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Pam Zetterval inspires learners
61 Plays12 days ago
@PamZettervall- X and Insta, and LinkedIn
@JetwithZet
Hosted by Starr Sackstein & Crystal Frommert
Music by AudioCoffee: https://www.audiocoffee.net/
Contact us: Starr@masteryportfolio.com crystal@masteryportfolio.com
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Transcript
Introduction and Podcast Goals
00:00:00
Speaker
Welcome to the Learner Centered Spaces podcast, where we empower and inspire ownership of learning, sponsored by Mastery Portfolio, hosted by Star Saxton and Crystal Frommer. In each episode, we bring you an authentic conversation with educators, both in and out of the classroom, that will hopefully encourage you to try something new.
00:00:20
Speaker
This podcast is created for educators who want to learn more about how to make the shift toward learner-centered spaces for their students, schools, and districts or education at large.
00:00:31
Speaker
The learner-centered spaces podcast is a member of the Teach Better Podcast Network. Get ready to be inspired as we dive right into the conversation with today's guest.
Meet Pam Zettervall
00:00:42
Speaker
Our guest today is Pam Zettervall, a technology and media instructional specialist at Cape Henry Collegiate in Virginia Beach. After more than 30 years in the classroom, teaching kindergarten through fifth grade, Pam continues to do what she loves most, inspiring teachers and students to learn something they didn't think they could.
00:01:02
Speaker
A lifelong learner herself, Pam brings curiosity wherever she goes, whether it's visiting schools while traveling or exploring innovation through her school's first innovation cohort, which we'll hear about took her to Spain.
00:01:17
Speaker
Get ready to be inspired by Pam's passion and possibility that learning really has no limits. Welcome, Pam. Thank you so much. I'm happy to be here.
00:01:28
Speaker
And we're so excited to dig a little deeper into this. Can you share about a moment or an experience in your career so far that has really had an impact on the work you're doing now?
Teaching During COVID: Challenges and Innovations
00:01:41
Speaker
Well, so I'll be honest with you. after So I'd been in the classroom up through COVID. We were lucky in our school, ah Virginia Beach schools, our public schools were shut down um during COVID. And we had the opportunity to stay in we were masked six feet apart, but while other learners were not in school and just completely doing Zoom, we had a ah hybrid model. And so that year that I was teaching fifth grade, um I had 14 in class and then two ah that decided they wanted to learn from home over Zoom.
00:02:17
Speaker
And it was it was it was like one of these moments that you only feel like you're ever gonna see in the movies. And I felt like like as an entire society, we were living that.
00:02:29
Speaker
And so within that time, my ah my youngest daughter, who's now 22, had committed to play field hockey um at a university. i had an i have an older daughter that's 25 and she was out in college.
00:02:47
Speaker
And it was like, what do I wanna do with my rest of my life kind of a moment, you know, which I think so many of us had.
Personal Struggles: Sabbatical and Cancer Diagnosis
00:02:54
Speaker
And um i I actually decided after that year I was going to take a four-year sabbatical to be a mom finally and get out of the classroom, do some traveling, watch some field hockey, visit the colleges and do all that fun mom stuff. And I found out i had breast cancer, ironically. And so it was like, okay, all right, well, My mother had passed away of breast cancer after a 20 year battle. And I was the exact same age at 51. And it was just like kind of the universe going, all right, Zederval, get it together. What do you want to do? If you have, however, my mom had like 19 years left after she figured it out. And I know that sounds dramatic and kind of morbid, but I was like, seriously, what do I want to do with the next 19 years? If that is what, um if that is what I have, like my mom,
00:03:49
Speaker
And so I just, I love teaching and I loved being in the classroom, but I wanted something more than that. And so I did, I did, I was fortunate to have that first year off where I found out about all this medical stuff.
00:04:03
Speaker
But I did travel and and visit my daughters and get to
Return to Teaching and New Inspirations
00:04:07
Speaker
do that. And I started missing, I was really lucky because I didn't have to have chemotherapy, um just medication, not not where I had to go in each week intravenously and things like that. So I called Cape Henry back and I said, look, um I'm not ready to come back, but I'm i'm ready to come back and sub. And I miss being around people. I miss being around children. And that same point in time, the really life-defining moment for me education-wise was I received from one of my former fifth graders who was in 11th grade at the time. He was going through National Honor Society. And so the kids, the school didn't know all this stuff was going on with me, but I got a letter at home saying, we miss you being in the building.
00:04:48
Speaker
you were my person. And you can imagine, like, I would just looked at my husband in tears and I'm like, I got to go back. I've got to do something because as much as, you know, I think, I think as teachers, we always feel, we feel good. Like we feel successful most days, hopefully. I know we have rough moments, but getting a letter from a student that I didn't even have, you know, a six years prior and him saying, Hey, you were my person in the building and I miss seeing you there.
00:05:18
Speaker
just kind of hit differently. and that was where I was like, all right, this is what I'm, I meant to do, but I just want to do it differently. I don't necessarily want to be tied to a classroom
New Role as Library Media Specialist
00:05:28
Speaker
anymore. So um i was really lucky. They said, yeah, actually our our library media specialist just quit. Do you want to do a long-term sub? And I was like, well, how long-term is long-term because, oh, by the way, I have all this medical stuff going on and I've planned to travel.
00:05:44
Speaker
And it was like, we need you for the whole year, you know, just keep the train on the tracks. We already know, um you already know the school, you know, the kids, you know, our curriculum, we just need basically a warm body that we love and that loves us in the room. And, um, that was just a turning point for me wanting to kind of continue on with things. I found out there were things that I loved that I had no idea that I would love. Like we had, you know, i mentioned to you earlier, um robotics and coding and just think math type things, which I used to dread in the classroom, suddenly became part of my everyday vernacular.
00:06:22
Speaker
And I'm like, holy smokes, I'm 51 years old and I can learn new things. And, you know, I just think all of that, I know that's a lot, but I feel like all of that was just my my second chapter. I call it with my family.
00:06:38
Speaker
All I can say, Pam, is like there were so many times when you were just sharing that like my heart went out to you and then I felt all these different things. um My mom's a breast cancer survivor too, so that kind of hit a little bit. And I'm always terrified of when I go for my annual mammograms just...
00:06:57
Speaker
So your strength and your courage and the choices that you've made because of the circumstances that have sort of come in your direction. And
Sharing Personal Journey for Education
00:07:08
Speaker
I'd love to know more about how how you're taking this information that you have and and like how are you using it? How is it impacting your day-to-day with the students you do get to work with now? And is it everything that you hoped it would be when you went back?
00:07:28
Speaker
So when you say information, which information? Are you talking about my diagnosis are you talking about all the new information that I've learned? All of the above. I mean, I'm sure the diagnosis hit you one way, but now after time has passed and you've had this opportunity to make choices and go back like.
00:07:48
Speaker
Yeah, so I'll say having having almost adult children when I was going through this and with social media, which is so different than obviously when I grew up, Everybody knew because both of my daughters posted something about cancer.
00:08:03
Speaker
And so I had former parents calling me and students, you know, DMing me on Instagram and going, oh my God, Ms. Zerbal, like what is going on? Is everything okay? And I called school and I said, okay, because of social media, this is kind of out to the students. And and the school we teach in is a pre-K through 12 school. So I was very, um,
00:08:25
Speaker
hesitant to talk about anything without parents being aware that that this was happening with me. But what it's actually turned into, which has been quite lovely, obviously when you're in a place for a long time, and I i feel like I'm well-loved there and I love them and I care, you know, the families become so much part of your family um when you're at a place for a long time. And so when you can share something so deeply with them and And actually, because I'm kind of stationed in lower school, I was definitely worried about that group that I work with. But it's a face of, like you said, resilience. And cancer doesn't end in death. And I'm still here. And they, you know, in a in a good way, it was like, guys, this doesn't have to be a death sentence. You know, look, I'm happy. I love you guys. I'm so glad to be back. You keep me going through things. So that piece was really good. And the community was really welcoming. And my school, obviously, it was like, you can say as much or as little as you want. But with October being Breast Cancer Month, um I just spoke at our Dig Pink volleyball game and shared my story with another colleague who went through the same thing last year.
00:09:37
Speaker
And it's just such a deeper. And this was one of the colleagues that I actually traveled to Spain with. And we spoke last year as well before we traveled to Spain together. And I can tell you just like the connection like that, aside from education, right, aside from all the educational things in our job, the the.
00:09:57
Speaker
the the connection that you share with people when it, when that kind of thing happens is just, I can't even really explain it. It's just, ah it's just so much deeper. And then like your job becomes deeper and all the things become deeper in, and I, I think and in a career where you can be so bogged down sometimes with the negative, or if you're dealing with parents or misbehaving students or whatever it is, it's just different. And so I've had a lot of kids ask me, I had a fifth grade teacher that I used to teach with say, Hey, you were mentioned the other day.
00:10:29
Speaker
um Someone, someone mentioned you and wanted to talk about the breast cancer. And I was like, I'm okay with that. Like if I don't, if I don't talk about it, they may have grandparents or they may not have people in their life that want to open up about it. And so I've been really open about it. I don't talk about it all the time, and obviously, unless they bring it up. But, you know, the month of October is is a huge time for that.
00:10:55
Speaker
And so I've been really happy. I've been happy going back. I've been happy with school and the way they've handled it. I've been obviously really fortunate to have these amazing families that support me. So.
00:11:08
Speaker
Pam, thank you so much for sharing that story. It was very, very vulnerable and open for you to share that. And I think it's really going to help a lot of people who do have breast cancer somewhere in their families or maybe with themselves. And um I also have a personal connection to it as well in my family. And it's just, it's it's inspiring that you took something that could be perceived and taken as such a bad new situation and turned it into, okay, I'm going to start doing what I love and um I just think it's beautiful. So thank you for sharing that. Thank you.
00:11:40
Speaker
Yeah. um And I also love too, that you bring it to your school because when we can bring ourselves to school and share just a little bit about our personal lives and and we're human beings, I just think it builds that connection of learning. For sure. Yeah. But you've mentioned Spain and I actually used to live in Spain for a short time. And I would love to know more about your opportunity that you got to go.
00:12:05
Speaker
Yeah.
Innovative Teaching: Spain Trip Experience
00:12:06
Speaker
So our school, um we have what's called ah Nexus, which is our our travel ah program. And it's it's run by this amazing guy. His name's Willie.
00:12:16
Speaker
um And we have a few sister schools around the world. And we have one in Butrago, Spain, GSD. And um so we've had kids that have traveled there internationally um in the summer. most of our Most of our travel programs are in the summer.
00:12:33
Speaker
But um he had the idea of going, hey, we're talking about innovation. We just built this beautiful new um centeration our center for innovation and performing arts at our school. And it's where i it's where I teach the robotics class. We've got math classes in there. We've got engineering classes. It's where all of our 3D printers are. i mean, it's just this amazing space. And plus we have our theater and um and everything in it. And so ah Willie, the gentleman that's in charge of our program said, what do you think about getting some teachers together um to do a trip like this? The kids come back so inspired. um It's a no technology trip for the kids. It's where they they literally unplug and some of them have total total withdrawal and are like, wait, what? I can't take my phone. I can't take my iPad. I can't take my watch.
00:13:28
Speaker
And kids Two girls personally have been on some of these trips and they do say when they come back that it was so amazing not having their devices. And so um anyway, he he said, let's do this. They sent an email out to our whole school, pre-K through 12. Anybody could apply. And the way you applied was by taking either a new idea you had or um a lesson plan that you love, but you just wanted to bring it, you know, you wanted to bring some freshness to it.
00:14:00
Speaker
And how would you be innovative? You know, send in a proposal, a one-page proposal on something you would either change with an existing plan that you already have or something new that you'd like to see brought to school that you'd like to work on, whatever it was, really sky's the limit.
00:14:17
Speaker
And except that it had to be one page. um And, you know, tell us about it and then we're going select people. to go. So we had, um, we had our steam director, uh, Jonathan, who was working with Willie to kind of come about to, to bring this to life. And, um, and it did. And we had, uh, there were eight teachers ultimately that ended up going, um, all women, which is, which we thought was unusual because we do have men that teach in our building.
00:14:51
Speaker
And, um we We flew to Madrid and basically kind of got out of our comfort zone. A lot of people asked, why not just go to West Virginia? Why not just go, you know, just an hour or two away? Why why across the country? Well, we stayed in our sister school. We stayed at GSD.
00:15:11
Speaker
And every day um we would get out and about. We went to Avila. We went to Segovia. We were in Madrid, obviously, and then Dutrago. And it was literally us sitting around every night. Now, granted, we had no kids with us. So yes, we had really good wine as well. But it was about us just sitting around talking about our proposals, kind of kind of hearing each other, feeling each other out and going, yeah, well, what about this? What about that? Oh, that's a great idea. and then just being inspired by what you see not in your own towns.
00:15:49
Speaker
You know, we have a we have a very touristy beach town in Virginia Beach. There's not a lot of graffiti, but boy, there's a lot of graffiti in Europe. And it's really actually street art is huge there. i know like it is in New York um as well. And so one of my lesson plans that I just kind of got inspired ah to do with our older kids were... um I mean, um I have so many ideas, but this is one just on what is street art? What does art look like? And we're talking about art and we're using Book Creator to, they're designing their name.
00:16:29
Speaker
um They're designing their name as if it were graffiti. And I brought back lots and lots of pictures of places I've been and um and the graffiti I saw this summer. And the kids are loving it. Like they're loving it. And, you know, talked about like,
00:16:47
Speaker
collaborating with the art teacher and like i said, making it part of in a writing assignment, but they love the creativity in this. um They love the creativity in this. um And we have a lot of NATO kids. We have a lot of international kids at our school as well. And, and we're relatively affluent. So we have a lot of children that travel all over the place. And so just that connection again to them and going, Oh, I've been to Madrid. Yeah. You know, and,
00:17:16
Speaker
There are so many, I said, if i could if I could do my own podcast one day, it would be about the benefits of traveling aside from like just educationally, but the unknown benefits and kind of like what I mentioned back when I did the speech for the Dig Pink game um and how close the other teacher and I were just from just from having that moment. She's an upper school teacher and I'm lower school. So we never cross paths during the day. And so the fact now that we've we've crossed paths in Spain and spent a week together and talked about our lesson plans, you know, just how similar everybody is, um and how many things that we have in common, but there's so, it's so, so good for learning, like, and it gets you out of your comfort zone. We had one girl with us who had never traveled and never been out of the country and was incredibly nervous, um, or had only somebody else that had only traveled with their family and had never been away, you know, that long from their children. So,
00:18:15
Speaker
it It was just great. We're hoping we get to go again. um But it's just, it was just such an incredible way to learn. it It was just great. I can't say enough about it. It sounds, it sounds wonderful. And i completely get what you're saying about being in a different environment to get inspiration. Yeah.
00:18:33
Speaker
yeah Right. I mean, here and here in New York City, we just had all of our middle school faculty during an in-service day, just go to the Met for two hours just to walk around. And there was really no agenda to it. it was just get inspiration. yeah Math, science, literature, all of that. week we We could draw inspiration from. you know, a beautiful museum down the street or going all the way to Madrid. It's a beautiful story. You know, I'm thinking about, and I love hearing all the ways that you brought it back to your classroom. And I'm thinking from a administrator lens
Advice for Administrators on Teacher Growth
00:19:08
Speaker
right now. If I'm an administrator and I'm listening to this wonderful podcast about this teacher who learned so much abroad and brought it back and inspired others. But I'm like, how do I do this logistically?
00:19:19
Speaker
do you have just like a short answer on maybe how to get administrators on board with something this innovative? So go to the board, have the teachers present. I mean, we, we, or whoever it is, obviously the funding came from our board.
00:19:38
Speaker
um It's a great question. we have, we've, we brought it. Actually, Willie brought it to them first and said, hey, this is what we want to do and why. This is what our kids get out of it. Luckily, our our our board of directors have had students that have traveled and it's a pretty diverse board. So the idea that we're getting out of our little Virginia Beach bubble and going somewhere else appealed to a lot of ah people.
00:20:06
Speaker
its It has brought for us, the eight of us, you know how like when you go to a, you may go to I went to ISTE one summer, the International Standards for Technology and Education, and it was just me. And I came back to school and I was so energized and so jazzed. And, you know, in some ways that kind it didn't fall on deaf ears, so to speak. But, you know, when you have one person that comes in and they're so geared up um and nobody else is, that's kind of how I felt that year after I went to ISTE in Denver and then traveling last year. Now you've got this group of people
00:20:43
Speaker
that feels the same energy that you do. And ultimately that's what you want in front of students, right? You want energetic people. You want people that have new fresh ideas and that don't mind collaborating with other teachers. And just, you've just got to keep saying it, you know, you can't let it die. Like, and that's what we're talking about now. Like, where are we going next?
00:21:07
Speaker
What's happening next? How are we going to fund it? What are we going to do We're passionate about it. Now they all want to go to ISTE with me in Orlando this summer. And that is that's huge when you have, because I feel like we all know, like in schools, you've either got this positive influence or negative influence. And so what would you rather have? That's what I would say to administrators. What would you rather have? And if you get people that are on board, that are willing to travel and willing to get outside their comfort zone, I mean, we've all taught something that
00:21:40
Speaker
we've never seen or never been to, right? How much better is it when you actually get to witness it and go, oh my gosh, this is incredible. Like, yes, now I can really teach this and feel like I'm fully behind it. I'm not just teaching from the textbook.
00:21:57
Speaker
So much of what you said, Pam, totally resonates with me. I was saying to Crystal in the chat that for me, travel is the best way to learn and every opportunity I have to go somewhere else and experience different perspectives, different cultures in the place where it's happening.
00:22:15
Speaker
there' there's an authenticity to that learning that does inspire so much. And also your whole experience with ISTE, I was at that ISTE in Denver too. And whenever I come back from a conference, I'm like all all excited about everything. And you're you're so right that when you have other people who share that um invigoration with you, the likelihood of real change happening of the stuff that you're bringing back is so much stronger right So to that end, when you think about the folks who get you that excited, who we should be aware of, who would you like to shout out in terms of people who inspire you that way?
Reflecting on Growth as a Media Specialist
00:22:57
Speaker
So I have to say, being that this is like my second chapter of life, when I went to ISTE in Denver, it was because I'm like, I don't know if I know what I'm doing. You know, I took this over as a long-term subposition and then ended up loving it and applying for the job. That's how I i don't know if I said that earlier, But that's how I ended up in this long term role.
00:23:18
Speaker
um They were going to openly hire anybody. And I said, listen, the beauty of technology is that it's constantly changing. And, you know. I already teach here. I know the community. i know the, I know everybody. I know our curriculum. I'm passionate about it. And I've learned so much just this year.
00:23:37
Speaker
um So when they rehired me, I said, I'm certain that the 21 year old on paper is going to be better than me, right? They're going to look amazing compared to my resume, because this is not what I've done for the last 30 years. I've been in the classroom for 30 years. So i I kind of pushed the technology piece and I went to ISTE that summer in Denver and Gosh, when you ask me who inspired me, i i was so overwhelmed at all of the different... I had no idea what I was kind of in for, for that, right? And so what i really was inspired by, i went in alone and I was inspired by the other teachers that were like, hey, come with us. Come come sit with us. Let us take you into our fold. Yeah.
00:24:22
Speaker
i I shout out really my my first kind of friends. There was this woman, Jamie, who's in Texas, Jamie Shields. I will shout her out. She turned me on to so many great things.
00:24:34
Speaker
um The robotical people with Marty the Robot, they've been incredible book creator. I cannot tell you how many times I reach out to David Hotler and Katie Fielding and or Shannon Miller, who I met, who was like, take selfies with me. I felt like I was meeting these people these very famous people who are educators, just like me, you know, who have turned something that they're passionate about into something different in their second chapter. And so, um and I really shout out my school for giving me the opportunity. I mean, absolutely.
00:25:09
Speaker
If, if they didn't say, Hey, Pam, run with it, make it your own. i don't know. I don't know if I would have stuck with it, but that's, That's huge for me to just to take something and make it my own and be passionate about it and get the kids passionate about it. Today, you can't see me, but I'm wearing a haunted by six, seven shirt. And obviously, if you're.
00:25:30
Speaker
middle school, then you know exactly what this whole six, seven. Oh yeah. i know. They came and saw me today and I am so over it, but it was like to just have that connection with them and to let school go, okay, Zetterval, do your thing, wear that t-shirt. It's so out of dress code, but it's so you and it's so perfect for, for, for right now, you know? And I love, I love that flexibility. I love the, I love being able to be authentic authentically me at this age and for them trusting in me and going, yeah, we'll give you a shot, see how it goes. And I just, I feel like it's been a beautiful, it's been a beautiful change. So that's my shout out.
00:26:09
Speaker
Oh, thank you. That's wonderful. And I think our listeners will definitely want to follow you.
Invitation for Connection and Learning Opportunities
00:26:15
Speaker
i I'm going to put in the show notes, um, all of your online, ah handles and where you are, where they could follow you for your travel information and just your ideas. So I i really think that our listeners are going to take a lot from this conversation. It's been really cool. So thank you so much.
00:26:34
Speaker
And have them reach out to me. Again, I'm a lifelong learner, like you said. So I'm always, i always want to hear what other people have to offer. I'd love to make the friendships and the connections. That's great. Yeah. We'll keep the conversation open for sure. and i feel like I could talk to you for like four more hours, but this has been fantastic. Thank you so much for your time, Pam. Yeah, absolutely. Thank you so much. I really appreciate the opportunity to be here with you guys.
00:27:00
Speaker
Thank you for learning with us today. We hope you enjoyed the conversation as much as we did. If you'd like any additional information from the show, check out the show notes. Learn more about Mastery Portfolio and how we support schools at masteryportfolio.com.
00:27:15
Speaker
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00:27:33
Speaker
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