Teach Me, Teacher

Hello everyone! Today, we are diving even deeper into teacher self-care with part two of my talk with Dr. Woodly! This is by far the MOST REQUESTED TOPIC of the show, and I'm extremely happy to bring it to you today. If you missed part 1, click here. Teachers are stressed. Overworked. Guilty for working too much. Guilty for taking time for themselves. Worried they aren't going to survive the next week, let alone this one. What to do? What about teacher self-care? I partnered with my friend Dr. Woodly from Urban and Educating for this question, and he brings some amazing advice we all need to hear. His points on teacher self-care are real, honest, and exactly what many of us need to hear. If you're struggling right now and need a great reflection and pick me up, this is the episode for you. If you like what you hear in this episode, be sure to pick up Dr. Woodly's book MC Means Move the Class: How to Spark Engagement and Motivation in Urban and Culturally Diverse Classrooms. It is worth it! Enjoy! Don't forget to subscribe and review the show on iTunes! This episode was made possible by Stenhouse Publishers. Their commitment to publishing and producing great books and resources for teachers is truly remarkable, and it's an honor to partner with them to support great content for the amazing teachers who listen to Teach Me, Teacher. As mentioned in the episode, Practicing Presence is filled with ideas, exercises, checklists, personal anecdotes, and practices you can use to reframe and establish a mindset that will enhance your focus and engagement in the classroom. When teachers care for themselves deeply and deliberately, they are better able to care for the people that matter most in their lives—their students, friends, and families. Practicing Presence focuses not on doing, but rather on being present in the life of the classroom. Each chapter includes self-care strategies to explore how to self-regulate, nurture self-acceptance, and promote compassion. This book will give readers the feeling of having a personal coach who provides suggestions and routines so that they not only can deal with being overwhelmed, but rise above it. Get the book now!

Hello everyone! Today, we are diving deep into teacher self-care. This is by far the MOST REQUESTED TOPIC of the show, and I'm extremely happy to bring it to you today. Teachers are stressed. Overworked. Guilty for working too much. Guilty for taking time for themselves. Worried they aren't going to survive the next week, let alone this one. What to do? What about teacher self-care? I partnered with my friend Dr. Woodly from Urban and Educating for this question, and he brings some amazing advice we all need to hear. His points on teacher self-care are real, honest, and exactly what many of us need to hear. If you're struggling right now and need a great reflection and pick me up, this is the episode for you. If you like what you hear in this episode, be sure to pick up Dr. Woodly's book MC Means Move the Class: How to Spark Engagement and Motivation in Urban and Culturally Diverse Classrooms. It is worth it! Enjoy! Don't forget to subscribe and review the show on iTunes! This episode was made possible by Stenhouse Publishers. Their commitment to publishing and producing great books and resources for teachers is truly remarkable, and it's an honor to partner with them to support great content for the amazing teachers who listen to Teach Me, Teacher. As mentioned in the episode, Practicing Presence is filled with ideas, exercises, checklists, personal anecdotes, and practices you can use to reframe and establish a mindset that will enhance your focus and engagement in the classroom. When teachers care for themselves deeply and deliberately, they are better able to care for the people that matter most in their lives—their students, friends, and families. Practicing Presence focuses not on doing, but rather on being present in the life of the classroom. Each chapter includes self-care strategies to explore how to self-regulate, nurture self-acceptance, and promote compassion. This book will give readers the feeling of having a personal coach who provides suggestions and routines so that they not only can deal with being overwhelmed, but rise above it. Buy the book now!

Hello everyone! I can't possibly be more excited to bring you part 2 of this episode with Ron Clark Academy cofounder, Kim Bearden! In part 1, we really hit on the staff portion of effective communication. In this half of our conversation, we hit on the classroom, and how to support effective communication between the teacher and students. Both of us share stories from our past and current lives and how that influences how we approach communicating with students, and then Kim brings her practical and heartfelt advice on how to elevate our ability to communicate to the next level. If you've listened to the podcast for any amount of time, you know how passionate I am about the work everyone at RCA does, and it was an absolute pleasure to be able to record this episode for you all. I can't recommend Kim's book enough, or the Ron Clark Academy enough, so I'm just going to let the episode do it for me. BUT BEFORE YOU GO, make sure to sign up to our mailing list (right side) so you can be entered in to win a FREE COPY of Kim's Talk to Me. If you don't want to wait to win a copy, check out the book here. Enjoy! Don't forget to subscribe and review the show on iTunes!

Hello everyone! I can't possibly be more excited to bring you this episode with Ron Clark Academy cofounder, Kim Bearden! If you've listened to the podcast for any amount of time, you know how passionate I am about the work everyone at RCA does, and it was an absolute pleasure to be able to record this episode for you all. In this two part series, we discuss the principles of effective communication, as discussed in Kim's latest book, Talk to Me. We hit on why communication breaks down, where to begin when it's hard to start talking, and how the power of listening can revolutionize the relationships around you. I can't recommend Kim's book enough, or the Ron Clark Academy enough, so I'm just going to let the episode do it for me. BUT BEFORE YOU GO, make sure to sign up to our mailing list (right side) so you can be entered in to win a FREE COPY of Kim's Talk to Me. If you don't want to wait to win a copy, check out the book here. Enjoy! Don't forget to subscribe and review the show on iTunes!

Hello everyone! Today, we are discussing why teachers should be modeling themselves as readers AND writers, with one of my favorite Young Adult authors, Brendan Kiely. Brendan Kiely is The New York Times bestselling author of All American Boys (with Jason Reynolds), Tradition, The Last True Love Story, and The Gospel of Winter, and together, we discuss why modeling being a reader and writer can be a powerful force in our classrooms. Penny Kittle often talks about how the teacher is the best writer in the room, so they should model their thoughts, feelings, and struggles aloud with their students. Brenden and I dive into this idea, and share how this works when we are working with students, as well as why we think you should practice this as well. We also reference the episode I did with Jeff Anderson, as well as discuss the AMAZING On Writing, by Stephen King, a must for anyone looking for writing inspiration. I think this is a great book for teachers feeling shy or unsure about sharing their own writing with their students. If you've ever read a Brendan Kiely novel, or if you care about diversifying your school/classroom library to incorporate fiction that speaks to your students, you're in for a treat with this talk. If you've never read a Brendan Kiely novel, you're still in for a treat, but I need you to grab one of his books and see his great work for yourself. Click on the images below to check out his work! Enjoy! Don't forget to subscribe and review the show on iTunes!

Hello everyone! Today, we are discussing why teens need diverse fiction, with one of my favorite Young Adult authors, Brendan Kiely. Brendan Kiely is The New York Times bestselling author of All American Boys (with Jason Reynolds), Tradition, The Last True Love Story, and The Gospel of Winter, and together, we discuss the power fiction can have in our student's lives, and why we should make our libraries as diverse as the kids in our classrooms. Before Brendan found success with his fiction, he taught in schools in New York. This background of his allowed our talk to branch beyond author to teacher, and into a deeper world of really asking the tough questions about the role literature has in our schools, why certain books are necessary (even if they're controversial), and how we should be using modern fiction to inspire kids to check out the classics, not the other way around. If you've ever read a Brendan Kiely novel, or if you care about diversifying your school/classroom library to incorporate fiction that speaks to your students, you're in for a treat with this talk. If you've never read a Brendan Kiely novel, you're still in for a treat, but I need you to grab one of his books and see his great work for yourself. Click on the images below to check out his work! Enjoy! Don't forget to subscribe and review the show on iTunes!

Hello everyone! Today we are taking part in part 2 of our Ron Clark Academy Reflection with @abubblyclassroom, otherwise known as Brianna Johnson. Brianna has become one of my friends over on Instagram, and I got a chance to sit down with her for an hour to discuss her trip to The Ron Clark Academy! We recorded this episode all the way back during the summer, and I'm amazed at how much of our conversation connects to our teaching lives in October. A testament to the power of RCA, for sure. Throughout this episode, Brianna takes us through her experience (I share a little of mine from my trip all the way back in season 1), and we connect what she saw to the world inside of her school and classroom. I believe reflection is the KEY to taking our practices and skills to the next level, and I love episodes where we get to do just that… REFLECT! If you've ever been curious as to what the RCA experience is all about, this is a great place to start. Enjoy! PS: We mention books by both Ron Clark and Kim Bearden in this episode. Because I love them so much, I'm linking them below for you. They are AMAZING resources. Just click on the pictures!

Hello everyone! Today we are taking part in a Ron Clark Academy Reflection with @abubblyclassroom, otherwise known as Brianna Johnson. Brianna has become one of my friends over on Instagram, and I got a chance to sit down with her for an hour to discuss her trip to The Ron Clark Academy! We recorded this episode all the way back during the summer, and I'm amazed at how much of our conversation connects to our teaching lives in October. A testament to the power of RCA, for sure. Throughout this episode, Brianna takes us through her experience (I share a little of mine from my trip all the way back in season 1), and we connect what she saw to the world inside of her school and classroom. I believe reflection is the KEY to taking our practices and skills to the next level, and I love episodes where we get to do just that... REFLECT! If you've ever been curious as to what the RCA experience is all about, this is a great place to start. Enjoy! PS: We mention books by both Ron Clark and Kim Bearden in this episode. Because I love them so much, I'm linking them below for you. They are AMAZING resources. Just click on the pictures!

Hello everyone! Today I have on Matthew Kay, the author of the AMAZING book, Not Light, But Fire, and we are continuing our discussion about how and why we should all step up and lead meaningful race conversations in our classrooms. It matters, now more than ever, especially if you're an educator in America. Teach Me, Teacher has never shied away from controversial or hard topics. This is a fact I'm extremely proud of in the work of the show. We took on Betsy DeVos all the way back in season 1. We discussed the lack of diversity in our curriculum. We examined the role of social justice in our classrooms. And now, we are discussing how we can have powerful and meaningful race conversations in our schools. I'm in love with Matthew's book. He writes with clarity, passion, and backs up everything he says with experiences or history that hits you right in the chest. As an educator in the world today, we owe it to our students to listen to what Matthew Kay has to say. About Matthew Kay: Matthew R. Kay is a proud product of Philadelphia's public schools and a founding teacher at Science Leadership Academy (SLA). He is a graduate of West Chester University and holds a Masters in Educational Leadership with a Principals' Certificate from California University of Pennsylvania. He is also the Founder and Executive Director of Philly Slam League (PSL), a non-profit organization that shows young people the power of their voices through weekly spoken word competitions. The PSL is the only season-long, school-based slam poetry league in the United States. Special thank you to Stenhouse Publishers for sponsoring this episode of Teach Me, Teacher, and supporting the constant professional development of educators around the world.

Hello everyone! Today I have on Matthew Kay, the author of the AMAZING book, Not Light, But Fire, and we are discussing how we can all step up and lead meaningful race conversations in our classrooms. Teach Me, Teacher has never shied away from controversial or hard topics. This is a fact I'm extremely proud of in the work of the show. We took on Betsy DeVos all the way back in season 1. We discussed the lack of diversity in our curriculum. We examined the role of social justice in our classrooms. And now, we are discussing how we can have powerful and meaningful race conversations in our schools. I'm in love with Matthew's book. He writes with clarity, passion, and backs up everything he says with experiences or history that hits you right in the chest. As an educator in the world today, we owe it to our students to listen to what Matthew Kay has to say. About Matthew Kay: Matthew R. Kay is a proud product of Philadelphia's public schools and a founding teacher at Science Leadership Academy (SLA). He is a graduate of West Chester University and holds a Masters in Educational Leadership with a Principals' Certificate from California University of Pennsylvania. He is also the Founder and Executive Director of Philly Slam League (PSL), a non-profit organization that shows young people the power of their voices through weekly spoken word competitions. The PSL is the only season-long, school-based slam poetry league in the United States. Special thank you to Stenhouse Publishers for sponsoring this episode of Teach Me, Teacher, and supporting the constant professional development of educators around the world.