As educators, we sometimes need a spark. One great place to find that inspiration is in movies. In Episode 234 of Class Dismissed, we highlight some of the most inspirational movie scenes for teachers. The movie scenes that made our list include… Stand and Deliver (Rotten Tomatoes Score 82%) Los Angeles high school teacher Jaime Escalante (Edward James Olmos) is being hassled by tough students like Angel Guzman (Lou Diamond Phillips). But Jaime is also pressured by his bosses, who want him to control his raucous classroom. Caught in the middle, he opts to immerse his students in higher math. In our highlighted scene, Escalante tries to convince his jaded colleagues that they need “ganas,” which translates to desire. School of Rock (Rotten Tomatoes Score 91%) Overly enthusiastic guitarist Dewey Finn (Jack Black) gets thrown out of his bar band and finds himself in desperate need of work. Posing as a substitute music teacher at an elite private elementary school, he exposes his students to the hard rock gods he idolizes and emulates — much to the consternation of the uptight principal (Joan Cusack). In our highlighted scene, Finn discovers his students’ potential as musicians and his potential as a teacher. Mr. Holland’s Opus (Rotten Tomatoes Score 75%) Composer Glenn Holland (Richard Dreyfuss) believes that he’ll eventually write a transcendent piece of music, but in the meantime, he’s taken a job at an Oregon high school. In our highlighted scene, Holland has a breakthrough with one of his struggling students. Lean on me (Rotten Tomatoes Score 69%) In this fact-based film, a New Jersey superintendent, Dr. Frank Napier (Robert Guillaume), watches helplessly as East Side High becomes the lowest-ranked school in the state. With nowhere else to turn, Dr. Napier enlists maverick ex-teacher Joe Clark (Morgan Freeman) to take over as principal of the declining school. In our highlighted scene, Clark catches some students in the bathroom and challenges them to recite the school song. Their response surprises the hard-nosed principal. Remember the Titans (Rotten Tomatoes Score 73%) In Virginia, high school football is a way of life, an institution revered, each game celebrated more lavishly than Christmas, each playoff distinguished more grandly than any national holiday. And with such recognition comes powerful emotions. In 1971 high school football was everything to the people of Alexandria. But when the local school board was forced to integrate an all-black school with an all-white school, the very foundation of football’s great tradition was put to the test. In our highlighted scene, Coach Herman Boone, played by Denzel Washington, takes his players to a hallowed ground to prove a point. Finding Forrester (Rotten Tomatoes Score 79%) A unique relationship develops between an eccentric, reclusive novelist and a young, amazingly gifted scholar-athlete. After the novelist discovers that the young athlete is also an excellent writer and secretly takes him on as his protégé, they develop an unlikely friendship. As they learn more about each other, they learn more about themselves, and ultimately, with the help of his new mentor, the basketball star must choose the right path.   Dead Poets Society (Rotten Tomatoes Score 84%) A new English teacher, John Keating (Robin Williams), is introduced to an all-boys preparatory school known for its ancient traditions and high standards. He uses unorthodox methods to reach out to his students, who face enormous pressures from their parents and the school. In our highlighted scene, Keating explains to his students the importance of the arts and self-purpose. You can listen to Episode 234 or any of our episodes of Class Dismissed on your favorite podcasting app or iTunes. All Rights Reserved. Class Dismissed Podcast 2017-2021

For more than 15 years, Johnny Tiersma brought humor into his classroom. He does this, be he feels it builds trust with his students. "You know when you're all in on the same joke, and you're all laughing together," it creates a bond Tiersma says.  The sixth-grade teacher serves in the Cardiff School District in San Diego, and bringing humor to his classroom has always come naturally. For example, he names objects in his room, the projector's name is Barbara, and he talks sweetly to Barbara when she's not working correctly, and the students love it.  But Tiersma knows that humor is not second nature for everyone, so he wanted to create something to act as an icebreaker for other educators. So he recently wrote a picture book called "If I Were the Teacher." It's about a boy who imagines what he would do if he were the teacher and his ideas are wild, funny, and imaginative. "It is designed to be something that elementary school teachers would read to their students." Tiersma hopes his book will be a fun activity and catalyst for bonding with the students.  To learn more about "If I Were the Teacher" and tips on using humor and kindness in the classroom, listen to episode 233 of Class Dismissed Podcast on iTunes or your favorite podcasting app. All Rights Reserved. Class Dismissed Podcast 2017 – 2022

There’s little doubt that students will learn more when they engage in classroom discussions. So for many teachers, finding ways to motivate students to participate in class makes complete sense.  For years, Jim Lang (Assumption College) did this with a class participation grade. The English professor says he tried to keep track of each student’s class participation to boost a grade (for example, a B to a B+) but not penalize students. However, Lang is now advocating against the idea of grading participation. “It just didn’t feel right,” says Lang. “Grades are really supposed to measure something we can document. Like the learning of the student.” Lang admits that grading participation made him uncomfortable with nudging grades around in an informal way. He also didn’t love the idea that students were rewarded for talking.  “There are other students that might be engaged just as thoughtfully in class, through the way they took their notes, though the way they participated in group work.”    Recently Lang published “Should we stop grading class participation” in the Chronicle for Higher Education. He also joined us on Class Dismissed to explain how he maintained widespread class participation while moving away from grading it.  “Rather than make participation something that is optional and can be graded. What I argue instead is that participation should be the norm,” says Lang.  In Episode 232, listen to how Lang makes this happen. Hear our full interview on the Class Dismissed Podcast on iTunes or your favorite podcasting app. All Rights Reserved. Class Dismissed Podcast 2017 – 2022

Educators always want their students to thrive and succeed in life. Often, that path for students runs through college. But for many students, that's not the case.  Our guest in Episode 231 offers tips on how teachers can best support students who choose an alternative post-high-school path. Stephanie Haynes is a licensed education coach and consultant who works specifically with school administrations, teachers, and the parents of students to reimagine the culture of success in schools.  She's also the author of "College is not Mandatory." Haynes, says sometimes teachers can feel lost in guiding students. "If these kids are not doing well in school, how do they help them find that success if college is just not part of the picture for them." During this episode, Haynes explains to educators how we can support students who may not be headed to college.  "First and foremost, stop saying everything needs to be done so you can do well in college," says Hayes "Second, when we're giving our curriculum, we don't talk about the professional skills that we're helping kids develop."  To hear Haynes go more in-depth on these tips, listen to Episode 231 of Class Dismissed. You can find each episode on your favorite podcast app or iTunes. Other show notes Empowering educators through team-based staffing models

A well-run, fun classroom is pivotal to the way students learn. But for some educators, meaningful classroom management can be a challenge. Gamifiying a classroom is one strategy educators use to improve this. In Episode 230 of Class Dismissed, we chatted with Shawn Young, the Co-Founder, and CEO of Classcraft, a platform that helps educators motivate their students using the mechanics of games. Young says classroom management is core to a teacher's job, but ironically, there are few digital tools to support the cause.  Consequently, Young and his colleagues created Classcraft to make the classroom experience more exciting for students.  Young says that the classroom experience for many kids is meaningless.  "It's just tasks they need to do, and that is work," says Young.  So they created Classcraft to repackage students' engagement rules with the hope of developing intrinsic motivation. When gamifying with Classcraft, kids strive to gain points and improve their avatars. For instance, Young says they have a thing called "random events," and it's a way to kick start a class.  An example would be that everyone has to speak like a pirate, or students have 20 seconds to build a paper airplane, and whoever goes the furthest gets a hundred points. To hear more of our interview with Young and find out if it's challenging to gamify your classroom, listen to Episode 230 of Class Dismissed. You can find each episode on your favorite podcast app or iTunes. Other Show Notes Red Shirt the Boys All Rights Reserved. Class Dismissed Podcast 2017 – 2022

The state of civics education in the United States The push for impactful STEM education over the past decade has made a positive difference in preparing our youth. But have other areas suffered? Civics, for example?   Our guest in today's bright idea segment is here to offer us some perspective on the state of civics education here in the United States.  Holly Korby is a Journalist, Speaker, and Author of "Building Better Citizens," and when asked to grade the nation on the state of civics education, she gives us a C-.  Citing Horace Mann's writings from the 1800s, Korby notes, "The entire American public education system was created just to deliver civics education." The goal was to have informed citizens that understood how our government worked. But Korby says we're not living up to that.  She says that some states, such as Massachusetts and Illinois, are doing a great job with civics education, but overall it's a "patchwork system."  However, it's not all doom and gloom, there are some things educators can do to better inform students about civics, and that's what we talked to Korby about in Episode 229 of Class Dismissed.  Listen to the Class Dismissed Podcast on your favorite podcast app or iTunes to hear Korby's thoughts. All Rights Reserved. Class Dismissed Podcast 2017 – 2022

Not long after the start of each school year, an important topic comes up, September 11th. For some teachers, it can be challenging to figure out how to discuss such a tragic day in American history with students.   In Episode 228, we invited Jan Helson to give us some guidance. Helson is the Co-founder and Board Chair of Global Game Changers, a 501(c)3 organization that provides social-emotional learning, character, and leadership development programs.  Furthermore, Global Game Changers offers educators a specific curriculum for teaching about 9/11. In this episode, Helson discusses... Teaching 9/11 to children in an age-appropriate fashion is critical.  Whether or not it’s OK to interject your memories of that day.  How to direct focus on the real-life heroes who emerged.  Listen to Episode 228 of the Class Dismissed Podcast to hear our discussion with Helson. You can find the latest episode of the Class Dismissed Podcast on your favorite podcast app or iTunes. All Rights Reserved. Class Dismissed Podcast 2017 – 2022

In early 2022 NEFE and AmeriSpeak surveyed U.S. adults on high school financial education graduation requirements. 88% surveyed said their state should require a semester- or year-long financial education course for graduation. Remarkably, only 14 states require personal finance education before graduation.  Our guest on Episode 227, Jessica Pelletier, is the Executive Director of FitMoney. FitMoney is a philanthropic nonprofit that provides free financial literacy programs to help K-12 students. Pelletier says that time is the biggest challenge for working in a financial literacy curriculum. She says many other great things to teach, and educators don't have extra hours in the day.  Another hurdle is that some educators don't feel comfortable teaching personal finance.  That's why FitMoney has developed what they describe as a free, unbiased financial literacy curriculum.  Pelletier says they make a note of "unbiased" because FitMoney doesn't allow financial institutions' logos, credit card applications, or data selling within their program   "I think it's really important, especially if you're talking to young very impressionable audiences."  Pelletier also says that their curriculum is developed by educators, for educators.  To hear our full interview and learn more about how you can introduce FitMoney in your classroom, listen to Episode 227 of the Class Dismissed Podcast. You can find the latest episode of the Class Dismissed Podcast on your favorite podcast app or iTunes. All Rights Reserved. Class Dismissed Podcast 2017 – 2022

Does blended learning make teaching easier or harder? Catlin Tucker has been a thought leader in the world of blended learning. But many educators' Tucker would interact with perceived blended learning as more work for teachers. "I couldn't understand why that was," says Tucker. So, as Tucker started visiting classrooms, she realized teachers were still doing the lion's share of the work in the classrooms even when they were trying a blended classroom. Tucker noticed that workflows were staying traditional, placing a heavy burden on the teachers.  For example, she says the teachers would set the assignment 150 kids complete it teacher collects those assignments teacher processes the work teacher inputs the data in the grade book the teacher passes the lessons back to the students. Tucker says she also observed a lot of teachers talking and students listening. But she feels there should be much more balance between the two. Blended Learning Requires a Mind-Shift Tucker goes about blended learning from a different angle. She says it requires a mind-shift around how teachers view their role and their students' role in education. "What responsibilities do we each own, and which responsibilities do we each share?" Tucker says teachers should feel more like they are partnering with students. She suggests using models in dynamic ways to try and create time and space in the classroom. Hopefully, this will allow teachers to move some of that work they traditionally would take home back into the school. "I wasn't in the front of the room. I was sitting side by side with them, giving feedback as they worked." Tucker also suggests frequent conferencing with students about their goals and pulling them into a side-by-side assessment conversation where the teacher grades the work as the student sits next to them. Tucker highlights the topics in her new book "Balance With Blended Learning."  In it, she talks about the value of forming a partnership with kids and goes in-depth on metacognitive skill-building and real-time feedback. Tools that allow teachers to have more balance inside and outside the classroom. "I THINK IF WE DON'T START TO REALLY SHINE SOME LIGHT ON HOW WE CAN APPROACH THIS JOB IN A SUSTAINABLE WAY, WE ARE GOING TO CONTINUE TO LOSE EXCEPTIONAL PEOPLE FROM THIS PROFESSION," More of a coach, less of a fountain of knowledge Catlin Tucker Tucker says that if teachers are moving into a blended space, hopefully, they're starting to look at their role as more of a coach and less of a purveyor of information. She suggests letting go of the traditional roles and not leading the class by talking and transferring information. Instead, Tucker says teachers need to use that time to give feedback and work with students one-on-one. It's all about balance. Tucker is concerned about the number of great teachers that quit because of the toll teaching can take on a person. "I think if we don't start to really shine some light on how we can approach this job in a sustainable way, we are going to continue to lose exceptional people from this profession," says Tucker. Her goal is to help educators find ways to use technology in moderation. "How do we leverage technology to shift students to the center of learning?" For Tucker, the goal is to have students ask questions and investigate topics. She believes that the more we can shift students to the center of learning, the less pressure there will be on the teacher at the center of learning. To learn more about Blended Learning with Catlin Tucker, listen to Episode 226 of the Class Dismissed Podcast. You can find the latest episode of the Class Dismissed Podcast on your favorite podcast app or iTunes.

Many students feel overwhelmed with homework, and it's taking a toll on their mental health. It’s the million billion dollar question. How did we get to a point where some teens are so hyper-competitive that giving them a “B” on a paper or quiz is like giving them an “F”? Why do some teens now overload themselves with advanced placement courses and extracurriculars, just to stay up past midnight cramming in homework? Dr. Cathy Vatterott is an education professor at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, and she’s been researching and writing about homework for more than 20 years. She believes much of our teens’ excessive workloads and goals of “perfectionism” is caused by a desire to get into Ivy League Universities. “We as a culture, especially in highly- affluent communities, have bought into an idea that if you don’t get into one of these ten colleges, you’re going to be a failure, says Vatterott. “They’ve made this an incredibly high-stakes game for kids.” What should teens be doing? Vatterott, who published “The Teens are not Alright,” says teens should be –  Experience learning as joyful and exciting. –  Read for pleasure. –  Play a game where winning doesn’t matter. –  Figure out who they are and what they value. –  Fall in love, not with a person, but with a passion. –  Discover not what the world can do for them, but what they can do for the world. –  Reflect, wonder, and dream. What can schools do to help? Vatterott helps coach educators on what they can do to help teens strike a balance, and she says changing up homework assignments can have a considerable impact. While she is not a proponent of eliminating homework entirely, she does believe schools should reduce homework and make sure that what’s going home is meaningful. “We don’t prepare kids to do five hours of homework in college by giving them five hours of homework in high school. The way we prepare kids is to teach them the skills that we need to actually be able to handle the work,” says Vatterott. “It’s not about time. Time is not the metric.” She also suggests that schools should coordinate the workload across classes and switch to a modified block schedule with fewer but longer classes each day. Listen to Episode 225 of the Class Dismissed Podcast on iTunes or your favorite podcasting app to hear our full interview with Cathy Vatterott. All Rights Reserved. Class Dismissed Podcast 2017 – 2022