Teaching Champions

In this mini episode I share a few words of advice that come from a very special student. It's a little advice that we all need to hear from time to time. 

In this episode I have a conversation with Alex Calderon. He is the host of the 1stgenteacherlens podcast that talks about issues that concern his identity and other 1st generation students and discusses topics within the education realm. He is also a 7th-grade ELA/S.S. teacher, 1st Generation Latinx American in NYC. He hopes to get involved within the administration field one day.  We discuss his...

This episode is inspired from a story by a Hall of Fame basketball coach. The power of belief and never giving up on our students matters. We might not always see the effects of our belief right away, but it makes a difference. 

This episode takes a look at advice by author Elena Aguilar and talk about. building resilience through creativity and play. We also talk about courage inside the classroom and making sure that every student is treated fairly. Here are some rockstar educators that are worth a follow on Twitter. 1. Melisa Hayes @MrsHayesfam 2. Brian Aikens @Insight_Minds

One of the best things about this time of year is that basketball season is winding down and playoffs are beginning. Before the playoffs start though there is senior night. This episode talks about a special senior night and the joy that is found when we celebrate others. When we choose to celebrate others we are brightening up their day and we are also brightening up someone else's day as we...

This episode dives into inspiration that can be found by expanding your circle of people who influence you. Finding individuals that will push you outside of your comfort zone, challenge your views, and spark curiosity and courage within you. The episode also touches upon two things that educators should be doing to help promote mentally healthy and strong students. 

Some of the greatest lessons that we can learn is from the animal kingdom.  This episode dives specifically into the world of geese and a few lessons that we can learn from on teamwork and being there for one another. The school year is long and it is important that we are there to support, encourage, and lift each other up! 

One of the greatest ways that we can grow personally and professionally is through reflection. This episode dives into a few lessons that I was given this week. These lessons can be useful in the classroom with our students or in our own personal lives. These lessons include small things to build a positive school environment, letting others know you care, being careful with the assumptions that w...

As my students will be celebrating the 100th day of school this episode is about how fast time goes and making the most of the moments that we have in our classroom. 

Recently I had a conversation with a close friend, who is also an educator, and we both agreed that we don't want to be consumed by negativity. This conversation stayed on my mind and I listened to the Tim Ferris podcast featuring Sarah Silverman  and she shared a thought about grabbing your joy. Through her inspiration I looked to grab my joy during the work week and within the classroom. Th...

This mini episode is going to dive into a lesson that NFL quarterback Russel Wilson learned at an early age. Russel explains a belief that his father instilled in him at an early age that helped transform the way that he viewed what was possible and what wasn't. This is an important lesson that all of us should be looking to do for our students. 

One of the greatest things that we can be as an educator is to be a lifelong learner. Expand our minds is great from a knowledge standpoint, but it also fuels creativity, perspective, and is good for our mental health. There is no one who embraced being a lifelong learner more than Leonardo da Vinci. This episode takes lessons that Michael Gelp included in his book How to Think Like Leonardo DaVin...

This mini episode dives into a valuable lesson from Kobe Bryant.  The episode shares a story of the words that his father spoke to him when he was at a low point in his life. These are words that we should share with our students, our families, and ourselves. 

This episode dives into a personal experience for me. It talks about past memories and how we can reflect on these memories and use them to grow.

This mini-episode is all about embracing the moment. Being present to enjoy the moments that each day offers us. 

This episode dives into small reminders we need to give ourselves on those tough days.  This episode also discusses strategies that we can use to help teach our students how to focus on controlling the things that they can control and what to do when their focus goes on things outside of their control. 

This episode take a look at the little things that are happening all around us. Those small moments that occur in school that if we pay attention to them can bring so much joy and happiness. We also take a look back at one of the very first episodes of the podcast talking about the power of showing up and what that means to our students just be being present and showing up for them.

Monday mornings can be tough. The weekends go by fast and knowing the stress of the work week that awaits can make it very difficult to handle. There are certain things that educators can do to try and beat the Monday morning blues. This episode discusses techniques and strategies that teachers can use so that they look forward to showing up at school and embracing the opportunity to spend the wee...

The education profession isn't easy. There are many struggles that educators face and it's important that educators develop tools and strategies to help them get through the different obstacles and seasons that a teacher faces. This episode dives into how those in the education profession can cultivate resilience through compassion. Educators can build resilience through compassion for o...

The week leading up to break is always a great week. This week brought joy and happiness inside the school. This week also contained moments of imposter syndrome and reflection. This episode dives into the week that was.  Register now for the free live event:  Pep Rally: Leaning into Leadership  Streamed live on Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube. https://roadtoawesome.net

Over the past year this podcast has discussed many different topics in the field of education. We have dived into different thought leaders and how their expertise translates over into the field of education. This episode takes a look back on these and we discuss the power of belief, failure, building school culture, the words we speak, and so much more.  Thank you for supporting this podcast over...

This episode takes leadership lessons from the hit show Ted Lasso that can easily be applied into the classroom. Ted Lasso provides us lessons of positivity and the power of belief. It also reminds us to be curious about others, recognize the value all of us have, understanding we're more than just a teacher, and the power of continuously investing in others. If we set out to do these daily t...

Belief is a powerful emotion. When you believe in yourself and your abilities you are unlimited in what you can accomplish. When our students believe in themselves what they can accomplish is unlimited. This episode dives into the power of belief and how we can foster stronger  beliefs within ourselves and our students through intentionally looking for the bright spots. This episode is important f...

Inside our classroom the relationships that we have with our students, the growth that is taking place, and the wins that are happening play a large role in the success of our classrooms. Educators would benefit from taking time to reflect on these areas and ask themselves what are they doing well and what are ways that they could be doing better. This episode takes a deeper look into these. 

Research has found that gratitude helps foster a positive well being, allows for others to have stronger connections, and become more resilient along with much more. Knowing this it is imperative for our own mental health and the mental health of our students that we start a gratitude practice within the classroom. The first step in becoming more grateful is being willing to see it. Then, we need...