Brave New Teaching: A Podcast for High School and Middle School Teachers

Today’s episode is truly a gift to the Brave New Teaching community. It’s Amanda here, and I’m joined by my dear friend and life coach, Blair Wilson.I met Blair during 2020 when I was taking my first steps in seeking out therapy and mental help support during the overwhelming experience of pandemic teaching. I knew that I needed to have someone to talk to in order to process through my aspirations, my issues, my questions, and all of the things that were holding me up in my personal life and making teaching particularly difficult at the time, other than the circumstances. Enter Blair.In this conversation, we are focusing on the topic of perfectionism in teachers, especially during the holiday season. There are so many expectations from us during this season both at home and at work. All of this chaos can really take a toll on our mental health, so she is going to help us navigate through the perfectionism, realign our expectations, and just be more present in our lives.SHOW NOTES: https://www.bravenewteaching.com/home/episode130Join Happy Hour: https://www.curriculumrehab.com/happyhourMentioned in this episode:Get more Brave New Teaching each week:Join BNT Happy Hour Here!"Send us a message - please include your contact information so we can chat soon!"Get your FREE Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs gateway lesson: shop.bravenewteaching.com/cloudyCheck out Curriculum Rehab here!Support the show📚 BNT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT & RESOURCES 👩‍💻 Join Happy Hour! Curriculum Rehab Down with the Reading Quiz Shop the BNT Resource Library Connect with us on Instagram @bravenewteaching Subscribe to our YouTube Channel

Enjoy a sneak peak of the content that will be coming to you on our brand new private podcast inside the Brave New Teaching Happy Hour! You can sign up for Happy Hour here - https://www.curriculumrehab.com/happyhourMentioned in this episode:Get more Brave New Teaching each week:Join BNT Happy Hour Here!"Send us a message - please include your contact information so we can chat soon!"Get your FREE Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs gateway lesson: shop.bravenewteaching.com/cloudyCheck out Curriculum Rehab here!Support the show📚 BNT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT & RESOURCES 👩‍💻 Join Happy Hour! Curriculum Rehab Down with the Reading Quiz Shop the BNT Resource Library Connect with us on Instagram @bravenewteaching Subscribe to our YouTube Channel

As a teacher, do you ever feel like you have to choose between fun and rigor? Early in our teaching careers, we definitely got sucked into the “edutainment” culture, where we felt like we needed to constantly be performing. We had to keep things fresh and fun.We quickly learned that that led to two things - burnout and poor classroom management. Not to mention that centering all of your lessons around fun often meant sacrificing some crucial learning time. Depending on where you are in your career, you might have a mixed up, bizarre relationship with fun too.So what’s the answer? Well, most importantly, “fun” does not have to go anywhere! We’ve discovered how you can have the best of both worlds by linking fun activities to what you’re learning about academically. We have split our fun strategies into three categories - classroom transformations, makerspace opportunities, and games. This is your permission slip to continue having fun, and your reminder that it’s possible to plan fun activities in your classroom that are wrapped up in your curriculum. It’s possible to find a balance! Be sure to tune in to our next BONUS episode, where we’ll answer your questions about including fun in the classroom.SHOW NOTES: https://www.bravenewteaching.com/home/episode129Join Brave New Teaching's Happy Hour: https://www.curriculumrehab.com/happyhourMentioned in this episode:Get more Brave New Teaching each week:Join BNT Happy Hour Here!"Send us a message - please include your contact information so we can chat soon!"Get your FREE Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs gateway lesson: shop.bravenewteaching.com/cloudyCheck out Curriculum Rehab here!Support the show📚 BNT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT & RESOURCES 👩‍💻 Join Happy Hour! Curriculum Rehab Down with the Reading Quiz Shop the BNT Resource Library Connect with us on Instagram @bravenewteaching Subscribe to our YouTube Channel

Enjoy a sneak peak of the content that will be coming to you on our brand new private podcast inside the Brave New Teaching Happy Hour! You can sign up for Happy Hour here - https://www.curriculumrehab.com/happyhourLinks mentioned in this episode:Episode 128John Greene’s Crash Course - Roaring 20s, Langston HughesTed Talk - Paul Piff; Does Money Make you Mean?The Balance: What is the American Dream Today? American Like Me: Reflections on Life Between Cultures by America FerreraThe Greatest ShowmanLangston Hughes’ I Too and HarlemBodega Dreams by Ernesto QuinonezA Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine HansberryMentioned in this episode:Get more Brave New Teaching each week:Join BNT Happy Hour Here!"Send us a message - please include your contact information so we can chat soon!"Get your FREE Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs gateway lesson: shop.bravenewteaching.com/cloudyCheck out Curriculum Rehab here!Support the show📚 BNT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT & RESOURCES 👩‍💻 Join Happy Hour! Curriculum Rehab Down with the Reading Quiz Shop the BNT Resource Library Connect with us on Instagram @bravenewteaching Subscribe to our YouTube Channel

Do you remember the first time you read The Great Gatsby? As one of the most commonly taught American novels, it’s likely that by now, you’ve also taught a Great Gatsby unit to your class.Because it is so widely taught, you may have gotten stuck in teaching it the same way over and over again. Well my friends, we’re here to shake that up! Over the years, we’ve found ways to make The Great Gatsby accessible, applicable, and engaging for virtually all the kiddos in our classroom. We’re excited to share these ideas with you today as we discuss what the process of a unit makeover could be like for a unit that uses The Great Gatsby as a vehicle for learning.You’ll hear alllllll the essentials of a brilliant unit makeover - vision boarding, essential questions, and assessment. Plus, we’ll be jumping into the supplements of this unit inside a bonus episode of Brave New Teaching that will give you a sneak peek into what our new Happy Hour is all about!SHOW NOTES: https://www.bravenewteaching.com/home/episode128Mentioned in this episode:Get more Brave New Teaching each week:Join BNT Happy Hour Here!"Send us a message - please include your contact information so we can chat soon!"Get your FREE Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs gateway lesson: shop.bravenewteaching.com/cloudyCheck out Curriculum Rehab here!Support the show📚 BNT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT & RESOURCES 👩‍💻 Join Happy Hour! Curriculum Rehab Down with the Reading Quiz Shop the BNT Resource Library Connect with us on Instagram @bravenewteaching Subscribe to our YouTube Channel

As we celebrate American Thanksgiving this week, we know that we have so much to be grateful for here at Brave New Teaching! Mostly, we are thankful for you, our teaching community who continues to come back here week after week. We appreciate you so much.To keep things fun and light, we’re going to do a special episode about some of our favorite fall things at work, at home, and more. These are things that are currently bringing us lots of joy and that we think you’ll love as well. We’ve got quite the list of topics for you - from coffee, to gardening, to books, and even the dream of opening up a Mexican restaurant in Iceland…we’re pretty sure there’s something here for everyone!We hope that this list inspires you to try some new things or even reflect on YOUR favorite things during this season. We all need those little things that make us happy! 🙌🏼One additional thing that we know will make you happy is to join us in our new Brave New Teaching Happy Hour community! Check it out here.SHOW NOTES: https://www.bravenewteaching.com/home/episode127Mentioned in this episode:Get more Brave New Teaching each week:Join BNT Happy Hour Here!"Send us a message - please include your contact information so we can chat soon!"Get your FREE Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs gateway lesson: shop.bravenewteaching.com/cloudyCheck out Curriculum Rehab here!Support the show📚 BNT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT & RESOURCES 👩‍💻 Join Happy Hour! Curriculum Rehab Down with the Reading Quiz Shop the BNT Resource Library Connect with us on Instagram @bravenewteaching Subscribe to our YouTube Channel

What teacher doesn’t love a good hack? We’ve all got more than enough on our plates, so anytime we can simplify a task to save us time, while still being effective in our teaching, it’s a BIG win.Today’s hack is brought to you by part four of our “The Best Thing I Ever Taught Series” - sub plans! We’re sharing our 5-step approach to stress-free sub plans that you can use time and time again.The best part of these plans are that they model good teaching. You’ll be able to take care of yourself while also leaving plans that are reasonable, yet have high expectations and will keep moving students’ learning forward. You’ll be able to return to class without missing a beat!Have you registered for our FREE masterclass with live Q&A yet? You’ll hear our three key strategies for making formative assessments work for you in the way that you need them to. Sign up here.SHOW NOTES: https://www.bravenewteaching.com/home/episode126 Follow us on Instagram: @bravenewteachingMentioned in this episode:Get more Brave New Teaching each week:Join BNT Happy Hour Here!"Send us a message - please include your contact information so we can chat soon!"Get your FREE Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs gateway lesson: shop.bravenewteaching.com/cloudyCheck out Curriculum Rehab here!Support the show📚 BNT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT & RESOURCES 👩‍💻 Join Happy Hour! Curriculum Rehab Down with the Reading Quiz Shop the BNT Resource Library Connect with us on Instagram @bravenewteaching Subscribe to our YouTube Channel

If we asked you what you get most excited about in teaching, assessments might not be at the top of your list…but it is for us! By the end of this episode, it just might be for you too. Assessments are the star of the show in part three of our “The Best Thing I Ever Taught” series. Today we’re sharing two specific examples of favorite assessments that we have used with our students. Before you listen in, just remember that you can take these ideas and tweak them to fit the exact needs of your students - and that may take some trial and error!If you are in need of some formative quiz ideas, be sure to register for our free new and improved masterclass, Down With The Reading Quiz!SHOW NOTES: https://www.bravenewteaching.com/home/episode125Follow us on Instagram: @bravenewteachingMentioned in this episode:Get more Brave New Teaching each week:Join BNT Happy Hour Here!"Send us a message - please include your contact information so we can chat soon!"Get your FREE Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs gateway lesson: shop.bravenewteaching.com/cloudyCheck out Curriculum Rehab here!Support the show📚 BNT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT & RESOURCES 👩‍💻 Join Happy Hour! Curriculum Rehab Down with the Reading Quiz Shop the BNT Resource Library Connect with us on Instagram @bravenewteaching Subscribe to our YouTube Channel

How do you feel about group work? Love it or dread it? Either way, stay tuned because today marks the second episode in our four part “The Best Thing I Ever Taught” series, where we’re covering group work.You can probably tell by the title of this episode that we love group work now…but trust us, that hasn’t always been the case. In the past, we absolutely detested it. Group work was one of those things that led to over planning, too much management, and way too much grading. Fast forward to today, and we’re happy to report that student collaboration is one of the main pillars of our teaching practice.We’re going to give you specific examples of group work activities that have worked brilliantly in our classes. One of them even involves students creating a podcast episode! We hope that these ideas give you some new ideas as to how you can incorporate group work that is engaging for your students and builds classroom community (without adding more work on your end).SHOW NOTES: https://www.bravenewteaching.com/home/episode124Download your FREE Gratitude Bell Ringers here: https://www.curriculumrehab.com/gratitudeFollow us on Instagram: @bravenewteachingMentioned in this episode:Get more Brave New Teaching each week:Join BNT Happy Hour Here!"Send us a message - please include your contact information so we can chat soon!"Get your FREE Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs gateway lesson: shop.bravenewteaching.com/cloudyCheck out Curriculum Rehab here!Support the show📚 BNT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT & RESOURCES 👩‍💻 Join Happy Hour! Curriculum Rehab Down with the Reading Quiz Shop the BNT Resource Library Connect with us on Instagram @bravenewteaching Subscribe to our YouTube Channel

We’re kicking off a new 4-episode series called The Best Thing I Ever Taught. (If the name sounds like it’s inspired by The Best Thing I Ever Ate from the Food Network, it’s because it is!) Inside this series, we’ll be sharing all kinds of things that bring us joy and that we, and our students, have seen a huge return on. This week we’re focusing on gateway activities.   First, let’s define exactly what a gateway activity is. It has everything to do with what we do here at Brave New Teaching - essential questions and an inquiry-based curriculum design. More specifically, a gateway activity is the activity at the very beginning of a unit of study that gets your student buy-in. It introduces students to the topics being covered, and gets the chatter going about the essential question for the unit.   We are both sharing the details of the best gateway activities that we’ve each taught, one with a Gatsby unit and the other with a Shakespeare unit. This conversation will let you in on the process of planning these gateway activities, and hopefully you can see that there’s no set procedure for this. It takes brainstorming, and it gets a little messy, but that’s how the best ideas come to be!   If you have any questions after listening, we want to hear from you! Send us a message with questions or comments @bravenewteaching on Instagram. If you want more support with using gateway activities, we invite you to join us in Curriculum Rehab.   SHOW NOTES: https://www.bravenewteaching.com/home/episode123   Follow us on Instagram: @bravenewteachingMentioned in this episode:Get more Brave New Teaching each week:Join BNT Happy Hour Here!"Send us a message - please include your contact information so we can chat soon!"Get your FREE Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs gateway lesson: shop.bravenewteaching.com/cloudyCheck out Curriculum Rehab here!Support the show📚 BNT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT & RESOURCES 👩‍💻 Join Happy Hour! Curriculum Rehab Down with the Reading Quiz Shop the BNT Resource Library Connect with us on Instagram @bravenewteaching Subscribe to our YouTube Channel