“Are you with me now” A J Ryder
From Down Under
“How come, if we are the ones being bullied, we are the ones getting kicked out of school?” A Student from one of our schools in Western Australia
I had a call with our co-executive director from Western Australia, John Hogan. He’s usually out and about in very remote places with limited service so it was great to catch up. One of the things we discussed was our work in the juvenile justice system where youth are detained. Over the years, we have been contacted by New York City, New Jersey and Rhode Island to discuss how Big Picture schools would work inside and then as places where youth would go once they get released. We spent quite a bit of time figuring all this out and came very close to operating the school side of this difficult work where different systems like youth services, police, education and justice differ in their approaches. John is working on just such a possibility in Western Australia. As we were talking, he told me that the new laws put children as young as 10 years old in youth detention. Since my contact with the juvenile justice system is with high school age youth, I was really taken back by this but then I did some research and found out that the same is true in a majority of states in the US. https://www.nga.org/publications/age-boundaries-in-juvenile-justice-systems/. Given that we formed a BPL book group on Just Mercy in preparation for our BPL Retreat, these laws in both the US and Australia hit me in a different way. It is always eye-opening to take what you read and put it in the real-world context of our work.
Get Some Cash For Your Trash – Fats Waller
Last week I referenced Joahluis’ award from Network For Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE). His pitch is below. This week, I reviewed a game developed around how to sort your trash in California. BPL Board member Gary Kraut introduced me to Ron Kagan, the developer of the game. I always love it when our students drive the change with actions that contribute to the greater good. Who knows where these connections take us.
My name is Joahluis Molina, and I am the founder of That Junk Removal Co. We are a fully licensed, minority-owned waste removal company dedicated to providing reliable, efficient, and environmentally responsible waste solutions for both residential and commercial clients.
It’s no secret that Americans produce a lot of waste. Consider this: the $80 Billion US waste industry generates more revenue than Netflix, the MLB, NFL, NBA and Hollywood, combined! If that doesn’t prove that one man’s trash is another’s treasure, I don’t know what will.
But this opportunity is bigger than just numbers. It’s about being responsible to both people and the planet.
At That Junk Removal Co our value proposition is simple: we remove your junk efficiently, affordably, and in a way that benefits the environment.
Our focus isn’t just on clearing clutter—it’s on recycling, recovering, and donating what can be reused, so that we’re not simply throwing things away, but diverting valuable items to donation partners and reducing landfill impact. And here’s the best part: what’s good for the environment is good for our bottom line. Less junk to the landfill means lower dump fees for our business.
Here at That Junk Removal Company our secret sauce is turning waste into opportunity—for our clients, our community, and the environment.
Every Sunday, with support from a Litter-Free Rhode Island grant, our team of student volunteers conducts neighborhood clean-ups. We don’t just remove waste—we help prevent it. This not only creates community goodwill but increases brand visibility!
My call with Charlie and Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Prize for Teaching winner Eric Dyer, moved our policy conversation along in CA. Now retired from his teaching position, Eric is working at UC Davis on developing workforce development programs at the state level. Our conversation was focused on Harbor Freight Fellows as a way to do internships in CA. This is long-haul work but we are in it and influencing it.
As I’m writing this TGIF two articles just came out with mentions of our work. First, is the David Brooks article in Atlantic mentioning the International Big Picture Learning Credential.
“But a set of tools and institutions is emerging that can help with this. In Australia, for example, some schools use something called the Big Picture Learning Credential, which evaluates the traits that students have developed in and out of the classroom—communication skills, goal setting, responsibility, self-awareness.”
And then, this much larger mention in The Educator –Australian Schooling is in Big Trouble – Calls for Urgent Structural Reform.
“The forum, hosted by UNSW Sydney’s Division of Societal Impact, Equity and Engagement and facilitated by Big Picture Learning Australia, explores how systems can deliver fulfilling, inclusive and engaging education for every student.”
What Keeps You Up at Night?
Shameka and I continue to develop the Shameka and El After Dark session for the Leadership Summit. This is our third outing. If you are up, join us.
Last Monday, I drove up for a dinner Andrea hosted for Sonn and Javier. She cooked a great vegan meal. For some reason the topic of fraternities came up. For me, Javier hit the nail on the head, when I said to him, “We didn’t have fraternities at my school and I know very little about them, Javier responded, “When I went to school and heard about fraternities,” I said, “Why do I need a fraternity where I don’t know anyone. I already got a crew! ‘Nuff said.
Next week, Sonn and I will be in Winnipeg working with loads of schools in all different places in the change process. The Winnipeg district wide change process is fascinating.
Be well!
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