Education Suspended

Hey everyone! In today's episode we connect with LeiLani Scott from Mesa Public Schools. I've had the honor of working with her for several years now and am alway so impressed by her leadership and ability to push the system forward. In this episode she highlights the importance of building a true culturally relevant PBIS system, supporting our educators, and prioritizing the growth of all...

In this episode we connect with Christine Corr Kiewra, an assistant professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Christine reflects on lessons learned from her 20 years of experience in early childhood education and how that impacts the way she now supports adult learners. She dives into the importance of wandering and its connection to creating opportunities of wonder. Christine’s passion for...

Hello Everyone! Thank you for your patience as we make some changes to our episode releasing schedule. We are back with such a good interview! In today’s episode we sit down with Rodney Robinson, the 2019 National Teacher of the Year. This interview is so motivating! Rodney shares his story with us and teaches us about the difference between equality and equity.  Rodney has over 20 years experienc...

Hello wonderful listeners! Yes, this is one week late. We apologize. Covid got us, and it threw off the release of this episode last week, but we are back up and running. In today's episode we connect with Veronika Bačová, an educator in Prague, Czech Republic. We have a wonderful time exploring the similarities and differences in our educational systems. Veronika talks about the importance of...

Happy New Year, wonderful listeners! I honestly couldn’t have asked for a better episode to bring us into this new year together. I needed more than I knew! In today’s episode we connect and learn from Laura van Dernoot Lipsky, who is the founder and director of The Trauma Stewardship Institute. Laura’s book, Trauma Stewardship, is one that truly changed my professional career and in this episode...

Welcome to the last episode of 2023! I hope you all have a wonderful Winter Break. In this episode we sit down with Coach Shawn Sorsby, the Founder and Executive Director of A Step Ahead Chess. What a fantastic way to close out 2023. Coach Sorsby is so inspiring and the way he is changing student’s lives through chess is amazing. He highlights that losses are lessons and that we should run towards...

In today's episode we sit down with Joel Pippus, the Project Lead for Push to Heal, which uses skateboarding as a component for treatment and education with high needs students. Joel highlights different ways skateboarding can be used as an education tool and mental health strategy to support growth with students. He shares different ways it promotes regulation and can build executive function...

Join us for as we spend time reflecting on some of our big takeaways from the previous four episodes.

In today’s new episode we talk with Becky Arndt, who is a Drama Teacher in the Racine, Wisconsin Public School System. Becky shares with us her Actors Tool Box and connects ways we can utilize those tools in other areas of education. She highlights the importance of environments that foster student strengths and belonging. Becky also talks about the important role Specials’ teachers play in educat...

In today’s episode of Education Suspended we connect with Dr. Mark Gooden, PhD., who is the Christian Johnson Endeavor Professor in Education Leadership and Chair of the Department of Organization and Leadership at Teachers College, Columbia University. Dr. Gooden talks about the barriers that exist in our ability in education to retain strong teachers of color. He highlights the power of educatio...

Today we connect with Micaela DeSimone, who works in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Boston University. Micaela shares with us her experience as an educator and the impact burnout had on her. Her story is powerful, shedding light on the experience of so many in education. Micaela highlights steps needed to begin repairing the relationship between our educational system and our educators. Micae...

Welcome back to Education Suspended! Today we kick off Season 4 with a wonderful interview with Joe Mailander of the Okee Dokee Brothers. The Okee Dokee Brothers’ music focuses on community and harmony; we explore the importance of those two elements in our schools. Joe highlights the need for exploration, curiosity, and slowness in education. He reminds us that sometimes in order to learn we have...

Join us as we spend time reflecting on some of our big takeaways from the previous four episodes. Intro song: Poet's Row, Young Bones

In this episode we sit down and talk with Dr. Jackie Joseph-Buzek and Lorin Terrell, M.Ed. They share with us their experiences as being parents of neurodiverse students. Jackie and Lorin highlight the joys and struggles that come with navigating the school systems that surround their children. They also talk with us about how those experiences have inspired them to create a charter school, Windmi...

In today’s episode we have a great conversation with Tracey DeMaria. Tracey helps define sensory integration and regulation, words that are being used more mainstream in education these days. She talks about the need for our system to become more developmentally respectful in regard to the self-regulation expectations we set on students, and reminds us we all need co-regulation. Tracey highlights...

In today’s episode we sit down and connect with Dr. Jon Conte. Jon shares his expertise on the impacts of trauma as it pertains to “trauma-informed” and what a truly trauma-informed environment means for those in education. He shares with us that the power of the empathic connection is so strong for students in schools, yet can also create the vulnerability of the empathic strain on the teachers....

In today’s episode we connect with Zaretta Hammond. She shares her story of true lived learning partnerships and why they are so important in the educational setting. Zaretta stands shoulder to shoulder with teachers and students to build their capacity to engage in the productive struggle. She highlights why the focus needs increasing our students' ability to be learners who gain knowledge, not j...

Join us as we spend time reflecting on some of our big takeaways from the previous four episodes. Intro song: Poet's Row, Young Bones

In this episode we sit down and connect with Dr. Monica McHale-Small. Monica shares with us her experience as a Superintendent and how that has impacted her lens on the larger educational system. She highlights the importance of supporting the whole child; especially when thinking about students with specific learning disabilities. Monica also talks us through the challenges that come with navigat...

In this episode we are joined by Chris Barfield. Chris is such a great story teller and shares with us how using sports helps the students he and his team work with at their school. He highlights the importance of dosing the stress appropriately to match the developmental level of the students; knowing students show up in different places. Chris also reminds us that we need to remember for many of...

In today’s episode we sit down and connect with Tu David Phu. Chef Tu shares his personal story about why understanding the connection between schools and food matters. When you have consistent access to food that provides nourishment it’s easy to minimize just how important it is for learning. Chef Tu reminds us that the playing field is not equal and we must advocate for free access to healthy f...

Welcome to season three of Education Suspended! We kick off the season with Justin Toomer. Justin dives into the role curriculum should play in opening doors and uncovering new content. He highlights the reality that the better school experience students have, the more likely they are to consider becoming educators. And, Justin reminds us to use data in a way that doesn’t just tell the story that...

In our last episode of Season Two we connect with William Tucker, who challenges all of us to stop, and ask ourselves, why do we educate? William focuses on shifting our archaic system away from memorization and aims to provide students an educational system that promotes understanding. He specifically specializes in literacy and shares why equipping students with a solid foundation of literacy an...

In today’s episode we sit down and connect with Malika Ali, the Chief Innovation Officer at the Highlander Institute. Malika’s transgenerational story is rooted in the pursuit of education, and she shares with us how the passion of past generations drives her own desire to empower students. She connects that curriculums need to provide both, windows and mirrors, for students so they can see themse...

Join us as we spend time reflecting on some of our big takeaways from the previous four episodes. Intro song: Poet's Row, Young Bones