Teachers on Fire

ABIGAIL FRENCH is a mother of four, a teacher of sixth graders, an advocate of public education, and an explorer of the natural world in Woodstock, VA. In our conversation, Abby recalls the how and why behind the jaw-dropping snake capture video pinned to the top of her Twitter feed. She describes the challenges she experienced when she returned to the classroom after a long hiatus, and discusses...

Dr. DOUGLAS FISHER is a Professor of Educational Leadership at San Diego State University and a teacher leader at Health Sciences High & Middle College. He is a member of the California Reading Hall of Fame and is the recipient of an International Reading Association Celebrate Literacy Award, the Farmer award for excellence in writing from the National Council of Teachers of English, and the Chris...

VERNON WRIGHT is an education leader, administrator, speaker, host, editor, coach, and consultant. He’s a voice for the people, he pours into relationships, and he lives to serve, motivate, and inspire others in authentic ways. In our conversation, Vernon recalls a delicate situation of having to coach an administrator above him who was simply not visible and not a leader of action. He defines the...

DEANNA LOUGH is an English teacher, aspiring leader, kid Mom, puppy Mom, Mrs, theater lover, and lover of all things inspiring and positive. In our conversation, Deanna recalls a period in her career when she was pushed to the brink by the weight of her work. She talks about her passion for equity and inclusion and explains why it fuels her commitment to rethink assessment. She identifies a profes...

TREVOR MACKENZIE is a learner, teacher, speaker, consultant, and outdoor enthusiast. He is regarded by many as the preeminent voice on inquiry-based learning today, authoring Dive into Inquiry: Amplify Learning and Empower Student Voice ( https://amzn.to/33fGvZE) and co-authoring Inquiry Mindset: Nurturing the Dreams, Wonders, and Curiosities of Our Youngest Learners ( https://amzn.to/2JNgjhs) . I...

ANDREW AREVALO is an educator, speaker, innovator, and game designer with passions for blended learning, design thinking, and gamification. Andrew has his Master’s degree in education and has been recognized as a CUE Emerging Teacher. In our conversation, Andrew recalls the dilemma he faced when he realized that an exciting speaking opportunity would cost him a day’s pay. Looking back now on that...

TIFFANY OTT is a high school Math teacher, a Director of Curriculum Development with the Teach Better Team, and the founder of #MasteryChat. She’s also a co-author of the recently published book Teach Better, and she’ll be playing a big role to play in the upcoming Teach Better Conference! In our conversation, Tiffany recounts a time when she launched a teaching unit on mental health, only to find...

DR. WILL DEYAMPORT III is an edtech specialist, documentary producer, and the producer and host of the Dr. Will Show, a podcast for educators looking to improve their impact and increase their quality of life. In our conversation, Dr. Will describes a time when district budget cuts led him to believe that he would likely lose his job. He describes the mission of The Dr. Will Show, explains why edu...

LISA JOHNSON is an educator by day, blogger by night, and the author of Creatively Productive: Essential Skills for Tackling Time Wasters, Clearing the Clutter, and Succeeding in School—and Life! In our conversation, Lisa recalls the time she was challenged for curating education and technology resources on a personal blog. She unpacks the mission and vision of Creatively Productive, and she expla...

DR. JACIE MASLYK is an educator, speaker, and author at ISTE, SolutionTree, and Steam-makers.com. She’s an Assistant Superintendent for the Hopewell Area School District Aliquippa, PA, with a passion for #STEM education, makerspaces, literacy, leadership, and creativity in education. Dr. Jacie Maslyk is the author of several books, including ... STEAM Makers: Fostering Creativity and Innovation in...

NANCY FREY is a Professor of Educational Leadership and Literacy at San Diego State University and an instructor at Health Sciences High and Middle College. She has also authored or co-authored a number of books, including PLC+: Better Decisions and Greater Impact by Design. Nancy’s areas of expertise include common core implementation, the role of coaching in instructional improvement, text-depen...

In this special episode of the pod, long-time supporter of the podcast Bryon Carpenter takes over the microphone and interviews me, Tim Cavey, using the same questions I’ve used to interview my 99 previous guests. I share about the challenges of performing in front of students while my personal life was in turmoil, describe what is setting me on fire about education right now, and celebrate the en...

DAN KREINESS is an Instructional Coach at Norwalk Public Schools and a doctoral candidate at the American College of Education. He was also recognized as an ACSD Emerging Leader 2017 and is the host of the Leader of Learning podcast. In our conversation, Dan shares candidly about the friction he experienced in his last administrative position. He describes the mission and vision of the Leader of L...

CHRIS WOODS is a high school math teacher, STEM presenter, and host of the STEM Everyday podcast. Chris likes to remind his students and followers that STEM is everywhere around us … we just have to learn to recognize it. In our conversation, Chris shares transparently about the challenges of reaching every student in 9th grade. He explains why it’s so critical to cultivate curiosity and demonstra...

NINA PAK LUI has taught at the middle and high school levels and today she instructs pre-service teachers at the School of Education at Trinity Western University in Langley, BC, Canada. Nina views teaching as a sacred calling, and she’s dedicated to inspiring and equipping future teachers to be caring, competent, inclusive and reflective. She designs and facilitates meaningful learning experience...

JEFFERY FRIEDEN is a teacher, blogger, presenter, and podcaster. He enjoys connecting teachers and building professional relationships in order to intensify impact on learning. He is also the author of Make Them Process It: Uncovering New Value in the Writer's Notebook, published in 2017. In our conversation, Jeffery shares how and why he was bluntly called out by a neighboring teacher and explain...

JUSTIN BELT is a husband, father of five, and teacher of thousands! He’s an aspiring leader, innovator, musician, and he’s part of our great writing team over at the Teachers on Fire Magazine on Medium. Last but not least, Justin is the host and producer of The WHYcast, a podcast about finding and clarifying your WHY. In our conversation, Justin shares candidly about the challenges and importance...

JANELLE McLAUGHLIN is a keynote speaker, education consultant and strategist, and educational leadership coach. She is a former classroom teacher, district administrator, and high ability coordinator. She loves to learn, laugh, connect, and make completos! In our conversation, Janelle recalls the most difficult period in her education career. She describes her passion and vision for what professio...

JORGE VALENZUELA is both a graduate teaching assistant and doctoral student at Old Dominion University and the lead coach at Lifelong Learning Defined. He is a national faculty member of the Buck Institute for Education and a national teacher effectiveness coach for the Engineering by Design curriculum. His work is aimed at helping educators understand and implement computational thinking, compute...

SHANE LAWRENCE is a high school educator in Alberta, Canada who specializes in film studies but also teaches digital media and art courses at the 7th and 8th grade levels. Shane is the host and producer of The Ed Podcast. In our conversation, Shane shares candidly about how the extraordinary demands of a musical production once stretched him to a breaking point. He tells the origin story of The Ed...

LATEZEON BALENTINE is a mom of three boys, teacher, and founder of September Chances, Inc. - a nonprofit organization created to show the joy in reading and increase reading fluency and literacy. Latezeon is also a Donors Choose Teacher Ambassador, dog lover, an advocate for mental health awareness, and blogger. And she’s got a book on the way, stay tuned! In our conversation, Latezeon discusses t...