Episode 94: Meet SPED Director, Nate Edvalson

junho 20th, 2025 /
Spencer Tuinei /

Sup com o Sup

00:00 / 13:21

Wendy Dau: Welcome everyone to the next episode of Provo City School District’s What’s up with the Sup podcast! I am superintendent Wendy Dau. This week, I will be visiting with Nate Edvalson, our new Director of Special Education. But first, let’s go over the updates.

The next school Board Meeting is on Tuesday, June 24th.
- Consulte o site do distrito antes da reunião para saber o horário exato e a pauta completa.

Welcome everyone to this week’s episode of What’s Up With the Sup. I am here with Nate Edvalson, who is our Director of Special Education. Tell us a little bit about yourself. Nate.

Nate Edvalson: Oh, you love– I love those questions.

Wendy Dau: I know you do–

Nate Edvalson: –Because they never make you go— mm–

Wendy Dau: I know, I know. You love it so much.

Nate Edvalson: So let’s see about myself. I am 45, turned 45 this year.

Wendy Dau: Oh my gosh. You’re a baby.

Nate Edvalson: Yeah, I know. That’s what lots of people tell me that are older than me, but but then there’s people that are younger than me, too, that don’t say that. They say, oh, you’re old. So it’s kind right there in the middle. It’s right there in the middle of works.

I got four children. One’s in college. One’s to be a senior next year. And then I’ve got a couple kids that are– middle school going into junior high, and then elementary. So kind of a broad range.

Wendy Dau: Awesome. How did you get involved in special education? Tell us a little bit about that career journey.

Nate Edvalson: That’s really a passion of my wife actually. I actually wanted to be a clinical psychologist, but I wasn’t good enough. They wouldn’t take me into the college, so I I found out that I couldn’t do that. And so in my dejected state, I bought a house. That’s how I, you know, medicate.

Wendy Dau: You buy things. I buy things. You buy things, you buy things. Yeah.

Nate Edvalson: And so I bought a house and we kind of started going, but we– I found a program at USU and got into school counseling and I loved it. ‘Cause school counseling is a lot of, a lot of fun because — you know, someone with my proclivities towards attention deficit issues, I was really drawn to the idea of, you know, doing 15 different things every day.

Wendy Dau: Yeah. That sounds like you.

Nate Edvalson: But to my wife– yeah, my wife went into Special Education. We were both in the same courses actually at UVU– UVSC at the time, and she went one pathway and I went another. And as an educator, especially a special class teacher, you work 70, 75 hours a week just to prepare the material. You always have to adapt. So, I was in it that way, I was, you know, every night cutting out Velcro and cutting out–

Wendy Dau: You were her TA.

Nate Edvalson: Yeah. Yeah. I, you know, Hey, I need you to do this and that and build this and lift that. And so that was kind of where I started. We started a business years ago.

‘Cause she’s developed curriculum that has been really impactful and we’re really bad business people. We just tend to give it away. Yeah.

Wendy Dau: And I can imagine that too.

Nate Edvalson: That’s kind of our passion. We just love to help people and we gave all that curriculum to Canyon’s District before.

I’m happy to give it to Provo, but so we can benefit the kids. Yeah. And that’s what we’re all about. And so I think that, you know, I just got into it there and then I was passionate about Special Ed. I think that’s part of the problem is, you know, as an administrator, you have so many things you could spend time digging into.

Yeah. ‘Cause there’s just so much and there’s always that niche. A lot of times administrators just are a little nervous about Special Education where I didn’t feel that same reluctance. I dug into it and I think I got pretty good at it initially, and then I’ve had the opportunity to really become immersed in it.

That’s kind of where it develops, just helping people in general. Spending my time supporting my wife, helping her, and then getting impassioned that way.

Wendy Dau: One of the things I really appreciated in working with you prior to being here in Provo is just your ability to problem solve and be really creative about things.

I know even as we were dealing with difficult discipline situations or whatever, you’re like, what does this kid need? Let’s figure it out. Let’s break it down. Let’s make sure people have the right skills. And just really putting people at ease and you’re not afraid of that. Like, I’ve just witnessed that firsthand, like completely.

Nate Edvalson: That’s nice. I, I lived the mantra, actually learned it from my first assistant principal. His name was Dave Barrett, and he said, Nate, this is the best advice I’ll ever give you. And it really was. He said, you put the kids first and let the chips fall where they may.

And I’ve always done that. And you know, you have some ups and downs and things, but ultimately that’s where I’ve kept my heart and my center, and I think that’s just what you need to do.

Wendy Dau: Isso é fantástico.

Nate Edvalson: I think you can get lost along the way sometimes, but I’ve never lost focus on that one piece, so that’s good.

Wendy Dau: I’ve definitely witnessed that. As you’ve been talking with people across the district, as you’ve been starting to transition here, what are some of the things that they tell you about Special Ed in Provo that are appropriate to share.

Nate Edvalson: Appropriate? Well, first off, I have nothing but an awesome first impression about just the dedication of the educators here.

You know, I think the cool part about the opportunity to come down to Provo is that you do get to harness that desire to just work yourself to death, i’m sure, because, because you know, it’s always harder when you have a district that has less resources than other districts. Not to say that the community’s not got resources, it’s just that that’s just how it works, right?

Wendy Dau: Sim.

Nate Edvalson: That’s always a challenge, but– listening to the amount of time that people are putting in to do their jobs, and their willingness to do things, it’s just, I don’t, I can’t really put my finger on it exactly, but there’s just this different feeling. It’s kind of nice. So I’m pretty excited about that in first impressions.

And I think maybe it’s partly just, you know, I’m from the area. Yeah? I’m not from Provo, but I’m from Utah County, and I think there’s a similar culture, obviously, right? We grew up in a similar place, but it is different.

Wendy Dau: Sim.

Nate Edvalson: And so I, I think getting back to more of my roots where my upbringing– is a little different.

I think that there’s just kind of a, a natural feel to it that also is exciting.

Wendy Dau: That’s great. What are some of the things that you care about as a Special Ed director that you would want to let parents know that like are big priorities for you?

Nate Edvalson: I think people expect you to be all Special Ed all in all the time.

Of course I am. It’s my biggest advocacy point, but I’m just passionate about education and kids in general. And so if I, and I think that gives you a little bit of a different way to look at things because I just expect that the students that I serve should have the same opportunities.

Wendy Dau: They’re students first, and then we’re just trying to figure out all of the different things needs, like they have, right?

Yes, we all have different needs and I think if– I think that’s the problem is, is the more individualized education gets, it does become a little costlier. So you’re trying to figure out how to balance out, you know, providing rigorous education in a larger group setting.

I think maybe naturally human beings were designed to have apprenticeships. That’s kind of maybe our natural educational inclination is, but we just don’t live in that world, you know? Right. So we have to work around what we have.

And what would you want students to know about you?

Nate Edvalson: About me?

Wendy Dau: Sim.

Nate Edvalson: Oh, I would like them to know that I would love to get to know them. Yeah. I’m hoping that that’s a kind of of being in a a district a little less– student enrollment population is that, yeah, I will get a chance to actually get in there and absolutely work with them.

I love working with the students.

In fact, it’s been kind of a bittersweet because I spent the last four months at a school, we had some things occur at the district office where we had some shortages and I got to be at our post high school as the principal, as well as doing the director job, which is, is a lot, but that’s been really rejuvenating.

I think sometimes you get in the district office jobs and you do it because you’ve got a passion or because maybe you’re needed. And your skillsets needed, but you always want to be back with the kids, yeah? That’s really what it’s all about. So.

Wendy Dau: It helps you stay focused on what on the work that we’re doing and why we’re doing it. Yeah. Keeps you motivated.

What would you want teachers to know about your philosophy, about Special Ed, about what your hopes are? In terms of supporting them and supporting students?

Nate Edvalson: I want ’em to know that I’m going to work really hard for ’em and try to help provide resources and supports. I think sometimes this is gonna come off really weird, but I think sometimes we can overdo support.

Wendy Dau: Mm-hmm.

Nate Edvalson: I think you can have too many hands, too many cooks in the kitchen. You have too many things there. I’m getting a lot of that feedback right now.

We’ve been able to provide a lot of support, but it’s coming at a cost of like being too chaotic.

Wendy Dau: Mm-hmm.

Nate Edvalson: So I think I really am interested in development, developing their skills and trying to help people care about support so we can maintain a, a veteran population of teachers.

Wendy Dau: Sim.

Nate Edvalson: The longer you’re in something, the more you do it, the better you’re gonna get at it. I mean, I know there’s great new teachers, that’s not what I’m trying to say, and there’s, you know, there’s always your outliers, but overall, the longer you do it, the better you’re gonna be. And that just rolls out and impacts kids.

So the more we can keep teachers, the longer, the more satisfied they can be at their job, the better it’s gonna be for everybody. So I would like to work on how to figure out how to do that.

I feel really good this year. At the Canyon District, we were boasting a 95% retention rate for our special achievers.

Wendy Dau: Isso é incrível.

Nate Edvalson: Which is pretty awesome, you know, and I’m hoping we can figure out ways to continue to support teachers that way.

And I think

Wendy Dau: a lot of that comes from, I’ve watched you, you know, identify areas where teachers have been asking for help, and there’s more training and support in that way.

So it’s not just I send in somebody else to help, it’s that I’m gonna build your skillset so that you know how to manage this. ‘Cause that’s gonna work way better than me just sending more people who now you have to supervise.

Nate Edvalson: Well, and I’m gonna say this and I don’t want it to bring the Gestapo down on me, but I, you know, I’m a firm believer that instruction is much more impactful than compliance. and I, I’m not trying to discount the need to be good about documenting our paperwork and things like that.

But if you’re gonna ask me like, what am I gonna prioritize? I had a really interesting inter interaction with one of my colleagues back at Canyon, and he said, well, I said, if I gotta choose, I’m gonna choose this over that. I said, why do you have to choose?

Well, we’re in education, so you always have to choose priorities. You can’t have everything even though you’d like to. So, but if I’m gonna choose, I’m gonna choose instruction and progress. I’ve never seen a parent who’s happy with the progress of their students and who are actually making progress ever be upset and have problems.

We are always able to work through out any miscommunication when their students are making progress. So I focus on that because that’s where we can draw our success. So I kind of would like the teachers to know that like, yes, I want you to focus on getting your paperwork done, but more importantly, I want you to hone your teaching skills because that’s the thing that’s gonna make the difference.

Wendy Dau: Coming to a new district is, I mean, I’ve done this a few times now.

It kind of brings some different challenges.

Nate Edvalson: You’ve moved a lot.

I’ve been 20 years in the same place for me.

Portanto.

Wendy Dau: It creates, it, it’s challenging and transitions are always different. They’re not necessarily difficult, they’re just different. It’s just learning a different culture, that kind of thing.

What are you excited about for Provo? What are you nervous about?

Nate Edvalson: I get $5 every time I plug his book. So Stephen Covey’s Speed of Trust. I did, I did listen to it. I didn’t read it ’cause I don’t read anymore. I dunno how you just listen Books to books. Yes. I, I, when I read, I fall asleep, so I have to just listen.

But that’s my worry because I’m leaving 20 years of developed relationships and–

Wendy Dau: Sim.

Nate Edvalson: You know, it’s rare that a person doesn’t know who I am–

Wendy Dau: Sim.

Nate Edvalson: In the community, even though I don’t live in that community, in the educational community and are aware of how I will work for them.

You can only go as fast as, like I said, the speed of trust. So the more people trust you, the more they’re willing to, try and implement things. So I’m worried about that.

I’m just excited for a new opportunity and to bring hopefully some useful resources down.

Wendy Dau: Sim.

Nate Edvalson: I mean, I’ve got a lot of things I think from talking with people that they’re excited about us bringing down, and I’ve already had a chance to talk to a couple people in the department, and we’ve talked about some goals and things we wanna do and there’s a lot of excitement.

And if you want me to work hard without paying me any money, all you gotta do is be really like gracious to me, like really appreciate what you’re doing. You tell me you compliment once every day. I’ll like work for free for an extra, like six or seven hours a day. I’m really a praise, like I really need praise.

Wendy Dau: You respond well to that.

Nate Edvalson: I’m really, I’m really extremely validated– i’m shallow and no, but I really work hard for that because that’s the feedback that I need to say, okay, I’m going right trajectory and, and sometimes you don’t get that, especially in a district role.

Wendy Dau: Sim.

Nate Edvalson: It’s kind of too bad because most of the time, and I people don’t mean to, it’s just– it’s kind of the nature of the beast. You kinda get a lot of the negative–

Wendy Dau: Sim.

Nate Edvalson: Frustrations, which of course you need to hear that. That’s important. And I think it’s also a measurement of good leadership if people trust you enough to complain around you.

Wendy Dau: Yeah, that’s a good point.

Nate Edvalson: But the other part is, is like, But I am human just like you and I need some fuel to keep going on.

And I think that’s always good for me is that, so.

Excited about that, ’cause I feel like there’s a lot of opportunity to get those needs met for me, however egocentric they may be. And then– and also really benefit everybody again Speed of Trust, something Covey win-win. That’s what he kind of promotes.

And I think that those are, that’s what I’ve always tried to do is a win-win. If I can make a win-win, then it’s always great.

Wendy Dau: Well, I would just like to attest to the fact that anytime I had a problem as a principal, or a concern ,or whatever, you’d just be like, Well, I’ll just come over there. Let’s just talk it out.

Let’s figure it out. Let’s go look at it. Let’s see what’s going on. Let’s find out. Let me go observe the kid. Let me do the– like, you’re not afraid of that work, and to help figure out a solution that can work always.

Nate Edvalson: Well, it was easy to work with you that way, ’cause you’re always willing to try to do something on your own.

I, I’d like, I’d say, well, what do you wanna do? And you’d say this, I’ll go, that sounds great. ’cause I never had to generate on my own. But–

Wendy Dau: But that’s not true.

Nate Edvalson: But it’s easy to get bogged down and to just talk something to death. And although I think that’s important to have a conversation and I tend to go faster than I should.

I like to–

Wendy Dau: You’re, you’re a doer.

Nate Edvalson: I like to move forward. Mm-hmm.

I don’t like to talk too much because I think you can spend a lot of time not getting anything accomplished.

Wendy Dau: Yeah, agreed.

Nate Edvalson: I think I’ve got a great group to help me. I– Chris is gonna be awesome, ’cause I think Chris has no problem telling me, stop, slow down.

’cause I, I think I can see that with Chris. He doesn’t have a hard time with uncomfortable conversations, and I’m excited about that and I’m excited to work with him.

I was listening to him at our, the leadership meeting last week, and he’s just got a lot of good knowledge, you know, and a lot of solid understanding of implementation and it’s gonna be really cool to have that synergy I think.

Wendy Dau: Well, we are very excited to have you here in Provo. It’s gonna be awesome.

Nate Edvalson: Well, I’m excited to come. This is great. I, I’m excited to, to get going.

Wendy Dau: Yeah, it’ll be great. Thank you so much.

Nate Edvalson: Thank you.

Wendy Dau: Yeah! Woohoo!

Thanks everyone for joining me for this week’s episode of What’s Up With the sup. As always, all episodes will be posted on the district website, YouTube, and anywhere you get your podcast. If you have any topics or questions you would like us to discuss on the podcast, please email us podcast@provo.edu.

E não se esqueça de nos acompanhar na próxima semana para mais um novo episódio de What's Up With the Sup. Tenham todos um ótimo fim de semana.