Season 3

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...
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. 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...