Episodes

In Episode 140 of Schurtz & Ties , we welcome back literacy expert Mary Jo Fresch to talk about what teachers really need to understand about reading, vocabulary, and language. Mary Jo has spent decades helping educators make...

What if uncertainty isn’t weakness—but the doorway to deeper thinking? In this episode of Schurtz & Ties , we sit down with journalist and author Maggie Jackson, whose books Uncertain: The Wisdom and Wonder of Being Unsure an...

Teachers carry more than lesson plans. They carry fear that isn’t theirs. They carry responsibility no one trained them for. They carry the weight of holding stability when everything else feels uncertain. In this first episo...

Teachers carry more than lesson plans. They carry the knowledge that one moment—one decision, one sentence, one misunderstood action—can change everything. They carry the quiet awareness that the work they love can also make ...

In Episode 132, we are joined by Tracey Tokuhama-Espinosa , an internationally recognized researcher and author whose work sits at the intersection of mind, brain, and education science . This conversation explores what neuro...

A true barstool conversation with brewer Jeremiah Johnson In this episode, Kasey Schurtz and Brian T. Miller step outside the education silo and sit down with Jeremiah Johnson , founder and owner of Jeremiah Johnson Brewing C...

🎙️ Episode 130: Barry Schwartz Choice, Structure, and the Cost of Getting Education Wrong In Episode 130 of Schurtz & Ties , we are joined by Barry Schwartz , renowned psychologist and author whose work has shaped how we thin...

Schurtz Short: What’s Our Guiding Light? In this Schurtz Short, Kasey Schurtz and Brian T. Miller wrestle with a deceptively simple question schools often rush past: What is our guiding light when we make decisions? As school...

🎙️ Schurtz & Ties Dr. Douglas Fuchs on Inclusion, IDEA, and the Limits of the General Classroom In this episode of Schurtz & Ties , Kasey Schurtz sits down with Dr. Douglas Fuchs , one of the most influential scholars in spec...

What if the key to better classrooms isn’t more compliance—but more fire ? In this episode of Schurtz & Ties , Kasey Schurtz and Brian T. Miller sit down with Coach Tony Holler —creator of the Feed the Cats philosophy, longti...

In this episode of Schurtz & Ties , Kasey Schurtz and Brian Miller welcome back therapist, former educator, and author Charle Peck, LCSW, M.Ed. for a candid conversation about student anxiety, adult stress, and the communicat...

In this conversation, Kasey and Brian sit down with Dr. Katie Lohmiller and Halley Gruber, co-founders of the Educational Access Group, to explore what it really means to build trauma-responsive, brain-based schools. They unp...

Pete Hall

n this Christmas Special episode of Schurtz and Ties, hosts Kasey Schurtz and Brian T. Miller engage in a lively discussion with their friends and fellow educators, Matt and Eric. They reflect on their shared experiences in e...

American educators are in urgent need of meaningful behavioral support. Too often, punishment and consequences are conflated, while accountability gets lost in the noise. In this episode, Brian and Kasey unpack what accountab...

In this Schurtz Short, Kasey Schurtz and Brian T. Miller unpack the difference between accountability, punishment, and consequences, and why conflating them creates confusion for both students and staff. They explore how clar...

In this episode, we sit down with Dr. John Almarode , an internationally recognized expert in student engagement, visible learning, and the science of how the brain learns best. With years of research, countless publications,...

Emotions are complex. For leaders, they’re even more so. Left unfiltered, they can become dangerous—for both the leader and the people they lead. Over-filtered, they create distance—leaders risk becoming hollow, disconnected ...

Public education is living in a strange moment. Polls show trust and confidence in our K–12 system at an all-time low — a record 26% of Americans believe schools are headed in the right direction. And yet every day, inside cl...

Most of our go-to strategies work because—well—they work for most kids. But every educator knows the moment when a trusted approach suddenly falls flat. So what do we do when the strategy that helps 90% of students leaves the...

In this follow-up conversation with international consultant and author Jennifer Abrams , we go deeper than strategies and surface-level “tips” for conflict resolution. This episode is about the inner work —the courage, humil...

Welcome to the first Schurtz Short — a behind-the-scenes look at how Brian and Kasey actually do the work. These mini episodes pull back the curtain on real-time problem solving, where ideas are messy, honest, and alive. In t...

Is it a skill issue—or a will issue? And should we treat every behavior like it’s a skill that can be taught? In this episode, Brian and Kasey dive into the heart of classroom management and motivation—exploring why so many c...

In 1969, psychologist Philip Zimbardo left two identical cars in two very different neighborhoods—one in the Bronx, one in Palo Alto. Both looked abandoned. Within hours, one was destroyed. The other sat untouched—until Zimba...