The Big E.D idea Podcast

Allison Nelson is a Certified School Psychologist in Kentucky who is passionate about improving the holistic well-being of students and staff across the state. Allison utilizes her training and expertise in social-emotional development, trauma-informed care, neuroscience, and mindfulness to support students and staff. She has worked as a School Psychologist across the Eastern and Central parts of...

Daphyne Maddox has been a CASA staff member for 23 years.  Currently, she is the Executive Director of CASA of Midwest Kentucky, Inc. that serves Crittenden, Henderson, Hopkins, Muhlenberg, Union and Webster Counties.  Daphyne has a Bachelors in Social Work from the University of Southern Indiana. Want more information about CASA or want to volunteer yourself? Check out www.midwestcasa.o...

Mandi Tolen is a high school math teacher, Google Certified Innovator, blogger, & author of Make Math Not Suck , a guide to create fun & memorable math experiences for students. Mandi has a passion for changing how we teach to create thinkers & learners. You can find Mandi on Twitter @MandiTolenEDU 

Kyla Uribe is a kindergarten teacher, educational consultant, and a self-proclaimed defender of play in early childhood! She is a wife of almost 16 years and a mom to three fantastic kids ages 10, 8, and 4. When she’s not dreaming about education, listening to inspirational and innovative podcasts, Kyla is trying to crush her WODs and maintain balance with her active family! Kyla feels strongly th...

Heather Lyon is the author of Engagement is not a Unicorn (It’s a Narwhal) and The BIG Book of Engagement Strategies .  Heather is a former English teacher and has a Ph. D. in Educational Administration and an Ed. M. in Reading from the University at Buffalo. She is an Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum, Instruction, and Technology for Lewiston-Porter Central School District in Western Ne...

In her over two decades at Palo Alto Unified School District (Palo Alto, CA, USA), Jennifer was a high school English teacher, new teacher coach, and professional development facilitator. She left PAUSD in 2012 to start her full-time communications consultancy in which she works with schools and organizations across the globe. Jennifer trains and coaches teachers, administrators, and others on new...

Frederick went to Ohio State University and received his Bachelor Degree in Chemical Engineering and received his Master's at New Mexico State University, graduating Summa Cum Laude. Though he started out NOT in ED world, he is now a Prince George's County Math Teacher at Drew-Freeman Middle School in the Washington D.C area. Also, he has embarked on a journey to become a mathematician and to show...

Frederick is an ISTE Certified Educator, Google for Education Certified Innovator (#NYC19 cohort), Trainer, Coach, the founder and leader of GEG Minnesota Metro Area,  a GEG Mentor for US - Midwest, a Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert 20-21, and an Adobe Education Leader that is passionate about leveraging technology to make the daily work of educators more efficient, their teaching more e...

Martin Silverman is a father, grandfather, husband, and long-time educator in beautiful San Antonio, Texas.  He is committed to providing the best educational experience for the students and families at Salinas Elementary school where he is principal.  Martin has worked in urban, suburban, and rural districts as a teacher and administrator.  His interests are in creating and nurturi...

David Frangiosa is a HS science teacher from NJ with 15 years of classroom experience. He's been performing action research on grade reform since 2015, which led to co-authoring Going Gradeless published by Corwin Press. David is also a blogger and podcaster! When not doing the work of an EDdisruptor, David spends his time as a dad and husband.  You can find him on: Twitter: @DavidFrangiosa h...

Michael Earnshaw is a father, husband, and elementary school principal. He is the author of The EduCulture Cookbook: Recipes and Dishes to Positively Transform School and Classroom Culture with EduMatch Publishing and co-host of the Punk Rock Classrooms Podcast. Michael strives to empower others to know they can change the world by fostering positive, trusting relationships and modeling risk-takin...

Maren is a 7-year-old first-grader with a lot of great ideas (ideas she likes to share with anyone she can).  She loves to read and listen to stories.  Her love is to be creative, through art or play! Listen to us as we discuss her ideas for the perfect school! 

Dene Gainey is a twelve-year classroom educator, currently Grades 4-5 English Language Arts, Technology & Gifted. He received his undergraduate degree in Elementary Education K-6 from the University of Central Florida and his Masters of Education degree in Instructional Technology from American Intercontinental University in 2006. Currently he is pursuing a PhD. Never too far from the classroo...

Tara Martin is an enthusiastic educator, speaker, and author of Be REAL: Educate from the Heart and Cannonball In . Tara thrives on change and refuses to settle for the status quo! She has served as a classroom teacher, an instructional coach, a district administrator, and the director of media and communications for Dave Burgess Consulting, Inc. As the founder of #BookSnaps, she is always seeking...

Iqra Shaikh is a New Age Capitalist, Entrepreneur, and Geographer. She believes that the future of education will be interdisciplinary, problem-solving-oriented, and collaborative. She is the Founder & CEO of Tutoring in Teams, an ed-tech startup focused on bringing team-based learning to a digital world through better software technology and tools, and the Founder & Co-Host of "The Probca...

Kaitlin Kilby is a first-year teacher and graduate student from St. Louis, Missouri. She is currently teaching 2nd grade. Kaitlin graduated in 2020 from Missouri State University with her Bachelors of Science in Elementary Education, minor in Literacy, and certificate in Conflict and Dispute Resolution. Her graduate studies are focused on curriculum and instruction. She will be teaching 3rd grade...

Chris is in his 15th year as a special education teacher. He hosts the 9th Grade Experience , a weekly podcast that shares the stories of students and educators discussing the all-important transition year to high school. He is married with three children and lives in Macungie, Pennsylvania. In our episode, we discuss how vital a positive freshmen experience is for ALL our students and what we can...

Chad Dumas is an international educational consultant, presenter, and award-winning researcher whose primary focus is collaborating to develop capacity for continuous improvement. With over two decades of successful leadership experience, Chad has led significant improvements for both students and staff. He shares his research and knowledge in his new books, Let’s Put the C in PLC and An Action Gu...

Matthew Rhoads, Ed. D., is an Educational Specialist, university lecturer and teacher candidate supervisor, consultant, researcher, and author from San Diego, California, who specializes in educational technology instructional integration, data-driven decision-making, data literacy, and an expert in best practices for teaching in online and blended learning instructional settings. Twitter: @MattRh...

Born and raised in El Paso, TX, Laura Rizo’s life experiences relate to many, both youth and adults. She hopes to inspire others to build self-confidence and self-love with her messages and connections. She connects to youth because of the experiences she lived and she can connect with educators because of her years in the classroom and now, currently a school counselor. Twitter: @lauramrizo14 Lau...

Join Josh and me as we discuss the need for leaders to use multiple methods to connect with their students.

Ray is a husband, a father, a principal of an elementary school in northern Illinois, and a Golden Apple Scholar. He spends his free time traveling with family, cooking with his boys, and co-hosting 2 podcasts. Ray has been in education for 20 years working as a 5th grade teacher, a middle school dean, a 7th and 8th grade social studies teacher, a middle school assistant principal, and now as a pr...

Dr. Chris Hobbs is an educational leader holding the role of Director of Athletics at The King's Academy, a national blue ribbon school in West Palm Beach Florida. Dr. Hobbs was named by Coach and AD magazine as one of the top 40 under 40 leaders in the sports industry and Varsity Brands/ BSN named him the 2019 National High School Athletic Director of the Year featured on CBS Sports Network. Twit...

Olivia Weidemann is the 2nd staff member from the Milton Hershey School to be on The bigEDidea Podcast! Olivia has worked at the Milton Hershey School, in Hershey, PA for four years as a high school math teacher. She is also the Mentoring Our Leaders’ Development (or M.O.L.D.) program advisor, where she facilitates mentor relationships and guides the M.O.L.D. student committee to come up with acti...

2nd generation free from addiction, Suzanna knows firsthand hope is possible beyond prison and substance abuse. Born in Boston, MA to a family serving families, Suzanna was a major player in the day-to-day ministry lead by her parents Richard and Dawn Johnson. By the time she was twelve, Suzanna had been to 42 states and 5 Canadian provenances ministering in prisons, churches, and various revivals...