Send us Fan Mail S4 EP 54 | Taking a Chance, Finding Your Creative Path & Building a Career on Your Own Terms: A Conversation with Chris Have you ever wondered what it takes to build a creative career while balancing family life, freelancing, and the many demands of everyday life? On this episode of Making the Grade podcast, Christine sits down with her husband, freelance animator and motion designer Chris, to talk about his journey into motion design, transitioning from agency work to fr...

Join us for the online, on-demand workshop “Overview of Collaborative Response”, part of our Supporting Collaborative Response series. 👉 bit.ly/10refinecontinuum In this weeks podcast, Kurtis and Lorna review the value of co-creating a continuum of supports with your staff team and how to, over time, refine tier 1 practices to reflect research-based practices to impact all students across all classrooms. Looking for an affordable and effective data system that can suggest, organize, and track

Leadership growth does not happen in isolation. While your experiences, credentials, and drive all matter, the right relationships can help you gain perspective, identify meaningful opportunities, and take the next step in your leadership journey. In this episode, Joshua Stamper explores why aspiring leaders need a strong network of support and introduces four people who can make a meaningful difference: a mentor, a coach, a campus advocate, and a district connector. You will reflect on who cur

As multilingual learner populations continue to grow in schools across the country, many educators are asking the same question: How can we provide language support without lowering academic rigor? In this solo episode, Lindsay Lyons breaks down the WIDA 2020 Framework into practical, classroom-ready ideas for teachers, instructional coaches, and school leaders. You'll learn how the framework organizes language development, why over-scaffolding can unintentionally reduce learning opportunities,

Welcome to Digital Learning Today. In this episode, Jeff Bradbury explores the strategic systems that shape the future of education, focusing on Instructional Coaching, Artificial Intelligence, Professional Learning, and the latest Educational Technology Trends. In this podcast episode, Laura Stewart takes over the podcast and is joined by educator Jeanne Schopf, editor of the new book Reading is NOT Optional to talk about adolescent literacy. In this important episode, we will explore the curr

Connect with the Show Here! School leaders spend all year pushing professional development, coaching cycles, and growth plans but the hardest mirror to face is our own. We dig into what it really means to “Be The Change” as educational leaders: not with slogans, but with daily behaviors that shape school culture, protect staff morale, and influence how the community experiences education. We start with the reality that your presence sets the tone. The attitude you choose, the language you us...

Let’s chat—send me a text! Have you ever felt like every lesson has to be bigger, better, and more engaging than the last? I know I have. In this episode, I share how I fell into the trap of trying to create extraordinary lessons every day—and why shifting my focus to sustainable teaching practices completely changed my classroom. We'll talk about routines, instructional systems, decision fatigue, and why consistency often has a greater impact on student learning than constant novelty. In th...

Access a FREE webinar to transform how you plan and facilitate effective team meetings - https://bit.ly/transformteams Register for the FREE Collaborative Response Virtual Summit : JLsummit.ca In this episode of Building a Culture of Collaboration, Lorna and Kurtis are joined by Michelle Sloan, a former teacher, principal, and Head of School who now coaches and mentors school leaders through her Purpose Driven Principal Framework. Central to the discussion is the importance of focusing on purp

If you are considering a future leadership role, have recently joined a principal preparation program, or simply feel ready to make a greater impact on your campus, this series will help you take practical next steps. In this first episode, Joshua Stamper challenges aspiring leaders to look beyond the title and recognize the leadership experiences they may already have. You will reflect on the committees, initiatives, relationships, and problems you have helped lead, while also identifying gaps

Episode 293 of Leaning Into Leadership is a conversation about something every leader needs to understand: we lead humans, and humans bring their experiences, emotions, stress, and trauma with them to work. Darrin sits down with licensed clinical social worker, speaker, author, and military leader Stacy Nation to explore what trauma-informed—and ultimately trauma-restorative—leadership can look like in schools. Stacy challenges leaders to move beyond simply knowing that trauma exists and begin

What if the strongest school cultures are not built through big initiatives, catchy slogans, or another binder of expectations, but through small actions repeated every day? In this episode, Tom Walls shares lessons from more than 30 years in education and coaching across four continents. He explains why culture must be treated as a system, not a slogan, and how leaders can create genuine buy-in by helping people feel seen, valued, and connected. Tom introduces the idea of micro-inclusions: si

In this episode, Dr. Brandi Kelly interviews Dr. Kyle Thompson, the superintendent of the Regional Office of Education #11. They discuss leadership, self-care, professional background, the transition to phone-free schools, the impact of cell phones on students, educating the public on screen time, and parenting in the digital age. The conversation covers themes of adversity, faith, habits, family-first culture, and the power of hope. Kyle shares personal experiences of facing adversity and how i

Victims of Furgency and How to Escape Furgency: the fake urgency that convinces you your next idea has to happen right now. Casey breaks down where it comes from, the three situations where it shows up most, and the questions that get you out before it burns you out. Mentioned in this episode: The Whole Educator podcast and The Resistance Solution by Becca Silver: https://www.thewholeeducator.com/ "3 Questions to Pressure Test Your Priorities," Harvard Business Review: https://hbr.org/2026/07/3

Let’s chat—send me a text! For years, I believed rigorous math instruction meant harder problems, longer assignments, and more work. I don't believe that anymore. In this episode, I share how my definition of rigor has changed, why cognitive demand isn't the same thing as difficulty, and how I intentionally design lessons that promote deeper mathematical thinking without overwhelming students. We'll also explore how routines like Math Wars can move beyond procedural practice by creating oppor...

What should you do when a student shuts down? In this week's episode of The Language of Behavior, Josh and Charle explore what it looks like when a student becomes emotionally overwhelmed and shuts down. From glossy eyes and stiff posture to a student putting their head down or pulling up their hoodie, these behaviors are often signs of a nervous system in need of time and space, not defiance or disrespect. Josh and Charle discuss why immediately demanding compliance can escalate the situation,

Emily Kircher-Morris M.Ed., LPC, is the author of Teaching Twice-Exceptional Learners in Today's Classroom, Raising Twice-Exceptional Children, and Neurodiversity-Affirming Schools. Emily hosts the Neurodiversity Podcast, which explores parenting, counseling techniques, and best practices for enriching the lives of neurodivergent people. Emily has taught in gifted classrooms and is now in private practice as a licensed professional counselor. Find Emily on FB, LinkedIn, IG: www.facebook.com/E

Your class hasn't even sat down yet, and you can already feel it—this one’s gonna be a battle! If you’ve ever had a lesson completely go sideways, it’s usually not because your plan was bad. It’s because of an energy mismatch! In this episode, I’m sharing the story behind the moment I let my fifth graders completely vote to quit our ukulele unit mid-stream and what to do when your elementary music lesson plan fails. We’re diving deep into the 15-second energy audit you need to run the moment st

What if the reason you hesitate to name your price has nothing to do with confidence and everything to do with how clearly you understand your own value? This week, Jon Goehring and Coach Jim Johnson welcome John Ray, pricing strategist, host of the Price and Value Journey podcast with over 1,200 episodes across radio and podcasting, and author of The Generosity Mindset, for a conversation that will change how you think about pricing, influence, trust, and the way you communicate with everyone a

In this week's podcast, Kurtis and Lorna discuss why educational assistants are a critical voice to consider being included in collaborative team meetings and share some strategies that schools are employing to have their support staff involved. Connected Resources: Unlock the power of consistency in your school! In this workshop, we’ll show you how to implement Tier 1 practices that work across every classroom—ensuring every student experiences effective, high-quality instruction every day. Jo

What if grammar wasn't about memorizing rules—but about helping students express themselves more powerfully? In this episode with host Lindsay, literacy consultant and author Patty McGee shares the research behind her book Not Your Granny's Grammar and explains why traditional grammar instruction often fails to improve student writing. Instead, she offers an inquiry-based, student-centered approach that helps grammar become a meaningful tool for communication, creativity, and voice. Together,

Let’s chat—send me a text! The first week of school isn't just about procedures, seating charts, and syllabus review. It's when students begin forming beliefs about what mathematics feels like—and who they believe they are as mathematicians. In this episode, I share how my thinking about the first week has changed over the years, why students walk into our classrooms carrying mathematical identities, and how we can intentionally design experiences that foster confidence, curiosity, and belong...