Making the Grade Podcast

Send us Fan Mail S2 EP 027 | Beautiful Stuff Project : a conversation with former teacher & founding executive director, Marina Seevak On the 27th episode of Making the Grade Podcast, Georgia and Christine connect with Marina, a former teacher & executive director of the Beautiful Stuff Project. The Beautiful Stuff Project increases access to play and the arts through the creative reuse of...

Send us Fan Mail MAKING THE GRADE S2 EP 026 | Teacher Career Transition Academy : a Conversation with Co-Founder, Lisa Harding With teacher burnout being a buzzword in the news lately, it’s nothing new that teachers are considering new careers after many struggles in the classroom. What would it be like for teachers if they had a playbook of how to handle the stress & a way to figure out their...

Send us Fan Mail S2 EP 025 | Motivating Minds : a Conversation with Educational Consultant & Author, Ivana Farrar In this next episode of Making the Grade, Georgia & Christine talk with Ivana, the founder of Motivating Minds & Achievement Solutions. Formerly of Georgia & currently in DC, Ivana didn’t always know that she wanted to become a teacher. Prior to consulting, she was teac...

Send us Fan Mail S2 EP 024 | Believing Beyond You : a Conversation with Education Entrepreneur, Rebecca Guillory  In this episode we’re chatting with Rebecca, an incredible educator and entrepreneur, and basically sunshine in human form. We recorded this episode back in October (eek!) but reliving our conversation with Rebecca was exactly what we needed during a cold February in Boston! She speaks...

Send us Fan Mail S2 EP 023 | Aspiring to Lead : a Conversation with Training & Development Specialist, Josh Stamper In this next episode of Making the Grade, Christine & Georgia are joined by Josh, the Training and Development Specialist for the Teach Better Team and manager of the Teach Better Podcast Network. Prior to Joshua's current position, he was a middle school Administrator,...

Send us Fan Mail S2 EP 022 | Chat GPTeacher - Exploring AI : a Coversation with 7th Grade History Teacher, Jack McLoughlin With AI being the buzz over the last year in all industries, have you wondered about how this could translate (in a positive way) to education? Florida 7th grade history teacher & AI enthusiast, Jack, shares the unique moment when he knew he wanted to be a teacher & th...

Send us Fan Mail S2 EP 021 | Starting Before You’re Ready : a Conversation with Sandy Patterson Making the Grade podcast is back for Season 2 with the 1st episode of 2024 coming at you from sunny San Diego with the lovely Sandy Patterson! After 14 years as an elementary school teacher, Sandy realized that she was in need of some guidance and sought out a life coach. And little did she know how the...

Send us Fan Mail EP 020 | Georgia & Christine: Recap Season 1  On the last episode of Season 1 of Making the Grade podcast, Georgia & Christine recap season 1: what they have learned, surprising takeaways, & what’s to come in season 2! Their journey into podcasting has been an eye-opening & surprisingly liberating experience - and in helping other educators elevate their teacher vo...

Send us Fan Mail MAKING THE GRADE EP 019 | Finding Teacher & Life Balance Through Overcoming Overwhelm : a Conversation with Teacher & Life Coach, Krystal Mills On the 19th episode of Making the Grade Podcast, Georgia and Christine connect with Krystal, a middle school teacher & life coach who has over 18 years of experience in the classroom. A fellow educator from Canada, Krystal is p...

Send us Fan Mail EP 018 | KaiPod Learning : a conversation with founder & CEO, Amar Kumar “I want to try something different” is the sentiment that began a new classroom model & organization for educators. With experience teaching in the US & India, Amar has spent many years in many different classroom models and roles. A fellow Boston-based founder, Amar Kumar, shares how he went from...

Send us Fan Mail EP 017 | Modern Classrooms Project: a Conversation with CEO, Kareem Farah This week Georgia & Christine chat with Kareem Farah, CEO and co-founder of the Modern Classrooms Project. Kareem spent his teaching career as a math educator in Hawaii and Washington, DC. Instead of using a traditional lecture model, Kareem taught math through a blended model where students accessed con...

Send us Fan Mail EP 016 | Teacher Training, Montessori Modeling & Classroom Community : a Conversation with Dr. Lisa Kuh After 6+ months of recording podcasts in different states, Georgia & Christine record in the same room for the 1st time for some great conversation with educator of all trades & author, Dr. Lisa Kuh. Currently practicing in Washington state, Lisa Kuh has over 40 year...

Send us Fan Mail EP 015 | Behavior Analysis : a Conversation with BCBA, Ben Ficociello We hear so frequently about student behaviors interfering with learning in the classroom, but what can we do to help stop this growing problem? On this next episode of Making the Grade podcast, Georgia & Christine chat with BCBA Ben about how his journey in studying behavior analysis led him across the count...

Send us Fan Mail EP 014 | Cultivating Courage & Connection: a Conversation with Coach & Consultant, Kelly Driscoll  “I have this crazy idea!” is a sentence that Kelly loved hearing as a former director. An educator from New Hampshire with 28 years of experience & an entrepreneurial spirit, Kelly is thinking outside the box in supporting educators’ mental health in workshops, profession...

Send us Fan Mail EP 013 | Marketing & Sales for Edupreneurs: a Conversation with  Consultant, Christina Welty When teachers get used to signing a contract each year, it’s no surprise that pricing services is an area where educators need support. Georgia & Christine speak with Christina, an education consultant and former teacher / administrator from Texas. A self-described “edupreneur”, Ch...

Send us Fan Mail EP 012 | Changing your Classroom Calling : a conversation with Early Literacy Coach, Amaris Miller Have you ever felt like your heart belongs in the classroom but you’re itching to try something new? Baltimore ESOL teacher -> early literacy coach, Amaris, took a chance in a new role and shares her motivation to stay in education (and why she doesn’t want to just be “the lady fr...

Send us Fan Mail EP 011 | Mastering your Math Mindset : a conversation with math coach, Mona Lehl “I’m just not a math person” is a common expression, but have you ever wondered why? Chicago teacher & math specialist, Mona, shares how she shifted from being a math avoider -> math master! With 15 years of experience as a classroom teacher, Mona shares some insights from allowing her students...

Send us Fan Mail EP 010 | Finding the Right Fit : a Conversation with International Teacher, Greg Lemoine In the 10th episode of Making the Grade Podcast, Georgia and Christine connect with Greg, an international teacher who has over 20 years of experience. Avid scuba diver, technology guru, author…& most importantly, a teacher at heart. A fellow podcaster from Wisconsin, Greg is passionate in...

Send us Fan Mail EP 009 | Transatlantic Teaching: a Conversation with Transitioning High School Teacher, Aliya Scott From the UK to Indiana, Li has taught high school health and social care in London for 8 years in a prestigious cosmopolitan school. She has spent the last decade teaching culinary classes in inner city -> rural districts in the US for the last few years. In addition to her work...

Send us Fan Mail EP 008 | Side Hustles & Podcast Management: a Conversation with Learning & Development Specialist, Ethan Silva Tuning in from Texas for this episode, Georgia & Christine chat with Ethan, Making the Grade’s podcast launch manager & fellow educator. Ethan truly embodies the essence of a teacher - encouraging, knowledgeable, and always honing his skills. A self-descri...

Send us Fan Mail EP 007 | From the moment we connected with Locha, we could just feel her passion. After a decade in the classroom as an English Language Arts teacher, Locha realized that her goals for herself and how she wanted to impact the education world needed to shift. And she is now doing the work…bringing school communities together by having critical conversations about the diverse histor...

Send us Fan Mail EP 006 | Thinking Like a Teacher: a Conversation with Matt Foster Georgia & Christine are coming at you from Florida today in a really candid conversation with former principal turned curriculum designer, Matt. It’s clear why Matt was an effective educator & principal  - his story feels like listening to a really motivating TED Talk!  Matt shares how leaving the classroom...

Send us Fan Mail EP 005 | On this next episode of Making the Grade podcast, Georgia & Christine are back in the classroom talking to 1st-grade teacher of 10 years (& Georgia’s cousin!), Meghan. This episode really gets into it - as passionate as Meg is about what she does, she also gives her hot takes on the struggles she & other educators are facing as an educator, mom & individua...

Send us Fan Mail EP 004 | On this next episode of Making the Grade podcast, Georgia & Christine chat with transitioned teacher Kristen about her unique perspectives as a mom & educator who knows the importance of taking a step back (three times!) from the classroom to reflect & explore. Kristen’s journey is “bumpy” or not linear, and it’s a good reminder for all educators (& indivi...

Send us Fan Mail EP 003 | "I teach, what's your superpower?" This is a phrase that many of us have heard, or have maybe even seen on teacher-themed decor or a gift one of our students gives us during the holidays. When you hear it so often, it loses its meaning-- but on today's episode, Georgia and Christine are talking to Andrea, who seems to embody the phrase all on her own....