Top of the Class

The world and the field of education are going through some transformation right now. We cover lots of serious topics on this show, but we wanted to dabble in something a bit lighter. So, we have added Part 2 to our Creating the Ultimate Teacher Wardrobe mini-series. I don’t know about you, but how I dress can definitely affect how I feel. How we dress in the classroom can help us maintain that te...

We know that there are so many changes that we are seeing in the field of education right now...some from needs found from the pandemic. In this episode, Emily and Meredith chat about this timely topic including discussion on what our "new normal" might look like and some lessons we have learned in the field of education during 2020-2021. Let's hop right in and reflect!

This is a fun little episode with Meredith and Emily as they share some updates in the College of Education and with Grand Canyon University. They will chat about new roles, exciting vision, social media, and more! Hop on and learn about what's new with this dynamic duo.

Today we come to you all with a very important discussion and topic. We are here to chat about culturally responsive teaching. Now, as teachers, we know just how important this is. It is important to talk about, but it is also essential that we continue to reflect and grow in our practice as teachers. We are honored to welcome our expert and guest today, Mr. Justin Campbell. Let's dive right into...

This is Part 2 of our episode on supporting our students’ mental health during trying times, so if you haven’t had the chance, be sure to check out Part 1 of this fabulous episode. We have had many requests from you all on how to support our students’ mental health during crisis points. We need this topic now more than ever, but not all of us are experts in this area! So, we have brought in the ex...

SPECIAL RELAUNCH EPISODE: After a few months, Top of the Class is back! We’ve had many requests lately from you, our listeners, on how to support our students’ mental health during trying times. We know that mental health is a national crisis, one that often becomes really apparent when students are trying to learn or engage with their peers. We also know that these really tough times only make th...

There’s so much going on these days, especially in the field of education. To add to the mix of the MANY things teachers think about, many of us are left wondering what to wear. Also, it’s fun to think about something lighthearted like fashion. With all the seriousness in the world, why not dabble in something fun? We are asked so many questions about teaching, but we have to admit, this is one of...

In this episode, we wanted to continue conversations that we have started to have in our past episodes. We have touched a bit on the wide range of expectations that teachers tackle day in and day out, as well as how we need to practice mindfulness and take care of ourselves physically, mentally, and spiritually to ensure we are the best teachers we can be for our students. But, we heard a new term...

We are so excited to kick off this new year with such an amazing episode! We love bringing to you, our listeners, all the best and brightest in the field of education. It’s our mission really here on Top of the Class and today is no different as we welcome a very special guest to the show. Today’s guest comes with tons of knowledge and experience in so many areas of education. Dr. Beth Maloney was...

As we are in the thick of the holiday season, this is a very timely and perhaps much needed conversation. In this episode, we are going to chat about a topic of conversation that often comes up in our GCU classes. Faith in the classroom. We have a lot of faculty, alumni, and teacher candidates in our programs who struggle with the balance between having a faith-based worldview and the expectations...

We polled you all on Twitter and Google Forms and many of you all reported back that you wanted to know more about how to become a teacher advocate. A lot of us are so passionate about issues that impact education, but we don’t know how to go beyond our classroom or school to make a difference in the field. We have a guest here today to help us with just that, Mr. Nathan Hollis II. He comes to us...

As K-12 education has shifted towards virtual learning, we want to make sure we’re on the cutting edge of the latest and greatest tech tools. In this Extra Credit episode, we’re going to dive into the three trending tech tools in education with a fantastic expert teacher and faculty member, Amanda Errington. She is extremely creative and we hope you enjoy this episode as much as we did!

Wow! In this episode, we have such a special treat for you all! We are beyond thrilled and a little star-struck to welcome the 2019 Arizona Teacher of the Year, Kareem Neal. He is here to answer some of our burning questions and share a bit about his journey in education...and what a journey that is! Join us and take a listen to his beyond inspiring work in the field of education and his journey a...

We know this is a wild and unprecedented time for all you educators out there, and we just want you to know that while we don’t know what the right answer is in all this, we stand with you and support you. We know you’re doing the best you can to make it work for students. We also know all you parents out there are doing your best too to advocate for your kiddos. At Top of the Class, we are consta...

We just can't help ourselves with a "punny" title! We know that times are so very different than when we first recorded this episode. However, we think it is so relevant because we want to give these creative outlets to our students even if our classes look a bit different this year. In this episode, we are going to let our artistic flags fly high and talk all about bringing creativity into the cl...

In honor of all of our wonderful educators planning for back to school, some of which are already back in action this week, we wanted to take a moment to celebrate you all! A huge shout-out goes out to teachers everywhere, but we are especially sending love to our Arizona teachers, we wanted to share this fabulous session we did just before COVID-19 changed all of our lives. In this episode, we ar...

Are you working and parenting from home right now? Today's episode is a special one because it likely speaks to so many of us right now during these challenging times. Our guest today, Andrea Hogan, is a super mom, super psychology professor, super doctoral student, super wife, and a dear friend. Like so many of us, she’s currently juggling being a mom, a wife, teaching, and going to school hersel...

In this episode, we are getting out of our own personal comfort zones and we’re talking MATH! These two language arts/literacy buff co-hosts are diving deep into the world of math education with one of our favorite math education experts, Assistant Professor, Katy Long. One of our favorite parts of hosting this show is that we get to really extend our knowledge base. There’s SO much to know about...

First, we want to just send all of our teachers a HUGE shout-out out there for the wonderful work that has been accomplished during the COVID-19 situation. Also, huge kudos to all of the parents who have now become teachers over these last months. We hope this episode can help provide some healthy reminders during tough times. In this episode, we want to explore a topic that many teachers are conf...

At Top of the Class, we are constantly working to bring you all practical tips that can be useful in your everyday. We know that many of us are experiencing some stress, and some may be downright scared and what is happening today. That being said, we wanted to put together some very practical tips and tricks that we have picked up over the years as teachers, and moms of little ones. We are sendin...

So, we are back to finish our conversation in this special two part episode, talking all about little humans and early childhood development. This episode is vital to us as teachers, but also moms of two feisty toddlers! We are so grateful to have an amazing advocate for early childhood education, Amy Corriveau from First Things First. If you did not catch part one of this episode, First Things Fi...

In this special two part episode, we’re focusing on the little humans. It’s all about early childhood development. This episode means so much to us as teachers and long-time educators but also as parents of toddlers who are right in the middle of this all-important development phrase of their life. We are beyond excited to welcome one of the best and brightest long-time advocates for early childho...

In today’s short and sweet extra credit episode, Meredith and Emily share some strategies to make sure your professional relationships in and outside of the classroom are healthy and fruitful. In other words, when a conflict is brewing, how can we check ourselves before we wreck ourselves? So, let's jump right in! Don't forget, we LOVE your feedback, so tweet us any thoughts or ideas on Twitter @G...

Top of the Class is here with a special guest co-host today! This Extra Credit episode features Meredith and, special guest, Katie Sprute! Katie is no stranger to Top of the Class. You can recognize her voice from past episodes, like Episode 6 and 22. Today, Katie and Meredith are here to give you all a crash course in nailing the teacher interview. So, come and take a listen to to all the fabulou...

Happy New Year from Top of the Class! Can you believe it is 2020? This is the perfect episode to kick of a new year. Today’s episode is all about keeping the peace! In today’s social and political climate, it can be tough to maintain civility when it feels like harsh words are being tossed about everywhere we look. So, we thought we’d bring in two experts, Joshua Danaher and Dr. Matt Nolen, who ca...