After the Bell: Teaching Tips With a Twist

The "gifted" Stunt Brothers start today's episode with giant zucchini stories and Stars Wars tangents before agreeing that a field trip to North Dakota would be a great chance  to get an out of country perspective on high ability learners.

Episode 68 of After The Bell  heads south to the Peace Garden State for a lively, thought-provoking, and laugh-filled conversation about gifted learners, high-achieving students, and what schools can do to truly challenge every child.

Roy and Martin welcome educator, consultant, and the founder of Elementary Elevated, Dr. Alicia Schroeder-Schock, for an engaging discussion on differentiation, creativity, classroom realities, and why “more work” is not the same thing as meaningful learning. From Britney Spears to serious conversations about underachievement, AI in lesson planning, and the misconceptions surrounding gifted education, this episode blends humour, honesty, and practical strategies teachers can use immediately.

Packed with classroom wisdom, relatable teacher moments, and classic Stunt Brothers chemistry, Episode 68 is a must-listen for educators trying to meet the needs of every learner in today’s increasingly complex classrooms.

Grab a coffee, organize your marking, and join the Stunt Brothers for another entertaining and insightful trip After The Bell.

Listeners will discover:

• Why the term “high-ability learner” may be better than “gifted”
• How teachers can challenge advanced students without overwhelming themselves
• The danger of assuming bright students will “just be fine”
• Practical ideas for differentiation, flexible grouping, and student choice
• Why giving the hardest math questions first can actually motivate learners
• How AI can support teachers without replacing authentic student thinking
• Differentiated instruction, multiple intelligences, and engagement strategies

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Learn more about Alicia Schroeder-Schock

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In Episode 67 it’s May the Fourth, a beautiful sunny day, and our podcasters are trying to figure out why they are seeing so many students in and around the city library. The Stunt Brothers quickly realize it’s not an attendance issue in North Vancouver but a Professional Day. Martin then informs Roy that on today’s field trip on After the Bell, they’ll be joined by one of Canada’s most important and versatile voices in literature, David A. Robertson. A bestselling author whose work spans children’s books, graphic novels, memoirs, and novels. David is known for powerful storytelling and his books have helped spark meaningful conversations around Indigenous perspectives, history, and lived experiences. His latest novel, All the Little Monsters, takes readers in a different direction, offering a deeply personal and honest exploration of anxiety, mental health, and the internal struggles so many people carry but rarely speak about openly. Get ready for an insightful and engaging conversation with one of Canada’s most celebrated authors, right here on After the Bell.

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keywords
David A. Robertson, Indigenous literature, mental health, All the Little Monsters, representation, storytelling, Canadian authors, mental health awareness, Indigenous perspectives, writing journey

key  topics
Evolution of David Robertson's writing
The importance of representation in literature
The story behind 'All the Little Monsters' and mental health

action  items
Practice deep breathing daily
Engage in community activities
Read 'All the Little Monsters' to understand anxiety

resources
David A. Robertson's Official Website
All the Little Monsters' Book
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada  
Mental Health Resources Canada

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In Episode 66, the Stunt Brothers take a closer look at how student absenteeism is impacting learning, engagement, and classroom culture in schools across Canada. Roy and Martin dive into Ontario’s controversial policy of linking grades to attendance and explore the growing debate surrounding student accountability and the role schools should play in addressing chronic absenteeism. Listeners will hear about the real challenges teachers face when students regularly miss class and how absenteeism affects classroom dynamics, relationships, and academic success. The duo also examines the impact of mental health concerns, rising student needs, increased screen time, and shifting parent and student attitudes about the importance of school in shaping today’s attendance patterns. Drawing on comments and stories shared on Cross Country Checkup, Roy and Martin bring a wide range of perspectives into the conversation while encouraging listeners to weigh in with their own experiences, opinions, and insights on this important and timely issue. Join the Stunt Brothers as they unpack one of the biggest challenges facing education today and explore what can be done to reconnect students with school.

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In Episode 65 of After The Bell, the Stunt Brothers are missing in action. Roy and Martin are half a country apart as they face a possible end to their perfect podcast attendance, a spotless record that spans over 15 unbroken months. This absence sets the stage for a future episode where they delve into the attendance crisis in education. Episode 66 will explore how student absenteeism is impacting learning and engagement across schools. The Stunt Brothers will reveal innovative strategies being tested to encourage attendance, including Ontario's controversial policy of linking grades to attendance. Listeners will gain insights into the challenges teachers face when students skip class and how this affects classroom dynamics. Roy and Martin will discuss the role of mental health, screen time, and school culture in shaping attendance patterns.  Stay tuned as they uncover stories from educators and students on the front lines of this pressing issue. For now, enjoy this bite sized episode that leaves the Stunt Brothers record of 100% attendance unblemished. 

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In Episode 64, the Stunt Brothers start things off by going on a tangent about unseasonably cold spring weather, the splashdown of Artemis II, and Ryan Gosling’s movie Project Hail Mary. Roy can’t help but feel a little overlooked; after all, he’s a Canadian teacher who’s convinced he could pass as a more mature Ryan Gosling so where was the call for a stunt double? Our duo then circles back to listener feedback on their recent episode about report cards, sharing thoughtful and entertaining responses from their audience. But the real twist comes when Martin and Roy realize this episode is something entirely different: it’s a field trip that turns inward. It’s a podcast about their podcast, a conversation nested within itself like a matryoshka doll. Join the Stunt Brothers as they flip the script and take a seat on the other side of the mic, being interviewed by Tim Cavey of Teachers on Fire.
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In Episode 63, Martin & Roy ponder the history making Artemis II space launch with the spacecraft hurtling through space at thousands of kilometres per hour with a malfunctioning toilet. This moment sparks a powerful analogy: in both space travel and teaching, when something goes wrong, you can’t simply stop, you have to keep going. And in the classroom there are times when you know something’s not working properly but are unable to pinpoint the problem or the cause. All the while you must plough ahead, reaching for seemingly unattainable outcomes. To explore this concern, our duo sits down with John Richards, professor at Simon Fraser University and a senior fellow at the C.D. Howe Institute. Together, they unpack troubling trends in declining math, science, and reading scores among Canadian students based on PISA scores.(Programme for International Student Assessment, an international assessment that measures 15-year-old students' knowledge and skills in the areas of reading, mathematics and science.) But as the conversation unfolds, the Stunt Brothers find themselves with more questions than answers. What will the next round of PISA results reveal? What can Canada learn from countries like Finland and Sweden, which have taken bold steps to strengthen their education systems? Meanwhile, the landscape continues to shift. In the United States, AI-powered schools are beginning to emerge, and even the White House has floated ideas about robotic teaching assistants. Others argue for a return to fully analog classrooms and removing technology altogether. In the end, this episode doesn’t offer easy answers but it does ask the right questions.

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Key Topics:

• Decline in Canadian student scores
• Long-term trends in education performance
• Educational quality and teaching standards
• Impact of technology and AI on learning
• Societal and cultural influences on education
• Strategies for addressing educational decline
• Importance of foundational skills
• Teacher training and professional standards
• Role of societal attitudes and family influences
• Balancing technology with traditional learning methods

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In Episode 62, The Stunt Brothers open by diving into responses to a recent TikTok they posted on the FSA standardized test. With over 19,000 views, Roy and Martin share a selection of thoughtful and often entertaining listener comments. From there, Roy takes a nostalgic turn recounting the discovery of his own report cards from more than 60 years ago. He reads aloud a few teacher comments from his Grade 1 days, offering a glimpse into how student progress was once communicated. Not to be outdone, Martin reaches into his briefcase and magically produces one of his own report cards, (Does he take them with him everywhere he goes?) sparking a lighthearted comparison between the two. What follows is a thoughtful discussion on the evolution of report cards and student reporting over the course of their careers. Roy and Martin explore the ongoing tension between what parents want to see and what educators aim to communicate, while also reflecting on the shift to digital reporting, an innovation that hasn’t quite lived up to expectations. As always, the conversation blends personal experiences with laughter and insights into the changing landscape of reporting.

Main Topics:

• The history and transformation of report card systems from handwritten notes to digital systems
• Challenges with current assessment methods, including FSAs and standardized tests
• Practical tips for teachers to improve report card writing and assessment validity
• The importance of meaningful feedback and parent-teacher communication
• Ideas for future development of report card systems for better education outcomes

Key Insights:

• The shift from anecdotal comments to checklist systems and their subsequent changes
• Parental perceptions of report cards, including percentile rankings and language-based grading
• The debate around the efficacy and fairness of standardized assessments like FSAs
• The value of narrative comments that highlight student character and effort
• The need for more efficient, less time-consuming reporting methods without sacrificing quality
• Examples of inspiring teacher comments about notable figures like Terry Fox
• The importance of having physical report cards to foster parent-child discussions

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In Episode 61, The Stunt Brothers kick things off with Martin unpacking the meaning of Occam’s Razor, a phrase he seems to enjoy saying almost as much as, “How do you like them apples!” From there, the conversation turns to the end of spring break and British Columbia’s move to permanent daylight saving time, sparking mixed reactions from After the Bell listeners. Roy and Martin share some of the most spirited and thought-provoking responses. Roy then recounts a substitute teaching experience that took an immediate and unexpected turn: arriving at a new school only to be told he’d be escorting a class to an assembly. That moment triggers a series of flashbacks to past “assembly traumas,” including the time he had his students hand over contraband before leaving the classroom. The haul? Pencils, paper airplanes, erasers, markers, a Rubik’s Cube, a tin of slime, a deck of cards and even a pair of scissors. The episode wraps up with a reflection on the role that assemblies play in the social fabric of schools, along with some stories of assemblies gone wrong and right, and that unforgettable rite of passage: the moment Grade 7 students finally ascend to the pinnacle of elementary school seating the wooden bench. This episode will make you laugh, or at the very least, have you thinking about your own assembly experiences. Do you remember Mr. Doobee, Sparky, or the North Vancouver firefighters?
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Key Takeaways

• The importance of school assemblies in building community and celebrating achievements
• Common assembly challenges: technical issues, student behavior, timing, and engagement tips
• Eleven top assembly killers, including technical fails, disrespect, and poor planning
• The Stunt Brothers’ ten tips for more effective school-wide assemblies
• Creative ideas to start assemblies with a hook and keep engagement high
• How role-playing students and using storytelling enhance participation
• Managing assembly logistics: space, timing, respect for teachers’ schedules
• The significance of ending on a high note and reinforcing school pride
• Unforgettable assembly stories illustrating chaos, humor, and lessons learned
• Reflection on how assemblies contribute to student development and school culture

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Another holiday bonus this week for our dedicated After The Bell  listeners. The Stunt Brothers celebrate Season 2 Episode 30 with a look back in time at Season 1. Martin is not happy with this as permanent daylight savings time means he is now one hour closer to turning 60...and he will never get that hour back!

Part 1 unpacks the spirit of the Pacific National Exhibition (PNE) with community stories courtesy of author Nick Marino and his excellent book, Eastside Story. Join the Stunt Brothers in this lively episode as they explore the spirit of the PNE, colourful fair traditions, and personal stories that highlight youth, culture, and underground economies. Featuring educator and author Nick Marino, this episode dives into stories that celebrate community, history, and the power of shared experiences.

In part 1:

• The significance of fairs and festivals in fostering community connections and cultural pride
• Nick Marino shares insights from his book "East Side Story," focusing on PNE memories and youth culture
• Funny anecdotes of sneaking into events, catching greased pigs, and underground economies at the fair
• The cultural and social roles of fairs for teenagers transitioning into adulthood
• Imaginary casting choices for a “movie adaptation” of "East Side Story" with actors like Paul Rudd and Anne Hathaway
• Songs that would perfect a soundtrack for the imagined film, including classics from The Clash, Motley Crue, and The Cure
• Conversations about favorite teachers, memorable classroom moments, and their influence on our lives
• Exciting upcoming projects, including a family history book and reflections on teaching careers
• Celebrating community through stories, humor, and shared passions that connect educators, students, and local history

Part 2 finds the The Stunt Brothers celebrating at North Point Brewing with a variety of special guests. Join Roy and Martin as they immerse themselves in the lively atmosphere of North Point Brewing. They engage with guests, share laughter, and enjoy the vibrant community spirit. The segment captures the essence of camaraderie and celebration, highlighting the brewery's role as a local gathering spot. This is your chance to feel like you're actually there!

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The Stunt Brothers hope you’re beginning to relax as you head into Spring Break. There’s no better time to decompress than with another of our bonus Fieldtrip Sessions, this time a remix of two of our favourite guests from Season One. We revisit Episode 14, “Going Forward with Courage,” with Brad Baker, and Episode 20, “Where the Wild Things Are,” with Victor Elderton. 

Roy and Martin start a little slow with a weary adjustment to daylight savings time but soon find their energetic podcast timing with a humorous debate on time changes and scientific thinking. Then it's time for our two for one. First up is Dr. Brad Baker, Superintendent of Indigenous Education for the province of British Columbia and a proud member of the Squamish Nation. Then we go outside with Victor Elderton, who currently teaches at both the University of British Columbia and Simon Fraser University and has over 30 years of experience as a teacher and principal at North Vancouver's Cheakamus Centre. 

These memorable conversations are full of insight, inspiration, and the kind of storytelling that reminds us why the work we do in education matters. Enjoy this chance to revisit two standout moments from Season One while you recharge for the weeks ahead.

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Key Topics

• The importance of truth before reconciliation and building authentic land relationships
• Strategies for embedding Indigenous ways of knowing in curriculum and teacher training
• How outdoor learning spaces promote mental health, cultural connection, and environmental awareness
• The role of community and family in supporting outdoor and experiential education
• Navigating unconscious biases through brave conversations and professional development
• The significance of Indigenous stories, mentorship, and experiential learning in shaping future educators
• Climate change, ecological responsibility, and Indigenous philosophies of harmony with nature
• Practical examples of outdoor teaching, community dinners, and place-based learning initiatives
• Inspiration from global Indigenous perspectives and natural metaphors for understanding our place in the world
• The power of walking conversations and retreat experiences in cultivating mindfulness and relationship to land

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