Two Ken-Ton teachers from Franklin Elementary and Middle School were featured in two different episodes of “Inside the Classroom” hosted by New York State Teacher of the Year Ashli Dreher.

The program airs locally on WBBZ-TV and is available for streaming online. Episodes focus on individual teachers, their stories, and the unique ways in which they engage their students.

Robyn Brydalski, third-grade teacher at Franklin Elementary, and Denise Grandits, seventh-grade English language arts teacher at Franklin Middle, were each featured in two different episodes of the educational television program. On the show, host Ashli Dreher asks teachers from different schools across New York State about the story behind their teaching career and what their classes are all about. Both Brydalski and Grandits welcomed the show to their classrooms to film them in action, observe a lesson, and then interview them.

Robyn Brydalski

Brydalski is a longtime teacher who also served as a mentor in the district’s teacher mentoring program, and she recently completed the requirements of the rigorous National Board for Professional Teaching Standards process.

In the show, she discusses this process as well as the district mentoring program and its value in supporting new teachers at the beginning of their careers. In a lesson explored during the show, Brydalski has her students demonstrate their understanding of the difference between vertebrates and invertebrates by creating a vertebrate or invertebrate out of clay, food, and crafting materials.

To view the episode, click here: Inside the Classroom: Robyn Brydalski

Denise Grandits

Grandits, who is currently pursuing her doctorate at the University of Buffalo, worked in journalism, public relations and health care before embarking on a career as a teacher.

In the show, she discusses her work at the University of Buffalo and how it has helped her become even more effective as an educator. Grandits, a recipient of the prestigious National Council of Teachers of English Media Literacy Award, also discusses her style of teaching. She shows how tools beyond print-based text can help students grow as readers and writers such as allowing students to use things they are interested in, such as memes, to demonstrate their understanding of a specific topic.

To view the episode, click here: Inside the Classroom: Denise Grandits