Dancing along in educational circles

Mar. 29—The Lebanon Democrat is in the process of running question-and-answer profiles of the Wilson County educators who have been selected as the teacher of the year in their respective schools.

Those individuals, from the Wilson County School System and the Lebanon Special School District (in addition to two of the county's private schools), are in contention for the Wilson County Teacher of the Year Award, which will be announced later this spring.

We continue the series of profiles with a glance at Lauren Brian, an algebra instructor at Barry Tatum Academy (an alternative learning school for students in grades 6-12) ...

Name: Lauren Brian

School: Barry Tatum Virtual Learning Academy

Age: 34

What grade/subject do you teach (of course, this will vary depending on whether you teach at the elementary, middle school or high school level)? Algebra 1 and algebra 2

How long have you been in education (total years)? 13 years

How many years have you taught at your current school? 2 years

What other schools have you taught at prior to your current school? Mt. Juliet Middle from 2010-2018 (eighth-grade math and algebra 1), Mt. Juliet High from 2018-2020 (mostly algebra 2 and one section of algebra 1), and Mt Juliet High virtual teacher from 2020-2021 (algebra 1 and 2)

What is something unique about you — whether it's a hobby, skill or past accomplishment — that most people likely wouldn't be aware of? I coached the dance team at Mt Juliet Middle and Mt. Juliet High from 2010-2020. In the spring of 2022, I advocated to help distinguish Barry Tatum Virtual Learning Academy from Barry Tatum Alternative by separating the two schools on the Wilson County Schools website. Now, BTVLA has its own webpage to avoid confusion between the two schools/programs. I serve as the BTVLA webmaster. This was our first year to join the Wilson County Tennessee State Fair school exhibits to help publicize our school. As a school of choice in the county, we rely heavily on promotional opportunities to reach new students. I printed a banner with our school name, created display materials to boast our accomplishments and offerings, and purchased essentials to make the booth eye-catching to generate interest. I was also on the Wilson County Mathematics Textbook Committee in 2022-23.

What do you enjoy doing in your free time (hobbies, etc.)? My boyfriend and I are Nashville Predators season ticket holders and love going to the games. During football season, you can find us at most of the Tennessee Titans home football games. I enjoy going to CMA (County Music Association) Fest and other music events and concerts. I love living in Nashville and enjoying all it has to offer.

Is there anything unique about your teaching situation that you'd like to detail? Everything ... with the COVID pandemic in 2020, I was selected to be a virtual teacher for MJHS. I really enjoyed the challenge of transitioning from the traditional classroom to virtual. In 2021, the virtual learning program became Barry Tatum Virtual Learning Academy. I chose to interview and continue working with the virtual academy. I get the opportunity to reach beyond the walls of a classroom and school zones. I get to teach students from all across our county. BTVLA serves a wide variety of students. Some students have medical needs where virtual provides the least restrictive learning environment, while other students simply prefer working independently from home without the distractions of a traditional classroom.

How would you describe your teaching style? "Virtual" ... I'm kidding. I always have a positive, can-do attitude that pushes my students to keep trying and never give up. I seek out the best ways to make even complicated Algebra 2 concepts easy to understand. I'll share every trick in the book to help my students be successful. My former students often reference my positive attitude, kind smile, and encouraging persona. As a virtual teacher, I rely heavily on digital platforms. The DeltaMath site/program is my go-to. I upload my premade teaching videos for students to view. This helps me ensure that they are able to hear all instruction without interruption or lag that may occur in Zoom. My students are able to pause, rewind, and re-watch as needed. With some newer features on DeltaMath, I require students to upload photos of their completed work, which helps me check the validity of their work and assess their understanding.

Could you share a couple of strategies for how to keep students engaged and motivated? I am able to utilize our GoGuardian program to communicate and monitor students during class. This program allows me to see each student's screen, what they're viewing, their open browser tabs, and send them private messages. Honestly, virtual teaching would be incredibly difficult without it. When students are having technical difficulties or just a tough time on a particular math problem, I can check their screen to answer their questions. We begin each class with a bell ringer, a few practice or review problems. Students open this document and use editing tools with Kami to add their solutions. With GoGuardian, I then view their screens and the answers they've added to their document. I'm able to check solutions, provide feedback, and assess when the class is ready to discuss. Using this combination of programs and platforms has really been the best innovation for monitoring in real-time. It's taken 3 years of trial-and-error to reach this point of something that works well, and I'm able to provide instant feedback.

I'm able to utilize features on Zoom to keep students engaged such as polls and breakout rooms. I frequently use the polls feature when reviewing multiple-choice, benchmark questions. This lets me check for active participation and see which answer choice the class is leaning towards. Zoom breakout rooms are great for group work too. I assign students to groups and allow them time to discuss a problem. When we return to the main room, each student has a role — sharing the answer, strategy used, etc. I also use Zoom breakout rooms for private student meetings or to let a student work quietly alone when making up a quiz.

Have you ever encountered a challenge in teaching that required you to rethink your teaching methods and/or approach? All the time. My most recent innovation for virtual teaching has been to require students to upload video explanations. Most people are unaware of instant math-solver websites and apps, like the ever-popular phone app PhotoMath. These are amazing tools. They will solve a variety of problems instantly and include explanations for each step as well. It's very tempting for students to use but obviously interferes with their learning and understanding. Even in the traditional brick-and-mortar classroom, teachers closely monitor students for this type of phone use during class. As a virtual teacher, I can't monitor my students' work space, so this year I chose to incorporate flip videos into my homeworks and quizzes. The Flip videos count the majority of homework and quiz points, so students have to submit a video to earn a high score. The students are required to solve problems in real time while talking through each step to explain the process. This has allowed me to really assess my students' knowledge. Even if they are using PhotoMath, this process will hopefully inadvertently cause some learning to take place. In addition, the best part is getting to hear my students talk. Most high-schoolers are not fans of unmuting on Zoom. Some of the students have admitted that the videos have reinforced their understanding, improved their communication skills, and increased their math vocabulary. That sounds like a win-win to me.

What is different, unique and/or enjoyable about the school that you are currently teaching at? As previously mentioned, I love how our school reaches a variety of students. Barry Tatum Academy is a large umbrella which includes many different schools/programs — Barry Tatum Alternative, Barry Tatum Virtual Learning Academy, Wilson County Adult High School, and Wilson County Adult Learning Center. Barry Tatum Virtual Learning Academy has a small faculty of 15 teachers, so we are practically family. That sense of community extends to our students as well. We really get to know our students well. Some of my algebra 2 students were previously in my algebra 1 class, or I had them for advisory/focus class ... or they've joined my drawing club Zoom. We host student event days throughout the year where we have games, activities, and pizza lunch. These are always really special days to socialize and get to know our students better.

Why did you choose teaching as a career path? Both of my grandmothers were teachers, but my high school experience had the greatest impact on my decision to become a teacher. I loved high school. I was very involved in student government, cheerleading, and honors/advanced classes at MJHS. I felt an immense sense of community and pride for my school. The faculty was always encouraging and supportive. I made the most of my high school years and wanted to encourage future generations to take that opportunity.

What is the most fulfilling part of teaching? In the process of submitting my application for Wilson County Teacher of the Year, I was able to submit student endorsement letters. In reaching out across social media, former students contacted me and shared their appreciation for the way I had impacted their life. One student wrote, "You taught me many things not only in math but in life. I learned to never give up, to have self-confidence, and most importantly to be patient. You loved everyone and that smile never left your face. You never let anyone down. You gave me all the support and help that I needed and more." Another student wrote, "You are one of the most supportive and caring teachers I have ever had. You always offered a kind smile and a safe space. You made sure I was mentally, physically, and emotionally okay. You go above and beyond for your students and are there for them through the good, the bad, and the ugly, and always their biggest cheerleader." A final student wrote, "You are one of the most compassionate teachers I have ever had. You always found ways to make learning fun. You were always there with a listening ear. Of all my years in school, you were the only teacher that pushed me to be my absolute best. You taught us how things would be used in real life, which I still use today as a 21- year-old mother and wife." My 10 years of coaching dance team will always have a special place in my heart. The relationships and bonds made with those girls are my most treasured memories. There were lots of afternoon practices, evening games, laughs and inside jokes, blood, sweat, and tears. Those girls mean the world to me.

What is the most challenging part of teaching? Virtual teaching alone has its own challenges. It's not for the faint of heart. There is a lot of prep work involved to ensure assignments are posted and settings are correct. Virtual teachers have to be fairly tech-savvy and ready to troubleshoot issues or help students.

If there was any one variable that you could control or enhance to help with the educational process, what would that be and why? Is this where we bring up teacher salary? Teachers are desperately leaving the profession because they financially can't make ends meet.