Today I explored the complex yet satisfying life of writer and educator Kelli Watson. Kelli's unique outlook on the process of creating is simply exhilarating. We spoke about The Chill Out Teacher, which is a blog created by Kelli to explore the inner workings of an educators day to day world. Kelli sheds light on the many ways her life has changed since becoming a mother and wife. According to her, it took these radical developments to reign in her insatiable will to work around the clock. Now Kelli focus's on creating a sustainable work-life balance while keeping the high standards she set for her self since the beginning of her career. Kellie and I also dive into more complex topics such race in the classroom and what the best path forward is for educators and the system alike. I think you guys are going to like this one, so sit back relax and enjoy the show.

Connect with Kelli Here: http://chilloutteacher.blogspot.com/

Connect with Darrian Here: http://secondlinearts.org

Kelli Watson Bio

Kelli Watson is an innovative educator, writer and consultant based in New Orleans, LA. She has served as a teacher and administrator nationally and abroad in public, private and charter schools for nearly fifteen years. From Detroit to Prague, Chicago to South Bend, and Los Angeles to New Orleans, Kelli’s teaching and leadership experience from the pre-school to collegiate level has offered life lessons on the realities of education. She is a pioneer of the balanced teacher lifestyle movement, and is currently making an impact with her honest yet hopeful blog The Chillout Teacher.

In her current work, Kelli serves as a fifth grade teacher in a creative arts charter school in New Orleans’ historic French Quarter. Immersing herself in the Czech culture fifteen years ago, Kelli launched her career in an International Baccalaureate School and returned to her roots in the American midwest to teach and eventually lead the openings of grassroots charter schools across the country for almost ten years. Her passion revealed itself in supporting teachers with culturally-responsive curriculum that kids loved and made teachers feel good. Beyond statistics, she soon realized that teacher turnover in these urban charter schools was an issue she wanted to investigate further.

Preparing for the birth of her first child, Kelli chose to return to the classroom in 2015 and create The Chillout Teacher blog site. She also consults and trains for Louisiana teacher certification programs and pours her heart into her narrative of today’s teacher lifestyle in her blog.

Kelli earned her master’s degree in education and K-8 math instruction from Marygrove College and her bachelor’s degree in education and English from Michigan State University. She also holds a Teacher’s of English as a Foreign Language Certificate from TEFL Worldwide Prague, Czech Republic. Kelli plans to explore doctorate programs focused on teacher retention and teacher preparation programs, following the birth of her second child this Spring.