Episodes
Oct. 13, 2023
Episode 177: Interview w/ Sofia Gonzalez
Sofia Gonzalez is a nationally recognized educator of the year, nonprofit leader for organization Project 214, podcast host, and education activist from the Chicagoland area. She is a sought-after public speaker regarding the...
Oct. 6, 2023
Episode 176: Pause to Ponder - Seeing Past the Surface
"Finding Your Blind Spots": A Series Part 3 of 4 In this segment, I reflect on chapters 5 and 6. ---
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Sept. 29, 2023
Episode 175: Interview w/ Barbara Gruener
In this episode, I chat with Barbara Gruener, a passionate and connected educator embarking on her 40th year in this field and who is blessed to have grown alongside thousands of children and adults of all ages and stages. Th...
Sept. 22, 2023
Episode 174: Pause to Ponder - The Hidden Bias of Labels and Curriculum
Reflections on "Finding Your Blindspots" Part 2 of 4 This week I am reflecting on chapters 3 and 4 of Hedreich Nichols' book, "Finding Your Blindspots," and examine how the seemingly innocent labels that we use in everyday co...
Sept. 15, 2023
Episode 173: Interview w/ Melody McAllister
In this episode, I chat with Melody McAllister, a wife, mother of five, educator, and author. She and her family relocated to Anchorage, Alaska from the Dallas, Texas area in 2019. McAllister is the 2017 Garland NAACP Educat...
Sept. 8, 2023
Episode 172: Pause to Ponder - Examining Bias and Confronting Shame
My staff have started to read "Finding Your Blindspots" by Hedreich Nichols and we are diving deep into this practical text as we engage in reflective dialogue around our own biases. This series will aim to capture my own per...
Sept. 1, 2023
Episode 171: Interview w/ Mike Rutherford
In this episode, I chat with Mike Rutherford, the founder and CEO of gotLearning. He has been a teacher, instructional technology coach, school district EdTech director, founder of the K12 group at Blackboard, Vice President ...
Aug. 25, 2023
Episode 170: Pause to Ponder - The Crucible
In this insightful podcast episode, I delve into a profound perspective on the tradition of "The Crucible" – as a tool wielded by marginalized students to navigate the complexities of their educational experiences and gauge t...
Aug. 18, 2023
Episode 169: Interview w/ Elijah Carbajal
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Aug. 11, 2023
Episode 168: Pause to Ponder - Pedagogy v Andragogy
For most of us, as educators, the term pedagogy is one with which we are extremely familiar. It refers to our instructional approaches. Right? Well ... kind of. During my recent IB training in Austin, we discovered a new term...
Aug. 4, 2023
Episode 167: Interview w/ Joshua Stamper
In this episode, I chat with Joshua Stamper, 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 Admini...
July 28, 2023
Episode 166: The Humbling Experience of The Lead Learner
There are those of us who have been fortunate enough to be given the opportunity to share our experiences with other educators. Whether through conferences, screens, or texts, we spend time encouraging educators to grow and i...
July 21, 2023
Episode 165: Interview w/ Brandon Beck
Dr. Brandon Beck is an educator, speaker, coach, and author of "Unlocking Unlimited Potential: Understanding the Infinite Power Within to Guide Any Student Toward Success." As a keynote speaker, Brandon is best known for his ...
July 14, 2023
Episode 164: Pause to Ponder - Maybe We Can Learning Something from this "New" Generation
A series of recent events including a delay at the airport and our back-to-school leadership series resulted in a much needed reflection about our perspectives and attitudes regarding our roles at work. While we often critici...
July 7, 2023
Episode 163: Interview w/ Yaritza Villalba
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June 30, 2023
Episode 162: Pause to Ponder - New Construction
Watching the construction happening around my school provided me with an insightful moment - in order to build something new, the old must often be demolished and removed. We, for the most part, are the same way. In our effor...
June 23, 2023
Episode 161: Interview w/ The Core Collaborative
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June 16, 2023
Episode 160: EduCelebrity or EduHero
Inspired by a post from Vernon Wright, this episode examines the difference between EduCelebrities and EduHeroes. While there may exist some overlap between the two, there are some clear distinctions which distinguish one fro...
June 9, 2023
Episode 159: Interview w/ Dana Goodier
In this episode, I chat with Dana Goodier, who has 23 years of experience in education. She has taught World Languages and English and has worked at the middle and elementary school level as an administrator. Dana completed h...
June 2, 2023
Episode 158: Pause to Ponder - A Fresh Perspective
Nearly a year ago I announced that I was transitioning not only to a new school but to a new grade level. After spending nearly a decade leading schools at the elementary level, I opted to accept an invitation to become a hig...
May 26, 2023
Episode 157: Interview w/ Sawsan Jaber
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May 19, 2023
Episode 156: Pause to Ponder - Dear Teachers
Teacher appreciation week is traditionally a time dedicated to honoring the teachers in our lives and those impacting not only their fields but also the communities in which they serve. This episode is an open letter to those...
May 12, 2023
Episode 155: Interview w/ Maxwell Roach
In this episode, I chat with Maxwell Roach, the Founder of JonAyves Learning Club, a forward-thinking tutoring service that teaches children concepts such as long division as early as the age of 3. Max has traveled a diverse ...
May 5, 2023
Episode 154: Pause to Ponder - The Hedonic Treadmill
When was the last time that you allowed yourself to experience joy? When was the last time you truly celebrated an accomplishment? If you are struggling to recall that moment, you are not alone. We have been primed to consist...