Classroom Matters

Do you want to know what it’s like to live your mantra, die and then come back to life with a new mantra?  Then you will want to tune in to this episode of Classroom Matters with host Kristy Houle.  Dr. Stephen Sroka was a happy, healthy guy who spent his time traveling the country giving hope and inspiration with his slogan “The Power of One.”  While on stage he went into cardiac arrest and was rushed to an emergency center while clinging to life.  As he lay in the chopper awaiting his fate, the thought came to him that it isn’t the power of one that can save you, but the power of many.  Listen in as Dr. Sroka talks about his experience and the journey he has taken to do the work he does today.

In this episode you'll hear...

• Why the power of many is better than the power of one
• Why school environments are reflective of the communities they're born from
• The 3 necessary F's in child development

Most teachers knew at an early age that education was the career path they wanted to take, but at what cost?  In today’s world of bullying, state and national testing, school violence, and academic standards, it’s no wonder that we are facing a teacher shortage.  At the University of Missouri-St. Louis, Stephanie Koscielski is working diligently to ensure that educators are highly qualified and able to walk into the classroom and achieve academic success.  Using a new technique of student-teaching, called the Studio Schools Model, teacher candidates are given a sort-of on the job reality check of what being a teacher is really all about.  Listen in as Stephanie and I discuss the working components of this student-teaching model and what direction teacher education is going.

In this episode you'll hear...

• The steps involved in becoming a teacher by today's standards
• How social media can effect your teaching career
• The importance of flexibility and adaptability as a teacher

If you say the words “flipped classroom" to most students they will look at you like you're nuts! In many cases, so will most teachers, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they aren’t using the method or that they haven’t had huge success with it. So many of our teachers are already implementing this unique form of learning in their everyday lessons, but they just don’t put a name to it. Tim Gore Executive Director of the Educate.Today organization defines and shares his experience with the Flipped Classroom model of teaching and how many educators are using it today. Join us for this in-depth conversation about the Flipped Classroom model and how you can make it work for your students!

In this episode, you’ll hear

• What does a blended learning model classroom look like?
• Challenges and successes of a flipped model classroom
• What is the teacher’s role when utilizing the flipped model classroom?

“Gifted students will do fine on their own.”
“Gifted programs are elitist.”
These and other myths prevent our country from appropriately educating millions of advanced students.  In April 2019 Christine Nobbe was named Gifted Director for the state of Missouri and prior to that spent thirty years in the classroom setting. From special education to gifted teacher Christine has been able to help school districts around the state develop and grow outstanding gifted education programs and work with classroom teachers to identify characteristics of gifted students.  Take a listen as Christine and I discuss and debunk some of the current myths about gifted education.

In this episode you'll hear...

• How to identify the gifted student in a general classroom setting
• Why gifted students need the support and modifications to be successful
• Strategies to enrich the gifted students educational experience

Photo via confluenceacademy.org

Never being able to identify with characters in a book can be a difficult thing for a child who is learning how to read.  This is the struggle that one family had as they attempted to educate their children in a mostly Caucasian world of books.  That is when Jeffrey and Pamela Blair first began to realize that they and other African American families were facing challenges of finding books to help their children feel good about their culture and heritage. Now, as founders and owners of the EyeSeeMe bookstore, Jeffrey and Pamela can stock not only household bookshelves with reflections of the reader, but schools across the nation as well. Join me in this interesting conversation as we discuss the beginnings of the “mirrors and reflections” ideology and how this family has helped grow a love for reading in children across the nation.

Photo via STL LIVE

In 2018 Beth Davey, an art teacher from the Ritenour School District was named Teacher of the Year by Missouri’s Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.  What Beth soon realized was that “with great power comes great responsibility” …or was that Spiderman?  Listen in as Ms. Davey talks about her year spent as Teacher of the Year, and how she used that time to advocate for keeping and sustaining arts classes in education.  It’s a conversation you won’t want to miss!

In this episode, you’ll hear…

• How serving as Missouri’s 2018 Teacher of the Year has inspired Beth
• Why teaching the arts in education is a vital component of a student’s success
• Strategies to enhance a student’s artistic characteristics and talents.

Photo via Missouri Association of Colleges for Teacher Education

You’ve heard the buzzwords…..media, technology, interactive, innovative, but what do they really mean and how can you use them effectively in a classroom setting?  Teaching with innovation and technology is nothing new to the world of education, but are we truly doing it right?  How is it possible for teachers to prepare students for future careers that don’t yet exist?  Don Goble, award-winning speaker, author and multimedia educator sits down with host Kristy Houle to discuss the true meaning of teaching technology and media in today’s classroom in an effort to  prepare students for a never-changing society and the technology that lives around us. 

In this episode, you’ll hear

• How to use innovative ways to leverage video and media literacy into the classroom or business setting.
• Students taking initiative and control of their own learning
• Simple things that teachers can do to accomplish a more student-led classroom

As a professional speaker and former educator, Dr, Debra Peppers is no stranger to the epidemic of teacher stress. Hundreds of high-performing teachers suffer each year from not only mental anguish, but physical side effects caused by the unrealistic expectations that society has put on today’s teacher. Join host, Kristy Houle as she talks with Dr. Peppers to uncover the struggles of present day teachers and discover ways to help alleviate some of the challenges educators face every year. 

In this episode you will hear:

• Research on teacher stress 
• Expectations we as a society put on teachers that cause stress and health issues
• A few simple things teachers can do to create a healthier outlook, both mentally and physically

Dr. Kim Bearden is explains how to create a positive and successful school climate. 

Kim Bearden is the cofounder, executive director, and language arts teacher at the highly acclaimed Ron Clark Academy, an innovative middle school and educator-training facility in Atlanta. More than 50,000 educators from around the world have visited Kim’s classroom and have attended her workshops to learn better ways to engage students, promote academic rigor, and create a climate and culture that promote success.  Over the past thirty-one years, she has been a teacher, instructional lead teacher, curriculum director, school-board member, staff-development trainer, and middle-school principal. Kim’s first book, Crash Course: The Life Lessons My Students Taught Me, made several bestseller lists. Her second book, Talk to Me: Find the Right Words to Inspire, Encourage, and Get Things Done was released in July of 2018.

Kenneth Williams talks about how schools and educators can “live their posters” and truly achieve learning for all.  We also get a chance to talk about his newest book Starting a Movement; Building Culture from the Inside Out with Professional Learning Communities that he cowrote with Tom Hierck.

As founder and Chief Visionary Officer of Unfold the Soul,  Kenneth Williams is living proof that  educators CAN and should  “live their posters” and shares with us how to truly achieve learning for all.  Unfold the Soul trains entrepreneurs, educators, and motivated individuals how to accelerate the achievement of their personal and professional goals. Ken’s background includes a BA from Morehouse College and he also holds a Master’s degree in Education from the University of Bridgeport and a Leadership Certificate from the Bowie State University. For nearly 20 years, he has been a teacher, assistant principal, sales manager, educational consultant, trainer, speaker and a leading authority in the areas of collaboration, breakthrough achievement, leadership, and peak performance.

Image from ccosa.org