Episodes
Jan. 23, 2023
BONUS – What is the Empowerment Ecosystem? (w Lynnette, Kyle, and Danelle)
Six months ago, Natalie quit her job to unleash her entrepreneurial spirit on a mission to reimagine education. Now, she’s back with an update about the Empowerment Ecosystem, an online program that provides the community, coaching, and tools for...
Jan. 16, 2023
67 - The Story of Neighbourhoods (w Srimal Ranasinghe)
On this episode of #Educrush, Alex talks to a Planner named Srimal Ranasinghe who believes whole heartedly that one of the keys to students thriving is looking at the spaces that we all spend time in. Listen while they discuss why it’s important and...
Jan. 9, 2023
66 – The Story of Street Data (w Shane Safir)
What if qualitative evidence were amplified to the same status as quantitative data in our education system? How might our schools transform if we tapped into the rich insights that come from story, anecdotes, experience, and emotion? Shane Safir,...
Dec. 19, 2022
65 – The Ghosts of Grading Past, Present and a Future Yet to Come
In this holiday special, Natalie explores the topic of grading through the lens of the Charles Dickens classic, A Christmas Carol. Get ready for a visit from the ghosts of grading past, present and a future yet to come! Show Notes: The ghost of...
Dec. 12, 2022
64 – PodSwap: Disrupt Education (w Peter Hostrawser)
On this PodSwap episode, Natalie connects with Peter Hostrawser, one of the co-hosts of the Disrupt Education podcast, to talk about edu-podcasting, the industrial story of school that needs disrupting, and how Spikeview empowers students to tell...
Dec. 5, 2022
63 – A New Story of Leadership, Work and Change (w Meghan Donohoe)
What does a Tarot card reading have to do with leadership? How is our current story of work depressing? What are we getting wrong about change in our schools and organizations? Natalie joins Meghan Donohoe who is a Principal Catalyst at the Southern...
Nov. 28, 2022
62 - Connecting Through Drama and Dance
This week on #Educrush I chat with Drama Teacher Arlene Orchard and Dance Instructor and Teacher Hayley Jonason as we continue our look into how electives and options courses lead students to build confidence and belonging in the classroom. ...
Nov. 21, 2022
61 – Interdisciplinary Magic in Middle Level Land (w Preston Hickert)
A story about the permission, vulnerability and challenge inherent in creating an interdisciplinary middle school program. Preston Hickert is a teacher from Kansas City and he joins Natalie to share his story of “playing the mud” to learn with his...
Nov. 14, 2022
60 - Belonging in the Band Room (w Adam Mailman)
On this episode of #Educrush we talk with Adam Mailman, a teacher, conductor, and musician who sees the potential for the music classroom to allow student to explore their limits. We explore some of the experiences and strategies that students undergo...
Nov. 7, 2022
59 – The Psychology of Engagement, Agency and Learning (w Don Berg)
The field of psychology offers important perspectives on topics integral to education, especially engagement, agency and learning. Teacher, author, and psychologist Don Berg joins Natalie to unpack the concept of agentic engagement and to explain what...
Oct. 31, 2022
58 - Stories of Belonging
On this episode of #EduCrush we are talking through the idea of belonging. Particularly in music class through out my years of school. I think that belonging can be a key component in student success, and this is the start of a series where we explore...
Oct. 24, 2022
57 – Myths, Power and the Space to Dream (w Elizabeth Lesser)
Power is neutral, but how we use it determines whether it is positive or negative. The old story of power tells of dominance and control and sees it as a finite resource that must be hoarded. But, how might we rewrite the story of power to include...
Oct. 17, 2022
56 - Curiosity
This week on #Educrush we are exploring the idea of questions! What does the best day at school look like? Kids are known for their ability to dream BIG right? Do the systems of schools nurture this natural inquisitiveness or is there something...
Oct. 10, 2022
55 – My Assessment Story: the rise of Natalie the grade grubber
Brene Brown says, "When we deny our stories, they define us. When we own them, we can write a brave new ending." Natalie's work in assessment, in many ways, has been her way of writing a "brave new ending" to her own experiences in school. In this...
Oct. 3, 2022
54 - The Story of Teachers' First Day
On this week’s episode of #Educrush we continue to work through the essential question “How can we rehumanize education through story?”. We talk to various teachers about their experiences with the first day of school and reflect on the idea...
Sept. 26, 2022
53 – Reality Check on the "Real World" (w Dr. David Finch)
For too long, the “real world” has been a mythical place that only exists in schools when teachers are trying to make students do things they don’t want to do. Stories of the real world create a culture of compliance. It begs the question…...
Sept. 19, 2022
52 - The Stories of Parents and School
On this Episode, we continue our look into how people feel about the first day of school. At least we tried, but in the process of spending time interviewing Parents, our theme for the episode shifted. This episode is simply about the stories of...
Sept. 12, 2022
51 – Ungrading in a High School STEM Classroom (w Chris Sarkonak)
One of the most persistent narratives of the school system is that it’s a place where students do work in exchange for grades. However, what would school look like if grades didn’t exist? Chris Sarkonak is one of many teachers involved in the...
Sept. 5, 2022
50 – The First Day of School From Students
During this season, we’re looking at the role story has to play in how we see and interact with education. There are many people and perspectives needed for us to answer this question. Today you are going to hear from students, some at the very...
Aug. 29, 2022
49 – The SECRET to rehumanizing education...
Welcome to season 3 of #EduCrush! As a primer for the season, we are talking about the secret to “rehumanizing” education. It is something that we ALL do naturally, yet don’t understand very well. Learn what this powerful tool is and how it...
Aug. 24, 2022
Season 3 Trailer
We're back, baby! This season, we're trying something new and organizing our episodes around a central theme: story. Join us as we release new episodes every Monday to explore the essential question, "How might we rehumanize education through...
July 4, 2022
Season 2 reflection (...and a season 3 REVEAL!)
In the final episode of season 2, Nat and Alex come together to look back on the highs, lows, and learnings from the past year and reveal the season 3 theme. #conceptbasedpodcasting Show Notes: Checking-in on our rose/thorn moments this past school...
June 27, 2022
47 – Managing Ambiguity to Unlock the Joy of Creativity (w Dr. Caroline Brookfield)
If you were to scroll through most job postings today, you will likely see creative thinking listed as a required skill. And yet, many workplaces do not have the psychological safety for this skill to thrive. On the episode, Natalie is joined by Dr....
June 20, 2022
Project Feature: Sustainability Summit
This week a passionate teacher team talks about taking bold steps to innovate in their own classrooms to give students hope through a project they called the Sustainability Summit. Charlotte Nixon, Mark Schuegraf and Neil Frail bring their experience...