Teach Me, Teacher

Hello everyone! Coming off fresh from my 2 hour episode with Eric Weinstein, I wanted to talk about behavior and better ways we can respond as teachers. To do so, I brought on the amazing Ms. Chyna, a behavioral special education teacher, otherwise known as @especiallysped on Instagram. In this talk, we set the stage for how we should be thinking about behavioral issues in the class, and then move...

When I started Teach Me, Teacher in 2016, I did so with the goal to talk to great educators in my building. Season 1 of the podcast was entirely made up of the teachers I knew, and a cheap USB mic I plugged into my Mac. Today, we have featured some of the top minds in education, such as Donalyn Miller, Kelly Gallagher, Hamish Brewer, Todd Whitaker, and Kim Bearden (among others.) To add to this li...

Hello everyone! Last week, Jesse Lubinsky joined me to discuss tech and the revolution it is having in education. If you missed that, check it out here. If you're all caught up, I can't wait for you to hear part 2! For people that follow me on social media or have listened extensively to the show, you might have heard me discuss my love of video games. In this episode, I get to nerd out a bit abou...

Hello everyone! Covid has made sure we are all intimately familiar with how to set up Zooms, use Google services, and operate the various learning management systems our districts have purchased. Many of us have been forced to learn how to reach students digitally, and some of us were prepared for this sudden shift to the digital world. Whether you are happy using tech, have become proficient duri...

Hello everyone! If you missed part 1 of my discussion with Amen Rahh, otherwise known as Principal Rahh on Instagram, you missed an amazing episode and need to check it out. In part 1, we took a hard look at equity and how it is at the root of many issues in education.  In part 2, we dive deeper and even examine how the language we use to discuss our students and schools can be at the heart of why...

Hello everyone! I don't know about you, but leadership has been on my mind a lot these past few weeks. It's as if there has been large events of some kind, putting the weight of leadership into perspective, but I can't quite figure out what... In any case! I am also feeling revolutionary and wanted to talk all things leadership and what it takes to make a difference, both as a principal and as a t...

Hello everyone! One of my goals of this podcast has been to reach out to as many areas of education as possible. I believe that the types of educators who spend their free time listening to a teacher podcast are the same types of educators who want to be informed on as many aspects of education as they can—especially if that knowledge will benefit their classroom. Today, we are looking at the deep...

Hello everyone! Educators DO A LOT to make sure kids get the content they need. They stay late to tutor. They craft lessons on the weekends and over breaks. They think and plan, and think and plan, and do it because it is all for the kids! One of my favorite educators modeling this right now is the wonderful CJ Reynolds, author of the fantastic book, Teach Your Class Off. In this episode we contin...

Hello everyone! Educators DO A LOT to make sure kids get the content they need. They stay late to tutor. They craft lessons on the weekends and over breaks. They think and plan, and think and plan, and do it because it is all for the kids! One of my favorite educators modeling this right now is the wonderful CJ Reynolds, author of the fantastic book, Teach Your Class Off. In this episode we talk a...

Hello everyone! Wait... didn't we already post an episode this week? YES WE DID... And you all let me know your thoughts on it. Lots of praise. Lots of criticism. Much more to discuss. Because I believe in the power of ideas and addressing them head on, I knew I couldn't just let the most contentious episode of the podcast go without part 2 for too long. A week felt like too much, especially when...

Hello everyone! Just this time a year ago, saying, "Schools should be open," and "Many kids are safest at school," would have gotten you retweets, likes, and applause. Today, however, it might get you flamed on social media or yelled at. Yes, we are in a pandemic. Yes, things are different because of this. But is the role of schools different? Are schools so non-essential we can just keep closing...

Hello everyone! After the success of the Teach Me, Teacher resolutions for 2020, I knew I had to have a follow-up for this year. And as promised, this is a bonus episode, meaning you will still get the regular scheduled Monday episode in just a few days! In the meantime, let's discuss where our minds should be going into this next year. There are 4 resolutions detailed in this episode, and they ar...

Hello everyone! Describing 2020 as BLEAK is an understatement. Thankfully, we have people like Gerry Dee looking to make it a little brighter. Gerry Dee is the star of his sitcom, Mr. D, about a gym teacher going through his experiences as an educator, and all eight of its seasons are now available on Amazon Prime!  Gerry joined me on the show to talk about his comedy, how his previous years as a...

Hello everyone! Last week we began talking about what new teachers could expect going into teaching this year, and in this episode, we dive even deeper and hit on some essential truths for ANYONE entering education. Maddie Fairchild, otherwise known as @Fairchildin5th on Instagram, joins me again to speak honestly about the challenges we face today, and ultimately, why it is all worth it. In this...

Hello everyone! It's about that time of year when new teachers start requesting episodes that deal with all starting out, and I have been hard at work gather the right people to talk about it with. First up is one of my favorite educators on Instagram, Maddie Fairchild, otherwise known as @Fairchildin5th on Instagram. Maddie is a 5th grade teacher who loves bonding with her students, letting them...

Hello everyone! Now more than ever, joy is something we, and our students, need. It seems like every time we turn around, there is more bad news, more terror, and more uncertainty in our world. So why not let the classroom be a joyous place? Why not let kids write for meaning, purpose, and fun, in our classrooms? Last week, we began our talk on the joyous writing workshop, but this week, we are di...

Hello everyone! Now more than ever, joy is something we, and our students, need. It seems like every time we turn around, there is more bad news, more terror, and more uncertainty in our world. So why not let the classroom be a joyous place? Why not let kids write for meaning, purpose, and fun, in our classrooms? To tell us that this is not only possible, but necessary, is one of my teaching inspi...

Hello everyone! If you have listened to the podcast for a significant amount of time, you have probably heard me talk about how my son is autistic. It has been a journey, for sure, but something that has been helpful along the way has been all of the great educators who have supported him and his needs. With that said, I couldn't be more excited to bring my talk with Melinda Arnost to you. She is...

Hello everyone! Coming off the heels of releasing Teach Me, Teachers' Top 10 Literacy Podcasts, here we are again with what is a 2 part episode destined to be added to the list! If you missed part 1, check it out here. Today I am joined by the Instagram phenomenon and professional development guru, Jen Jones (@hellojenjones), to discuss what young readers and writers really need to be successful i...

Hello everyone! Coming off the heels of releasing Teach Me, Teachers' Top 10 Literacy Podcasts, here we are again with what will be a 2 part episode destined to be added to the list! Today I am joined by the Instagram phenomenon and professional development guru, Jen Jones (@hellojenjones), to discuss what young readers and writers really need to be successful in our classes (and out!) In this epi...

Hello everyone! I am so excited for you to hear this episode. Not just because it's a great talk (and a deep one), but because it is a timely discussion about civil discourse, in a world where we can't (with good conscience) even allow kids to watch a presidential debate. If you missed part one, grab it here. But if you are here for part two of this fantastic talk, then buckle up—we are getting he...

Hello everyone! I am so excited for you to hear this episode. Not just because it's a great talk (and a deep one), but because it is a timely discussion about civil discourse, in a world where we can't (with good conscience) even allow kids to watch a presidential debate. But if we want the future to be better, we must not just teach students how to understand each other (especially when they disa...

Hello everyone! In the times of blended learning, distance learning, and just modern learning, technology is everywhere! Sometimes we are equipped to use it correctly, but often, the teachers are left to figure out the best way to use programs and devices in their classrooms on their own. If you missed part 1, you can listen here.  To help with this thinking, I have brought on Audrey Boklage, PhD....

Hello everyone! In the times of blended learning, distance learning, and just modern learning, technology is everywhere! Sometimes we are equipped to use it correctly, but often, the teachers are left to figure out the best way to use programs and devices in their classrooms on their own. To help with this thinking, I have brought on Audrey Boklage, PhD. Audrey's extensive knowledge and research o...

Hello everyone! Today, we are tackling some big and important topics. We are discussing the lives of our students, the importance of having a curriculum that shows that black lives matter, and asking, what we can do as educators to support black lives in the classroom. To have this discussion, I have brought on an educator who is relatively new in my world, but is quickly becoming one of my top vo...