Education Evolution

Kids need to feel that their passions and ideas matter. Unfortunately, our system is set up to mold kids into who we want them to be. Schools are guilty of this and even well-meaning parents are guilty of it. We have our own versions of success in our minds and trying to steer children on our path is setting them up for failure and for feeling unseen. This week on the podcast, Luthern Williams is sharing how his school, New Roads School, is doing things differently. And he proves that small, private, and even budget-conscious (or budget-restricted) schools can offer a path for all learners and keep inclusivity and access at its core.

Luthern shares how New Roads has managed to offer 35 electives for middle school students and 65 electives for high schoolers and what this has done to boost the possibilities these students have. We also talk about how radical inclusion doesn't just benefit the student, why children need to be invited to show up authentically, and why so many children are having mental health issues today.

This episode truly dissects a school and a leader who are living in their values.

Luthern Williams, a visionary educational leader, is the Head of School at New Roads School in Santa Monica, California. He holds a BA from the University of Pennsylvania and an Ed.M. in School Leadership from Harvard University. Previously, Luthern was the Assistant Head of School for Program and Middle School Director at New Roads School. Luthern has over twenty-five years of experience as an administrator and English teacher in independent schools in New York City, Boston, and Los Angeles. He served as the Director of College Preparation and College Admissions at College Launch, an educational consulting company; the Director of Studies at the Oakwood School in North Hollywood, California; the Upper School Director at Beaver Country Day School in Boston, Massachusetts; and the Director of Diversity at the Winsor School in Boston, Massachusetts.

Throughout his career, he has drawn on his extensive knowledge of education to align schools' programs with their missions and to build educational models where all children thrive; learn love, respect, empathy, and compassion; and develop the tools to create a world based on the inherent dignity and worth of each individual. To prepare teachers to educate for this "New World," Luthern has contributed to the design, redesign, and development of one of the premier teacher induction and professional development programs for independent schools in the nation as well as created professional development processes in many independent schools. In addition, Luthern has trained teachers to devise strategies and assessments for students with various learning styles as well as culturally sensitive teaching methods and curricula.

He has done talks, interviews, presentations and workshops about education on the local, state, national, and international level, including speaking on a panel for the United States Department of Education, Office of Nonpublic Education. He has consulted nationally on education, and he has written articles in this field. In addition, he has served as Board Chair and Board member on nonprofit boards. Currently, he sits on the Board of Directors of California Association of Independent Schools, Private School Axis, Los Encinos School, and the Advisory Board of the National Diversity Coalition. Luthern is deeply committed to democratizing meaningful access to high quality education for socio-economically disadvantaged students and developing schools, built on wellbeing, that are catalysts for societal transformation.

• [2:26] - What New Road School is all about
• [2:48] - It's the role of school to develop the gifts of children
• [3:18] - Kids are young people with feelings and thoughts; give them the tools to explore joy of learning
• [4:50] - Robust electives
• [6:11] - Structure and freedom allows the school to do more
• [9:35] - You have to make sacrifices aligned with value
• [12:04 - Creative links
• [13:19] - Inviting children to be tested on multiple levels
• [14:21] - Meeting the needs of all children
• [16:37] - Radical inclusion
• [18:58] - All children benefit from diversity if it's leveraged
• [24:09] - Sustaining the school over the years
• [25:45] - Why Luthern chooses to do this work
• [29:03] - Turbo time
• [30:25] - What you need to know about academic rigor
• [33:24] - How you can become an educational activist
• [36:16] - Luthern's Magic Wand
• [37:31] - Maureen's Takeaways

• New Roads School
• Culturally Responsive Teaching
• Rita Pearson's Ted Talk: Every Kid Needs a Champion
• Episode 97: Creating Trauma-Informed Classrooms & Putting Kids First
• Find out more about the EdActive Summit!
• Diversity Makes You Brighter
• Email Maureen

• Maureen's TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

• The Education Evolution
• Facebook: Follow Education Evolution
• Twitter: Follow Education Evolution
• LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution
• EdActive Collective
• Maureen's book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America
• The Micro-School Coalition
• Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition
• LEADPrep

Schools try to help and support families with neurodiverse learners, but there's not a lot of wiggle room for anyone who doesn't fit into the "normal" box. What schools don't acknowledge is that no two kids will ever be the same or learn in the same way.

It's the parents' responsibility to advocate for their children and to help (kindly) educate schools, teachers, and other parents about how their child navigates the world.

Our system is setting kids up for failure, and that's the last thing our kids or we as educators and parents want.

This week on the podcast, I'm talking with Debbie Reber, author of Differently Wired, a parent of a "differently wired" child, and founder of TiLT Parenting. Debbie found herself doing research and creating tools to help her own child and wanted to be able to offer them to other parents.

We talk about how schools can honor learner differences, how our system is set up for failure, and how COVID has positively impacted the way we teach our kids. It's a must-listen for anyone who teaches or parents differently wired kiddos.

Debbie Reber, MA, is a parenting activist, New York Times bestselling author, podcast host, and speaker who moved her career in a more personal direction in 2016 when she founded TiLT Parenting, a resource for raising differently wired children. The TiLT Parenting Podcast has 4 million downloads and a slate of guests that includes high-profile thought leaders across the parenting and education space. A certified Positive Discipline trainer and a regular contributor to Psychology Today and ADDitude Magazine, Debbie's newest book is Differently Wired: Parenting an Atypical Child with Confidence and Hope. In November 2018, she spoke at TEDxAmsterdam, delivering a talk entitled Why the Future Will Be Differently Wired. Follow TiLT Parenting on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

• [3:00] - Going beyond parenting to creating resources for other parents
• [5:04] - Tilt Parenting - resource and podcast
• [7:15] - Most common frustrations in school communities
• [9:21] - How schools can honor learner differences
• [10:54] - Our system is set up for failure
• [13:48] - How parents can advocate for their kids
• [17:41] - Finding community online
• [22:20] - We're afraid of failing our kids
• [24:24] - Turbo Time
• [27:38] - What you need to know about TiLTing
• [32:27] - Debbie's Magic Wand
• [34:30] - Maureen's Takeaways

• Episode 8: Creating Teams of Learning Support
• The End of Average by Todd Rose
• The Myth of Average TEDx Talk by Todd Rose
• Dr. Ross Green and The Explosive Child book
• The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris
• Email Maureen

• Maureen's TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

• The Education Evolution
• Facebook: Follow Education Evolution
• Twitter: Follow Education Evolution
• LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution
• EdActive Collective
• Maureen's book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America
• The Micro-School Coalition
• Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition
• LEADPrep

Instead of labeling children with diagnoses, which generally only serve to fund resources, we should embrace the differences of everyone.

According to this week's guest, Dr. Bibi Pirayesh, disability is the social justice issue of ableism. Like racism and sexism, ableism puts up walls that are difficult to tear down.

In this episode, Bibi and I discuss what is the biggest roadblock of all: the systems and structures that are in place to help kids, but really are ways to force kids to conform.

I love the work that Bibi is doing to help anyone who doesn't fit into the "normal" box feel seen and heard and find community in this global world.

Dr. Pirayesh holds a Bachelor's degree in Neuroscience and Education from the University of Pittsburgh and a Master's degree in Developmental Psychology from Columbia University where her work focused primarily on children's development of mathematical thinking and cognitive neuroscience. She has worked as a learning specialist and educational therapist in private practice for over a decade.

While the emphasis of her work is on remediating learning disabilities in a one-on-one setting, she is also a sought after speaker and community advocate for children and families around learning rights. She works with children grades 1-12 and covers a wide range of learning difficulties including dyslexia, ADHD, and spectrum disorders. In 2020, Dr. Pirayesh launched The Difference is Not Deficit Project in 2020 to help promote the importance of seeing learning disability as a social justice issue, which was also the cornerstone of her doctoral research. In addition to her work in her practice, Dr. Pirayesh is also adjunct faculty at Pepperdine University and is involved with a number of service organizations including The Association of Educational Therapists. Connect with her on LinkedIn or visit her website.

• [1:48] - We must transform the school and learning construct
• [3:33] - Words matter - difference, deficit, disability
• [5:43] - We need to have a conversation about how we diagnose and the issues
• [6:35] - The pandemic, isolation, and power of stories
• [10:40] - Disability is a social justice issue
• [14:28] - The biggest roadblocks to doing better
• [18:34] - Turbo Time
• [21:05] - What people need to know about supporting kids with learning differences
• [25:15] - How to be a better activist
• [29:12] - Bibi's Magic Wand
• [30:57] - Maureen's takeaways

• Episode 87: Empowering Learners & Educating Their Guides
• Episode 97: Creating Trauma-Informed Classrooms & Putting Kids First with Dr. Kristen Miller
• Email Maureen

• Maureen's TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

• The Education Evolution
• Facebook: Follow Education Evolution
• Twitter: Follow Education Evolution
• LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution
• EdActive Collective
• Maureen's book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America
• The Micro-School Coalition
• Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition
• LEADPrep

That's not true. If you're struggling, others are struggling. And our youth need to hear stories of love, compassion, and hope. It's our responsibility as educators to do just that.

This week on the podcast, I'm joined by Lindsay Recknell, a certified expert in hope. She's sharing why this is so important and the brain science to back up the power of hope. This isn't a bunch of woo woo talk; it's real science and actionable steps we can all take to become more hopeful and improve the mental health of our educators, our students, and our communities at large.

As an expert in hope and a Certified Psychological Health & Safety Advisor, Lindsay Recknell works with individuals and organizations to increase their levels of psychological health & safety in the workplace using Positive Psychology and the Science of Hope. She empowers individuals, strengthens teams and transforms organizations through her Self-Awareness Superhero, Dream Catalyst and Wellness Webinars programs. She is host of two podcasts, Hope Motivates Action and Mental Health in Minutes. Lindsay lives in Calgary with her husband and their Golden Retriever, Squeak. Connect with her on LinkedIn.

• [2:01] - Where the work from hope started
• [3:25] - Hope has a PR problem
• [4:05] - Hope as a catalyst for courage
• [6:18] - Feeling like the only one (you're not)
• [6:54] - Hope encourages you to keep learning
• [9:40] - If it matters to you, it matters
• [11:50] - How to implement hope conversations with young adults
• [15:40] - Activity for teachers to do with students
• [20:09] - Growth and personal development after doing this exercise
• [21:45] - You learn by doing this with students
• [22:27] - The difference between hope and optimism
• [27:15] - Turbo Time
• [28:53] - What you need to know about the practice of hope
• [29:26] - It's all about mental health
• [32:35] - Lindsay's Magic Wand
• [34:18] - Maureen's Takeaways

• Hope Motivates Action: Creating Change in Education
• Making Hope Happen by Dr. Shane Lopez
• The Book of Joy (on audible)
• Episode 97: Creating Trauma-Informed Classrooms and Putting Kids First with Dr. Kristen Miller
• Email Maureen

• Maureen's TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

• The Education Evolution
• Facebook: Follow Education Evolution
• Twitter: Follow Education Evolution
• LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution
• EdActive Collective
• Maureen's book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America
• The Micro-School Coalition
• Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition
• LEADPrep

One of the biggest disservices we do to our youth is to expect them to graduate from high school knowing what they're going to do in their future without giving them any guidance or help in figuring that out.

Instead, we need to support their passions and interests while encouraging them to put together their own narrative of success. Because success looks different for everyone.

That story they tell can prepare them for what happens after high school and, even better, they'll be ready for it.

This week on the podcast, I'm talking with Ekta Sahasi, founder of spikeview, a global pre-professional portfolio platform for students and young adults. We talk about the journey our youngest generation takes on the path through school and how important it is for them to build their own narrative reflecting the way they see themselves now and along the journey.

It's our job as their teachers and parents to be their guide.

Ekta Sahasi is the Founder of spikeview, a global pre-professional portfolio platform for students and young adults. She is reinventing how Gen-Z represents themselves online, build meaningful networks, and effectively lean in on their diverse experiences and interest vectors to forge a pathway to success.

Before spikeview, Ekta spent 20 years at large corporations and start-ups in Silicon Valley leading Corporate Innovation, Research, Digital Transformation, and start-up spinout efforts. Ekta is also a seasoned technology investor, a mentor, and an advisor, who is always excited to discuss ideas that will have a profound, positive impact on the global society. Among her peers, Ekta is known as a passionate entrepreneur who leads with confidence, candor, and courage.

• [1:25] - Schools prepare students for school, not real life
• [2:36] - Empower students to tell their narrative as they learn
• [4:04] - Who is Gen Z and how can we help them connect to real life
• [6:54] - What happens when students engage in competitions
• [9:25] - Why spikeview is important now
• [14:14] - Self-realization matters
• [18:18] - What's preventing spikeview from getting visibility
• [20:11] - How businesses can use spikeview
• [22:41] - Alumni is a role models for others for connections and collaborations
• [22:12] - Collaborating with others in the tech community
• [24:36] - How biz can support education more
• [28:57] - Turbo Time
• [39:50] - Ekta's Magic Wand
• [42:33] - Maureen's Takeaways

• Spikeview
• Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance
• Email Maureen

• Maureen's TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

• The Education Evolution
• Facebook: Follow Education Evolution
• Twitter: Follow Education Evolution
• LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution
• EdActive Collective
• Maureen's book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America
• The Micro-School Coalition
• Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition
• LEADPrep

Students either have to go to college or learn a skill.

What if our youth learned a skill in high school? A skill that got them ready for work and that they actually wanted to learn about? That's the idea behind West-MEC, a career and technical education district in Arizona. This week on the podcast, I'm thrilled to bring you West-MEC's superintendent, Gregory Donovan.

Greg's passion for allowing kids to fit into their own boxes, instead of fitting everyone into the same box, really shines through. He supports relevance in education and making sure kids (and the public) know that there are so many different pathways one can take in any given industry.

Before you encourage your students to apply for college, listen in. College alone is not enough. Nor does everyone need to attend college, and not everyone wants to. Let's make that okay, because it is!

Gregory J. Donovan serves as the Superintendent of Western Maricopa Education Center (West-MEC) public school district #402, the Career and Technical Education District (CTED) currently serving twelve school districts primarily in Western Maricopa County. Donovan has served as Superintendent for fifteen years, the entire history of the CTED. Ten years prior to that position, he was with Northern Arizona University's Institute for Future Workforce Development developing and implementing statewide Career and Technical Education (CTE) curriculum and facilitating teacher development. He also worked at the Arizona Department of Education in the CTE division and was a teacher and program director in local school districts. Overall, Donovan has thirty-eight years of educational experience, including eight years of service on the Peoria Unified School District Governing Board.

• [2:57] - What is West-MEC?
• [4:03] - School transformation and evolution for Greg
• [6:00] - The biggest needs for students in the US right now
• [7:10] - Students are "mediocre" because they don't see the point and purpose
• [8:45] - How West-MEC is meeting kids with the right student, right program
• [9:36] - Do your kids know what you do for a living?
• [12:38] - We're putting more stuff in the same sized sack
• [14:15] - We need to start talking about career pathways, passion, from the youngest ages
• [16:44] - We need to bring more relevance to education system
• [18:18] - What traditional educators can do right now to help make classes more relevant
• [21:43] - What they're not telling you about scholarship distributions
• [26:53] - The college dropout rate is huge
• [27:08] - 20% of jobs in America require a bachelor's degree
• [29:48] - What a high school diploma qualifies you to do (nothing)
• [36:31] - Recent cultural shifts in education
• [37:04] - We don't have to fit in the same box
• [37:40] - Turbo Time
• [48:09] - Maureen's Takeaways

Links & Resources

• Career Trees
• Janet Napolitano
• Email Maureen

• Maureen's TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

• The Education Evolution
• Facebook: Follow Education Evolution
• Twitter: Follow Education Evolution
• LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution
• EdActive Collective
• Maureen's book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America
• The Micro-School Coalition
• Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition
• LEADPrep

We don't build houses without first laying a solid foundation. So why do we expect children to learn without first making sure they feel safe and secure?

COVID has been a complex trauma for us all, yet we're pushing on rather than taking the time to process the information and being mindful of what students (and teachers!) are experiencing. Because if students aren't regulated, they cannot process academic content.

On this episode, Dr. Kristen Miller of With Heart Project is sharing her research on the brain and why, when we take the time to make sure our students feel safe and that they belong, academic retention and scores increase dramatically.

In the episode, she shares her perspective on positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS), acute vs. complex trauma, how trauma changes people, how teachers can meet the demands of students, and so much more.

Following a three-year engineering career, Kristen Miller spent 13 years in education teaching predominantly high school mathematics, AVID and Career Technical Education, and serving as a middle school Vice Principal in Northern California.

Seeing a huge need for high quality social and emotional interventions, systems and supports, Miller created a youth empowerment organization, With Heart Project (WHP), to work alongside schools and districts promoting Social-Emotional Wellness (SEL), Restorative Practices (RP), and Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS).

In her inaugural year, she partnered with a high-poverty middle school in Northern California to create and implement practices, processes, and procedures to decrease student suspension rates and increase academic achievement. Her results were remarkable. Her efforts yielded a 79% growth in Common Core Mathematics achievement, as well as reduction in discipline and attendance infractions, increase in GPA, and increase in math and reading grade levels among at-risk students

• [3:13] - The impact of restorative practices
• [6:14] - You have to pair amends with accountability
• [7:17] - PBIS - positive behaviorial interventions and supports
• [8:04] - Social emotional learning
• [8:04] - PBIS is just good teaching, good education
• [9:22] - Trauma informed teaching and learning
• [12:28] - COVID causes disregulation
• [13:22] - Kristen's pre-pandemic research
• [16:38] -What educators need to be focused on
• [18:55] - We're all experiencing acute trauma right now
• [19:38] - How to help teachers meet these demands
• [22:36] - Getting into policy side of things
• [25:08] - Turbo Time
• [29:22] - Kristen's Magic Wand
• [31:14] - Maureen's takeaways

• What Happened to You by Dr. Bruce Perry and Oprah Winfrey
• Email Maureen

• Maureen's TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

• The Education Evolution
• Facebook: Follow Education Evolution
• Twitter: Follow Education Evolution
• LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution
• EdActive Collective
• Maureen's book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America
• The Micro-School Coalition
• Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition
• LEADPrep

Teachers are (still!) not okay, and that's coming straight from the mouth of a teacher. The pandemic continues, and teachers continue to struggle with making the impact they went into the profession to make.

The result is a lot of burnout and frustration, a lot of complaining (from teachers, students, administrators, parents), and a mass exodus of teachers leaving the profession. This week's guest is not one of those teachers. In fact, he's a teacher on a mission to help others get back to themselves and the impact they want to make.

This is Dan Tricarico's second appearance on the podcast and it won't be his last. As a school administrator, it was helpful to hear Dan's perspective on what he's seeing and hearing from other teachers. And he shares what teachers, leaders, and parents can do to help support the wellbeing of their educators.

It's an enlightening conversation that will leave you with a different perspective of what teaching and learning look like right now.

After 30 years as a high school English teacher, Dan Tricarico found himself heading toward burnout and knew something had to change. Wanting to continue as a teacher, he cultivated strategies that helped him reclaim his control and stay in the classroom.

Today, Tricarico is a national speaker who shares his expertise and insight to show teachers how to reduce their stress and improve their self-care, so they can thrive both inside and outside the classroom.

He is author of The Zen Teacher: Focus Simplicity and Tranquility in the Classroom and Sanctuaries: Self-Care Secrets for Stressed Out Teachers. Creator of The Zen Teacher 5 Step Blueprint, he has also been featured in Fast Company Magazine, EduTopia, Teacher 2 Teacher, and The Truth for Teachers and Talks with Teachers Podcasts.

• [2:51] - Dan becomes international resource for teachers
• [6:02] - Dan's second book: Sanctuaries
• [6:25] - You have more control than you think as an educator
• [7:18] - You can control your response to the next shutdown
• [7:47] - Teachers' situation as pandemic drags on
• [8:18] - Teachers master the pivot
• [11:05] - Business as usual?
• [11:46] - Underlying friction makes the whole thing harder
• [13:28] - This is where we are; accept it
• [14:07] - Key recommendations for educators
• [16:21] - Give yourself the gift of stillness and silence
• [18:28] - What can school leaders do right now to help teachers
• [20:12] - Tired of talking about self care
• [21:40] - Trying to walk my talk
• [22:45] - What parents can do to help in the schools
• [25:12] - Message to parents: Trust us
• [26:23] - Turbo Time
• [30:19] - Dan's Magic Wand
• [31:36] - Maureen's Takeaways

• The Zen Teacher
• Circle of Influence
• Episode 50: Zen Teaching
• Viktor Frankl's Man's Search for Meaning
• The Zen Teacher: Focus Simplicity and Tranquility in the Classroom
• Sanctuaries: Self-Care Secrets for Stressed Out Teachers
• Email Maureen

• Maureen's TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

• The Education Evolution
• Facebook: Follow Education Evolution
• Twitter: Follow Education Evolution
• LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution
• EdActive Collective
• Maureen's book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America
• The Micro-School Coalition
• Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition
• LEADPrep

With schools struggling to stay open between COVID and teachers leaving the profession in droves we definitely need some wisdom and inspiration in the field of education right now. Who out there is moving learning forward? And what is giving us hope?

If we're going to make it through this challenging time in history, actively searching for and reflecting on lessons and hope is going to be crucial. Otherwise, we'll find ourselves right back where we were before the pandemic. And while we're not in a good place now, we certainly weren't in a good place pre-COVID.

This week on the podcast, I'm sharing some recent sources of wisdom and hope I've found in the connections and conversations I'm having. It's the little nuggets that hit deeply and that can make a big impact over time.

Listen in to some of the ways you, too, can flip the script and step back from feeling discouraged at the state of the schools right now and sit into more hope. It's needed!

• [1:11] - We need wisdom and inspiration in education
• [1:34] - Our micro-school is a great place to learn
• [2:25] - With reflection, you'll find sources that are moving you forward
• [4:40] - 10% Happier app - re-engage in meditation
• [7:24] - What can you control?
• [7:35] - Find your Circle of influence
• [11:05] - Hope is a life raft when ocean of life is overwhelming
• [11:20] - 3 things to make us happy
• [12:10] Takeaways from the EdActive Collective gathering
• [14:00] The hopeful push for access to kindergarten
• [15:04] - Asking leaders to highlight things that give them hope

• Covey Circle of Influence - video clip
• Episode 86: Breaking Down Barriers to Change Laws in Education with Emily Ann Gullickson
• Policy innovators in education
• Email Maureen

• Maureen's TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

• The Education Evolution
• Facebook: Follow Education Evolution
• Twitter: Follow Education Evolution
• LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution
• EdActive Collective
• Maureen's book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America
• The Micro-School Coalition
• Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition
• LEADPrep

In our interview, we talk about bringing the "woo woo" into education--because love shouldn't be brushed off. We also share what's holding us back from real change, what leaders need to do to really impact our kids, and why energy is evolutionary and ever-changing.

This might be a new way of looking at educational change, and I love that she's bringing a new perspective to it all. There's room for us all, and while one size doesn't fit all when it comes to learning, the same can be said for transforming education. Who's in?

Monique Sayers is the visionary for A New Paradigm of Education which is a culmination of her life's work as a passionate educator, mother, and awakened meditation healer. She offers this vision to all of humanity to awaken and bring forth a new paradigm that will serve ALL students for their highest good.

She's taught over 20,000 students from all over the world TEFL/English, primary school, and Online classes. She's taught in classrooms across China, Bali, Uruguay, and her mother country, Australia. Monique also set up free global online English classes for all students to access as she truly wanted to create accessible learning for all. Her skills are diverse, ranging from being an Australian Life-Saver trainer at the beach, a training consultant in an office, and a meditation guide in the inner home. Her favorite classroom is the ocean and her greatest teacher is her daughter, Coral. As part of her service to the planet, she combines her background of teaching foundational skills combined with courses in meditation, visioning, and other new paradigm ways of learning. You can connect with her on LinkedIn or join her Facebook group of innovative changemakers.

• [2:50] - How Monique got built a collaborative group
• [5:45] - Change is happening before our eyes; what are we going to do with that?
• [7:24] - Kindred spirits finding one another
• [10:11] - There's a shift globally around stepping into love
• [10:49] - Debunking the past of education and healing the wounds
• [11:24] - If we do our own work, we can help students better
• [12:11] - The ego and systems are holding us back
• [13:58] - We're stronger together
• [14:54] - We're not made to do things alone
• [15:24] - What's for the highest good of students?
• [16:54] - What's best for one student isn't best for others
• [17:55] - One size fits all never fits all
• [20:05] - What's next for shifting the paradigm
• [22:59] - Turbo Time
• [26:18] - What you need to know about collaborating for change
• [28:13] - Monique's Magic Wand
• [28:48] - Maureen's Takeaways

• A New Paradigm of Education
• A New Paradigm of Education: How to Support the Next Generations of Change-makers and Radically Inspire NEW Ways of Education
• Episode 42: The With Heart Project
• 10% Happier App
• Email Maureen

• Maureen's TEDx: Changing My Mind to Change Our Schools

• The Education Evolution
• Facebook: Follow Education Evolution
• Twitter: Follow Education Evolution
• LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution
• EdActive Collective
• Maureen's book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids

• Micro-school feature on Good Morning America
• The Micro-School Coalition
• Facebook: The Micro-School Coalition
• LEADPrep