This is kind of a bittersweet episode for me. I was blessed to get the job of my dreams, and I couldn’t be happier, but it means I’ll be wrapping things up for this podcast. After 4 amazing years, this will be my last new episode. I’m going to give everyone a chance to catch up by rereleasing older episodes. But this is the last new one.

In this episode, my guest, Crystal Frommert, and I have a great conversation about something that challenges new and veteran teachers alike: How to have better conversations with our students’ parents and/or guardians in order to make connections and ensure collaboration that will really enhance our work with their kids

This episode is important for parents and educators to listen to. In it, my special guest – a teenage boy - and I dig deep into the ever increasing problem of teens and pre-teens being influenced by toxic people and dangerous messages online.

Today, I’m continuing a hot topic in education right now -homework. My guests in this episode are incredible educators Starr Sackstein and Connie Hamilton who co-authored the excellent book, Hacking Homework. We have a great conversation that explores homework issues including giving practical ideas for how to do it right, if you have to do it all. And we also have a lot of fun!

My special guest today is educator and author Jacki Edry. She has experience with neurodivergence as an educator, a mother, and through an experience she herself had. Jacki has great suggestions for how teachers and parents can help our neurodivergent students and children, to understand them, and give them the tools to really succeed. We packed a lot in this discussion!

In the last episode, I interviewed Jim Hahn and Jon Cassie, the founders of Qualia: The School for Deeper Learning to find out what their secret sauces to success are and how they can be added to other schools and classrooms. I thought it was important to also hear from some students at Qualia, Jiyen, Diego, and Ella.

Can games actually have an impact on bigger changes in education? And if so, how? Jessica Fuller of RESCHOOL and I discuss all of these questions, among other important issues. Find out about games and tools that transform education.

I have a really enlightening conversation with my guest, Carter Weinstein, who as a high school senior wrote a book to help teens dealing with anxiety, and also to help parents and teachers understand what it’s like for teens to experience anxiety.

In honor of May being Mental Health Awareness Month, I invited longtime educator and author, Deborah Farmer Kris as my guest to offer organic and meaningful ways to integrate SEL through cultivating awe, generating play-based learning and other seamless ways.

As educators and parents, we need to listen more to what students are voicing about education. While I hope to have more students share their thoughts, I’m starting with my guest on this episode, 17-year-old student, Kayhan Ali, who shares important ideas about what’s missing in education today and how to make change.

Matt Barnes, podcast host and founder of started the Global Education Movement, so that educators and parents can team up to create and implement a whole new vision of learning that will benefit every student. Our conversation has many great take-aways for both parents and educators. Please share this episode with every parent you know!

In this episode, I have the hilarious, charming, passionate educator and professional comedian, Joe Dombrowski. We talk about not only why teaching with humor and playfulness is crucial for deeper learning, but also how to make it happen in your classes and lessons, even if you don’t consider yourself naturally funny.

Prolific author and passionate educator, Starr Sackstein, is my guest again, this time for a great conversation about why and how to go gradeless and move beyond tests and quizzes for better assessments.

Prolific author and passionate educator Starr Sackstein is my guest for a great conversation about the power of questions and the importance of cultivating students’ curiosity.

In today’s episode I have a great conversation about unconventional teaching with passionate educator, Rachelle Dene Poth. Click on “Read More” below to read more and listen to the episode.

Long-time educator Jared Magee, from the very cool The Winchendon School, shares what Impact Learning is, why it’s important, and how to make it happen for all educators.

Dave Burgess, of Teach Like a Pirate, is one of the most energetic and positive people you’ll hear. In this inspiring and fun conversation, he gives great practical tools and ideas for how to hook our students into our lessons, helping them buy into the content with joy.

Natalie Vardabasso, a true assessment innovator and host of the #Educrush Podcast speaks with me about how we can move way beyond tests, quizzes and other traditional paradigms of assessing students to find creative and authentic ways for students to express their knowledge, actually understanding where our students are at and how we can move them forward.

In the last part of this 3 part series, our panel - Andre Daughty, Stacey Joy, Charity Parsons, Brett Mitchell, Jason Ernest Feldman and Dr. Hattie Mitchell - brings solid ideas for moving forward in trying to eradicate racism in education.

In this second episode of the series, our panel - Andre Daughty, Stacey Joy, Charity Parsons, Brett Mitchell, Jason Ernest Feldman and Dr. Hattie Mitchell, share their powerful and painful stories of personal experiences with racism in education.