New Teacher Talk

The Warm Demander Secret to Starting Your Year Strong Guest: Melissa Dudic, Director of Curriculum and Instruction, large suburban high school district In this episode, Melissa Dudic explains how three fundamental elements, present in every classroom whether teachers realize it or not, shape the culture for learning: time, routines, and relationships. She draws on resources including Creating Cult...

Classroom Management Part Two, Structure, Strictness, and Redirection Guest: Abby Bartle, fourth-year English teacher, Oswego High School, Oswego, Illinois In part two, Abby Bartle moves from big-picture classroom management into the daily habits and in-the-moment techniques that keep a classroom calm and focused. She emphasizes that classroom management is personal and that what works for one tea...

Classroom Management Starts on Day One, Not Later Guest: Abby Bartle, fourth-year English teacher, Oswego High School, Oswego, Illinois In this episode, Abby Bartle explains why classroom management can't be postponed while you settle into curriculum and school logistics. She makes the case for prevention over punishment and lays out a practical, proactive framework for the first weeks of school....

In this episode, Dr. Meg White explains why classroom setup is never just about aesthetics, it's a direct reflection of your educational philosophy. She walks through the difference between behaviorist and constructivist theory, teacher-centered versus student-centered classrooms, and what that means for how your room should actually be arranged. In this episode: Behaviorist theory (B.F. Skinner):...

The First Ten Days: The Procedures that Prevent Chaos Hosts: Dr. Beth Wilkins and Dr. Anna Quinzio-Zafran In this episode, Dr. Anna and Dr. Beth make the case that classroom management isn't about rules or discipline, it's about procedures. They break down exactly how to use the first ten days of school to build the routines that prevent chaos all year long. In this episode: Why the difference bet...

The season finale of New Teacher Talk delivers exactly what new and returning teachers crave heading into summer: a clear, confidence‑building plan that replaces overwhelm with strategy. Dr. Beth and Dr. Anna break down how to prepare for the school year with intention, from documenting your classroom space to designing management systems that actually work. Their message is simple and powerful —...

First-year teaching is a marathon disguised as a sprint. In this episode, first-year English teacher Isabel Wilde and department chair Amy Howerton get honest about what no one tells you before you step into your own classroom: the planning is relentless, the administrative tasks are endless, and the risk of burnout is real. Together they unpack practical strategies for protecting your time and yo...

At the heart of every new teacher's journey is a quiet question: Can I really do this? In this episode, Dr. Beth and Dr. Anna welcome Dr. Virginia Shank of Liberty University, whose research and mentoring work centers on what helps early-career educators feel capable, confident, and supported. Dr. Shank unpacks the concept of teacher self-efficacy in practical, classroom-level terms -- explaining...

What if professional development felt less like an obligation and more like a conversation? In this episode, Dr. Anna is joined by her 3NBCTs colleagues Maryellen Friel and Laura Mota Newmeyer, both National Board Certified Teachers, to talk about something teachers rarely get in their professional lives: the freedom to choose. Together, the three educators walk through the self-paced individual b...

May is a lot. You have spirit weeks, field trips, testing windows, and emotions all at once. But before you sprint to the finish line, there are five things that can help you close out the year with intention and set future-you up for success. In this episode, Anna and Beth walk you through a simple "What's Working" reflection, how to gather honest student feedback without a formal survey, what to...

What does it mean to teach with cultural intention, and how do you actually do it across every subject area? In this episode of New Teacher Talk, host Dr. Meg White explores the transformative framework of Windows, Mirrors, and Sliding Glass Doors, first introduced by Emily Style in 1988 and expanded by scholar Rudine Sims Bishop in 1990. This powerful lens helps teachers evaluate whether their cl...

What if the students who struggle most in your classroom are actually among your smartest? In this episode, Dr. Beth welcomes Faye Snodgress, an elementary teacher with a powerful framework for transforming classroom culture by changing the way students, and teachers,  think about intelligence. Faye opens with a question that will immediately resonate: who gets picked first on the playground depen...

What does it actually take to land a teaching job while you're still student teaching? In this episode our guest is Samantha "Sammi" Katschke, a Golden Apple Scholar and current student teacher who secured a K-5 General Music and District Band Director position at Chadwick-Milledgeville before finishing her program. Sammi shares four concrete strategies that made the difference: expanding your pro...

What if some of the behavior challenges in your classroom are being unintentionally triggered by you? Before you close this tab, this episode isn't about blame. It's about empowerment. In this candid episode of New Teacher Talk, Dr. Anna and Dr. Beth open with a personal confession: even experienced educators have moments where they don't show up as their best selves. What matters is what we learn...

April is here, and if you're feeling the weight of testing season, you are not alone. In this episode, Abigail Jarrett, a first-grade teacher from New York, brings warmth, wisdom, and practical strategies to help you navigate spring testing with confidence and intention. Abigail walks you through three core strategies for protecting your classroom culture when the testing environment threatens to...

What do you do when you are the entire department? In this episode, Dr. Beth sits down with Nicole Heaver, a STEM teacher at a fifth and sixth grade intermediate school in Ottawa, Illinois, who has spent the last seven years doing exactly that — building a program from the ground up, leading a virtual reality lab, and coaching a cross country team, all while navigating the unique challenges of wor...

Landing your first teaching job takes more than a great resume. In this episode, Amy Howerton, English teacher and department chair at Oswego High School, sits down with Isabel Wilde, a first-year English teacher she recently hired, to walk you through the entire teacher interview process from the inside out. Isabel shares what actually worked for her as a recent candidate, and Amy reveals what hi...

Every new teacher has felt it: that quiet voice whispering you're not ready, you don't belong here, everyone else has it figured out. That's imposter syndrome, and it's more common in teaching than almost any other profession. In this episode of New Teacher Talk, Dr. Alisa Ross, Interim Dean of University College and Student Success at Southern University and A&M College, offers new educators...

Dr. Ken King challenges a common classroom misconception: that motivated students will automatically learn. While motivation is essential, it must be paired with structured instructional strategies to produce meaningful learning outcomes. Ken explains that motivation directs behavior and sustains effort, but doesn't automatically result in mastery or conceptual understanding. Through a compelling...

Most teachers don't think of themselves as leaders, at least not yet. But according to Bill Curtin, Policy Director for TeachPlus Illinois and former National Board-Certified English teacher, leadership isn't something you earn after decades in the classroom. It's something you're already doing. In this episode of New Teacher Talk, Bill makes a compelling case that every teacher is a leader, becau...

What does it truly mean to feel heard, seen, and included in a school community? In this special episode of New Teacher Talk, Dr. Beth and Dr. Anna bring you a rich roundtable conversation recorded live at the sixth annual Building Inclusive Community Conference. Five educators, including a job coach, a special education teacher, a second-grade classroom teacher, a teacher and parent advocate, and...

Communicating with families is one of the areas where new teachers feel least confident, but it doesn't have to be. In this episode of New Teacher Talk, Dr. Beth and Dr. Anna use a March Madness basketball theme to explore what it really means to stay steady, focused, and prepared when it comes to parent communication. Drawing from their Parent Communication Guide (available as our Tuesday Teacher...

In this final episode of the four-part series on Redirecting and Managing Behavior, Dr. Anna wraps up with five big-picture strategies that can transform your classroom, especially on the hardest days. You'll learn why giving up is never the answer and what to do instead when a lesson falls apart, how front-loading tasks with explicit instructions prevents behavior problems before they start, and...

Jacqueline Sounhein, National Board Certified Teacher and director at the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, shares transformative strategies for creating meaningful assessments that move beyond standardized testing. Discover how to engage students in authentic, community-based learning experiences by connecting classroom skills to real-world problems students care about. Jaci out...

Stress is inevitable in teaching, but it doesn't have to run your life. In this episode, Dr. Anna and Dr. Beth welcome back Jolee Jones, Director of Organizational Development and Experiential Learning with Douglas County School District, for a follow-up to our most downloaded episode ever. Jolee brings practical, research-backed strategies to help early career educators recognize stress before it...