The Big E.D idea Podcast

Twenty-three-year special education teacher. Co-founded KYREADS which provides PD on dyslexia, started Kentucky Teachers in The Know , a social-media group on Facebook and Twitter, to keep educators informed on resources, ideologies, and policies. Governor Beshear also appointed Allison the first active teacher to serve on the Kentucky Board of Education. You can reach Allison: Twitter: @joallison...

Garris L. Stroud is a teacher, consultant, and writer from Greenville, KY. Stroud was a semifinalist for Kentucky's 2020 Teacher of the Year and is an ambassador for National Geographic Education. He has been published in the Courier-Journal, Herald-Leader, and his work appears frequently with the Brightbeam Network platforms Rural Ed Voices and Education Post. You can find Garris on Twitter-@garr...

Jennifer Haston-Maciejewski currently works at Greenfield-Central High School in Indiana as an alternative placement teacher and behavior specialist/coach. She is also a trained yoga, mindfulness, and meditation instructor; and is a contributing author in several books. You can reach Jennifer on Twitter @mrs_haston or on Instagram @wanderinggypsy6.

Linda Detwiler was a chemistry and physics teacher for ten years and now she is the Customer Success Manager at Pivot Interactives. She's a tireless advocate for how Pivot Interactives can improve teachers' lives. When she's not running professional development or writing a blog, you can find her in one of the many science teacher Facebook groups, helping teachers however they need it. Twitter: @p...

Chris Jones has been an educator in Massachusetts for 22 years.  He has just finished his 14th year as a building administrator.  True to his "why" of improving the educational experience for as many people as possible, he is currently the Principal of Whitman-Hanson Regional High School in Whitman, Massachusetts.   Chris is passionate about continuous improvement and the idea...

Sheila is a momma, a wife, and an AP at a high school in Guatemala. She is also a Google Certified Educator 1 and 2 as well as the Empower Caption at Google Education Group Guate.  We talk AI, Machine Intelligence, the future of work and why our kids much be able to use tech to create, not just consume knowledge! Websites mentioned in the episode: https://www.edsurge.com/research/guides/ai-is...

Jason Blair believes our future depends on the creative minds of our students. He is a 19 yr. veteran elementary art teacher. Currently, he also serves as the Teacher-Leader-in-Residence at the Columbus Museum of Art, and is a co-assistant director on a research project in collaboration with Harvard Graduate School of Education—Project Zero and the Columbus Museum of Art. Reach out to Jason or me...

Michele Rispo Hill is a passionate educator who has dedicated a lifetime to the education profession as a teacher, author, and presenter of professional development. During her tenure in the classroom, Michele was honored as the teacher of the Year in 2014. She served on numerous committees, mentored new staff, and was an advisor for the classes of 2009 and 2018 and the Jostens Renaissance program...

Cultivating lasting changes requires cultivating effective discourse! My new friend from Louisiana, Rod Naquin, shares his doctoral topic with us. Rod J. Naquin is a ten-year educator, instructional coach and professional learning consultant based in Bayou Gauche, Louisiana. He is a doctoral student at Southeastern Louisiana University researching teacher collaborative discourse. You can find Rod...

Mrs. Betzy is a High School Innovation Coach and Instructional Leader in Guatemala City, Guatemala.  During the start of the pandemic, she realized the power of social media and became the Google Education Group Leader for all of Guatemala!  Through her many connections, she has been able to collaborate with and unite people from all over the Southern Hemisphere.  

Mathew has dedicated a decade and a half to education in his role as a teacher, instructional coach, teacher mentor, and school administrator. He is currently in his seventh year as principal of Fall-Hamilton Elementary, an internationally recognized innovative model school for trauma-informed practices in Metro Nashville Public Schools. The school’s work has been featured on National Public Radio...

John Nash is an Associate Professor of Educational Leadership at the University of Kentucky. He has been a social research scientist, program evaluator, entrepreneur, professor, and department chair during his career. He teaches courses on design thinking and mixed methods action research and his research agenda focuses on examining and understanding the application of design thinking in education...

Kevin W. Curtis is the Founder and Lead Consultant for National Educators for Restorative Practices and co-author of the book Restorative Discipline Practices: A Journey in Implementation from a Community of Educators .  Kevin has developed an educator's model for restorative practitioners in schools that includes six proactive tools to build and sustain relationships in the classroom, includ...

Aviva grew up in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada as an only child, though she had plenty of imaginary friends. She was incredibly shy until she discovered a love of theater in the fourth grade, which allowed her to fake being outgoing until she woke up one day and realized she was no longer shy!  Aviva became a Social Studies and French teacher, after a series of random jobs including reta...

Kristi Hape is an Occupational Therapist with over 20 years experience in the schools and 17 years experience at home, raising 3 girls with her loving husband. She survived 22 years as the wife of a college and high school football coach by working in the schools and over the last 7 years, has supported students with significant behavior challenges in the schools and inpatient mental health settin...

Andrea Samadi, a former middle-school teacher from Toronto, now in Arizona, has spent the past 20+ years working with social/emotional learning. Andrea knows first-hand about stress in the classroom as her first job at The University of Toronto’s Faculty of Education was a behavioral class. She felt overwhelmed by the lack of resources to help her manage and teach her students, so she set out on a...

Mark Horner is a proud husband and father. He has been married to his college sweetheart, Jennifer for over 20 years. They have two children: Kelsie, who just graduated from Tallmadge High School, and a son, Noah, who is entering his 10th-grade year at THS. Mark received his undergraduate degree from the University of Akron, and his Master’s in K-12 Leadership from Kent State University. He has sp...

Matthew J Bowerman has spent 24 years in education as a Heartleader, working to support and engage students and communities. He is an Assistamt Principal in an elementary school in Montgomery County, MD,.as well as a writer, speaker, and professional actor/singer/dancer in Theatre, TV and Film. Matthew has taught Special Education, all forms of Theatre, English, and Reading, and is an Emmy and Cin...

Dr. Basil Marin hails from the Central Virginia area. He is a graduate of Eastern Mennonite University where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. He later earned a Master of Teaching in Special Education from Liberty University. After moving to the Virginia Beach area in 2014, he pursued an Educational Specialist in Administration & Supervision k-12 from Old Dominion Uni...

Hamish is an award-winning educator & leader - inspiring, advocating & amplifying voices of educators,  students & communities everywhere! Author, Speaker, Kiwi, Tattoos, Skateboards, VWs Mr. Brewer is an award-winning principal at both the secondary and elementary school levels. He was recognized in 2017 as the NAESP Nationally Distinguished Principal and Virginia Principal of th...

Pavan (Pav) Wander is an elementary school teacher with 15 years of experience, born, raised, and teaching in the north end of Toronto, Canada, where she teaches grade 7/8. Along with her former teaching partner Chey Cheney, Pav co-hosts a podcast called “The Staffroom Podcast,” as well as a live, educational music radio show on VoicEd Radio called, “The Drive.” You can find Pav on Twitter @PavWan...

Charles Williams has been an educator for more than 15 years serving as a teacher, a mentor/lead teacher, an assistant principal, and a principal for urban students in grades K-12.   He also serves as an equity advocate through his work with Great Expectations Mentoring, Chicago Public School's Office of Equity, and The City of Chicago's Equity Office.   Charles is the host of...

Georgina’s goal is to offer creative digital transformation support to education communities around the world. She is a visionary education leader, an inspiring writer, podcaster, and keynote speaker, and is keen to impact creative innovation across Europe, Middle East & Africa, where she has been fostering change in education for over a decade. She empowers learners, educators, and school lea...

A man of faith, committed to education for all students, service-oriented, and someone that doesn't have it all figured out but wants to help as many people along the way as he is able to. Trevor is currently a commissioned officer in the Indiana Army Nat'l Guard and an Assistant Principal at Trinity High School in Louisville, KY. He was previously a classroom teacher and professional/college Lacr...

Pam is a STEAM teacher from the Dominican Republic. She has a certification in STEM and a Master's in Educational Technology. She teaches Computational Thinking and Project Based Learning to students in English and Spanish. Additionally, she helps teachers to integrate technology into their classrooms with free /low-cost workshops and through her social media accounts. You can find her on all the...