Teachers on Fire

REBECCA GIBBONEY is a curriculum specialist at BLaST Intermediate Unit 17 in Williamsport, PA. She is also the author of The Tiebreaker:  A Scouting Report on Building a Culture of Gamification in Professional Learning. Rebecca is passionate about two things in life: education and sports, and she combines both passions in ways that benefit educators. FOLLOW Rebecca On Twitter @GibboneyRebecca ( ht...

My interviews with educators on the Teachers on Fire podcast are simply conversations that could be enjoyed between two professionals over a phone call. But instead, they’re being heard thousands of times by educators everywhere. And perhaps that is the simplest way to summarize the contrast between synchronous and asynchronous learning: an in-person exchange versus one that is recorded, saved, an...

BRUCE REICHER is a dad, husband, author, technology teacher, sportscaster, state presenter, and Google Certified Educator. He is also an edtech master and has certifications from Brainpop, Wevideo, Wakelet, and other platforms. Bruce is a co-author of Scripted: An Educator’s Guide to Media in the Classroom, which is set for release on August 11, 2020. This episode is sponsored by PHIDGETS. Get you...

What might it look like if as a professional learning community, we took ten minutes out of every week to answer these questions from the context of our professional practice and shared our results with each other? 1. What are you currently learning about professionally? What problem are you wrestling with in your practice? Which skills are you trying to master? 2. How is that learning going? How...

PAWAN WANDER, or “Pav,” as she is known around Twitter, is a middle school math and science teacher in Toronto, a co-host of The Staff Room Podcast (@StaffPodcast), and a co-host of The Drive with Chey and Pav, a real-time radio show for educators. FOLLOW Pav … On Twitter @PavWander ( https://twitter.com/PavWander) On Instagram @___pav___ ( https://www.instagram.com/___pav___/) On The Staff Room P...

To help educators think strategically about moving from surviving to thriving, Grace Voo (@GraceLoVoo) put together a beautiful graphic that illustrates 50 Strategies to Move from Surviving to Thriving. Inspired by her collage, I’ve decided to share some of the ways that I intend to restore my soul and bring back my fire this summer. Welcome to SPARKS: mini-segments intended to spark your thinking...

DR. FRANCOIS NAUDE is an award-winning teacher, education engineer, co-founder of the Work Integrated Learning tracker, speaker, presenter, author, podcaster, consultant, mentor, entrepreneur, and Crossfit fan. FOLLOW Francois … On Twitter @Super_Teacher_F ( https://twitter.com/Super_Teacher_F) On Instagram @Super_Teacher_F ( https://www.instagram.com/super_teacher_f/) On Facebook at Super Teacher...

I’ve taught in schools in four cities. In each context, the student populations have been majority non-white while the staff populations have been majority white. Take my two stepsons, for example. They are finishing tenth and eighth grade. Their father is white and their mother is Filipino, although to see them you might assume that they are not white at all. Yesterday I asked them if they have e...

MIKE WASHBURN is a Microsoft in Education expert, the Director of Engagement at @Participate, co-host of the fabulous @OnEducationPod, and the co-founder of the @OnPodcastMedia podcast network. When you visit Mike’s website you encounter this phrase: Passionately Educating, Constantly Learning - and that really summarizes Mike’s whole attitude and approach to education. FOLLOW Mike … On Twitter @M...

Recently a friend reached out to me with a question. “I’m thinking of becoming a teacher,” he shared. “What do you think?” I’m 41, and I’ve been teaching for 19 years, so I have a pretty good sense of this profession. But education looks different for everyone. The stakes are high in this field. It takes a lot to get into teaching, and it takes even more to stay in. And the stakes are even higher...

EVAN WHITEHEAD is a school district administrator, national consultant for the Aha Process, and an advocate for equity, mental health, mindfulness, and the UN sustainable development goals in education. FOLLOW Evan … On Twitter @EvanWhitehead00 ( https://twitter.com/EvanWhitehead00) On Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/evan.whitehead.794 On at the Aha Process at https://www.ahaprocess.com/ Visi...

Back in the normal classroom, I seat students in groups because it’s in their engagement, their interaction, their support of each other’s work that they develop the 5 Cs each and every day. They learn to communicate effectively. They learn to collaborate and negotiate. They learn to critique each other’s work kindly, helpfully, and respectfully. Their creativity inspires their neighbors and their...

SHANNON SCHINKEL is an inclusive BC high school drama teacher, progressive assessment maker, part time actor, blogger, and reader. She is also the creator and administrator of two Facebook groups called Beyond Report Cards and Humanities Zone on Facebook. Follow Shannon on Twitter @DramaQueenBRC, on her blog at https://mygrowthmindset.home.blog/ , and on her Facebook group, Beyond Report Cards. FO...

Drawing boundaries with our time isn’t easy, and I’ll admit that there are ebbs and flows in the course of the school year. But I believe it’s essential, because Parkinson’s Law is a thing. Give this work more time, and it will take it. I’ve learned to draw boundaries instead. I’ve learned to pursue some personal passions. And the result? I’ve gone from burnout to a teacher on fire. For your sake...

ANDREA FERRERO brings over a decade of experience in teaching and learning, curriculum and program development, and community capacity building together to design award winning educational programs and digital products. She holds a teaching credential in PreK-12th grade multiple subjects and two Master’s degrees in Educational Leadership and Curriculum & Instruction with Multicultural Contexts. Le...

Teaching is partly about loving kids enough to empower them. It’s about teaching them how to fish instead of just tossing them more fish. And in the remote learning environment, there’s never been a better time for students to learn how to learn. To use their own brains. Educators are all tech people. We’re all on a journey of learning right now. And now, more than ever, we need to learn how to le...

RABBI MICHAEL COHEN is a designer, educator, creativity instigator, podcaster, YouTuber, speaker, and an Apple Distinguished Educator. He’s also the Director of Innovation at Yeshiva University of Los Angeles Boys High School and the author of Educated by Design: Designing the Space to Experiment, Explore, and Extract Your Creative Potential. FOLLOW The Tech Rabbi … On Twitter @TheTechRabbi (twitt...

9 Ways That Corona Will Improve K-12 Education: 1. Improved responses to learning inequities. 2. Increased attention to the social-emotional needs of learners. 3. Refined assessment practices. 4. Increased emphasis on skills over content. 5. Greater investment in asynchronous teaching practices. 6. Increased reliance on horizontal sharing and learning in community. 7. A clarified vision of teacher...

DR. ANNMARIE THOMAS is the director of the Playful Learning Lab, creator of Squishy Circuits, author of Making Makers, co-founder of OK Go Sandbox (co-PI), and a professor of Engineering and Entrepreneurship at the University of St. Thomas. Dr. AnnMarie has also given a number of TED Talks and was the 2020 recipient of the international LEGO prize. Follow AnnMarie … On Twitter @amptMN ( https://tw...

Featured in this episode: routines that are working, apps that are crushing, and questions I’m left with. Welcome to SPARKS: mini-segments intended to spark your thinking and ignite your practice. These short episodes are based on my written reflections, which you can find on the Teachers on Fire Magazine at Medium.com. Read the blog post featured in this episode at https://medium.com/teachers-on-...

ELENA AGUILAR is an accomplished presenter, speaker, and author. She strives to help leaders learn, be their best selves, and serve students well. In 2018, Elena published Onward: Cultivating Emotional Resilience in Educators, and she will soon release Coaching for Equity: Conversations That Change Practice. Follow Elena … On Twitter @BrightMorningTM ( https://twitter.com/brightmorningtm) On Insta...

As educators, we will do what we can during this crisis. We will acknowledge the shape of our sadness. And we will love kids. We will serve parents. We will support each other. Where we find problems, we will form solutions. Where we lack resources, we will improvise. Where we need to change strategies, we will innovate. It won’t look perfect, but it will be our best. And in the struggle that our...

EVO HANNAN is an educator, education leader, freelance designer, and speaker. He is passionate about promoting confidence in students through innovation and agency. You’ll find him on Twitter at the hashtags #Agents4Agency and #CrazyPLN. Follow Evo … On Twitter @Evo_Hannan ( https://twitter.com/Evo_Hannan) On Instagram @Project. Decade ( https://www.instagram.com/project.decade/) On his blog at ht...

EVO HANNAN is an educator, education leader, freelance designer, and speaker. He is passionate about promoting confidence in students through innovation and agency. You’ll find him on Twitter at the hashtags #Agents4Agency and #CrazyPLN. Follow Evo … On Twitter @Evo_Hannan ( https://twitter.com/Evo_Hannan) On Instagram @Project. Decade ( https://www.instagram.com/project.decade/) On his blog at ht...

We are facing unprecedented challenges, but there is still much to be thankful for and much to look forward to. With remote learning around the corner, listen to the letter I wrote to the parents of my 28 8th graders today. Welcome to SPARKS: mini-segments intended to spark your thinking and ignite your practice. These short episodes are based on my written reflections, which you can find on the T...