Amplifying Optimism in Education

We are thrilled to be back with episode one of season 3 for our Amplifying Optimism in Education podcast! Join us for this delightful conversation with David Bondurant (Assistant Vice President of Information Technology) and Samantha (Sam) Charnes (Associate Vice Provost, Education Operations, Research and Technology) of Interlochen Center for the Arts. In this episode we discussed how at Interloc...

We are thrilled to be back with episode one of season 3 for our Amplifying Optimism in Education podcast! Join us for this delightful conversation with David Bondurant (Assistant Vice President of Information Technology) and Samantha (Sam) Charnes (Associate Vice Provost, Education Operations, Research and Technology) of Interlochen Center for the Arts. In this episode we discussed how at Interloc...

In this episode we are joined by the wonderful Kimberlee Williams, author of Dear White Woman, Please Come Home: Hand Me Your Bias and I'll Show You Our Connection , and the Director of Intercultural Affairs at The Bush School in Seattle, Washington. Kimberlee shares her message of hope around how to have difficult conversations as adults around race and culture so we can move "to the other side"...

In this episode we are joined by Jennifer Baselice, who is the Director of Technology at Lake Highland Preparatory School in Central Florida, and Susan Davis from the Association of Technology Leaders in Independent Schools (ATLIS). We discuss emerging trends in technology from the evolving role of the technology director to how schools are building on the momentum of innovation and change experie...

We return in Season 2 with a wonderful guest that you heard from in Season 1 - Lindy Hockenbary! Lindy has put together an incredible resource for teachers of all grades on how to reach students effectively with technology through online learning as well as in the classroom. This is truly a one of a kind resource that is a must have for teachers learning how to use technology in the classroom. Joi...

We had such a blast traveling to and zooming into the ATLIS (Association of Technology Leaders in Schools) Undaunted Retreat in Seattle this past July. The experience was incredibly immersive and well crafted by the ATLIS Staff . You'll get to hear a whole lot more about just how immersive, unique and powerful of a program and experience this was for the educators in attendance. Participants had a...

The human body and its interconnected systems, such as the nervous system, communicate and operate much like a modern computer network. We can learn how to use mindfulness as a "systems diagnostic & repair" tool for our own internal systems to increase productivity, reduce stress and boost problem solving skills. This bonus episode explores practical, evidence based and rapid mindfulness techn...

Join us this week as we talk with Erin and Sara from Happy YOUniversity!  Happy YOUniversity has a number of offerings for educators and schools: Joy Drop: a free offering to build community and connection in schools.   https://www.hyouniversity.com/joydrop Positive Relationships: their newest program which is being offered July 12th  https://www.hyouniversity.com/positive-rela...

Episode 24 is an exciting one because it features Constantine, who is a student that Josh has worked with for over a dozen years! Constantine is the real life Agamemnon from Josh's new book, The Confidence Project , a.k.a. the inspiration for chapter 7-- for those who have already read it! Constantine joined the Amplifying Optimism in Education podcast to talk with the team about how he uses the s...

In this episode Dr. Laura Potter joins us from the Center for Applied Research and Educational Improvement at the University of Minnesota. Dr. Potter is a school psychologist and research associate and worked in schools prior to her recent move into Higher Education. CAREI recently completed a survey of over 13,000 people about their experiences is school during the pandemic.  https://twitter...

This week we interview Kimberlee Williams of the Bush School in Seattle, WA!  Kimberlee is the Director of Intercultural Affairs at the Bush School and brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to our conversation as it relates to diversity, equity and inclusion. This is Part I of a two part conversation with Kimberlee - we hope you enjoy! To learn more about Kimberlee, click here for her b...

Frankee Fernandez joins us this week to discuss her experiences inspiring students to find new ways of supporting their own learning needs through mindfulness, techniques grounded in brain-based learning and so much more!  You can learn more about Frankee and her work at Positive Space Consulting and The Spelling Tree ! https://www.amplifyingoptimism.com/

This is episode 5 in our 5-Part "Like No Other School Year" series, based on the book by the same title by Pamela Livingston Gaudet! In this episode, Dr. Scott McLeod and Michael Daugherty share their insights from helping educators adjust to the COVID-19 Pandemic.  An Associate Professor of Educational Leadership at the University of Colorado Denver, Scott McLeod, J.D., Ph. D., is widely rec...

In this episode of our Like No Other School Year series we talk with Megan and Daniel from the Leeman Manhattan School about how teachers across the country succeeded, struggled and adapted through 2020. We hope you enjoy this episode and stay tuned for the final episode in this series with Dr. Scott McLeod and Mike Daugherty where we discuss leadership in schools and with Online Learning througho...

Welcome to Episode 3 of our 5-Part Series based on the book Like No Other School Year ! We had a blast interviewing the knowledgeable and experienced Lindy Hockenbary on her mission to help teachers succeed and excel with online and blended learning. You can read more about Lindy and this podcast episode on our blog .  Lindy’s informative and useful new book, A Teacher's Guide to Online Learn...

Welcome to the second episode of our 2021 Amplifying Optimism in Education podcast! We are thrilled for episode 17 because it is also episode 2 of our 5 part series with the amazing co-authors in Pamela Livingston Gaudet’s book Like No Other School Year .   In this interview we spoke with the thoughtful Christina Lewellen , Executive Director at the Association of Technology Leaders in Indepe...

Welcome to the beginning of our 2021 Amplifying Optimism in Education podcast! We are thrilled for episode 16 because it is also episode 1 of our 5 part series with the amazing co-authors in Pamela Livingston Gaudet’s book Like No Other School Year. In this interview we spoke with the brilliant Ethan Delavan , To learn more about this episode, check out this weeks Blog Post on AmplifyingOptimism.c...

This week Josh and I had the pleasure of interviewing the amazing, positive, fun and brilliant Amanda Muhammad!  Amanda is a joy to talk to and learn from - you don't want to miss this episode. Head on over to our Blog or start listening to the episode now to learn more about Amanda and this episode. Amanda recently launched a new eCourse, " The Cost of Care ," that is available to Amplifying...

Episode 14 of the Amplifying Optimism in Education podcast features the amazing Caroline Hill , founder of 228Accelerator in Washington, D.C. Caroline spoke about her work at the intersection of race, equity, and justice in education. Our conversation was profound, insightful, and incredibly thought provoking. What I loved most is how she encourages all stakeholders in a student’s educational jour...

In this episode of Amplifying Optimism we interview Pamela Gaudet . To read more about Pam and this episode, check out this week's blog post . Her book, Like No Other School Year , has recommendations, insights and suggestions for helping your school succeed. We discuss Pam's book, work and how to succeed during these challenging times for schools. Pam is partnering with the ATLIS organization to...

Curious to learn more about how Confidence Building and Mindful Learning can help you achieve goals in your school and/or classroom? Check out this week's episode of Amplifying Optimism in Education where you can learn more about each topic and gain insight into how you might begin use each in your classroom! If you'd like to go deeper on either or both topics, check out our two previous episodes....

Episode 11 of our Amplifying Optimism in Education podcast series welcomed Kelsey Payne from Altitude Learning . We had a terrific conversation about how to shift education from a more traditional model where the teacher is viewed as the “sage on the stage,” to a student centered model that empowers and places our students at the helm! It was a lot of fun to envision what it could look like to dis...

In this episode, co-host Joshua Faden talks about his work building student confidence. He offers an activity that educators can use at the beginning of the school year (or all throughout the year) to get to know their students better and to begin building the foundation for a strong relationship. Through thoughtful, genuine relationships we can inspire our children to become confident, excited, l...

This week we bring you something different. With the start of school upon us, we decided to release several shorter episodes packed with tips, information and tools to help you succeed in starting off the school year right! In this episode, Michael teaches you a bit about how mindfulness can help you and your students avoid burn-out, reduce stress & anxiety, manage attention and find the optimal l...

Perhaps you are wondering, what does intuition have to do with learning and children? This week we talk with Janet Sussman, who, among many things, is a coach, educator, musician, entrepreneur and author. Janet explains how children can easily be taught how to tap in to their innate and natural resources through creativity, visualization and self-exploration.  To learn more about this weeks e...