Hello everyone! Spring is here—and everything that means for school. State testing. Unknowns. Changes. Student behavior struggles...the list goes on. This time of year can be stressful and miserable at times for teachers. If you know, you know...

But this time can also be a moment for clarity. A moment for reimagining and refocusing on what you need to do to make an impact in the classroom. This time of year can be the difference between ending on a high note, and ending in a way that isn't a representation of what you can truly accomplish in your work.

This episode is all about acknowledging the struggles of this time of year, but not staying there. It's about moving forward and taking action that will help you reach the finish line of your school year.

This episode is sponsored by Heinemann—the leading publisher of professional books and resources for educators—and their professional book, Textured Teaching: A Framework for Culturally Sustaining Practices by Lorena Escoto Germán.

With Culturally Sustaining Practice as its foundation, Textured Teaching helps secondary teachers stop wondering and guessing how to implement teaching and learning that leads to social justice. Lorena Germán shares her framework for creating a classroom environment that is highly rigorous and engaging, and that reflects the core traits of Textured Teaching: student-driven and community-centered, interdisciplinary, experiential, and flexible. The actionable strategies Lorena uses to bring Textured Teaching values to life illuminate what is possible when we welcome all types of texts, all types of voices, and all forms of expression into the classroom.

Learn more about how to become a culturally sustaining educator. Visit Heinemann.com to download a sample from Textured Teaching.