Episodes

What does it actually mean to create a justice-centered curriculum? Many educators are committed to equity, inclusion, and justice, but translating those values into daily curriculum design can feel overwhelming. In this guest episode of the Time for Teachership Podcast, host Lindsay Lyons sits down with educator, researcher, and framework designer Dr. Genevieve Erker-Caffrey to discuss her innovative P.O.W.E.R. Framework, a practical tool for creating justice-oriented social studies curriculum...

How do school leaders respond when staff resist change? In this solo episode of the Time for Teachership Podcast, host Lindsay Lyons explores how discourse can serve as a powerful form of change leadership. Drawing on adaptive leadership research, transformative learning theory, and the concept of constructive disorientation, Lindsay shares a practical framework for leading difficult conversations in ways that honor staff humanity, deepen learning, and create lasting organizational change. Whe...

What does it mean to lead effectively when there are no simple solutions? In this guest episode of the Time for Teachership Podcast, host Lindsay Lyons sits down with educator, anthropologist, researcher, and author Dr. Annalies Corbin to explore the concept of wicked problems and what educational leaders can learn from them. Together, they discuss how schools can foster agency, resilience, cultural responsiveness, and meaningful learning experiences while navigating increasingly complex educat...

In this solo episode of the Time for Teachership Podcast, host Lindsay Lyons explores several influential change leadership theories and examines how they can strengthen staff discourse, shared decision-making, and transformational school improvement. Drawing from her doctoral research in leadership and change, as well as her experience supporting turnaround schools, Lindsay shares practical frameworks that educational leaders can use to foster equity, inclusion, collaboration, and meaningful di...

In this powerful episode of Time for Teachership, Lindsay Lyons speaks with Dr. Aditya Nagrath, founder of Elephant Learning, about transforming how we teach and experience mathematics. Together, they challenge the traditional view of math as memorization and computation and reframe it as a language for solving real-world problems. From addressing math anxiety to bridging learning gaps for older students, this conversation explores how conceptual understanding, student confidence, and meaningfu...

In this powerful episode of the Time for Teachership podcast, Lindsay Lyons talks with Dr. Darla Bishop, educator, public health advocate, and author, about how families and schools can partner together to build financially confident kids from preschool through adolescence. Dr. Bishop shares why children are the carriers of social change, how everyday errands can become rich financial literacy lessons, and what teachers and families can do right now to start conversations about money that build...

In this episode of the Time for Teachership Podcast, Lindsay Lyons talks with Christina Hidek, founder of PTO Answers and author of The Principal’s Parent Group Playbook, about how schools are overlooking one of their greatest assets: parent groups. Christina shares why PTOs and PTAs are often misunderstood, under-leveraged, and poorly supported—and how school leaders and teachers can transform family engagement by building true partnerships with parent organizations. If you’ve ever felt frustr...

In this episode of the Time for Teachership Podcast, host Lindsay Lyons welcomes picture book author and illustrator Molly Arbuthnott for a rich conversation about why picture books are not the “bottom rung” of reading—but the top. This episode is part of a special mini-series for educators and families focused on how to support children’s reading lives. Molly shares how picture books create space for deep thinking, emotional conversations, imagination, and student voice—without the pressure of...

In this powerful episode of the Time for Teachership Podcast, host Lindsay Lyons sits down with therapeutic school principal and psychologist Doug Bolton to explore a timely question: What if our definition of success in schools is actually harming kids, families, and educators? Doug shares research-backed insights on the youth mental health crisis, the unintended consequences of achievement-driven schooling, and the essential role of belonging, emotional regulation, and relationships in buildi...

Most schools are collaborating. But very few are collaborating in a way that systematically elevates instruction for every teacher and every student. In this episode, guest Kurtis Hewson breaks down the Collaborative Team Meeting (CTM)—a deceptively simple structure that becomes the engine of a school’s entire support system. You’ll learn how CTMs sit inside a larger four-layer collaboration model, why focusing on “yellow” students (not red) is a game-changer, and how a tight, repeatable meeti...

What if “student voice” isn’t the goal? In this episode, guest Adam Fletcher reframes the conversation around Meaningful Student Involvement—a deeper, more transformative approach built on student–adult partnerships, confronting adultism, and cultivating personal engagement from kindergarten through graduation. Adam argues that education is not just preparation for democracy—it is the bedrock of civil society itself. When students are true partners in learning, teaching, and leadership, school...

In this guest episode, Leah Ellis shares with Lindsay how a simple moment with her 4-year-old during the pandemic sparked a movement where kids don’t just learn about leadership… they practice it now by starting real businesses, solving real community problems, and seeing themselves as capable change-makers today. You’ll hear how Leah uses the improv mindset of “Yes, and…” to coach youth ideas without shutting them down, how her 36-week entrepreneurship curriculum works in schools, and powerful...

What if students weren’t just “given a voice,” but shared real power in how schools operate? In this episode, Lindsay sits down with Ana, Jacoby, and Lindsey from UP for Learning to explore what youth–adult partnership actually looks like in practice—and how it’s transforming schools at the classroom, district, and even state policy level. You’ll hear how students and adults work side-by-side through youth participatory action research (YPAR), how mindset shifts unlock authentic partnership, a...

In this powerful episode of the Time for Teachership Podcast, host Lindsay Lyons speaks with educator Caitlin MacLeod-Bluver about teaching social studies through the lens of justice, literacy, and belonging. Caitlin shares what it means to teach during challenging times—supporting students facing food insecurity, immigration detention, and political rhetoric affecting their communities. Despite these realities, she explains why classrooms remain powerful spaces for hope, civic engagement, and ...

How do teachers respond when students appear to have little or no background knowledge about a topic? In this episode of the Time for Teachership Podcast, host and instructional coach Lindsay Lyons explores strategies for helping students connect new learning to their lived experiences. Rather than viewing students as lacking knowledge, she encourages educators to expand their definition of background knowledge to include students’ identities, communities, experiences, and cultural assets. Dra...

How can schools help students practice democracy—not just learn about it? In this episode of the Time for Teachership Podcast, host Lindsay Lyons sits down with civic education researcher Dr. Sarah Burnham to explore how classrooms can cultivate the habits of democracy, civic engagement, and critical consciousness in young people. Dr. Burnham, a researcher at Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) at Tufts University, shares insights from research on civi...

Talking with young people about difficult current events—especially those involving immigration enforcement, protests, and community fear—can feel overwhelming for educators and families. In this episode of the Time for Teachership Podcast, host Lindsay Lyons sits down with education leaders Kara Pranikoff and Dr. Eric Soto‑Shed to discuss how teachers and caregivers can support students navigating conversations about immigration enforcement, protests, and current events. Together, they introdu...

Welcome to the Time for Teachership Podcast! In this inspiring episode, Iuri Melo, therapist, educator, and founder of School Pulse, joins Lindsay to explore how schools, families, and students can proactively cultivate joy, positive relationships, and mental wellness. Iuri shares his 20+ years of experience in therapy and his work with thousands of students, highlighting the importance of shifting from reactive crisis management to proactive, positive engagement. From live text-based support t...

Welcome to Episode 250 of the Time for Teachership podcast! 🎉 In this milestone episode, Lindsay explores how stories and civic imagination can help educators, leaders, families, and students co-construct shared values — and ultimately build meaningful community agreements for how we want to be together. Inspired by the powerful book Practicing Futures: A Civic Imagination Handbook by Peter László and Srdja Popovic (and their incredible free online resources), this episode shares: Key insight...

What does it take to build a classroom culture where students truly believe: I belong here. I can master rigorous challenges. My ideas make an impact. In this energizing conversation, Dr. Jennifer Berry, CEO of SmartLab Learning, joins Lindsay on the Time for Teachership podcast to explore how educators can intentionally cultivate what she calls STEM identity — not just in STEM classrooms, but across all learning spaces. Together, we unpack how belonging, productive struggle, and agency are...

Last week, I had the incredible honor of speaking with Zaretta Hammond about cognitive justice, instructional equity, and rebuilding students’ learning power. If you haven’t listened to Episode 247 yet, I strongly encourage you to go back and start there. In this episode, I do something a little different. I reflect — in real time — on a moment in our conversation where Zaretta stopped me and challenged my thinking. Specifically, she pushed back on my assumption that student voice could serve ...

What does it really take to lead meaningful change in schools — not just adopt new strategies, but fundamentally shift practice? In this powerful conversation, Zaretta Hammond joins Lindsay on the Time for Teachership podcast to discuss her latest book, Rebuilding Students’ Learning Power: Teaching for Instructional Equity and Cognitive Justice. Together, we explore what it means to pursue cognitive justice, why change is so difficult in schools, and how instructional leaders can move beyond su...

One-off workshops rarely create lasting change in classrooms. In this episode of the Time For Teachership podcast, Lindsay shares a practical Google Doc template designed to support teacher teams in ongoing, meaningful professional learning. She walks through a structured approach called Group Implementation Coaching Sessions, showing how coaching, feedback, and inquiry can help teachers refine their practice and better support student learning. What You’ll Learn in This Episode/Key Takeaways ...

What does it look like to coach teachers with humanity, curiosity, and care—especially in today’s demanding educational landscape? In this episode of the Time for Teachership podcast, Lindsay welcomes back Dr. Jacobē Bell to explore what it truly means to take a humanizing approach to instructional coaching. Drawing on her experience coaching instructional coaches across multiple contexts, Dr. Bell shares practical strategies, mindset shifts, and real coaching moments that help educators grow w...