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In this episode, we are thrilled and honored to welcome Beth, a French teacher who travels the world with her students both in and out of the classroom. Beth is the quintessential teacher who understands the important role teachers play in the education of children and that the lifelong impact the relationships and experiences we have with our students can change them and guide them forever! She says that, as teachers, “we mentor our students into situations and had them through the learning journey to make life connections and grow their experiences and memories and life skills.” To her, this is…

In this episode, we are all privileged to hear from Nathan, a National Teacher of the Year for world languages. More importantly, however, we are inspired by Nathan’s passion, dedication and stories about being a dad, advocate, colleague, friend and teacher. Nathan and I share so many things in common… from being passionate advocates… to having our own children as our students in class… to traveling with students all over the world during the summer…to advocating for better opportunities in education for our students on the local, state and national levels.  Nathan says, “student success is our advocacy”, which is why…

In this episode, our guest teacher from North Caroline, Jennifer, goes big and deep into making connections to humanity through what we teach students. We touch on all the important C’s – curriculum, content, celebrations, communication, conversations, conferences, community, cross-curricular, cross-cutlural, and most of all, connections! As Jennifer showed participants at a recent conference, these big C’s are like strands of thread that should be woven into a lesson in order to help them see a bigger “tapestry” of life and to greater appreciate the humanity that connects us all. Jennifer shares that her goal in every lesson is to…

In this episode, we meet an international teacher, Alexandra, who started out teaching in the USA, but has now taught in China, Viet Nam and Saudi Arabia. Through these experiences, she has learned to shift, pivot and adjust not only what she teaches, but how, where and who she teaches. Alexandra is a fabulous example of how much the teaching profession expects and relies on teachers to be able to be flexible, “multi-dimensional” and skilled enough to be able to teach whatever subject and levels are needed, to create and develop their own curriculum, to find their own resources, AND…

In this episode, we gain new perspectives and insights to the needs of our rural schools from Shannon, a rural school teacher in Georgia who founded the non-profit STaRLT. Shannon moved from an urban school to a rural school and realized that she nor her students had the same resources or support in a rural school setting that were available in an urban setting. These resources and support are critical to not only the success of the teacher, but more importantly, to that of the student! So, Shannon created the Small Town and Rural Language Teachers (STaRLT) non-profit in order…

In this episode, we have the great pleasure of meeting Michelle, a dear friend and teacher guide on the side for so many. Michelle shares her very interesting story of how she became a teacher and how she has been a wayfinder her entire life and career. She reminds us that our path in life is a winding one and that we are always finding our way on that path. There is no “one size fits all” professional learning that can happen in an hour or even a day. It is more a journey of small shifts in small ways…

In this episode, we have a delightful chat with Christine about her love of animals, reading and the impact her life experiences had on becoming the teacher, and now author, she is for children. Like many children we have in our classrooms, Christine was shy as a child and did not feel comfortable being “in the spotlight”.  So, as a teacher, she decided to do “Read Alouds” with her students in which every student had a choice to join in or not. She understood the impact that giving students choice to experience real world, personalized and meaningful connections were to…

In this episode, we meet Stephanie who was just named the SCOLT regional teacher of the year. Stephanie’s story of being a first generation American born to immigrant parents from Argentina, of being a struggling reader and also, not following a traditional path to become a teacher will inspire all our listeners. What is especially interesting about Stephanie is how she has taken her family connections to the equine industry from Argentina to Kentucky and related it to her community and industry there. Stephanie has a real passion and dedication to creating authentic learning experiences for her students, which is even more important in the classroom today than ever before. As students become more and more connected to their devices and less connected to the real world around them and even more disconnected, more reluctant and more “bored” with traditional learning in the classroom, Stephanie makes great points and shares wonderful examples and inspiration to advocate for teachers to create authentic and more meaningful learning experiences for their students. She is a part of the national “Knowledge Matters Campaign” and has a lot of data and research to share with listeners about reading and the impact it has on our student confidence, competence and success. You can check out more about Stephanie on her website “Teaching, Stitches and Fixes”.

In this episode, we will meet Hayes, a fascinating man of many talents…and sounds! As a jazz musician and film composer, Hayes understands the power that sound has on humans…and we are not talking music, but sound. Having worked as a teacher with young people in all kinds of capacities since the early 90s, Hayes is now using his love of the art of sound to help teachers in the classroom. He is about to release a new book, Creative Sound Play for Young Learners: A Teacher’s Guide to Enhancing Transition Times, Classroom Communities, SEL, and Executive Function Skills (Routledge, Eye on Education Series, June 6, 2024). Hayes shares with us the 3 primary elements of sound and how they can help you as a teacher during transition times to focus and engage student learning. He also explains how using his techniques help develop student executive function skills, addresses student social emotional learning and is especially powerful when used with students with a language delay, students with special needs and those students on the spectrum. Additional info can be found at https://www.creativesoundplay.com/  and https://www.hayesgreenfield.com/

In this episode, we will have a truly inspiring conversation with Matt, an award-winning teacher in New Jersey whose enthusiasm and passion for teaching is contagious. Need a lift to rise up to your greatest potential, just listen to Matt! He says that his greatest passion is to make kids feel like they can flourish and be risk-takers in their learning journey. Matt believes that students are just an extension of the teacher and that we need to be coaches, role models and lifelong learners in order to inspire our students to experiment and let their creativity and curiosity run wild. In order to do this, Matt really focuses on developing student agency and has come up with 3 highly effective strategies that empower student learning and allow them to see the relevance of what they are learning. These strategies are NUTS, SATS and TCOL. Listen to Matt explain them and give examples for his Spanish class. BUT the great thing is that these strategies can be implemented in any content area! Check them out, try them out and share with others!

In this episode, we meet Ebony, a Spanish teacher of color who gets real with us about what it is like to be a teacher post-pandemic and in a large metropolitan city in Georgia. Ebony reminds all teachers that we are only ONE person with limited time, and that we are only ONE brick in a foundation of lifelong learning. WOW! Teachers cannot expect to be perfect, should set boundaries and have healthy outlets to prevent burnout. Ebony says that perfection is the enemy of good and that students don’t need a perfect teacher, but rather one who cares and works toward their good. We talk about how one of the biggest obstacles in schools today is the erosion of trust and how it is important to build a community of trust, collaboration and unlimited possibilities for learning. Students must be seen and heard and see themselves and their potential in their teachers as role models, mentors, leaders and guides. Finally, Ebony has some FABULOUS advice for new teachers, although, I think veteran teachers could benefit from her suggestions and insights as well. Check it out!

In this episode, we will gain another perspective on education and be deeply inspired by yet another fabulous educator, this time from the post-secondary world. Grant is a college professor at Georgia Southern where he not only researches and is an expert on chivalry, but he also is a Medievalist and Renaissance scholar. Additionally, he teaches a methods/pedagogy class and prepares teachers for the profession. But wait…there’s more… he also teaches courses in LSP (Language for Specific Purposes) and produces a podcast for teacher “PD on the go” entitled The World Languages Collaborative podcast. I invite  you to check it out and share with others.  No matter what you teach, you will find ideas and inspiration on Grant’s podcast! He strongly believes that teachers are like fisherman. We cast a net as wide as we can and “hook” our students. Then, through professional development and our lifelong passion for learning, we increase the size of our net and the ability to “hook” more students. Grant also shares so many inspirational insights to the stories that teachers can create for a student through their caring, encouragement and support.  As Grant and I explore the power teachers have to set a student on the best pathway toward their future, our conversation travels the depth and breadth of being lifelong learners. I hope you will  take a listen, be inspired and travel along with us!

In this episode, we will gain great insight on education from an international perspective. My guest, Brantley, is the East Asia Education Director of Dwight Schools, and she shares with us the great need for students to be exposed to an international curriculum, to develop intercultural skills and to strive for global citizenship through their education. More importantly, she talks about how we are operating within an educational framework that contains “restraints” and that we need to “disrupt the reality of our context” in order to bring about innovation, ideation and change. Brantley explains that we need to get “out of the box” in our thinking and doing in order to bring to light what is really needed for teachers and their students. She also shares some ideas on how to avoid teacher burnout, how to value teachers more and how to treasure and celebrate what is truly wonderful about the American education system. We can all use that pep talk and inspiration, so please share! You can also check out more about Brantley and the Dwight School here.

In this episode, I have a personal conversation with Adrienne, a teacher who helped lift me up and kept me going when I was ready to quit and leave the profession. So many teachers are feeling this now, and it is so critical that we realize how important it is to not be negative and pass judgments on each other, but rather to lift each other up with our words and actions. We shouldn’t feel jealousy. It’s not a competition. It is about the profession and acknowledging the worth of EVERY teacher and what strengths they bring to the classroom. Adrienne sums it up well: “we need to motivate and uplift each other to get through our lows.” Amen! Adrienne and I talk about teacher pay, teacher morale and administrative support. But wait…we also talk about how school life is much different than corporate life and how reverence and respect can go a long way toward retaining teachers in the profession. And maybe, THAT is an important part of what each teacher can do to make a difference in education. Reach out and BE THE CHANGE you want to see in your school!

In this episode, we meet JoAnne, a district supervisor in New Jersey who wears many hats. Originally, JoAnne set out to become a lawyer. However, after working in a refugee center in college, JoAnne became impassioned to become a teacher and champion for ESL bilingual students. She became a mentor, leader and instrument for change. JoAnne realized that she was (just) a piece of a bigger “machine” at work and that she needed to show up and do her part to keep the machine running. She couldn’t control the whole machine, just the piece or part that she was in that machine. JoAnne tells us that this creates real power and a sphere of influence that can make a difference. Also, in a moment of vulnerability, JoAnne shares how an accident left her with a traumatic brain injury and how she had to learn to talk, walk, read and write again. Nonetheless, she doesn’t linger there, but instead shares how this has changed her perspective on learning, how the brain works, communication, accommodations and the power of listening. She also has some great advice about how to best deal with parents, something all teachers could use right now, correct?  Enjoy and be sure to tuck those pearls of wisdom away in a safe place where you can find them again when you most need them. Thank you, JoAnne! You are a true inspiration to us all!