"The Bulldog Educator" with Kirsten Wilson and Matthew Caston

In this episode of The Bulldog Educator Podcast , co-host Matthew Caston sits down with Carrie Rogers and Kirsten Wilson (normally one of the co-hosts, but in this episode is a guest) to explore their upcoming book, "Inclusive Digital Citizenship." This conversation challenges the way we think about digital citizenship, moving beyond internet safety lessons and screen-time debates to ask...

In this episode of The Bulldog Educator , Dr. Lisa Riegel joins the conversation to explore how brain science and academic optimism can rehumanize education from the inside out. Drawing on her research at the principal level, Dr. Riegel unpacks the distinct leadership factors that drive school effectiveness—building management and instructional supervision—and explains how her NeuroWell framework...

What if staffing in early childhood education was built on community instead of commission? In this episode of The Bulldog Educator Podcast , Kirsten Wilson and Matt Caston sit down with Paul Buckley, co-founder of Ratio Staffing, a platform designed exclusively to connect preschools with substitute teachers, enrichment educators, and speech pathologists. Paul shares his journey from preschool tea...

In this episode of The Bulldog Educator , Kirsten Wilson sits down with Chris Hull , co-founder of Otus , to explore how technology can help educators truly understand and support every student. Drawing from his experience as a former teacher, coach, and father of four, Chris shares the story behind Otus — a platform designed to bring together assessment data, attendance, observations, and educato...

What does it really cost rural students to attend elite colleges? In this episode, Kirsten and Matt talk with Dr. Mara Tieken, professor of education and author of Educated Out , about the hidden challenges rural, first-generation students face after admission. From financial strain and social isolation to “conditional belonging” and the pull between opportunity and home, Dr. Tieken unpacks the em...

What if classroom observation didn’t feel like evaluation… but like support? In this episode of The Bulldog Educator Podcast , Kirsten and Matthew sit down with educator, coach, and author Craig Randall to explore a powerful shift in how we approach teacher observation. Drawing from his experience teaching and leading across Asia, the Middle East, South America, and the U.S., Craig shares how frus...

In this episode of The Bulldog Educator Podcast , Kirsten Wilson and Matt Caston are joined by Damien Howard , founder of SEL Plus , to explore how AI can be used to strengthen mentoring relationships without replacing the human connection at the center of learning . Drawing from his background in special education, Damien shares his vision for AI-enhanced mentoring tools that help mentors better...

In the Season 9 premiere of The Bulldog Educator Podcast , Kirsten Wilson and Matt Caston are joined by Dr. Steven Weber and Michael Fisher, co-authors of Contemporary Curriculum Leadership: An Illustrated Guide , to explore why curriculum leadership is less about documents and more about conversation, trust, and alignment. Drawing on decades of experience, Steven and Michael discuss trust-based l...

What if burnout isn’t about doing too much—but about losing alignment with who you are? In this episode of The Bulldog Educator , Kirsten is joined by Dr. Jen Clifden and Dr. Nuhu Sims for a deeply human conversation about purpose, presence, and authenticity in education. Together, they unpack how core values, personal identity, and reflective practice can serve as protective factors against burno...

In this episode the hosts, Matthew and Kirsten, explored the challenges educators face in education, particularly regarding federal layoffs and the unrecognized labor in female-dominated professions, while sharing personal experiences that motivated them to remain focused on education's importance. They discussed strategies for nurturing their personal motivations in teaching, including creati...

In this episode of The Bulldog Educator , Kirsten Wilson talks with futurist and design engineer Zak Morris about moving from AI overwhelm to AI orchestration in education. Zak shares how schools can integrate AI responsibly, empower students to build with technology, and embrace neurodivergent strengths as innovation assets. Together, they explore what a truly human-centered future of learning co...

What if the path to stronger school communities started with fewer phones and more conversation? In this episode, Kirsten and Matthew sit down with Nicholas Bradford , founder of the National Center for Restorative Justice , to explore how connection, belonging, and accountability can transform learning spaces. Nicholas shares candid insights on the impact of cell phones in schools, why a bell-to-...

In this episode podcast host, Kirsten, explores with co-author Viki Kelchner the book "High 5 to Thrive" which focuses on the impact of teachers and the importance of hope, trauma-informed care, and resilience, particularly in the context of education in places where students are impacted by Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES). The conversation includes a discussion around strategies fo...

In this episode of The Bulldog Educator , Kirsten and Matthew sit down with Dr. Ann Ishimaru and Dr. Decoteau Irby, co-authors of Doing the Work of Equity Leadership for Justice and Systems Change . Together they unpack the Equity Leadership Cycles Framework —mornings of awakening, middays of institutionalization, and evenings of resistance—showing how leadership is shaped by history, politics, an...

In this episode Matt and Kirsten chat with Dacia Toll (co-founder and co-CEO of CourseMojo). They explore various aspects of Course Mojo, an AI-powered educational assistant designed to support teachers and diverse learners, including its features for providing real-time feedback and monitoring student engagement. The conversation with Dacia Toll, concluded with a focus on the importance of educat...

Clement Townsend is the first guest of Season 8 of the Bulldog Educator podcast. Clement shares with us about his career transition from sports journalism to teaching and discusses his work on the video pro learning platform, which helps teachers integrate video assignments into core subject lessons. This episode focuses on the importance of teaching digital skills and creativity to students, part...

In this powerful season finale, Kirsten and Matt welcome back recurring guests Dr. Jen Clifden and Dr. Nuhu Sims for a timely and soul-stirring conversation about surviving and thriving as educators in today’s turbulent K–12 environment. Together, they explore the need for intentional restoration, community reciprocity, and the boldness of being a “positive deviant.” References mentioned: We Want...

In this powerful episode, Kirsten sits down with Carrie Rogers-Whitehead—author, advocate, and founder of Digital Respons-Ability—to explore the essential role of digital literacy in today’s society. Carrie unpacks the growing concern regarding public libraries, including proposed funding cuts to the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), and what that means for rural communities, interl...

In this powerful and thought-provoking episode of The Bulldog Educator , Dr. Grant Chandler joins Kirsten and Matthew to discuss his book, Powerful Student Care , and what it truly means to honor every learner as distinctive and irreplaceable—especially students from marginalized and low-income backgrounds. The conversation dives deep into: The challenges of teaching students from poverty The urge...

Join the co-hosts of the Bulldog Educator Podcast where we talk with Dr. Jaime Bissa about ways educators navigate, lead, and influence in the age of AI. Listen in as we talk about struggling with imposter syndrome, how navigating AI is like speed-dating, and the important role educators have as powerful influencers regarding policy and legislation. Connect with Dr. Jaime Bissa: LinkedIN: https://...

In this episode of The Bulldog Educator , we sit down with Julia Gabor , a dynamic educator, national speaker, and co-founder of kid-grit —an innovative organization dedicated to holistic student development. Julia brings nearly two decades of experience in education, having collaborated with organizations like LA-All Stars, TGR Foundation, and WRiTE BRAiN BOOKS . Her work focuses on social-emotio...

This podcast was taken from a raw recording when interviewing Michael Davis for Episode 2, Season 7. In it we discuss the influence of educators in our lives and this podcast is dedicated to our cohost, Matt Caston's mother, Carolyn. In this session we talk about Michael Davis' influential educator Ms. Merck that was the inspiration for his company Merek Security Solutions. To learn more a...

Join us as the co-hosts, Kirsten Wilson and Matthew Caston, talk with founder of MindfulBytes.io and CEO of Merek Security Solutions, Michael Davis. We discuss the ways to talk about the use of technology as humans, parents, teachers, community members and students. We acknowledge the "hold" that apps, devices, and screens can have on our attention and how we move toward a healthy relati...

Join us as we talk with one of the creators of the educational kid podcast "Who Smarted", Jerry Kolber. In this episode he shares his passion for creating great, engaging, interactive content that is accessible to all. We also discuss the research proven fact that listening comprehension is key to students learning and grasping content up to two years above grade level and is a key way t...

This episode is dedicated to the memory and life of Matthew Caston's mother, educator and champion. In this episode we re-connect with former TBE guests Dr. Jen Clifden and Dr. Nuhu Sims, sharing about how we find joy, protect our peace, guard against our own burn out and the burn out of others, and lean into our "why." You can connect with Jen and Nuhu through Dr. Jen Clifden's website . Listener...