The Teacher Hotline

Send us a text Happy New Year everyone! We are actually going to kick off 2025 with one last episode before bringing the season to a close! I'm actually getting married in March, so I plan on focusing on planning this wedding and getting to the March Break with work! So this will be the last episode for a while.  On todays final episode, we talk about how we can build strong connections with...

Send us a text Hey folks! I'm on a plane to England/Germany with my students right now but that doesn't mean we can't pump out another episode before 2024 ends! I've had a bunch of people recently talk about switching careers and looking for new jobs. Today we bring in education consultant Larry Tomiyama. Larry spent 32 year in the Calgary Catholic School District as a Principa...

Send us a text Have you ever wondered how we can better support our multilingual learners in the classroom? What if we could create a more inclusive environment where every student, regardless of their language background, could thrive? How would that impact their engagement and academic success? Today I bring in: Education Specialist and Advocate from Ensemble, Katherine Hamilton. Katherine has e...

Send us a text Today we got a hot episode that was recorded back in June! It's about teacher burnout and why teachers are leaving the profession! Kind of a bummer way to start the school year, but I thought it was a good conversation to have so we don't burn out. Maybe we can prep ourselves and have a better understanding heading into the school why teachers have left the classroom in pr...

Send us a text Welcome back to another school year teachers! To kick off the school year, I wanted to talk about the upcoming mandatory Financial Literacy test that high schoolers need to past to get their diploma! Hey, I'm all for it! But what in the world is on it? We all have so many questions, so today we bring in Gary Rabbior, President of the Canadian Foundation for Economic Education....

Send us a text Ready to unlock the secrets of teaching at the college level? Join us for a fun conversation with Mikayla Lachance, a communications professor from Northern College, who shares her journey to becoming an accomplished college educator. Discover what it takes to thrive in this rewarding profession as she discusses the qualifications needed for various programs and sheds light on the d...

Send us a text Congrats Teachers! Summer time baby! Kick back, relax, and pour yourself a glass of wine. Party time! I know the school year is a marathon and July can be a time of reflection for some teachers on how the year went. A popular question is "have I made a difference?" Today I bring in Sam Demma, a best selling author, and one of the most in demand keynote speakers in the educ...

Send us a text Bonjour! Has anyone ever thought about sending their kids to French Immersion? Maybe you have but don't know where to start. What are the benefits of French Immersion? Are there any drawbacks?  To answer all of these questions, we have two French Immersion teachers: Lucie -Maude and Aliza from Ontario and Alberta to talk about French Immersion education. We talk about: Is there...

Send us a text I'm a night owl and would love to start work at 11am if possible! Im sure your students wouldn't mind as well! Have you ever thought about what school would look like if we started classes later? Would students be more engaged? Would there be less lates? Would students be more awake and excited for school?  Today I bring in: Physiologist, Scientist, and CEO of Wells Perfor...

Send us a text Bullying has been around since the beginning of time. No one's been able to crack the code on how to stop and prevent bullying from happening across schools in the country. In fact, bullying has now evolved with the introduction of social media in the past decade. So what can educators and schools do?! So today we bring in Alain Pelletier, a anti-bullying youth speaker. Alain h...

Send us a text We're back baby! Season 3! Here we go. We are now going to go to a monthly format. Life is crazy, so we'll try this new format and see how it goes.  We kick things off by revisiting my old stomping grounds at Western University. Have you ever thought about transitioning to teaching at the university/college level?! You should highly consider it! I highly recommend it! I ha...

Send us a text Having tough conversations with students is all part of the job. Teachers can have conversations ranging from grades all the way to mental health. But what about the guidance counselors?! They face a lot of tough conversations behind closed doors that teachers don't see. So in todays episode we want to explore those conversations and how to have them!  So today I bring in Sam L...

Send us a text Have you ever thought about teaching at a university? Have you ever thought about teaching in a teacher education program? We'll you'll want to tune in to this weeks episode!  Today I bring in Liz Coulson, an Assistant Professor and Coordinator of The Education Studies program in the Department of Language Studies at the University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM). For over a...

Send us a text Building off last weeks episode, we are going to dive deep into the jobs of our school leaders. This week we are taking a look at the High School Principals role. After all my years in education, I still have no idea what the heck these people do! Are they just shaking hands and kissing babies? Who knows! Today I bring in John Marinelli, Principal of St. Thomas Aquinas Secondary Sch...

Send us a text Hey incoming teacher candidates! This episode is for you! If you are planning to apply to different teacher education programs and not sure which one you should go to,  you'll want to check out this episode. On today's episode, we check out University of Toronto - Ontario of Institute of Education (OISE) Master of Teaching program (not Masters of Education! There is a diff...

Send us a text Have you ever thought about going into school leadership? Perhaps a High School Vice Principal is opening up and you have your eyes on it? Do you have any idea what the job entails? Well, look not further and listen to this episode! Today I bring in Candace House, Vice Principal at Waterloo Region District School.  Candace has been in this role for 5.5 years. Before this she was an...

Send us a text Ok folks, so this is a big one! If you got an Elementary LTO job interview coming up, you need to click this episode! Super juicy with all of the questions from the TDSB with a former VP panelist coaching you through some of the answers! Today we have Linda Taillefer, a Educational Consultant and retired elementary school Vice Principal in the Toronto District School Board. She has...

Send us a text After all these years in education, I'm just finding out now what is a Montessori school! This entire time I thought it was some sort of Religious school. Wow, I was so wrong. If you're thinking about applying for a job at Montessori school or maybe even sending your kids to a Montessori school, you'll want to check out this episode! Today we bring on Carolyn Reid and...

Send us a text Imagine living with students and then waking up the next day and teaching those same students. This happens everyday at all boarding schools and its the norm! I work at a boarding school, and its a different beast. I don't work directly in boarding, but I know a few people that do. Today I bring in Andrew McNiven , a Business Teacher from Ridley College in St. Catharines, Ontar...

Send us a text As a kid growing up in an Asian household, the dream for my parents was for their children to become a doctor. My brother helped my parents achieve that dream. I failed miserably. I couldn't even make it out of grade 10 chemistry! So many students and parents want to become doctors, but in reality have no idea what the job entails! Are people just chasing the title of "doc...

Send us a text Ever think about making a career change as a teacher into the world of guidance? Look no further!  So today I bring in Adrienne Tolton, a guidance counsellor from Garth Webb Secondary School in the Halton District School Board. Adrienne has been a guidance counsellor for four years. Before guidance, she was a teacher 18 years teaching Math and Science in Ontario and Internationally....

Send us a text Ever wonder what the heck the folks in HR are looking for before submitting your resume? How can school boards possibly sift through all those resumes and pick the right candidate? Oh and once you get an interview, now you need to prep for that gauntlet!  On todays episode, I hope to peek behind the curtain and help with the job application process. Today I chat with  Majella Hillsd...

Send us a text Today I'm introducing a new segment in the show called "I Wish I Knew in School". Unfortunately, we are forced to begin choosing career paths at an early age. Media, family and friends can also paint an inaccurate depiction of certain career paths. So on this segment, I want to bring in seasoned professionals to talk about the good, the bad and the ugly truths of thei...

Send us a text Episode 50 🎉 I can't believe we are at the half century mark! It's wild this podcast is still going! To celebrate this milestone, I chat with Melody McAllister, Event & Community Marketing Specialist at none other....Spaces! Our proud sponsors! Melody worked as an elementary teacher for about 14 years in Garland Texas. She was recipient of the  Garland NAACP Educator...

Send us a text Six years ago, I took a Stand Up Comedy class at Second City. Six years later, I somehow still have a job as a teacher! Hallelujah! 🙌 To give back, I started a stand up comedy co-curricular for teenagers at our school. It's been running for four years, and we begin the course tomorrow! So what better way to have a teacher/comedian on the podcast this week?! This week I have Ro...