Season 1, Episode 1
Teaching with heart, starring Joyce Abbott
Today on Beyond My Years, host Ana Torres soaks up wisdom from Joyce Abbott, an educator so passionate about her students that she inspired one of them to go on and write the hit show 鈥淎bbott Elementary.” Joyce tells Ana all about her experiences working in a Title I school and what it means to know the community of Philadelphia. They also discuss how Joyce’s time serving in the military informed her work as an educator, how she transformed a challenging classroom during her first year teaching, how it has felt to witness the success of “Abbott Elementary,” and the passion she sees as her driving force. Taking all those lessons back to the classroom, Eric and Ana then discuss teaching tips and strategies for connecting with students.
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Meet our guest, Joyce Abbott.
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Joyce Abbott is a dynamic retired educator from the School District of Philadelphia. Her journey began with a ten-year service in the U.S. Army, earning her the rank of Staff Sergeant. Following her honorable discharge and numerous awards, her pathway to education was paved through the nationally acclaimed Troops to Teachers program. Joyce commanded respect and admiration for her instructional practices and classroom management, leading to multiple awards and features in the Philadelphia Daily News.
In her role as Climate Manager at Andrew Hamilton School, Joyce made commendable strides in improving the school鈥檚 climate and culture. She was also the inspiration behind the Emmy-winning show 鈥淎bbott Elementary,鈥� created by her former student Quinta Brunson. She recently received recognition for her work from the city of Philadelphia, which proclaimed Sept. 26 Joyce Abbott Day. Joyce holds a Bachelor of Science in business and economics from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore and a Master of Education from Cheyney University.
Meet our host, Ana Torres.
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Ana has been an educator for 30 years, working in both the 国产三级片�8 and higher education sectors. She served as an administrator and instructor at various public and private colleges and universities and as a bilingual and dual language teacher, dual language math and reading interventionist, dual language instructional coach, assistant principal, and principal in 国产三级片�8 schools. Ana is currently the Bilingual and Multilingual Specialist on Amplify鈥檚 Product Specialist team, and delivers literacy and biliteracy presentations across the nation. Ana鈥檚 passion and advocacy for biliteracy and multiculturalism has led her to educate leaders, teachers, and parents about the positive impact of bilingualism and biliteracy in our world.
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Meet our Classroom Insider, Eric Cross.
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Eric Cross is a middle school science teacher who hopes to someday be a lifelong educator, like the guests on Beyond My Years! In each episode, Eric connects with host Ana Torres to discuss her guests鈥� best insights gleaned from their long and rewarding careers in the classroom. Then, Eric talks about bringing some of their wisdom into his current classroom and busy life.
Transcripts and additional resources
Quotes
- 鈥淪ometimes your bad days are going to outweigh your good days, but when you … remain focused and see what your goal is, and you look at those students and say, ‘This is my main focus,’ that can be the greatest motivator.鈥� 鈥擩oyce Abbott
- 鈥淎 lot of times they are dependent upon you to teach them in every aspect of their life. When you understand the community, you can serve.鈥� 鈥擩oyce Abbott
- “Me and my military buddies definitely had respect for each other. And we operated as a team, regardless of our differences, because sometimes you may not agree with every teacher on your team, which many times I did not. But you have to keep your focus toward our mission, [which] is to move a certain child or do this for the student body.” 鈥擩oyce Abbott
- 鈥淭hey know when you care. And they will have a whole different level of respect for you when they know you care. And you set the bar high for them. That shows that you care, because you know that they can do it and you believe in them.鈥� 鈥擩oyce Abbott
- 鈥淚 think it’s so important in the schools that they embrace the younger teachers, because you only get better through learning and through support.鈥� 鈥擩oyce Abbott
- 鈥淲hen you’re passionate about a profession and committed to the goal of the whole school, you’re going to do what you can to help these new teachers because they have to learn. So many leave because they’re encountering so many problems and they don’t feel that they’re supported effectively.鈥� 鈥擩oyce Abbott
