The Education Biz Podcast

As you can probably guess, one of the main aspects of being a responsive educator is knowing your students, and then planning instruction accordingly - but what exactly does this mean? In this episode, we go over 7 questions that every teacher needs to ask while planning to create an effective, responsive lesson, plus the 8th overarching question - "What does this information mean for this lesson...

According to Psychologist Amy Wine, there are 3 Phases of Crisis, and every person in the country is sitting in one of them.  I couldn't help but think about the state of education and how knowing where teachers are is so critical. This information brought a lot of clarity for me, and I wanted to pass it on to you. 3 Phases of Crisis 1. Safety 2. Stress Management Mode 3. Success Take a listen to...

Students can learn! But it's hard right now. As teachers, we've got be more intentional than ever on moving students into academic success. In this podcast episode, we will look at 6 ways we can help students gain academic ground right now! Links in Show: If you'd rather have this in blog format, click here . To register for the Free Virtual Administrator Symposium on October 20th with topic: Gain...

A student’s culture defines how they look at the world and learn about the world! When we can tap into the culture, we will help the student make deep learning connections that stay with them! Culture can be traditions, beliefs, ethnicity, music, and values – just to name a few. When these cultural points can be included in the physical environment, students will take a huge step towards taking ow...

In this episode, we take a dive into what teacher clarity is, why it's so important, and what is keeping it from happening in every classroom! Teacher clarity answers these questions: 1. What do I want my students to learn? 2. How will I know they learned it? 3. What will I do to proactively prepare for students who may struggle? 4. What will I do for the students who don't learn it? These questio...

Welcome to The Responsive Classroom! Formerly, Pressing Onward.  We are excited to be back on our podcast!  In this episode, Jenn chats about our rebranding and discusses  what it means to have a responsive classroom.  We have so many amazing resources to move your campus to cultural responsiveness and we can't wait for you to check them out! Visit our website or send an email to info@pressing-onw...

Are you an Instructional Coach, Academic Dean, or an Academic Coach? If so, this episode is for you! We know that Instructional Coaching is becoming more common in the public school setting. However, we also know, that Instructional Coaching can bring many challenges such as, "How do I have those difficult conversations with teachers?" or "What exactly should I be looking for when I walk into clas...

While we know that this school year will not be 2020, we also know that it will not look like 2019. In the midst of everything going on in our world, it is essential that administrators are proactive for their teachers during this next school year. In this episode, I dive into 6 different ways you can show up for your teachers AND questions that will help guide effective communication between admi...

As we know, building alliances is a core component of cultural competency and cultural responsiveness, and building alliances with the families can be as important as building them with students.  Building alliances with families can hold challenges on their own, however. Mike Sipple, Jr. introduces us to an amazing organization called All Pro Dad that does just that!  Get more information here! w...

If you've done anything with culturally responsive teaching, you know building an alliance is crucial, but what does that actually look like in the classroom? In this episode we are going to dive into how equity in responses can build and strengthen alliances! Cultural responsiveness is about intentionality! This episode will give you the steps you need to move into the power of alliances!

Social Emotional Learning is all about teaching and developing the skills necessary to be successful at life - and in the education world, this includes teachers and students.  Shari gives us some great resources, as first as the first steps towards implementing a social emotional climate in your campus or district.

This time of year is difficult for everyone in education! Students and staff alike have to find extra motivation to push though.  In this episode , we go over 3 ways to re-engage students and make teaching fun and meaningful for the rest of the year. For additional resources mentioned in this episode, click on the following links: TPR and Repetition YouTube Video Notecard Heads Up Stress Down, Sco...

If you know that you need to move your campus into a more equitable place, you don't want to miss this episode with Diversity and Inclusion Director for Wylie ISD, Mr. Reggie Bibb. Reggie's candid and practical wisdom will get you inspired and ready to take those first steps towards equity!

I wanted to take just a moment and talk through an emotionally charged topic right now - state assessments. While I definitely disagree with state assessments holding any weight towards accountability, I do think they are necessary.  I dive into "why" in this episode.  If you are looking for a way to talk through this reasoning with your teachers, this episode may help. Also, head to www.pressing-...

This episode was a treat to record!  The more Sha Sparks and I talked for my other podcast, The Faith Filled Entrepreneur, the more I thought how PERFECT her framework is for teachers!  Sha moves us through the 4 As - Acknowledge, Allow, Ask and Act!  This will give you tangible steps as you move towards teacher care and guidance during this school year! You can find more information on Sha at www...

Dr. Maricela Helm gives some practical steps for taking care of teachers, building a more inclusive climate and creating an environment for learning in this episode. Her collaborative and honest approach made her an HEB Award Winner as a Principal and super effective and respected in her role as Director of Student Services in Wylie ISD. In the episode, we discuss the 5 Love Languages Quiz for stu...

As I interviewed Mabble for our other podcast, her story about her own children, and the reasons she pulled them out of public schools hit hard, and I thought her story needed to be told on this podcast as well. Her focus is helping parents build up the strengths in their own children, but teachers have the power to do this as well! Seven years ago, when her first child was younger, Mabble found t...

Clement Townsend is a former journalist who spent 17 years on TV. He is the creator of Video Journalism Pro, a supplemental online program that teachers can seamlessly integrate into their current curriculum.   This online program offers a project based learning approach that engages students and teaches them valuable skills they can use in any profession such as writing, speaking, and critical th...

There is so much goodness in this episode!  Mary is an EL guru! She has a huge heart and the instructional knowledge to move ELs forward.  In this episode, we discuss how she changed the program model by adding a coaching model. We also discuss the strategies she used personally in the classroom to move her ELS to tremendous linguistic and academic growth.

In this episode, Ms. Green, Academic Dean and Martin Middle School in Austin, Texas, discusses ways to take care of teachers during this pandemic so that they can continue to take care of students.  As a new administrator just out of the classroom, she has a unique perspective on how to focus on learning even in a virtual world. You won't want to miss this conversation about some practical ways to...

In this episode, Mr. Stewart and Ms. Saxenian talk about the transformation of their Waco High School by giving students the opportunity to take ownership of their campus and their learning.  They discuss 4 really powerful ways they've seen learning increased, as well as some amazing ideas for creating a student-centered campus. I've known these two administrators for 16 years, and I loved hearing...

Happy New Year!  In this episode, I define culturally responsive teaching, and briefly talk about the incredible value and results of being a proactive culturally responsive campus!  Your students don't have time to waste, and your teachers need tools! Remember to visit www.pressing-onward.org for information on ordering your free book (if you are an administrator) and information on the Grace, Gr...

In this bonus episode, Jenn gives 5 things you need to be doing now as a teacher or administrator to ensure a proactive 2021!  We are done being reactive, but you have to be ready to thrive in 2021!  REST RECHARGE SEPARATE FROM STRESS SERVE REFLECT This episode dives into these important disciplines for you personal and professional sanity and success! And if you are more of a reader, catch this b...

"The students themselves were surprised by how much their learning environment affected their learning!" In this episode, we heard from Dr. Yanira Oliveras Ortiz, and her fascinating research on the impact of environment and learning.  Although her research is done with VLK Architects and the actual physical space the students are given, perhaps the more interesting piece is that the teachers had...

In this interview with Assistant Principal, Kathryn Humer, she emphasizes the power and impact of consistency. When students have a clear target to hit in instruction, classroom behavior and participation, they are set up to reach academic success. Kathryn explains what this looks like in a middle school classroom, and what can happen if consistency isn't there. You can find her on Twitter @khazza...