Many children learn to read, play instruments, or study a second language at a young age—but what about chemistry?

In this episode, Cody and Dave speak with Dr. Colleen Kelley, an educator whose life’s work is introducing chemistry to students far earlier than most schools do. With teaching experience that ranges from young children to college students studying organic chemistry, Dr. Kelley has seen firsthand how even highly capable university students often approach the subject with fear and intimidation.

She believes that much of this anxiety could be prevented if students were exposed to chemistry concepts earlier—something as simple as becoming familiar with the periodic table. In our conversation, Dr. Kelley explains why early exposure matters, how children can begin engaging with chemistry concepts, and why building comfort with the subject early can change students’ relationships with science later in life.

If you’ve ever wondered why chemistry feels intimidating—or how we might change that for the next generation—this is a conversation you won’t want to miss.

Find more of Dr. Kelley's work here:Chemistry Colleen on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@ChemistryColleenKids' Chemical

Solutions Curriculum - https://kidschemicalsolutions.com/

TEDx Talk - https://youtu.be/OwQfs0pIO-I?si=d2ry1Rjxdb-AQ2NE

Emmy Winning PBS Documentary - https://youtu.be/wDmkJzcm4Pc?si=557qgvujMEGGRDga

Teaching skills to students is relevant from kindergarten through medical school. In this episode, Dave and Cody were joined by Dr. Erin Guidice, Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Maryland and Director of the University’s Medical Education Leadership Academy.  We discussed how she leverages Peyton’s Four-Step Approach to better outcomes for her students and how the same technique can be applied to learners of all ages.  Any teacher - or coach - tasked with improving students’ skills will find value and applicability from our conversation. 

Dave and Cody break down two ridiculously simple classroom activities that somehow work incredibly well. One blends Simon Says with Spoons to keep students alert, competitive, and laughing, while reinforcing focus and listening skills. The second is a clever twist on rock-paper-scissors-shoot that gets students moving and thinking fast.  These strategies prove that effective engagement doesn’t need fancy materials—just smart design.

In this episode, Cody shares how he opened the door for students to show their learning in meaningful, multidimensional ways. By encouraging students to make connections, create drawings tied to course content and key terms, and apply their learning in real time, Cody highlights practical strategies teachers can use today. Grounded in the ideas from Dr. Jo Boaler’s Limitless Mind: Learn, Lead, and Live Without Barriers, this conversation explores how expanding what learning “looks like” can unlock deeper understanding and student growth.

All it takes is one pivotal moment in a student’s life to inspire a lifetime of learning or a future vocation.  

In this episode of Authentic Educators, our guest is Dr. Ben Finio, the Lead Staff Scientist for Science Buddies, a nonprofit that designs STEM exercises for students K-12.  Our conversation focuses on an incredible project he works on which challenges students to design various structures using basic building blocks.  This year’s challenge is a Ball Run; prior years’ challenges include a Rocket Catcher and Rubber Band Car challenge.

In the episode, Dr. Finio fondly recalls a moment in his education when he got to build a structure out of toothpicks.  This key moment in his educational journey helped inspire his pursuit of engineering in college.  

The engineering challenge doesn’t take a ton of class time and is suitable for K-12 educators. 

What happens when service-learning stops being an “extra” and becomes the classroom?

In this episode of Authentic Educators, we’re joined by Rory Pruess, an educator whose work bridges urban and suburban schools through long-term, student-driven service partnerships. 

Much of our conversation centers on Broad Street Love in Philadelphia (formerly Broad Street Ministry), a radical hospitality organization serving thousands of individuals experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity. From mail services for people without addresses, to a clothing boutique, veteran support, art therapy, and personal hygiene kits, Broad Street Love models what it means to see people fully—and invites students into that work with dignity and purpose.

Rory also reflects on two decades of partnership work, the power of letting students be the voice rather than giving them one, and why service during the school day—not just after school—can be transformational.

If you believe education should form better humans, not just better test-takers, this episode is for you.

🔗 Learn more about Broad Street Love and how to get involved on their website.

Classrooms are clearly not comedy shows - but what happens when teachers intentionally bring humor into the learning environment? Jeff Dubin has nearly 30 years of teaching experience. One of the many reasons his classroom is special is his unique personality and ability to use humor in his lessons. This episode celebrates how teachers can leverage laughter in their classrooms and make learning fun. Our conversation focuses on how a mixture of the classic dad joke, or a bit of self-deprecation can strengthen the positive relationship between teacher and student.

Classrooms are clearly not comedy shows - but what happens when teachers intentionally bring humor into the learning environment?  Jeff Dubin has nearly 30 years of teaching experience.  One of the many reasons his classroom is special is his unique personality and ability to use humor in his lessons.  This episode celebrates how teachers can leverage laughter in their classrooms and make learning fun.  Our conversation focuses on how a mixture of the classic dad joke or a bit of self-deprecation can strengthen the positive relationship between teacher and student. 

What happens when teachers put students in charge? Success? Chaos?  In this episode, Cody shares a two-day lesson he uses with his 7th grade ELA class. He challenges each class period to function as a team to storyboard a short play. Each class period “competes” against the others to create a sense of friendly competition and urgency.  The feature of the lesson is to provide very little answers on how to accomplish the collective goal; this ensures that students help each other and solve problems together.

Much of what happens inside a classroom is the result of the opinions and demands of many stakeholders: governments, school boards, administration, and parents.  Too often, the most important voices have little to no say—the students.  Hannah Knecht has worked with people of all ages: elementary, middle, and adult learners.  Her straightforward system for eliciting student feedback creates a powerful classroom structure in which students themselves can shape the learning environment they want.  

In this episode of Authentic Educators, Cody and Dave discuss Hannah's methodology with her.  We were blown away by how such a quick and easy structure had profoundly positive impacts on her students.  

If you like what you hear from Hannah, she is a co-host of a wonderful educational podcast: Key Connections for Educators.  We both highly recommend giving it a listen.

As always, please reach out to Cody and Dave at [email protected].