powerED Up

"I was able to align my head and my heart as a teacher." Those words of inspiration were one of many from Abby French, a middle school social studies teacher from Virginia. In our conversation with Abby, we learned how she works as a local advocate for her teachers and schools, creates passion and excitement in the classroom, and facilitates student-centered learning.  She finds ways to teach...

Dr. Tracy Scott Kelly went through every effort to record this podcast, the passion and enthusiasm are palpable from the moment it began.  He is a dedicated, relentless educator always striving to do his best for students.  He has made a career out of special education, whether it is a five-student or 25 student caseload he does everything necessary to see the success of those students.&...

Christopher Albrecht is a humble, committed, passionate, and inspirational educator for everyone to look up to. For 24 years Christopher has impacted countless lives of students and is committed to the betterment of his community.  As a community member himself, he serves as a role model for all.  Christopher shares his insight on how to make new teachers more successful and to prevent b...

Imagine walking into your child's fifth-grade classroom two days before the first day of school for an open house and seeing 30 desks and chairs in a pile. Ken Ehrmann's parents and children went through this very experience, and it was all by design.  Ken shares how he launched his year through a student-centered experience to completely immerse the students into the room.  The phrase "...

Casey Jakubowski is a passionate advocate for teacher well-being and preventing burnout. His desire to support new and veterans teachers come from a place of experiencing burnout himself.  He is a former high school civics teacher and has worked many years in the pre-service training of teachers. He provides motivation to grow as a teacher and actionable steps to do so. In This Episode We Cov...

Cara Bowerman is teaching and coaching her passions and influencing young adults to pursue the same. As a high school art teacher, Cara has the unique experience to work with students passionate about the content and interested in growing their own skills.  She doesn't assume this will create instant buy-in.  Cara works hard to develop real respect from her students and to promote an env...

Linda Rost is the 2020 Montana Teacher of the Year.  From the moment the podcast begins it is evident as to why she has earned those accolades.  The learning experiences she creates are all designed around one goal, to improve student learning. She provides students with the opportunity to redesign a local lake, and challenge the decisions made by the Department of Interior on endangered...

Connecting with a large group of students year after year is a teacher's highest priority but also a major challenge.  Stacie Lawler uses an open, authentic, and honest approach to accomplish such a task.  As a Health and P.E. teacher, Stacie wears many hats and one she has added to her collection is the daunting task of mental health.  In 2014, Stacie was faced with her own challen...

Creating lesson plans, how exciting! In pre-service education, most aspiring teachers will spend many classes and assignments designing lesson plans in different templates all to find out that every district has its own expectations for design and components.  If you are a ten-year teacher, do you even need to write lesson plans? Matt and Ken have very conflicting answers.  In this episo...

Creating an integrated wellness approach is so much more than "teaching gym class".  Bo Shappell shares the truth about physical education and the future of this class in public education.  Bo's approach is focused on improving the lives of his students and the way they think about themselves.  Bo shares how he is combining the curriculum of health with the movement of physical educ...

If it works for one, then it works for all.  Designing a learning space where students have real choices to fit their learning needs and modalities is a powerful environment to thrive.  Kyle Niemis shares how he combines Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and Flipped Learning to create an amazing learning culture.  The four-step process to supporting students in a choice-based lear...

Nick Snyder is a South Carolina Teacher of the Year turned administrator.  Nick dives deep into the story of "Mr. Snyder" highlighting his passions as a classroom teacher and what students valued most about his classroom. He shares his experience in both middle school and high school English. He provides a great perspective discussing his switch into administration, serving as the assistant p...

Summer break has finally arrived for all teachers around the country! This year tested the patience, willpower, and dedication of all teachers.  They stepped up and crushed it.  Summertime is about unplugging, relaxing, and recharging the batteries.  The summer of 2021 is going to be the most important time for teachers to do this.  Matt and Ken talk about their summer goals, s...

Kyle Bragg, the SHAPE America 2021 National Teacher of the Year, brings amazing ideas to all teachers in all content areas. He is an inspiration to students, a role model for teachers, and a positive voice in education. As an elementary physical education teacher, he creates a classroom dynamic that is engaging, empowering, and safe for all students. He focuses on praising the characteristics and...

Maggie McHugh is a middle school teacher from Wisconsin focused on project-based learning.  For some, PBL is a special week or one unit.  Not for Maggie, it is her class all day, every day.  Maggie demystifies PBL and provides the listeners with actionable steps towards how to build your students and yourself towards the capacity for PBL.  At the beginning of the show, we dive...

Elisabeth Bostwick is a former elementary classroom teacher, instructional coach, educational consultant, and published author.  She has an amazing perspective on inspiring creative, student-centered learning.  She provides actionable steps to develop these learning experiences in any classroom.   Some specific topics include:   Design loop Empathy Student voice/choice Integrat...

Cathy Koenig is Director of Student Services for Pequea Valley School District.  She has a diverse background of teaching as she worked her way to a high-level administration position.  Her diverse experience has provided her with insight and advice applicable to all K-12 educators, both regular education and special education.  She provides the audience with excellent strategies to...

As quoted by the host Ken Ehrmann, "effective classroom transition keep teachers hydrated".  When Matt and Ken sat down to tackle this conversation, it was supposed to be a quick brainstorm of what transitions look like and how they can best support effective teaching.  They weren't expecting it to go for 45 minutes, but the content is high-quality.  They discuss key strategies, way...

Zach has many unique perspectives through his educational journey translating into supportive and realistic expectations for teachers.  Zach moved from Ohio to South Carolina to teach South Carolina history! His strong work ethic and focus on relationships helped him build a strong foundation in the community as a teacher leader.  Zach transitioned into a role as a curriculum coach for h...

Stephanie brings passion, insight, and practical lesson ideas from the first question! The energy of this podcast is off the charts, and the lessons provide an equal punch.  Stephanie is an elementary teacher and differentiation coach.  She shines a much-needed light on the gifted population of students.  She provides amazing strategies for improving differentiation for the benefit...

Ryan has the special opportunity and tough responsibility of teaching his middle school students "leadership".  This broad topic is focused on social and emotional learning, character development, relationships, and really understanding themselves.  Ryan makes it obvious why this is one of the most important classes and experiences his students have.  These topics are so often treat...

Cindy Soule is the 2021 Maine Teacher of the Year.  It is quite obvious, from beginning to end, why she has earned those accolades.  She is focused on developing hard-working students, that care for themselves and others, and are ready to tackle real-world problems with grit.  One of her favorite messages to convey to other teachers is that "every teacher's superpower is belief in s...

Laura Boyd is an incredible Spanish teacher focused on creating the best experience for students.  She starts with a purposeful plan to establishing a positive rapport with each student and a welcoming community in her classroom.  It transitions into experiences where students are forced to use the language in restaurants and stores speaking only Spanish.  This is a must-listen for...

Lee Carlson will do anything to ensure his students, and all students in his district have a positive experience.  He will even drive the bus, seriously, he is driving the bus this year.  Lee is big on harnessing his own growth mindset and modeling it for students.  He shares specific lessons forcing students to harness a growth mindset to find success.

In this show, Matt and Ken compare their own personal approach to how they "train" their students on using technology tools in the classroom. Their personal approach could not be farther apart.  They both heavily utilize technology in the classroom.  Matt has a beginning of the year "boot camp" to whip his students into shape.  Ken has his trademarked "blended objectives" approach h...