Episodes

It’s time to leave behind practices that don’t best serve all learners and educators, and to prioritize what matters most: relationships, connection, purpose, flexibility, agency, and authentic learning. Education must evolve. Looking to learners will help us see what’s working, what’s challenging, and, ultimately, what’s possible. To ensure that all of those learners thrive, we’ll need to use insight from our own experiences, research from the field, and new tools and approaches to adapt our pr...

After two years of new educational practices, are we trying to get back to normal or a way to get better? This week’s guest, Tom Burton, shares how going back to the way things were is not the best mindset. In his district, during the pandemic, they uncovered many inequitable practices that needed to be addressed and they are determined to find better practices moving forward. In this episode, we also discuss: Creating diverse leadership teams Leading regardless of your title And partnering wit...

Aspire to Lead with Empathy, Creativity, and Passion With the launch of my new book, Aspire to Lead, Evan Robb joins me to share about his author contribution. In this Episode, we also discuss: Activating and Taking Initiative The 10 Pillars of Leadership Delegation for Leadership Development About Evan Robb: Evan Robb is presently Principal of Johnson-Williams Middle School in Berryville, Virginia. He has over twenty years of experience serving as a building level principal. Prior to being a ...

How do you define student engagement in your classroom? This week’s guest, Heather Lyon, shares a common understanding of what engagement looks and sounds like so that anyone can design and gauge instruction using this understanding. More importantly, with this knowledge, educators can make changes to instruction to truly increase student engagement. In this episode, we also discuss: Grading practices that need to be assessed The teacher and resource shortage in education And her books, Engagem...

Aspire Mailbag: New School Year Problems In this 23rd Aspire Mailbag episode, Jeff Gargas and I answer questions on different leadership topics provided by the listeners. Please join us for this episode as we answer questions on how to shift the mindset of educators on social emotional learning, how to lead when there are positions not hired, professional learning days, and the latest news with the Teach Better Team! Featuring Jeff Gargas and Joshua Stamper Follow Jeff Gargas: Twitter: https...

Aspire to Lead with Empathy, Creativity, and Passion With the upcoming launch of my new book, Aspire to Lead, Allyson Apsey joins me to share about her author contribution. In this Episode, we also discuss: Creativity in Leadership 3 tools to use to enhance your creative ideas Confidence in leadership to be innovative About Allyson Apsey: Allyson Apsey has been an educator for more than twenty years; a school leader for sixteen of those years. She is passionate about having a serendipity minds...

EduMatch Celebration for Aspire to Lead On the day my new book, Aspire to Lead, launched, I had the wonderful opportunity to speak with Mandy Froehlick and Todd Nesloney about the different aspects of this educational leadership resource. Join us as we share some strategies, insights on leadership, and funny stories about the process. In this Episode, we also discuss: The A.S.P.I.R.E. Model Why I wrote this book and how it will help current and aspiring leaders Stories with Todd Nesloney abou...

Aspire to Lead with Empathy, Creativity, and Passion With the launch of my new book, Aspire to Lead, Jill Siler joins me to share about her author contribution on executing as a leader. In this Episode, we also discuss: The top ways we can execute in an interview Examples of what districts are looking for in a candidate Mistakes in the interview process About Jill Siler: Dr. Jill Siler has been serving as the Superintendent of Gunter ISD, a growing school district an hour north of Dallas, si...

In this week’s episode, classroom teacher and edtech expert Jake Miller equips us to overcome the paradox of choice and select the right edtech tools for your classroom so you can start using them tomorrow. Jake offers anecdote-induced stories and explanations that actually make sense for all educators. In addition, we discuss comparisons of tools for formative assessment, student self-assessment, student blogging, audio projects, video creation, student-paced coursework, and lesson delivery, an...

Aspire to Lead with Empathy, Creativity, and Passion With the upcoming launch of my new book, Aspire to Lead, Sarah Thomas joins me to share about her author contribution. In this Episode, we also discuss: Reflection as a Leadership Tool Blogging to gather feedback New projects by EduMatch About Sarah Thomas: I am a Regional Technology Coordinator in Prince Georges County, MD, and Affiliate Faculty at Loyola University. While I am still passionate about best practices, such as flipped/blend...

A fast-track colleague is elbowing their way up the professional ladder in your organization by faking reports. Your boss asks you to lie to a stakeholder. The team leader is a serial sexual harasser. What should you do? Nobody prepared you for this part of professional life. You face a gut-wrenching choice: "go along to get along" or risk negatively impacting your career by speaking up for what you know is right. In this week’s episode, Richard Shell shares his value model and how this structur...

Aspire to Lead with Empathy, Creativity, and Passion With the upcoming launch of my new book, Aspire to Lead, Sarah Johnson joins me to share about her author contribution on leadership identity. In this Episode, we discuss: Finding Your Identity in Your Leadership Role Rediscovering and Refining Who We Are as a Leader Focusing on Our Strengths https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09D4NR5MV/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B09D4NR5MV&linkCode=as2&tag=aspirewebsite-20&l...

Lack of mentorship and coaching is a leading reason for leader attrition in education, but it doesn’t have to be this way. If it’s true that "Everyone wins when the leader gets better," then your community is counting on you to prioritize your own professional growth. In this week’s episode, Danny Bauer shares the Mastermind model and how this structure has created extensive growth in each participant. In this episode, we also discuss: School District Lack of Development Fish Bowl Structure Com...

Aspire to Lead with Empathy, Creativity, and Passion With an exciting announcement coming September 7th, Nathan Maynard joins me to share about his author contribution in my upcoming book, Aspire to Lead. In this Episode, we discuss: Empathy as a Leadership Strength Acknowledging and Owning Mistakes The Restorative Discipline Group About Nathan Maynard: Nathan is a youth advocate, educational leader, and change maker. He is the co-author of Washington Post bestselling and award-winning Hacki...

The world has and continues to change in ways that are difficult to predict. Regardless of the forces at hand, educators and leaders play a pivotal role in preparing students for success now and in the future. In this week’s episode, Eric Sheninger makes the compelling case that the best way to do this is to create a disruptive thinking culture in the classroom and beyond. In this episode, we also discuss: Characteristics of a Disruptive Leader Future Ready Skills for Students Classroom Practic...

Aspire to Lead with Empathy, Creativity, and Passion With an exciting announcement coming September 7th, Latrese Younger joins me to share about her author contribution in my upcoming book, Aspire to Lead. In this Episode, we discuss: Finding your voice as a new leader Being authentic Understanding your values About Latrese Younger: Latrese D. Younger has over thirteen years of education experience across several different school districts. She began her journey as an English Language Arts ...

What leadership qualities are the most important qualities to possess? This week’s guest, Kelly Croy, shares his six primary elements of leadership to guide you to personal and professional success. In this episode, we also discuss: Anxiety as a superpower Attitude is everything Creating vs Consuming The Wired Educator Podcast And his books, Unthink Before Bed and Along Came a Leader About Kelly Croy: Kelly Croy is the author of Along Came a Leader, and host of The Wired Educator Podcast. He ...

What is the best way to prepare our students for future ready careers and enhance their essential skills? This week’s guests, Zach Rondot and Grayson McKinney, share the importance of providing students with real world problems, providing outside experts, and letting them explore unique and creative solutions. In this episode, we also discuss: Misconceptions of Project Based Learning Gathering experts outside of the school Assessing projects and providing feedback And their new book, The Expert...

Why is it important for schools to develop many leaders? This week’s guest, Chris Legleiter, shares how he continues to build leadership capacity in his staff and build up their strengths. In this episode, we also discuss: The main focus of the upcoming school year Prioritizing areas we can control Increasing Student leadership Mentorship Practices About Chris Legleiter: Chris currently serves as a Middle School Principal at Leawood Middle School of the Blue Valley School District. The distric...

What does it mean to be equitable or inclusive in your school? This week’s guest, Traci Browder, shares powerful stories, actionable steps, and practices to ensure students have the same resources to be successful. In this episode, we also discuss: Why “just a teacher” is a lie Influence outside of the classroom INTELLIGOGY the Podcast And Traci’s new book from DBC inc.! About Traci Browder: Traci Browder is a trailblazer in education inspiring & mentoring teachers & changing the lives of chil...

In your lesson plans, outside of the content in the curriculum, what skills do you teach your students? This week’s guest, Dennis Mathew, shares how he goes beyond the curriculum to share essential life skills, such as conflict resolution simulations and social skills practice activities. In this episode, we also discuss: Leading with the “1” Social emotional learning tactics Equity in public schools And his new book, “How Grizzly Found Gratitude”! About Dennis Mathew: Dennis is an elementary ...

I had the amazing opportunity to moderate a segment for the Teach Better Team on mental health and trauma informed practices. In this bonus episode, Maurice Martin and I discuss important strategies to use to enhance our emotional well-being, practice mindfulness, and overcome failure. About Maurice Martin: Maurice F Martin is a sought after speaker, counselor, certified life coach, and co-host of the TV show “Getting The Word Out”. He also works with schools and businesses to take their cultu...

If you have thought about becoming a campus or district leader, what are the next steps in the process to get to the next leadership level? This week’s guest, Robert Breyer, shares steps to gain additional and necessary experiences, finding the right coach, and excelling in the interview process. In this episode, we also discuss: Preparing and guiding aspiring leaders to successfully attain leadership positions. The importance of leadership coaching. Impactful leadership experiences for aspirin...