Dr. Stephen Sroka, Class of 1996 Inductee into the National Teachers Hall of Fame, shares strategies that guide teachers in ways they can have a positive impact on their school culture for no cost. Instead of investing in metal detectors and expensive systems, Dr. Sroka talks about the Four Things to Create a Safer Classroom, plus many more thoughts and ideas.

The National Teachers Hall of Fame's mission is "to recognize and honor exceptional career teachers, encourage excellence in teaching, and preserve the rich heritage of the teaching profession in the United States."

The class of 2022 inductees were on campus at Emporia State University in June 2022 for induction into NTHF, housed at Emporia State.

In this podcast episode, these experienced teachers delve into classroom management strategies and what they do for self-care. Listen to shared stories of students who changed their teaching careers.

Dr. Ken Weaver and Carol Strickland, leaders in education and professionals associated with the National Teachers Hall of Fame, the Fallen Educators Memorial, and The Teacher College at Emporia State University, share what they have learned from the stories behind the names of those listed on the National Memorial to Fallen Educators.

Be sure to subscribe to How We Teach This on your favorite podcast platform as our Season 5 explores the difficult topic of promoting school safety and preventing violence. The first episode in the mini-series will drop on August 31st, Wednesday.

Empowering students as creators through Open Educational Resources (OER) is discussed by Lee Miller and Josh Bolick, experts in OER, in OER in the latest episode of How We Teach This from The Teachers College at Emporia State University. They share how not only can professors in higher education but also teachers in K-12 can improve teaching and learning by utilizing the concept of open educational resources. 

Lee Miller and Josh Bolick, experts in OER, spend a lot of time helping others navigate the emerging strategy of OER for their classrooms. In this episode, they discuss the value students find in OER and the advantages instructors may discover using OER. Listen to learn about what the copyright symbols mean and get many resources to start your search.

Dr. Dustin Springer, Principal of Gray Hawk Elementary in USD 458 Basehor-Linwood in Kansas, inspires teachers to change their mindset from one of punishment to understanding children with behavior issues. He gives examples of amygdala reset stations and how creating connections with students creates a climate that improves behavior. He describes holding a student accountable for actions but not at the moment when the brain is dysregulated.

Who is your teacher foremother or forefather? Your “grandteacher”?

Teacher lineage was a topic introduced by the NTHF 2020 inductees as they discussed who was their inspiration and who they have inspired and hope to continue inspiring. Guests included:

Dr. Bret Church, assistant professor at Emporia State University and co-researcher of the Kansas Teacher Retention Initiative, shares the results from a survey of 50% of the educators in Kansas. 

They were questioned on three key areas: satisfaction, engagement in the profession, and future intentions. 

Districts can analyze their own data and overall stakeholders can learn from these results and build an action plan to improve the situation in Kansas regarding the teacher shortage.

Part 2 of the interview between student, Hailey Kisner, and Michael McKnight, author and special education expert, delves even deeper into the importance of creating connections with students. He shares about how having solid, positive relationships is powerful for teachers. Creating quality relationships is critical to having a successful outcome, especially for students exposed to trauma. He offers specific examples of how teachers can integrate building a relationship into their daily classroom experience.