Mr. Clarke After Dark

In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Mark Hirschkorn to explore the evolving landscape of teacher education in Canada. We unpack the structure of various teacher preparation programs, the impact of practicum length and quality, and the challenges new educators face when trying to secure roles in their areas of specialization—especially in the wake of COVID-19. Mark shares valuable insights on how...

In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Richelle Marynowski to unpack the challenges and opportunities in math education today. We talk about the anxiety many teachers face—especially when they don’t feel confident explaining the “why” behind math concepts—and how that impacts both instruction and student confidence. Richelle shares strategies for making math more engaging and meaningful, from using...

In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Lori Desautels, a leading expert in the intersection of neuroscience and education, to explore how understanding the brain can reshape the way we teach, connect, and support students. We dive into the science of neuroplasticity, emotional regulation, and self-awareness, and how these elements are essential to building trauma-informed, student-centered classroom...

In this episode, I sit down with Durga Suresh Menon, the new Head of School at New England Innovation Academy (NEIA), to talk about what it means to truly reimagine education. Durga shares her unexpected transition from higher education into the world of secondary schooling, and how that shift has given her fresh insight into how we prepare students—not just for college, but for life. At NEIA, stu...

Brent Saccucci is an education professor with the University of Lethbridge. In this episode, I sit down with Brent Saccucci to talk about how mentorship, equity, and compassion shape us as educators, and why creating safe, inclusive spaces for students is at the heart of meaningful teaching. We dig into some of the big, often uncomfortable questions like how we handle controversial topics with car...

Melanie Brethour is the Founder of Decoding Dyslexia. A teacher for almost 20 years, Brethour’s engagement with dyslexia was sparked when her son was diagnosed with severe dyslexia in 2019.

Dr. Carrington is the founder and principal psychologist at Carrington & Company, she's written three best-selling books, speaks on hundreds of stages globally each year, and hosts the widely celebrated podcast UNLONELY. In this conversation, Dr. Jody Carrington discusses the critical role of connection and understanding in education, particularly in addressing loneliness and mental health...

Jessica Joelle Alexander is a world-renowned parenting expert and is the author of the global best-seller The Danish Way of Parenting. In this conversation, Jessica Joelle Alexander discusses the Danish way of parenting and education, highlighting the cultural influences that shape parenting styles. She emphasizes the importance of well-being, play-based learning, and the need for parents to foste...

Kelsie Marks is the Director of Career Transformation at Educated Exit, a company dedicated to helping educators successfully transition out of teaching and explore new career paths. In this episode, Kelsie and I discuss the mission of Educated Exit, the importance of recognizing transferable skills from an education degree, the various career paths available to former educators, whether teaching...

In this episode, I sit down with Bernii Godwin and dive deep into are you are a grocery store or a garbage dump, the wellbeing trap, working with divorced families, her horrible tutoring experience, and, much more. Connect with Bernii: https://godwinconsulting.com.au/ Purchase her book here: https://www.amazon.ca/Loving-our-Students-Purpose-Responsibility/dp/0988898462 Download the Luxy App here: ...

Dr. Poppy Gibson is an Author, Lecturer, and Professor in Education at The Open University, and is based out of the UK. On the episode, Poppy and I discuss baby gender experiments, her studies on social media use on those ages 8 to 11, discussing sexual relationships in an educational manner, suicidal ideation, unmet needs in our students, my first and only panic attack because of a presentation i...

In this episode, Kurtis Hewson and I dive into the Collaborative Response Model and discuss how establishing formalized meeting structures from the start can help avoid awkward confrontations. Throughout the essentials episode, we go into Breakspear sprints, how to formalize meetings to save time, the four layers of collaboration every school needs, how layering support meets the needs of more stu...

On this episode, hear Amy and I discuss her reading 93 books in a year, support structures, how she views her role as a curriculum leader, the value of long-term PL instead of one-off sessions, why ‘business models’ do not work when applied to education, removing all the desks from her classroom, looking at joy as a skill, digging your own rabbit holes, the messiness of intentionality, and, much m...

Martin Malone is a former educator and is best known for his work as a Personal Trainer for Teachers. In this conversation, Martin and I discuss how to create a structured routine as a teacher, people pleasing, why negative thoughts are important, why teachers should be the most successful in fitness, the peer pressure to let yourself go, food guilt, creatine, and, much more. Thank you for tuning...

Mandy Grass is a Board Certified Behaviour Analyst and hosts the popular social media parenting page @thefamilybehaviorist on Instagram. On this episode, Mandy and I discuss wholeheartedly supporting rewards for kids, the symptoms of ADHD, ADHD inattentive, visual schedules, rewards and reward negotiation, shaping adolescent behaviour, marrying the therapeutic and behavioural approach, replacement...

Cabrina (@cabrinascreativeclassroom) is a special education teacher in Virginia and is currently entering her seventh year in the profession. On this episode, Cabrina and I discuss Multi-Sensory Reading Instruction, gamifying her classroom, teaching in the ‘armpit’ of her school, the recent uptick in people hiring Educational Advocates and their presence in schools, the training (or lack thereof)...

George Couros is currently an Educational Consultant, author of several books including What Makes a Great Principal and has worked as both a Teacher and Administrator in Alberta, Canada for more than a decade. On this episode, we discuss why teachers only notice poor administrators, interviews gone wrong, how he handled being confronted by a new colleague, why people often say certain positions a...

In this episode, I sit down with Lily Donald, a Grade 12 student who also plans on pursuing education once she finishes high school. Our conversation dives into her transition into her final year of high school, me crying at a painting of Napoleon when we travelled together on an EF Tour, why sometimes it does matter what teacher you get, the importance she places on getting involved in school act...

In this episode, I discuss my embarrassing attempts at being present with my friend groups, how neuroscience PD has stalled and what is routinely available is not working and why this does not have to be a bad thing, why teachers lie about how busy they are, why new teachers want to be told what to do and how this helps everyone long-term, why self-interest in education should not be frowned upon,...

Teachers need to put themselves out there more. Teachers hide their expertise behind their classroom door because we have constantly been told nobody knows what they are doing and everyone feels too scared to share what they know.  Baptism by fire leaves everyone even more vulnerable to imposter syndrome and about imposter syndrome that actually holds you back.  New Teachers should actually be inv...

Kyle Harquail is currently a Teacher in Saint John, NB and is, most importantly, a dear friend. On the episode, Kyle and I discuss instances where students have defecated themselves in our classes, ways we used to kill time at boring jobs, times we got caught falling asleep at work, how Kyle almost went to culinary school and my physiotherapy plan, how I got rejected from university, Covid hit, an...

In this episode, I sit down with Hailey Chisholm—educator, tutor, and fellow Westwood survivor. Hailey and I talk mentorship, what the most common academic concerns parents have for their children and how we assess for them, how building student confidence can make or break a learning experience, why teachers never feel like they have their sh*t together, how to stop being a perfectionist within t...

In this episode, I share some personal stories about how family losses have shaped my perspective on life and the long game of this career. I talk about the hilarious and unique challenges of teaching middle school in the month of May—especially when it comes to classroom management and student behavior—my hate for reading fiction, and why understanding different educational systems can make us be...

In this episode, I sit down with Craig Randall, author of Trust-Based Observations: Maximizing Teaching and Learning Growth , to dive deep into the future of teacher evaluations and educational leadership. We explore why traditional teacher evaluation systems often fall short—and how building trust, fostering psychological safety, and focusing on strengths-based feedback can completely transform s...

Dr. Selena Fisk is a keynote speaker, author, and data storytelling expert who frequently consults both school districts and businesses on their data collection practices. In this episode, Selena and I dive deep into how schools can use data more meaningfully and humanely. Throughout our conversation, we discuss data-informed instruction, the dangers of misusing performance metrics, using data to...