I had the honor of interviewing Atlanta's Teacher of the Year, Corey Griffith before he announced he was Teacher of the Year. It was an organic discussion with great flow. It was one of my best interview conversations. However, I realized soon after the interview something was wrong. So to start, I opened Safari as soon as i pressed the red record button to have some of Corey's bio material in front of me. Once we wrapped up the interview, I switched windows and soon realized the interview did not record for some reason. And I still have no clue what happened to be completely honest. I even tested the new mic before we started. Just a sad story. 

Either way, the point of creating this rant is to explain to my audience that if you're trying to accomplished something you will make mistakes along the way. I do not want my content to be selling everybody the iceberg illusion. If you want to succeed you have to be willing to play in the ice cold water of obstacles, challenges, sacrifice, hard work and perseverence. I made a mistake. I'm a rookie Podcaster and this is my story of my journey. My brand is not just about posting peachy, victorious content that makes people think or smile. I want my content to be real, I want you all to understand my journey of building up this brand and my message. It's hard, I know I'm going to make mistakes and it's important to stay positive. 

I made this rant podcast because Corey inspired me so much that I decided to write a short poem about him. He was Teacher of the Year for a reason and when I spoke with him for 30 minutes on the phone I completely understood why. I recently informed him of what happened with the audio file and he agreed to do an interview again soon.

Check out Corey on Twitter @CoreyGriffith9

Through my experiences with Fatherhood and taking my kids to school I quickly realized how long kids sit down on their butts all day long. My curiousity grew so strong I decided to start manufacturing stand up desks for K-12 students. My son has had his own standup desk for a majority of 2nd grade and he's in love with it! Why shouldn't every kid be given the opportunity to stand up in their classroom? Nobody has a good answer! So I'm taking action. I'm standing up. As a Father of 3 kids in 2018 I think it's perfectly normal to amplify my voice, especially if it benefits another person. I am committed to giving every kid in America the opportunity to stand up in their classroom. I don't care if it takes me 20 years to do it.

We are making and selling our own standing desks for K-12 students, check us out!

www.standupourkids.com

In my point of view, Don Wettrick is a Pioneer in the Education space. Yes, a Pioneer. That's a big word and he holds the weight. He's maximizing social media tools and his passion for Education to enhance exposure and education around Entrepreneurship. He's leading students and kids into the 21st Century. He's leading kids into a direction that allows them to be independent thinking human beings who Innovate. He's drawing out creativity in our youth demographics. Follow him on the internet. Go to iTunes and Subscribe to his Podcast right now. If you're a Teacher or Parent, you owe yourself this favor of understanding how this man thinks.

StartEdUp Website

www.StartEdUpInnovation.com

Thank you!

Interview with Andrew Hodges (Twitter @PrincipalHodges), Principal at Bromwell Elementary in Denver, Colorado. Flexible Learning Spaces are a growing area in education but sometimes it's not as easy as just having an idea from Pinterest. Mr. Hodges gives us a deep dive into what Teachers and Parents should realistically expect when transitioning into a Flexible Classroom. In order to give kids more choice and ownersip in their learning, Teachers should assess and research methodically. Andrew has a strong background in Education and I learned so many things from him in this interview. He believes in providing students with fundamental opportunities around fitness and excercise. His vibe felt very progressive and innovative, the interview was a ton of fun. I hope you enjoy.

This episode is an interview with Mr. Cain, Assistant Principal at Paris Elementary School in Aurora, Colorado. I asked him about Flexible Learning Spaces. He gave me his candid views on Flexible Learning Spaces. He suggests there needs to be multiple layers of purpose identified before changing a classroom environment. He references multiple studies and data pieces in our conversation. I hope you learn as much as I did. Stand Up!

I interviewed 4th Grader, Kaeden, at Westgate Elementary in Lakewood, Colorado. I am doing a collaborative project with the Principal, Mr. Weiss, and Assistant Principal, Mr. Horton, that focuses on letting their student body be heard. They're eager to expose their students to open expression and communication, and ultimately get comfortable with producing content on social media. It's nice to hear stories from the student's perspective.

A deep dive discussion with Mr. Weiss at Westgate Elementary School in Lakewood, Colorado. He is diagnosed with ADHD and he is the Principal of the school. He has a succesful life story to share. He gives his views on ADHD and his overall perspective of this "disorder". In his own words, he claims the condition to be a "super power". There are the pros and cons that he explains, but he also explains how it empowers him to do more. He has his value system set up a certain way and I think many people can find value in his story. This is a great discussion with a great man. I hope you enjoy.

In this episode I interview Kelvin Oliver. This recording is of an Instagram Live Interview in January of 2018. Kelvin is the Owner of LeavingTheVillage.com. He is an Educational Consultant that highlights and emphasizes Restorative Practices in schools. You can follow him on LinkedIn where he has fantastic short videos with very practical and clear messages. As a former Principal, he dives into some details of how restorative practices and progressive ways of thinking for Educators in 2018. I hope you enjoy the show.

Diving deep into handling adversity and coming out on top with Dupe Aleru. As humans, when dealt with adversity, where do we start? When it comes to uplifting yourself, where do you start? 

Dupe explains her journey in overcoming adversity, and how to take care of yourself. Much of her content leans towards self care and self love. Listen in as she breaks down the mindset you need to have to really understand self care and self love within yourself. Her content is full of "tough love". Are you truly being real with yourself? She shouts it loud. 

 

Tune in I hope you enjoy!

 

Dupé Aleru is a four-time published author, keynote speaker, host, and curriculum developer. From classroom teacher to entrepreneur, she forged her own professional path by transferring her teaching expertise to becoming a keynote speaker. For two decades she has educated, empowered, and enriched people from all walks of life through her teachings, speeches, and online content. Dupé is now recognized as one of the top motivational influencers and the leading authority for curriculum and online course development. Title: Speaker & Curriculum DeveloperLinks: www.dupealeru.com | https://instagram.com/dupealeru

I had the pleasure of interviewing the Founder/CEO of Wealthy Minds. His main goal is to inspire 1 Billion people to speak their dreams into existence. He was homeless for 3+ years and lived in his truck for months. He has an incredible story of perseverence and grit. He is the author of 80+ books and also owns his own clothing line. Our young generations need to hear these types of stories to understand Gratitude, Love and Grit in the 21st Century. I hope you enjoy the Podcast.