Teaching, Transforming and Inspiring: With Educator Emily Boyle

Imagine being a kid again, sitting in a classroom, listening to your teacher passionately discuss how important it is to learn and to be your best person. Then imagine seeing that same teacher put her heart into making sure that you are seen, heard, respected and asked to be a responsible and capable person with others.  That's the everyday reality for the students of Emily Boyle, a dedicated middle school teacher at a private school in St. Paul, Minnesota. This episode takes you inside Emily's world, where her commitment as an educator is to inspire her students and have them become leaders of the future. 

Join us for a deep conversation with Emily as she walks us through her journey from being a struggling reader to becoming a passionate educator. Experience the challenges of teaching multiple subjects, monitoring student progress, developing character in students, and handling leadership duties beyond the classroom. 

Emily's role has expanded to require high levels of communication and understanding of students, parents and her team members.  Her story is underscored by a powerful message from Dr. Maya Angelou about fighting for a better world. Emily's authenticity and heartfelt dedication to her students are a testament to the impact teachers have on young minds. Prepare to be inspired and refreshed by the passion and perspective Emily brings to her work.

Transcript

Joe Boyle: 0:08

Welcome to Stories in Life. You're on the radio with Mark and Joe. We share stories that affirm your belief in the goodwill, courage, determination, commitment and vision of everyday people.

Mark Wolak: 0:22

Our goal is that through another person's story you may find connection. No matter your place in life. The stories we select will be inspiring and maybe help you laugh, cry, think or change your mind about something important in your life.

Joe Boyle: 0:40

Join us for this episode of Stories in Life.

Mark Wolak: 0:50

There's a passion you have about building character in these children. Where does that come from?

Emily Boyle: 0:56

Yeah, I think it comes from. That's a great question. I think a lot of it comes from the fact that I'm fed up with how a lot of things are going in the world right now, and if we can invest time and energy into building character in young people, then not too far down the road we might see a change, because we're going to have people of character holding positions of power and so if we can get as many kids in a positive situation as possible now, it won't be long until we see some positive change.

: 1:49

I can tell that we are going to be friends. I can tell that we are going to be friends. Walk with me, susie Lee, through the park and by the tree. We will rest upon the ground and look at all the books we found. Safely walk to school without a sound.

Joe Boyle: 2:19

Welcome to our show. Today. We're here with Emily Boyle, a middle school teacher at a private school in St Paul, Minnesota. She teaches seventh grade English, eighth grade literature and eighth grade geography. She has her own outlook on what teaching in America is today and she's going to shed some light on that for us. So welcome, Emily.

Emily Boyle: 2:45

Thank you, I'm happy to be here.

Mark Wolak: 2:47

Oh, it's great to have you here. I have to share that the first time I met Emily was at Joe's home for a Christmas party and she walked in the door and within a few minutes we realized that we have a mutual friend who was an advisor in her college program. So that was really fun. But also I picked up right away what a really talented teacher she is. So this has been a goal of ours to get her in front of the microphone and have her tell a little bit about her experience as a teacher.

Joe Boyle: 3:18

Let's set the stage. Tell us about your education.

Emily Boyle: 3:23

My education. Well, I have kind of an interesting perspective as a student because I've only attended private school my entire life. So I went to a private K through eight school in the suburb of St Paul growing up and then I attended a private high school in St Paul and then I went to the College of St Benedict for college in central Minnesota and I really enjoyed school as a kid. I think it was pretty much for the social aspect of it, not necessarily the academic aspect of it. As a young kid I struggled a little bit academically. I was young in my grade so I was a little bit I don't want to use the word immature because I don't think that's what it was but I struggled a little bit academically, probably because I wasn't necessarily prioritizing it. But things like reading came a little hard for me at those lower grade levels and I was a little downtrodden. I had a kind of a bad outlook on how I performed academically.

Emily Boyle: 4:28

I always saw academics as kind of a second. That was the second thing that school is about. School is really about getting there, seeing my friends laughing, spending time outside recess, gym, those sort of things for me as a kid. And then by the time I got into middle school and it was kind of time to buckle down a little bit. I was really lucky to have some amazing teachers that saw the things that interested me and saw my areas of strength and really brought that out in me as a student and Made me realize like, oh, I am actually strong academically, I have a lot of strength and intelligence in a lot of different areas. I just had to kind of learn how to grow those.

Joe Boyle: 5:07

Was there any specific moment that kind of lit your fuse?

Emily Boyle: 5:12

Yeah, I remember in sixth grade literature I had an amazing literature teacher and he kind of just pulled me aside early on in the year and said, like I noticed that you're a little apprehensive about Reading and he chose great books. We were reading stuff like trying to think. In sixth and seventh grade we were reading books like Freak the Mighty, and Of Mice and Men and Animal Farm, and I enjoyed them but I just wasn't like I would. I would the home, I would do fine enough to get by on the homework, stuff like that. And he started asking me about what I like To read and I said, oh well, I'm actually not really a good reader, because that was kind of the message I had got as a kid when I struggled and he just started pulling books for me, had me read the outsiders, he had me read to kill a mockingbird and it just like immediately clicked.

Emily Boyle: 6:02

And if you haven't realized by now, listeners, Joe is my dad. So he kind of saw all this happen as I was growing up and it got to the point where like We'd be in the boat up at the cabin and he'd look up and I'd have put my rod away and I just have a book out on my lap reading. So once that fire kind of started in me then it was hard to put down. And as you start to read more you grow, your vocabulary, your strength and all the other academic areas improves and all of a sudden I was doing well in school and I think it's because I finally got into reading sounds like you were really Appreciative of that teacher.

Mark Wolak: 6:38

Yeah saw something in you that some capacity or capability that you were under, maybe under emphasizing. Did you know at?

Joe Boyle: 6:45

that point that you wanted to emulate, that.

Emily Boyle: 6:48

Yeah, I do really feel like I knew at a young age Probably late middle school, early high school that that was something that was meaningful to me and something that I Felt like I could do. It's people always ask me when did you know you wanted to be a teacher? And it's hard for me to answer. It's more so like when did I? When's the last time I didn't know that I wanted to be a teacher? It kind of felt more like that, because I even remember, like in high school, I just thought like well, that's what I'm gonna do. And I do really think it was because of my middle school teachers, particularly my literature teachers, but all of them were great and it was really that fine balance of they worked hard To make sure I was successful academically, but I could tell they were working hard to know who I was as a person and Then kind of channeling that into being successful.

Joe Boyle: 7:36

Is that also why you chose being a middle school teacher versus a high school teacher? Little ones.

Emily Boyle: 7:43

Yeah, I, it was hard. That's harder to say because through college I had spent time in all different grade levels and there were a few that I knew like, ooh, definitely don't want to do that. Like I knew I didn't want to do first grade, I knew I didn't want to do kindergarten, but I enjoyed third grade, I enjoyed fourth grade. I actually probably my most negative experience and like a college practicum was in a middle school and so that kind of scared me almost away from middle school. And Then when I student taught, a student taught in third grade and it went really well and I remembered my advisor saying like I think third grade's your spot. And then my second placement was in a sixth, seventh and eighth grade classroom and I just knew right away.

Emily Boyle: 8:25

I was like that's it and I think it's partially because I loved middle school and I'd great middle school teachers, but a Lot of it's because middle schoolers are so weird. They're so weird and they're so fun and I feel like I'm so weird and we just vibe in class. It's, it's a good time and it takes a special type of person, I think, to teach middle schoolers, and my middle school teaching team is a bunch of weirdos that have a blast at work and enjoy what they do, and you don't find that everywhere.

Joe Boyle: 8:57

I was gonna ask you what does a good day feel like? What does it look like?

Emily Boyle: 9:02

Oh, every day is an adventure. In middle school. A good day is no. Well, what a good day consists of for me is I get through the material that I need to get through would be ideal, but that's not make or break.

Emily Boyle: 9:17

When I see my students learning, but also when I see my students at such a pivotal age, when I see them doing kind things for each other, when I see, like at the start of this school year we had a lot of new kids, and when I would see kids including new students that were they saw kind of on the outset recess or helping out a classmate with something, stepping into a leadership role.

Emily Boyle: 9:41

Because I think, like I experienced as a middle schooler, it's great to see them learning, but they're gonna learn the stuff. That's our job. We're gonna make sure they get the material that they need. But are they gonna know how to be empathetic to others? Are they gonna know how to be inclusive? Are they gonna know how to stand up to friends when it's a hard situation to do? That's the sort of stuff that when I can see those things happen and help students get to that point, that's a good day for me. And I always say, even on the worst days. I usually laugh out loud at some point and I feel like I talk to a lot of my friends who are in a lot of different professions and they're not laughing out loud every day at work. So I feel pretty lucky.

Mark Wolak: 10:23

So you got that going. One of the things that it really picked up on that story is that you're building character. You see opportunities to help somebody, coach somebody, take the teachable moment and make it a lesson, which is really special.

Emily Boyle: 10:38

Absolutely, and I think I feel really lucky that the school that I work at makes that a priority. I don't necessarily know that that's a priority at every school and I don't think it's because teachers don't want that to be part of their day. I just think there's such high expectations on teachers to get through so much stuff. It's unrealistic and it's impossible. And so oftentimes things that fall to the wayside are stuff like building character and teaching empathy and having fun, because when you have to check all the boxes and hit all the standards and meet all the benchmarks, that's not always the stuff that shines through, and I feel lucky that my school prioritizes those things.

Mark Wolak: 11:21

Yeah, so you've already beat the odds. Half the teachers who begin the profession are gone by their fifth year. So you've already. You're beyond your fifth year, you're in your sixth year of teaching, so you've already beat those odds. But one of the things that Joe and I were talking about is the demands on teachers today, the to-do list. You have not just the students and the instruction, but all the duties beyond that. So just help our listeners understand a little bit what your day looks like, if you wouldn't mind just run us through your day.

Mark Wolak: 11:55

What does it look like? All the things that you have to do.

Emily Boyle: 11:58

Well, I get to school. Our contract hours started about seven, between seven 30 and seven 40. I try to get there by seven 30. Students start coming at seven 50. They need to be in their seats by eight 15. In that time I'm usually reading emails, because I'll have emails from parents saying oh, so-and-so is getting picked up midday, coming back after their orthodontist appointment, so-and-so is leaving early for soccer. Read all those things XYZ. And then I'll always have a few notes here and there about some other stuff. Or, like this morning I had to get in early because I had students coming in to serve detention.

Joe Boyle: 12:35

So are you a homeroom teacher? So I'm a eighth grade homeroom teacher yes, I have 20.

Emily Boyle: 12:41

Seven eighth graders in my homeroom and then at 8.15 we do attendance. At 8.20 school starts, we teach. We have eight periods in the day. My free periods are actually first and second, which is not super ideal this year, but I feel productive in the morning. But I'm also the director of our before and after school care program. So I usually get lots of emails from lower school parents who are telling me so and so is gonna be at after care today, so and so is not gonna be there, so and so is going to chess club first, but then after chess club they need to get to after care, but then they're getting picked up by their friend's mom who's taking him to soccer, so stuff like that. So usually in my free periods I spend time grading or planning and answering emails and then I teach two sections of literature each 40 minutes, a section of geography 40 minutes, lunch 40 minutes sets free period for me. Two sections of English each 40 minutes and then a section of geography again at the end of the day.

Mark Wolak: 13:45

Wow, so multiple subjects. You've got a lot of preparation to do just for those subjects. I'm sure listeners are wondering your class size. That's always a big argument for teachers. What's your class size like these days?

Emily Boyle: 13:58

So we are at a private school so we have smaller class sizes. My, our eighth grade class is 57 students total two homerooms. Our seventh grade is actually pretty small, so we there's a roughly 20 kids or so in each of those classes. We try to keep in the middle school. We try to stay at that like 25 to 27 is ideal to keep a healthy student body.

Emily Boyle: 14:24

So those little numbers are a little worrisome at times, but we have a lot of. We have some grades that have a wait list and some grades where there's a lot of openings. So that just kind of depends.

Mark Wolak: 14:33

What are some of the duties you have outside of instruction that you feel are important, but they're also more responsibility?

Emily Boyle: 14:41

Yeah. I monitor a recess duty every day or every week, and then I do dismissal duty every day, so that's like outside at the end of the day, making sure kids get where they need to get to.

Joe Boyle: 14:53

Like on the bus, yep.

Emily Boyle: 14:55

Making sure their parents are there in the right spots. It's safe. I mean, we're in the city.

Emily Boyle: 14:59

Pick up, drop off, yeah you want to make sure they're using the crosswalks and everyone's safe. I mean, obviously, communication is a big one, and then I mean our students have needs and I feel like those needs range every year, but especially since the pandemic. I mean frequently in a day there's at least a few times where I'm following up with a student about something that might have happened, checking in with someone, talking to the counselor about how things went with a meeting with a student, and then I also we have our middle school team meetings once a week I help with. I'm like co-chair of a program, our anti-bullying program at school, so I have duties for that. We plan weekly lessons for the school for that, and then just kind of the day-to-day stuff that comes up.

Joe Boyle: 15:48

And now it's time for Stories in Life. Art from the Heart, Deep thoughts from the shallow end. Each episode, we bring you a poem, a song or a reading, just for you.

Dr Maya Angelou: 16:31

Maybe the hardest part is you. If you teach, you have to live your teaching. You can't say you do not as I do, but do as I say no, no, you have to say I mean doing my best to live what I teach. I have a painting by Phoebe of a group that she calls Sister Suki's Funeral, and they're all the women. There are about nine women. They all look like women in my grandmother's prayer meeting group. So whenever I'm obliged to do something, I take that painting and I look at that painting. There's an empty chair and I think now, what would grandma do? What would she say? I can almost hear her voice Say now, sister, you know what's right, just do right. You don't really have to ask anybody.

Dr Maya Angelou: 17:33

The truth is right. May not be expedient, it may not be profitable, but it will satisfy your soul. It brings you the kind of protection that bodyguards can't give you. Try to be all you can be, to be the best human being you can be. Try to be that in your church, in your temple, try to be that in your classroom. Do it because it is right to do. You see, people will know you and they will add their prayers to your life. They'll wish you well.

Dr Maya Angelou: 18:17

I think if your name is mentioned and people say, oh hell, oh damn, I think you're doing something wrong. But if your name is mentioned and people say, oh, she's so sweet, he's so nice, oh, I love, oh, god bless her. There you are. So try to live your life in a way that you will not regret years of useless virtue and inertia and timidity. Take up the battle. Take it up. It's yours, this is your life, this is your world. I'll be leaving it long before you. Under the ordinary set of circumstances, you make your own choices. You can decide life isn't worth living, and that would be the worst thing you can do. How do you know so far? Try it, see. So pick it up. Pick up the battle and make it a better world, just where you are. Yes, and it can be better and it must be better, but it is up to us.

Mark Wolak: 19:35

That's a wonderful message from Maya Angelou. It's a video on YouTube that is produced by Oprah Winfrey. It's a wonderful message, and the one thing that I think about when I reflect on Emily's story of being a teacher is how authentic she is. She is who she is in that classroom, and she's always been that way too. You know, it's just such a gift to be a great teacher like her and capable of teaching content and character Right.

Joe Boyle: 20:12

Equally, and it's a there of equal importance.

Mark Wolak: 20:17

They are, and she challenges first of all. I think she really knows her students and she's interested in them. She's interested in them as people, and then she challenges them to be better people, which is such a wonderful gift.

Joe Boyle: 20:34

Right, and I remember how she was impacted by some excellent teachers in middle school and now I think she's an excellent teacher for her students. She's impacting their lives.

Mark Wolak: 20:49

You know I know that because you're her dad that you're very proud of what she does. But you also see her talents as another person in society. You can see her contributions that she makes Yep, and the story she tells you about that I heard lots of positive feedback.

Joe Boyle: 21:13

Let's put it that way I'm very proud.

Mark Wolak: 21:15

Yeah, so the next short segment is she's going to tell us a little bit about her view about the teacher shortage and maybe why that's happening today.

Joe Boyle: 21:27

I think she'll touch on compensation and maybe perception of teachers.

Mark Wolak: 21:33

So let's listen to her comments about that, and then we'll come back, folks, and wrap up this episode with you.

Emily Boyle: 21:41

No, teachers went into the profession with the misgiving of the like, thinking that they're gonna receive endless thanks and all of that. The things are great, but what we need to do is compensate teachers for their work the same way we compensate almost every other profession for their work. And we just don't do it in America. And people are realizing their worth and their value and it's not that they aren't passionate about the profession but, like I just said, the laundry list of duties goes on and on and on and the work is not compensated the way that work would be compensated in any other field.

Joe Boyle: 22:16

Well, and if you lose good teachers because they're not earning enough money and they have to earn more as a second income in their family, you know that's, that's tough, that's absolutely, and I frequently think about the fact that I'm able to do all of these other side things to make enough money to live comfortably because I'm only supporting myself.

Emily Boyle: 22:37

The idea that if I needed to support a spouse or a child or multiple children, I would. There's no way I'd be able to commit the time that I do to the things that I do and I I do all those because I need to support one person. So the idea that people are supporting families off of teacher incomes is crazy to me and it's upsetting to me and it should be upsetting to everybody, because everybody's had a teacher that cared and worked to get them to where they are right now. And the fact that people aren't, the fact that our country as a whole, in our system, isn't doing that. It's not that I don't think people feel that way they do, but it's kind of like the thoughts and prayers, the feelings are there, but where's the action?

Mark Wolak: 23:24

Well, her words about compensation for teachers speak for themselves, Joe.

Joe Boyle: 23:30

Yeah, that must ring true for you as an educator.

Mark Wolak: 23:33

It's certainly does. I've just had tremendous amount of respect for teachers and those people working in education today because their work is so very important. Well, we have a pretty exciting second episode with Emily.

Joe Boyle: 23:48

I know that she's gonna tell us some more stories, yep she's gonna get into how she builds character and the use of technology and maybe the impact of AI and that sort of thing. It's gonna be really interesting if you, if you like this one, you're really gonna like part two. The song we're Going to Be Friends is by the White Stripes off their white blood cells album from 2001.

Mark Wolak: 24:21

And the Just Do Right video by Dr Maya Angelou was produced by Oprah Winfrey, directed by Joe Berlinger, and it's available on YouTube. Thanks for listening again, folks. Bye.

Joe Boyle: 24:37

We hope you enjoyed this episode. Please join us again next time on Stories in Life on the radio with Mark and Joe, and visit our website at storiesandlifebuzzbrowcom or email us at storiesandlifepodcast at gmailcom.