Five on Fridays: Nichole LaGrow, Ph.D.

Today’s “Five on Fridays” comes from Nichole LaGrow, Ph.D., the Director of the Nontraditional Education Program at Martin Luther College. She is also an adjunct in the Caulfield School of Education at Saint Peter’s University, a volunteer tutor at Fox Valley Literacy, a substitute K-8 teacher, and a Greater Good Educator program alum.

We asked Dr. LaGrow the following questions to learn more about her work as a compassionate educator, building meaningful connections with and between her students.

1. Who or what is a source of inspiration for you these days?

Inspiration is always there if you pause to look for it. It can be so easy, especially in the moments of global tension, to forget or ignore that inspiration is all around us. I am inspired when I see someone do something kind for someone else. A stranger who holds the door for someone. A kind word said to a classmate who is upset. An unexpected gift of a piece of chocolate left on my desk by a colleague who knows I am having a hard day. These unexpected moments of kindness remind me what really matters and they happen all the time. You just have to pause and acknowledge them.

2. In a world where people report that they feel increasingly disconnected and even lonely, how do you foster connections and community in your school or classroom (or program)?

I am a faculty mentor for returning adult learners in an online program that leads to an education degree and licensure eligibility. All of my work with these learners is from a distance. There are a few strategies I use to build connection and community in the program. First, I try to respond to all emails within 36 hours, even if the response is to say I need more time to truly address their question or concern. Second, I strive to meet with each of the learners individually once a month to check-in on their course progress, talk about their teaching and learning experiences, and share updates about their lives. We also have built synchronous class meetings into three of the courses offered through the program so learners begin to feel like they are part of a cohort of learners and have individuals they have connected with when they take other classes. I also facilitate the online orientation, so I have built journals—metacognitive pauses for reflection—into that experience so I can learn more about each of the learners in the program. But I recognize those efforts are not enough.

There are several changes that we are implementing beginning this summer. First, all learners will receive a card at their mailing address around their birthday (it was an easy day to mark as a reminder for each learner to receive a card, but it is not necessarily a birthday card). Second, all learners will be invited to an optional, synchronous meeting each term that will discuss a shared/repeated concern or invite a member of our faculty and staff to speak with them directly about servicesmost learners have questions about student teaching and licensure so those offices will be invited regularly. Finally— and this idea comes from a reflection activity I completed as part of the recent Greater Good Educators Community of Practice, Practicing Kindness-Compassion in Schools and Classrooms—I am going to create a Kindness Kudos form so learners in the program can share when a fellow learner, faculty member, or staff member was kind to them—perhaps meeting with them for a study session or providing encouragement—that I can then send along to the recipient for them.

3. What do you wish you knew about student and/or teacher well-being before you started teaching?

I wish I knew that teaching is a profession of progression not perfection. I think I am relatively typical when it comes to those who decide to teach. I went into teaching because I was a good student who loves to learn. While I had volunteered in youth groups and served as a writing tutor during my undergraduate studies, I was not responsible for a classroom until I was a TA in my first graduate program. I was so focused on perfection, on knowing everything and being prepared for everything, that my teaching was stiff, stilted, uncomfortable for me. I learned over the years (and perhaps it took too many years to learn) that teaching really is about continual learning and refinement. And that, really, is why I love serving in education. It is a field where we can and should continually learn about and grow ourselves, our students, and our subjects to facilitate learning.

4. What new research in the world of prosocial education (SEL/character education/mindfulness/culture of care) are you excited about these days?

I am actually really excited about something that is not new, but reveals new insights. I am really very interested in metacognition and self-reflection. I very much appreciate the work of Dr. Emma O’Neill and her colleagues at University College Dublin as it has helped me frame the work I do in my online teaching. I have also recently enrolled in the GGSC’s BerkeleyX course, Finding Purpose Across Your Life, to engage in self-reflection. I think that introspection is essential for teachers. Encouraging our learners to engage in metacognitive practices enriches their learning and helps us understand the connections they are making between their lived experiences and the lessons we share with them.

5. What are you currently reading?

I have set a goal for myself. This year I am reading 52 books over 52 weeks, so if you have recommendations, please send them to me. Currently, I am reading three books. I am reading The Newcomers: Finding Refuge, Friendship, and Hope in an American Classroom by Helen Thorpe (2017) for a book club coordinated by Fox Valley Literacy where I volunteer as a tutor. I am also reading Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss What Matters Most by Douglas Stone, Bruce Patton, and Sheila Heen (2023 printing) for personal professional development. For fun, I am reading through a young adult series, The Selection by Kiera Cass. I read the first novel several years ago when I was working with a specific student on their literacy skills but we never finished the series.

We want to thank Dr. Nichole LaGrow for her thoughtful participation in our “Five on Fridays” series!