Classroom Narratives: Healing in Education

📝 Episode Synopsis In the second installment of the HEART series, Dr. Joey Weisler explores the first pillar of the HEART framework: Habits . Reflecting on his early years as a college professor, Joey shares how he once believed academic rigor meant assigning more work—until both his students and his own life revealed a different path. This episode examines how simple, predictable classroom routi...

📝 Episodic Synopsis What happens when caregiving stops being driven by fear and starts being rooted in connection? In this deeply reflective episode of Classroom Narratives: Healing in Education , Dr. Joey Weisler sits down with nurse leader, educator, healthcare innovator, and author Winston Meikle for a conversation that bridges the worlds of healthcare and education through one shared reality:...

📝 Episode Synopsis In the first installment of the HEART & SOUL series, Dr. Joey Weisler shares the deeply personal story that helped shape the foundation of the HEART framework. Long before he entered a classroom as a teacher, Joey recognized what he calls "the look"—the quiet expression carried by people who simply want to feel visible. Through reflections on a high school friendship, and t...

📝 Episodic Synopsis In this special “Weisler Alumni” segment of Classroom Narratives: Healing in Education , Dr. Joey Weisler reconnects with Haylie — a former Parkland-area student now studying sociology and higher education at Georgia Southern University. Together, they reflect on growing up in the aftermath of the MSD tragedy, navigating grief during adolescence, and the educators who helped m...

📝 Episodic Synopsis ‼️ PROFANITY LANGUAGE ALERT in this episode ‼️ What if anger itself isn’t the problem? In this powerful episode of Classroom Narratives: Healing in Education, Dr. Joey Weisler speaks with psychologist and anger specialist Dr. Mitch Abrams to unpack one of the most misunderstood emotions in education and society. Drawing from his book I’m Not F cking Angry: Adjust the Flame to...

‼️DISCLAIMER‼️ This segment discusses themes of violence within communities, significantly around Sandy Hook Elementary School (2012). Please take care of yourself while listening. In this deeply moving episode of Classroom Narratives: Healing in Education, Dr. Joey Weisler sits down with Abbey Clements, a second-grade teacher at Sandy Hook Elementary School during the tragedy of December 14, 2012...

What happens when parents, teachers, and students all feel pressure to “get it right” — but nobody was ever given the manual? In this deeply reflective episode of Classroom Narratives , Dr. Joey Weisler sits down with clinical psychologist Dr. Julie Davelman to explore the emotional realities underneath modern education: parent burnout, frustration tolerance, identity formation, perfectionism, div...

📝 Episodic Synopsis What does it mean to truly listen —not just hear, but witness? In this powerful panel conversation, Dr. Joey Weisler is joined by Rosa McAllister and Tieshka K Smith to explore how intentional listening can transform communities. Drawing from their work on the Listening Loom project and their contributions to Restorative Practices in Education Through the Arts , they unpack ho...

📝 Show Synopsis What if listening wasn’t about responding—but about being present? In this episode, Dr. Joey Weisler speaks with artist Kathryn Pannepacker about “intentional listening” as a practice of care, not correction. Through her Listening Loom project, Kathryn creates spaces where people are asked two simple questions: How are you doing? and What do you need? Together, they explore how ed...

📝 Show Notes (Key Ideas & Takeaways) What if healing isn’t just about looking back—but also about learning to listen forward? In this episode of Classroom Narratives , Dr. Joey Weisler sits down with Ron Yap ( @mentalhealthceo ) to explore the dual work of healing the inner child while also meeting the inner hero —the future version of ourselves who has already found meaning, clarity, and dir...

🧭 Episodic Synopsis What if burnout isn’t coming from the workload—but from disconnection? In this episode of Classroom Narratives , Dr. Joey Weisler sits down with leadership expert Leila Boutaleb Brousse, founder of Eyelee Growth and creator of the Unhooked Leadership Method, to explore what it really means to operate in “survival mode”—and why so many educators and leaders feel stuck there. Le...

📝 Episodic Synopsis What happens when learning stops being about information—and starts becoming about invention? In this episode of Classroom Narratives: Healing in Education , Dr. Joey Weisler sits down with educator, author, and innovation specialist Dr. Fred Estes to explore how design thinking can transform the classroom into a space of agency, creativity, and real-world impact. Drawing from...

📝 Episode synopsis What happens when the world writes your story before you even begin? In this deeply honest and urgent conversation, Dr. Dwight “Kofi” Rogers—district leader, author of Change the Narrative, Don’t Let the Narrative Change You , and 2025 ACSA Administrator of the Year—joins Dr. Joey Weisler to explore the lived realities of identity, perception, and power in education. From growi...

🎧 Episode Synopsis (for notes/description) What if resilience isn’t something you “have”…but something that’s built—moment by moment, relationship by relationship? In this episode of Classroom Narratives , Dr. Joey Weisler sits down with Dr. Rob Martinez—educator, former superintendent, and author of Recipes for Resilience —to challenge everything we think we know about resilience in schools. Fro...

📝 Episode Synopsis In this deeply honest and affirming conversation, Dr. Joey Weisler sits down with clinical psychologist Dr. Claire Plumbly to explore the lived reality of burnout—what it is, how it shows up in the body, and why so many educators find themselves quietly unraveling while trying to hold everything together. Drawing from her work in trauma and her book The Trauma of Burnout , Dr....

📌Episode Synopsis In this powerful episode of Classroom Narratives: Healing in Education , Dr. Joey Weisler sits down with literacy scholar and educator Dr. Katie Egan Cunningham to explore how stories shape the human experience—both inside and outside the classroom. Together, they examine why stories matter not only as texts but as lived experiences. From novels and playlists to social media and...

Episode Synopsis In this episode of Classroom Narratives: Healing in Education , Dr. Joey Weisler speaks with Bruce Liebe, a retired Illinois State Police officer with over 30 years of law enforcement experience and a longtime instructor in active threat training and tactical response. Together, they explore the intersection between education and prevention—specifically how educators, administrato...

📝 Episode Synopsis (for episode description) In this powerful conversation, Dr. Joey Weisler sits down with nationally recognized special education leader and behavioral consultant Bev Johns, whose four-decade career has helped shape special education law, classroom practice, and behavioral supports across the United States. Bev shares deeply personal stories—from teaching students who were once...

🗒️ Episodic Synopsis In this episode of Classroom Narratives: Healing in Education , Dr. Joey Weisler speaks with Principal Robert Hinchcliffe—award-winning school leader, author of More Than Just Principals , and nationally recognized advocate for human-centered school leadership. Drawing on more than two decades as an elementary school administrator, Hinchcliffe shares what it truly means to lea...

Episodic Synopsis In Part II of this conversation with Jeremy Brooks, Classroom Narratives shifts from leadership identity to leadership responsibility — exploring school safety, crisis response, and the systems that support students, educators, and families during difficult moments. Jeremy reflects on guiding school communities through loss, the importance of transparent communication during cris...

Episode Synopsis In Part I of this two-part conversation, Dr. Joey Weisler sits down with educator, former principal, doctoral researcher, and media host Jeremy Brooks to explore what leadership truly looks like during difficult moments in education. Drawing from his journey from classroom teacher to administrator to founder of Brooks Broadcasting, Jeremy reflects on how leadership is not defined...

📌 Episode Synopsis In this episode of Classroom Narratives: Healing in Education , Dr. Joey Weisler sits down with storyteller and teaching artist Rachael Harrington to explore how storytelling can rebuild connection, imagination, and community in the aftermath of isolation and disruption. Drawing from her background as a middle school art teacher and illustrator, Rachael shares how the “invitati...

📝 Episodic Synopsis What does it really mean to rise when the special education system feels overwhelming, opaque, and emotionally exhausting? In this episode of Classroom Narratives: Healing and Education , Dr. Joey Weisler is joined by Mark Ingrassia , longtime special education advocate, former teacher, parent-coach, and founder of Special Ed Rising: No Parent Left Behind . Together, they expl...

🧭 Episodic Synopsis In Part II of this conversation, Dr. Joey Weisler sits down again with educator-scholar Dr. Adam Wolfsdorf to examine what happens after disruption—when trauma, authority, and behavior collide in the classroom. Moving beyond theory, this episode focuses on the ethical decisions educators must make in real time: when to intervene, when to pause, and when restraint is the most p...

🧭 Episodic Synopsis In this return conversation (since spring 2025), Dr. Joey Weisler welcomes back Dr. Adam Wolfsdorf—English educator, scholar, and author of Teaching in the Riptide —for a deep exploration of the moments in education that pull teachers off balance and force reckoning, reflection, and growth. Drawing on vivid classroom narratives, Dr. Wolfsdorf introduces the metaphor of the “ri...