Teaching Flashpoint

Establishing student voice in and out of the classroom is an evergreen idea: we can think about it, talk about it, try different strategies to amplify it, and give students opportunity express it. With many digital tools out there and many students finding themselves in an environment where they are learning remotely or have access to technology in a 1:1 setting (Student:Chromebook, for example), we explore a few ideas I've attempted in the classroom to leverage some of these tools. 

We hear 9th and 12th grade students in real time working through these strategies, un-muting, and sharing the ideas, thinking, and finding a voice in the English classroom. 

Sitting on a patio with several teachers put me next to Middle School PE teacher, Riley Hubbard. This first year teacher described a lesson to me for her class, and I was fascinated. This is PE? So she and another educator took me through their thinking in transforming Physical Education.

So here’s what I learned. P.E., in their minds, is about Movement; it’s about Inclusivity and Empathy; it’s about Conversation and Community; it’s about Access, Self-Agency, and Reflection. And I thought, Oh, this is Physical Education reimagined. That's what you will find here in this episode, as we follow the story of Kendra Vair and Riley and how they hook kids and embed social emotional learning, giving access to all of their students.

It’s always inspiring to talk with fellow teachers about possibilities in the classroom and hear their stories. We all have that moment, right? For me it was GravityTank: That place and that team came at the perfect time for me. They were the ones who were at the heart of my shift in teaching in 2013. A phrase comes to mind, stolen from Aaron Sorkin and his show The Newsroom: “We just decided to.”

There’s just a moment when you decide that your classroom and the experience your students have in there is just going to be something more. In this episode, we sit down with former math teacher and current CTE teacher, Mike Pintaric, and get his thoughts on the transformation in teaching and the skills kids need for this 21st Century. We even give Ron Howard's Apollo 13 a nod for its classic moment of innovation and creativity. 

There’s nothing like a ThinkTank, particularly an objective ThinkTank that isn’t concerned with what you are teaching or how your classroom looks, but is concerned with you finding yourself, guiding you before any sort of "burn out" sets in. In this episode I wanted to explore the mentoring of new teachers, supporting those who are new to the profession before they leave, never really having gotten started. I always half-jokingly say how in my first 3 years of teaching I was terrible. There was so much, so fast; so many students to try and manage; there is grading and meetings, and you just have to hold on. It’s difficult to find out who you are as a teacher in those early years.

So we sit down with educator, David Popp, who has an idea that is an echo of a mastermind group, but aimed at new teachers to help them figure out who they really want to be in the classroom; to help them take risks; to help them realize their talent and stick with the profession. 

As always, if you like the podcast be sure to share it and continue to find us on Apple Podcast and Spotify.

One of the podcasts I definitely wanted to produce was a sit down with student producers who brainstorm, develop, and record podcasts for their high school show, The Peak of Existence.  These kids began developing stories and officially publishing them in December 2019; and although they were learning still, they were now live, streaming on Apple Podcasts and Google Play and Spotify. The local newspaper picked up this story of what the students were doing in a high school studio, our district supported and promoted this through social media and newsletters, and there was no turning back. Scary but exhilarating.

In this episode of the Teaching Flashpoint podcast, I sit with several student producers and local podcaster, Greg Haddock. The students, Greg, and I discuss storytelling and the popularity and momentum of this medium, as Greg leaves us all with the advice to "just play around" because "this medium isn't going anywhere."

As always, if you like the podcast be sure to share it and continue to find us on Apple Podcast and Spotify.

In this episode I have the opportunity to sit down with friend and National Board Certified Teacher, Betty Aten, where we discuss the journey that is National Board. We reminisce through stories about the first steps and letting go of your ego and fear while pursuing NBCT. The advice: Work like mad to understand the process. Find some friends along the way. Plan and pace yourself, and stick to it. No one else is going to force you. No one else is going to oversee your progress. It starts with you wanting to begin, and ends with you reflecting on what you’ve become.

But getting National Board Certified is rhapsodic. You become part of a tremendous and passionate group of educators that you take pride in: 3% of the country’s educators have the letters NBCT after their names. That’s saying something.

If you like the podcast be sure to share it and continue to find us on Apple Podcast and Spotify..