Teachers on Fire

→ How did today’s guest go from high school dropout to PhD, and what can we learn from his story? → How can we shift our focus from merely managing behavior to truly captivating our students? → What is the first step educators must take to reverse the burnout cycle? Welcome back to the Teachers on Fire Podcast, airing live on YouTube most Saturday mornings at 8am Pacific, 11am Eastern. My name is...

→ How did a Virginia school principal help to merge two rival schools into one? → How can we build positive school culture during times of change and transition? → How can we translate our school mission and values into meaningful daily practices? Timestamps from This Episode 0:00:00 - Derek Cantrell was named the 2026 Outstanding Principal of Virginia 1:45 - The story of the merger in Better Toge...

→ How do needs, values, goals, and strengths reframe how we motivate and engage learners? → What are the things that actually drain motivation for students in the classroom and at home? → How can teachers build better Regulation, Resources, and Relationships for students in their classrooms? Welcome back to the Teachers on Fire Podcast, airing live on YouTube most Saturday mornings at 8am Pacific,...

→ Why is curiosity foundational to everything that happens in the classroom? → How can simple micro-inquiry tasks at the beginning of a lesson set up direct instruction to follow? → How can teachers use AI as a collaborative thought partner to amplify student thinking? Welcome back to the Teachers on Fire Podcast, airing live on YouTube most Saturday mornings at 8am Pacific, 11am Eastern. My name...

→ How can relational leadership transform your school community? → How can we encourage colleagues overwhelmed by fatigue, culture wars, or literacy battles? → As technology debates rage, where is the conversation going in K-12 education? Today’s Teacher on Fire is Dr. Brad Johnson. Dr. Johnson is an internationally recognized speaker, bestselling author, and one of the leading voices in relationa...

→ What are the seven steps to school success? → What are the most common distractions school leaders face? → How can we build schools that give our graduates the kinds of skills that actually have career-ready value in tomorrow’s marketplace? Welcome back to the Teachers on Fire Podcast, airing live on YouTube most Saturday mornings at 8am Pacific, 11am Eastern. My name is Tim Cavey, and my missio...

→ How can education podcasting impact professional growth over time? → What is the single most dangerous misconception schools are making about artificial intelligence right now? → How can design thinking prepare secondary students for a complex, uncertain, technology-driven future? Welcome back to the Teachers on Fire Podcast, airing live on YouTube most Saturday mornings at 8am Pacific, 11am Eas...

→ How can we improve the effectiveness of the questions we ask in the classroom? → What’s a better way to respond the next time we get the classic “I don’t know”? → What does collecting actionable microdata look like during a live lesson? Welcome back to the Teachers on Fire Podcast, airing live on YouTube most Saturday mornings at 8am Pacific, 11am Eastern. My name is Tim Cavey, and my mission he...

→ What is the single most rewarding aspect of international teaching? → For educators considering an international leap in their teaching career, what are the most crucial factors to consider? → What is the most common mistake teachers make when interviewing for an international teaching contract? Welcome back to the Teachers on Fire Podcast, airing live on YouTube most Saturday mornings at 8am Pa...

→ How do traditional grading systems quietly undermine deep learning? → How can teachers shift assessment paradigms without burning out? → What steps can administrative teams take to genuinely support their staff? About Danielle Paloposki Danielle is an educator and former school administrator with extensive experience as a classroom teacher and middle level leader, specializing in standards align...

→ Which foundational money concepts do our students struggle with the most? → Why do states and districts continue to downplay the importance of financial literacy in our curricular standards? → What is one practical way for teachers to build financial literacy in their classrooms on Monday morning? Welcome back to the Teachers on Fire Podcast, airing live on YouTube most Saturday mornings at 8am...

→ How can we build literacy skills and environmental stewardship at the same time? → What is the Everglades Foundation Literacy Program, and what resources do they offer classroom teachers? → What is Everglades Ecoquest, and how can educators use this web-based platform to bring interactive, gamified learning to their students? Welcome back to the Teachers on Fire Podcast, airing live on YouTube m...

How can teachers challenge their gifted learners without burning out? How we spot high-ability learners who might be masking their abilities in the classroom? How can we make sure our choice boards don’t just become busywork? Welcome back to another episode of the Teachers on Fire Podcast, airing live on YouTube most Saturday mornings at 8am Pacific, 11am Eastern. My name is Tim Cavey, and my miss...

→ What are executive functions, and why do they matter? → What are the differences between core and higher order executive functions? → How can we tweak the physical and acoustic environment of our classrooms to support all learners? Welcome back to another episode of the Teachers on Fire Podcast, airing live on YouTube most Saturday mornings at 8am Pacific, 11am Eastern. My name is Tim Cavey, and...

→ How can an education podcast impact personal growth and professional practice? → Is there still room for more education content creators today? → How do two veteran educators view today’s educational landscape? About These Guests Today’s Teachers on Fire are Martin Stuible and Roy Hunt, hosts of the After the Bell podcast. Martin Stuible is deep into his third chapter of life with his creative c...

→ How can educators model healthy skepticism while also being brokers of hope regarding AI tools? → What practical boundaries can we set so our students don't outsource their critical thinking to algorithms? → With all that is going on in education and politics, how can we preserve cultures of joy in today's classrooms? About This Guest Dean Shareski is a Senior Partnership Consultant with...

→ What does recess look like if it is as safe as necessary but not as safe as possible? → What are the links between the decline of independent, risky play and the rise in student anxiety? → How do we distinguish between healthy 'rough-and-tumble’ play and actual aggression? Today’s Teachers on Fire are Dr. Mariana Brussoni and Dr. Megan Zeni, the authors of the recently published Embracing Ri...

→ Is it still possible to engage productively as a teacher on social media? → What do our students risk losing when they lean into AI tools and strategies? → What can be gained by bringing student writing to authentic audiences? Welcome back to another episode of the Teachers on Fire Podcast, airing live on YouTube most Saturday mornings at 8am Pacific, 11am Eastern. My name is Tim Cavey, and my m...

→ How can education leaders help staff move from AI anxiety to AI optimism and fluency? → How can we make sure that pedagogy always trumps technology in our classrooms? → How can we promote the kind of disruptive thinking necessary to future-proof our learners for an unpredictable world? Welcome back to another episode of the Teachers on Fire Podcast, airing live on YouTube most Saturday mornings...

→ What does it look like to put student connections before content? → How can we help every student in our communities feel a sense of belonging? → How can we leverage social media to tell stronger stories as building leaders? Welcome back to another episode of the Teachers on Fire Podcast, airing live on YouTube most Saturday mornings at 8am Pacific, 11am Eastern. My name is Tim Cavey, and my mis...

I'm trying something NEW! In this first walking journal entry, I reflect on three recent guests on the Teachers on Fire Podcast who inspired changes to my personal and professional life. They are: Edmond Chin, Rich Czyz, and Becky Keene.

→ How can AI tools and technologies support learning in the classroom? → How can students leverage AI tools for greater creativity and judgment? → How can we make sure our AI policies align with mission and core pedagogical beliefs? Welcome back to another episode of the Teachers on Fire Podcast, airing live on YouTube most Saturday mornings at 8am Pacific, 11am Eastern. My name is Tim Cavey, and...

→ How can principals do better than superficial gestures of teacher appreciation? → How can we address teaching colleagues who seem caught in a martyr mindset? → How can school leaders work efficiently without building a toxic culture of rushing? Welcome back to another episode of the Teachers on Fire Podcast, airing live on YouTube most Saturday mornings at 8am Pacific, 11am Eastern. My name is T...

→ What does it mean to lead with curiosity over expertise? → How can we make our schools places where the adults like to come to work? → How can school leaders build a presence that feels more supportive, less policing? Welcome back to another episode of the Teachers on Fire Podcast, airing live on YouTube most Saturday mornings at 8am Pacific, 11am Eastern. My name is Tim Cavey, and my mission he...

→ How should we approach the tensions around the Science of Reading? → What does the art of teaching literacy look like in today’s classroom? → How can we set up our students for successful independent writing? Welcome back to another episode of the Teachers on Fire Podcast, airing live on YouTube most Saturday mornings at 8am Pacific, 11am Eastern. My name is Tim Cavey, and my mission here is to...