The Counter Narrative: Changing the Way We Talk (and think) About Education

In this episode, I chat with Matthew Woods, who has served for more than 12 years assisting students, educators, and schools in a variety of roles. His professional experience includes being a high school social studies teacher, a middle and high school assistant principal, a middle school principal, a director of student support services, an adjunct professor, and a field instructor for student-teachers. Additionally, Dr. Woods hosts an education podcast, Leading Out The Woods, author of the children's book series, I Wanna Be…, and is an accomplished keynote speaker and educational consultant. During our conversation, Matthew talked about putting students first. This is something that we often say in education but we don’t necessarily reflect it in our actions. He points out that leaders who are loved by everyone may not always be telling people what they need to hear but rather what they want to hear. But does it benefit students? He shares that it's easy to be mediocre and not to stir up the waters too much. But does it benefit students? If we truly consider ourselves to be educators then we must always ask that question … does it benefit students? Ready to hear some ways to ensure your practices are in alignment with benefiting students? Let’s go. Twitter Website 

Based on the best-selling book by Ellen Notbohm, this episode provides a frank discussion on the gap between what we say and what we do. Yes, we say (and honestly believe) that all students can and deserve to learn and yet, due to a myriad of reasons, we often fail to deliver on this. While our general education students who fit traditional models of learning excel, many groups of students struggle to keep up if not fall behind all together. Listen as I share the 10 things that every child with autism wishes you knew as I connect it back to my own experiences both as an educator and as a grandfather. 

In this episode, I chat with Jonathan Alsheimer, the unorthodox, energetic, and entertaining middle school teacher who refuses to live a life of limitations and works with UFC Fighters, Celebrities, and Clothing Brands and he is the author of "Next Level Teaching”. Jonathan, taught at the world-renowned Fred Lynn Middle School, which was featured in two documentaries "Relentless" and "Relentless: Chasing Accreditation.” He has been featured as the teacher who forged a partnership with UFC Fighter and light-weight contender Paul Felder to bring a message of never giving up, fighting for their education, and empowering the students to believe in themselves, all principles that Jonathan promotes in his classroom. As Jonathan always says, "Game-changing is not a cliche motto; it is a way of life... some talk about it while others live by it! During our conversation, Jonathan pushed back on what it means to be an effective teacher. He points out that so many teachers have been conditioned to teach to the test or focus on test scores that they have forgotten how to make teaching and learning fun. He shared that when he shifted his focus to students being engaged in authentic and relevant learning experiences that his scores not only improved but so did the students in his classroom. Jonathan suggests that teachers not overwhelm themselves by trying to revolutionize everything but by making steady, small shifts to take elements to the next level. That’s how he turned a geography assignment into a zombie apocalypse survival game. Ready to hear some more about these game-changing ideas so you can start living them? Let’s go.

As long as I can remember, we have been following fads to accomplish most of our goals. The New Year is no exception. In fact, I once joked that my resolution would be to make no more resolutions and I am proud to say that I am still going strong. My concern is that most fads do not result in achievement of one's goals. Instead, they often serve as distractions and we often find ourselves further from our intended destination because of a commitment to something that is not aligned with what it is that we want to accomplish. This year, I am proposing something different. 

For the past two years, I have hosted a holiday special as we explore various holiday traditions celebrated by educators. This year, I wanted to get the voice of students on the show and what better way to teach upcoming podcasters by having them participate in a show! This episode features three students from Michele Clark. Enjoy!

What systems exist to adequately provide our educators with the opportunity to heal in the light of a traumatic event? Join me as I reflect on how me and my team have been struggling to do this following the loss of a student steps from the front of our school.  

In this episode, I chat with Bethany Hill, an educator for 24 years. She has taught grades kindergarten, first, second and third grades, has been an instructional coach, assistant principal, and principal. Bethany currently serves as a retention and recruitment specialist for an education service cooperative and supports novice teachers in 26 school districts. She also promotes social emotional learning through facilitating learning experiences centered around trauma sensitive practices and the implementation of working dogs in schools. She is the handler for an educational assistance dog who visits schools with her. During our conversation, we focused on the misnomer that is the “teacher shortage.” Bethany pointed out that not only are there a large number of people transitioning into teaching but that there are also a large number of teachers who have chosen to work outside of their certification. The teachers, as individuals, didn’t disappear, but instead they have made a choice to stop working and we should be inquiring as to why. Bethany stresses that we should shift our focus from recruiting new talent to retaining those who are already in our buildings. How? Yes, money is one factor but there are also plenty of others. Ready to hear some more on how we can get teachers back into their classrooms? Let’s go.

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What Britney Spears, Sarah Rector, and the Osage Nation all have in common? They were all deemed incapable of handling their finances and thus court appointed a white male to oversee it for them. While the results are mixed, there is a common thread that impacts not just the three named but instead signifies an ongoing injustice in which the U.S. Government continues to implement inequitable systems and policies in an effort to oppress and control groups and individuals who threaten the status quo. 

In this episode, I chat with Marlena Gross-Taylor, the founder of EduGladiators and a nationally recognized ed leader with a proven track record of improving educational and operational performance through vision, strategic planning, leadership, and team building. A Nashville transplant originally from southern Louisiana, Marlena’s educational experience spans several states allowing her to have served K-12 students in both rural and urban districts. She has been recognized as a middle school master teacher and innovative administrator at the elementary, middle, high school and district levels. Because of her sound knowledge of both elementary and secondary education, Marlena has broad-based experience creating and implementing dynamic interactive programs to attain district goals while leveraging her flexibility, resourcefulness, and organizational and interpersonal skills to foster learning through a positive, encouraging environment. Marlena’s professional development expertise has national attention and she serves as an AMLE middle school expert.  She has also leveraged her past experience in corporate management to also include corporate training and leadership coaching in her repertoire of consulting services focused on culture, engagement and increased productivity.  Marlena is a seasoned presenter keynoting conferences and delivering dynamic professional development sessions. As a proud Louisiana State University alumni, she is committed to excellence and believes all students can achieve. During our conversation, we explored both code switching and assimilation, recognizing our own roles as parents who contributed greatly to teaching our children to fit into the dominant culture as opposed to defying standardized norms that so often do not accept our own definitions of fashion, style, and beauty. Marlena points out that we are not alone in this mishap because we, like so many others, were not taught our history and thus were primed to regurgitate the same messages that we consumed while growing up in diverse deficient communities. All is not lost however, as we explore potential solutions including becoming knowledgeable about our ethnic journeys and sharing that information with as many people as possible. We must make as much noise, if not more, if we too want to be heard. Connect with Marlena Twitter Twitter - EduGladiators LinkedIn Facebook