Andy, Cal, and Cristin interview Anna Pavechevich, longtime educator and current Principal at Amundsen High School in Chicago. They also talk about the closure of Hope High School, how childhood trauma can manifest as illness, and the importance of not coaching teachers on minutia. Finally, they take a call from a leadership coach who is wondering what to do when you believe that someone you support is just not right for the role they are in.

Episode Information:

What's on our Mind: 2:50

Interview: 30:44

Phone Call: 49:07

The recent school shooting is on everyone's mind, included the educators at Class Dismissed. Andy, Cal, and Cristin also talk to Allison Hansen, the Director of Clinical Experience at Marian University, about how their program marries theory and practice and prepares new teachers to be classroom ready on day one of the job. Finally, the CD team fields a call from a teacher going through the all-too-typical February dilemma of whether or not to stay at her school for another year. Is the grass really greener at another school? Give a listen to find out!

Episode Details:

2:10--What's on Our Mind

17:00--Allison Hansen Interview

33:45--Caller at a Crossroad about leaving their school

Chicago was blasted by some old school snow last week which kept Andy, Cal, and Cristin out of the studio. They will be back in two weeks with a brand new episode, and, in the meantime, leave you with a throwback episode. Please enjoy this episode with our very first guest ever, high school ELA teacher activist and all around all star Ms. Ayeishia Wong.

Andy, Cal, and Cristin sit down with Bill Kennedy, the Director of the Urban Teacher Education Program at UChicago, to talk urban teacher residencies and new teacher preparation. They also field a call from a teacher dealing with an intrusive supervisor and talk about everything from the tension between traditional and progressive methods of education, the merits (and problems) with subsidized teacher housing, and why the data on Chicago students' recent academic gains is so contentious. 

Segment Timing Info:

What's On Our Mind: 1:50

Interview with Bill Kennedy: 31:20

Call and Advice: 55:24

Happy Winter Break! Cal, Andy, and Cristin are spending their winter break making Class Dismissed even better for you, but they need your help! Take a listen for how YOU can help contribute to the Class Dismissed content.

Andy, Cal, and Cristin talk about the role of schools in combating sexual harassment, the effects of more CPS school closings, and challenges with conducting instructional rounds. They also chat all things music education with The Shades, a Chicago based band who just released their first EP (and whose music you hear in every episode of Class Dismissed!) They also field a call from a middle school principal in his building year seeking some advice on what, above all else, middle schoolers need (aren't we all?)

The Class Dismissed crew talks the GOP tax plan, the merits of building content knowledge before building reading skill, and potential complications associated with making attendance a high stakes metric for schools. They also sit down with Aylon Samouha, co-founder of Transcend Education, and take a call from a new instructional coach trying to determine how slow is too slow for a teacher to change their ways.

Andy, Cal and Cristin sit down with Devin Siebold, a teacher by day and comedian by night. He talks about the need for humor in teachers' lives and why he is definitely NOT a comedian in the classroom. They also answer a question from a teacher who wants to develop her own curriculum rather than using the one provided for her. 

Andy, Cal, and Cristin each have something they're thinking about, and that think is old Disney songs. Oh, they also field an email from a new and overwhelmed instructional leader. But, mostly old Disney songs.

Andy, Cal, and Cristin find themselves reminiscing about their favorite books as young adults, debating the positives and negatives of real time coaching, and discussing inequities when it comes to access to sports across schools. They also get the chance to interview Dave Johnson, a Senior Research Analyst at the University of Chicago Consortium on School Research.