Teachers Cup of Coffee

I’m a little obsessed with how we as educators respond to students’ mistakes. And what type of culture we build around mistakes. And how we help students value their mistakes.    In this episode, we examine how to truly turn mistakes into learning opportunities. We have agency in this. Let’s use our control to change the reputation of mistakes!   YouTube episode link: https://youtu.be/jY0RFO7KhTo   Check out my YouTube channel and subscribe here: https://www.youtube.com/@TeachersCupofCoffee   If you’d like to join our email list and be notified of every episode, sign up here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd9NohCaQnyqo7-p3smgYOYA2QRraHKb1b1hjx_mb0FeHVTSA/viewform?usp=sharing&ouid=101789399357322597484

A living legend of education, Rick Wormeli, joins the pod. We discuss middle schools, teacher health, practical assessment, and his upcoming keynote at the NELMS Conference. He does not disappoint in terms of knowledge, communication, and vibe! Please be sure to subscribe and check us out on YouTube. Email me anytime at teacherscupofcoffeeguy@gmail.com. Join my email list HERE. 

Cornelius Minor - one of my educational heroes - joins the pod to discuss his work, his book, his plans for an upcoming keynote at the NELMS Conference, and answer the age-old-question: Jay Z or Nas? Email me anytime at teacherscupofcoffeeguy@gmail.com. Join my email list HERE. 

Whether we realize it or not, students are always watching us. What are they learning from what we model? We dig into a Cult of Pedagogy blog post and offer a few easy, practical plans to help educators be more intentional about the lessons they teach—without saying a word. If you’d like to join our email list and receive episode updates, please do so HERE. Email me anytime at teacherscupofcoffeeguy@gmail.com. Check us out now with a video pod at https://youtu.be/YSwPtnX3U7Y.

Classroom Meetings, rooted in the work of Cornelius Minor, offer a fast, fun way to connect with students and build real community. No scripts. No circles. Just simple moves that work. In 10 minutes, we unpack a practice that can transform your classroom vibe. If you’d like to join our email list and receive episode updates, please do so HERE. Check out more on Cornelius Minor and classroom meetings HERE.

Yep, I said it. Love is a major part of what we do as educators. And the more we lean into this idea, the healthier our jobs become. Shout out to Phillip Done and The Art of Teaching Children for guiding us toward this thinking.  Email me anytime with thoughts, ideas, or requests: tca19782@gmail.com.

What can a single LEGO brick teach us about teaching and learning? Turns out, a lot!

AI could change everything in schools. We are all dealing with this possibility. But I recently caught a glimpse of the future in my classroom - just a quick glimpse - and it wasn't all bad!

Students are different, and that is an understatement. But we also know more about how brains work than ever before. Let's apply what we know from brain science—and what we observe social media doing—to enhance student learning in our classrooms. Shout out to Brian Goodwin for his work on this topic.

This time of year, we can wonder if kids learned anything LAST year... But the fact is, if we do not teach in a way that leads to deep learning, it's possible they don't remember much.  In this episode, I share 3 tricks we can use in our planning and teaching to ensure that students practice deep learning in our classroom.  Ten minutes could change the learning your students experience this year!

In this episode, we discuss the racism continuum and how to teach it to students.  Let's give racism a language and a framework for kids to understand.   This is episode 2 in our series focused on equipping schools and educators with concrete, anti-racist practices!

Schools have come a long way in how they address bullying.  More work can be done, but progress has definitely been made.  What about racism?  Have schools improved their prevention and elimination of racism?  I would argue, not really.  And thus, this is our opening episode in a series dedicated to equipping schools and educators with concrete ways to implement anti-racist practices.  Come along for the journey!

Drawing is a powerful way to improve teaching, learning, and assessment.  It seems so simple on the surface, but it actually leads to a lot of brain work and deepening of learning.  In under 10 minutes, we go over the why/how/what of bringing drawing into our classrooms. Check out this video and consider showing it to your students before you incorporate this new strategy: https://www.edutopia.org/video/powerful-effects-drawing-learning

In a few weeks, many of us will be responding to students who have experienced trauma.  Let's open our school year using some simple proactive measures to support challenging students right from the jump!

Teacher retention and teacher well-being are pretty much at a crisis level.  What can we do?!!  How can teachers stay sane enough to continue in the profession?  I bring in some experts for ideas.   https://www.corcreativepartners.com/

Academic safety allows students to ask questions, take risks, and grapple with challenging material.  How can we make sure that students in our classrooms feel academically safe?  

Apathy, disrespect, and disruption: The Big 3. How can we deal with these behaviors in a way that keeps us sane, is trauma-informed, and helps kids regulate?

This year has to be better.  But it's on us to find the joy in our jobs.  Here's four easy steps to bringing it back. (Who knew that the Dalai Lama could teach us so much about schools?!)

A simple equation for engaging students in our lessons... inspired by Omar from The Wire!

How do we bounce back from this COVID rut as educators?  Part 1 provides ideas on truly motivating students to learn and motivating ourselves in the process!