Empowering Educators and Igniting Passion-Driven Learning with Dr. Kimberly Johnson

How can educators embrace their crucial role in shaping lives and communities? Meet motivational speaker, author, and educational leader Dr. Kimberly P.  Johnson, whose life work illuminates the transformative power of teaching.

I have known Dr. Kimberly for nearly 25 years, since we first met at a children's literature conference, where she inscribed a copy of her early book, The Adventures of the Itty Bitty Bunny, for my daughter. Since that time, I have followed her career with interest. Her TedX Talk and her book Data Doesn't Always Determine Success have been important influences in my own work in classrooms across the country. And, I can tell you from personal experience, she is one of the most engaging keynote speakers out there. She's got the power to motivate and lift an audience and inspire them to find the joy in teaching because she practices what she preaches.

In this episode, Dr. Kimberly shares her COACHES acronym, guiding us through the profound impact that mentors and community leaders have in motivating and guiding the young minds entrusted to them. 

Educators and families alike will enjoy the lively conversation that looks at how education needs to evolve to keep pace with child development and to prepare students to thrive using creativity, communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills. We also explore ways that hands-on, experiential learning and providing a culturally responsive learning environment helps awaken curiosity and celebrates success. This episode underscores the pivotal shift in classroom management strategies, focusing on nurturing self-regulation over imposing control, thus laying the groundwork for a future of responsible and empowered adults.

As a resource for families and educators alike, Dr. Kimberly shares a Positive Parenting Guide with 126 practical tips for engaging children and offering invitations to explore and self-regulate. The guide was created by her students at Clemson University. You can find the link in the show notes on my website. Dr. Kimberly, who holds multiple advanced degrees, is currently completing her Board Certified Behavior Analyst coursework and has a vision of applying this knowledge to enhance both educators' and students' experiences.

We also discuss Dr. Kimberly's partnership with the King Center and her authorship of It Starts With Me with Dr. Bernice A. King.  It Starts With Me delves into the idea of BE LOVE as a verb, as a call to action and a catalyst for change.  This concluding message brims with hope and the importance of positive reinforcement and active listening in nurturing a world rich in compassion and understanding. 

Transcript

Dr. Diane Jackson Schnoor: 0:01

Wonder Curiosity Connection. Where will your adventures take you? I'm Dr Diane, and thank you for joining me on today's episode of Adventures in Learning. Welcome to the Adventures in Learning podcast. I'm Dr Diane, and today I am so excited to finally be able to bring you an amazing interview with Dr Kimberly Johnson, who I realized has been a part of my life since my children were babies. I have her very first book, itty bitty bunny, that she signed for my Miranda when Miranda must have been maybe a year old. Since then, this woman has gone on to become one of the leading lights in the world of education today. She is truly incredible. She's got a message of hope and a message of how to improve teaching. She works with the King Center and has a new book out with Dr Bernice King. She has taught at Harvard and Clemson and Clinton College and she is an in-demand keynote speaker everywhere. I got to hear her last year and I'm so excited that our speaking circuits are going to align again this spring. Please welcome Dr Kimberly Johnson to the show.

Dr. Kimberly P. Johnson: 1:24

Yay, thank you so much. I am so humbled by that wonderful introduction Because I always tell people I'm out here like everybody else, hitting this concrete every day, trying to make a difference in the world. As long as we can continue to do that, all that other stuff sounds great and grand, but really the work is what we do every day impacting and changing lives. Thank you for bringing these messages to people so they know that there are people out there still working. They may not see and know what we do every single day, but knowing that there are people out there really working for our children and our families. Thank you.

Dr. Diane Jackson Schnoor: 2:01

You're welcome. I heard you speak at the Southern Early Childhood Association last year in Chattanooga and you blew me away at the way that you captured this room of early childhood educators and got them excited and empowered about what they do and why it's important. Can you share a little bit about what you think are the most important things that you think teachers need to hear today?

Dr. Kimberly P. Johnson: 2:30

I think the number one thing that teachers need to know is that their work matters. You know, everything has changed, it seems, in the last four or five years. I mean, we've really just kind of taken a tailspin with the world, and I think teachers need to know that their work is important, that they matter and that, even when they're frustrated, they are still doing powerful and wonderful things. And I think sometimes they just need to be reminded to do this, to pat themselves on the back and just know that they are doing things in the world that can change families' lives, communities' lives and even their own lives, because, as an educator, my eyes are open every single day with things that either the children say or people say that just remind me of what I need to do or who I am. So I think, just be empowered. If you don't get it from somebody in the community or in the school, pat yourself on the back and say I did it today.

Dr. Diane Jackson Schnoor: 3:30

And one of the things I noticed that you did with the teachers is you were able to encapsulate your philosophy in acronyms things that were easy for people to remember. Share your favorite one.

Dr. Kimberly P. Johnson: 3:43

Ok. So I have a friend of mine. She calls me an acronymologist. I don't even know if that's a word, but it sounds good. Oh, there's so many of them. Oh, dr Diane, I don't know.

Dr. Kimberly P. Johnson: 3:56

I have a lot of moving forward towards success F-O-R-W-A-R-D, everyday coaches, c-o-a-c-h-e-s education a mandatory mission that's for my. Longer sessions, the more mandatory. But I would probably say coaches is one of my favorites because I think every single one of us it doesn't matter what your profession is you are a coach to somebody in their life. You know you are somebody who can motivate and inspire anyone. So I think we all are coaches. So I would say educators and community as coaches. And coaches stands for communicator, communicating, making sure that we're having those conversations, because so much gets lost in translation If you are not communicating appropriately or you just assume people are going to understand what you're thinking or feeling. So we've got to really be able to vocalize and verbalize overcoming obstacles. You know, we've all had some things in our lives and I tell people all the time that you know, if you meet somebody who says they've never gone through anything, you might want to double check those resources and references on that, because I think all of us, at one point or another, have gone through something that may present itself as an obstacle in our lives. So really understanding how to do that.

Dr. Kimberly P. Johnson: 5:21

A is attitude. What is your attitude? You know that's really the crux of it all is that if you've got the right kind of attitude, you can overcome obstacles even when it doesn't seem like you can. Those that right kind of attitude can push you into a different frame of mind. C is creativity. I think we have to be creative in the way we solve problems. We're dealing with young people who are in the 21st century. They don't do it like we used to do it way back then. It's a different kind of attitude and mindset. So I think being creative in the way we interact and creative in the way we problem solve is important.

Dr. Kimberly P. Johnson: 6:01

H is humanities and culture. And you know this is one of those conversations, that sort of gotten on the chopping block, if you will, to have these conversations. But I am a huge proponent of understanding that people need to know what they're made of, because that helps them learn that perhaps they've got resiliency and grit inside of them from what they've grown into and they haven't ignited it yet because they don't know they have it in them. So I think that part of our lives, our humanities, that connecting and taking care of each other and getting to know each other has to be in place.

Dr. Kimberly P. Johnson: 6:36

E is expectations. It's okay to have expectations. Sometimes we think, well, I don't want to expect. No, we should. We should expect people to do what they say they're going to do. We should expect that when we get up every day, if we're blessed to wake up, that we can do something powerful and positive in the world. And then the final one is s, and that's success, and success for all. And we've got to understand that success is going to look different for Everybody. You know, some things are small successes, some things are great big successes. But either way it comes to us, if it's a success, we need to welcome it, embrace it and be glad for it. So that's one of my favorites, probably because it allows me to talk to all Audiences about what we can do every day to make the world a better place for everybody.

Dr. Diane Jackson Schnoor: 7:25

Well, and I think that makes such a difference.

Dr. Diane Jackson Schnoor: 7:27

You know, I know, traveling the country and seeing classrooms, and having been a classroom teacher myself, I'm seeing the burnout the teachers who are, who are feeling frustrated, feeling burnt out, and I think anything we can do to sort of lift them up, to help them realize what they do matters and To be able to find the joy in teaching again. Yes, huge, and Along with that and it's something I know that you're so good at is Finding ways to do it as a culturally responsive teacher as well, that you know, our students are more diverse today than they've ever been ever been. How do we make sure that students and families are feeling connected in the classroom and beyond?

Dr. Kimberly P. Johnson: 8:11

Well, you know, you used to hear stories and it's they're still prevalent today. But sometimes parents won't go into a school or a classroom because they feel that there's no space for them, that they don't fit. And so we talk so much about inclusion and how important inclusion is, but we've got to go even deeper than that and have a sense of belonging. So I don't even think inclusion is enough anymore, because inclusion says hey, come on in. Belonging says you're here because you're supposed to be here.

Dr. Kimberly P. Johnson: 8:40

And I think when we can make children feel that that space is cut out for them, they can look around the room and see Themselves on a picture, on a video, something that says you belong in this space. That's going to help them understand that they are in a safe space, number one, and a space where they're being cared for and that they, their voice, does matter. So I think what we have to do is educators to be more culturally responsive and Culturally aware is to ask ourselves is this a space that a young person, whoever I'm serving can feel like they belong? Do they see themselves in this space? Do they hear themselves in this space? And I think, when we are more aware of doing those kinds of things that we open the door to belonging, which is much, much more powerful than just inclusion alone.

Dr. Diane Jackson Schnoor: 9:30

Absolutely, and that's one of the reasons, when I'm working with teachers, that I try so hard to bring in Multicultural picture books, because there are so many stories out there that weren't being told when I was a child that Absolutely should be in classrooms today.

Dr. Diane Jackson Schnoor: 9:46

Yes not just picture books that are fiction, but books that tell the stories of real people, absolutely Doing everyday things. You know, it's not just history, it's what are we doing in current lives. It's being able to show people in a variety of occupations, backgrounds, family situations. Absolutely, you know modeling it on the walls, modeling it in your centers I mean we do so many playstations and play centers with early childhood.

Dr. Kimberly P. Johnson: 10:14

When we can make those culturally relevant and Include our families in setting those up, I think that that becomes powerful Absolutely and you know keeping that open door, you know Making sure and I tell teachers you, I know you're busy, you got a lot going on.

Dr. Kimberly P. Johnson: 10:29

We don't always have time to, you know, make a phone call or we don't have time to Send out emails every single day, but when something good happens, you've got to set aside that time to say I'm going to either send a note home with this child you may create notes in advance, you know and have you know such and such had a fantastic day and just fill that child's name in if you know they had a super day.

Dr. Kimberly P. Johnson: 10:55

That way you don't have to stop everything, but you grab one of those note cards that you've already pre done and just maybe add an extra you know smiley face or something on there that says this child really stood out today. And you need to know that parent, as opposed to always hearing things when it's negative and even taking the time I say sometimes to do a class video to just say hi, parents, we're having a fantastic time today. Just wanted you to know and send that out to parents just so they can feel connected with the teacher, not just the school, but with that teacher classroom as well at parent pick up.

Dr. Diane Jackson Schnoor: 11:32

One of the things that we used to do is we always finish the day on our little playground, and so the assistants would watch the children and make sure that they were playing Safely, and myself and the other lead teacher we would make sure that we were the ones taking the kids and putting them in the car, and the rule was that during that time that was your brief interaction with the parents you told them at least one good thing their kid had done during the day, and that way they built that connection. We also had sort of our own private class photo pages that the parents opted into so that as we took pictures they were posted just for the parents so that they could see what was going on in the class. But the thing I loved most was finding out what my parents did and inviting them to come in and talk to the kids.

Dr. Diane Jackson Schnoor: 12:17

And so we would work in spaces where we could fit anybody in and figure out how to make it work. Oh yeah, but we had yeah, we had a mom who was chief of the fire department and it was so cool to have this lady come in with the fire truck.

Dr. Kimberly P. Johnson: 12:33

But you know, we had people come in from all kinds of occupations and that's beautiful and, you know, I do think that there's a lot of human capital out there that we don't tap into as a resource, and so that's that was a brilliant idea to be able to do that, because, again, it opens up the door to career paths. What are some things that you could do as a job? It also helps tear down stereotypes and biases, because here she was a woman, a chief. That's pretty cool. Yeah, I think that's pretty. That's pretty cool.

Dr. Kimberly P. Johnson: 13:05

So being able to In let young people see that stereotypes and biases about certain people or demographics is not always true. You know, sometimes you you'll hear and see things and you start storing that information and that becomes that unconscious bias that we've got to be aware of and those blind spots that we got to be aware of, because children get blind spots too, and they start Making those comments, and so we've got to just be aware of what they're hearing and what they're seeing and try to tear down those anytime we hear it and see it and know that it's not appropriate for the space exactly, and I know I had seen a Infographic a little while ago that was talking about windows and mirrors in picture books and sort of showing the many possibilities that kids see, and it was so clear, based on what was being published, that certain kids are presented with more Possibility of who they can be than others.

Dr. Diane Jackson Schnoor: 14:03

And so you know, I think, if I remember the demographic correctly, you had the white child on the end where they were. Like 50% of the picture books being published were about them. So there were all these possibilities you might be a princess or a superhero or whatever and at the other end was a Native American child and it was like 1%, and so they showed the infographic is just like a fragment of a mirror and so often what you're seeing is literally historical at best, and so it got me thinking about it's not just Providing windows and mirrors, it's really seeking out possibilities and showing all the different things that are possible, that you're not limited.

Dr. Kimberly P. Johnson: 14:46

Mm-hmm, and you know what I if that's so beautiful, because that's all we need to do every single day, but I think sometimes people are afraid of what that looks like and they're afraid of what that means.

Dr. Kimberly P. Johnson: 14:57

You know, can I control the narrative if I start hearing all these narratives?

Dr. Kimberly P. Johnson: 15:02

And so I think we've got to, as adults, be more aware of what our children need in order to thrive and be productive in a diverse world, because we're not living in a space where, I mean, when I was a little girl growing up, in all honesty, black people lived on one side of the town, white people lived on the other side of the town and you just, that's just how it was. I grew up in the deep South and so really understanding that today the Dynamics of the world have changed so much is that we've got to prepare our children to Navigate and operate in the world, because I tell people, wherever I am, I say your kids here are my kids where I live and my kids where I live, or your kids here, because kids are not gonna stay in the same space. Hopefully they right and get to know and interact and engage with others. So we've got to be able to be open-minded enough to not be afraid to have conversations, so diversity becomes a part of our everyday operation.

Dr. Diane Jackson Schnoor: 16:00

Absolutely, and along with that, you know I think you alluded to it at the start of the conversation they need different things than we need. You know we're looking at 21st century skills. We want them to be creative, to be able to communicate well, to collaborate, to problem solve, because, lord knows, we're handing them a lot of problems to solve.

Dr. Diane Jackson Schnoor: 16:22

And so, in order to do that, it's no longer just about memorizing facts. It's about what do you do with those facts, how do you synthesize information. But I truly think the biggest thing is how do you work together and, for me, giving them opportunities for hands-on learning, using that STEM and STEAM is so important. Even at the early ages.

Dr. Kimberly P. Johnson: 16:44

Absolutely. And I think when we can introduce them to these different ideas and concepts, the seeds will get planted. You don't have to say, okay, we got to do this, you have to do. I think just sprinkling that information out will get that curiosity going and they'll ask you, they'll want to know more about it if they're interested in it. And I think we've got to do a better job as educators, as parents, as community people, fanning those fires, those domains.

Dr. Kimberly P. Johnson: 17:12

What is it that you see that your child is interested in? And are you feeding that flame, that fire that keeps them excited about it? And that means we've got to be eyes open wide. You know, if you have a child who loves looking at books about animals, or every time you go somewhere they want to get a stuffed animal, if you're in a store, that could be your veterinarian sitting right there in front of you. That could be that child that will take care of animals for the rest of their life and that's a beautiful thing. But unless we start seeing those kind of connections across, we're not going to know that that's something that might be an interest that we need to ignite even more.

Dr. Diane Jackson Schnoor: 17:50

So looking for those things. Being aware. That's a really good point. You know I always thought of them as invitations. Yes, you create these hands-on centers as invitations to play, as invitations to explore more, and then you can embed the other learning within it and you rotate them, so it's not always the same center. You know, maybe you have your zoology or your veterinary center and then maybe the next week or the next month it's dinosaurs or it's space, or maybe it's a laboratory. You know you have a chance as an early childhood educator to provide these invitations to play and let kids explore and learn more.

Dr. Diane Jackson Schnoor: 18:30

Yeah, and I think we need to do that on the elementary level. I think that ends way too soon.

Dr. Kimberly P. Johnson: 18:34

You know what? I can't even. Don't even get me started. But yes, we need to continue these ideas, this creativity. But I think a lot of that has to do with the way things are set up in elementary, as we start moving kids more towards the academic realm, which is powerful. We've got to do that. But at the same time, I think we take away that creative energy that can come with the academic side, because now, all of a sudden, it's here is what you have to know that content. We've created more of a sit and get environment where kids are required to sit and get information.

Dr. Kimberly P. Johnson: 19:12

And I tell people all the time the best way to learn is to move. But again, if you're afraid of what that movement throughout a classroom setting looks like, you're going to keep those kids in the seats because you're afraid of getting them up. I love it. I want them all over that room, same thing Be able to be a good teacher so that when time comes for them to come back. That's that management skill. And so I think, even as we are training our educators is teach them how to be great. Classroom managers, yes, and when I say manage that classroom, yes, but behaviors no, I don't think we need to manage behaviors. We need to teach our children how to modify their own behaviors, manage the classroom and modify behaviors and I think when we can do that it allows everybody to have a good balance in that space.

Dr. Diane Jackson Schnoor: 20:01

I always sort of had this circus analogy in my head where I thought of being a classroom teacher as being the ringleader that you've got these different rings going on of movement and of action and excitement, and your job is to be aware, to keep an eye on things and to facilitate, to make sure that everybody's getting a chance to play. But you're right, the kids. You want the kids to have the executive function to be able to manage their own behaviors, absolutely, absolutely.

Dr. Kimberly P. Johnson: 20:29

And then, when we can do that, I just think that they learn how to take those skills into real life. You know, because I often say, if we start managing behaviors in elementary, managing behaviors in middle school, managing behaviors in high school, who's going to manage after? You know, you think about that that they're not prepared to be adults and so many of our young people now are not prepared for adulthood because of some of the things that we as educators, as parents, as community people, have done in the process. As opposed to giving them that autonomy to allow them to learn to fall down because that's a fact of life, you're going to fall down sometime but giving them that safe space to bounce back up and know that there's somebody there to help in case they need it. But allowing them to build that autonomy and we've got to start doing that early, early, early early, in order for them to process it and grow with it.

Dr. Diane Jackson Schnoor: 21:23

And failure. Failure is such an important thing because you have to fall down and life doesn't always work that everything is glorious and rosy.

Dr. Kimberly P. Johnson: 21:32

Isn't that the truth? I know, and I think sometimes we plant these seeds of misconception that it is, or that if you make a mistake I'll fix it for you, but the reality is is that I don't know if we're building our kids to be able to bounce back and to be resilient and to tap into that grit if there's always somebody there to catch them when they fall. No, I certainly am not saying that kids need to fall down and and not be able to have assistance when they need it, but I think there's something called safe risk and those safe risks have to be taken and unless we teach them how to do that, they're not going to know what life is going to throw at them because we can't be out there navigating every process that comes their way. So they have to be prepared.

Dr. Diane Jackson Schnoor: 22:26

Are you tired of same old, same old professional development experiences? Check out what recent workshop participants have to say about doing a workshop with Dr Diane's Adventures in Learning Great hands-on session that included real ideas to incorporate in the classroom. Wonderful, Lots of great ideas and fun science experiments. It was great to be able to see how to make connections between the stories and science. If you are looking to raise your game and have a professional development experience that will leave your educators feeling rejuvenated and ready to directly apply ideas into their classrooms, reach out to Dr Diane's Adventures in Learning. We offer half-and-full-day workshops that examine ways to build connections between multicultural picture books and STEM STEAM experiences for gains across the curriculum. All programs can be tailored to your specific needs, so find out what audiences across the country have been experiencing. Check out Dr Diane's Adventures in Learning at wwwdrdianadventurescom. We hope to be in your school soon. No, absolutely. You shared something with me last week or last year your positive parenting guide that your students at Clemson came up with.

Dr. Kimberly P. Johnson: 23:53

Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh. It's amazing. It started as just a small project, a classroom assignment. That grew and grew and grew. But my kids are just so amazing and they're so committed to youth development that when we got into the project they came up with so many great ideas that I said you know what? We need to be able to put this out here in a space that other parents can get it. So it just started growing and it turned into 126 practical parenting tips and what I'll do is I'll make sure you get that link. Just make sure that your amazing audience, you know, gives Clemson students the credit for it. But we want it to be out in the mainstream because we've got to be able to create information that's grounded in good research but it's practical. That's common sense stuff that you need to know on how we can better assist parents and help them navigate this process, because it's a tough process in some cases.

Dr. Diane Jackson Schnoor: 24:54

Well, and that's what I was thinking as we were talking is, I would love to drop that link in the chat Absolutely, because I've shared it with my students and I think it's a practical way again as we're building those connections with families.

Dr. Kimberly P. Johnson: 25:04

These are some of the things that you can do, but also, teachers, I would suggest reading this document as well, because there were some practical things that you can bring into that classroom management side of things as well, and what I love about it too and this was accidentally on purpose is that when you read some of the content that they have as you're looking at it, you can brainstorm activities around that You're like, okay, well, I could do this and that could be an activity.

Dr. Kimberly P. Johnson: 25:33

So there's so many spaces throughout the document where you can read it and teachers could come up with activities they could do in the classroom setting. Parents could come up with activities that they could do at home with their children based on just tips from this guide. So they did a lot of work, but that's really. You were talking about the experiential. That's really what I try to do with all of the students that I teach is to teach them how to build items, permanent products that can be used in the mainstream, so that we're not just doing assignments to check off boxes, but really doing beefy information and content that can be utilized every single day. That's really what this process is.

Dr. Diane Jackson Schnoor: 26:15

Yeah, I mean, teachers need to learn now how to build these practical things that they can take with them when they go and how to share with their colleagues.

Dr. Kimberly P. Johnson: 26:24

Absolutely, Absolutely.

Dr. Diane Jackson Schnoor: 26:26

That's important every single day Now you wrote a book that I fell in love with that I think that teachers should definitely take a look at. It's called Data Doesn't Always Determine Success Balancing Research and Reality. Can you talk a little bit about what drove this book, because I found it to be so illuminating in the work that I do, just thinking about how you set up students for success.

Dr. Kimberly P. Johnson: 26:52

Well, you know, dr Diane, I've got to ask you because you say data or data. I say data, and you know it's one of those things. Is it tomato or tomato? I don't know. I think it's tomato, tomato I always say data doesn't always determine success, because it just kind of flowed better with my title.

Dr. Diane Jackson Schnoor: 27:14

But I hear people say uh, you know, I grew up in the South of North Carolina, but my father was from New York and my mother was from California. There are times when I have no idea where I learned to say something I love it.

Dr. Kimberly P. Johnson: 27:31

I love it, but you know what the point is, we know what the word is and we know what it can do sometimes. And sometimes it can take away from the great work that we're doing, because we spend a lot of times, you know, looking for information, the graphs and charts and assessments and believe you me, I know we need those things because they help us measure success in many ways. But at the same time I think we get so caught up in what that looks like that we forget to really examine the space and the place and the settings and the environment that some of our children come from that may not be conducive to what your graph or chart asks you to get. For example, if you have a child that comes in, typically they're doing great but all of a sudden they flop on a test, I can't look at that moment of that flopping of the test and say they're not able to do this work because there could have been so many mitigating factors, so many other stuff, other things that kept them from getting that test aced. So I think we've got to have a good balance and say I've got to know my children well enough to know if there are any things that aren't where they should be, because the more you get to know your students, your environment, you're going to know if something's not right or something's off that day. So you'll be able to address those factors even better. But I think we've got to get back to building good, strong relationships, getting to know our children and finding those other measurements of success.

Dr. Kimberly P. Johnson: 29:00

Because I'm a terrible test taker. I do not. Yes, I am an author, I'm a writer, I'm an educator, but I do not like taking tests. I'm going to be honest with you. I mean I do okay, but believe me, the anxiety and the angst creep up. So I just don't think that that's the only way we can measure. I think we've got to find other things. We've got to find.

Dr. Kimberly P. Johnson: 29:24

I tell teachers all the time when you ask a question, exit tickets. If you got 20 hands going up, guess what? That's data, because you are showing that they learned something from the time you started when you asked that first question and no hands went up. To now you're asking that question again and all the hands go up. That tells you that they learned something in that space. So I can measure those kinds of things If I have a child who doesn't participate one day. But then they're starting to build relationships. Other kids are making them feel welcome. That sense of belonging is there. That's data. Then they're going to participate more. So we've got to start looking for other things, not just metrics and numbers and charts, because they're important, but we also need other things to help us see the success of our children and our families.

Dr. Diane Jackson Schnoor: 30:13

You know, and when I did preschool again, one of the things I use the PALS testing with my guys, but the piece I loved the most was at the beginning of the year I would have them draw me a picture of themselves and write their name, and we did that periodically through the year and I could tell so much about the kids from what they put in the picture, you know. Are they grounding it? Is there a top and a bottom? Are we starting to write our name? What features are we using? And just from that little piece of observational data I was able to tell a lot about where my kids were as we were looking at getting ready to read, you know. And there were other pieces that of course, we were assessing and I did a lot of observational assessment. You know we do small groups and I'm paying attention to every kid going okay, you got this, you didn't. Let's go back and circle back and spend a little more time on playing some games about what is this letter sound?

Dr. Kimberly P. Johnson: 31:09

Right.

Dr. Diane Jackson Schnoor: 31:11

But you know, it's learning how to hold those pieces while holding the humanity of your kids as well, absolutely, absolutely.

Dr. Kimberly P. Johnson: 31:19

But that book pretty much talks about how I got here, because you know, by all definitions of the word, I should not be here, because I grew up with grandparents who could not read or write. My grandmother had about a third grade education, my grandfather none, and it wasn't because they didn't love education, but during the time they were growing up you had to stop going to school and help take care of the farm. That's just how it was. But my grandfather was determined. He's like these kids are gonna learn, my grandkids are gonna get an education. And so that was really what was what my foundation family foundation was rooted in.

Dr. Kimberly P. Johnson: 31:55

And so it just talks about how there were so many other things. That intrinsic motivation, that self-determination, those kinds of things were planted in me early and I think even when I fell down because I failed along the way, that thing inside of me was able to push me back up and try again, and I heard these constant reminders through that. You know structural thinking, you got this, you can do it, don't doubt yourself. Just hearing those messages from my family, my community, it just kept me going and it's like I didn't know I couldn't, so I did.

Dr. Diane Jackson Schnoor: 32:32

Ha, ha, ha ha, yep and boy have you done.

Dr. Kimberly P. Johnson: 32:36

Oh man, it still worked, though every day, you know, I'm still questioning myself sometimes, because I think that's a part of human nature, but there's something inside of me that just keeps pushing me, and I know it was because those seeds were planted so early in my life and when I say early, I'm talking about kindergarten and probably even before, but that's about as far as I can remember before.

Dr. Diane Jackson Schnoor: 33:02

And it just goes to show how important those early seeds are and what valuable work that we do, not just as teachers, but as parents, as grandparents, as community members, planting and nurturing those seeds.

Dr. Kimberly P. Johnson: 33:15

Absolutely, and they start really really early, like you say. I mean we've got to as soon as that baby is here in this world. We've got to start talking, speaking, verbalizing, saying these powerful and positive things, because they do soak in and you know, when hearing you, watching your mouth, the way they watch your eyes, your body language, they take on all that good Absolutely. So I think we need to start as early as possible, allowing them to absorb what they're surrounded with, because research tells us all the time you are what you're surrounded with. So if a baby is surrounded with angst and uncertainty and harsh tones, they start taking that stuff in. So I think we've really got to be aware of how early this can start taking root and how early it starts building inside their psyche.

Dr. Diane Jackson Schnoor: 34:03

No, I think you're right, that's yeah, hey. Early childhood and elementary school teachers and librarians, are you looking for ways to spice up your curriculum, build connections with engaged steam learners and introduce multicultural versions of fairy tales and folk literature? If so, head over to drdianadventurescom and check out our On Demand Virtual Course. Beyond Ever After Steam On Demand Virtual Course allows you to work at your own pace and learn how to build these STEM steam connections through multicultural fairy tales and folk literature. You'll receive professional development credits after you complete this high energy three hour On Demand course produced with Steve Spangler Inc. As a bonus, you're gonna receive a PDF that's filled with curriculum connections and program ideas you can put to work immediately in your early childhood, elementary or library setting.

Dr. Diane Jackson Schnoor: 34:59

Discounts are available for group purchases. Plus, you get special pricing when you purchase it as part of a regular professional development workshop. So head on over to drdianadventurescom and get started on your own. Beyond Ever After Experience. That seems like it's actually a great place to transition into some of the work that you're doing with the King's Center, and particularly your new book with Dr Bernice King. Can you tell us about that?

Dr. Kimberly P. Johnson: 35:26

Yes, you know, that was just been an incredible journey for my life. You know Dr Bernice A King. She's the last living daughter of Dr Martin Luther King Jr. She is a powerhouse, and when I say to you that she is committed to this heart H-E-A-R-T work that her mother and father have set into motion, she just continues to press how important it is to live in this nonviolent realm and to create a beloved community where everybody can thrive. And so, when I've been with the King's Center I want to say about 11, 12 years now I went there.

Dr. Kimberly P. Johnson: 36:05

All that time, though, to write a book with Dr King, and it just happened the last year and a half that we were able to get that done, because there were so many other projects that she was engaged and involved with, and we just wanted to make sure the timing was right and that the message was strong and right, and so, just following her great leadership, we were able to get this book out.

Dr. Kimberly P. Johnson: 36:31

The book is called it Starts With Me, and, as you can see, this is our main character here, amora, and she has a shirt on that says Be Love, and the concept behind that from Dr King is that love is an action word, it's not a feeling, it's not an emotion, just it is an action word. So to be love is a command, it is a call to action to go out and continue to be the change agent for the world. So this book is powerful because her message is that we can teach all of this all day long, and they have great training programs. But it starts with me. I've got to have the mindset that I want to see this change, that I want to see this beloved community created, and then I've got to go out and do the work. If I don't do the work, it's not going to happen. So that's an important part of this message as well.

Dr. Diane Jackson Schnoor: 37:26

So that book sounds incredibly powerful. Can you share a favorite page with us or a favorite section?

Dr. Kimberly P. Johnson: 37:33

Yes, I love this page because this is a page that Dr King often says and she got this quote from her mother and she reminds us in meetings and trainings and just when she goes out into the community there's a part of it that says we may get angry for no reason, we may laugh at others, pain, we may live in constant violence, but someone has got to break that chain. So, yes, it will start with me. So I thought that page is so powerful because we know the dynamics of the world right now and if you look at it, our natural default says it's bad Right, how can we make this any better? It's like there's every where you turn, there seems to be violence, there seems to be discord, there seems to be that disconnect. But right here it says but someone has got to break the chain. That means that there's somebody out here among all of us wonderful human beings that can say no more, it's going to start with me Today.

Dr. Kimberly P. Johnson: 38:33

I will do my part, and I think that's the beginning of creating that beloved community. And if you can get people connecting with, saying I'll do it, I'll do it, I'll do it, we can really get to what that action, word be love looks like. So I just I love it because the messaging is strong. The leadership throughout this project was strong. You know, dr King has really just captured the messages from her mother and father and just her upbringing, and given us something solid that children can hear and, I think, adults as well. Let's not just a book for kids.

Dr. Diane Jackson Schnoor: 39:12

Yeah, I was going to say it sounds like a book that a lot of adults need to hear, as well as the kids.

Dr. Kimberly P. Johnson: 39:17

It's a message book, for even you know, we're all human, we do things, we say things that you know. I sometimes have to sit down and reread it myself, just so I don't get frustrated with the plight of the world, because we do see things that just discourage us. So I think this book is a great way to remind us that there is still hope, there is still opportunity and there is still a desire and a willingness to create that beloved community that Dr King and Mrs King talk so much about. And it's right here and it's right now. The time is now to make this happen, and so Amora takes us on a great adventure so that we can see, through the eyes of a child, what community can and should like.

Dr. Diane Jackson Schnoor: 40:04

I love that and I'm assuming that you can get this book at any bookseller at this point.

Dr. Kimberly P. Johnson: 40:10

You can order it from the King Center. They are really amazing with getting information out, so you could just go to the King Center and look for the book it starts with me and you can order it right off the King the King Center website. So awesome and that's something I will send to you as well to share.

Dr. Diane Jackson Schnoor: 40:35

Wonderful, because I definitely am planning on getting my copy when I see you in just a month. I know right, oh my gosh. So that's a really good question in terms of what's next for you. What are sort of the big, exciting projects you're working on?

Dr. Kimberly P. Johnson: 40:50

Well, I have just completed my classwork for BCBA, which is Board Certified Behavior Analyst, and I've got to take this test.

Dr. Diane Jackson Schnoor: 41:04

They need to give you a portfolio.

Dr. Kimberly P. Johnson: 41:06

I know, I know, I know. So I'm going to study, I'm going to jump all in and get ready for that, but I really think that I want to shift some of my energy to what does behavior look like and how we can really help our educators, in particular, learn how to navigate some of the challenges that they will face inside of a typically developing classroom. You know, behavior is something that all of us do. Every single thing we do this is a behavior. This is a behavior. This is a behavior. So we, I think, when we understand that every single thing that we do is wrapped around understanding behavior, it will help us figure out how to help our young people modify their behaviors, because that's what we're talking about. So just knowing and understanding better.

Dr. Kimberly P. Johnson: 41:57

I think that we've got to figure out ways to keep kids in the classroom more, as opposed to sending them out for behaviors, and I certainly am not saying that teachers should deal with things that just can't be handled in the classroom, but some things I think we can handle if we understand behaviors a little bit more. And really, what positive reinforcement looks like. That is a powerful tool when you reinforce children in positive and productive ways. Even the teeny, tiny ones are littles. You can empower them just by being positive around them, just by telling them what they're doing is important. It's valuable listening to them, letting their voice be heard, really giving them things that will challenge them but will also motivate them. Those are great tools and I think all of us should know how to use those tools so we can be better educators, better parents, better community folks.

Dr. Diane Jackson Schnoor: 42:54

That sounds amazing. So the last question, the one I always love to ask people what brings you hope, you?

Dr. Kimberly P. Johnson: 43:00

know I often say this statement here to people if you don't know how wonderful the world still is, even in the middle of all the stuff we're dealing with, find a child.

Dr. Kimberly P. Johnson: 43:14

Look in their face and you'll get all the confirmation you need.

Dr. Kimberly P. Johnson: 43:17

So to me, what gives me hope is every time I hear a child laugh.

Dr. Kimberly P. Johnson: 43:23

Every time I see a child running and playing not caring about color, not caring about age, not caring about gender, but just playing, because they're kids who love to play. That warms my heart and that makes me understand that as adults we bring a lot of baggage to the party when we sometimes shouldn't, but we do so, really giving us a call to action to step back, take a breath, examine who we are and what our attitude says about the world. If our attitude is cynical and dark, then that's what we're going to create around us. But if we can somehow find that little teeny mustard seed, as we're told, that can grow into something big, then we can find that hope and that belief system that says even in the middle of it there is still greatness in the world. And just having that faith to know that we can produce something, that we are good inside and that we can create a space where people can thrive. No matter where you come from, no matter your background, we all have a chance to thrive and we can all be love.

Dr. Diane Jackson Schnoor: 44:36

Thank you, dr Kimberly Johnson. This has been such an amazing conversation. I'll have your information in the show notes. We'll include link to the various resources and folks. If you ever get a chance to hear her speak live, you absolutely have to take it.

Dr. Kimberly P. Johnson: 44:53

But they've got to come ready to get up because you know I do not sit in my sessions.

Dr. Diane Jackson Schnoor: 44:57

That's what.

Dr. Kimberly P. Johnson: 44:57

I love. Thank you so much, dr Diane, for all the work you're doing as well, and thank you for keeping this message out here.

Dr. Diane Jackson Schnoor: 45:07

Thank you. You've been listening to the Adventures in Learning podcast with your host, Dr Diane. If you like what you're hearing, please subscribe, download and let us know what you think, and please tell a friend. If you want the full show notes and the pictures, please go to drdianadventurescom. We look forward to you joining us on our next adventure.