The Elephant and the Teacher

Thank you for listening to Season 1 of The Elephant and The Teacher! Please fill out this form to help me curate my content for Season 2. Have an amazing summer and we'll be back soon! My Summer Reading List: Wild Dark Shore by Charolette McConaghy The Correspondent by Virginia Evans Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell North Woods by Daniel Mason How to Carry What Can’t be Fixed by Megan Devine The...

By the time June hits, most teachers' nervous systems are running on pure adrenaline. In this mini episode, Michelle offers three reflective questions to carry into your summer that are about you – the human behind the teacher. (1) When were you most authentic? (2) When did you fully receive from others? (3) When did you feel truly seen? These moments aren't just good memories for your jou...

When everything changes, the instinct is to grip harder. To control the outcome, manage the future, and think your way through the panic. But what if steadiness isn't found in certainty at all? In this episode, Michelle explores what it actually looks like to stay grounded when your identity is on the line. Ask a Question: Have a question for Michelle? Fill out the listener form [Linked Here]...

In this episode, Michelle shares a profound personal experience from a week-long ancestral skills course in Montana, where she found herself barefoot and blindfolded walking through the forest. What started as a physical challenge quickly surfaced something much deeper: old stories about inadequacy, toughness, and the fear of needing help.  The lessons she carried out of that forest go straight in...

In the second half of their deep dive into evidence based grading, Michelle Roundy and Ryan Donovan—award-winning AP U.S. History teacher and 2026 Top 50 Trailblazing Educator—tackle the "elephant" of traditional grading.  The conversation shifts into the practical "how-to" of an evidence-based classroom, highlighting the necessity of breaking down complex assessments into mana...

In this episode, Michelle sits down in person with her friend and colleague Stephanie Hardeman — educator, executive coach, and founder of Teton Teams Development — to explore two powerful commitments from The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership : taking 100% personal responsibility and speaking candidly. Together they unpack the "above and below the line" model, examining how fear drives us in...

In this episode, Michelle Roundy sits down with Ryan Donovan , Arizona’s Teacher of the Year and a Top 50 Trailblazing Educator, to dismantle traditional grading. They explore why the standard 0–100% scale often fails to reflect true student mastery and how the "points game" can actually stifle a student’s natural love of learning. Ryan shares his personal pivot from using grades as a to...

Inspired by a high school science teacher’s provocative lesson plan, Michelle dives into the archetypal story of Bluebeard . Michelle relates the tale as a powerful metaphor for the internal "predator" that exists within every educator and leader. This internal voice often demands we maintain the status quo, warning us that looking too closely at the systemic failures or personal biases...

In this vulnerable episode, Michelle Roundy explores the raw experience of making a public mistake and the emotional "elephant" that often follows: shame. Moving beyond her personal story, Michelle uses the wisdom of Brené Brown to distinguish between guilt and shame, illustrating how the latter can shut down our ability to learn. It’s a must-listen for anyone looking to foster a culture...

In this insightful follow-up episode, Michelle Roundy dives into the casual and often unconscious ways we describe our students. Drawing inspiration from her conversation with Drew in Episode 12 and a poignant quote in Ocean Vuong’s Emperor of Gladness , Michelle challenges the notion that rethinking our language is merely about “toxic positivity” or sanitizing the truth. Instead, she argues that...

In this special episode, I’m sitting down for a heartfelt and practical conversation with a very special guest: my husband, Drew Roundy . Drew serves as a Sergeant and the School Resource Officer (SRO) at the high school where I work, giving him a unique vantage point on leadership, safety, and the power of human connection. We’re diving into the "one thing" that defines our relationship...

In this episode of The Elephant and the Teacher , Michelle Roundy tackles a heavy "elephant" in the modern classroom: the growing sense of paralysis and fear among teenage students. From a visceral fear of failure to the "shield" of social media, our students are standing on the edge of the adult world, and to them, the drop looks steeper than ever. Michelle shares a personal s...

Imagine sitting in a room of the most brilliant minds at Google, surrounded by cutting-edge tech, only to feel like you’re drowning. Last month at the Google Campus, Michelle Roundy hit a wall. Between the high-speed "vibe coding" demo and the pressure of a multi-day orientation, her brain shut down. There were tears and an urge to walk out. In this episode of The Elephant and the Teache...

In this episode, Michelle sits down with Morgan Hahn – Wyoming’s 2025 State Teacher of the Year – to tackle the "elephants" in the modern classroom. From the dusty archives of American history to the cutting edge of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in education , this conversation explores how we can keep the "human" at the center of learning. In this episode, we discuss: The Power...

What does it actually feel like to be a new teacher? In this episode of The Elephant and the Teacher , The Elephant and the Teacher host Michelle Roundy explores the neuroscience, psychology, and emotional weight of being new at something, especially when it’s public. She discusses the overwhelming cognitive load of a first-year teacher and how it relates to her experience learning to snowboard. ...

What happens when a classroom teacher stands in the room where laws are made? In this episode, I’m taking you behind the scenes of a moment that felt both surreal and deeply grounding: my address to the Wyoming House and Senate. As the State Teacher of the Year, I was granted "privilege of the floor," but I found myself wrestling with a very human experience: the feeling of being "s...

In this episode of The Elephant and the Teacher , Michelle Roundy dives into a truth we’ve all felt but rarely discuss: the awkward, sometimes painful "pushback" that happens when a student or colleague is recognized for excellence. From the "oohs" and "ahhs" of a classroom to the staffroom murmurs of favoritism, Michelle explores why negative reactions to success are...

In this interview, Michelle talks with Hallie a school psychologist, CPS trainer, and implementation leader at Think:Kids about Collaborative Problem Solving (CPS) and the mindset shift required to move beyond rewards, punishments, and compliance-based discipline. Hallie shares how a failing behavior plan with a first-grade student forced her to confront the limits of traditional behaviorism and u...

In this episode, Michelle explores what happens when teachers and leaders give their power away by staying stuck in blame, resentment, and complaint – even when the system IS broken. This conversation invites listeners to look honestly at where they may be outsourcing responsibility for their energy, culture, and leadership. Michelle weaves in the old fairy tale The Red Shoes , as interpreted by C...

In this episode, Michelle tells the story of Emily’s backpack —a small moment that opens up a much larger question about learning. When a student loses access to their usual comforts, what actually happens? Through a morning meltdown, natural consequences, and honest reflection, this episode explores how our well-intentioned supports can sometimes prevent growth. A conversation about failure, scaf...

What do we really hear when a student asks, “Is this graded?” Or, “How many points is this worth?” In this episode of The Elephant and the Teacher , Michelle explores the deeper meaning behind these familiar classroom questions and why our responses matter more than we think. She shares how you can build resourcefulness and give students more ownership of their learning without abandoning accounta...

In this heartfelt and inspiring episode, Dakota - Michelle’s brand strategist, interview host, and friend - sits down with Michelle Roundy, the 2026 Wyoming Teacher of the Year, for an honest and uplifting conversation. Michelle shares her unexpected journey to becoming a teacher at age 40, and reflects on how her long daily commute through the Snake River Canyon became sacred creative space. She...

The Elephant and the Teacher is a podcast for anyone who believes that teaching - and leading - begins with the human work. You’ll hear reflections from real classrooms, experiments in teacher lead professional learning and leadership thinking rooted in thoughtful self-work instead of compliance. You’ll also hear old stories - myths, fairy tales, history - not as nostalgia, but as mirrors for the...