Teachers on Fire

DR. SARAH THOMAS is a regional technology coordinator in Maryland and serves as affiliate faculty at Loyola University. In 2014, Sarah founded the EduMatch Project, and she has spoken and presented at numerous conferences since. Find out more about Sarah and her work at https://www.sarahjanethomas.com and follow her on Twitter at @sarahdateechur. In our conversation, Sarah recalls the challenges of finding her place in education during the first three years of her career. She describes how EduMatch was created as a solution to help like-minded educators connect around the globe, and explains how that early vision continues to shape its activities and contributions today. She also tells us what makes her so passionate about education, one of her professional goals for 2019, the thing that energizes her as a human being when she’s away from education, and so much more. Follow Sarah ... On Twitter at https://twitter.com/sarahdateechur & https://twitter.com/edu_match On Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/sarahdateechur/ On Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/edumatchers/ On her website at https://www.sarahjanethomas.com/ On EduMatch at http://www.edumatch.org/ Visit https://teachersonfire.net/ for all the show notes and links from this episode! Connect with Teachers on Fire podcast on social media: On Twitter: https://twitter.com/TeachersOnFire On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/teachersonfire/ On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TeachersOnFire/ On LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/TimWCavey On Medium: https://medium.com/@teachersonfire On YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFDPjkAn7lZb-rahyVDttKA Song Track Credits Intro: Stand Up (by Mike Cosmo -- license purchased at https://taketones.com/) Outtro: Bluntedsesh4 (by Tha Silent Partner, courtesy of FreeMusicArchive.org) 

 KATE LINDQUIST is the founder of PeaceLoveArt, which is all about “Enriching heARTS thru self expression and soul connection.” With a Master’s degree in Education, Kate is a passionate educator, artist, consultant, speaker, and contributor to @DisruptEDTV. Follow Kate on Twitter and Instagram @heARTISTatWORK. In our conversation, Kate talks about the frustration of teaching in learning environments that don’t seem to value the arts, and explains how finding her own creative voice on Twitter and other platforms helped restore her hope for the future of “creative academics.” Describing artistic activities as a gateway to curiosity and learning, she strives to help learners of all ages find their voice and express themselves in creative ways. Kate shares her professional goal for this school year, the things that bring her alive outside of the classroom, a productivity hack, and the voices and influences that inspire her practice today.  Follow Kate ... On Twitter @heARTISTatWORK On Instagram @heARTISTatWORK On Facebook at Peace Love Art Visit https://teachersonfire.net/ for all the show notes and links from this episode! Connect with Teachers on Fire podcast on social media: On Twitter: https://twitter.com/TeachersOnFire On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/teachersonfire/ On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TeachersOnFire/ On LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/TimWCavey On Medium: https://medium.com/@teachersonfire On YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFDPjkAn7lZb-rahyVDttKA Song Track Credits Intro: Stand Up (by Mike Cosmo -- license purchased at https://taketones.com/) Outtro: Bluntedsesh4 (by Tha Silent Partner, courtesy of FreeMusicArchive.org)

 JENNIFER CASA-TODD is a mom, wife, teacher librarian, speaker, a coordinator for Google Educator Groups of Ontario, an ISTE Librarians leader, and an @ONedSschat advisor. She is also the author of Social LEADia: Moving Students from Digital Citizenship to Digital Leadership. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram @JCasaTodd. In our conversation, Jennifer recalls the tremendous challenge of battling concussion symptoms for ten months and identifies the keys that helped her emerge from the fog to regain her health. She talks about the context, mission, and vision of her book, Social Leadia, and discusses the mindset shift that educators must make around social media tools. She also shares why she’s excited about education today, what her professional goal looks like for 2019, why you should stay connected with book clubs even when you fall behind on the book, and much more! Follow Jennifer ... On Twitter at @JCasaTodd On Instagram at @JCasaTodd On her blog at https://jcasatodd.com/ On her podcast at The Social Leadia Podcast Check out Social Leadia on Amazon Explore free Social Leadia resources at https://www.socialleadia.org/ Visit https://teachersonfire.net/ for all the show notes and links from this episode! Connect with Teachers on Fire podcast on social media: On Twitter: @TeachersOnFire On Instagram: @TeachersOnFire On Facebook: Teachers on Fire On LinkedIn: Tim Cavey On Medium: Teachers on Fire On YouTube: Teachers on Fire Song Track Credits Intro: Stand Up (by Mike Cosmo -- license purchased at https://taketones.com/) Outtro: Bluntedsesh4 (by Tha Silent Partner, courtesy of FreeMusicArchive.org) 

GREG MOFFITT is a dad, husband, and the principal at Winters Elementary School in Winters, California. He’s also a doctoral student at UC Davis and a big education geek. Greg has set the audacious goal of reading through all of the books from Dave Burgess Consulting in 2019, and you can catch his reflections and reviews (along with those from teammate Kali Slusser) at http://readlikeapirate.wordpress.com.  In our conversation, Greg recalls the low point at the end of the last school year when a staff member told him “You’re not smiling anymore.” He describes how an amazing instructional coach, Lead Like a Pirate, and the positive power of his PLN helped him rediscover his passion and joy for the principalship. Greg explains why SEL gets him excited about education today, shares his bold professional goal for 2019, describes how he stays productive each day, and points to the voices and resources that he’s tuned into. Follow Greg: On Twitter at @Greg_Moffitt On Instagram at @Greg_Moffitt On his blog, Read Like a Pirate: http://readlikeapirate.wordpress.com Visit the Teachers on Fire blog for all the show notes and links from this episode! Connect with Teachers on Fire podcast on social media: On Twitter: @TeachersOnFire On Instagram: @TeachersOnFire On Facebook: Teachers on Fire On LinkedIn: Tim Cavey On Medium: Teachers on Fire On YouTube: Teachers on Fire Song Track Credits Intro: Lax (by Fascinating Earthbound Objects, courtesy of FreeMusicArchive.org) Outtro: Bluntedsesh4 (by Tha Silent Partner, courtesy of FreeMusicArchive.org)

BETH HOUF is a mom, middle school principal, passionate leader & learner, and forever teacher. She’s also the co-author of Lead Like a PIRATE: Make School Amazing for Your Students and Staff. Interact with her on Twitter @BethHouf and engage with ideas from her book at #LeadLAP. In our conversation, Beth recalls how pressure-packed early years in a principal position almost turned her off from the profession completely, and she explains how a random conversation about Twitter helped revive her passion and calling for school leadership. She describes how Teach Like a Pirate led to Lead Like a Pirate, and discusses the mission and main message of the book. She also shares why she’s excited about education, a couple of productivity hacks she lives by, her passions outside of school, and the voices and resources that inspire growth in her practice today. Follow Beth: On Twitter @BethHouf On Instagram @BHouf Lead Like a Pirate Visit TeachersOnFire.net for all the show notes and links from this episode. Follow the Teachers on Fire podcast on social media: On Twitter: @TeachersOnFire On Instagram: @TeachersOnFire On Facebook: Teachers on Fire On LinkedIn: Tim Cavey (host) On Medium: Teachers on Fire On YouTube: Teachers on Fire Song Track Credits Intro: Lax (by Fascinating Earthbound Objects, courtesy of FreeMusicArchive.org) Outtro: Bluntedsesh4 (by Tha Silent Partner, courtesy of FreeMusicArchive.org)

CHRIS CHAPPOTIN is the principal at Steam Middle School in Burleson, TX. He’s a husband, father, Engage 2 Learn Coach, certified Google educator, and big sports fan. He’s also a bit of a rapper as well! Follow Chris: On Twitter at https://twitter.com/Chris_Chappotin On Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/chris_chappotin/ On YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/user/frankginley Watch his district’s music video parodies (of which Chris has played an instrumental part) and subscribe to the Burleson Independent School District YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/user/BurlesonISDTV. In our conversation, Chris describes the mission and vision of STEAM Middle School. The school's mantra, Chris says, is all about creating engaging learning through an instructional design process called Engage 2 Learn. He also describes his most challenging experiences as an education leader, shares his professional goal this year, offers some great recommendations in books and on Twitter, and much much more. Visit https://teachersonfire.net/ for all the show notes and links from this episode! Follow the Teachers on Fire podcast on social media! On Twitter: https://twitter.com/TeachersOnFire. On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/teachersonfire/ On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TeachersOnFire/ Song Track Credits Intro: Relax (by Simon More) Outtro: Starley – Call on Me Remix (by DJ Zhorik)

AJ BIANCO is a husband, father of two boys, aspiring leader, and middle school teacher at Harrington Park School in Bergen County, NJ. A fan of the flipped classroom and blended learning, AJ is also a co-host of another great education podcast called Podcast PD. Follow AJ online here: TW: https://twitter.com/AJBianco IG: https://www.instagram.com/ajbianco/ Podcast PD: https://podcastpd.com/ In our conversation, AJ recalls the challenge of being moved from school to school due to budget cuts. At his lowest, he had lost his passion to teach and was simply doing a job for a paycheque. After finding and connecting with a vibrant PLN on Twitter, he slowly regained his passion and vision for a career in education. AJ also describes how #PodcastPD came to be a thing, identifies his professional goal for this school year, points to some of the voices and resources that are shaping his practice, and much more. Visit https://teachersonfire.net/ for show notes and links from this episode. Follow the Teachers on Fire podcast on social media! TW: https://twitter.com/TeachersOnFire. IG: https://www.instagram.com/teachersonfire/ FB: https://www.facebook.com/TeachersOnFire/ Song Track Credits Intro: Relax (by Simon More) Outtro: Starley – Call on Me Remix (by DJ Zhorik)

DR. SAMANTHA FECICH is a former special education teacher and now a professor at Grove City College in Pennsylvania. She’s also a mom, edtech innovator, and most recently, the author of Edumagic: A Guide for Pre-Service Teachers (https://amzn.to/2U47UtD). Follow Dr. Sam online here: TW: https://twitter.com/SFecich IG: https://www.instagram.com/sfecich/ Website: https://www.sfecich.com/ In our conversation, Dr. Sam recalls the disappointment of having her application to a PhD program rejected and explains how she moved past it. She describes how her new book, Edumagic, challenges the thought that your teaching career starts when you receive your teaching diploma. Sam also shares her professional goal for this year, makes the case that every educator should be active on Twitter, and offers some great picks on Twitter, in books, edtech tools, and more. Visit https://teachersonfire.net/ for show notes and links from this episode. Follow the Teachers on Fire podcast on social media! TW: https://twitter.com/TeachersOnFire. IG: https://www.instagram.com/teachersonfire/ FB: https://www.facebook.com/TeachersOnFire/ Song Track Credits Intro: Relax (by Simon More) Outtro: Starley – Call on Me Remix (by DJ Zhorik)

MICHAEL DREZEK is a Technology Integration Specialist for the Lake Shore Central School District in upstate New York. Michael is in his 15th year as an educator and is the host of the Quest 4 Edlightenment podcast. He is a former teacher of the year and has earned too many accolades to list here! Find out more about Michael’s innovative work with technology in education at https://michaeldrezek.com/. Follow Michael online here: TW: https://twitter.com/m_drez IG: https://www.instagram.com/mdrez07/ Blog: https://michaeldrezek.com/ Podcast: https://twitter.com/Quest4EdPodcast In our conversation, Michael recalls the mistake he once made of putting content above relationships with students, and he talks about how he would do things differently today. He defines his professional goal for this school year, explains why he is so passionate about the state of education today, and shares what makes him productive in so many different domains of service. Michael gives us some great recommendations on Twitter, books, edtech, and more! Visit https://teachersonfire.net/ for show notes and links from this episode. Follow the Teachers on Fire podcast on social media! TW: https://twitter.com/TeachersOnFire. IG: https://www.instagram.com/teachersonfire/ FB: https://www.facebook.com/TeachersOnFire/ Song Track Credits Intro: Relax (by Simon More) Outtro: Starley – Call on Me Remix (by DJ Zhorik)

ARI FLEWELLING is a staff development specialist at Riverside Unified School District in Riverside, California. A former high school English teacher, Ari holds a Master’s degree in Education Technology and is a Google Certified Trainer and Innovator. She can often be found sharing her knowledge at EdTechTeam events. Ari’s Twitter profile says “Cool on the internet. Even cooler IRL,” which should tell you that Ari is a person who enjoys engagement and is just a fun person to be around! Follow Ari online here: TW: https://twitter.com/EdTechAri IG: https://www.instagram.com/edtechari/ FB: https://www.facebook.com/EdTechAri/ Blog: https://www.edtechari.net/ In our conversation, Ari describes the time in her career when she found herself in a work environment that was "less than collaborative." It was during this time that she really started to build her professional learning network on Twitter and elsewhere, using these platforms to reconnect with former colleagues and building relationships with new ones. To educators looking to integrate more technology in their classrooms, Ari offers this sage word of caution: always consider context and content. How does this piece of technology help move my students toward the learning objective? Ari also shares her professional goal for this year, explains what ignites her passion about education today, lets us in on some of her passions outside of education, and offers some great picks on Twitter, YouTube, and more. Visit https://teachersonfire.net/ for show notes and links from this episode. Follow the Teachers on Fire podcast on social media! TW: https://twitter.com/TeachersOnFire. IG: https://www.instagram.com/teachersonfire/ FB: https://www.facebook.com/TeachersOnFire/ Song Track Credits Intro: Relax (by Simon More) Outtro: Starley – Call on Me Remix (by DJ Zhorik)