The Extraordinary Educators Podcast

Georgianna Castellano, teacher in Florida joins this episode to discuss engaging students. Georgianna shares best practices for getting to know your students and connect with them to build relationships.  Georgianna's Twitter Curriculum Associates' Blog Twitter Instagram Email: ExtraordinaryEducators@cainc.com

Jillian D. Johnson, teacher at Andover Elementary School in Florida, joins this episode to talk about making her dreams become a reality! Jillian has always been interested in STEM, and she's been able to create a STEM room and program for the students at her school. Jillian discusses why it has been successful, how she got buy-in from her community, and how she secured funding. She closes ou...

Megan Geise, second grade teacher in Pennsylvania, joins Danielle and Sari to discuss building relationships with students. This has always been a top priority to Megan throughout her twenty two years of teaching. Megan talks about small actions that can go a long way such as mailing letters to students, speaking with students one-on-one, and really getting to know her students on a personal level...

Brianna Lugibihl, fifth grade teacher in Ohio, joins this episode to talk about how challenging this year has been, and how her students are allowing her to become a better teacher just like a diamond under pressure. Brianna shares how she is now a mentor, and why this has forced her to develop a true growth mindset. Brianna also discusses imposter syndrome, and how she continues to battle this da...

Jessica Medley joins the episode to discuss building math community with her middle schoolers. She shares best practices and fun systems used to engage students and create a positive classroom culture, such as number talks and purposely planning seating arrangements. Jessica also gives advice about instructional signage. Jessica's Twitter Curriculum Associates' Blog Twitter Instagram Ema...

Tracy Senf, second grade teacher at Outley Elementary School in Texas joins Danielle and Sari to talk about engaging students. This is Tracy's thirtieth year of teaching, and the first year she's created a podcast with her students. Tracy discusses family communication, the benefits of creating a podcast, and how to ensure you don't feel stuck when you've been teaching for a wh...

Shane Twamley joins this episode to discuss building relationships with middle schoolers. Throughout his 40 years of teaching, Shane found different strategies to build and maintain relationships with students. He shares these best practices as  they relate to unfinished learning, and how you can make your students' classroom theirs. He ends the episode with sharing the book he is currently r...

Sarah Zeller, teacher in New Hampshire, joins this episode to discuss balance.  She shares why it's important for you to think about other ways you identify yourself outside of being a teacher. Sarah explains how to plan your week, focus on creating a routine, and how to block out time. She also discusses mindset around to-do lists, and what to do when you don't get everything done. Sara...

Amanda Jane Kipnis, Specialized Academic Instruction Teacher at San Altos Elementary School in California, joins this episode to discuss juggling the many responsibilities of an educator. She talks about why it's critical to build relationships first, and how she makes her classroom a place her students want to be. Amanda also shares why it's so important to get to know students' fa...

Jamilah Hud-Kirk, Principal at Clayton County Public Schools, joins this episode to discuss building leadership capacity.  Having differentiated PD for her teachers, surveying her staff at the beginning of the year, and creating a positive culture first are a few tips and best practices Jamilah provides. She also shares why building culture at your school is just like growing a plant: The soil nee...

Glendaliz Martinez, National Director of Content and Implementation at Curriculum Associates joins this episode to discuss literacy.  Glendaliz dives into oral fluency, and how to support students while they are reading out loud. She explains best practices for giving students feedback, and tools you can use to support oral fluency. She also provides research about what happens when we overcorrect...

Naneka Brathwaite, National Director of Content and Implementation at Curriculum Associates joins this episode to discuss data chats. Naneka shares best practices in giving students voice, and how to talk to students about their data. From how to encourage students to accept additional support, to how middle school teachers can have small-group conversations with students, Naneka provides strategi...

Sarah English, Extraordinary Educator and teacher in Utah, joins this episode to talk about how to build community with your students this year. Sarah provides tips you can use tomorrow in your classroom to strengthen the relationships you have with your students and build a classroom community with trust and respect. She explains why consistency and patience are so important, and shares two stori...

Liz Peyser, "America's Math Teacher" and National Director of Content and Implementation at Curriculum Associates, joins this episode. She provides research-based tips for encouraging students to think in new ways and love math such as using fingers to count, exploring manipulatives, color coding, and drawing visuals. Liz provides resources for you to stay up-to-date on the latest r...

Andrea Baney, Extraordinary Educator and fourth grade teacher in Pennsylvania, joins this episode to discuss goal setting with students. She walks through how to successfully set goals with your students this fall, beginning with examining their previous year's data, identifying strengths and areas for growth, having data chats with students, and planning next steps.  She shares why individua...

Brooklin Trover, National Director at Curriculum Associates, joins Danielle and Sari to discuss Response to Intervention (RTI). After defining RTI, Brooklin shares how to get started with your students this fall, and what to do next after you learn about the range of learners in your classroom. She also explains how to see your students as humans, and strategically begin at domain-level data. Hear...

Welcome to Season 4 of the Extraordinary Educators podcast! In this episode, Danielle and Sari provide tips and best practices for returning to school this fall. They also share ways to learn more about your students.  Student interest survey Self-care paper Twitter Instagram Email: ExtraordinaryEducators@cainc.com

Thank you for being here this season! In this episode, Danielle and Sari close out the season and share their biggest takeaways from speaking with educators. We'll see you in the fall for Season 4! Twitter Instagram Email: ExtraordinaryEducators@cainc.com

Rob Waldron, CEO of Curriculum Associates, joins this episode to celebrate Teacher Appreciate Week. Danielle, Rob, and Sari all share a story about why they appreciate teachers.  Twitter Instagram Email: ExtraordinaryEducators@cainc.com

Danielle and Sari discuss positive priming and the impact it can have on your classroom! Twitter Instagram Email: ExtraordinaryEducators@cainc.com

Sharicka Gray, third grade teacher  at Fairview Elementary School in MS joins this episode. She shares how your perspective and how you look at things is contagious, and how your attitude directly impacts your classroom culture. She explains how she has taught her students how to push through when things get hard, and how she's enabled a growth mindset in her classroom. From strategies she us...

Megan Geise, second grade teacher and K–2 Mathematics Department Lead at Danville Primary School, PA, joins this episode.  Megan shares her experience organizing events for her entire school community to support students and meet their SEL needs. She shares best practices for event topics, how to get started, and tips for not working alone.  Twitter Instagram Email: ExtraordinaryEducators@cainc.co...

Jillian Johnson, teacher at Andover Elementary School in Florida, joins this episode. Jillian is in her ninth year of teaching, and discusses her new role this year, being hired for tutoring and addressing social-emotional learning needs for her school. She's worked to incorporate mindful practices into tutoring, supporting the whole child and integrating social-emotional learning skills. She...

Hanna Grayson, English Teacher at IS 318 in New York, joins this episode. Hannah teaches three 7th grade honors classes, and is the Coordinator for the Special Ed program for all three middle school grades. She shares how she has worked to fill both academic and social-emotional gaps that occurred during remote learning. From data chats to family communication, Hanna shares best practices and stra...

Brianna Lugibihl, Grade 5 ELA and Social Studies teacher at Liberty Arts Magnet in Ohio, joins this episode. She dives right into resilience, and how teachers need to focus on what students bring to their classrooms. She explains how she's worked to identify core issues students are struggling with that keep them from learning, and then is able to support students' emotional regulation a...