Paging Dr. Scott

It’s summer. Teachers are using these few months to hone existing skills and develop new ones. Dr. Scott recounts a recent classroom activity that illuminates the need for a renewed passion, knowledge of students, preparation, and a student’s desire to have fun while learning. It’s borderline a Maslow‘s hierarchy of needs.
Dr.. Scott encourages awareness of student ability levels. Most classrooms consist of personalities that overshadow potential for engagement, particularly the student with low self-esteem or the student who is poorly socialized.
Teachers must be aware of outsiders, outcasts, and outliers. Key takeaways include:
No kid wants a zero. Kids cannot resist fun, so they need to see your passion. Finally, Dr. Scott reminds us that rewards can be praise, they can be extra credit or they can simply be a jolly rancher! Students don’t ask for much. Coach them through your expectations. Show them how much you love what you do and they will reward you with their personal best!

Back in the day, kids could make "arrangements" to have a fight to solve a disagreement. The fight would be on the playground, at the bus stop or after school. Once the fight was over, the fight was over. Nowadays, kids are bringing gangs, guns and knives to the fight. In those cases, someone always gets hurt. 
In this episode, Dr. Scott asks the question, What about the children? and shares a recent article highlighting the events leading up to the avoidable loss of life, the community's canned response and what she offers as a more impactful solution.

What do you do when you're ignored? How do you handle rejection? Some people take rejection to the point of no return. In this episode, Dr. Scott shares a recent story of one woman's reaction to being blocked on TikTok. You read that right! For some people, men and women, boys and girls, rejection demands confrontation. Listen in as Dr. Scott gets to the possible root cause of the extreme behavior exhibited by this young woman when her definition of love was no longer wanted.

Have you ever experienced betrayal? You know, the belief and expectation that someone you trust will prove themselves trustworthy with either your possessions, your children, other loved ones, or your heart. Only to find that they would let you down. The thing about betrayal is you never hear it from them. "You make the discovery," someone else tells you. That makes it an even harder pill to swallow. What do you do in a situation where the betrayal results in pregnancy? What do you do when the pregnancy is in the family? Listen in as Dr. Scott shares her insights as the ex-wife describes the betrayal and the aftermath.

We have always been a nation of people who needed an explanation —from our politicians, from our parents. We didn’t always get the explanation we wanted, but we always wanted to know why. The same applies to the generation of learners who are sitting in our classrooms today. They want to know why they need to have a seat; they want to know why they can’t go to the bathroom; they want to know why they’re being disciplined. Even if they know the reason, they still want to know why. Knowing that about your students, Dr. Scot illuminates the necessity of explaining the usefulness of a skill they’re being taught. In this episode, she breaks down the importance of "why." Students learn best when educators set the stage by explaining why the concept needs to be learned, how the concept will be used in the future, why the skill is important, or when and where it will be applied in life. Take a listen as she breaks this down using practical examples, and consider immediate ways you can apply this to your daily routine.

Fear comes in all shapes and sizes, and it sometimes comes when we least expect it. In the case of careers and professions, we often find ourselves fearful of operating in the spirit of excellence. If you’ve ever seen the movie Coach Carter, starring Samuel L. Jackson, he references a poem that starts with, “What is your deepest fear?” The last two lines of that poem should resonate with you as you listen to this episode of Paging Dr. Scott: “As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

“Kids can be mean. Really mean.” Those words from a sixth grader prompted Dr. Scott to issue this announcement as a public service.
Whether it’s a woman’s crown or a young girl’s tiara, a cute hairstyle matters. No one is fond of a bad hair day, but for children, even as early as seven years old, appearance begins to take on new meaning.
A bad hair day can lead to all sorts of other things, from mood swings, questions from supervisors (in the case of an adult) or teachers (in the case of students), especially for school-rule violations. Worse yet, it can lead to bullying.
In this episode, Dr. Scott shares an experience with a middle school student who was willing to risk disciplinary measures to shield her hair from public ridicule.
Mean kids often grow up to be mean adults. If not checked, we run into a litany of problems. Using other humans to find humor in our day is not okay. Personal attacks based on one’s physical, often unalterable appearance (or features) are not okay.
Dr. Scott reminds us that telling a child, “You don’t have problems; wait ‘til you get grown” does not solve the very real challenges kids face every day. Their bodies and souls can only withstand so much. Let’s not trivialize those experiences.

Are you among the 32% of people who feel uncomfortable talking about money with your significant other?
Hello listeners and Happy New Year! If you’re subscribed to Paging Dr. Scott, you know she believes strongly in giving equal attention to all aspects of life and living; that includes financial wellness. This topic is so important, because after raising three well-rounded children on a single mother’s budget (if you’re a single parent, then you know), Dr. Scott understands how important money matters are.
Dr. Scott’s guest is Waymon Jordan, financial advisor, Regional Vice President and owner of Jormac Enterprises. Waymon has clients across the United States with services ranging from mortgage loans, life insurance and investments, legal services, wills and more.
Listen in as he tells us why money should not control us, govern our decisions, or shift our mood from happy to stressed.
Don’t be among those who argue about money 58 times a year! Take out your recorder or your notepad and pen and get ready to walk away with new knowledge and a mindset shift in your DAILY journey to financial freedom.
We are the 20%!

Shielding Ourselves from Workplace Scourges Take a deep breath for this one, guys. In today’s episode, Dr. Scott pays homage to a former co-laborer in service to students and staff in higher education. As we approach the anniversary of the death of Dr. Antoinette Candia-Bailey, we listen in as Dr. Scott lays bare many of the issues in workplace dynamics, promotions and advancement, mental health, FMLA, ADA and the impact of favoritism in the absence of a system of checks and balances. Did you know Dr. Candia-Bailey? Possibly not. Still, listen for the ways in which you can relate. Listen for opportunities to learn something new. Listen for the chance to offer your insights, personal experiences, or professional expertise. What happened to her should NEVER happen to anyone else ever again.

As a consultant and academic coach, Dr. Scott has heard it all. In this episode, she reflects on a teacher complaint that he “Can’t do 20 things at once.” Many classrooms have taken on the appearance of a living room where students let themselves in and make themselves at home. In such an environment, students decide the agenda, seating arrangements, meals and level of socialization.
Dr. Scott distinguishes between a “home” environment and a classroom environment conducive to learning. A lackadaisical classroom environment opens the door to bullying, distractions, learning gaps, sub-par instruction, roaming, revolving-door entry and exit (bathroom, snacks, daily visits to the clinic, water fountain, etc.).
Sadly, conscientious, well-behaved students often pay the price for the students who are late, off task, on vacation in the back of the classroom or on a date in the corner. Dr. Scott advises there should be systems in place for every movement, stemming from a consistent routine established on Day One. Without it, we are inadvertently honing a student's ability to distract the leader in the room. Bottom line: “If you’re not doing many of the right things at once, you are not teaching.”