The Groundbreaking Plan to Stop Teachers From Being Priced Out of Their Own Communities

Part 2 of my ⁨@schoolutionspodcast⁩ conversation with Tonya Quinn from The Kindness Art Education details how her Portrait Pals program uses art to address critical attendance management issues. The initiative fosters a powerful kindness movement, helping to alleviate stress relief among students by connecting them through shared experiences. This approach significantly contributes to improving kids mental health and overall school engagement.
💫Make sure to check out Part 1 before this episode
In this episode, you'll discover:
→ The full Portrait Pals process: from professional photographer to curated gallery exhibition
→ How this program directly addresses chronic absenteeism and low engagement
→ Why inspiring students works better than enforcing behavior
→ The questionnaire questions that reveal what kids are really carrying
→ How active learning through portraiture weaves in math, science, anatomy, & narrative
→ What classroom belonging looks like when a child feels truly seen
→ How police officers, senior citizens, and kids in France are all Portrait Pals
→ What to say to a skeptical administrator who thinks there's no time or funding
→ The blank canvas moment and why it's the most important teaching tool in the room
Portrait Pals has a 100% ask-back rate from every school and community it touches. The only thing standing between this program and thousands more thriving students is resources. Share this episode with a teacher, principal, school counselor, or donor who believes every child deserves to thrive not just survive. Donate here.
Whether you're a teacher searching for instructional strategies that spark student motivation, an instructional coach looking for coaching strategies that produce real school change, a school leader committed to school culture and equity in education, or a parent who believes in the whole child this episode is essential listening.
CHAPTERS:
0:00 — Introduction: 31% chronic absenteeism & Portrait Pals
1:45 — The professional photographer & authentic self-presentation
3:30 — Anthony: "My pal looks like they could do something major one day"
5:45 — How Tonya matches pals across communities and countries
7:30 — The questionnaire: shared anxiety between rural America and France
9:00 — Supplies, structure & meeting community needs
10:45 — Police officers, Portrait Pals & "this is exactly what we needed"
13:30 — How many sessions & keeping it during the school day
15:00 — Portraits, math, science, anatomy & human skills
17:30 — Shape, light & shadow, and spirit the three elements of portraiture
18:45 — The gallery exhibition experience
20:00 — The girl with her head on her desk and what happened next
21:45 — 100% ask-back rate & how to get involved
23:00 — Closing reflections & how to support Portrait Pals
Next Week: We are heading to San Diego, where history is being made. San Diego Unified School District has nearly 3,000 affordable housing units in the pipeline for educators. Superintendent Fabi Bagula, Ph.D., is leading a charge to make sure the people who show up every day to serve students can actually afford to live in the communities they serve. That conversation is coming your way next week. Don't miss it.

When coaches, teachers, administrators, and families work hand in hand, it fosters a school atmosphere where everyone is inspired and every student is fully engaged in their learning journey.