Teachers on Fire

KATELYNN GIORDANO is a sixth grade language arts teacher in Sugar Grove, IL. You can find more of her insights on learning, reading, and writing at https://curriculumcoffee.com/ - a written shot of espresso for educators. Katelynn recalls the time early in her career when a veteran colleague told her not to speak during faculty meetings. Part of her recovery from that discouraging blow involved moving to a new middle school position, where she was fortunate to come under the wing of a mentor who was supportive in every way. Katelynn also explains why she’s passionate about education and describes the activities that fuel her personal fire outside of the classroom. She tells us about the daily routines that make her productive and offers some awesome recommendations on Twitter, books, edtech tools, and more. Follow Katelynn online here: TW: https://twitter.com/Mrs_Giordano IG: https://www.instagram.com/curriculumcoffee/ Blog: https://curriculumcoffee.com/ https://teachersonfire.net/

JARROD DUMAS is an assistant principal at Oak Hill Middle School in Sabattus, Maine. He recently published Unlocking Excellence: A Guide to Becoming an Extraordinary Educator. Check it out at https://amzn.to/2woY9Lh. In our conversation, Jarrod recalls a great story about how his own sarcasm once cost him in the classroom. He shares about the heart and message of his book and discusses the sources of his excitement in education today. We also get into Carl Jung’s archetypes, fitness, educators to follow on Twitter, Sherlock Holmes, and more! Follow Jarrod online here: TW: https://twitter.com/Xtraordinary247 IG: https://www.instagram.com/xtraordinary_educator/ FB: https://www.facebook.com/xtraordinaryeducator/ 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/ Visit https://teachersonfire.net/ for show notes and links from this episode!

JOSHUA STAMPER is an assistant principal, husband, father, blogger, and graphic artist in Frisco, TX. He’s also the host of Aspire: The Leadership Development Podcast. You’ll find his writing at https://joshstamper.blogspot.com/. In our conversation, Josh discusses the mission and vision of his podcast on leadership in education, Aspire. He tells us why he’s excited about the incredible changes that have come to education in the last decade, pointing out that “But this is the way we’ve always done things” doesn’t fly anymore. He explains how his experience in graphic design contributes to his current work, and reminds us that school cultures aren’t built from behind desks. Finally, he gives us some great recommendations for books to read, Twitter personalities to follow, and more. Follow Josh online here: TW: https://twitter.com/Joshua__Stamper IG: https://www.instagram.com/joshua__stamper/ Podcast: https://soundcloud.com/mr_stamps Visit https://teachersonfire.net/ for more info!

DAVID McFARLAND is a high school IB humanities teacher at Pacific Academy in Surrey, BC, Canada. Follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/MrMcFteaches. In our conversation, David talks about how “We don’t even know you!” challenged him to rethink the importance of building relationships with his students. He describes some of his passions in education today: helping students navigate knowledge critically instead of merely absorbing content, using digital tools to customize learning experiences, and continuing to advocate for some reading on paper. David also shares some of his lifelong learning outside of the classroom, a daily ritual that builds relationships, and his top picks in books, Twitter, Youtube, and more. Follow Teachers on Fire on Twitter at https://twitter.com/TeachersOnFire. Visit https://teachersonfire.net/ for more show notes on this episode, including timestamps and links. Song Track Credits Relax (by Simon More) Starley – Call on Me Remix (by DJ Zhorik)

JAMIE OSBORNE is a middle school teacher-librarian in Richmond, BC, Canada. She writes at https://thebiblioz.wordpress.com/ and recently published her first episode of The Biblioz podcast for teacher librarians. In our conversation, Jamie addresses the challenges of moving students from an unhealthy focus on grades to the uninhibited freedom of failure-free learning. She explains why she enjoys her new role in the library so much and describes her personal transformation from Twitter lurker to contributor, blogger, and now podcaster. Jamie also shares some of her personal habits and passions and offers solid recommendations for books to read, Twitter accounts to follow, and more. Follow Jamie! TW: https://twitter.com/thebiblioz IG: https://www.instagram.com/thebiblioz/ Blog: https://thebiblioz.wordpress.com/ Podcast: https://apple.co/2MTMBXL Visit https://teachersonfire.net/ for more show notes on this episode, including timestamps and links. https://twitter.com/TeachersOnFire

JAROD BORMANN is an advocate for educator empowerment, a tech integration specialist, adjunct professor, learning designer, speaker, blogger, and the author of a new book, Professionally Driven: Empower Every Educator To Redefine PD. In our conversation, Jarod talks about the need to redefine and reimagine PD with three main features at the core: 1 growth mindset, 2 intrinsic motivation, and 3 sustainable autonomy. In the age of Google and instantly available facts, he also explains how technology can unleash greater creativity, higher level thinking, and problem-solving for learners. Check out Jarod’s book on Amazon at https://amzn.to/2B4dTci Follow Jarod! TW: https://twitter.com/jbormann3 FB: https://www.facebook.com/professionallydriven/ Website 1: https://www.professionallydriven.com/ Website 2: https://www.professionallydriven.com/the-book YT: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAxdYkAmeElPKdbEVEipA-A Visit https://teachersonfire.net/ for notes and links from this episode!

KRISTIN HUNDT is a devoted wife and mother of four boys, a 6th grade teacher, lifelong learner, and global citizen. Her passions include genius hour, project-based learning, the outdoor classroom, the 40 book challenge, and student voice. In our conversation, Kristin talks about her drive to provide good reading materials for her students. An engaged reader herself, she advocates for student voice and choice, genius hour, going gradeless, standards-based feedback, and revision of work. Kristin also shares some awesome recommendations for books to read, Twitter accounts to follow, and much more. Kristin was recently featured in The PBL Playbook by AJ Juliani. Check out that title on Amazon at https://amzn.to/2noKqQM. Follow Kristin! TW: https://twitter.com/KMHundt Blog 1: www.voicechoiceandpaperairplanes.com (education) Blog 2: www.theluckiestnomatterwhat.blogspot.com (parenting) Visit https://teachersonfire.net/ for more show notes on this episode, including timestamps and links.

CJ REYNOLDS is better known by his YouTube channel, Real Rap with Reynolds, where he talks teaching, relationships, and life. As a passionate educator and creator, his two truths in teaching are #1 Relationships Are King, and #2 It's Only Ever About the Students. In this episode, CJ recalls the fatigue he faced as a rookie teacher and discusses the importance of learning to say no to some things. He talks about how a project with his son turned into a YouTube presence with over 13,000 subscribers, and the tremendous opportunities that the internet allows teachers and students today in terms of global connections and collaboration. He also shares about personal passions outside of the classroom, his morning routine, and much more. Check out Real Rap with Reynolds on YouTube HERE: https://bit.ly/2vm711T. Follow CJ! TW: https://twitter.com/realrapreynolds IG: https://www.instagram.com/realrapwithreynolds/ FB: https://www.facebook.com/realrapwithreynolds/ https://teachersonfire.net/

JOHN SOWASH is an educator, freelancer, presenter, husband, and dad. He is also the author of The Chromebook Classroom, which you can check out at http://chrmbook.com. In this conversation, John describes how a dead end in his high school context launched him into the business of teaching teachers - a true passion. You’ll hear him explain why the Chromebook is so much more than just a web browser - it’s a creation tool as well. You’ll also hear about the personal habit that keeps him on track, some great edtech tools to consider using, and much more. Check out The Chromebook Classroom on Amazon at https://amzn.to/2O34vap Follow John! TW: https://twitter.com/jrsowash IG: https://www.instagram.com/jrsowash/ FB: https://www.facebook.com/chromebookclassroom YT: https://www.youtube.com/user/jrsowash WWW1: http://electriceducator.blogspot.com/ WWW2: https://www.chrmbook.com/ WWW3: https://www.geducator.com/ Visit www.TeachersOnFire.net for links and notes on this episode.

DAN JONES is a 7th and 8th Grade Social Studies Teacher in Mansfield, OH. He is the K-12 Editor for Flipped Learning Review Magazine and the author of Flipped 3.0 Project Based Learning: An Insanely Simple Guide. In this conversation, Dan tells us about the time his passion for teaching died and he almost quit the profession entirely. Instead, he Googled “new and innovative teaching practices” and stumbled across the flipped classroom, which set him on a journey of transformation. Dan also tells us about a personal passion that energizes him, a habit that contributes to his success, and recommends some amazing resources for educators. Check out Flipped 3.0 Project Based Learning: An Insanely Simple Guide on Amazon at https://amzn.to/2K0Vzjy Follow Dan ... TW: https://twitter.com/ideasforteacher IG: https://www.instagram.com/ideasforteachers/ FB: https://www.facebook.com/mrjonesflippedclassroom/ WWW: https://flippedtrainer.weebly.com/ Visit TeachersOnFire.net for more info!