Have a Life Teaching

Thomas Guskey on Rethinking Grading

What should a grade actually tell us?

I talk with grading and assessment expert Thomas Guskey about why grades should communicate what students have learned and can do but not how they rank against classmates.

We discuss why schools need a shared purpose for grading, the problems with averaging and percentage grades, and why product, process, and progress all matter but shouldn’t be combined into one confusing mark.

We also explore homework, clearer rubrics, engaging families in grading reform, and Guskey’s fundamental challenge to educators: Are we selecting talent or developing it?

Thomas Guskey LinkedIn Page

Engaging Parents and Families in Grading Reforms Book

Music by Aylex

What if schools stopped asking why fathers aren’t involved—and started asking whether fathers truly feel invited to belong?

In this episode, John talks with Dr. Debra Higdon and Dr. Chacko Abraham, co-authors of The Dad Difference: How and Why to Invite Fathers into Your School, about moving beyond traditional parent-engagement events toward meaningful relationships with fathers.

They explore the barriers that can keep fathers disconnected—including time, transportation, school culture, previous negative experiences, and invitations that unintentionally speak more to mothers than fathers. The conversation offers practical ways schools can change that: personally inviting dads, giving them specific and meaningful roles, asking when and how they want to participate, using technology when physical presence isn’t possible, and recognizing that “showing up” can take many forms.

Most importantly, the conversation challenges schools to stop measuring father engagement simply by attendance at events and instead ask a deeper question: Do fathers have a meaningful place in their child’s educational life?

Deborah Higdon LinkedIn Page

Chaco Abraham LinkedIn Page

The Dad Difference Book

Music by Aylex

Can AI make teaching easier and make teaching better?

John talks with Brett Roer, founder and CEO of Amplify and Elevate Innovation, about practical ways educators can use AI and digital tools to save time while keeping human expertise at the center.

From voice memos and AI “sandwiches” to customized Gems and schoolwide AI playbooks, Brett shares concrete strategies teachers and leaders can use right away and explains why successful AI implementation starts with human wisdom, not the technology.

In this episode:

• A simple AI/time-saving hack teachers can try tomorrow
• The “AI sandwich” approach
• Turning teacher expertise into reusable AI tools
• Using AI to personalize learning without outsourcing thinking
• Why AI implementation sometimes fails
• Building staff trust and co-creating AI expectations
• Starting small and moving toward an AI-forward school

Brett Roer LinkedIn Page

Amplify and Elevate Innovation Website

Music by Aylex

What if improving schools isn’t only about improving teaching but also about teaching students how to learn?

John talks with James Anderson, author of Learnership, about shifting from teacher-dependent learning toward independent and agile learners. They explore productive struggle, students’ relationship with challenge, the difference between performance and growth, and why mistakes should be treated as information.

James also explains how teachers can help students recognize their “learning zone” and develop the capacity to take greater ownership of their growth.

In this episode:

• What “learnership” means
• Why good teaching alone isn’t enough
• The progression from dependent to agile learners
• Challenge, mistakes, effort, and productive struggle
• Teaching students to recognize when they are actually growing
• Moving from teacher as instructor to teacher as coach
• Building genuine learner agency

James Anderson LinkedIn Page

Learnership Website and Book

Music by Aylex

What Is at the Heart of Better Teaching? — Larry Ferlazzo

What should remain constant in great teaching even as technology, AI, and instructional trends continue to change?

John Schembari talks with educator and author Larry Ferlazzo about ideas from The Better Teacher's Toolbox, including relationships, student autonomy, relevance, competence, productive struggle, small-group learning, and keeping technology in its proper place.

They also explore how teachers can use AI and technology without sacrificing the human interaction and student thinking at the heart of learning.

Key takeaway: Better teaching isn't about chasing every new tool or trend. It's about knowing what matters, understanding your students, and adapting your practice to the context in front of you.

Larry Ferlazzo LinkedIn Page

Larry Ferlazzo - The Better Teacher's Toolbox

Music by Aylex

What if we could prevent hate, violence, misogyny, and discrimination before they take root?

John speaks with Leslee Udwin, award-winning filmmaker and founder and president of Think Equal. Udwin shares how making the Peabody Award-winning documentary India’s Daughter transformed the direction of her life and led her to focus on the attitudes and beliefs that can underlie violence and dehumanization.

They explore why Udwin believes early childhood education offers a critical opportunity to build empathy, emotional literacy, inclusion, peaceful conflict resolution, and other prosocial skills. Think Equal now has a presence in 42 countries and uses stories, lesson plans, and practical classroom tools to make this learning explicit.

The conversation also examines behavior as communication, the power of storytelling to develop empathy, healthier definitions of strength and masculinity, and why investing in prevention may ultimately be far more effective than responding to violence after it occurs.

In this episode:

• How India’s Daughter led to the creation of Think Equal
• Why Udwin argues empathy must be taught early
• Storytelling as a tool for building empathy
• Rethinking children's behavior as communication
• Teaching boys that strength can mean empathy and self-control
• Moving from reacting to violence toward preventing it
• Why Udwin calls teachers “architects of the character of our next generation”

Leslee Udwin LinkedIn Profile

Think Equal Website

India's Daughter Film Trailer

Music by Aylex

Teaching changes because what we know about learning changes.

In this episode of Have a Life Teaching, John Schembari talks with Ross McGill, founder of Teacher Toolkit, about what 35 years in education have taught him about how students learn—and what teachers should do differently as a result.

Ross explores the evolution from sharing “good ideas” to evidence-informed teaching, why retrieval and questioning matter, how teachers can make student thinking visible, and why metacognition may be one of the most important concepts educators need to understand.

They also unpack pedagogy, andragogy, and heutagogy—the progression from teaching children, to facilitating adult learning, to becoming a self-directed learner—and consider where AI belongs in that process.

Ross also offers a warning for the AI era: technology can support our thinking, but it shouldn’t replace the cognitive work that develops expertise.

In this episode:

• How learning actually happens
• Retrieval practice and memory
• Better questioning and “Think, Pair, Share, Show Me”
• Making student thinking visible
• Feedback students can understand and act upon
• Metacognition and developing expertise
• Pedagogy, andragogy, and heutagogy
• Using AI without outsourcing our thinking
• What 20 years of Teacher Toolkit data reveals about teachers’ needs

Ross McGill LinkedIn Page

Teacher Toolkit Website

Becoming a principal changes everything from relationships with colleagues to responsibility for instruction, culture, communication, and the direction of an entire school.

In this episode, I’m joined by Tom Hierck, Rita Marler, and Shan Jorgenson Adam, co-authors of You’re a Principal Now, What’s Next?, to explore the realities of school leadership that traditional preparation programs don’t always prepare leaders for.

We discuss why new principals need support beyond their initial training, how a clear and collectively owned vision becomes a lens for decision-making, and why leadership development should respond to the actual needs of each leader and school rather than follow a generic checklist.

We also explore:

• Why principals need trusted colleagues with whom they can be vulnerable
• How systems can better support and develop school leaders
• Why principals don’t need to be content experts to provide meaningful instructional feedback
• How classroom walkthroughs and reflective conversations strengthen teaching
• Why relationships and instructional leadership need to develop together
• How leaders can create and communicate a clear narrative about what their school stands for
• Why experienced principals can also benefit from revisiting the fundamentals of effective leadership

Whether you’re preparing for your first principalship or have been leading schools for years, this conversation offers practical insights into the parts of school leadership that are often learned only after you get the job and why leaders shouldn’t have to figure them out alone.

You're a Principal Now Book

Tom Hierck LinkedIn Page

Shan Jorgenson-Adam LinkedIn Page

Rita Marler LinkedIn Page

JAM Consulting

Tom Hierck LLC

What happens when a coaching relationship leaves the coach feeling frustrated, ineffective, or demoralized?

In this episode of Have a Life Teaching, I talk with Elena Aguilar, founder and CEO of Bright Morning and author of How to Coach Resistance: Turning Pushback into Positivity. Rather than focusing only on why teachers resist coaching, we turn the lens back on coaches and school leaders responsible for adult learning.

Elena challenges us to rethink resistance itself: what we experience as resistance is often fear, and our own reactions can unintentionally create the opposing force that makes it stronger.

We discuss:

• Why transformational coaching begins with examining ourselves
• How fear, defensiveness, and our need to feel competent affect coaching
• Elena's GAPS framework for diagnosing what may actually be getting in the way
• How new—and experienced—coaches can continue developing their craft
• What meaningful coaching impact can realistically look like
• When coaches should set boundaries or even walk away
• How to balance coaching confidentiality with accountability to school leaders
• Why curiosity, connection, and self-awareness can make coaching more sustainable

A conversation for instructional coaches, teacher leaders, administrators, and anyone responsible for supporting adult learning.

Elena Aguilar LinkedIn Page

Bright Morning Webpage

How to Coach Resistance Book

What can students learn through dance that they may not learn sitting at a desk?

In this episode of Have a Life Teaching, John Schembari talks with Minila Shah, founder of Ajna Dance Company, about the role dance and the performing arts can play in helping young people experience culture, develop confidence, express themselves, and connect with others.

Minila shares her own journey from learning Bharatanatyam as a child growing up in Canada to eventually founding Ajna Dance Company in New York. Today, Ajna brings South Asian dance into schools, libraries, museums, community organizations, and other spaces throughout the New York metropolitan area and beyond.

John and Minila explore why Indian dance isn't a monolith, looking at the enormous diversity of classical, folk, and Bollywood-influenced traditions across India. They also discuss how dance can give students an accessible entry point into cultures that may initially be unfamiliar to them.

The conversation goes beyond cultural learning. Minila explains how dance can help students develop confidence, teamwork, creativity, physical awareness, social-emotional expression, and the ability to be fully present—particularly important at a time when young people spend so much of their lives looking at screens.

They also discuss:

• Why movement and music may be fundamental forms of human expression
• How Ajna makes South Asian dance accessible to students of different ages, abilities, and backgrounds
• The growing recognition of Diwali and Holi in American schools
• Differences among classical Indian dance, regional folk traditions, and Bollywood dance
• How dance can become a form of storytelling
• The role of live music and powerful rhythms
• How Ajna's multi-week school residencies culminate in student performances
• Ways dance instruction changes from elementary school through high school
• Exploring social justice, migration, and the South Asian diaspora through movement
• Why arts education can help students see cultural differences as something to explore rather than fear
• What Minila has learned from building a culturally focused arts organization

Ultimately, the conversation raises a larger question for educators: If education is supposed to prepare students for a meaningful life, shouldn't we make room for the experiences that help make life meaningful?

As Minila argues, art can create a human connection across cultures by helping young people discover that beneath our different traditions, languages, music, and movements, we have much more in common than we sometimes realize.

Learn more about Minila Shah and Ajna Dance Company:
Ajna Dance Company