Catholic Teachers' Lounge Podcast

Jill and Colleen’s lounge conversation about learning to read and Science of Reading goes off the rails to discover they disagree about vocabulary.

How long should it take students to adjust to the new school year? It’s different for every kid, for a variety of reasons. Join Jill and Colleen’s lounge conversation about student influence and adjustment.

Taking classroom procedures a step further, Colleen and Jill tackle the idea of schoolwide procedures that may impact school function and culture.

Managing a classroom begins with effective procedures. Jill pitches 17 procedures that might impact the flow and function of any classroom.

The school year begins for most teachers with a barrage of professional learning events, often to kick off new initiatives. How should teachers take all of the PD and make it come to life when the kids arrive? Jill and Colleen explore ideas that can move teachers from theory to implementation.

Jill and Colleen are back in the lounge after a summer of rest and reading! Join the discussion of the gammut of professional reading, kids’ books, fiction, and non-fiction.

Colleen and Jill are back! Find out when new episodes drop.

Books change lives — for our students, parents and ourselves. It helps us see beyond ourselves and our immediate challenges while opening our hearts and minds to new ideas.

Fear of doing it wrong gets in the way of effective inclusion efforts for nuerodivergent students. How to embrace the beauty of belonging for all kids.

Engagement ramps up when students can work through learning lessons in front of the class, but challenges abound making room for all kids at the board at the same time, let alone easing student stage fright. Explore ideas and options for 360 degree teaching!

Teaching is isolating by design, but research shows one of the strongest indicators of effective learning is a teacher’s self confidence. This expands exponentially when a teaching staff collectively believes they are doing it well. Lean in and grow together!

Classroom size can wreak havoc on classroom design — not to mention how to incorporate individual learning vs. lectures vs. small groups and everything in between. But structure and creativity can make all the difference as students know what they are doing, when they are doing it and what tools they have to do it — even if their desk happens to be a bean bag or a make-shift lecturn.

The 8th grade class in a school from Dallas, Texas took their reigns of their destiny by self-identifying what they think an ideal 8th grade student should look like and how they should behave. This student led, backward design moment was made possible by an evironment of trust and empowerment for the students to step up on their own.

Building on outcomes and evidence of learning, now you can start mapping out instruction time and lesson plans. Like little clocks, kids love patterns of consistent and predictable learning systems.

Staff retreats can be game changers for motivation and inspiration. Whether on campus or off, finding different environments and natural spaces bring new perspectives.

Jill and Colleen toss a topic out to facebook friends for feedback and insights on the issue of summer reading, summer homework and summer challenges.

Parent-teacher communication is more important than ever, but one-way digital communication like newsletters to parents can be way too easy to ignore or miss. How to create a more consistent and effective two way communication method that is relevent and effective.

Going beyond the norm for anxiety challenged students to ease the transition to a new year. How to remove the barriers with storytelling, one on one support, and extra tours and introductions to ensure every student is ready to learn.

As you prep for the start of school, explore the intersection of classroom set-up and lesson planning. What comes first? How can one serve the other? What resources are available to maximize the space and opportunities for engagement?

As seen in the classic movie, bonding and personal growth will happen no matter the extent of challenges and chaos experienced during class trips. Whether it is a nature trip, a pilgrimmage, a service trip or even a weekend adventure, there is a real benefit for young people when they are literally removed from their comfort zone.

Preventing summer learning loss is an annual challenge, made more critical coming off COVID learning loss. What’s doable, helpful, and impactful.

Running into students and school families while out and about during summer activities can be a surprise for all involved. Bringing a dose of humility and humanity can open everyone’s eyes to life on the other side of the teacher’s desk!

As our adrenaline subsides with the end of the school year, embrace the exhaustion as a sign of satisfaction and completion of a job well done. Now we can start the personal renewal process with rest and reflection.

Graduation is in the air and there is no better time to embrace the results of our hard work than to help the graduating class celebrate their accomplishment and leap into the next stage of their life.

The annual ritual of what to purge and what to keep as you wrap up for the summer doesn’t have to be driven by your personality. There are many great ways to share, remember and archive all the hard work compiled over the school year.