Jessica Lahey is an educator, author, and speaker.  She writes the bi-weekly column “The Parent-Teacher Conference” for the New York Times, is a contributing writer for The Atlantic, and a commentator on Vermont Public Radio.  Her book, The Gift of Failure: How the Best Parents Learn to Let Go So Their Children Can […]

Justin Birckbichler’s goal is to bridge the technology gap for his students at an early age.   His creative, project based, tech implemented lessons, provide his students with a high level of autonomy to instill confidence and experience based outcomes.  However, it’s not all about technology.  Students sitting and bouncing on yoga balls for seats and implementing “Hunger […]

Jennifer Gonzalez is a National Board Certified educator and the creator of the popular education website, “Cult of Pedagogy.” Having taught and inspired her students for eight years, Jennifer eventually left teaching to raise a family.  Once a teacher, always a teacher.  Jennifer continued to pursue her passion in teaching by guiding future educators at […]

Our Inspiring Educator today is a high school physics teacher at the Glenbrook South High School in Glenview, Illinois.  Mr. Tom Henderson has been teaching physics and chemistry since 1989 and a pioneering developer of an online tutorial guide for students and educators.  As the creator of the popular physics site, “The Physics Classroom”,  Tom […]

In 2006, I took a leave of absence, a gap year, from teaching to travel and explore the world.  It was a pause in my teaching career to reassess my life and to this day, the single most important decision I have made for myself in my adult life.   In this episode, I discuss my […]

As a high school student, Joe was already assisting his teachers in communicating with the deaf students through sign language, often filling in for the interpreters running late.  Even with his limited knowledge of the American Sign Language, Joe played a pivotal role in bridging the communication gap for his fellow students and teachers.  His passion […]

As educators, we are responsible for having a diverse range of knowledge that goes beyond our subject matters.  We have to be open to accommodate the increasing number of cultures and ethnic backgrounds in our students yet strive to always find and solidify the common bond in all of us.   What if, […]

As educators, we seek to motivate our students, provide perspective, and draw the big picture to make sense of sometimes the obscure concepts that is at times lost to a population of students lacking the vital experience based knowledge.  Experience is the best teacher and the next best thing is sharing lessons through a story.  […]

How do you compete as a teacher with Youtube, Facebook, iPads, smartphones, and all other distractions influencing your children and our students in the classroom?  How do you get students to put down their smart phones, stay focused, on task, listen, and work together towards progress?  Visualize teaching math to eight graders.  That’s a […]

Our inspiring educator today is Dr. Rick Hanson, a neuro-psychologist, Senior Fellow of the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley, and New York Times best-selling author. His books include Hardwiring Happiness, Buddha’s Brain, Just One Thing, and Mother Nurture.  Founder of the Wellspring Institute for Neuroscience and Contemplative Wisdom, he’s been an invited […]