Pumpkins, Family, AI, and Fit Teacher Energy with Candice Nicholson

Candice Nicholson (Jackson)

Hi friends! I’m Candice Nicholson, wife of Vern Nicholson (founder of a company called Vet-tro Media USA), the 2024 Teacher of the Year and 2025 Michigan State University Education Award Winner and I carry those honors on behalf of the communities that shaped me: the students who kept asking “why,” the parents who partnered with us, and the mentors who opened doors and told me to walk through with confidence. Every accolade has a chorus behind it, and I’m proud that mine includes classroom laughter, family support, and colleagues who continually strive for improvement. When I say “thank you,” I’m really saying it to all of you who believed that a joyful, rigorous classroom could change lives. This season, Chalkboard Chatter has become a living scrapbook: we’ve swapped teacher-fashion time savers, planned a 4th/5th-grade girls’ retreat that centered courage and kindness, unpacked the best of Eureka Math, and even welcomed a tiny gecko named Paws who turned our room into a hub of wonder and responsibility. Along the way, we’ve discussed love, balance, and the complex, yet beautiful rhythm of real classrooms. If you’re new here, you’re in the right place; if you’ve been riding with us, thank you for bringing your heart and your genius to the table. Today’s episode is a full plate: fall energy, family, fitness, and five practical ways I’m using AI to personalize learning. I hope that you leave with one idea you can try tomorrow and one reminder that your work matters more than you know. Take a breath, sip your coffee, and settle in. This is Chalkboard Chatter.

Candice Nicholson (Jackson)

Fall arrived like confetti on September 13th at Gourdy’s Pumpkin Run. The air was cool, the trees were flirting with orange, and the starting line buzzed with that happy pre-race chatter—shoelaces double-knotted, playlists cued, nervous giggles. Vern, my husband, lined up with me, and my good friends formed a little pod of encouragement. We promised to move at our own pace and finish together, no matter what. There’s something about a 5K that makes you feel both small and mighty. Three miles isn’t Everest, but it asks you to show up, keep rhythm, and trust your lungs. The course wound past cornfields and apple orchards, the kind that make you daydream about pies cooling on windowsills. We kept checking in: thumbs up, water, breath. Crossing the finish line, we sprinted and we smiled. And then we celebrated like fall royalty: a bottle of sparkling peach wine, a blackberry hard cider to share, and listen those cinnamon and powdered donuts were out of this world. Diet? On hold. Joy? Absolutely on. What I love about events like this is the way community sneaks up on you. Strangers clap for strangers. Volunteers hand you water and tell you you’re doing great. The medal is nice, but the memory is better: people you love, moving your bodies, laughing at red cheeks and post-race hair, promising to keep choosing strong over perfect. Gourdy’s gave us more than a finish time; it gave us momentum for the season—pumpkins, sweat, and gratitude stitched together like a cozy flannel.

Candice Nicholson (Jackson)

Some chapters feel like homecoming, even if you never left. Family Week at Michigan State University had that kind of glow. As many of you know, I have three sons at MSU, and watching them build lives—roommates, routines, big ideas—has been a masterclass in letting go while still leaning in. Vern and I rolled onto campus with a trunk full of goodies like true parents on a mission: grills going, music low, parents comparing notes on dorm fridges and midterm schedules. We passed plates and stories like a potluck: who’s loving their lab, who’s switching majors, who needs a new laptop charger (everyone, apparently). The conversations drifted between the practical—rent, meal prep, laundry hacks—and the hopeful: internships, study abroad, “what if I…” dreams that make you nod and say, “Go for it.”And of course, football threaded through every conversation. Go Green! We talked about lineups and rivalries, but really we were cheering for resilience—late nights at the library, early mornings at practice, phone calls home that began with “I think I figured it out.” The boys let us into their world just enough—friends stopping by, inside jokes, that gentle flex of independence that says, “We’ve got it.”Family Week reminded me that teaching and parenting share the same heartbeat: we show up, we listen, we nudge, and we celebrate every small win. The campus will change, the schedules will shift, but that circle—students and parents swapping hope over paper plates—never gets old.

Candice Nicholson (Jackson)

This is a critical technology piece of today's Chalkboard Chatter Episode, so pay close attention here, my friends: A-I isn’t a magic wand; it’s a toolkit. When used thoughtfully, it helps me give more human attention where it counts. Here are a few ways I’m putting it to work and the guardrails that keep it student-centered:

Candice Nicholson (Jackson)

Adaptive Learning: Platforms that adjust in real time turn practice into a custom playlist. If a student masters multi-digit addition, the system nudges them into regrouping; if they stumble, it serves up targeted scaffolds. I still confer face-to-face, but AI helps me spot who needs manipulatives, who’s ready for a challenge set, and who could fly with a partner.

Candice Nicholson (Jackson)

Assistive Technology: Speech-to-text and text-to-speech level the playing field for those with hearing differences or processing challenges. Directions get clearer, drafts flow faster, and quiet thinkers find a voice. We model digital citizenship, check accuracy, and celebrate that accessibility is good teaching for everyone.

Candice Nicholson (Jackson)

Learning Analytics: Dashboards don’t replace teacher judgment; they sharpen it. Attendance, exit tickets, and quiz trends reveal patterns I might miss on a busy Thursday. If a group’s fraction performance dips, I pivot: mini-lesson, math talk protocols, and concrete models. Data guides; relationships decide.

Candice Nicholson (Jackson)

What's at the heart of empowering Future Leaders: Teaching is an endurance sport, so we train for it—one walk, one snack, one bedtime at a time. This year, Vern and I completed three 5Ks: one in downtown Atlanta, two at Spicer’s Orchard, where the finish line smells like cider and happiness. But the secret sauce is our park walks—twilight loops where we trade stories, set intentions, and sometimes just listen to the wind. Those miles are marriage therapy, mental reset, and lesson-planning lab all at once. We’ve dialed up fruits and veggies—colorful plates that feel like confetti for your cells. Are we perfect? No. Do we owe ourselves more ab workouts? Absolutely. So we’re making it doable: 8–10 minutes, three times a week—planks, dead bugs, slow mountain climbers. Consistency beats intensity when life is loud.

Candice Nicholson (Jackson)

Here is my Salad of the Week: Baby spinach + chopped apple + roasted sweet potato cubes + chickpeas + cucumber + a sprinkle of feta + pumpkin seeds. Dressing: lemon juice, olive oil, a tiny bit of honey, a pinch of salt. Pro tip: Roast a tray of sweet potatoes on Sunday, and you’ve got fast lunches all week. Add grilled chicken or quinoa if you want more protein. The point isn’t a number on a scale; it’s capacity—more oxygen for laughter, more strength for lifting boxes of journals, more calm for the curveballs. Movement and nourishment make the classroom brighter because we bring our best selves to the work. If you’re starting from zero, try a 10-minute walk and a glass of water. Then do it again tomorrow. We build the teacher we need by caring for the human we are.

Candice Nicholson (Jackson)

Can I recap my experience of going back to Michigan State University to accept my Education Alumni Award? Stepping onto campus felt like opening a cherished yearbook—familiar, proud, and buzzing with Spartan energy. Over two full days, we moved between conversations with current students, hugs from fellow alums, and moments of quiet gratitude for the mentors and communities that shaped my path. The highlight was the College of Education Alumni Awards celebration, where four Spartans were honored for lasting impact—an evening that reminded me how deeply MSU values equity, excellence, and community engagement. I was humbled to be recognized alongside leaders across education disciplines, and to be named among this year’s honorees as an alum of the B.A. ’01 and M.A. ’04 programs. The college shared that the awards ceremony took place during the Scholarship and Alumni Awards dinner on Friday, Sept. 5, part of a tradition reinstated in 2024 to spotlight graduates advancing the work of teaching and learning. Vern and I carried that sense of purpose through every handshake and hallway chat, reflecting on how classroom innovation, family support, and community partnerships all converge in moments like this. Walking back across campus that night, I felt the same spark that first drew me to this profession only brighter. Thank you, MSU College of Education, for the honor and for the reminder that when Spartans lift one another, we lift entire communities.

Candice Nicholson (Jackson)

If today’s episode gave you one idea, one smile, or one breath of relief, I have a favor to ask. Please like, comment, and share Chalkboard Chatter with a fellow teacher, a parent, or that friend who loves schools and stories. Your engagement tells the algorithm, “Hey, this matters,” which helps other educators find us when they need a little light. Leave a quick note about what resonated. Maybe it’s adaptive learning, maybe it’s a salad hack, maybe it’s the reminder that running a 5K is less about speed and more about showing up. If you try any strategies, I’d love to hear how it went; your wins and tweaks help this community get smarter and kinder. And if you’re listening while commuting or grading, take a second later to tap those stars ratings and reviews are tiny actions with big ripple effects. We’re building a circle of practice and joy here; one episode, one classroom, one brave teacher at a time. Thank you for being part of it. Share this with your team, post it in your parent group, and let’s keep good ideas moving. I’m Candice Nicholson. Keep learning, keep loving, and keep leading with heart. See you next time on Chalkboard Chatter.