“These are interconnected crises that have come together over a very long period of time. The good news is tools are now available. Tools are now being built at a significant scale that can reach into places that they never have before.” Tom Davidson, the award-winning Founder and CEO of EVERFI, joins Jenn to discuss how his three-term run in the Maine House of Representatives led him to an interest in education tech, EVERFI’s mission to address social topics that go beyond traditional curriculum, having honest conversations about handling today’s mounting pressures and the relationship between financial, physical and mental health.
0:00 Intro
1:14 Tom shares a little bit of background about himself and reasons that made him be interested in the education field
3:53 Tom talks about some of the things that the students should learn or be aware of at their age and what they do with the technology to help them get the information
5:13 Tom talks about how education has blown up due to the pandemic and how it has affected their platform
9:39 Tom shares his thoughts on what it means when he hears the term mental fitness and the importance of mental strength
13:03 Tom talks about some of the taboo topics that have been there in the past and what leaders need to do to help others overcome them
14:57 Tom also talks about how mental fitness impacts the decision making when it comes to addressing issues in education
18:29 Tom talks about where the teachers should put their boundaries when it comes to students and the parents
19:51 Tom talks about some of the issues that they are trying to deal with so as to continue with the hybrid learning style to make education more accessible even in rural areas
22:32 Tom talks about how he applies the practice of mental fitness within his team and the company culture
25:52 Tom talks about how he sees education evolving in the future and the role that mental fitness and wellness will be playing in this field
30:05 Tom also shares some of the things that he does to flex his mental fitness muscle that might be also helpful to others
34:37 Tom talks about some of the things that he also did so as to be able to get off the devices like his phone
Shows Mentioned:
Maine House of Representatives: http://legislature.maine.gov/house/house/
Zoom: https://zoom.us/
Google Meet: https://meet.google.com/
K12 School Category: https://www.k12.com/
Flatbush Misdemeanors: https://www.sho.com/flatbush-misdemeanors
Quotes Mentioned:
“We all learn by mistake.”
“Everything is technology these days.”
“As much as the pandemic has been an accelerant for education technology, it’s been a tragedy for millions of kids in the United States.”
“If you want people showing up every day feeling like they can be themselves, understand that they also need to voice their needs freely.”
“You’ll never replace a great teacher, never.”
“No education technology right now is perfect.”
“The device is the biggest thing that you can create boundaries with.”
Guests Social Media Links:
Website: https://everfi.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomdavidsondc/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/tommydavidson
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tomdavidsondc/?hl=en
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/everfi/
