A O two Dope Nation. Hey,
if you're an educator is struggling with time and money, my friend Alex ra,
certified financial planner with SAT investors is here to help specializing in
working with educators. Alex understands the challenges you face from low,
low pay to complex retirement systems.
His team specializes in holistic financial planning, focusing on your goals,
and creating actionable plans to improve your chances of success.
Visit his website at
www.toriandalex.saterainvestors.com/two dope.
To schedule an initial virtual consultation with Alex,
mention the code two dope on your meeting to receive
25% off their subscription based financial planning packages.
You can find more info and a link to their website in the podcast Subscription
SAT Investors is the marketing name of SAT Investment Services,
security and insurance products are offered through SAT investment services l l
c, doing insurance business in California as ccf G SST C,
insurance Agency, L l c,
member F F I R A slash ss i.
PC Advisory services are offered through Satera Investment Advisors,
L L C, California Insurance, license number zero L 0 5 6 5 0.
Alexander Sierra, C f P is located at 6 0 5 East Huntington Drive,
suite 2 0 3, Monrovia, California 9 1 0 1 6.
And can be reached at phone number (626) 408-1333,
extension 3 0 6. Hey, what's going on y'all?
It's me here up here, executive producing, uh,
two Dope Productions over here. Um, listen,
you may have noticed over the last few months, it's been really hard, uh,
for me to get content out there. Um,
I got a ton of great interviews just sitting in the canister waiting to reach
your ears. And, uh,
I'm just so timet strapped and kind of getting this stuff done. But y'all, I've,
I've made a decision and, um,
I don't know when this comes to life. I don't totally know how, um,
but I know that it has to, at some point,
I wanna start working towards doing two dope teachers in a mic
and doing two dope productions for a living.
And that's a lot, right?
Like biting off a whole lot out there that, um,
I don't know, you know,
it gives me a lot of insecurity and gives me a lot of fear to take that plunge.
But, you know, you've probably heard so many guests on this podcast talk about,
you know, how they just kind of took the plunge and now they're just doing dope,
dope stuff on their own terms. And, um,
I aspire kind of be like that. So, here's what you can do to help.
First of all, um, if you are interested in sponsoring the podcast,
hit us up and I'm happy to sit down and have a conversation with you and talk a
little bit about what we're looking to accomplish and what we consider an
aligned relationship. Um,
if you are somebody who would like to just contribute on an ongoing, um,
basis for as little as $5 a month, you can go to our Patreon page,
patreon.com/two Dope teachers, and, uh,
for a little as little as $5 a month, you can make, um,
independent people of color media production possible for as
much as $15. You can also get a sticker, a two Dope Nation sticker.
Shout out Sham, getting that done for us. And, um,
that helps us keep the lights on and pay some of the expenses that come with the
podcast. The podcast is not free, um, for us. Uh, we,
we do strive to keep it free for you. Um,
another way you can support us is by going to buy me a coffee.com/two
Dope Teachers, where just for a few dollars, as often as you want to,
you can buy us a coffee. And by coffee we mean production bandwidth.
And, um, covering expenses.
It's very unlikely that we'll actually use it for coffee, but hey,
but maybe we will, and you can make that coffee possible,
but we're gonna keep on striving. I mean,
the number one thing you can always do is just tell people about the podcast
and, um, tell people to listen. And, you know, reach out to us on,
on our socials where at Tudo teachers, on the artist, formerly known as Twitter,
as well as on Instagram, you can also find us two dope teachers.com.
And then we are also on Facebook. So,
a looking forward to bringing you this next episode. Um,
but just wanna let you know what the goals are, um,
and hopefully we're on our way. Also, um, if you subscribe to Patreon,
you actually get our episodes ad free. So, um,
hope you're doing well and, uh,
can't wait to hear what you think about this conversation.
Hey, yo,
welcome back to Two Dope Teachers and
a microphone. What's going on? It's me. Hi,
2021 Colorado Teacher of the Year. Yeah, I'm gonna say that forever. Um, and.
I.
I hope that you'll celebrate with me because it was probably
the single most transformative moment in my teaching career. Anyway,
I'm over here. Kevin is not here for this conversation.
The conversation was actually recorded during the day due to our guest's
availability, and Kevin is still working in schools,
and I did this at lunch, so don't come for me. It was on my lunch hour.
Anyway, we are here, um, in just a moment,
you're gonna get a chance to hear me speak with, uh, Rebecca Peterson,
the 2023 National Teacher of the Year, a secondary math teacher out of Tulsa,
Oklahoma. Really, really amazing conversation. And, uh,
one that really tests some of my, um,
fundamental ways of being, um, shall we say. Um,
this is a very positive individual who is fully aware of the
struggles in the world right now. And while she faces those things with,
um, courage, having the spotlight on,
she also understands the importance of joy and just finding the one
good thing every day, um, that can, uh,
that can maybe be a game changer for you at times. Um,
so we'll get into that conversation in just a second. And I'll tell you, um,
this conversation that I had with Rebecca, um, is just,
it's just really kind of timely in my life. Like those of you who know me well,
and you've probably seen this pop up on the podcast from time to time.
I sometimes struggle with positivity. I I sometimes struggle with optimism,
and, you know,
I always thought it was because I was just this total critical thinker, um,
that I always ascribe positivity to, um,
to naivete. Um, if you're feeling positive,
then obviously you are naive and you don't know what's really going on, and,
and that, that's unfair to positive people.
But it's also unfair to me because as so many of my loved ones around me
have really just tried to teach me . Um, I deserve joy.
I deserve to be happy at times. I,
I deserve to be present and in the moment, and I'm just,
I just haven't been good at that in the past.
And so the last year has been really challenging,
especially this summer was really challenging. Um, I'm kind of,
I kind of found myself at this crossroads at my job, um,
where I had to think about if I was going to show up as my full self or
not. And, uh, that's a very difficult place to be.
And maybe some of you are surprised to hear me say that. Um,
but I actually think some of you are probably not surprised to hear me say that
at all. Um, there's times that I don't show up as, as my true self.
And it's not just because of the environment.
It's not just because of the way these systems often see people of color,
particularly black and brown people. Um, it's,
you know, it's not just that in a way.
Sometimes it feels like I'm just kind of protecting myself, um,
that if I just don't fully show up,
then I don't have to feel rejected.
And that's been a big thing. You know, I'm,
I'm doing some writing over on my sub stack. Um,
so feel free to head over there and check it out. Um, you know,
I want to do this piece about being seen and how it's sort of shifted for me.
Um, I was a person that sought affirmation at every turn,
and I didn't see any end in sight because affirmations are kind
of addictive. I'm not saying that they're bad, they're, they're not bad. Um,
it feels good when another person sees good work that you're doing or good
things that you're into, or good qualities that you have,
that's always a good thing.
But if that's the only basis for where I am feeling
seen and valued, it's just not healthy and it becomes addictive and it becomes,
it's like you need more and more and more, right? Just, just like a,
a just like an addiction to a substance, right?
So I,
I kind of crashed out over the summer and some things kind of went down
in this, um, you know, in this hard moment for me.
But I just have to shout out some people and you, you know, who you are, um,
who were honest with me and direct with me and, um,
loving towards me as I tried to turn this corner.
I've learned that it's more important for me to see myself
than it is for others to see me. And maybe if I see myself,
it doesn't actually matter that much, whether others see me,
because how I show up, how I engage,
and how I try to leave a positive imprint on the world
comes from within, you know?
So stay tuned, um, for this little healing journey.
A if you want to support two dope teachers and a mic, um,
you can head over to patreon.com/two Dope Teachers for $5 a month.
You can help us make, um,
independent people of color produced media possible.
We're bringing stories that just aren't being highlighted in other spaces,
and we're bringing stories in a way that I would argue is unique.
I think when you listen to two dope teachers and a mic, whether it's just me,
whether it's me and Kev, whether it's some of the dope guest hosts we have had,
you're just getting something different.
And that different thing is something that I think is really valuable. Um, if,
you know, if your income is a little bit unpredictable, well, if,
if it's unpredictable, like hit over to investors and, you know, uh,
hit up Tori and Alex, they can help you out. Not just kidding, um, no,
but actually do that. Um, but, you know, if it's kind of up and down with, um,
with the money coming in, we know a lot of you are scraping by,
particularly in the really overpriced city of Denver,
but maybe you have a few bucks, um, to support that. You can throw our way, uh,
head over to buy me a coffee.com/two dope teachers, um,
where you can buy us virtual coffee and, um,
continue to support the work that we're doing. Um,
the simplest thing you can do is just tell your friends and colleagues that
there's this dope podcast, um, that answers a lot of your questions. And man,
we got some wicked cool stuff that we're working on, um, in the coming,
uh, months and year that, that we really think that you're gonna enjoy.
And having a little bit of an investment, um,
whether it's an investment of time or an investment of money,
is really valuable to us.
Follow us on socials at two Dope Teachers on Instagram and Twitter.
We're on Facebook, we're everywhere. So here's the introduction.
Um, so Rebecca Peterson,
the 2023 National Teacher of the Year is a math teacher who loves stories.
Rebecca's taught high school math classes ranging from intermediate algebra
to advanced placement calculus for 11 years at Union High School in Tulsa,
Oklahoma. Amid a difficult first year of high school teaching,
she found the one good thing blog.
She credits daily posting there to helping her recognize the beautiful and
positive experiences occurring in her classroom,
which inspired her to stay in the profession.
She has since contributed 1400 posts to the blog.
This is why I thought it was her blog. . As Oklahoma Teacher of the Year,
she has visited teachers across the state to highlight their important work
through the Teachers of Oklahoma campaign. As National Teacher of the Year,
Rebecca is using her platform to highlight teachers' stories of the good that's
happening in education. Teaching is a profession that affords creativity,
autonomy, and purpose.
And Rebecca believes that highlighting the stories of joy happening in
classrooms across the country will help encourage current teachers and attract
new educators to the profession. Rebecca is a proud immigrant of Swedish,
Iranian descent,
and has lived in several countries around the world as her parents traveled as
medical missionaries.
Her own experience with supportive teachers who celebrated her diversity in math
abilities informs Rebecca's efforts to create a supportive and accessible
classroom for students.
She values listening to student stories as a way to better understand them and
elevate their voice. Before joining the faculty at Union High School,
Rebecca taught for three years at the collegiate level.
She holds a bachelor's degree in mathematics from Oklahoma Wesleyan University
and a master's degree in mathematics from the University of South Dakota.
She lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma with her husband Brett and son Jonas.
And she enjoys reading, crafting, and playing board games.
Here's our conversation up everybody, it's me, Gerard Munoz,
your 2021 Colorado Teacher of the Year. My,
the Forever 2021 Colorado Teacher of the Year is what they keep telling me.
And I am here with the amazing Rebecca Peterson
2023 National Teacher of the
Year.
. Hello.
How are you today?
I'm good, how are you? Is.
That the best intro you've ever gotten? Like that's.
A really good intro.
. Yeah, it's, it's good. I, I understand you can't like, necessarily,
'cause other people might get their feelings hurt and so, so I get it. .
Totally makes sense. Uh, Rebecca, you are in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Thank you for being on the show,
for coming on the most dangerous podcast in the school house.
Uh, we are here remixing the conversation on race, power, and education. Um,
so I wanna get kind of get right to it. Um,
when you were announced as a finalist, um,
I learned about your One Good Thing blog, and, um,
and I sort of, so I looked down, I'm like, oh, that's interesting.
'cause ob obviously for a lot of classroom teachers is often difficult
to identify that one good thing. Mm-hmm. . And like,
I dove in and I'm cynical, Rebecca . I'm like,
I'm like a cynical person, and I'm like,
do I wanna read this? Like, do,
and then I got a couple of entries in and I was really glad that I spent the
time. Um, what is it that, um,
what is it that motivated you to create this blog?
Yeah, so I actually did not create it. Um, I did administer.
Oh, research.
No, no, you're good. Um, I, uh, it was,
it was pretty brand new,
like collaborative blog when I switched over from teaching college to
high school in 20 20 12. And that switch for me, you know,
to nobody's surprise, except apparently my own .
Funny how that works. You're like, I thought I had this, I thought I had this,
and everybody knew it was gonna be hard, and somehow I didn't .
Exactly, yes.
I joke that I went from like this classroom space where students were like
paying to hear what I had to say to this classroom space,
where like students were more or less like forced to hear what I had to say.
Yes. And it, it was, it was a real shock to my system. Mm. Um,
and I too am pretty cynical. I I say like, I am naturally,
I feel kind of wired as like glass half empty kind of gal. Um,
and so I really had one foot out the door. I was,
I was ready to just be done, um, and go back to college teaching. Um,
and then I stumbled upon again, this really new collective blog, and it,
ori originally was just math teachers that Yeah. Um,
I just like connected with because they were like, yeah, this ,
this work is hard . And they, but then they,
they decided to sort of live by this mantra that every day may not be good,
but there's something good in every day. Mm-hmm. And you know, it,
that quote just really.
Resonated. Every day may not be good, but there's something good in every day.
Yeah. Yeah. I need.
That. Yeah.
Yeah. You know, and it just like, to me,
like beautifully encapsulated the difficulty of the work while still sort of,
I don't know,
putting sort of the ownership on me to look for the beautiful in
within the difficult, right. Yeah. Um, because like,
life is hard , but life is also beautiful. And so,
um, I decided to join and not just join,
I decided to like be the weird one that like actually posted every single day.
Um, and so I, um, Sam, one of the,
the Coad administrators told me today, and it was just so kind that like,
I kind of breathed life back into the, to the blog and maybe,
maybe sustained it in a way. Um, but yeah,
so I just kinda kept writing and writing one good thing every day. And I,
I saw really such a shift in,
in my mindset and, and the brain science backs it up, right?
Like when, um, we decide to be intentional about something,
the part of our brain that filters, that something expand,
allowing us to see more of that thing.
And that thing for me was the good moments. Um,
and nothing, most, most of the posts are not big things.
Like they're just.
Right. Yeah. I noticed that .
Just really small, everyday beautiful moments that I was missing before,
you know?
And I think that if we're not intentional about creating space for those good
things Yeah. Then they don't, then they don't land. You know?
And we have to create the space for them to land.
Yeah, I totally agree with that. And, um, and it,
and it is interesting because I think what I've witnessed both, you know,
I've spent 23 years as a classroom teacher,
and now I've just finished my first year as a central office manager.
And what I've noticed is that it's so easy to,
um, to move away from that. And I, I think that,
I think during Covid there was a lot of talk about toxic positivity and kind of
thing, and I actually think that what I've witnessed in a lot of the spaces I
interacted in is there's been kind of an overcorrection to toxic positivity
where anything that, um,
doesn't sort of fit into that cynical trope, um, is,
is kind of rejected. And, and what you said about, you know, the, the,
you being kind of this, this cynic who mm-hmm. , you know,
needed this mindset shift. It makes me think of the gramsci quote, right? Uh,
pessimism of the intellect, optimism of the will. Mm-hmm. And so to me,
it really, uh, and he wrote that in prison, so he is like in prison,
and I'm like, okay, what am I complaining about?
I'm literally not in prison at the moment for my political ideas, . Um,
and so this idea that we can maintain a lens of criticality while
being optimistic about what we can do with just a mind,
mind set shift. Yeah. .
Yeah, exactly. And that, that is something I try to be very clear about. Like,
this is not toxic positivity, this is not, yeah.
I'm looking for the silver lining. This is Yeah. Insisting on the good,
the true and the light, having the final word in our day.
Yeah. I love that. No, it's great. And kind of to that point,
this is sort of an interesting thing. Um, so having,
I wouldn't say I've been following the news a ton. Um,
it follows me on every, on every platform that I end up in.
So one of the discussions that we, that they not, I don't know,
I feel like it's not even a discussion,
but we do have this kind of local minority that is calling for things
like math instruction to just quote, unquote be about the math, about content,
content skills. And, you know,
you need to be able to calculate things. You, it's funny, there's this, I'm,
I'm kind of riffing right now, but there's this kind of dual thing of like,
we need to be able to teach them the skills,
but also don't waste my time with the skills ,
because when am I gonna use this? It's just so wild to me to like,
listen to that. It's like, what do we want?
So they need to learn the Pythagorean theorem,
but I've never used it and they shouldn't have to use it. It's just wild.
Anyway, that's not the question. the question. No. Has I.
I feel pretty validated .
Because I think I, I I think it's fine.
I think I looked at some of your posts on the One Good Thing blog, um,
and some of the other things that had been released about you before I actually
knew what your subject matter was.
And so when I learned that your content area was math, I'm really curious.
So how do you approach math? Like how,
talk a little bit about how your approach is a little bit different than what
people are, like,
what a small minority is calling for and what we sometimes will characterize as
math instruction.
Yes. So, uh, how much time you got? There's.
A lot.
So I am actually really, I'm a trained mathematician.
Like I started my career teaching at the college level. Yeah.
I have both a bachelor's and a master's in pure mathematics. My master's,
I have an emphasis in advanced calculus. So, um,
my training is as, um, actually as a mathematician.
And so as a mathematician,
and with every mathematician I've ever talked to and studied with,
the reason we're drawn to it is because of its beauty. Beauty, um,
to us there is like this rhythmic, meditative quality about it.
And you know, how, um,
how oftentimes we'll talk about reading as a way to kind of transport us
into another world. Yeah. That's how meth is for me, but it transports me like,
into myself. And so that is, um,
that's how I want my students to experience math.
Now, the other side of that is, my favorite math class to teach is calculus,
of course, . And that is , um,
largely because of how ubiquitous calculus is. Like it's all around us,
you know? Yeah. Like, if you want to model the population growth of,
of a country,
or if you want to see the average value of a Bitcoin over the last month,
or see like,
what am I gonna be able to fall asleep if I drink a cup of coffee at, you know,
9:00 PM Yeah. Uh, calculus can, can help us answer all those questions.
And so I love, I,
I love both like the application of math as well as,
um, as well as the, just the purity of being in a problem,
being in a theorem and just like, just working in it. Yeah.
Um, and then I, I try to tell my kids like,
struggling in math is no more the enemy than sweating is in football. Right.
It's proof you're in the game. Ooh.
I love that. Yeah.
And so, um, so to me though, if,
if my students are really gonna trust me to push them in, um,
in like some really pretty hefty mathematics,
then I also have to know them first and foremost as human beings. Yeah.
And so, um, we spend, um, a,
a quite a bit of time just getting to know one another,
making sure that there's that trust built. Um, and, and yeah,
we practice like breathing techniques on Mondays. We have Mindful Mondays.
And to me, that's, that's sort of like a microcosm of, again, that,
that mindful rhythmic aspect of Yeah. Of mathematics.
Fridays we journal one good thing. Right? And so to me it's like,
it's all very interconnected. Um, and,
and to say that math should be just about calculations, um, then I,
I don't think you've talked to, to a mathematician. Um,
and so I would encourage those who, who say math is, is only about, you know,
numbers to to go go talk, to,
go talk to a mathematician, and, and feel like that, that.
Yeah. That, no, it, it's, the way you explain it is,
is so beautiful, because I think, you know, I was this kid in high school,
middle and high school,
I was really good at what was being asked of me in math classes. And so,
and I couldn't really explain why, but the, but the,
the concepts just made sense to me, and Yeah.
Yeah.
And, and you know, I, I, some of, um, my former colleagues who, you know,
kind of adopt a similar mindset around math that you do, um,
would say that it's its own language. It's a unique language. And, um,
and so thinking about that way and wishing that my daughter had had that type
of experience, um, in math classes, I think is, it's,
it's just refreshing to hear that there's that perspective out there because it
is really mysterious and you can get really, yeah. Um,
you can get really immersed in the mystery of it, Uhhuh, . Um,
and yet we give timed test of it. And ,
it's like, I mean, I, I get it.
Like class periods are only so long and you need to assess, but I,
I think the way you explain it is really beautiful.
And you said something about how, um, it's a journey into yourself.
Yeah.
Yeah. Can you say more about that? I love that phrase.
I, so, um, we'll probably touch on this in a bit, but I traveled Okay.
Like, um, a lot growing up. And, um, my,
my parents were medical missionaries.
I'm also an immigrant to the United States. My dad's like,
you're just like culturally confused. Um, and we like laugh about it, but like,
like digging into that, I'm like, yeah, yeah. , like,
I'm though. Um, anyways, we, um,
my freshman year we lived in, um, in a country called Tajikistan,
just north of Afghanistan. Mm-hmm. . Yeah. Um,
very poverty stricken, particularly at the time,
80% of the population lived below the poverty line.
So then coming back to the United States as a sophomore in high school,
um, it was really, really difficult. You know, like,
I remember like my second day back stepping into a Walmart and having this
visceral reaction, like almost, I, like, I almost like threw up it,
you know, because you just, you step into the store and you're like.
Sensory overload.
Like this is more stuff, more products,
more like consumerism in one, like one step in.
In one enormous space, higher.
Country is gonna see in their lifetime, right? Um, yeah.
And so there was, um, a lot to like, reckon with, and,
um, I think this was, you know, kind of before, unfortunately,
like therapy was really normalized, and so it was just, you know,
we were just kind of like left to figure things out on our own, um,
which I'm not advocating for.
I'm just saying that's kind of how at all where I was mm-hmm. ,
that's what happened. And so, to me,
I think largely how I healed was through math. Mm-hmm. Um,
and I,
it allowed me to just sink into a problem to not always
know where I was going with the solution, but to just keep going.
And if my path forward didn't work, then it was okay, because it revealed,
um, it's every time you don't get quite to the solution,
you're learning something, right? Yeah. And so it allowed me just, um,
this yeah. This way to like sink into myself and to heal, um,
through, yeah, through just like the journey of, um,
of being immersed in, in mathematics and numbers and trigonometry.
And it is, um, it's really healing. Yeah.
I, I love to hear that. Thank you for sharing that. I,
I think that it is a sort of trauma, right? That, um, mm-hmm.
just trying to adjust and mm-hmm. ,
especially during a time when, and, and I would argue that in some communities,
like therapy still isn't normalized, right? Mm-hmm. . And so, um,
knowing that that could provide you with, um,
with a way to process mm-hmm. , um, kind of to that point,
as you noted. Um,
so you are an immigrant to the United States,
your parents were medical missionaries. One of the things that gets, um,
discussed, not, you know, uh, not as much as these other, you know,
big things you're working on is your ethnic and national identities, so mm-hmm.
, this is a podcast that was originally, um,
created to try to form connections between educators of color
across the country. Now it's like across the world mm-hmm. . Um,
but I guess my question is, um, you know, what do these identities mean to you,
and how do they guide you in the work that you do?
Yeah, yeah. Thank you for that. Yeah. So my dad is a hundred percent Iranian.
Um, he immigrated to Sweden, and my mom's a hundred percent Swedish.
They met there, had me, um, I'm like, I,
I'm what you get when you mix like two very like, um,
geographical extremes, right? Yeah, yeah. . Um, and so, um,
yeah. So then they had me, then they moved to, um, to Oklahoma of all places,
. And then, um, then.
I guess that, that should be the next question, right? .
Right? Yeah. Very interesting. Um, and then,
um, then again, like they're medical missionaries. So we would,
we traveled a lot short term, but then we also spent, um,
longer times in Central Asia. So I've lived in, um, I was born in Sweden,
lived, um, most of my life in the States,
but have also lived in Kazakhstan and Tostan. And, um,
you know, I'm so,
so grateful for such a diverse upbringing now as an adult that, as,
you know, as a child, like, I would have a hard, I mean,
I remember getting to college, you know, and everyone's like,
where are you from? Where are you from?
And I didn't know how to answer that question.
And when you can't quite answer like, where's home or where are you from?
It can be, um, quite untethering. Yeah. And, um,
yeah. So again, I like, I struggled with that a lot growing up,
but then fast forward to, you know, 2012,
and I take this teaching job at a just
beautifully diverse, culturally rich district. Mm-hmm. ,
we have 62 languages represented.
So many of my students are also first generation Americans, um,
or, or immigrants. And, and we know, like,
we understand each other at this level of, you know, I say like growing up,
it was like sometimes I lived in three countries within one city,
because we would would speak Swedish at home. Yeah. Then I would come,
go to school and speak English, and then I would go to my,
my dad's parents' apartment who they immigrated to the United States
eventually as well. And they would speak Farsi, right? Yeah. And so,
and language depicts culture. So like, you're in three different languages,
cultures, countries, all in one city. And, um, you know,
my students totally relate to that, um,
because they're balancing so many different cultures as well. And so I say like,
what used to untether me as a child now as an adult,
really tethers me to my students.
Uh, it, it's, I'm just letting those words like sink in.
I think I also, um, identify as multi-ethnic multinational.
My dad came here from Mexico in the seventies. Um, my mom's wife was born here.
Her family is from, um, the San Luis Valley, which you may not know.
It's in Colorado. It's a very small kind of rural community. Okay. Yeah. And,
you know, I think of how meaningful it would've been to have, you know, a,
a person who identifies similarly Exactly.
Exactly.
And have that growing up.
No, nor did.
I. Yeah. And it's, and it's a, it's a beautiful thing. And, um, the,
the languages, um, yeah. And I, I think, I don't think I have to look this up.
I will just to do my due diligence,
think you're the first Swedish Iranian American to, uh,
appear on the podcast. Like I feel,
I feel like that's highly likely . So.
So, you know, in what, my parents actually live back in Sweden now,
so when I visit,
it's interesting 'cause there's a lot of people that look like me because
there's a lot of Iranian immigrants That's so funny in Sweden. .
Yeah. Well, and I think that breaks down that kind of stereotype of different,
um, different countries that, you know, I,
I've learned through my own privilege of traveling that all societies and all
cultures are diverse, um, that, you know, none of them are monolithic.
Uh, we, we were in Ireland like a couple weeks ago, and like,
the city of Dublin is very much a European city in that sense.
It's extremely diverse. Lots of languages.
I'm told there's a lot of Mexicans in Dublin,
which was wild to me as a Mexicano. I'm like, what we get there.
Interesting.
And so you're hearing like Mexican Spanish on the streets of Dublin.
It's a trip. Wild. Yeah. Beautiful. So, um, we're gonna take a quick break. Um,
when we come back, uh, we're gonna go back to when you were announced, um,
and just kind of going from the state teacher of the year, national finalist,
uh, to National Teacher of the year. So, um, stay with us.
We'll be back in just a moment. Okay. We are back.
Thank you for checking out Satera investors. Alex and Tori are amazing.
They will hook you up. Um, Rebecca,
have you noticed that it's often difficult to plan for retirement on a teacher
salary? Um, that,
that maybe we don't have a whole lot of money to like, invest. Um,
so Alex and Tori, uh, y'all should check,
y'all should actually check out this link, uh, that's in the show notes.
It's Alex and Tori, sponsors of the podcast. So Tara Investors, um,
are looking at trying to actually make investing and planning for the future
more accessible to teachers earlier in our careers. It's pretty cool. Um,
and then you can scrutinize it and see if it's mathematically sound because
, I think Alex, my.
Husband.
Alex is really smart. Pretty sure he pretty sure he did his due diligence, but,
you know, always important to have another eye on things. Um, so, um,
welcome back everybody.
And I think this is probably why everybody's here is to hear the, um,
hear Rebecca reflect on this, uh, title of National Teacher of the Year.
It's a really big deal.
So I wanna kind of go back to when you were announced, right?
So the,
the first time you kind of set foot on a larger stage as a teacher,
and then how, you know, so you are named Oklahoma Teacher of the Year mm-hmm.
, and then there's probably a time when you're like,
what I'm a national finalist,
and then finally the announcement of Rebecca Peterson as National
Teacher of the Year. So just take me through what that process was like for you.
Yeah, so I was announced as Oklahoma Teacher of the Year in spring of
2022 actually. And, um, I mean,
I can still like be transported to that day, so Well,
because the way Oklahoma does it is like a big surprise announcement in front
of like 500 people. So it's.
Like everybody .
We're all sitting on stage, you know? And,
um, the,
the state superintendent at the time called my name and I mean, there's this,
the, there's this hysterical photo of me really on, um,
in our local newspapers and just, um, and I was like, what?
And then, then I had this thought of like, I,
I probably heard wrong and just like collapsed for no reason .
And so, um, very serendipitously,
I was actually sitting by one of my colleagues or former colleagues who used to
teach at Union High School with me. She had transferred districts,
so she was a district teacher of the year as well. And,
and we happened to be right next to each other alphabetically.
And so I looked at her and I said, Cindy,
did she just say my name? And she's like, yeah, . Okay.
Um, so like I have this moment of, yeah,
I think I just like made that up, um, .
Um, so that was very surreal and I just had, um,
but just like the year of a lifetime getting to, um,
I don't, I,
I hesitate to say like represent Oklahoma teachers because they're such a
wonderful representation of themselves, but really getting to,
to learn from Oklahoma teachers Yeah. And, um,
lean into their work and celebrate their work. And, and I, I kept saying like,
my hope was to use like my, my little spotlight, you know,
a state teacher of the year to like shine a light on their good and important
work. And so, um, I traveled,
I think I logged like 24,000 miles on my little car , like trying to, um,
get to as many counties as possible and, um,
you know, just learn from, from teachers and, um,
watch them in their natural habitats of the classroom. And yeah, I would, um,
I would document the good that I saw in their classrooms.
And so very similar to like the one Good Thing blog, I sort of started, um,
just my own teachers of Oklahoma social media. Yeah, yeah. Um, account to,
to document the good in other teachers' classrooms.
And we would do just interviews during their planning period. And I,
I just like, I just learned so much, you know? And, um.
And were you teaching at the time or did you have release time to do this?
I had release time to do this. Yeah. That's.
So great. Every state should do.
That. Every state should do it. It's just, um, you really,
I think to get the most out of your year as a state teacher of the year,
you need some freedom. And, um,
and I was just so lucky that Oklahoma also really gives you a lot of autonomy
on, on your passion project. And so I just said like, I want,
I want to like do one good thing, but statewide, you know? Yeah.
And they were like, yeah, sure. Um, so that was, that was such a gift. That's.
Really cool. Yeah. That's really cool.
Yeah. Yeah. Um, but it's just like the classroom where, you know,
you know how you have those hours where you're like, yeah,
you all taught me a lot more than I taught you . That's like,
that's how I felt like the whole.
I hope you're not completely unimpressed with my presence. Yeah. Well,
and, and I had,
I had this kind of funny moment because I must have misread the application
because I'm like, I'm dyslexic. It's very possible that I messed up.
I thought that I was getting a release here.
And so I had this whole conversation with my principal, and then I found,
found in the spring, um, that my, you know,
Kim in Colorado Department of Education's like n no, you don't, you don't get a,
that's only if you get national. I'm like, oh, okay, . And so,
and all these plans. And, uh, then I'm like, Nope.
My plan is that I'll be teaching. But I understand we're also, uh,
Colorado's 49th in education funding, um, in the United States. Yeah.
So I'm not, I'm not mad about it. I was just like, jolted was like, oh, yeah,
of course. Course. But it's so, and you know, just from my 2021 cohort,
there is really an impact that those who had
the release time and who had, you know, the sabbatical were able to make,
and, um, you know, um, all of the local chapters of state teachers, you,
I know this isn't a C C S S O thing, like,
but all of y'all locals please think about making that available Yeah.
Uh, to your state teachers of the.
Year. Exactly.
So, so then, so that's kind of like state. Yeah. And then so,
but then he kept going. You kept, you kept racking up. Yeah.
Dubs.
.
Just wild. Yeah. Yeah. So then, um,
then I get this call in December, and, um, you know,
Sarah Brown was saying's like, you're, you're a finalist. And I was like, um,
excuse me, , uh, . And it was one of those things where like,
you, you keep going back to your phone and you're like,
did she really call or was that a dream? You know? Right. , um.
You hold on finalist for what?
Yeah, no, a hundred percent. Like .
I just wanna make sure we're talking about the same thing. About.
The same thing. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So then, um,
and then kind of in between that I got like, I got to meet my cohort, um,
like you, like you mentioned, and that was, uh,
it's just amazing how close you get to the other state teachers of the year,
even though you only meet up, you know, officially like five times ,
right?
Yeah.
We've had three of our five trips and I just feel so, so close to them.
It's like you just kind of find your.
Oh, and they love you. They love you so much. They're, I, you know,
had a chance to connect with Jimmy, our guy, Jimmy Day,
Colorado Teacher of the year, um.
I mean, salt of the Earth.
Yeah. He's so great. He's so great. I love it. I love his, uh,
tweets about wrestling. He hasn't tweeted about wrestling lately. And I'm like,
come on, Jimmy, you're Colorado State Teacher of the year.
I need your wrestling tweets. Like, I really do. No, but that's,
but I imagine because it's, it's interesting because, um,
you've no doubt had an opportunity to, to connect with Juliana who was, um, our,
our years National Teacher of the Year.
And what's just so striking about so many national teachers of the year
is that y'all are so humble. So I can just imagine like,
what that whole feeling is to say what me,
like, you know? Yeah. And, and exactly.
And what you just did was highlight the brilliance of your cohort,
which I think is really powerful leadership.
Yeah. I, I, and I, I mean, you know, this as you know, you know this,
but for everybody listening, ,
I feel like caught the constant need to be like, I, you know,
I didn't win a competition. I was selected for the job's. Yeah. Um,
and teaching's not a competition. It's a collaboration. And I did not Thank you.
. Yes.
I didn't get here by myself. Like, this is,
this is the work of so many people who have poured into me,
who have encouraged me, who have challenged me. And so, like, I hope that I can,
that I can just encourage and support, like people have done to me,
I keep saying like,
my hope this year is that I can just act as sort of a mirror, you know,
that like,
other teachers see a piece of themselves or their story or their classroom in
me. Right. But like, ultimately what science has taught us,
what a mirror does is reflect light, right? Yeah.
And I just wanna reflect the light that is happening all across our country
Yeah. All in our classrooms because of teachers. Um, and so I, this is like,
there's no such thing as the best teacher. Like if we,
if we could get rid of two conjoined words, ,
like it would be best teacher, that's what I would try to get rid of. Yeah.
Because it's, um, there's no such thing,
you know? Yeah. The important thing is that we are true to ourselves. Um,
it is so important that our students experience diverse ways of teaching,
diverse ways of thinking and learning. Um,
and so to do that, we can't pigeonhole and say like,
this is one way and this is the best way. Yeah. Um, so yeah.
Yeah. That was, that was always something that, and,
and there are various folks,
really well-meaning folks in in my community who even today refer
to me as the best teacher in Colorado. And I'm like, yeah. Or.
Like, you won something. Yeah. Yeah.
It's like mm-hmm. . It's, it's not like, and, and you know,
we know that in any process like this,
that for some people this is the starting line,
and for others it's a finish line. And, um, and I think for you and,
and so many others, it is actually a starting line. It's like, okay, now,
now I'm positioned to run a race for everybody. Yeah.
And I remember thinking to myself, man, it,
every teacher should get this experience that's connecting.
I know to teachers across obviously that there are practical limitations to that
.
Yeah. No,
but I know exactly what you're saying because I've had that exact same thought.
Yeah.
Like, space camp changed me as a learner. Exactly. And, you know, I'm,
you know what? I'm like,
I'm gonna peace camp besides to entertain my disruptive 12 year old,
like inner child , you know, like there's, you know,
and so I think that's something that's really powerful. So when you,
when you assume that responsibility and say, I do have a platform,
I do have a voice,
and I'm gonna use that voice to speak to
and with and alongside, um, all, all teachers, you know,
in the state, in the country, things like that. Yeah. But, so to that point, um,
the, the focus on the countless good things happening in public education,
I mean, I, I know that I,
I know that you just have to get on Twitter, I'm gonna keep calling it Twitter
40 seconds, and you'll see a counter narrative to that. You'll see, uh,
you know, this kind of, you know, um, vocal minority, um,
saying that the opposite is true. And I know that in, you know,
this isn't limited to Colorado. It's, I mean, we're seeing it in Oklahoma.
We're seeing it across the country. So, you know,
and I just finished this, uh, fellowship with some other, um,
the state teachers of the year on kind of pushing back against some of the,
some of the rhetoric that's been really harmful to teachers.
What's it like as the,
the sitting national teacher of the year who has this voice and responsibility,
um, that you take so seriously navigating some of the stuff that is,
um,
that's being elevated and amplified about education and educators and the
like?
Yeah. It's, it's a really interesting question.
I think I just like keep coming back to like what my gut tells me,
and my gut tells me that like, joy is our rebellion. Yeah. Um,
and that we hold the chalk, right.
And so we hold the chalk.
That's right.
Um, like I am a story collector and a story listener.
And so I, I just keep coming back to like, we have to be sharing our stories.
We have to be loud and proud about the good and the true that is happening
inside our classrooms. And, um, my hope,
my hope is that we can be so, um,
so loud about the beautiful that's happening, that the counter narrative,
you know, is what a whisper. Um, but yeah, we have to like,
we have to again, insist on the good,
the good and the true, having that final word. And we have to,
we have to be the messengers, um, of, of that good, right?
We're the ones in the classroom. Like, this is our profession, you know?
And I think it's time we reclaim it.
And I think that how we talk about teaching, how we talk about our students,
how we talk about our work, how we talk about our colleagues,
like all of that matters. Yeah. Um, and so
that, that's what I carry, um, and that I, I try to, um,
really again,
shine a light on the true that's happening and the beautiful that's happening.
And I think that, um, you know, sometimes this, uh,
at least as a state teacher of the year,
this title that was kind of put on me as like, ambassador for teaching. Right.
And, and it, and it's beautifully like intentioned, but I'm like, yeah,
we're all ambassadors for teaching. Yeah.
And I think we all can have to take on the mantle of that title.
Like we are all ambassadors for this vocation. And to me,
I care very much about like, who my colleagues are gonna be in five to 10 years.
I care very much about who's gonna be teaching my son and my potential
grandkids, right? Mm-hmm. Yeah. And so,
if I'm not excited about this work,
if I am not loud about how meaningful and
beautiful this work is,
how can I expect like the next generation to want to enter this work? Yeah.
Yeah. You're, you're speaking straight to just the work that I,
that I do in my current position,
which is trying to provide the best possible pre-service and early service
supports, um, to teachers and, you know, in a very real way.
And, you know, attrition in Colorado among teachers is really concerning. Um,
and it's, it's unsustainable, right? Um, and, and to your point,
you know,
those folks that never actually enter the profession don't count towards the
attrition. And we can't know,
we can't know how many we lost before we even had 'em. And,
um, and so I think about that a lot. How do we get,
you know, somebody who is aspiring as a teacher,
whether they're a high schooler or a first or second year college student,
how do we get them to, to be a teacher of the year? Mm-hmm. Because I think you,
you described your beginning over 10 years ago as being very difficult and
frustrating and required mindset change. Yeah.
I was 22 when I started teaching. I, I taught for 23 years and man,
like I was, I was ready to leave for years, , you know?
Exactly. When it got.
Difficult. So how do we get people to that place?
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And I think, I mean, you know,
we have to reevaluate our systems, um,
and we have to create schools where teachers are supported. Um,
yeah.
Yeah. That's awesome. And radical joy, right? I mean,
I think that's the thing about this concept of radical joy that I wrestle with
all the time.
'cause it's hard to feel joyful in some moments and in some quarters,
but I think that's, I think that's why it's radical. Yeah.
Is that on paper, there are a lot of reasons to Yep. To give up.
Yep. To live in pessimism. Um,
and it's radical to actually feel joy. Um.
Yeah. And I think, um, I quote, I quote Rob Bell a lot, and he says, you know,
joy is not binary, like joy. Yeah, that's true. Is not the opposite of.
Style. . It's a spectrum. It's a spectrum. Like so many.
Yeah. Joy can hold it all. And, and as teachers, we have to hold
so darn much . Yeah. But like, that's,
that's the beauty of joy to me, is that it,
it doesn't ignore the difficulties. Yeah. Um, but it says like,
listen, I'm, I,
I have to be at peace with myself so that I can be at peace with everybody else.
Right. I have to belong to myself so we can belong to each other.
I love starts with us.
That's beautiful. Yeah. Speaking of joy. Um,
so one of the things that, um, that ke you know,
and Kevin is not joining us right now. Kevin is an assistant principal,
I mentioned that at the top. And so, uh,
he's unable to be here because he is ostensibly helping to run a school.
. That's amazing. This is weird. Um, so, um,
but one of the things that we've built in to the show is something that gives us
joy, which is music. And I'm actually working with, yeah.
I'm working with an executive coach right now. And, um,
and I shared with her some music that is just really meaningful in,
in different moments. And for the first time, like,
I start talking about music with people and they're kind of like, okay, yeah,
whatever. Yeah, it's a cool song. , you know, . Um,
but for the first time ever, this person's like, wow, that, that,
and it may be because, you know, it's her job, but, um,
one of the things she said to me was like,
this song has so many layers and it really gives me a way to understand
what your experiences have been. And so I was like, oh, thank you.
It's really cool. Like, music lives really deeply for me,
and I think math and music are so tightly.
Connected. I, I have a minor in music, so I,
I thought I was gonna double major for the longest time. Um, then I realized,
I know.
Like I can't be in.
Have like, graduate a career and only one of them .
So we have, um, so the,
our top five is pretty flexible in all kinds of different ways. There are rules.
Um, so the first rule is that there are no rules. Um, ,
we I think,
I think our rules all define what you do not have to do, um, .
So there's one rule, which is that it can be, it can be five.
It doesn't have to be hierarchy. So you don't have to actually rank them. Um,
it doesn't have to be something that,
that represents the totality of Rebecca Peterson's life. Right? Right.
Um, so it can just be, it can be a snapshot.
Maybe you do have five songs that are your go-to since you are like 10 years
old. I dunno. Um, but it can be a snapshot. Um, also,
it doesn't just have to be five. So, uh, Eric Hale,
shout out Eric 2021, Texas Teacher of the Year. Eric, um,
found a loophole to squeeze in as many songs as he could by saying, well,
tide for Fifth is this and tied for fourth is fourth.
So he probably talked for an additional hour about his music. , uh,
just in that moment. And so it doesn't,
it's not limited to just five. And finally, collectives count as one.
So if you were gonna say, oh, Wu-Tang Clan, um,
that doesn't fill your top 13. Right, right, right. Um, .
So it can be that. So what are the top five tracks or artists,
um, that are really speaking to you?
Yeah. Well, and this is, maybe we'll start with maybe the more,
I don't know, shallow reason ,
I'm just so jealous of everybody who got to go see Taylor Swift and I'm like,
cooking with it. Taylor Swift 24 7. Exactly.
And I'll say Midnights is dope. Like, I actually like Yeah. You know, I'm,
I'm a resistant person. If, if somebody is popular,
I automatically don't like them. I'm like, I don't like them. They're popular.
Yeah. . Um, but my friend Chris, so Alexis, uh, lives in Maine. He is,
you know, part of, um, you know, part of the Penobscot people, uh,
posted something about midnight. So I'm like,
and he got mocked roundly on his Facebook, and I listened to it. I'm like,
oh, shoot, this is good. So anyway.
Yeah. I I think she's quite like the poet in a lot of ways. Yeah.
She has a song and it's like, um, if I was a man, then I'd be the man.
And I love, like, I love that. Um, it's really resonant as like a, um,
a women, a woman in stem who Yeah. You know, uh, like not that long ago,
the narrative was very much like, girls' brains just aren't quite wired. Right.
For math, you know?
Well, and in some quarters it's incredible.
People hold onto that nonsense thinking.
Mm-hmm. mm-hmm. .
And we're still very much underrepresented in Yeah. In stem. Um,
so yeah. I, um, you know, yeah. My parents live in Sweden.
We try to visit them once a year. I saw she's coming to Sweden in May. Hey.
Okay.
I'm thinking like, I'm, I'm really thinking maybe we can make this happen.
.
You got time. You got time.
. Um, okay.
So I have been a Coldplay fan since high school. Okay.
And I just like cannot let them go. Um, , I just can't.
And I went to one, they came to Tulsa probably five years ago, and it,
that was like just a spiritual experience. Um, just,
they're just fantastic. Um, yeah. And very,
like a lot of their songs are very piano driven as well, which I towards,
because that was like my instrument of choice growing up. Um,
plus the British accents. I mean, you just.
Yes. And less evident when they're singing, but like, yeah,
definitely .
Um, let's see here.
One Republic is another one I've really stuck with over the years. They're, um,
they're from Tulsa. Oh.
I didn't know that.
Yeah. I mean, I don't know if they would say that,
but like Tulsa very much claims .
They better, I remember when India re tried to claim Atlanta. I'm like, um,
you're from Denver. Like, I don't even moved to Atlanta,
but you're from Denver, so, yeah. And I was gonna.
Say, I think they live in Colorado now, but Oh.
Okay.
The school here. So like, we're.
One republic. If you are listening to this, don't forget your roots.
You're from Tulsa. Don't forget your roots. Don't forget your roots.
Like you can be here. Yeah. But don't be claiming Colorado .
Right. And I got to see them in concert. It was wild. Like we were in,
my husband and I were in graduate school in South Dakota, and they,
it was like right as they were rising to fame and they, like,
the university must have booked them,
I'm guessing like six months to a year in advance, right? Yeah.
And so they came to this tight, honestly tiny little venue for them,
but I'm assuming like they had committed and they came and it was,
um, oh, it's just like, it was a really beautiful experience.
A good experience. Yeah. They're good. They're good.
My daughter was into them and then she wasn't,
because she has such a short attention span when it comes to her musical taste.
So . Yeah, that's.
I think.
We.
Hear someone like in person and they're,
they're describing like how they wrote those songs.
It just sort of changes everything. But Yeah. Um, also a big Ed Sheeran fan.
I'm like, I'm Yep. Exactly what you told me, not what you didn't like,
like all these popular.
Oh, it's fine. Like I'm, I'm maturing .
Um, but yeah, ed Sheeran does a lot of like, um, you know,
math puns and such, and so he has my heart . Um, and then,
and Sarah Ellis is, and has been a top for me.
Yeah.
Um, yeah,
so I think that a big theme here except for maybe Taylor Swift is like, I love,
um, piano heavy.
Yeah.
Songs.
And, and, and lyricism, right. It seems like there's this kind of poetic, uh,
quality of the lyrics, which,
which actually aligns very nicely with the way you've kind of expressed yourself
in, in shared parts of your story with us today. Um,
Kevin's not here to approve this, so I have , um, I have the power,
so I approve this, this top five. I think,
I think it's just so interesting because you can have people who love the same
artists or the same songs, but for very different reasons.
Yeah. You're so right.
You know, and it, it's, it speaks to the complexity of, of musical creation. I,
uh, Jay-Z's book, um, decoded, which folks,
if y'all haven't read Jay-Z's Decoded, you gotta read it. It's hard. Um,
it's a really challenging read,
but he talks about how you can listen to his songs multiple times and they're
always gonna mean something different and you may never know what he actually
means. Yeah. Yeah.
And that he's not actually concerned that you understand his music.
Like he understands why he does it, and you can make the meaning that you wanna,
which I think is really, really deep. Um.
I think so too. And that like, you know,
I think some of the best creations there's created 'cause like that person had
to create it. Not like they were trying to give the world some great gift.
It's just like they just had to get it out of them. You know?
Like those were the best. Yeah.
Absolutely.
Creations, I think.
Awesome. Well, um, Rebecca Peterson, we are going to get you out of here. Um,
thank you so much for taking time, uh, to come on. Two dope teachers and uh,
mic, uh, this episode is dropping, um,
as you all kind of ease back into class, right? Can you just ease in Right.
It's like nice and easy and smooth. There's never problem. Ice easy.
Yeah. . Yeah.
We hope that, that, you know, we hope that this has been, uh,
really encouraging for all of you as, um, as listeners,
as classroom teachers who are going into this work this fall. Um, Rebecca,
I think that your message is perfect for right now as folks are just looking
for these little things to be joyful about. And, uh,
maybe we can all have a mindset, um, shift. How can, um,
people follow your ideas and just kind of see what you're up to and that kind of
thing?
Yeah. Um,
I'm on Instagram as at Rebecca Peterson underscore because
I was late to the game. . Oh dang.
Dang. You original Rebecca Peterson.
Yeah. Yeah, yeah. And Rebecca is R e b e c k A. Yep. Um,
it's even spelled differently and I still don't sna it. And you spell it.
And then, um, Twitter X, whatever it is. Um,
it's at Rebecca Moist. Mote is my Iranian middle name,
which means Twitter news. Um,
and that is M O Z B E H.
Okay. Awesome. Cool. Cool. So, uh,
we do one more thing before we see you out. Um,
I'll ramble for just a little bit. When I signal to you,
we will say state oak together, if that works for you. So for,
um, Kevin Adams,
who is co-leading a school at the moment and therefore isn't on the podcast
today for our amazing guest at 2023 National Teacher of the Year,
Rebecca Peterson. My name is Ard Munoz.
I invite you all to stay persistent. Stay cool.
It's hot all over this dang country right now. Um, stay joyful,
stay encouraged,
stay willing to push back against negativity with positivity.
Stay willing to shine your light through the darkness, but above all and beyond.
Make sure that you always stay.
Go.
Ao attention dedicated educators as a school year approaches and
begins, now's the perfect time to take control of your financial future.
We understand that being an educator requires an incredible amount of time and
effort during the school year.
So now's the best time to prioritize your finances before the busy school year
really gets going. And honestly, you gotta make time for this stuff, people.
We know this. Um,
that's why I wanna introduce you to a trusted financial advisor who specializes
in working with educators like you. Meet Alex Ciera,
a certified financial planner with SAT investors.
Alex provides educators with planning for their most important financial
milestones.
He has a deep understanding of the important strategies related to teachers in
their retirement. This is of course,
the school pension system and retirement programs specifically for teachers
like us.
Imagine heading into the upcoming school year and future years with confidence
knowing that your finances are in order.
By taking time now to work with Alex,
you can lay a solid foundation for your financial goals and secure a brighter
future.
Don't let the busyness of the school year hold you back from achieving your
financial dreams.
Visit Alex's website at www dot Tori and Alex,
t o r i a,
Dal dot satter investors.
That's C e t e R a
investors.com/two dope. And of course,
you gotta spell out two dope T o o D O p e to schedule an
initial virtual consultation. And here's the best part.
Mention the discount code two dope during your first consultation and
receive 25% off in their subscription based
financial planning packages. This is really cutting edge, y'all.
This is a new way of ensuring that people even who don't have a ton of wealth to
start with can still start building that wealth.
Take this opportunity to invest in your financial wellbeing before the school
year kicks into high gear.
Click the link in the description section of this podcast for more information
about satera investors. Remember,
your financial success is just as important as your student success.
Let's start this school year on the right. Financial foot.
SAT Investors is a marketing name of Satera Investment Services.
Securities and insurance products are offered through Satera Investment Services
L l c,
doing an insurance business in California as C F G Ss T C Insurance
Agency,
L l c Member F i a slash s i.
PC Advisory services are offered through Subera Investment Advisors,
L L C, California Insurance,
license number zero L 0 5 6 5 oh.
Alexander Sierra C F P is located at 6 0 5 East Huntington Drive,
suite 2 0 3, Monrovia,
California 9 1 0 1 6 and can be reached at phone number
(626) 408-1333,
extension 3 0 6.