3 Ps in a Pod: An Education Podcast

If you've only heard the name of the Rodel Foundation of Arizona in passing, today's episode will help you understand the vision and work of this education organization. Don Budinger, Board Chairman and Founding Director of the Rodel Foundation, was a successful business owner when he realized the incredible importance of education. When he and his brother sold their business, they vowed to take a...

It's time for another PD in 30! This time, Suzi Mast, owner of Dynamic Teaching Partners and previously of the Arizona Department of Education, dives into helping you understand how to use the state's standards to advance your teaching. PD in 30 is exactly what it sounds like: a professional development session in 30 minutes or less. Grab a pencil and the resources listed below. Make sure you can...

Today's podcast will have you breathing deeper and maybe moving on with your day a little bit more grounded. 3Ps hosts Donnie and Danielle welcome Dr. Ilana Nankin, founder and CEO of Breathe for Change, to share her insights on how to care for self, which allows us to better care for others. Nankin has started a movement of bringing yoga, mindfulness, and social-emotional learning to educators an...

As you'll hear in this episode, great mentoring is based on relationships. Today, you'll join 3Ps hosts Danielle and Kathleen in hearing about the relationship and the learning shared between Ginny Sautner, a new teacher mentor, and Allie Oskolkoff, a first-year teacher, both from Lake Havasu Unified School District. The two discuss the mindset that makes mentoring most effective, the importance o...

Learn about how Arizona's Language Development Approach can help you better support all students, especially your English Learner students, in today's episode.   Hosts Angelia and Donnie talk with Arizona Department of Education's Kate Wright, Associate Superintendent of High Academic Standards for Students, and Dr. Melissa Castillo, Deputy Superintendent of the Office of English Language Acquisit...

Today's episode features several outstanding educators, including Dr. Doug Fisher and the five finalists for 2021 Arizona Teacher of the Year. You likely know Dr. Doug Fisher from the dozens of books and resources he's helped create or from attending events like those through the Arizona K12 Center. Today, you'll hear Dr. Fisher talk with 3Ps hosts Mary and Angelia about the creation of The Distan...

3Ps hosts Angelia and Donnie are back with another civics-focused episode, this time focused especially on secondary grades. Prior to the start of this school year, they spoke with Nate Rios, who was then a government and history teacher at Flowing Wells High School in Tucson, and Elizabeth Schley Evans, who was then a government and politics teacher at Basha High School  in Chandler.   Together,...

It's an election year and the U.S. is experiencing a seemingly more contentious political climate than usual. In this episode of 3Ps in a Pod, hosts Donnie and Angelia discuss how they handled election seasons and politics in their classrooms before welcoming Beth Maloney, 2014 Arizona Teacher of the Year, to talk more about civics and respectful discourse. Together, they discuss media literacy, d...

If you're currently preparing to become a teacher or are in your first several years of teaching in Arizona, you don't want to miss all of the information in today's episode! Hosts Donnie and Kathleen welcome several guests to today's episode of 3Ps in a Pod to give a full rundown of the several parts of the Arizona Teachers Academy . Governor Doug Ducey initiated this program a few years ago that...

Now that the 2020-2021 school year is back in session, 3Ps in a Pod hosts Angelia, Mary, and Kathleen talk with two school superintendents, a principal, and a teacher about their hopes, fears, and opportunities related to schooling during the COVID-19 pandemic. This week's guests are Dr. Melissa Sadorf, superintendent of Stanfield Elementary School District; Dr. Andi Fourlis, superintendent of Mes...

Hang out with tech experts Tony Vincent and Sara Mora in this PD in 30 segment of 3Ps in a Pod. PD in 30 is exactly what it sounds like: a professional development session in 30 minutes or less. This segment is most beneficial if you're able to listen with a pencil and paper in hand and can easily hit the pause and play buttons on your listening device. Feel free to listen with a group of other te...

We are continuing our conversations and reflections about the return to the school in this episode. 3Ps hosts Angelia and Donnie welcome Arizona Education Association Vice President Marisol Garcia and Arizona Department of Education Associate Superintendent Kate Wright to share about their hopes, fears, and curiosities about this school year. Garcia and Wright also share about their visions for wh...

Teachers and students alike are returning to the classroom carrying a variety of emotions. In this first episode of the eighth season of 3Ps in a Pod, the 3Ps hosts talk with themselves and this week's two guests about what they have learned and what they continue to struggle with after the events of the past six months. The 3Ps hosts you've come to know, Angelia, Danielle, Donnie, and Mary, will...

This season's finale episode is packed with information about the Arizona K12 Center's two biggest summer events. You may have already heard about Camp Plug and Play 15.0 and the 15th Annual Teacher Leader Institute going virtual. In this episode, 3Ps in a Pod hosts Mary and Danielle share a few more details about what these events will be like online. Mary also talks about this year's theme for t...

Dr. Eddie Moore Jr., an educator, speaker, and founder of The Privilege Institute, joins hosts Angelia and Danielle in this episode of 3Ps in a Pod. Angelia and Danielle kick off their conversation with Dr. Moore asking about how teachers can best maintain relationships and build community amidst social distancing due to COVID-19. They also discuss how teachers might navigate what life will look l...

Today's episode is about you and how you're doing these days. Dawn Baumgartner, a licensed clinical social worker, certified yoga teacher, and trauma specialist, joins 3Ps hosts Angelia and Danielle to talk about how to best care for yourself, your family, and your students during this time of the COVID-19 pandemic. Dawn currently works for Phoenix Elementary School District #1, Arizona State Univ...

How can teachers support students who have experienced immigration-related trauma? In today's episode, Reyna Montoya shares with 3Ps in a Pod hosts Mary and Angelia about her journey through Arizona schools as an undocumented English language learner and then as a classroom teacher, which led to her creating the organization Aliento. This Phoenix-based organization works to transform immigration-r...

Just as there are often signals that a person may need physical first aid, students' behavior can indicate that a student may need mental health first aid. In this episode, Arizona Department of Education School Safety & Social Wellness Program Grant Specialist Lindsay Walker and first-grade teacher Hannah Williams join hosts Danielle and Angelia. The four discuss how to look at student behavior a...

Teachers are dealing with incredible amounts of stress and uncertainty as they navigate work and life during the COVID-19 pandemic. To share how she cultivates mindfulness during her usual, everyday life and this extraordinary time, Principal Allison Carmichael joins 3Ps in a Pod hosts Danielle and Angelia. Along with being principal of Silver Valley Elementary in Queen Creek, Carmichael runs Seco...

Inspired by Jamie Festa-Daigle's blog post last September on Stories from Schools AZ , this episode of 3Ps in a Pod features four Arizona teachers reading aloud letters to their first-year teacher selves. What do you wish then? 3Ps hosts Donnie and Danielle share what they wish they knew as they were just starting their education careers. Then, these four teachers share their letters: Jamie Festa-...

How do you build classroom community, even while teaching remotely? In this PD in 30 segment, Hannah Jones, NBCT, assistant technology specialist in Madison School District, and Leah Clark, English language arts teacher in Glendale Union High School District, dive into how to create an inclusive classroom community and what that can look like right now as schools are closed because of COVID-19. PD...

We're celebrating Arizona's aspiring teachers this week on 3Ps in a Pod! Hosts Danielle and Angelia talk with Brianna Winiesdorffer and Katee Hurst, two future teachers and current leaders in Northern Arizona University's chapter of Educators Rising.  Brianna and Katee share how they came to pursue careers in education and what their pre-service experiences have been like so far. They also talk ab...

You may know Dr. Dominique Smith as one of the authors of Better than Sticks or Carrots: Restorative Practices for Positive Classroom Management or heard him in one of our season one episodes . Dr. Smith is the Chief of Educational Services and Teacher Relations at Health Sciences High & Middle College in San Diego, California, and a leader in social emotional learning and restorative practice. In...

The Arizona Legislature again has several education-related bills on the docket this session, and Chris Kotterman is in the 3Ps in a Pod studio to talk about what these bills mean and where they are in the legislative process. Chris is the Director of Governmental Relations for the Arizona School Boards Association. He talks with hosts Angelia and Donnie about several school-related bills, includi...

Meet one of our three keynotes who will be speaking at the Fifteenth Annual Teacher Leadership Institute: Elevating Student Voice through Teacher Leadership. Kass Minor shares about her unexpected journey into education and how her early experiences working in education led her to exploring the concept of inquiry. Today, Minor partners with schools and uses inquiry to develop school communities an...