Teach Me, Teacher

Hello everyone! Between the constant attacks on education, toxic echo chambers on the internet, and the quiet majority, many people believe that schools are doing very little good. Of course, we know this isn’t true. We see the greatness happening everyday in the halls, our classrooms, and around school grounds. Yet we have struggled to share the good news about education in many places. We have let the loud and negative minority win the discussion about what schools are and what they are accomplishing. This, in turn, has made many move away from their purpose. Their why for being in the classroom. In this episode, we are hoping to shift the focus back to what truly matters… THE KIDS.  Hal Bowman, speaker, podcaster, and author of the latest book Dear Teacher, is back for part two to talk about the power of educators and why we should move forward with a reinvigorated focus on our purpose for being teachers.     This episode is sponsored by Heinemann—the leading publisher of professional books and resources for educators—and their new book, The Joy of Reading by Donalyn Miller and Teri Lesesne. What reading experiences have entertained you, provoked you, taught you, inspired you, helped you to see your own life more clearly, or connected you with others?  As teachers, librarians, school administrators, and caregivers who love reading, we know what it feels like to fall into a book and let the world fall away. We have joyous reading memories, and we know how reading can sustain and inspire us. Now consider: When talking with children about their reading lives at school, are you likely to hear about this transformative reading joy? Or are you more likely to hear about reading logs, book reports, and standardized tests? For too many young readers, reading is joyless. It is something that is required of them, but not something that they choose to do. Here’s the truth: It is possible to teach children how to read well without killing their love for reading in the process. The Joy of Reading is a guide for teachers, librarians, administrators, and families to create the conditions for joyful reading. Donalyn Miller and Teri Lesesne draw from their decades of work with students, teachers, and librarians, providing practices that nurture joy while identifying factors that destroy joy, all with a clear understanding of the realities of today’s classrooms and libraries. There’s more to life than school and work. There’s more to reading than school-based value systems for it. We can aim higher than short-sighted measurements and, instead, become reading encouragers, supporters, and role models for lifelong, joyful reading.

Hello everyone! Between the constant attacks on education, toxic echo chambers on the internet, and the quiet majority, many people believe that schools are doing very little good. Of course, we know this isn’t true. We see the greatness happening everyday in the halls, our classrooms, and around school grounds. Yet we have struggled to share the good news about education in many places. We have let the loud and negative minority win the discussion about what schools are and what they are accomplishing. Hal Bowman, speaker, podcaster, and author of the latest book Dear Teacher, is back on the podcast to discuss the greatness happening in schools, why we should be sharing our stories, and so much more. It doesn’t feel like it, but it has been roughly 4 years since Hal Bowman came on the show last. Regardless, I loved having this talk with him and I think you all will as well.     This episode is sponsored by Heinemann—the leading publisher of professional books and resources for educators—and their new book, The Joy of Reading by Donalyn Miller and Teri Lesesne. What reading experiences have entertained you, provoked you, taught you, inspired you, helped you to see your own life more clearly, or connected you with others?  As teachers, librarians, school administrators, and caregivers who love reading, we know what it feels like to fall into a book and let the world fall away. We have joyous reading memories, and we know how reading can sustain and inspire us. Now consider: When talking with children about their reading lives at school, are you likely to hear about this transformative reading joy? Or are you more likely to hear about reading logs, book reports, and standardized tests? For too many young readers, reading is joyless. It is something that is required of them, but not something that they choose to do. Here’s the truth: It is possible to teach children how to read well without killing their love for reading in the process. The Joy of Reading is a guide for teachers, librarians, administrators, and families to create the conditions for joyful reading. Donalyn Miller and Teri Lesesne draw from their decades of work with students, teachers, and librarians, providing practices that nurture joy while identifying factors that destroy joy, all with a clear understanding of the realities of today’s classrooms and libraries. There’s more to life than school and work. There’s more to reading than school-based value systems for it. We can aim higher than short-sighted measurements and, instead, become reading encouragers, supporters, and role models for lifelong, joyful reading.

Hello everyone! I LOVE WRITING. It’s such powerful tool to learn through and teach with. Because of this, understanding writing is key to employing it well in the classroom. While I talk about secondary focused writing often, I wanted to bring on someone who could give voice to the elementary perspective. Today we are returning to my chat with Melanie Meehan, author of The Responsive Writing Teacher and her latest, Answers to your Biggest Questions About Teaching Elementary Writing.If you missed part 1, check it out here.  In part 2 of our talk, we discuss: The importance of writer identities and how they are shaped Deadlines in school—the good and the bad Creativity and using student writing in lessons Celebrating students to encourage their writing lives …and so much more! Can’t wait for you to hear this one!     This episode is sponsored by Heinemann—the leading publisher of professional books and resources for educators—and their new book, The Joy of Reading by Donalyn Miller and Teri Lesesne. What reading experiences have entertained you, provoked you, taught you, inspired you, helped you to see your own life more clearly, or connected you with others?  As teachers, librarians, school administrators, and caregivers who love reading, we know what it feels like to fall into a book and let the world fall away. We have joyous reading memories, and we know how reading can sustain and inspire us. Now consider: When talking with children about their reading lives at school, are you likely to hear about this transformative reading joy? Or are you more likely to hear about reading logs, book reports, and standardized tests? For too many young readers, reading is joyless. It is something that is required of them, but not something that they choose to do. Here’s the truth: It is possible to teach children how to read well without killing their love for reading in the process. The Joy of Reading is a guide for teachers, librarians, administrators, and families to create the conditions for joyful reading. Donalyn Miller and Teri Lesesne draw from their decades of work with students, teachers, and librarians, providing practices that nurture joy while identifying factors that destroy joy, all with a clear understanding of the realities of today’s classrooms and libraries. There’s more to life than school and work. There’s more to reading than school-based value systems for it. We can aim higher than short-sighted measurements and, instead, become reading encouragers, supporters, and role models for lifelong, joyful reading.

Hello everyone! I LOVE WRITING. It’s such powerful tool to learn through and teach with. Because of this, understanding writing is key to employing it well in the classroom. For some educators, this comes naturally. For many others, we have to dedicate ourselves to understanding the craft to be able to teach it to young people. It also pays to know what the grades before you taught and how writing develops of years in individual students. While I talk about secondary focused writing often, I wanted to bring on someone who could give voice to the elementary perspective. Today we are chatting with Melanie Meehan, author of The Responsive Writing Teacher and her latest, Answers to your Biggest Questions About Teaching Elementary Writing. In this episode we dive into: The importance of writer identities and how they are shaped The core aspects of a writing workshop and her latest book The nuance with deadlines …and so much more! Can’t wait for you to hear this one!     This episode is sponsored by Heinemann—the leading publisher of professional books and resources for educators—and their new book, The Joy of Reading by Donalyn Miller and Teri Lesesne. What reading experiences have entertained you, provoked you, taught you, inspired you, helped you to see your own life more clearly, or connected you with others?  As teachers, librarians, school administrators, and caregivers who love reading, we know what it feels like to fall into a book and let the world fall away. We have joyous reading memories, and we know how reading can sustain and inspire us. Now consider: When talking with children about their reading lives at school, are you likely to hear about this transformative reading joy? Or are you more likely to hear about reading logs, book reports, and standardized tests? For too many young readers, reading is joyless. It is something that is required of them, but not something that they choose to do. Here’s the truth: It is possible to teach children how to read well without killing their love for reading in the process. The Joy of Reading is a guide for teachers, librarians, administrators, and families to create the conditions for joyful reading. Donalyn Miller and Teri Lesesne draw from their decades of work with students, teachers, and librarians, providing practices that nurture joy while identifying factors that destroy joy, all with a clear understanding of the realities of today’s classrooms and libraries. There’s more to life than school and work. There’s more to reading than school-based value systems for it. We can aim higher than short-sighted measurements and, instead, become reading encouragers, supporters, and role models for lifelong, joyful reading.

Hello everyone! In honor of teacher appreciation week, the United States Secretary of Education, Miguel Cardona, has come to Teach Me, Teacher to discuss the politics continuing to shape education, as well as the hope and good news coming down from Washington. It was an absolute honor to speak with Secretary Miguel Cardona for the time we had. Many feel as if teachers are just yelling into the void and no one is listening. We feel like little changes despite so much needing to be changed. I believe that Secretary Cardona addresses much of that in this discussion. It’s my hope that this episode inspires hope in educators, but also inspires other leaders in and around education to come speak directly to teachers on this show. Tens of thousands of passionate educators listen every month to Teach Me, Teacher and we are constantly pushing for more understanding and support in what we do. We need more clear lines of communication to create the best schools possible for our communities and the people who work in them. As I say at the end of this episode…this podcast is not an echo chamber. We talk to anyone who genuinely wants to see education be better, and we believe that people on many sides can contribute to making public school reach the promise it strives to honor. Whether you are a new listener or a longtime fan of the show, I hope you enjoy this special episode.

Hello everyone! Summer is on the way and that means many of you are eyeing new ways to serve as a leader in your district (and beyond.) But what does it mean to be a leader today? So much has changed over the past few years…is there even a guide anymore? YES! Matt Renwick, author of the fantastic Leading Like a C.O.A.C.H, is on the show today to talk about his lessons in leadership and his view of principalship today. In part one we looked at literacy through a LITERACY lens. In part two, we discuss: Working with teachers from a “coach” mentality Leading with the people in mind What it takes to lead in today’s educational climate …and much much more!     This episode is sponsored by Heinemann—the leading publisher of professional books and resources for educators—and their new book, The Joy of Reading by Donalyn Miller and Teri Lesesne. What reading experiences have entertained you, provoked you, taught you, inspired you, helped you to see your own life more clearly, or connected you with others?  As teachers, librarians, school administrators, and caregivers who love reading, we know what it feels like to fall into a book and let the world fall away. We have joyous reading memories, and we know how reading can sustain and inspire us. Now consider: When talking with children about their reading lives at school, are you likely to hear about this transformative reading joy? Or are you more likely to hear about reading logs, book reports, and standardized tests? For too many young readers, reading is joyless. It is something that is required of them, but not something that they choose to do. Here’s the truth: It is possible to teach children how to read well without killing their love for reading in the process. The Joy of Reading is a guide for teachers, librarians, administrators, and families to create the conditions for joyful reading. Donalyn Miller and Teri Lesesne draw from their decades of work with students, teachers, and librarians, providing practices that nurture joy while identifying factors that destroy joy, all with a clear understanding of the realities of today’s classrooms and libraries. There’s more to life than school and work. There’s more to reading than school-based value systems for it. We can aim higher than short-sighted measurements and, instead, become reading encouragers, supporters, and role models for lifelong, joyful reading.

Hello everyone! Summer is on the way and that means many of you are eyeing new ways to serve as a leader in your district (and beyond.) But what does it mean to be a leader today? So much has changed over the past few years…is there even a guide anymore? YES! Matt Renwick, author of the fantastic Leading Like a C.O.A.C.H, is on the show today to talk about his lessons in leadership and his view of principalship today. In this episode we discuss: His history and his early days as a “siloed” principal How he grew into a principal who was supportive rather than purely evaluative How a focus on literacy has been at the core of his work …and much much more!     This episode is sponsored by Heinemann—the leading publisher of professional books and resources for educators—and their new classroom resource, Math by the Book by Sue O’Connell and colleagues. Math is everywhere—even in great children’s books! Teachers and students love a good story. But those stories can also help elementary students make sense of important mathematical concepts. Math by the Book shows teachers how to use high-quality children’s books to teach grade-specific math skills and content. You’ll find activities, investigations, and teaching strategies…all paired with lists of carefully chosen K-5 literature. So, if you’re looking for a fresh way to bring math teaching to life in your classroom, visit MathByTheBook.com to download a free sample or order a copy. That’s MathByTheBook.com.        

Hello everyone! One of the key aspects of being a teacher is being able to communicate well with many people. At times, especially in the classroom, it can feel like there just isn’t time to communicate well. We have lessons and tests to do. Papers to grade. Emails to send… But this isn’t something that’s complicated. It’s not “rocket science.” It’s a basic need that our classes need to succeed. Last week, I brought on my friend and educator Josh Monroe to discuss how communication is a form of care for our students. We touched on Josh’s growth in communication and how small tweaks in how we speak can bring huge results. In this episode, we dive into how compassionate communication brings better results in student academics and supports them in a multitude of ways in the class.  And when you’re done with this episode, check out my talk on his podcast!   This episode is sponsored by Heinemann—the leading publisher of professional books and resources for educators—and their new classroom resource, Math by the Book by Sue O’Connell and colleagues. Math is everywhere—even in great children’s books! Teachers and students love a good story. But those stories can also help elementary students make sense of important mathematical concepts. Math by the Book shows teachers how to use high-quality children’s books to teach grade-specific math skills and content. You’ll find activities, investigations, and teaching strategies…all paired with lists of carefully chosen K-5 literature. So, if you’re looking for a fresh way to bring math teaching to life in your classroom, visit MathByTheBook.com to download a free sample or order a copy. That’s MathByTheBook.com.  

Hello everyone! One of the key aspects of being a teacher is being able to communicate well with many people. At times, especially in the classroom, it can feel like there just isn’t time to communicate well. We have lessons and tests to do. Papers to grade. Emails to send… But this isn’t something that’s complicated. It’s not “rocket science.” It’s a basic need that our classes need to succeed. To discuss this, I brought on my friend and educator Josh Monroe! Josh’s videos about communication have gained him over a million followers on TikTok and his passion for teaching has helped thousands of educators. In this episode we discuss: The importance of sharing our educator stories on social media How Josh grew as an educator, especially with communication The realization not everything has to be “flashy” Why communication matter to students …and so much more! And when you’re done with this episode, check out my talk on his podcast!   This episode is sponsored by Heinemann—the leading publisher of professional books and resources for educators—and their new classroom resource, Math by the Book by Sue O’Connell and colleagues. Math is everywhere—even in great children’s books! Teachers and students love a good story. But those stories can also help elementary students make sense of important mathematical concepts. Math by the Book shows teachers how to use high-quality children’s books to teach grade-specific math skills and content. You’ll find activities, investigations, and teaching strategies…all paired with lists of carefully chosen K-5 literature. So, if you’re looking for a fresh way to bring math teaching to life in your classroom, visit MathByTheBook.com to download a free sample or order a copy. That’s MathByTheBook.com.  

Hello everyone! Welcome to part two of my talk with Erin Gruwell! Last week, we discussed the power of writing, stories, and teaching honestly. In this episode, we dive into HOW to create a workshop that that is an empowering writing community and why this should be our goal. Backstory: Over twenty years ago, the students in first-year teacher Erin Gruwell’s high school class in Long Beach, California, were labeled “unteachable”—but she saw past that. Instead of treating them as scores on a test, she understood that each of them had a unique story to tell. Inspired by books like Anne Frank’s diary, her students began writing their own diaries, eventually dubbing themselves the Freedom Writers. Together, they co-authored The Freedom Writers Diary. In Dear Freedom Writer, the next generation of Freedom Writers shares its struggles with abuse, racism, discrimination, poverty, mental health, imposed borders, LGBTQIA+ identity, and police violence. Each story is answered with a letter of advice from an original Freedom Writer. With empathy and honesty, they address these young people not with the platitudes of a politician or a celebrity, but with the pragmatic advice of people who have dealt with these same issues and come out on the other side. You do NOT want to miss this one.   Want to support the podcast and learn how to empower writers? Check out: WRITEFULLY EMPOWERED   Tap into the Transformative Potential of the Writing Workshop The time has come to shift how we think about writing in our schools. In Writefully Empowered, Jacob Chastain calls on educators to embrace the deeply personal, powerful, and transformative potential of the writing workshop by pivoting toward a classroom that honors each student’s individual voice. As Chastain argues: “When we let-no, push-for students to use their voices for their own purposes, we give them what is rightfully theirs as human beings: the tools to shape the world in their image.” Writing through this lens is an exercise in agency, empowerment, and self-determination. Chastain outlines key considerations for creating a writing workshop that centers freedom, equity, and equality of opportunity. He begins with what writers need, classroom routines, and how to catalyze creativity through mini-lessons, independent work time, and conferencing. He also addresses how to track growth, advocate for equitable practices, and navigate the trauma that sometimes emerges in student work. A clear-eyed call to action informed by Chastain’s years of classroom experience, Writefully Empowered will equip educators with all the tools they need to facilitate dynamic practices in their own spaces.       This episode is sponsored by Heinemann—the leading publisher of professional books and resources for educators—and their new classroom resource, Math by the Book by Sue O’Connell and colleagues. Math is everywhere—even in great children’s books! Teachers and students love a good story. But those stories can also help elementary students make sense of important mathematical concepts. Math by the Book shows teachers how to use high-quality children’s books to teach grade-specific math skills and content. You’ll find activities, investigations, and teaching strategies…all paired with lists of carefully chosen K-5 literature. So, if you’re looking for a fresh way to bring math teaching to life in your classroom, visit MathByTheBook.com to download a free sample or order a copy. That’s MathByTheBook.com.  

Hello everyone! Over twenty years ago, the students in first-year teacher Erin Gruwell’s high school class in Long Beach, California, were labeled “unteachable”—but she saw past that. Instead of treating them as scores on a test, she understood that each of them had a unique story to tell. Inspired by books like Anne Frank’s diary, her students began writing their own diaries, eventually dubbing themselves the Freedom Writers. Together, they co-authored The Freedom Writers Diary. In Dear Freedom Writer, the next generation of Freedom Writers shares its struggles with abuse, racism, discrimination, poverty, mental health, imposed borders, LGBTQIA+ identity, and police violence. Each story is answered with a letter of advice from an original Freedom Writer. With empathy and honesty, they address these young people not with the platitudes of a politician or a celebrity, but with the pragmatic advice of people who have dealt with these same issues and come out on the other side. In this episode, we discuss the power of writing, stories, and teaching honestly. We discuss legacy. We discuss purpose. You do NOT want to miss this one.   Want to support the podcast and learn how to empower writers? Check out: WRITEFULLY EMPOWERED   Tap into the Transformative Potential of the Writing Workshop The time has come to shift how we think about writing in our schools. In Writefully Empowered, Jacob Chastain calls on educators to embrace the deeply personal, powerful, and transformative potential of the writing workshop by pivoting toward a classroom that honors each student’s individual voice. As Chastain argues: “When we let-no, push-for students to use their voices for their own purposes, we give them what is rightfully theirs as human beings: the tools to shape the world in their image.” Writing through this lens is an exercise in agency, empowerment, and self-determination. Chastain outlines key considerations for creating a writing workshop that centers freedom, equity, and equality of opportunity. He begins with what writers need, classroom routines, and how to catalyze creativity through mini-lessons, independent work time, and conferencing. He also addresses how to track growth, advocate for equitable practices, and navigate the trauma that sometimes emerges in student work. A clear-eyed call to action informed by Chastain’s years of classroom experience, Writefully Empowered will equip educators with all the tools they need to facilitate dynamic practices in their own spaces.       This episode is sponsored by Heinemann—the leading publisher of professional books and resources for educators—and their professional book, Four Essential Studies: Beliefs and Practices to Reclaim Student Agency by Penny Kittle and Kelly Gallagher. Four Essential Studies is based on the belief that secondary students can only be prepared for life after high school when we purposefully shift the decision-making in our classrooms over to them. By reimagining how we teach essay, poetry, digital composition, and sustain talk in book clubs, we can ignite student curiosity, independence, and decision-making skills. Penny and Kelly share the strategies and activities they use in their own classrooms over the course of each unit, and show us what is possible when we expect more than compliance from our students. Learn more about how to transform students’ relationship with literacy.  Visit Heinemann.com to download a sample from Four Essential Studies.

Hello everyone! It’s no secret that the trust people have about schools, rightfully and wrongfully, has been harmed. Many of the relationships involved with well functioning schools are struggling. Some of this is caused by media hype, while others are rooted deeply in the culture wars occurring right now in and around education. In part one with Dr. Zac Bauermaster, we discussed how Zac leads with people in mind first. Even when things are hectic or struggling, he goes back to the people he serves. In this episode, we go deeper and discuss the complexities Covid, school board meetings, teacher burnout, and other factors have played into the damaging of trust in schools (from the inside out). Zac speaks honestly about the struggles schools face, and without blame, puts forth an outlook aimed at a better tomorrow. I really enjoyed this talk. I think you will too.     This episode is sponsored by Heinemann—the leading publisher of professional books and resources for educators—and their professional book, Four Essential Studies: Beliefs and Practices to Reclaim Student Agency by Penny Kittle and Kelly Gallagher. Four Essential Studies is based on the belief that secondary students can only be prepared for life after high school when we purposefully shift the decision-making in our classrooms over to them. By reimagining how we teach essay, poetry, digital composition, and sustain talk in book clubs, we can ignite student curiosity, independence, and decision-making skills. Penny and Kelly share the strategies and activities they use in their own classrooms over the course of each unit, and show us what is possible when we expect more than compliance from our students. Learn more about how to transform students’ relationship with literacy.  Visit Heinemann.com to download a sample from Four Essential Studies.

Hello everyone! Over the years we have featured some of the top leaders in education, such as Todd Whitaker, Hamish Brewer, and Adam Dovico. Even though Teach Me, Teacher is a teacher centered show, I love talking with administrators from all over because I feel like it brings a lot of light into the teams we work with. By understanding one another’s jobs and hardships, we can better serve one another. In this episode, we are talking with Dr. Zac Bauermaster, the principal of Kissel Hill Elementary. Together, we discuss: Why he got into administration His experiences from going from secondary to elementary Choosing what to focus on as a leader Putting people first, always …and so much more! I really enjoyed this talk. I think you will too.     This episode is sponsored by Heinemann—the leading publisher of professional books and resources for educators—and their professional book, Four Essential Studies: Beliefs and Practices to Reclaim Student Agency by Penny Kittle and Kelly Gallagher. Four Essential Studies is based on the belief that secondary students can only be prepared for life after high school when we purposefully shift the decision-making in our classrooms over to them. By reimagining how we teach essay, poetry, digital composition, and sustain talk in book clubs, we can ignite student curiosity, independence, and decision-making skills. Penny and Kelly share the strategies and activities they use in their own classrooms over the course of each unit, and show us what is possible when we expect more than compliance from our students. Learn more about how to transform students’ relationship with literacy.  Visit Heinemann.com to download a sample from Four Essential Studies.

Hello everyone! Writefully Empowered is HERE! It’s my second book, all about creating a writing workshop that empowers young people to be their best and write pieces they care about. In this episode, I talk with my co-host of Craft & Draft (my second podcast) about her experience with reading the book, what her takeaways are, and what other educators might find useful in it too. You can get the book here — or if you want a signed copy by all of the students, message me here!     This episode is sponsored by Heinemann—the leading publisher of professional books and resources for educators—and their professional book, Four Essential Studies: Beliefs and Practices to Reclaim Student Agency by Penny Kittle and Kelly Gallagher. Four Essential Studies is based on the belief that secondary students can only be prepared for life after high school when we purposefully shift the decision-making in our classrooms over to them. By reimagining how we teach essay, poetry, digital composition, and sustain talk in book clubs, we can ignite student curiosity, independence, and decision-making skills. Penny and Kelly share the strategies and activities they use in their own classrooms over the course of each unit, and show us what is possible when we expect more than compliance from our students. Learn more about how to transform students’ relationship with literacy.  Visit Heinemann.com to download a sample from Four Essential Studies.

Hello everyone! Last week, we dove into how educator Kass Haut, otherwise known as @heymshaut on Instagram and TikTok, discovered and came to love concept based instruction. This week, we take this a step further and go into the dos and don’ts, common pitfalls with concept based instruction, grades, and even working with parents! You do not want to miss this one! Enjoy!   Teaching our children to think and reason mathematically is a challenge, not because students can’t learn to think mathematically, but because we must change our own often deeply-rooted teaching habits. This is where instructional routines come in. Their predictable design and repeatable nature support both teachers and students to develop new habits. In Teaching for Thinking, Grace Kelemanik and Amy Lucenta pick up where their first book, Routines for Reasoning, left off. They draw on their years of experience in the classroom and as instructional coaches to examine how educators can make use of routines to make three fundamental shifts in teaching practice: Focus on thinking: Shift attention away from students’ answers and toward their thinking and reasoning Step out of the middle: Shift the balance from teacher-student interactions toward student-student interactions Support productive struggle: Help students do the hard thinking work that leads to real learning With three complete new routines,  support for designing your own routine, and ideas for using routines in your professional learning as well as in your classroom teaching, Teaching for Thinking will help you build new teaching habits that will support all your students to become and see themselves as capable mathematicians.

Hello everyone! Many teachers are always on the lookout for new ways of doing things. We want new ways to engage students in our content, new ways to plan, and new ways to assess. We want something that will take our class to the next level. If this is you, then concept based instruction just might be what you need to fire up your class work assessment, and planning! Kass Haut, otherwise known as @heymisshaut on Instagram and TikTok, is here to tell us about how she discovered concept based instruction, what it is, and how it has changed her teaching. Personally… I’m excited to hear and learn more already! Enjoy!   Teaching our children to think and reason mathematically is a challenge, not because students can’t learn to think mathematically, but because we must change our own often deeply-rooted teaching habits. This is where instructional routines come in. Their predictable design and repeatable nature support both teachers and students to develop new habits. In Teaching for Thinking, Grace Kelemanik and Amy Lucenta pick up where their first book, Routines for Reasoning, left off. They draw on their years of experience in the classroom and as instructional coaches to examine how educators can make use of routines to make three fundamental shifts in teaching practice: Focus on thinking: Shift attention away from students’ answers and toward their thinking and reasoning Step out of the middle: Shift the balance from teacher-student interactions toward student-student interactions Support productive struggle: Help students do the hard thinking work that leads to real learning With three complete new routines,  support for designing your own routine, and ideas for using routines in your professional learning as well as in your classroom teaching, Teaching for Thinking will help you build new teaching habits that will support all your students to become and see themselves as capable mathematicians.

Hello everyone! Education policy is changing. Politicians and board members are literally running on campaigns centered around what they believe should—and should not—happen in schools. Because of this, it is extremely important that we not only stay informed, but are knowledgable around laws, the history of educational movements, and why many restrictions are being pushed right now so hard. Among all of this, is the term gag order, which is detailed clearly in this episode. If you’re unfamiliar with the term in education, like I was, you’ll want to hear this episode. Joining me to help in unpacking this complex topic is Jonathan Friedman, the director of Free Expression and Education PEN America. In this episode, we discuss: The history of fringe involvement in educational policy The underlying politics behind content bans Analyzing precedence for today’s bans by looking at the push for religious beliefs to be in public school Gag orders, what they are, and what they do How gag orders are seeking to control teacher speech around race, sex, gender, and politics Enjoy!     Teaching our children to think and reason mathematically is a challenge, not because students can’t learn to think mathematically, but because we must change our own often deeply-rooted teaching habits. This is where instructional routines come in. Their predictable design and repeatable nature support both teachers and students to develop new habits. In Teaching for Thinking, Grace Kelemanik and Amy Lucenta pick up where their first book, Routines for Reasoning, left off. They draw on their years of experience in the classroom and as instructional coaches to examine how educators can make use of routines to make three fundamental shifts in teaching practice: Focus on thinking: Shift attention away from students’ answers and toward their thinking and reasoning Step out of the middle: Shift the balance from teacher-student interactions toward student-student interactions Support productive struggle: Help students do the hard thinking work that leads to real learning With three complete new routines,  support for designing your own routine, and ideas for using routines in your professional learning as well as in your classroom teaching, Teaching for Thinking will help you build new teaching habits that will support all your students to become and see themselves as capable mathematicians.

Hello everyone! Last week, I spoke with Ashley Hope Pérez about book bans and why she has been speaking up about them. As an educator, trauma survivor, and author, Ashley brought her unique perspective to this topic and challenged us to look at the complexity of, not just book bans, but the human beings being affected by them most…kids. In this episode, we continue this talk but dive into the nuance and complexity of book bans. What do they mean, why do they happen, and can we understand how many people can want a book banned are all a part of this talk…and much, much more. Enjoy!   Teaching our children to think and reason mathematically is a challenge, not because students can’t learn to think mathematically, but because we must change our own often deeply-rooted teaching habits. This is where instructional routines come in. Their predictable design and repeatable nature support both teachers and students to develop new habits. In Teaching for Thinking, Grace Kelemanik and Amy Lucenta pick up where their first book, Routines for Reasoning, left off. They draw on their years of experience in the classroom and as instructional coaches to examine how educators can make use of routines to make three fundamental shifts in teaching practice: Focus on thinking: Shift attention away from students’ answers and toward their thinking and reasoning Step out of the middle: Shift the balance from teacher-student interactions toward student-student interactions Support productive struggle: Help students do the hard thinking work that leads to real learning With three complete new routines,  support for designing your own routine, and ideas for using routines in your professional learning as well as in your classroom teaching, Teaching for Thinking will help you build new teaching habits that will support all your students to become and see themselves as capable mathematicians.

Hello everyone! It seems like any time you scroll through the news around education these days there are new reports of another book being banned. Authors of celebrated books are now being demonized, and more and more parents and special interest groups are raining their voices about books in schools. But why now? What caused the massive uproar? Why are certain books being attacked and others not? What does this tell us about our values in education and American society? To discuss these ideas and much more, I have brought on Ashley Hope Pérez, author of Out of Darkness—a book being targeted across the United States despite it being an award winning novel. As an educator, trauma survivor, and author, Ashley brings her unique perspective to this topic and challenges us to look at the complexity of, not just book bans, but the human beings being affected by them most…kids.     This episode is sponsored by Heinemann—the leading publisher of professional books and resources for educators—and their professional book, Textured Teaching: A Framework for Culturally Sustaining Practices by Lorena Escoto Germán. With Culturally Sustaining Practice as its foundation, Textured Teaching helps secondary teachers stop wondering and guessing how to implement teaching and learning that leads to social justice.  Lorena Germán shares her framework for creating a classroom environment that is highly rigorous and engaging, and that reflects the core traits of Textured Teaching: student-driven and community-centered, interdisciplinary, experiential, and flexible.  The actionable strategies Lorena uses to bring Textured Teaching values to life illuminate what is possible when we welcome all types of texts, all types of voices, and all forms of expression into the classroom. Learn more about how to become a culturally sustaining educator. Visit Heinemann.com to download a sample from Textured Teaching.    

Hello everyone! This podcast is many things to many people. It’s where educators can gather and enjoy the good news and positivity of education. It’s where educators can learn the latest approaches to fostering deep and meaningful literacy classrooms. And it’s a place where we discuss complicated issues in and around education today. Today, and over the next few episodes, we will be diving into the culture war in education today. This war has taken many forms and many voices have chimed in (often not in education), and this has caused a dilution of clear messages and goals. Those who care about education and its future have found ourselves often talking around each other rather to one another, and have seemingly fallen down endless rabbit holes as we defend our stances or accuse others of causing more harm than good. As an independent podcast that has found a healthy audience, I view this podcast as a place for us to dialogue across the divides, come to understand one another (even if we do not agree), and become educated on the issues so that we can truly work together to create a better world of education than the one we have today. Much like my episode with PragerU’s Jill Simonian, this is my attempt at creating bridges to one another, finding common ground, and setting the stage for us to move forward on the biggest issues we face as educators. To start this several episode mini-series, I have brought on the co-creator and owner of the Chalkboard Review, Tony Kinnett. Tony has recently made headlines because of his takes on CRT and recent fallout with his school district, as well as his work in education. In this hour long episode, we discuss numerous topics. We touch on: Critical Race Theory Book bans Curriculum Race Supporting marginalized communities Public schools vs Charter vs Private …and much more! Strap in, this should be a good one for you.     This episode is sponsored by Heinemann—the leading publisher of professional books and resources for educators—and their professional book, Textured Teaching: A Framework for Culturally Sustaining Practices by Lorena Escoto Germán. With Culturally Sustaining Practice as its foundation, Textured Teaching helps secondary teachers stop wondering and guessing how to implement teaching and learning that leads to social justice.  Lorena Germán shares her framework for creating a classroom environment that is highly rigorous and engaging, and that reflects the core traits of Textured Teaching: student-driven and community-centered, interdisciplinary, experiential, and flexible.  The actionable strategies Lorena uses to bring Textured Teaching values to life illuminate what is possible when we welcome all types of texts, all types of voices, and all forms of expression into the classroom. Learn more about how to become a culturally sustaining educator. Visit Heinemann.com to download a sample from Textured Teaching.