Hello everyone! Many teachers work within districts and schools that value and understand the importance of teacher autonomy, yet this is not the case everywhere. With the pressure of accountability and an ever increasing eye on education in the political sphere, some districts and schools are opting for LESS teacher autonomy—often limiting teachers to just being program pushers or curriculum guide readers.

To discuss this and more, I have brought on Patrick Harris II, an educator and the author of The First Five: A Love Letter to Teachers.

In this discussion we talk about:

1. The world of middle school teachers
2. The importance of story-telling
3. Knowing our why
4. How teachers and students need room to be themselves to get the most out of education

...and so much more!

This episode is sponsored by Heinemann—the leading publisher of professional books and resources for educators—and their new book, Whispering in the Wind: A Guide to Deeper Reading and Writing Through Poetry, by Linda Rief.

Do your students cringe when you teach a poetry unit? Do you? Whispering in the Wind is Linda Rief's latest book and it's a cure for poetry agony.

This book shows you how to launch a simple, self-directed student poetry project that will help your students read more poetry, respond to it authentically, and maybe even discover that they actually enjoy it.

Focusing on poetry really can make your students stronger readers and stronger writers.

And you'll finally have a plan for teaching poetry that you'll love too.

Learn more and download a free sample at Hein.pub/Whispering.