Beyond My Years

On this episode of Beyond My Years, host Ana Torres is joined by Gregory Trieste, a senior product specialist for STEM at Amplify, longtime disability rights advocate, and former educator with over 20 years of experience. Gregory explores why learning differences are assets—not deficits—and shares ways to reach every learner in your classroom. Drawing on his own experience as a student, Gregory ex...

Host Ana Torres and Classroom Insider Eric Cross chatted with two classroom teachers about what it takes to create a classroom in which every student feels safe tasking risks as a reader and writer. Theresa Boyd is a teacher-leader coach and sixth grade social studies teacher at Mallard Creek STEM Academy in Charlotte, North Carolina; Ann Ingham is a third grade teacher from the Cedarsburg School...

On this episode of Beyond My Years, host Ana Torres is joined by Miguel Cardona, Ed. D., who served as the 12th U.S. secretary of education and is the founder and CEO of Cardona Solutions. A former fourth-grade teacher and an award-winning school principal who served as the Connecticut commissioner of education, Miguel explains why bilingualism is a cognitive and economic superpower—and why we sho...

Host Ana Torres and Classroom Insider Eric Cross lead a discussion with two classroom teachers who have been making the shift from delivering math to facilitating it. Amy Siegmundt teaches third grade in Lockland School District in Ohio, and Jeffrey Mashbitz teaches seventh and eighth grade in the Lower Merion School District in Pennsylvania. Amy and Jeffrey share practical strategies for making f...

Host Ana Torres is joined by Fawn Nguyen, Director of STEM Initiatives at Amplify, one of the show's most beloved returning guests. A 30-year middle school math teacher and K–8 math coach before she joined Amplify, Fawn shares practical strategies for teaching math in a way that values multiple solutions and makes every student feel like they belong. Fawn breaks down the routines that open ma...

Host Ana Torres is joined by Kelly Serpa, Ed. D., STEM product specialist at Amplify and passionate advocate for inclusive math instruction. Together, they explore what it takes to develop students' conceptual understanding in math and why an asset-based approach makes all the difference. Kelly shares the "aha moment" that transformed her teaching practice and breaks down practical...

Host Ana Torres is joined by Pedro Noguera, Ph. D., dean and distinguished professor of education at USC Rossier School of Education, one of the national's leading scholars on inequality and public policy in education. Together, they explore how to create a student-centered classroom in which every learner is encouraged to bring their full selves. Pedro then breaks down how to build authentic...

Beyond My Years host Ana Torres and Classroom Insider Eric Cross give you the first look at Season 3, launching July 22, 2026. This trailer highlights what's coming this season, including roundtable conversations with educators from across the country and candid conversations with Amplify's own experts in literacy and math. Season 3 focuses on the art and science of great teaching, drawi...

In the second part of our special Beyond My Years two-part math series, Ana is joined by Ian Brown, second-grade teacher at Mukilteo School District in Washington and author of the comic book I Hate Math , for a conversation focused on reducing math anxiety and creating positive math experiences. Ian shares his approach to helping students who genuinely dislike math, describing how he helps them g...

In the first episode of a special Beyond My Year two-part math series, Ana chats with Matt Cash, director of elementary curriculum and instruction for Lake Elsinore Unified School District, in California, about math leadership and change management. Matt shares his experience helping move his district from a localized approach to a unified system to provide centralized resources, professional deve...

Host Ana Torres and Classroom Insider Eric Cross recently recorded a video with their six takeaways from Season 2 of the Beyond My Years podcast. Listen right here, or watch the takeaways video on our new YouTube channels, linked below. Watch: Beyond My Years season two wrap-up Catch videos of host Ana Torres and Classroom Insider Eric Cross on our new YouTube Channels: @AdviceForTheMathClassroom...

In this special episode, we're bringing you an inspiring conversation from a recent edWebinar that will transform how you approach literacy across every subject area.  Join Ana Torres, Beyond My Years podcast host, Eric Cross, our Classroom Insider, and Susan Lambert, host of our sister podcast, Science of Reading: The Podcast as they share how literacy fits into every subject area, why this...

To celebrate this second season of Beyond My Years, Ana is joined by Mike Flynn, nationally recognized expert in mathematics education and online learning. He explains how "disorienting dilemmas" can bolster our productive beliefs and lead to transformative change in our teaching. Mike and Ana also discuss the importance of teacher advocacy, the power of collective voice, and ways to ove...

Ana is joined by Daniela Anello, CEO of DC Bilingual Public Charter School, to discuss how educators can create environments in which they can be their whole selves. Daniela tells her own story of identifying her values as a teacher and claiming the sense of purpose she wanted to bring into her own classroom; and then lays out how she works to incorporate them on a day-to-day basis. She also expla...

Host Ana Torres is joined by nationally recognized educational consultant and thought leader Mitchell Brookins, Ph. D., to discuss what critical thinkng is and how to help students develop it. In addition to explaining why critical thinking is crucial for long-term academic success, Mitchell also gives educators four clear steps that they can implement to effectively develop critical thinking skil...

As we wrap up another incredible year together, Ana revisits her Season 1 conversation with the director of STEM Initiatives at Amplify, Fawn Nguyen. Ana is joined by Classroom Insider Eric Cross to pull out some brand-new takeaways and actionable tips that educators can use right away to create a classroom environment that sets students up for success. They also look ahead and give a sneak peek o...

Alabama K–2 educator, national presenter, and curriculum author Keri Brown discusses strategies for supporting students in the math classroom. While Keri focuses on math in the episode, many of her takeaways can be applied to all subjects. Keri breaks down the power of small-group instruction, the value of multisensory hands-on manipulatives, and the role of intervention. She also explains how to...

Our guest this week, Neysa Olivares-Torres, breaks down the process of finding and developing your own personal teaching style. Neysa details how she landed on her “firm-but-fair" approach before sharing tips for other educators trying to develop their authentic teaching style. Neysa and Ana also discuss how finding—and embodying—your teaching style can reduce classroom behavior challenges. O...

Tina Boogren, Ph. D., joins Ana Torres, not only to discuss how it’s completely normal for first-year teachers (and even some veterans) to experience disillusionment, but also to offer tactics for overcoming those feelings. Tina and Ana kick off this episode by explaining Ellen Moir's “The Phases of First-Year Teaching," which outlines the emotional stages new teachers move through. They...

Angela Duckworth, Ph. D., the New York Times bestselling author of Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance , joins Ana Torres to discuss school phone policies and what the science of self-control can tell us works. In this episode, Angela highlights the many complexities surrounding student cell phone use in schools and why there is a need to conduct research, such as her “Phones in Focus” stu...

Host Ana Torres is joined by Elsa Cárdenas-Hagan, Ed. D., a linguist and speech pathologist known for her work with multilingual learners. In this episode, Elsa focuses on small changes that educators can make to create classrooms that are more inclusive and supportive of multilingual learners. She shares strategies for morphology instruction, learning useful information about students’ home langu...

On this episode of Beyond My Years, host Ana Torres is joined by Dan Meyer, Ph. D., Vice President of User Growth at Amplify and former Chief Academic Officer at Desmos. Dan’s journey in education began much like that of many other teachers—with a love of his content area. But entering the classroom proved difficult as he struggled to engage students who didn’t share his interest in math. In this...

Host Ana Torres welcomes former NJDOE Chief Academic Officer Tracey Severns, Ed. D., to discuss not just how to bring more joy to the classroom but how joy and laughter can draw in even the most vulnerable students. Tracey outlines the current research on what humor can do in the classroom and shares her own observational research in a case study school on the power of increasing smiles. She share...

Ana Torres and Eric Cross give you the first look at Season 2 of Beyond My Years, launching September 17, 2025. This trailer highlights what’s coming this season including shorter episodes and takeaways from our Classroom Insider. Season 2 focuses on common classroom challenges, looking to the experts and to the research to get you answers. We'll discuss topics from how to find your teaching...

Today on Beyond My Years, host Ana Torres is joined by Science of Reading: The Podcast host Susan Lambert, Ed. D., who’s here to make the case for all educators investing in student literacy development, regardless of the content domain they teach. Throughout the conversation, they discuss how all teachers are literacy teachers and share four simple tips for developing academic language in any cla...