No Name Paper: A Teacher Podcast

Season 2, Episode 40 (Replay): Measuring With Love with Manny Curiel

This week we're bringing back one of our favorite conversations — because some episodes deserve a second listen.

What if the most important thing you measure in a classroom has nothing to do with data?

Manny Curiel is EdPuzzle's global community person, a former classroom teacher, and the human behind the phrase measuring with love — the idea that real teaching impact lives in relationships, trust, and the look in a kid's eyes, not a spreadsheet. He came to education by way of culinary school, learned English by making connections between sounds and words, and built his entire teaching philosophy around one simple belief: when you take care of the heart, the brain does the rest.

This episode is full of real talk about what it actually means to connect with students, use technology with purpose, and keep joy at the center of everything.

In this episode:

• How Manny went from culinary school to first-grade classroom — and why a girl's shining eyes changed his life

• What "measuring with love" actually means and why he had to explain it to his boss using the analogy of buying a house

• Why whole group instruction needs to stop — and how EdPuzzle gave him analytics that changed the way he pulled small groups

• The Braveheart moment before state testing that got his third graders ready to go

• Why emotions must come before academics — and the first-grade breathing video he built into EdPuzzle for students having hard days

• What the edtech space is getting wrong (hint: it's not about the flashiest new app)

• Disco balls, fog machines, and classroom dance parties as serious instructional strategy

Plus: We play Data or Love — Manny weighs in on chaotic but engaged lessons, high test scores with low student connection, perfect lesson plans with no interaction, teachers who know every student's story, and classrooms that feel safe vs. ones that just look perfect.

Connect with Manny:

• Instagram: @ManniDiscotheque

• Find him at edtech conferences — he's the one at the booth doing something silly

Resources Mentioned:

• EdPuzzle

• Flipgrid (RIP — but it shaped everything)

• Rita Pierson's TED Talk: Nobody learns from someone they don't like

• Vygotsky's zone of proximal development

• Matt Miller and Jake Miller on purposeful edtech use

If this one hit differently the second time, share it with a teacher who needs to hear that what they're doing matters — even when the data doesn't show it. Subscribe and leave a review.

Season 2, Episode 39: Imparting Joy in Education with Jill Dubois

What does it look like to reinvent your career without losing the parts of yourself that matter most?

Jill Dubois spent 22 years in elementary classrooms before stepping into what she calls her "Act Two" — and she hasn't slowed down since. Now a professional learning specialist with Forward Edge, author, illustrator, artist, and the creator behind Imparted Joy, Jill brings warmth, creativity, and genuine human connection to everything she does. This summer she attended the Google Innovator Academy in Atlanta and came home and immediately started building GEG Tampa to connect educators across the Tampa Bay area and beyond.

This week we talk about joy, AI, career reinvention, and what happens when you stop waiting for permission to do the things that light you up.

In this episode:

• How Jill went from volunteering at her son's school to 22 years in the classroom — and why homeschooling him through middle and high school changed the way she taught everyone else

• What Imparted Joy is, where it came from, and why it still drives everything she does

• Her "Act Two" — how she landed at Forward Edge, became a Google Certified Trainer, and then applied to the Google Innovator Academy

• What AI actually looks like in professional learning right now — the good, the messy, and the teachers who accidentally submitted their entire AI prompt instead of their reflection

• Why AI is your passenger, not your driver

• How joy shows up in professional development — and why setting boundaries is part of it

• Colored pencils, crocheting, unfinished projects, and why none of that matters as long as you're doing something for yourself

Plus: We play Sparks Joy or Hard Pass — Jill weighs in on laminators, conference swag, QR codes, Bitmoji classrooms, Canva, paper planners, Chrome extensions, educator conference selfies, Google Forms for everything, mandatory icebreakers, Teachers Pay Teachers, badges and micro-credentials, the Google waffle, Sunday night lesson planning, and "remember your why."

Connect with Jill:

• Website: impartedjoy.com

• LinkedIn: Jill Dubois

• Find her — she's everywhere, but LinkedIn is home base right now

If this episode gave you a little spark, share it with someone who needs a reminder that Act Two is allowed to look completely different. Subscribe and leave a review.

Season 2, Episode 38: Saying Yes to the World with Cheryl Graff

What happens when you stop waiting until you feel completely ready and just go for it?

Cheryl Graff is back on No Name Paper — and she has had a year. From a remote boarding school in the Peruvian Andes as a Fulbright Teachers for Global Classrooms fellow, to bonding with educators from South Africa and Korea at a Google Innovator Academy in Atlanta, Cheryl has spent the last year saying yes to experiences that most teachers only dream about. And she brought every single lesson back to her students.

This week we talk about what it actually looks like to step so far outside your comfort zone that you need altitude medicine, a headlamp, and a crash course in hiking gear — and come home a better teacher for it.

In this episode:

• What the Fulbright Teachers for Global Classrooms program actually is, how it works, and how to apply

• Life at a competitive Peruvian government boarding school in the Andes — where kids get two 20-minute breaks a day and treated Cheryl like a celebrity

• What Cheryl's host teacher Ellie taught her about resourcefulness, community, and what great teaching looks like without "fancy schmancy" resources

• What she brought back to her Chicago classroom — including walk-up songs, dance, and a Peruvian fried rice recipe that disappeared in two minutes at the teacher barbecue

• The Google Innovator Academy — the community, the moonshot ideas, and the app she built with a colleague right after

• Why this summer convinced her that before curriculum comes pride, ownership, and helping kids believe in themselves

Plus: We play Innovate It, Import It, or Ignore It — Cheryl weighs in on AI writing feedback, one-to-one devices, student cell phones as instructional tools, virtual field trips, and giving teachers dedicated time to create during the school day.

What's next for Cheryl:

• Volunteering in northern Israel over winter break — helping rebuild homes and reconnect with former host teachers

• A new Life Skills class focused on nutrition, mindful eating, and community health

• A Culture Club taking Chicago students to explore their own city — the Obama Center, the Chicago Marathon, Hyde Park, and beyond

Connect with Cheryl:

• Instagram: @msgraff (search Graff's Room)

• LinkedIn: Cheryl Graff

• Fulbright capstone website linked in her Instagram bio — highly recommend checking it out

Resources Mentioned:

• Fulbright Teachers for Global Classrooms Program (U.S. State Department / IREX)

• Google Innovator Academy

• Order Up AI — app built with Google Play Labs

• Sora (mentioned in passing)

• The importance of getting out of your own school community — even without leaving your classroom

Know a teacher who needs a push to say yes to something big? Send them this episode. Subscribe, leave a review, and keep learning.

S2E37: Season 2, Episode 37: Why Schools Still Need Librarians with Kayla McNaughton

When was the last time you walked into a school library? If you're picturing a quiet room full of books and someone shushing kids, Kayla McNaughton is here to tell you that library doesn't exist anymore — and honestly, good riddance.

Kayla is a middle school librarian and the educator behind Simply Library on Instagram. She spent a decade in elementary libraries before making the move to secondary, and she's built a space where students actually want to show up — not because they have to, but because something there connects with them.

This week we talk about what a modern school library actually looks like, why the librarian role is so much more than books, and what happens when you give kids the freedom to explore what they're actually interested in.

In this episode:

• How Kayla accidentally stumbled into library science — and why it turned out to be the perfect fit

• The difference between elementary and secondary library work (and why middle school won her over)

• How she built genuine student connection through a career interest project — including one student who wanted to be a race car driver

• Makerspaces, 3D printers, hydro towers, Uno, and collaborative coloring sheets — what's actually in her library

• How she used Sora reading challenges to dramatically increase student engagement with reading

• Why she pushes into classrooms instead of waiting for them to come to her

• Her bi-weekly school newsletter and why she refuses to teach her AP how to make it

Plus: We play Check It Out, Return It, or Renew It — Kayla weighs in on reading logs, 20-minutes-a-night requirements, graphic novels and manga, reading level restrictions, and book talks.

Connect with Kayla:

• Instagram: @simply_library

• DMs are open — real responses, no bots

Resources Mentioned:

• Sora by OverDrive

• Dog Man, Wimpy Kid (yes, they count)

• The Bad Case of Stripes

If this episode resonated with you, share it with a librarian who needs to hear it — or a teacher who's never really thought about what their school librarian actually does. Subscribe and leave a review.

Do we actually give teachers the space and authority to lead — or have we just given them something else to be responsible for?

This week, Lauren Kaufman joins the No Name Paper podcast to talk about what it really looks like to recognize the leader already inside the building. Lauren is a district leader on Long Island, NY with 21 years of experience across nearly every role in education — classroom teacher, reading specialist, instructional coach, assistant principal, and now district leader. She's also the author of The Leader Inside: Stories of Mentorship to Inspire the Leader Within.

We get into literacy, professional learning, mentorship, and what it means to lead with a coaching mindset.

In this episode:

• Why Lauren never leaves her office without a book — and how it gets her into classrooms

• What it actually looks like to lead teacher professional development with teachers, not at them

• The shift from balanced literacy to the science of reading — and what really changed in practice

• The Big Six skills and why they don't stop mattering in secondary classrooms

• What the pilot process for adopting a new evidence-based literacy resource really involves

• Why the instructional coaching role was the most eye-opening of Lauren's career

• What two decades in education taught her about relationships, legacy, and showing up for kids

Plus: We play Lead It, Coach It, or Get Out of the Way — Lauren weighs in on veteran teachers trying new approaches, classroom management unraveling, teachers who won't use the district resource, and more. Then it's a rapid-fire round of PD or Please Don't covering mandatory icebreakers, full-day keynotes, book studies, instructional rounds, PLCs, and Google forms.

Connect with Lauren Kaufman:

• 🌐 laurenmkaufman.com

• LinkedIn & social media: search Lauren Kaufman

Books & Resources Mentioned:

• The Leader Inside: Stories of Mentorship to Inspire the Leader Within — Lauren Kaufman

• Shifting the Balance

• The Scarborough Reading Rope

• Structured Literacy / Science of Reading

Episode Summary

Are we just preparing students to do really well at school, or are we actually preparing them for life? In this episode of the No Name Paper Podcast, host Meghan Wells sits down with veteran educator, edtech leader, author, and podcast co-host Tisha Ponzio. They unpack the deep gap between academic compliance and real-world readiness, discussing why student agency matters, how to break free from traditional grading models, and why getting comfortable with the uncomfortable is essential for growth. Tisha also shares practical advice on personal branding for educators, navigating the corporate transition, and making AI literacy a natural part of human-centered learning.

• School vs. Real Life: Examining whether current educational systems focus too much on rubrics and deadlines at the expense of critical thinking and self-direction.

• The Power of Student Agency: Moving away from a culture of pure compliance and giving students the autonomy to lead, create, and solve real-world problems.

• Transitioning Out of the Classroom: Tisha shares her candid advice for educators looking to make a career pivot—emphasizing why you should run toward something new rather than running away from burnout.

• Personal Branding for Educators: Why developing a professional identity and sharing authentic classroom strategies helps teachers stand out and protect their passion.

• AI and Modern Literacy: Practical ways teachers and students can embrace AI tools critically, stay in control of the technology, and model ethical digital habits.

• The "School Skill vs. Life Skill" Game: A fun breakdown of traditional academic expectations versus the actual competencies students need after graduation.

• Website: tishaponzio.com

• Podcast: Check out the Play at Three Podcast at playatthree.com

• Social Media: Find Tisha on all platforms at @TishaPonzio

• Book: Learners Today, Leaders Tomorrow

Don't forget to subscribe, rate, and review the No Name Paper Podcast for more conversations on what’s actually happening in classrooms and what actually works!

Key Takeaways & Topics DiscussedConnect with Tisha Ponzio

Season 2, Episode 34

AI Fluent or Just Figuring It Out? with Tori Fitka

Teachers are being told they need to understand AI—but what does being AI literate actually mean?

This week, I’m joined by someone I’ve had the privilege of knowing since before AI became part of seemingly every education conversation: Tori Fitka.

Tori’s path into education wasn’t exactly traditional. She started as a hairstylist, studied animal science, managed a veterinary practice, and eventually realized there was a common thread running through all of it: she loved learning something new and then helping other people understand it. That realization eventually led her into the classroom as a high school science teacher and, today, into her work supporting educators with SchoolAI.

In this conversation, we get beyond simply asking teachers to “use AI” and talk about what it takes to actually understand when, why, and how to use it.

• Tori's unconventional journey from Canada to Texas—and eventually into education
• Why being a lifelong learner helped make her an early adopter of educational technology and AI
• What AI literacy actually means beyond knowing how to use a particular tool
• Why teachers don't need to master everything about AI at once
• The importance of privacy, ethics, and understanding what happens to information entered into AI
• Why fear of AI may have as much to do with time and constant change as resistance to technology
• The biggest mistakes teachers make when they first begin experimenting with AI
• How AI can deepen thinking instead of doing the thinking for students
• A realistic starting point for a teacher who has never used AI
• The growing push to reduce student screen time—and how to decide when technology genuinely adds something to learning
• Why successful technology implementation requires ongoing professional learning instead of a one-and-done training
• How communities of educators can make experimenting with AI less intimidating

Tori also makes an important distinction about AI literacy: it isn't simply knowing which buttons to push. It's understanding the practical use, ethical and responsible use, and what educators and students need to consider about where AI is headed next.

And when it comes to classroom technology, more isn't necessarily better. Tori argues that teachers should start with the learning outcome and ask what technology can add that couldn't be accomplished as effectively another way—particularly as schools reconsider how much time students spend on screens.

We finish with a game of Fluent or Figuring It Out?

Tori weighs in on:

• Copying prompts from TikTok or PD slides
• Generating lesson plans with AI
• Editing AI output to fit your actual students
• Using AI to provide feedback
• Asking AI follow-up questions
• Experimenting openly with students
• Relying on a single AI tool
• Understanding how changes in a prompt affect the output

And there's an important takeaway: figuring it out isn't necessarily a bad thing. Experimenting, comparing results, questioning outputs, and learning what works are part of becoming more fluent.

Tori Fitka is a former high school science teacher who now works with SchoolAI supporting schools and educators as they implement AI. Her work focuses on helping educators move beyond simply having access to AI tools toward understanding how to use them intentionally, responsibly, and effectively.

No Name Paper Podcast — Season 2, Episode 34

You don't have to know everything about AI to start learning how to use it well.

In this episode:🎲 Fluent or Figuring It Out?About Tori FitkaAI Fluent or Just Figuring It Out? with Tori Fitka

Access, Independence, and the IEP with Allie Wilson

When does support give a student access—and when can it unintentionally keep them from building independence?

In this episode of No Name Paper, Meghan talks with Allie Wilson of IEP Assure, a special education teacher and former general education teacher who has experienced IEP implementation from both sides of the classroom.

The conversation moves beyond simply asking whether accommodations are being provided. Instead, Meghan and Allie dig into a harder question: How do we know whether those accommodations are actually working for the student?

They talk about the realities facing general education and special education teachers, the challenge of differentiating in secondary classrooms, the importance of helping students understand their own supports, and why parents and schools need to see themselves as members of the same team—even when they don't immediately agree.

Allie also shares how her own experiences in general education, life-skills, resource, and inclusion classrooms led her to develop IEP Assure, a tool designed to make special education documentation and communication easier for educators.

• Why accommodations and differentiation can sometimes look like simply “good teaching”
• The challenges secondary teachers face when trying to differentiate for large classes
• Why giving a student an accommodation is not the same thing as lowering expectations
• The difference between providing access and creating dependence
• Why students need to understand and eventually advocate for their own accommodations
• How parents and schools can build trust during difficult IEP conversations
• Why an accommodation that worked several years ago may need to be reconsidered
• What teachers can learn when a student repeatedly refuses an accommodation
• The documentation burden placed on teachers—and how systems can either help or make it worse
• How IEP Assure is designed to streamline documentation and give teachers easier access to the information they actually need

We end the conversation with a classroom challenge.

Meghan gives Allie real-world accommodation scenarios and asks her to decide whether the next move is:

Access It — The student needs the support, so make sure it is being provided effectively.

Build It — Continue providing support, but look for opportunities to build skill, stamina, or independence.

Team It — Something important has changed, and it may be time to bring evidence back to the IEP team.

What happens when a student has extended time but never uses it? What if a student immediately asks an adult for help whenever work becomes difficult? What if the exact same accommodations have appeared in an IEP for five years?

As Allie points out throughout the game, the answer isn't always simply “keep it” or “remove it.” Often, the better question is: What does the data tell us about what this student actually needs now?

Allie Wilson began her career in general education before moving into special education. Her experience includes general education ELA, life-skills, resource, and inclusion settings.

Those experiences eventually led her to create IEP Assure, a platform designed to help educators manage special education documentation, monitor services and accommodations, and make important student information more accessible to the teachers responsible for implementing it.

You can connect with Allie through:

• Instagram: Mrs. Wilson Resources
• LinkedIn: Allie Wilson
• Spotify: Conversations by IEP Assure
• IEP Assure: Visit the IEP Assure website for more information

In This EpisodeAccess It, Build It, or Team It?About Allie Wilson

232 — Making Education Special for All with Dr. Amy Perez

What if making education “special” didn't mean doing more?

In Episode 232 of the No Name Paper Podcast, Meghan talks with Dr. Amy Perez, a recently retired educator whose 34-year career has included teaching, speech-language pathology, campus administration, and special education leadership.

Amy's commitment to special education started much earlier than her career. In fifth grade, a friendship with a classmate named Barbara, who had a brain tumor, began shaping Amy's understanding of the difference between sympathy and empathy—and ultimately the kind of educator she wanted to become.

Today, that philosophy lives in M.E.S.A. — Making Education Special for All.

For Amy, “special” shouldn't automatically mean more, harder, or more stressful. It should mean creating educational experiences where students, families, teachers, and leaders have the support and understanding they need to be successful.

One of Amy's central ideas is that empathy doesn't mean feeling sorry for someone or lowering expectations.

Instead, empathy requires understanding the person in front of you—their circumstances, skills, needs, and goals—and then providing the appropriate support while still maintaining accountability.

As Amy puts it, empathy means working to understand someone without judgment and building enough of a relationship to help that person move toward their goals.

Amy also challenges educators to look closely at the accommodations students receive.

Her example is simple: a student may want extended time, just as an adult might want a personal chef or trainer. The question for an IEP team is different:

What does the evidence show the student actually requires to be successful?

One of the more provocative moments in the conversation comes when Amy argues that educators can sometimes make their own jobs harder through good intentions.

When teachers consistently provide additional supports without documenting them or determining whether they're necessary, students and families can understandably begin to expect those supports.

Her challenge to educators is to move away from decisions based on opinion or simply “being nice” and toward intentional, evidence-based support.

Amy also shares candidly about leaving a principalship she enjoyed.

She was happy. Her campus was successful. But she eventually realized she wasn't fulfilled.

That distinction required reflection—and the courage to leave a position others might have viewed as a step up in order to return to the work that gave her a stronger sense of purpose.

Her reminder for educators considering their own next chapter:

Every job is hard. The question is which hard work is connected to something you care deeply about.

We finish with a game of Empathy or Extra, where Amy decides whether familiar education practices genuinely support people—or simply add unnecessary stress, confusion, or burden.

We tackle:

• Long IEP meetings with unclear outcomes
• Clear communication with families
• Overly complex documentation systems
• Collaboration where everyone feels heard
• Compliance-first thinking
• Systems centered on student understanding
• Meetings where everyone talks at each other

And Amy proves pretty quickly that she's perfectly comfortable calling something extra.

Dr. Amy Perez recently retired after 34 years in public education. Across her career, she has served as a teacher, speech-language pathologist, special education specialist, assistant principal, principal, diagnostician, and special education/special programs director.

Through M.E.S.A. — Making Education Special for All — she now focuses on consulting, training, coaching, and empowering educators and families to make educational experiences clearer, more efficient, collaborative, and meaningful.

Website: DrAmyPerez.com
X/Twitter: @DrGrowKnow

Episode 231: Connecting Special Education: People Before Paperwork

Special education depends on collaboration, but for families and educators, the system can still feel deeply fragmented.

In this episode, Meghan talks with Ryan Phillips, a former special education teacher and the founder of SpecialEd Connect, about the people behind the paperwork—and what it would take to make special education easier to navigate.

Ryan draws from nearly a decade in special education, including work in behavior-support classrooms, resource settings, and transition services. He explains why families often struggle to find providers, understand unfamiliar terminology, coordinate services, and advocate confidently in meetings. He also shares how SpecialEd Connect is being built as a hub where families can locate qualified professionals and learn about the resources available to them.

• Why special education can feel so disconnected, even when everyone wants to help
• The tension between necessary compliance and excessive bureaucracy
• Why families need clearer access to providers and related services
• What parents can do to become stronger advocates in IEP meetings
• Why accommodations must be reviewed for effectiveness, not merely documented
• The value of resource settings and individualized service models
• How schools can make professional learning more relevant for general education teachers
• Where technology and AI may reduce paperwork without replacing human judgment
• Why transition planning deserves more attention and broader access

Ryan argues that systems and documentation matter, but they should never cause educators to lose sight of the child. The purpose is not simply to complete processes—it is to help students become as independent, supported, and successful as possible.

Ryan responds to familiar parts of the special education process, including:

• Annual IEP meetings
• Parent portals
• AI-assisted documentation
• Email as the primary communication tool
• Professional development for general education teachers
• Transition planning

Ryan Phillips is a former K–12 special education teacher and the founder of SpecialEd Connect. His work focuses on connecting families with special educators, advocates, diagnosticians, therapists, and other related-service providers while making the process more understandable and accessible.

Connect with Ryan

Visit SpecialEdConnect.net or search for SpecialEd Connect on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram.