Anthony Howcroft is a former teacher and now graduate student in chemistry education research. Together, we talk about Anthony's background, his experience teaching, and his research. We also talk about how important it is for teachers and education researchers to interact with each other. This episode was a long time coming, but I think it's well worth listening to. 

Cecilia Stanton-Verduzco grew up in Chile and is now a high school Spanish teacher and department chair in South Bend, Indiana. We talk about why she came to the U.S. and then to South Bend, about building relationships with students, about recruiting and mentoring new teachers, the new teacher learning curve, differences between school in Chile and in the U.S., what people outside of teaching should know about working in schools, and much more.

Dr. Mary Crabtree is a 7th grade English Language Arts teacher in Ohio. She loves teaching. She is also one of the most experienced educators in the field today. We talk about how schools and teaching have changed over the last 40 years, about her transition out of and then back into teaching, about involving parents in the teaching process, what it’s like to teach middle school, teaching students of vastly different ability levels in the same classroom, the pros and cons of state testing, and more.

The audio quality on this episode is a little worse than usual. I just moved to a new house, and I was still figuring out the home studio when I recorded! Still, the content of our talk is well worth listening to. 

Kurt Waywood is an elementary school teacher from Lebanon, Indiana. We talked about how teaching in a small district like Lebanon compares with teaching in nearby Indianapolis. We also talked about how important it is for school administrators to work with teachers as a source of knowledge and expertise.

Brad Thompson is a high school history teacher and coach. He is also one of only a few people who has taught at a private school, a charter school, and a traditional public school. We talk about why Brad chose a career in education, his love of school sports, and how private, charter, and traditional public schools compare with each other. Brad can be reached at [email protected].

Natalie Delin is a 2nd grade teacher in Washington D.C. This is also her second year teaching. We talk about what that's like, and what keeps her going. 

Welcome to the new Education Hearts and Minds podcast. Each episode I interview a teacher, student, parent, or school leader. Together, we will tell the stories of real people working and learning in our schools. In each interview, I will talk with a guest about their life in education, how they got to where they are today, their “why” in education, and their aspirations for the future. Along the way, we will talk about some big education issues from the guest’s perspective. 

You will find the podcast on Spotify, Apple, Google, and other platforms. Please listen, subscribe, review, and spread the word. With your help, we can change the conversation in education.