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By Peter Mysels
The podcast currently has 16 episodes available.
Jim Rocco is a teacher, coach, and mentor. For the past 20+ years, Jim he has dedicated his life to his players and students.
In today's interview, Jim shares with us the lessons he's learned from life on the court and how we can implement that into our classroom to create an environment where students are challenged, engaged, and supported.
As a coach and teacher, Jim has seen what is possible when you have a group of talented young individuals who want to be there. On the court, his players can't wait to get started with practice. His advice and experiences shared in the interview detail why we should aim to create a similar environment in our classes.
Jim specifically emphasizes how he utilizes project-based learning, investigative lessons, and teaching the big principles has allowed his students and players to thrive and pursue to be the best versions of themselves.
Jim's words offer anyone and everyone valuable advice that they can implement into their lives and help support the lives of others.
Be sure to subscribe to Humans of Teaching on your preferred podcasting platform so you don’t miss a single episode, and check out our website to learn more!
Are you a teacher with a unique story and perspective to share? Email us at [email protected] for a chance to be on the show!
We post teasers of every upcoming interview for the month on Twitter for our “Listener Questions” segment. If you have a question for any of our interviewees, make sure to comment you question to our post on Twitter to have it asked live on the show!
We are always looking to make Humans of Teaching better and better with each new episode. Please make sure to leave a rating and a comment on what aspects you really enjoy about the podcast and some things that you would change. This podcast was made for you!
Thank you all for your continued support.
Theme Music: "Say Good Night" and “Dreams“ by Joakim Karud - find his music here!
Individuals like Emily Bernstein and institutions such as the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh are what allow educators to truly take their their teaching, and in turn, their student's learning, to the next level.
We don't always have the resources to teach the best lessons possible. We don't always have the ideas. We don't always have the connections. But someone does!
Emily Bernstein is the Education Outreach Associate at the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh. Her mission, led through the Holocaust Center, is to support schools far and wide in their goal to teach about the Holocaust in the most engaging and effective way. They have done it for me and I know they can do it for you.
Emily teaches us how networking with fellow educators and organizations online and locally can open up perspectives, ideas, methods, and resources that you never thought of using in your classroom. She shares how educators can teach about the Holocaust in any content area and provides ample resources to make the process as easy as possible for novice and advanced teachers alike.
Teaching about the Holocaust is an incredibly important responsibility as educators and it's something that we have to tread through carefully. It is a sensitive subject and can be quite intimidating to teach and do justice, but Emily Bernstein and the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh offer their vast knowledge, resources, and connections to make the transition into teaching about this subject-area easy.
I encourage those of you interested in teaching about the Holocaust, those of you who want to teach about the subject on a deeper level, or those of you who simply want to learn more about it personally to reach out to Emily and the Holocaust Center using the links below. They are always eager to help!
Below are direct links to the resources Emily discussed in her interview:
Be sure to subscribe to Humans of Teaching on your preferred podcasting platform so you don’t miss a single episode, and check out our website to learn more!
Are you a teacher with a unique story and perspective to share? Email us at [email protected] for a chance to be on the show!
We post teasers of every upcoming interview for the month on Twitter for our “Listener Questions” segment. If you have a question for any of our interviewees, make sure to comment you question to our post on Twitter to have it asked live on the show!
We are always looking to make Humans of Teaching better and better with each new episode. Please make sure to leave a rating and a comment on what aspects you really enjoy about the podcast and some things that you would change. This podcast was made for you!
Thank you all for your continued support.
Theme Music: "Say Good Night" and “Dreams“ by Joakim Karud - find his music here!
Ray Hutton was a police officer for years until an injury on-the-job forced him to retire. Ray found a new passion in teaching and since then, has incorporated the lessons he has learned throughout his life and as a police officer to bring his lessons to life and apply real-world situations to his students.
In his interview, Ray shares his experiences going after a career in teaching later on in life, and the challenges that coincided with that. He details his days as a police officer and what lessons he took away from it all that help him as a teacher. He also speaks about his various teaching jobs, from the small towns of Hawaii, to the inner-city of Pittsburgh, to world of online education.
Ray is an advocate for going after whatever makes you happy. We live in a world where there are so many options out there, so just because one chapter closes for you, doesn't mean another can't open up. Follow your passion, and the rest will fall into place.
Be sure to subscribe to Humans of Teaching on your preferred podcasting platform so you don’t miss a single episode, and check out our website to learn more!
Are you a teacher with a unique story and perspective to share? Email us at [email protected] for a chance to be on the show!
We post teasers of every upcoming interview for the month on Twitter for our “Listener Questions” segment. If you have a question for any of our interviewees, make sure to comment you question to our post on Twitter to have it asked live on the show!
We are always looking to make Humans of Teaching better and better with each new episode. Please make sure to leave a rating and a comment on what aspects you really enjoy about the podcast and some things that you would change. This podcast was made for you!
Thank you all for your continued support.
Theme Music: "Say Good Night" and “Dreams“ by Joakim Karud - find his music here!
Dr. Paul Semendinger has been an educator for over 30 years and states that his path into teaching was "predestined." It is a true delight to meet individuals with such passion for their craft and true love for their profession. His positivity and optimism are coupled with the experience and expertise to turn those aspirations into a reality.
In today's episode, Paul sits down with us to discuss the purpose of a principal and his experiences at Hawes Elementary School, and spoiler alert - "it's all about the kids."
Paul is a published author as well! If you are interested in picking up a copy of any of his books, you can find the links here:
Be sure to subscribe to Humans of Teaching on your preferred podcasting platform so you don’t miss a single episode, and check out our website to learn more!
Are you a teacher with a unique story and perspective to share? Email us at [email protected] for a chance to be on the show!
We post teasers of every upcoming interview for the month on Twitter for our “Listener Questions” segment. If you have a question for any of our interviewees, make sure to comment you question to our post on Twitter to have it asked live on the show!
We are always looking to make Humans of Teaching better and better with each new episode. Please make sure to leave a rating and a comment on what aspects you really enjoy about the podcast and some things that you would change. This podcast was made for you!
Thank you all for your continued support.
Theme Music: "Say Good Night" and “Dreams“ by Joakim Karud - find his music here!
Welcome to our first Humans of Teaching Workshop!
In today’s episode, published author Justin Calderone walks us through the process he took to write his most recent novel, LARP: the Battle for Verona, from pinpointing the idea, the first steps, the writing process, editing, and publishing and marketing.
Click here if you are interested in picking up a copy of Justin's book!
Be sure to subscribe to Humans of Teaching on your preferred podcasting platform so you don’t miss a single episode, and check out our website to learn more!
Are you a teacher with a unique story and perspective to share? Email us at [email protected] for a chance to be on the show!
We post teasers of every upcoming interview for the month on Twitter for our “Listener Questions” segment. If you have a question for any of our interviewees, make sure to comment you question to our post on Twitter to have it asked live on the show!
We are always looking to make Humans of Teaching better and better with each new episode. Please make sure to leave a rating and a comment on what aspects you really enjoy about the podcast and some things that you would change. This podcast was made for you!
Thank you all for your continued support.
Theme Music: "Say Good Night" and “Dreams“ by Joakim Karud - find his music here!
Travis Woo left a luxurious life of traveling the world and playing in gigantic Magic: the Gathering tournaments with tens of thousands of dollars on the line. Despite the allure of this style of living, he found that despite the incredible experiences he was able to participate in, this was not his true purpose in life.
With that realization, Travis left his life of competitive gaming behind and purchased a one-way ticket to Hawaii to work on an organic farm where he works sun-up to sun-down harvesting crops, cleaning the animals and their messes, and providing tours to the local school-aged students. His story is sure to inspire you to take a deep look at your life and find what drives you, what you find passion in, and find your purpose.
While Travis now works on a farm, he did not give up on his love for the game he dedicated much of his life to. He now has a thriving online coaching business that he manages called “The Mastermind” where he guides his team of teachers to educate and train clients to reach, or even surpass the stage of competitive play that he had while playing Magic: the Gathering. He shares effective marketing techniques that he uses that has allowed him to grow his online coaching business significantly over the years. Travis also shares how he got started in content creation through platforms like YouTube and Instagram to inspire others to “be a better person and live a better life”.
Click the links below to connect with Travis to learn more about the amazing work he is doing and can offer you!
If you want to get Travis' eBooks for FREE, including Magic Life, I Wish I Had Told Me Sooner, and The Food Life, click here!
Be sure to subscribe to Humans of Teaching on your preferred podcasting platform so you don’t miss a single episode, and check out our website to learn more!
Are you a teacher with a unique story and perspective to share? Email us at [email protected] for a chance to be on the show!
We post teasers of every upcoming interview for the month on Twitter for our “Listener Questions” segment. If you have a question for any of our interviewees, make sure to comment you question to our post on Twitter to have it asked live on the show!
We are always looking to make Humans of Teaching better and better with each new episode. Please make sure to leave a rating and a comment on what aspects you really enjoy about the podcast and some things that you would change. This podcast was made for you!
Thank you all for your continued support.
Theme Music: "Say Good Night" and “Dreams“ by Joakim Karud - find his music here!
“There were really only four ways a Jew could hope to survive the Holocaust. You could hope to survive in the concentration camps. You could escape the country or escape the ghetto and live in the forest. You could be hidden out of sight by a christian person or family. The fourth way was to change your identity, obtain false papers, pretend to be catholic, and try to blend into society. And that is how we survived.”
Those words come from Holocaust survivor, Irene Skolnick. This past fall, Irene visited our school, PA Distance Learning Charter School, to speak to our students about her life in hiding during the Holocaust. As our school's History of the Holocaust teacher, I see it as my responsibility to bring their learning experiences to life the best I can. Many of our PA Distance students and families traveled across the state to be there for the event, showing just how important learning about the Holocaust from a true survivor was for them.
Irene and her family were forced to lie about their identities and purchase forged passports, just to narrowly avoid being captured or identified countless times throughout the war. Her words sounded like the script of a spy film. Countless times, she and her family, evaded capture, either through the wit and charisma of her father, the quick thinking of her mother, or just plain luck.
Irene states that for decades, she never wanted to share her story. But there came a day that she changed her mind, for two reasons. The first, because of the growth of deniers. The living record of the Holocaust is dying as survivors pass away, and she sees it as her responsibility to speak the truth of what the Nazis did to her. The second, due to the truth behind the words of the well known pastor, Martin Niemöller, transcribed into the poem called First They Came... and her summary of the poem - “bad things happen, when good people are silent”.
Irene Skolnick is the author of In the Shadow of Majdanek: Hiding in Plain Sight. This autobiography details her experiences during the Holocaust even further and you can download her story for free on Kindle!
I was able to connect with Irene thanks to the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh. If you are looking to incorporate Holocaust education into your classroom, or if you would just like to learn more about his event, please visit their website!
Be sure to subscribe to Humans of Teaching on your preferred podcasting platform so you don’t miss a single episode, and check out our website to learn more!
Are you a teacher with a unique story and perspective to share? Email us at [email protected] for a chance to be on the show!
We post teasers of every upcoming interview for the month on Twitter for our “Listener Questions” segment. If you have a question for any of our interviewees, make sure to comment you question to our post on Twitter to have it asked live on the show!
We are always looking to make Humans of Teaching better and better with each new episode. Please make sure to leave a rating and a comment on what aspects you really enjoy about the podcast and some things that you would change to make the show even better. This podcast was made for you!
Thank you all for your continued support.
Theme Music: "Say Good Night" and “Dreams“ by Joakim Karud - find his music here!
Humans of Teaching seeks to display how great teaching isn't something that is contained in a traditional classroom. Rather, it can be found anywhere great teachers can be found. Josh Peters of College Park MMA shows us exactly that in our episode today.
After years of working consistent 17 hour days, teaching elementary school students and then training clients in the various fields of martial arts on the side, Josh was exhausted. Something had to give. He had to make the decision of whether to stay as an elementary school teacher and give up training and coaching, or the reverse, but no matter the choice, Josh wouldn’t be giving up on his passion and devotion for teaching. It was with that realization that College Park MMA was born.
In Josh’s interview, he walks us through the history, philosophies, and training routines for the three main styles of martial arts that he teaches at his school - Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Sanda, and mixed martial arts. When asked of his teaching philosophy for training his clients, he says “It is the same as when I was a classroom teacher. My first job is to build a rapport with each and every student and understand what their goals are.” Josh sees that great teaching doesn’t have a fixed setting, and that he is going to put his students in the driver’s seat, to learn through action, no matter who they are or where they are.
Be sure to subscribe to Humans of Teaching on your preferred podcasting platform so you don’t miss a single episode, and check out our website to learn more!
Are you a teacher with a unique story and perspective to share? Email us at [email protected] for a chance to be on the show!
We post teasers of every upcoming interview for the month on Twitter for our “Listener Questions” segment. If you have a question for any of our interviewees, make sure to comment you question to our post on Twitter to have it asked live on the show!
We are always looking to make Humans of Teaching better and better with each new episode. Please make sure to leave a rating and a comment on what aspects you really enjoy about the podcast and some things that you would change. This podcast was made for you!
Thank you all for your continued support.
At just fourteen years old, a young girl turned a passion of hers into a thriving profession. To Ashley Priore, founder and CEO of The Queen’s Gambit Chess Institute, chess isn’t just a game, it’s a model for life. She sees each and every move as a reflection of how we should live our lives; how we need to focus on patience when making decisions and how we should look into the future to see how our current actions may affect us down the road.
Ashley emphasizes in her interview that, “your zip code should not determine your opportunities”, and her actions within the institute truly reflect this statement. Her team has worked in developing “Chess Theory”, or, the act of helping communities develop through chess. Through various outreach projects and collaborations with other initiatives in the area, the Queen’s Gambit has led hundreds of events to teach the youth of the Pittsburgh area how to play chess, and instill within them the lifelong lessons that the game provides. Ashley is working to ensure that every person has access to the game, no matter where they live or their current socio-economic situation.
Ashley feels that you can’t mend a struggling community by putting bandage after bandage on it. Instead, we should be focusing on supporting and educating the communities from the inside out, and chess is her way of doing that. In just the five years since its inception, The Queen’s Gambit has grown to teaching over 300 students and has partnered with over 50 organizations, and Ashley isn’t stopping until the positive impacts of chess can be spread state-wide and nation-wide.
You can learn more about The Queen's Gambit Chess Institute by visiting their website.
The Queen's Gambit Chess Institute Twitter: https://twitter.com/queensgambitpgh
Ashley's Twitter: https://twitter.com/priore_ashley
Ashley's TedTalk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSTHxS-jexc
Are you a teacher with a unique story and perspective to share? Email us at [email protected] for a chance to be on the show!
Follow us on Twitter: @HumansOfPodcast
We post teasers of every upcoming interview for the month on Twitter for our “Listener Questions” segment. If you have a question for any of our interviewees, make sure to comment you question to our post on Twitter to have it asked live on the show!
We are always looking to make Humans of Teaching better and better with each new episode. Please make sure to leave a rating and a comment on what aspects you really enjoy about the podcast and some things that you would change. This podcast was made for you!
Be sure to subscribe to Humans of Teaching so you don’t miss a single episode and check out our website to learn more!
Thank you all for your continued support.
In traditional public school education, religion and teaching are kept apart. In Humans of Teaching however, we are able to gain insight on how those who lead within different religious faiths teach others.
In this episode, we are joined by Father Jeff Murph, long-time rector of St. Thomas Church, mentor of training seminaries, and preacher of the Christian faith.
During the interview, I was amazed at how similar Jeff’s methods in teaching and preparing for his services and sermons were to how many teachers plan their lessons and classrooms. He puts an emphasis on connecting his messages to historical as well as personal events that his listeners can connect to and understand. He focuses on the importance of preparation for all aspects of his teaching, from the large services, to small group classes, to one-on-one counseling.
Father Murph shares that the messages he preaches are useful to those who are religious and those who aren’t. Jeff discusses stories and accounts of deeply flawed people who, in his own words, “screw up over and over and over again”. In an age where often if you made a mistake or blunder it destroys your reputation, he states that the Bible shows us that we should give second chances and see others by what they can still do, not by what their mistakes are.
If you'd like to reach out to Jeff or learn more about what is offered at St. Thomas, visit their website.
Are you a teacher with a unique story and perspective to share? Email us at [email protected] for a chance to be on the show!
Follow us on Twitter: @HumansOfPodcast
We post teasers of every upcoming interview for the month on Twitter for our “Listener Questions” segment. If you have a question for any of our interviewees, make sure to comment you question to our post on Twitter to have it asked live on the show!
We are always looking to make Humans of Teaching better and better with each new episode. Please make sure to leave a rating and a comment on what aspects you really enjoy about the podcast and some things that you would change. This podcast was made for you!
Be sure to subscribe to Humans of Teaching so you don’t miss a single episode and check out our website to learn more!
Thank you all for your continued support.
The podcast currently has 16 episodes available.