After a rough go as a kid in some of the schools I went to, I vowed to learn martial arts some day.

A month after I turned 30, I joined a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu school. I've been going strong now for a little over 5 months and I've begun to see a little bit of overlap between the mats and the classroom.

How did becoming a learner at level 0 again impact me in the classroom? What insights did my coaches give me into teaching that I hadn't paid as much attention to? What can educators learn from the world of martial arts?

A bonus track to the podcast:

Our first book club review - Man's Search For Meaning. I share the things that made me thing, that I connected to, and the mindsets I hope to also maintain.

Can High-5's really make that much of a difference in school culture?

In this episode, I explore the various ways I've begun to greet students at the door right at the beginning of class and how they've helped build a positive culture in my classroom and school. I also have another teacher, Justin Aion sound off of why he started High-5 Fridays at his school and the effects it had on his own school culture.

In episode 2, I recorded the sounds of my robotics classroom for a couple of days while they worked on and presented their final projects.

I reflect on some of the observations of going back and listening to the audio. You also hear students working to troubleshoot their creations which included an electric guitar, a whack a mole, an etch-a-sketch, and robotic arm controlled via sensors on a glove connected bluetooth.

I wanted to start a podcast so I did. Think of it as being a fly on the wall in my (and others) classroom.

In this episode we go into the classroom economy auction that we have every month. Students bid on items, start their own businesses, create loyalty programs, and more. You hear the sounds of students arguing about prices, the excitement build up over a 'mystery item' in the auction, and the groans of buyers remorse.

I wanted to start a podcast so I did. Think of it as being a fly on the wall in my classroom. In this episode we go into the classroom economy auction that we have every month. Students bid on items, start their own businesses, create loyalty programs, and more.

You can find more of how I run my classroom economy at www.thomgibson.com/classroomeconomy

Hope you dig it :)

Music by Podington Bear