New Teacher Talk

In this essential episode of the New Teacher Talk podcast, Dr. Anna delivers part three of her comprehensive four-part series on classroom behavior management, focusing on five transformative strategies that address the most common challenges faced by new and early-career teachers. Discover how to establish effective routines that serve as the "invisible scaffolding" of your classroom, moving beyo...

Join us for a powerful episode with Bianca Tolentino, a ninth grade English teacher from Southern California, who shares her transformative approach to addressing student behavior through love-centered accountability. Bianca presents the "Speak Up at School" framework from Learning for Justice, offering practical strategies for handling everything from behavioral redirections to serious issues lik...

This episode tackles one of the most common and frustrating challenges teachers face: maintaining the positive classroom culture you worked so hard to establish after the honeymoon period ends. The good news? This is completely normal, predictable, and fixable with the right strategies. Dr. Anna introduces three foundational commitments that will anchor your approach: keeping expectations high, ma...

In this essential episode for new and experienced teachers alike, assistant principal and Nationally Board Certified Teacher Dion Copeland shares his transformative journey from a new teacher who didn't understand union benefits to an active union leader who has leveraged these opportunities throughout his entire career. Dion breaks down exactly why union membership matters, emphasizing that it ex...

Series:  1 of 3 - Reading and Highlighting are the Best Study Methods In this game-changing episode for teachers and students, Dr. Ken King, education professor at Aurora University, dismantles common study myths and shares research-backed strategies that dramatically improve long-term learning and retention. Ken begins with a surprising revelation: highlighting and rereading, two of the most popu...

What do you do when a student tells you "I hate school and there ain't nothing you can do to change that"? For Kim Radostits, 2022 Illinois Teacher of the Year, this moment became a turning point that transformed her entire approach to teaching. In this episode of New Teacher Talk, Kim shares the ARCS Model of Motivation: a practical framework that changed her classroom practice and can revolution...

Every teacher faces the same critical challenge: what do you do when students get off task? In this essential episode of New Teacher Talk, Dr. Anna delivers a masterclass on effective behavior redirection strategies that will fundamentally change how you approach classroom management. Whether you're navigating your first year of teaching or looking to refine your practice, this episode provides th...

Made it through your first semester of teaching? Congratulations! That's a huge milestone! Now it's time to shift from survival mode to intentional growth. In this episode of New Teacher Talk, Dr. Anna and Dr. Beth share three critical mindset shifts that will transform your second semester experience. Instead of starting over or trying to fix everything at once, discover how to build strategicall...

Join Dr. Beth and a community of dedicated educators on "New Teacher Talk" as they share essential strategies for making the most of your holiday break. In this timely episode, early career teachers learn how to truly recharge, set boundaries, and avoid burnout during the winter holidays. Featuring insights from over a dozen teachers across diverse educational settings, from preschool to community...

Teacher Wellbeing Isn't Selfish—It's Essential In this powerful episode, Dr. Jameelah Wright, teacher education professor at William Paterson University, challenges the culture of teacher martyrdom and offers a transformative perspective on educator wellbeing. If you've ever felt guilty about leaving school on time, saying no to extra committees, or taking time for yourself, this conversation is f...

December in the classroom can feel like navigating a perfect storm of holiday chaos, disrupted routines, and heightened emotions: for both students and teachers. In this essential episode of New Teacher Talk, Dr. Anna and Dr. Beth tackle the unique challenges of teaching through the holidays with practical, compassionate strategies that will help you not just survive, but actually thrive during th...

In this heartfelt Thanksgiving week episode, Dr. Beth offers a much-needed moment of recognition for the countless ways teachers show up every day, even when that work goes unnoticed and unacknowledged. If you've made it through parent-teacher conferences, handled classroom disruptions with grace, or kept your cool when the copier jammed at the worst possible moment, this episode is for you. Dr. B...

Join us for a powerful conversation with Cecily Relucio, founder and co-director of Umuwi Ethnic Studies, as she shares transformative strategies for teaching honest history through an anti-racist, community-centered lens. In this episode, Cecily opens up about her personal journey with Ethnic Studies as a daughter of Filipino immigrants and explains how reclaiming her identity led to understandin...

Join us as high school US history teacher David Atkins shares an innovative and adaptable teaching strategy that's transforming how students make connections across curriculum. In this episode, David introduces hexagonal thinking, a hands-on activity where students arrange hexagon-shaped cards with concepts written on them, explaining the relationships between ideas as they connect. What makes thi...

Join Ken King, education professor at Aurora University, as he explores the transformative power of peer tutoring in elementary and middle school classrooms. This episode provides aspiring and early career teachers with research-based strategies and practical implementation tips for making peer tutoring work in any classroom. Ken breaks down peer tutoring into an accessible framework covering four...

Join us for a transformative conversation with Helene Alalouf, an instructional coach with 32 years of classroom experience and professor at Touro University, as she introduces the Learner Variability Navigator (LVN)—a powerful, free open-source tool from Digital Promise that's changing how teachers approach differentiated instruction. Helene shares her pivotal moment when a principal challenged h...

Join us for an inspiring conversation with Becky Weiler (5th and 6th grade band and general music at Central Intermediate School) and Martin Czernicki (7th and 8th grade band at Shepherd Middle School), both from Ottawa, Illinois, as they reveal the transformative benefits of music education that extend far beyond academic achievement. While the cognitive advantages of music education are well-doc...

Hitting the November Wall? You're Not Alone. Join Drs. Beth and Anna on New Teacher Talk as they tackle one of the most challenging periods for early career educators: the November wall. If you're feeling exhausted, isolated, or questioning whether you're cut out for teaching, this episode is for you. Discover why that initial excitement from August has faded, why your support systems seem quieter...

Feeling overwhelmed in your first year of teaching? You're not alone. In this essential episode of New Teacher Talk, fifth-grade teacher Samar Abousalem shares honest insights from her own challenging first year and reveals the game-changing strategy that transformed her second year: asking for help. Samar gets real about the exhaustion, self-doubt, and impossible expectations that nearly broke he...

Join us for an illuminating conversation with Dr. Vicki Phelps, Executive Director and Head of School at Quest Academy in Palatine, Illinois, as she explores the multifaceted approach to talent development in educational settings. Drawing on Gagné's Differentiating Model of Giftedness and Talent, Dr. Phelps takes educators beyond traditional classroom strategies to examine the powerful catalysts t...

Feeling isolated as a new teacher? Middle grades educator Jessica Smith shares her proven three-step system for finding the right mentors and building a support network that actually works. In this episode, you'll discover the "mentorship map" framework that identifies four essential mentor types every teacher needs, learn the FAST test for vetting potential mentors, and get a word-for-word outrea...

Join us for an eye-opening conversation with Benita Gordon, founder of Global Education Concierge and veteran educator with over 26 years of classroom experience. In this episode, Benita reveals what university programs often miss and introduces her transformative R-E-A-L framework for new teacher success. Discover how to build meaningful Relationships that go beyond surface-level interactions usi...

Join us for an inspiring conversation with Josh Amstutz, a high school math teacher from Cincinnati, Ohio, who discovered how to break out of survival mode and maximize professional growth opportunities. After participating in the transformative Transatlantic Outreach Program in Germany, Josh faced a common challenge: how to organize and actually use all the valuable information he'd collected. Hi...

2 of 3 in Series Ready to revolutionize how you handle student mistakes? Join us as education professor Ken King from Aurora University shares game-changing strategies for transforming those "wrong" answers into powerful learning moments! This is another episode in Dr. King’s series on brain-based teaching. Discover why students get frustrated with mistakes and learn the fascinating brain science...

Transform your classroom discussions with the power of pause! Join Dr. Monica Boehle, Associate Director of Curriculum and former social studies teacher, as she explores "wait time",  the simple yet revolutionary 3-5 second pause that can dramatically improve student engagement and learning outcomes. Discover why this research-backed practice, proven effective since the 1970s, is often overlooked...