Episodes

S2 EP 029 | Next Step Education: a Conversation with Former Classroom Teacher & Co-Founder, Meghan On this next episode, a local guest from the Boston podcast scene (thanks Kim!) shares how she successfully founded and scaled her learning center, "Next Step Education”. Meghan’s journey from the classroom to entrepreneurship is a testament to the power of curiosity and passion in shaping the future of learning. Despite her fulfillment in the classroom & having a “dream class”, Meghan’s curiosity...

S2 EP 028 | Encouraging Creativity in Early Childhood Education: a Conversation with Pre-K Teacher, Hannah In this episode of Making the Grade Podcast, Georgia & Christine sit down with Hannah, a passionate PreK teacher from Fort Worth, Texas. With eleven years of experience in both public and private settings, Hannah brings a wealth of knowledge and enthusiasm for early childhood education to the table. Hannah shares her journey in education, from her beginnings as a teacher to her current rol...

S2 EP 027 | Beautiful Stuff Project: a conversation with former teacher & founding executive director, Marina On the 27th episode of Making the Grade Podcast, Georgia and Christine connect with Marina, a former teacher & executive director of the Beautiful Stuff Project. The Beautiful Stuff Project increases access to play and the arts through the creative reuse of materials. Marina is passionate about allowing children the space to explore & create, and this is possible through the organic root...

MAKING THE GRADE S2 EP 026 | Teacher Career Transition Academy: a Coversation with Co-Founder, Lisa With teacher burnout being a buzzword in the news lately, it’s nothing new that teachers are considering new careers after many struggles in the classroom. What would it be like for teachers if they had a playbook of how to handle the stress & a way to figure out their next chapter? With 15 years of experience as a tech CEO, Lisa shares her story about what drove her to create Teacher Career Trans...

S2 EP 025 | Motivating Minds: a Conversation with Educational Consultant & Author, Ivana In this next episode of Making the Grade, Georgia & Christine talk with Ivana, the founder of Motivating Minds & Achievement Solutions. Formerly of Georgia & currently in DC, Ivana didn’t always know that she wanted to become a teacher. Prior to consulting, she was teaching at the high school level. Additionally, Ivana is the author of “It’s Time to Get Your $#!@ Together”, a book to empower young adults to...

S2 EP 024 | Believing Beyond You: a Conversation with Education Entrepreneur, Rebecca In this episode we’re chatting with Rebecca, an incredible educator and entrepreneur, and basically sunshine in human form. We recorded this episode back in October (eek!) but reliving our conversation with Rebecca was exactly what we needed during a cold February in Boston! She speaks to our soul and we know you will love her wisdom, advice, and motivational words, too! We cover Rebecca’s extensive 15+ years...

In this next episode of Making the Grade, Christine & Georgia are joined by Josh, the Training and Development Specialist for the Teach Better Team and manager of the Teach Better Podcast Network. Prior to Joshua's current position, he was a middle school Administrator, classroom art educator, and coach. Joshua is the author of Aspire to Lead, podcaster, leadership coach, and education presenter. Josh opens up about his experiences as a student, and his reason for returning to the classroom is ...

S2 EP 022 | Chat GPTeacher - Exploring AI: a Coversation with 7th Grade History Teacher, Jack With AI being the buzz over the last year in all industries, have you wondered about how this could translate (in a positive way) to education? Florida 7th grade history teacher & AI enthusiast, Jack, shares the unique moment when he knew he wanted to be a teacher & the research he is doing to explore educators implementing AI in schools. With 7 years of experience as a middle school teacher, Jack share...

S2 EP 021 | Starting Before You’re Ready: a Conversation with Sandy Making the Grade podcast is back for Season 2 with the 1st episode of 2024 coming at you from sunny San Diego with the lovely Sandy Patterson! After 14 years as an elementary school teacher, Sandy realized that she was in need of some guidance and sought out a life coach. And little did she know how the student would become the teacher. Sandy evaluated her current situation & realized that her values had shifted - so she became...

EP 020 | Georgia & Christine: Recap Season 1 On the last episode of Season 1 of Making the Grade podcast, Georgia & Christine recap season 1: what they have learned, surprising takeaways, & what’s to come in season 2! Their journey into podcasting has been an eye-opening & surprisingly liberating experience - and in helping other educators elevate their teacher voices, they seem to have re-found their own. This conversation covers it all: from the behind the scenes of creating a podcast, the up...

MAKING THE GRADE EP 019 | Finding Teacher & Life Balance Through Overcoming Overwhelm: a Conversation with Teacher & Life Coach, Krystal On the 19th episode of Making the Grade Podcast, Georgia and Christine connect with Krystal, a middle school teacher & life coach who has over 18 years of experience in the classroom. A fellow educator from Canada, Krystal is passionate about supporting educators to avoid burnout through intentional practices. Krystal candidly shares her own personal story of f...

EP 018 | KaiPod Learning: a conversation with founder & CEO, Amar “I want to try something different” is the sentiment that began a new classroom model & organization for educators. With experience teaching in the US & India, Amar has spent many years in many different classroom models and roles. A fellow Boston-based founder, Amar Kumar, shares how he went from trying to meet all students’ needs to creating a space where students lead their learning through goal setting and coaches support the...

EP 017 | Modern Classrooms Project: a Conversation with CEO, Kareem This week Georgia & Christine chat with Kareem Farah, CEO and co-founder of the Modern Classrooms Project. Kareem spent his teaching career as a math educator in Hawaii and Washington, DC. Instead of using a traditional lecture model, Kareem taught math through a blended model where students accessed content through his self-made videos. The cornerstone of his classroom was the ability for students to work at their own pace and ...

EP 016 | Teacher Training, Montessori Modeling & Classroom Community: a Conversation with Dr. Lisa Kuh After 6+ months of recording podcasts in different states, Georgia & Christine record in the same room for the 1st time for some great conversation with educator of all trades & author, Dr. Lisa Kuh. Currently practicing in Washington state, Lisa Kuh has over 40 years of experience with young children as an instructional coach, classroom teacher, teacher educator, university professor and resea...

EP 015 | Behavior Analysis: a Conversation with BCBA, Ben We hear so frequently about student behaviors interfering with learning in the classroom, but what can we do to help stop this growing problem? On this next episode of Making the Grade podcast, Georgia & Christine chat with BCBA Ben about how his journey in studying behavior analysis led him across the country and truly finding his passion. After finishing his graduate degree in Boston, Ben moved to California and has held many different...

EP 014 | Cultivating Courage & Connection: a Conversation with Coach & Consultant, Kelly “I have this crazy idea!” is a sentence that Kelly loved hearing as a former director. An educator from New Hampshire with 28 years of experience & an entrepreneurial spirit, Kelly is thinking outside the box in supporting educators’ mental health in workshops, professional development series & 1:1 coaching. Can you imagine walking into a room full of stressed teachers to talk to them about self-care? We can...

EP 013 | Marketing & Sales for Edupreneurs: a Conversation with Consultant, Christina When teachers get used to signing a contract each year, it’s no surprise that pricing services is an area where educators need support. Georgia & Christine speak with Christina, an education consultant and former teacher / administrator from Texas. A self-described “edupreneur”, Christina has transitioned out of her roles in the classroom and now works in many different roles as a consultant. She is still servi...

EP 012 | Changing your Classroom Calling: a conversation with Early Literacy Coach, Amaris Have you ever felt like your heart belongs in the classroom but you’re itching to try something new? Baltimore ESOL teacher -> early literacy coach, Amaris, took a chance in a new role and shares her motivation to stay in education (and why she doesn’t want to just be “the lady from the district”). With over a decade of experience in the classroom, Amaris shares her 2 passions, early literacy and ESOL, and...

EP 011 | Mastering your Math Mindset: a conversation with math coach, Mona “I’m just not a math person” is a common expression, but have you ever wondered why? Chicago teacher & math specialist, Mona, shares how she shifted from being a math avoider -> math master! With 15 years of experience as a classroom teacher, Mona shares some insights from allowing her students to struggle & apply problem solving strategies “thinking like mathematicians”. A fellow podcaster, Mona’s passion in sharing her...

EP 010 | Finding the Right Fit: a Conversation with International Teacher, Greg In the 10th episode of Making the Grade Podcast, Georgia and Christine connect with Greg, an international teacher who has over 20 years of experience. Avid scuba diver, technology guru, author…& most importantly, a teacher at heart. A fellow podcaster from Wisconsin, Greg is passionate in telling others about “the best kept secret in education”: international teaching. Greg is well-traveled - he has visited over 70 ...

EP 009 | Transatlantic Teaching: a Conversation with Transitioning High School Teacher, Li From the UK to Indiana, Li has taught high school health and social care in London for 8 years in a prestigious cosmopolitan school. She has spent the last decade teaching culinary classes in inner city -> rural districts in the US for the last few years. In addition to her work in the classroom, she has also established an international travel chapter with over 150 students and families to venture abroad....

EP 008 | Side Hustles & Podcast Management: a Conversation with Learning & Development Specialist, Ethan Tuning in from Texas for this episode, Georgia & Christine chat with Ethan, Making the Grade’s podcast launch manager & fellow educator. Ethan truly embodies the essence of a teacher - encouraging, knowledgeable, and always honing his skills. A self-described lifelong learner, Ethan has transitioned out of his role as a middle school teacher and now works in learning and development as well a...

EP 007 | From the moment we connected with Locha, we could just feel her passion. After a decade in the classroom as an English Language Arts teacher, Locha realized that her goals for herself and how she wanted to impact the education world needed to shift. And she is now doing the work…bringing school communities together by having critical conversations about the diverse history of all people, sharing their stories & uncovering how this affects the current ways we relate to each other. Calli...

EP 006 | Thinking Like a Teacher: a Conversation with Matt Georgia & Christine are coming at you from Florida today in a really candid conversation with former principal turned curriculum designer, Matt. It’s clear why Matt was an effective educator & principal - his story feels like listening to a really motivating TED Talk! Matt shares how leaving the classroom allowed him the ability to care for himself - he found time to get back into swimming, baking, and even lost 50 pounds in the process...