Building on the Positive
with Kathy Fox
Behavior Bites Podcast - Ep43July 3, 2024Do you ever take disagreement as a personal attack?
Do you ever use your failures as lessons?
During today’s meal— I speak with a dedicated educator, avid reader, and like-minded foodie about how she uses behavior science, what made her move across the country, and trying to resist the urge to get a little treat every day.
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Amuse-Bouche
- Can you give us a taste of your passion for behavior science and education?
- How can behavior science move a school system towards their goals?
Appetizer
- What is Morningside Academy and how did you start working there?
Palate Cleanser
- Describe your favorite vegan dish.
Entree
- When was a time you failed, and what did you learn from that experience?
Dessert
- What is your favorite thing about what you do?
Excerpts from the Episode
(*Paraphrased highlights)-
I think behavior science should have a place in schools, and I feel like it's a big hole currently in most schools. After a couple of years working in home programming, I started working in a school. When those worlds merged together for me, I saw how behavior science could be applied in a classroom setting, outside of what I had been taught about; just managing behavior one on one.
I really get passionate about how behavior science can help schools and teachers, and how it can also help them include kids who may have been labeled as the problem kid. I try not to take an approach where it's judgmental about teachers. I think oftentimes they're just not given the information, training, or coaching skills to include these kids the way they would prefer.
I think our science has a lot to offer in that way, and I try to talk about it a lot. I'm lucky that I get to include it in my daily work now, but I think that's a major missing piece that needs to continue to be disseminated.
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Morningside is a lab school in Seattle, Washington. It’s a real, functioning, little school with only about 85 or 90 kids at any given time.
We have two primary functions to investigate and disseminate effective educational practices. We have our children’s school, and also Morningside Teachers Academy, which is our dissemination wing.
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My very favorite thing about what I do is seeing kids make progress. If I had to go a little more specific, I love watching kids learn to read, and then watching them learn to enjoy reading.
I love reading, and to me, it's such a big part of life. You need reading for a lot of things, but it can also be this huge leisure skill that opens up so many doors for you.
ABOUT Kathy
Kathy Fox, MA
Principal at Morningside Academy and Morningside Teachers' Academy Consultant.
Kathy received her BA in Psychology from The Ohio State University, as well as her Masters of Arts in Psychology and Post-Master’s BSBA Course Sequence from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology.
Kathy describes herself as an aunt, bookworm, and animal lover. She can be seen walking in the woods with Bosa, the blue tick beagle.
CONNECT with Kathy
Instagram: @kfox2003LinkedIn: Kathy FoxMorningside Academy
Website: morningsideacademy.orgInstagram: @morningside.academyLinkedIn: Morningside AcademyFacebook: Morningside AcademyAdditional Resources
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