This is Season 5, Episode 10 of FocusED, and it features our guest, Suzanne Dailey. Don’t miss what Suzanne has to say about teaching happier, gratitude, the brain, tons of book recommendations…and much more.
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Suzanne Dailey Brings a Tons of Experience to FocusED Listeners
Suzanne Dailey has been a teacher for 22 years. She is currently an instructional coach in the Central Bucks School District, where she has the honor and joy of working with over 500 elementary teachers and 8,000 students.
She teaches model lessons, facilitates professional development sessions, and mentors teachers to be the best for the students in front of them. Suzanne is Nationally Board Certified teacher, a fellow of the National Writing Project, and has a Masters Degree in Reading.
She is dedicated to nurturing and developing the whole child and teacher and presents these topics at the local, state, and national level. Suzanne is the author of Teach Happier this School Year: 40 Weeks of Inspiration & Reflection and the host of the popular weekly podcast, Teach Happier. You can follow Suzanne Dailey on X: @DaileySuzanne.
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FocusED Show Notes with Suzanne Dailey
Suzanne starts off by defining that teaching happier is also coaching happier and leading happier. Happier is not about toxic positivity but rather contentment and alignment.
When we feel happier as a person, we’re better coworkers, teachers, friends, etc.
Suzanne talks about the research--behavioral psychology and neuroscience--and that there are very specific strategies that we can use to be happier.
Two practices she mentions early in the podcast--getting moving and practicing gratitude.
Every good teacher sees the person behind the student. ~ Suzanne Dailey
Don’t miss what Suzanne says about a leader’s ability to discern how each person is motivated. We were thrilled to hear her mention energy as something we need to manage.
Suzanne talks about her work in the 4th largest school district in Pennsylvania, and a document that the superintendent uses to celebrate staff. This is practical and can be used by anyone.
She describes the book as broken into 40 small parts to be able to read a quick 2-3 pages per day and set goals. What are your weekly wins? Based on your reading, what will be your next right thing--2 degree shift in your thoughts, language, or actions?
Teach Happier This School Year is now an ASCD bestseller.
If you want to take care of the students, take care of the teachers. ~ Suzanne Dailey
Because Suzanne mentions so many books and research, Joe asks about how she digests books to become practical in her life. Listen to her strategies.
Suzanne calls for more books about people who work in spaces that care for others. She calls them “caregiving professions.” We can learn so much from people in these callings, and she says that the only way forward is to learn from them.
Joe catches a nuance that Suzanne is an instructional coach, but she also works at the cabinet level in her district.
Suzanne ends with her favorite impact, which is working with new teachers.
