Meeting with Chelsea George-20230831_090128-

Meeting Recording
August 31, 2023, 1:01PM
34m 1s

Chelsea George 0:03

Mr. Burnfin, how are you?

Chelsea George started transcription

Neil Burnfin 0:04

I am doing well.

Chelsea George 0:06

Good. Good.
Umm, so are you at CMS today or Edwards kind of bouncing?

Neil Burnfin 0:13

I mean, I meant Conyers today.

Chelsea George 0:16

OK, OK.
All right.
I guess we'll just go ahead and start with the interview at the very top of the list.

Neil Burnfin 0:22

OK.

Chelsea George 0:23

I already said your name.
Can you please tell me your job title?

Neil Burnfin 0:26

My job title is digital learning specialist.

Chelsea George 0:29

OK.
And then what type of degree is what required for your position?

Neil Burnfin 0:36

Let me go on really a a bachelor's degree.
I'm gonna go in here and get this.
I'm sorry about this.
Chelsea George 0:43
Fine.

Neil Burnfin 0:44

I'm gonna go in here and get this.
Get our.
I've got it right here.
I don't have this answer actually.
Now I had somewhere else so.

Chelsea George 0:57

No, it's perfectly fine.

Neil Burnfin 0:58

So the teacher teaching certificate of course is required.
They would like to see when they hire you, with an emphasis on technology and
pedagogy.
UM and have technology proficiency.
Obviously you have to be proficient in technology.
I haven't umm, I'll expound on this just a second.
You know, I won't take take forever doing this, but when I was hired, it was a totally
different process.
So I've been doing this so long.
I was hired under the school and basically the principal just chose me from out of the
classroom and I came up and and and got in this in this position and then later on
years later.
Uh.
Really close to 10, eight to 10 years later, they pulled us up out of the school, actually
was about 11 years later, they pulled us up out of the school and put us at the
district level.
So that so that's I haven't been hired the way they hire now, but now I do understand
that there they're looking for that type of uh, at least a a teaching certificate or which
would be a four year degree, although you don't have to have as we know you don't
have to have a four year degree to get a teaching certificate. OK.

Chelsea George 2:12

Right.
And then I think you told me you went all the way up to your specialist degree just to
get some more knowledge on how to better support the personnel you work with.
Is that right?

Neil Burnfin 2:23

Yes, yes.
And several people that were hired kind of like I was hired at the school level, have
gone and done that.
Most of them already had their masters, but I know of a couple.
Of course you know Mr Dyer.
So I believe he had hit.
He got his from Kennesaw, just like me.
About the time I was finishing up, he went back to school and got that degree, so
obviously you won't people that are are well qualified, that have been in the
classroom and that know about instruction as well as technology and can help
because we we do it various we do various things here in Rockdale County you have
to help with technology as well as instruction and helping teachers out and coaching
them and integrating them to.

Chelsea George 3:10

Mhm, sounds good.
Thank you.
So on to the next question, which is one of my favorites, because it kind of varies
between who I talked to.
But what are your job responsibilities?

Neil Burnfin 3:23

Well, you know, I gave you that sheet and it talks about job duties.
So basically our job duties and and I don't know who you've talked to or whatever, if
they were even with us when we when we got these job duties, I've just stuck them in
a folder and everything.

Chelsea George 3:27

Mhm.

Neil Burnfin 3:38

But when we did change up to the district level, they went over this with us
sometime and that's getting close to a that's probably 6-7 years ago now since we've
been in under the district.
But we're basically under the coaches standards for St and the state, so all of those
standards, that's what we're in.

Chelsea George 3:55

Mhm.

Neil Burnfin 3:58

Umm.
And they could tell you that any other digital learning specialist, or DLS, could tell
you that's how we are are rated.
We're rated on each of those standards one through four.
We rate ourselves and then we get ratings by our supervisors and we have to do and
in their certain things that we have to do.
We we meet every we meet for a preconference just like teachers, a preconference a
mid year conference in a, in a summative conference at the end of the year.
And we put all of that stuff we we basically just for our job title.
There's nothing really in there for our particular job antiques, but we drop that stuff
that information in teaks what our goal.
We have one goal that we work on all year that we have to have.
Uh.
Proof of that we're doing.
We have to collect data according to the goal to show where there were meeting
that goal.
Smart goals, basically.

Chelsea George 4:52

Mhm.

Neil Burnfin 4:53

And so, for instance, we, the preconference, is just that, it's it's declaring your goal,
talking with your supervisors about what your goal is going to be.
And then the mid Year conference is the end of semester where we have to post
evidence of meeting all the standards.
So you post one or two artifacts for each standard.
You may even have to do that in your school.
We had to do it at Kennesaw for our for our degree at Kennesaw, so it's very similar
to that of posting different artifacts, whether it's emails, whether it's reflections,
whether it's tickets, you know, there's a troubleshooting part that's under the A
substandard under one of the standards and a lot of times I just put a ticket in there
for that and then then they want our our data or our artifact that goes with our
specific goal.

Chelsea George 5:31

Ohh.

Neil Burnfin 5:45

So your goal is usually linked to one of the standards, so and you can double up on
that, right?
If your goal is in standard 3, then you would have an artifact that shows your goal,
and then we and then you have that artifact down inside that standard, cause it it
connects to that standard.
But we have questions at the top.
We do everything in one note.
We have questions at the top of the page, each for the for that conference and for
our summative conference.
So 2 * a year we have to provide artifacts if things that we've that we're doing either
toward our both toward our goals specifically and connected to each standard.
That's basically that's basically our responsibilities and they are the focus is on
coaching, but with us as opposed to an instructional coach or a content coach it we
have more job duties because of technology because we're also support with
technology, make sure teachers when they have issues, we work to help desk things
like that.

Chelsea George 6:22

OK.

Neil Burnfin 6:45

So we're kind of hybrid between doing those responsibilities and actual coaching
responsibilities where we meet with coaches.
We meet with teachers and and coach them.

Chelsea George 6:57

And I got to see a little bit of that when I was with you.
I think it was the 6th grade special Ed teachers just, you know, coaching them on the
basics of canvas.

Neil Burnfin 7:03

Yes.
Yes, and yeah, yeah, we'll do that in small groups and it it's different in each school.

Chelsea George 7:06

So I'm happy that I got to see a bit.

Neil Burnfin 7:12

So you noticed it?
Conyers is like that.
I haven't had a lot of that at Edwards because I've gotten to be in front of the entire
staff and train them at Edwards, so they're a little bit ahead of the game.
I do have some trainings, a training school wide.
I got to do it on this coming Tuesday after Labor Day, so I'm going to train them on
that because we found out they'll do walkthroughs, they come through and do
walkthroughs of each school and the high schools that have already started have
told us they're asking, I have a little presentation like 3 to 5 minutes and they want to
know about our training plan for canvas at this time.
So that's kind of what we're focusing on.
And that's more school wide trainings as opposed to coaching.
And if you saw that what we saw the other day, there's two different types of
coaching.
There's coaching.
Umm, there's just a small short coaching session that may only last one time where
you the the teacher wants me to just answer a question or two and then there's a
cycle coaching right where I'm coaching teachers through a cycle.

Chelsea George 8:10

Umm.
Neil Burnfin 8:14
We're looking at data, all that kind of thing, and we meet more times than one.
Once you know, we meet once every couple of weeks and go through a cycle, those
are harder to do as it DLS is a digital learning specialist.
Just because you get more just naturally more.
Hey I wanna meet with you for 30 minutes and I've got this issue, especially from
teachers that are that I feel are tech savvy so but those are also the teachers a lot of
times that are easier to get into and if you want to do a coaching cycle with them or
if they bring you a problem and you say hey maybe a solution to this, let me walk
through a cycle with you.

Chelsea George 8:52

Umm.

Neil Burnfin 8:52

So in those coaching cycles, you really are only able to do, you know, I've got two full
schools.
I'm.
I'm really only likely to do one full coaching cycle this year.
This semester with with maybe one teacher from each school at most.
If I even get that far, so I haven't necessarily been tasked in my in my pre conference
with doing that, that's that's our what they're expecting of us.
But they also know, and I'm not the only one, that we're short handed this year.
So you've got way more staff that we're responsible for, but I have been cut and and
we can go into the next question I have been I do have to observe each teacher.
Uh, math and science.
ELA math.
Science.
ELA and social studies.
So all four subject areas at each school, but only one time for the year.
Usually it's two subject areas that I'm responsible for because I have a partner I'm
working with that does the other two, and I usually have to do that twice a year.
So I would see the same math teacher in the fall and then in the spring and go
observe their classes and and go in there because that helps you push in and we also
duty wise we also have to go to we usually try to get into PLC's, but you'll see I'm
spread thin with four subject areas that to, to middle schools.

Chelsea George 9:56

Hmm.

Neil Burnfin 10:10

But I will get into as many as I can and and then those that's teacher planning.
So I don't interrupt those if at all possible.
I just sit there if they have questions, I'm there for support to support them and then
and then you can also get into some coaching time later on with that, right. It's just a
way to push in to meetings and be there with teachers and administrators and be
there and show your face and support them.
So we usually go to those meetings and those here at Conyers, that's Tuesdays and
Thursdays and at Edwards is only on Tuesdays.
So if you can imagine a schedule like that, you know you only.

Chelsea George 10:43

Hmm.

Neil Burnfin 10:46

You only see me if you're a social studies teacher at Edwards.
You would only, even if I'm on a schedule, you only see me maybe.
Four times of semester?
Maybe so it's so spread out, but those are things that on in a normal year when we
have one person in every school, that's what we would do.

Chelsea George 11:06

How?
OK.
Thank you.

Neil Burnfin 11:08

Yeah.

Chelsea George 11:09

So moving on to the next question, how were you able to meet the needs of faculty
and staff during the transition to remote learning as well as the students and
parents?
And I guess the best way to frame this question into something that's applicable to
our situation now was how were you able to help during the preparation for the
independent learning day?

Neil Burnfin 11:32

Oh, OK.
Well, I've gotta.
I've got a generic answer here and then I'll try to make sure I talk about the
independent learning day.
Umm my generic answer is I work on to that question is I work on many issues
through the tickets and our help desk.
That's how I I've been supporting them, this beginning of the year.
We communicate through the tickets.
So, you know, I'll ask him if something's fixed or not.
I see teachers and students on a regular basis when I'm in and out of the buildings, I
go go out in the hallways and see them.
I tend PLC meetings like I just talked about each week and I'm available for personal
or small group coaching sessions, and that's kind of how that last ones kind of how
I've done it here specific to Conyers.
I've done a lot of small coaching sessions with teachers and to try to get them into to
be ready for the independent learning day at Edwards and I already kind of stated
this.
I did full Group 2 or I've done three overall trainings counting umm for pre planning.
So I did a training at preplanning and I did a a A2 trainings this month.
In August, a couple of weeks apart so they know how to and our goal as a digital
learning specialist across the district, our goal and technology is to have teachers be
able to make an assignment in in canvas.
So that's what we were pushing towards.
And I'm also teaching ID.

Chelsea George 12:57

Mm-hmm.

Neil Burnfin 12:59

Day is tomorrow, so it's a little it's kind of late if you haven't already.
Don't already know how to do that, but I'm tomorrow I'm teaching it ILD day and
also professional learning day at Heritage High School.
I'm teaching courses one and two with canvas and it's basically like an intro class
ohm.
So in just to give you an idea on mine, I'd really don't know how that's gonna go
because at both of my schools, I think most teachers are past what those courses
involve.
So I'm kind of waiting on to see who's in the actual people that are in there, although
I won't know all of them because it's all secondary.
So it's all high schools and middle schools.
Some of them I will, but it'll be kind of interesting tomorrow when I get into those
classes and start them of where the teachers are and how I can help them in in that
area with canvas specifically.
So I'm kind of gonna have to.
I I hate planning.
I plan or I hate not planning for something, but I've got plans, but I I want to meet
the needs of most of the teachers that are in that room if I can.
So if they all need the beginning courses one and two and and and we found that
when even if you put OK, this is for beginner.

Chelsea George 14:04

Umm.

Neil Burnfin 14:12

This is a beginner session.
You don't.
You feel like you don't know anything about canvas.
You know, you still have people in there.
They just sign up for it, cause it's a class they can take, so we'll see how that works
out.
But that's.
Yeah, that's how I've been trying to meet their needs.
And you kind of have to do that that way when you're pushing out canvas and trying
to get it ready for, you know, ILD day, you have to meet all school, you know, with
the whole school and make sure and trade.
I train them by grade levels, you know, so.
But that's that.

Chelsea George 14:45

Should be fun.

Neil Burnfin 14:47

Umm.

Chelsea George 14:49

Something that we kind of touched on a bit was the daily activities of your job.
Do you still have an answer for that one?

Neil Burnfin 14:54

Umm.
Yeah, I'll see what I got here. Ohm.
In it, now 1 #6 right.
OK.

Chelsea George 15:06

Set then.

Neil Burnfin 15:07

I think at seven, OK, that I'm right.
Then I was looking at wrong.
Alright, so and you've said you saw some of this the other day, right?
Working on I IQ tickets. I do.
I'm gonna probably see an IIQ ticket every day this year.
Uh, usually it's not so much that the way we work is the intels are usually main in the
helpdesk.
That's their primary resource for work that they have to do or things that they have
to do, but because there's so many tickets that I know need to come to me, that I'm
also fanning through those daily and looking through them and picking up ones I
need to work in assigning them, we assign them to each other.
They assigned to me that that that's my part.
I assigned them to them at both schools.
It's their part answering emails.
I'm still getting a few.
They starting to wind down but I'm getting emails where we have to do the annual
updates when parents have to do those.
So I helped a parent yesterday.
I had to go up and help them do that.
Editing the website?
That's not probably a daily routine, but I do have to check it and I have to.
You know, it's usually at least once a week.
There's something that needs to go up or come down off the website or edited or
whatever like that on the website.
At least the front page and the announcements.
Uh meeting with teachers and PLC's and coaching sessions?
That's a pretty, pretty daily routine.
I didn't put down here, but observing, like I said, that's gonna take.
I can usually get that done, but that's usually an all day process where I try to get 20.
You know, I schedule them for 30 minutes, but I usually do 15 to 20 minute
observations on the teachers and I just go through and do them back to back to
back to back and write them all up.
And then, you know, reflect on them and and give feedback to them, to the teachers.
And then working on other itch issues such as apps and projects that are district
related.
So for instance, right now we're working on the epic system, so I have some things I
have to do with that.
And so, for instance, for that task, it's kind of sitting on the back burner now because
there's something wrong with my permissions and the epic system.
So I'm supposed to.
I have to go in there and change all the classrooms because of new teachers in that
system, we have to do that manually.
They're trying to work on getting the automated, but there are some tasks that I was
assigned a couple of weeks ago that I have to do in the system to get it ready for like
to be able to import those things into work automatically with our with our network
where when a new teacher comes in, they're automatically put in and put in the right
classroom based on what's in infinite campus and all that stuff.
So those are some tasks that I picked up along the way.

Chelsea George 17:45

Umm, so in a nutshell, a little bit of everything.

Neil Burnfin 17:52

Yep, Yep.

Chelsea George 17:52

Yeah.
OK, I'm moving on to the next question.
Do you have a budget that you control, and if so, how do you make decisions on
selecting resources for stakeholders?

Neil Burnfin 18:04

And no, I don't have a budget, so most of the time the resources are selected by
teachers and administration at the selected schools at at depending on the school,
the individual schools and the district purchases various resources.
Also we of course are involved in that when we chose Canvas, we had
representatives.
This digital learning specialist that went set on a group we had them from all over,
from curriculum instruction and we want they they voted and looked at it and
presented it and once they decided out of the three different ones, they looked at
that Kim, they wanted canvas.
They took that before the board and purchased that.
So I don't have.
I'm not in our position.
We don't really deal with money at all, so a lot of the the resource and those types of
things are either at the school, at the district level and we don't have any part in that.
They just say, hey, we bought this resource and we want you to use this or they make
those decisions there and then we support them like the math coordinator, for
instance, they're doing a new uh textbook online, textbook and new resources and
materials this year.
So we support them and so we have to kind of learn, learn about that as we as we go
through and whatever other subject area is that we have have to we do that so.
So we don't.
So we don't actually make decisions on that.
Uh, that part there and then again at the school level, that's usually administration.
You know, they meet with that and really the principal has the final say.
So right, so if a teacher wants to do something, we do have a process district wide
called the Technology acquisition form.
So usually all of that's figured out at the school level first is it in the budget?
Can we can we do it?
And of course, the principal and bookkeeper work hand in hand in that part.
And then I'm usually asked to put in the acquisition form.
So I just put in all the information that technology and it's really for technology
requests.
So we put all that in there, all that all the money is handled at the bookkeeper side
and then Technology Department just above me handles the integration.
Umm, they have to have a contract.
They have to have the data privacy agreement and all that stuff once it's purchased.
So that's kind of we're streamlining that more and more each year.
So just this past year and again this I'm I think this relates to this question, I don't
want to get off off topic, but this this past year we finished something where our
legal counsel is always involved in these things and if you can imagine different each
school in the county is purchasing programs at all different times of the year.
So, like uh, you might have 55 programs across the district, or let's say one program
across the district that five schools or let's say 10 schools have it 10 schools have that
program, will it may come up for renewal next week at five of the schools.
And then the other three to five schools, it may come up for renewal in October
because of the way they bought the program.
So last year we decided to talk to all these companies as groups get together in the
groups that have the program. Right?
So let's say I excel every middle school or every school that has I excel in the district.
We all got together and did everything and talk with I excel as a bunch for one thing,
as a group, for one thing, you might can get some discounts, right?
Because you're going to them as a group of schools or as a district rather than one
school at a time.

Chelsea George 21:37

Umm.

Neil Burnfin 21:37

So to try to get some financial help with that.
Plus, we're gonna streamline the dates that that the dates that the contract goes for.
So all our contracts were our goal was to get with all the companies and our all our
contracts to be from July, the first to June 30th.
And it's just so much easier that way with people that are handling them because
they don't like to let us have access to a program.
Of course, that we haven't paid for yet.
So.

Chelsea George 22:06

I think streamlining would make so much more sense.
UM, last year, my kindergarten team, we bought a program in October and just I
think a few weeks ago someone from the team texted me like, hey, can you please
send me your credentials?

Neil Burnfin 22:10

Yeah.
Yeah.

Chelsea George 22:22

So we can log the new teacher in because we wouldn't be able to get the renewal
until October.
So just kind of, you know, it's a bit frustrating for the teachers and for admin of
course.

Neil Burnfin 22:28

Right.

Chelsea George 22:33

And then it would just be easier to have everything from June to July or July to June
like you said.

Neil Burnfin 22:39

Yeah.
Chelsea George 22:40
So, OK.

Neil Burnfin 22:40

And then the the problem becomes they had a hard time keeping up with stuff this
year because, for instance, Edwards had a lot of stuff that and I'm more familiar with
it than Conyers.
Mr Hutchins always handle kind of Conyers stuff.
Just so we didn't have so much workload, but a lot of their stuff was going through
this month, August and some of them even into the middle of September.
Well, they they didn't like restart us up and give teachers access.
So teachers lost access for the first week or so of school.
Umm.
And it became an issue because I haven't put nine tickets.
Hey, we don't have access to this and then they're telling me at the district, which
we'll have to work that out even more.
Hey, Will, you haven't paid for it yet?
I was like our contracts not up because that's why the contracts run like that because
most of your title, one funds and those funds, any funds really don't really become
available till end September.
But most companies are understanding and you have to work with them.
So I guess we need to make sure that we put notes on things if that is the case and
those things.
But I'm hoping that's why I keep saying next year it should work out because this
year, since our contracts ran up through September and October and maybe some of
them even end in November, we had one that was like February.
And So what you do is you get them to prorate it, right?

Chelsea George 23:57

Umm.

Neil Burnfin 23:59

You get them prorate from February to to the the June and then you you so you get
them to prorate that out and then or maybe you pay from February all the way to the
next June you end up having to pay for that it might it it might cost more but you
pay for that whole that whole thing to get it on that timeline.
So yeah, it does make sense and it will.
It should work out a lot better and cut down on some of the problems that we have
with that.

Chelsea George 24:31

Umm, OK.
Have you had an opportunity to impact technology implementation throughout your
school and can you describe a specific example?
I feel like we touched on that.
Neil Burnfin 24:44
Yeah.
And I'll read you what I have.
I'm able.
I'm able to have the most impact through coaching relationships with the staff.
That's the biggest impact that I have with technology is umm, you know, once we
have resources helping them use the resources with fidelity.
I also have time with them as a school as a whole.
Like I said, each month with Sessions based on school or district technology
initiatives.
So I have an impact there.
You know, getting in front of them and showing them ohm.
This is how we have to, you know, this is what we're gonna do now or this is an
initiative now or this is a new program that we have at the school level.
So that's the biggest the biggest way I can impact them and really even more than
the whole group session is 1 on one sessions.
You know, in small small group sessions that I have with teachers because you're
able to, you're able to get to know you're not in a instructional sense, you're more of
a sit and and and have a conversation since and that is more as a little bit more
personal with coaching and you'll probably read about some of that and talk about
that with your relationships with teachers, yeah.

Chelsea George 25:44

Right.
Certainly.
Yeah.
Does your school have a technology committee?

Neil Burnfin 25:58

Neither school has a technology committee of there might be 1, umm.
I could go look.
They have committees at Edwards I know, and they just push them out.
But I didn't look and see if they had a technology committee.
We have had one in the past, like even I remember we had one during COVID.
So it's kind of been on and off with that kind of thing, so.
But even the ones we've had, I don't know how I mean it, it's great.

Chelsea George 26:22

OK.

Neil Burnfin 26:27

The ones we've had the best thing about those is the feedback that I can get from
the teachers that are on the committee and they can tell me what other teachers are
saying about this or about that kind of give me a school wide view of things I may
not see or hear from individual teachers.
But we don't.
But we there's not one that I know of at Conyers.

Chelsea George 26:47

Umm.
OK, how?

Neil Burnfin 26:49

And that's kind of that's kind of a difficult question because really I'm not at the you
know it's it's my school, but I'm under the district, right.
So I feel like I'm a part of Congress Middle School in Edwards Middle School, but
being at the district, that's more of a school level thing that of course I would
support, right?
Yeah, I I would go to meetings with the Technology Committee and all that stuff, but
I wouldn't be directly involved in setting up the committee and being the head of the
committee.
So yeah.

Chelsea George 27:14

Right.
How are technology decisions made?

Neil Burnfin 27:20

Uh.
Through district personnel at the top and then the admin and the schools, pretty
much like I've kind of said we kind of touched on that.

Chelsea George 27:28

Right.
And, umm, right.
And then the last few questions, what is the best part of your job and what do you
find to be the most challenging part?

Neil Burnfin 27:37

All right, so number, uh, the best part of my job.
I love talking with people and helping them.
I get joy out of supporting the stakeholders, parents as well.
Parents, teachers, students.
When I get to work with them, and sometimes I do, if I'm going into modeling and
teaching ohm, I'll I'll work with students a lot.
If I'm helping the teacher, if I'm going through a A A coaching cycle, I'll go into the
classroom, see how she's how she's teaching it.
I'll I might like I said, I might model for him, so I really love doing that.
The most challenging part is really the same thing.
They're really is the most rewarding part.
The more you get to know people and the more you reach out and you to get to
know different people, the more personalities, the more different types of people
you're going to get.
So each person you meet is not always that easy person to talk to, right?
They're not always.
They're sometimes challenging, right?
They may not be like me, and they might not like to talk to people, so I try to take a
straightforward, low key approach to challenges and keep my composure.
Sometimes those parents, when they call you, just like with admin or with the
teacher, sometimes they're upset with something.
I've got a great example of that this and it again kind of a challenge.
But it's kind of proud of myself, you know, for for being able to do it.
You know, but a parent?
Emailed me the other day and they had been.
I've been emailing back and forth with them on finishing their annual updates and
you were here when we were doing some of those and the parents the they just
emailed me as a short paragraph two or three sentences and they say umm do y'all
just make this stuff so hard?
So US parents can't get in to our accounts and see what our students are doing, or
you purposely, you know, basically asking me, you know, are, are we purposely
sabotaging stuff and we don't want y'all to see what's going on or what not.
Now I don't know where that came from.
You know, I don't know if it's something they saw on TV, you know?
And it's like, oh, yeah, these schools are trying to separate parents or I don't know if
they were just frustrated.
That's what I first assumed.
I just thought of that first one just now.
I first I first assumed that they were just frustrated and they're not able to get in their
account, and they actually did remember and they worded it.
Hey I could get into my account last week.
I can't get into it this week.
Well, I know and then I go look at her.
Look at their account.
They tried 9 times to get in and couldn't get in, so I know when common sense kind
of tells me they just they they're doing the password wrong.
They're not putting the password incorrectly, so I sat there, looked at that, cause your
first thing is by you know, hey, you know, I'm like, you know, what are you talking
about?
No, this you know, like we have time, you know.
And but I'm thinking through all that stuff like that.
I'm like, OK Neil, I said to myself and I said, look, she probably just forgot the
password.
And so I forgot what exactly I emailed back, but it was something to the effect or of
the.
I think I just said, do you need your password reset?
Chelsea George 30:50
Umm.

Neil Burnfin 30:50

After all that and all that thinking, it wasn't long.
You know, as a couple minutes there and it's like alright, how am I gonna respond?
And I was like, well, I'm pretty sure the basis is she just needs her password reset.
She doesn't remember the password that she was using in there.
So, umm, she said.
Yeah, I said.
I said if so, or something, please tell me what you want it to be.
And she sent it back to me.
I copied, pasted it, reset her password and told her I sent her an email back and said
this is your password and never heard from her, so I'm assuming she got in and
everything was OK, but those are.
Those are kind of challenges where if you don't really just take a second and think
about what you you know what you what you're going to say, you get all up in your
feelings, right?
You know, like how dare you?
You know, this is crazy, but you know, in your mind that that's just kind of crazy.
Obviously, we're not doing that here, but uh, and I guess that's kind of just a
challenging of myself, right?
Some people don't think twice about it.
They look at it and they're like, yeah, I know.
But then you know your first thing 'cause you're reading and you're trying to see
what the parent needs and what they have.
It it's like you didn't even have to really put that in there.
Just tell me you don't know your password and and then it.
Then you think, oh, it's almost blame it.
You're blaming it on us, right?
And you forgot it.
But you know, we really don't have time for all that anyway, so just go on.
But those are challenging things.
Or when you know people I've had, I had some challenges with this Microsoft
Authenticator app and teachers.
I'm not gonna put that on my phone and everything.
And I'm like, I didn't have that much yesterday.
I talked with Conyers yesterday and they were all pretty good, and I sent them out
the instructions and I think I did a better job of presentation.
You are presenting yesterday and cause I thought about it reflected on what
happened at Edwards.
And then how I could do it a little bit better?
So I presented it really as security and I showed him some slides that I had of how
our network was being hit and things like that.
So they were a little bit more receptive yesterday to that to that information and
putting it down.
So I haven't heard a really a negative word about it over here, but I had some
teachers that I'm still talking to and like, why do we have to put an app on my
phone?
And I'm like, yeah, I told y'all why we have to do it so anyway, but yes.

Chelsea George 32:58

Umm.
Alright.
And then just giving you some time to add anything else if you'd like to wrap up the
interview by adding some comments.

Neil Burnfin 33:12

No, I mean not really appreciate this time.
It's been good.
Hopefully I can help you.
I've helped you some and you have a good rest of the experience that you're gonna
have.

Chelsea George 33:19

Umm.

Neil Burnfin 33:22

I think I've talked pretty long on some of these, so I don't know that.

Chelsea George 33:25

You gave.
You gave me some good insight.

Neil Burnfin 33:26

I don't know.
I don't know that I have anything more to add than I probably added more than I
really necessarily needed to already, but you know, like I said in there, I love to talk to
people and meet people and umm, you know, share with them.

Chelsea George 33:31

Umm.
Umm.

Neil Burnfin 33:39

So yeah.

Chelsea George 33:42

OK.
Well, Mr Burnfin, thank you so much for your time.
This has been a really insightful experience and if I have any more questions about
anything I'll be sure to email you.

Neil Burnfin 33:52

Yeah, just do that.

Chelsea George 33:53

No.
OK.
Thank you so much.

Neil Burnfin 33:55

Alright, have a great day and weekend.

Chelsea George 33:57

You too. Bye.

Neil Burnfin 33:57

All right, bye.

Neil Burnfin left the meeting

Chelsea George stopped transcription