and.

No matter how scary it might be.

Amanda: Thank you both. That's very

Georgia: kind of you. I hope, um, maybe, maybe my

Amanda: story resonates with some folks who will listen and will feel called to pivot and listen to what their heart and mind is telling them.

Christine: Yeah. Or even just pausing to listen Totally.

Amanda: Take a risk. Just a little one.

Try safe. Risk

Georgia: safe. What does that mean to you? Means something different to everyone. So I think we should leave, leave our listeners with that. What would be a safe risk to you? Yeah. And how can you. Implement it just a tiny bit. Even like you said, going to that fair to learn about the overseas options, you didn't immediately say, I'm going overseas.

Mm-hmm. , you just got

Amanda: some information. Yeah. Safe risks. I think we should lean into them a little more. Definitely.

Christine: Yeah. Awesome. Awesome.