Erin and Dave Tashian are the Mindful Educators and Stacey chose the first episode of their podcast, of the same name, as the first episode for our brand #PodStudy episodes.

Dave and Erin Tashian are veteran educators from New Jersey.

Erin, an 8th grade English teacher is also the founder of The Mindful Educators, a professional development program that fosters a mindful social-emotional experience for students. Erin has been named teacher of the year in Ridgewood, New Jersey, and has presented at many educational conferences.

Dave, a school counselor, is revered for his focus on creating a positive school culture through fostering connection and community. Dave recognizes the importance of creating a positive school culture and its impact on teacher effectiveness as well as student learning. Dave has been honored two times as his school district’s teacher of the year.

What inspired you to start your podcast and what keeps you inspired as you approach the start of year 3?

Your first show was in July 2019 and your three ways to incorporate mindfulness as educators were:

• Pay attention and create an awareness of how you want to feel in the classroom
• Watch and be aware of your connections Beyond academics
• Practice self-care

Has this advice changed since then? If so, how? How can we update it for the 2020/21 school year? 

Here on PPD we like to assign homework, it’s how we keep the learning going. Which of your episodes would you recommend as optional homework/continued learning?

• 29: Dr. Marc Brackett: Understanding Our Emotions
• 44: Conversations that count with Elena Aguilar

What is your preferred form of PD to get or give?

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Stacey, AJ, and Chris ring in the new year with talk of goals and #oneword.

There is homework for the next episode. We’re going to try a podcast study – like a book study – where we focus on one podcast by listening to an episode and then coming together to talk about it on our next episode. First up is an episode of The Mindful Educator.

We will send you the episode and we will be discussing it on our next episode that will be recorded LIVE on Sunday, January 24, 2021.

You can join us by visiting podcastpd.com/live @ 8:30 PM EST.

Callers to this episode included:

• Al Spiegel – Al joined us after months away on a special assignment.
• Mike Brilla – Mike is launching his own podcast! My Best Lesson: Social Studies

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You’ve attended a conference or a PD session, now what?

Stacey, Chris, and AJ discuss what happens after you attend professional development.

Also joining the conversation were fellow New Jersey educators Cory Radisch and Paul O’Neill. Cory and Paul are launching their own podcast in January 2021 called The Status GROW Podcast.

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The 2020 holiday season is upon us and in this episode, we talk openly and honestly about what we’re grateful for in a year that thrown many challenges and presented a multitude of obstacles our way as educators and people.

We share what and who we’re grateful for. We’d love for you to share with us too. Leave a comment below or by any of the means to connect with us and the show.

You can now text us and get text message updates from the podcast!

Text @podcastpd to 81010 or (862) 206-5925

Chris shared a podcast that is great for kids because it involves kids right on the podcast!

But Why? A Podcast for Curious Kids from Vermont Public Radio (NPR).

Description: But Why is a show led by you, kids! You ask the questions and we find the answers. It’s a big interesting world out there. On But Why, we tackle topics large and small, about nature, words, even the end of the world. Have a question? Send it to us! Adults, use your smartphone’s memo function or an audio app to record your kid’s question (get up nice and close so we can hear).

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Do you listen to too many podcasts? We might so let’s discuss.

This is the episode that more than 88 episodes in the making as we finally dive into “Stacey’s Number.”

Chris and AJ have been joking with Stacey for years about how many podcasts she is subscribed to and how many unlistened to episodes she’s got on her phone.

The truth is AJ has more and Chris doesn’t listen to or subscribe to as many as you would think.

Click here to view the Google Slides presentation used during our live-streamed recording of this episode.

We also debuted our new Twitch channel and we would love for you to follow us on Twitch so you will get notified when we’re streaming!

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How are you connecting with colleagues during these uncertain times in education?

This episode is part-3 of our series on Virtual Learning. Be sure to check out episode 85 and episode 86 for conversations on connecting with students and connecting with families.

Stacey shared that she started a Hybrid Mastermind group with her colleagues to address the unique needs of the teachers she works with.

She is also in contact with colleagues via group texting.

Chris talked about chatting with his colleagues on Google Chat during the day as well as more leisurely contact through a fantasy football league with some colleagues.

During the Spring of 2020, Chris and his colleague Bowtie Joe hosted a weekly show via StreamYard to foster communication and community among their colleagues.

Chris – Throughline – The Electoral College, How We Vote, The Most Sacred Right

Stacey:

• Civics 101-Pick and choose-great for the classroom!
• NY Times-A Peculiar Way to Pick a President

Anabel Gonzalez – Connect with families using Remind

Derek Larson – Loves that we “go off the rails”

Louis Soper – Can relate to Chris and the challenges of connecting with families

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In this episode, we continue our Virtual Learning series focusing on the topic of Connecting with Families during virtual/remote/hybrid learning.

If you haven’t listened to episode 85 you must!

We tackle the topic of connecting with families during remote learning. We share what’s worked and what hasn’t so we can all grow during this interesting time in education.

• What does connecting with families look like under normal circumstances?
• Share strategies used as a classroom teacher
• What did maintaining connections look like in Spring 2020?
• What does connecting with families look like now in Fall 2020?

Ideas to try

• Conference One Pager
• Good news phone calls

Leader of Learning – Devil’s Edvocate

Dr. Dan Kreiness hosts the Leader of Learning and in August of 2020, he launched a special series of episodes that he will produce once per month called Devil’s Edvocate. He’s joined by Rachelle Dene Poth as his co-host and they tackle trending topics in education from all angles backed by sound research. Where no topic is too big or too small and where YOU can be a part of the action!

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How do you connect with students who are not physically in your presence?

We tackle the topic of connecting with students during remote learning. We share what’s worked and what hasn’t so we can all grow during this interesting time in education.

Part 1 of a three-part mini-series!

• 85 – Connecting with Students
• 86 – Connecting with Families
• 87 – Connecting with Colleagues

Questions we discussed:

• What does connecting with students look like under normal circumstances?
• What did maintaining connections look like in Spring 2020?
• What does connecting with students look like now in Fall 2020?
• How are you creating a classroom culture?

Ideas to try in your class:

• Greet each student by name every single day.
• Use Students’ Names as Much as Possible
• Send Emails. Sending an email periodically is a good way to check in with students.
• Show students your world.
• Provide high-quality feedback on assignments.

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What does it mean to teach in magenta?

Magenta is bold, it’s vibrant, and the color holds noble qualities. Teaching in Magenta means creating magnificent school days. It’s a refreshing approach to teaching and leading that puts your joy and well-being first so you can share those attributes with your students.

Veteran teacher and author James Sturtevant shares 100 paths for living and teaching in an authentic, enthusiastic, and relevant way. Take a few minutes each day to read a path or two, and gain energy and ideas that you can put into action the same day.

Connect with James Sturtevant:

• https://twitter.com/jamessturtevant
• Website: https://jamesalansturtevant.com/

How did you overcome the fear and the little voice in your head when considering K-12 retirement?

Which of the sections resonates most with you as an educator?

The biggest takeaway from the book?

James Sturtevant recommends:

The Happiness Lab Podcast – You might think more money, a better job, or Instagram-worthy vacations would make you happy. You’re dead wrong. In “The Happiness Lab” podcast, Yale professor Dr. Laurie Santos will take you through the latest scientific research and share some surprising and inspiring stories that will forever alter the way you think about happiness. She’s changed the lives of thousands of people through her class “Psychology and the Good Life,” and she’ll change yours, too.

Are you ready to feel better?

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