Teacher Edition Podcast

“We have feelings and perspectives, and therefore, we need to be Spirit led.” – Travis Moots Whether you are struggling with burnout at the moment or know someone who is, this episode is for you. If you are currently thinking and feeling, “I just can’t do this anymore,” Jenny has an encouraging guest for you — Travis Moots. Travis has served in Christian education for many years and is currently s...

“Culture is everything. If your culture is not right, nothing else is going to be right. You can have the best curriculum; you can have the best facilities, but if your culture is toxic, people are not going to want to be there.” — Delana Carter   Culture is a huge component of every school. There can be a huge variety of climates — from a disorganized or less-than-welcoming school to a very conne...

“We are a quick-fix society, and perseverance is suffering.” – Jonathan Williams  “Grief is a process. Some days there are small grief moments, and some days are big grief moments.” – Jonathan Williams   Gratitude is a common theme this time of year in classrooms, families, and churches. While it is wonderful to have a dedicated month focusing on gratitude, it is something we need to focus on all...

“God has given us built-in senses to help us learn the world around us.” — Jamie Meachum “You have all different types of learners, and it might just be the thing for one of those learners that makes something click for them.” — Jamie Meachum   Master teachers do a great job of cross-subject connections. In this episode, we explore the world of science — but not just limited to science class. Jenn...

“We have held Christianity back in the public square for too long.” — Ben Schettler Recently there have been a number of impacting events—events that have hit close to home and bear on the work educators do every day. The tragic killing of Charlie Kirk is one which particularly hits hard. Jenny sits down with former guest and host of The Biblical Worldview Podcast, Ben Schettler, who had a connect...

 “You can’t be anything you want to be; you can be anything God wants you to be. You can be more of who God created you to be.” – Rebecca Weier   Many teachers have heard the question from students, “What’s the point?” Rebecca Weier, a teacher with more than thirty years of experience, joins Jenny on the podcast to help connect the dots between daily school work and their futures. Rebecca has a pa...

“Don’t replace tasks that make you think or make your students think. Thinking is a good thing, and we don't want to replace that. Don’t replace the human connection. This is how God made us.” –Jenny Copeland  The thing about AI is that it may just highlight what we as human teachers CAN do. AI needs teachers. Only educators can bring certain elements to the table. We can use it to be transformati...

How do you assess when answers are readily available for students via AI? How can you detect whether a student has used AI on their assignments? Jenny challenges educators to stop chasing AI detection tools and instead redesign assessments that naturally resist misuse.   In this episode, Jenny reminds educators to remember the why behind assessments. Are we grading for growth or just filling grade...

“In 2024, 66 percent of students reported using AI in some form for their studies. In 2025, 92 percent of students are reporting that they use AI in their studies. A 26 percent jump in usage in one year!” — Jenny Copeland   Are students using AI? How are students using AI? What tools are most popular? Jenny answers these questions with some eye-opening statistics about student AI usage and reveals...

“Think of these AI tools as super excited, exuberant, ready-to-help student teachers or interns. They’re right there, ready to help.” – Jenny Copeland   On this episode of Teacher Edition in our Cyber Sense series, Jenny gives us a high flyover view of various AI tools to help educators navigate the overwhelming landscape of options available today. Jenny shares three main ground rules for choosin...

“The prompt is the key. That’s how you get where you’re going. That’s how you get to the endpoint that you’re looking for.” – Jenny Copeland Have you ever been around a great baker or cook? They intuitively know how to tweak a recipe so the end product comes out just right. Jenny explains how this applies to AI and reveals the most important aspect of using AI effectively: the prompt.     The prom...

 “You are the moral checkpoint, and that’s where we cannot hand that off to AI.” – Jenny Copeland    “Think of it like an intern. AI is here to help.” – Jenny Copeland    What can AI do for you as an educator or as an administrator? And what are some cautions around AI? In this episode, Jenny answers these important questions and shares many practical ways you can implement AI within the classroom...

“AI is an assistant. It’s not the final product. See AI as a partner, not a solution. It’s a starting point. It’s not the end point.” – Jenny Copeland   Generative AI is here to stay, so what do we do as educators? How do we take advantage of this tool and switch our mindset around it?  In this episode, Jenny debunks some common AI myths and misconceptions that may be holding educators back from e...

“Someone once said, ‘We fear things in proportion to our ignorance of them…. People fear what they don't understand and hate what they can't conquer.’” – Jenny Copeland Have you been curious about generative AI? This month, Jenny sits down to clear the fog around this hot topic in the world and more specifically within education. We as educators know AI can feel overwhelming. You are not alone. Th...

“Learning is a social experience and it always will be. Educators in Christian education know this better than anyone. They understand that education is not about knowledge transfer. Education is about student formation.” – Josh Thomason The arrival of generative AI has sent education into chaos. While schools scramble to ban ChatGPT or train teachers to become prompt engineers, two Christian educ...

“We need to be teaching every subject in reading as well as teaching reading in every subject.” – Rachel Santopietro Reading affects everything. When students struggle academically, the issue often traces back to reading comprehension. But what if everything you thought you knew about teaching reading was only half the picture? Rachel Santopietro returns to the Teacher Edition Podcast to unpack th...

“We declare the glory of God by being made in His own image and by living out the commands of the creation mandate. And the creation mandate is a call to work.” – Bryan Smith   What if the key to transforming both your teaching and your students’ attitudes toward learning was hidden in plain sight?  Bryan Smith, longtime Christian educator and biblical worldview expert, challenges educators to red...

“The best way to teach someone how to have helpful cell phone use is by first learning how to function without it .... They really will struggle to know how to be apart from it in a way that’s meaningful in any environment that they’re in.” – Cody Lehman   Most educators have experienced the struggle to keep students’ attention due to personal devices. But what happens when a school moves beyond m...

“How do we deal with parents that might have good intentions but they are overly interested in what's going on? And how do you deal with parents that feel that their kid isn't getting a fair shake in your classroom?” – Dr. Renton Rathbun   “Your work as a teacher is to mentor these parents to become partners." – Dr. Renton Rathbun Teaching would be great if there were no ... what? While hopefully...

“I challenge our listeners today to write down one or two things they can take action on as we give these ideas on the show, so they will really make it happen in their classroom and not just keep a list of it somewhere and not use it.” — Katie Klipp   School is back in session, and one of the biggest challenges teachers face is getting meaningful participation from all students, not just the eage...

"People first. Machine second. Remember that people are the currency of the kingdom of heaven. The person that you're supporting is more important than finishing the task." – Corey Cline Everyone loves technology as long as it is working. When technology fails in the classroom, there’s no time for troubleshooting while students wait. That’s why having the right technology support is vital for scho...

In Part Two of this conversation on school choice, Jenny and our three expert guests dive deeper into the practical realities of implementing and managing school choice programs in Christian schools. From operational changes to wish lists for improvement, this episode reveals the behind-the-scenes work required to successfully navigate school choice while maintaining Christian mission and identity...

School choice is transforming Christian education across America, but is it a blessing or a burden? This episode of the Teacher Edition podcast brings together three seasoned educators to discuss the real impact of school choice programs from national, state, and local perspectives. Jenny sits down with Dr. Jeff Walton (Executive Director of American Association of Christian Schools) who provides...

“I remember saying several times as I walked around the public school... ‘I thank you, God, that the name of Jesus is going to be spoken again in these halls.’ And one day as I was walking around the school, I felt a strong sense in my heart that I need to do something more than pray about this.” – Amber Hudson “At my other school, I couldn’t talk about God. I couldn’t, we couldn’t learn about God...

In Part Two, Jenny and Lauren tackle the practical implementation of gifted education programs. Many assume Christian schools are already challenging enough, or that skilled teachers can differentiate for all students. But even the most talented educators need support when serving truly gifted learners. This episode addresses real-world questions:  How do you structure actual instruction?  What do...