StartEdUp Podcast

A friend of mine Tweeted about an idea of making more time for passion projects, Genius Hour- as we start the COVID pt 2 school year.

I gave this a lot of thought.

Risks like this require a lot of thought.

Thanks for the thought-provoking question Ron!

"Learning pods" and "Micro Schools" are being talked about, especially around the areas of equity.

Today, Jamal and I look into the equity issues, and also why parents want the best for their children.

Stephen Tobolowsky is a master storyteller. He has been in hundreds of movies, plays on Broadway, and is constantly appearing on network television shows. However, I wanted to talk to him about his podcast, "The Tobolowsky Files," which to be fair, is more of story time narrative than traditional interview podcast.

I cannot explain how much impact and meaning I've gotten from this show.

We talk in particular about these two episodes. I HIGHLY recommend you listen to them all, but especially these episodes:

https://tobolowskyfiles.com/episodes/the-tobolowsky-files-ep-60-another-second-chance

https://tobolowskyfiles.com/episodes/the-tobolowsky-files-ep-22-the-dangerous-animals-club

From his website:

"Stephen Tobolowsky is one of the leading character actors in film today. USA Today listed Stephen as the 9th most frequently seen actor in movies; he has appeared over 200 movies and television shows."

Due to COVID, I've seen several teachers post that they are leaving teaching. I think there will be an emotional fallout. Mostly because the gut-wrenching choice between staying healthy and serving students they truly care for.

In this episode, I share some of my experiences and insight when I made the choice to leave the classroom.

Jamal is back with some insights on how we (might) start the school year in the COVID 2nd wave.

Reflecting on how to balance "policy" with empathy.

I'm a big fan of Soledad O'Brien, mostly because she is willing to have the conversations. This episode is proof of that- she questioned and clarified several points, and (my favorite part) wanted to have a conversation around viewpoints. I especially loved the "political correct" and comedy part of the episode.

*This is a re-release from 3 years ago. Thus some of the news references are a dated.

I've been a little busy, but I have a request...

The 3-2-1 Video is simple and powerful.

It is something I use not only to reflect and be more productive, but also a way to archive my journey.

We need friends to take time for our mind, body, and spirit.

Today Jamal and I talk about our efforts to keep our spirits high, despite the chaos.

Blake Boles is the founder and director of Unschool Adventures and the author of Why Are You Still Sending Your Kids to School?, The Art of Self-Directed Learning, Better Than College, and College Without High School. He hosts the Off-Trail Learning podcast and has delivered over 75 presentations for education conferences, alternative schools, and parent groups. Blake and his work have appeared on The New York Times, The Christian Science Monitor, BBC Travel, Psychology Today, Fox Business, TEDx, The Huffington Post, USA Today, NPR affiliate radio, and the blogs of Wired and The Wall Street Journal.

https://blakeboles.com

https://www.facebook.com/blake.boles