Leveraging their diverse backgrounds in speech pathology, bilingual education, elementary and secondary teaching, and more, Persida and Bill Himmele are on a mission to empower educators to engage every student. They join co-hosts Phyllis and Jessica to talk about barriers and solutions to middle school disengagement and how to build trust between teacher and student – and administrator and teacher. 

Middle School Walk & Talk is a production of the Association for Middle Level Education. Learn more at amle.org.  

Just by the very nature of young adolescents, middle school should be a fun place! But it seems we’ve lost some of that joy in our schools. Dr. Daryl Williams, former Superintendent of Baltimore County Public Schools and current Professor of Practice at Morgan State University, sits down with Phyllis and Jessica to talk about how school leaders can help bring that professional satisfaction back into our buildings. 

Middle School Walk & Talk is a production of the Association for Middle Level Education. Learn more at amle.org.  

Co-hosts Phyllis and Jessica are joined by some very special guests, the authors of the highly anticipated book, This is So Awkward: Modern Puberty Explained.  And boy do we dig into puberty in this exciting episode!

The most jaw-dropping fact about modern-day growing up is how much earlier it begins. Today’s kids enter puberty an average of two years younger than their parents did. In fact, it’s not uncommon to hear about kids riding their first wave of hormonal surges three, four, or even five years sooner than the people raising them.

The second most stunning fact is how much longer this whole process lasts. Thanks to its mood swings and painfully awkward physical shifts, puberty as a stage of life tends to be equal parts feared and dreaded by educators and parents. At least, reason would dictate, by starting earlier it must progress faster, expediting everyone through this phase. Right? Actually, no. Rather than speeding up, the time line of puberty has stretched like taffy. 

So what can educators do with this information? How can they support kids and parents through this challenging time? Vanessa and Cara share some practical tips that will leave you feeling less cringy about this pivotal time in students lives. 

Middle School Walk & Talk is a production of the Association for Middle Level Education. Learn more at amle.org.  

In this first episode of the new season, Phyllis Fagell and her new co-host, Principal Jessica McGuire, talk 2023 back to school trends. Electric scooters, sleep schedules, and anxious tweens, oh my! 

Middle School Walk & Talk is a production of the Association for Middle Level Education. Learn more at amle.org.  

News flash! Kids make mistakes.  So how do we adequately address the behavior while creating space for learning and growing? Phyllis and Joe are joined by Jen Cort, author of Help Us Begin: HUB strategies and mindsets for meaningful conversations with kids, especially when you are challenged by the topic. Jen offers some practical tips on how to effectively communicate with adolescents in ways that lead to more productive outcomes. She also shares advice on how to make the most of middle school advisory time. 

Middle School Walk & Talk is a production of the Association for Middle Level Education. Learn more at amle.org.  

How is empathy related to kids’ likelihood to engage in cyberbullying? How can we teach kids resiliency when they face mean behaviors online and in real life? What skills can we teach kids to help them have more positive online experiences? Phyllis and Joe talk with celebrated author and cyberbullying expert Dr. Sameer Hinduja about how to equip kids with an action plan for their online lives. 

Middle School Walk & Talk is a production of the Association for Middle Level Education. Learn more at amle.org.  

Phyllis and Joe use spring break to catch up on current events. They talk about kids’ reactions to recent incidents of gun violence in schools and how the proliferation of hate speech online is impacting student mental health. The co-hosts discuss how to help kids build resiliency and learn to deal with the challenges of adolescent social life. On a lighter note, a karaoke machine makes an appearance and the duo preview some exciting upcoming episodes.  

Middle School Walk & Talk is a production of the Association for Middle Level Education. Learn more at amle.org.  

 Teacher wellness has become the latest buzz word as schools continue to struggle to recruit and retain enough educators to meet community needs. It turns out, encouraging the adoption of yoga classes isn’t quite enough. But there are meaningful things schools and districts can do to support their staff – and their students – both physically and emotionally.  Rick Wormeli joined Joe Mazza and Phyllis Fagell to talk about some of these strategies and figuring out, at our core, what do we truly believe as educators. 

Middle School Walk & Talk is a production of the Association for Middle Level Education. Learn more at amle.org.  

Who is school for? When we talk about redesigning school...what are we really talking about? Phyllis and Joe chat with Cornelius Minor and Kass Minor, New York City educators and authors, whose work focuses on how to create fully inclusive learning experiences for kids. 

Middle School Walk & Talk is a production of the Association for Middle Level Education. Learn more at amle.org.  

What would happen if we treated students...like real human beings? Phyllis and Joe and joined by Nathan Maynard, co-author of Hacking School Discipline, and Dr. Belinda George, who gained international notoriety for her "tucked in Tuesdays," who both share how their own experiences as youths shaped their thinking around positive discipline and the use of restorative practices in schools.  

Middle School Walk & Talk is a production of the Association for Middle Level Education. Learn more at amle.org.