Teach Me, Teacher

Hello everyone! Today we are discussing Sparks in the Dark: Lessons, Ideas and Strategies to Illuminate the Reading and Writing Lives in All of Us, a wonderful book and resource for teachers who want to ignite the fire that keeps their students' reading and writing lives rich and rewarding. In part one of this episode, Travis Crowder and Todd Nesloney discussed the beliefs that formed the book Sparks in the Dark, and in part 2, we move into essential tips and practices you can put in place TODAY to inspire your students to become readers and writers. Sparks in the Dark is a beautiful book that needs to be read by everyone. Don't forget to stick around to the end of the episode to discover how to win a copy of Sparks in the Dark for yourself! Or you can buy it above. Enjoy! Don't forget to subscribe and review the show on iTunes!

Hello everyone! Today we are discussing Sparks in the Dark: Lessons, Ideas and Strategies to Illuminate the Reading and Writing Lives in All of Us, a wonderful book and resource for teachers who want to ignite the fire that keeps their students' reading and writing lives rich and rewarding. In part one of this episode, Travis Crowder and Todd Nesloney discuss the beliefs that formed the book Sparks in the Dark, why they wrote it, and the road they took to get where they are today. I love episodes like this one It's pure and raw. It's honest about struggles, and fierce about overcoming them for our students. Sparks in the Dark is a beautiful book that needs to be read by everyone. Don't forget to stick around to the end of the episode to discover how to win a copy of Sparks in the Dark for yourself! Or you can buy it below or in the link above. Enjoy! Don't forget to subscribe and review the show on iTunes! Travis Crowder, M.Ed., is a middle school English/Language Arts teacher at East Alexander Middle School in Hiddenite, NC. He has taught for ten years and has experience in both middle and high school levels. He currently teaches 7th grade ELA and social studies, and works with the gifted and talented students in his school. Todd Nesloney is the Principal/Lead Learner at a PreK-5 school in Texas. He is an award winning author for his work in co-authoring Kids Deserve It!, Flipping 2.0: Practical Strategies for Flipping Your Class and his brand new release Sparks in the Dark. He has also written the 2018 book Stories from Webb and published a children's book, Spruce & Lucy. Todd has been recognized by the National School Board Association as one of the "20 to Watch" in Education, by the Center for Digital Education as one of their "Top 40 Innovators in Education", by the BAMMYs as the "National Elementary Principal of the Year" and the "National Elementary Teacher of the Year", by the Texas Computer Education Association as their "Texas Elementary Teacher of the Year", and by the White House as a Connected Educator "Champion of Change".

Hello everyone! I am so excited to bring back DeAnna Morgan for part 2 (you can listen to part 1 here) to discuss why we should all be practicing what we preach and modeling the behavior and actions we want to see in our students, as well as hitting on the WHY behind what we do. DeAnna opens up in part 2 of our discussion about a powerful moment she had with a student, and it's truly inspiring. This is a timely and passionate episode, and one of my personal favorites. You owe it to yourself to listen and remember why you show up everyday for your students. DeAnna puts this outlook in such beautiful words for us to reflect on. Enjoy! Don't forget to subscribe and review the show on iTunes!

Hello everyone! I am so excited to bring you DeAnna Morgan of Instagram fame to discuss why we should all be practicing what we preach and modeling the behavior and actions we want to see in our students. This is a timely and passionate episode, and one of my personal favorites. Overall, this is the core of great advice for teachers. We can't be lazy and bored and expect our students not to be. We have to lead any example! DeAnna puts this outlook in such beautiful words you would be doing a disservice to yourself not to listen. Plus, check out her art in this post. AMAZING right? Enjoy! Don't forget to subscribe and review the show on iTunes!

Hello everyone! In part 2 with Monica Genta, we continue our discussion about amazingly small, but powerful ways, to take your class to the next level, and we are also discussing her amazing 21 day challenge for educators! I love Monica's advice in this episode because it's advice everyone can take to heart. It's broad enough we can all learn from her, and deep enough that it will bring meaningful change to our lessons and practices. Monica is the author of two books, Game Changers and 180 Days of Awesome, a middle school science teacher, and nationwide educational consultant and motivational speaker. Her goal is to transform teachers, leaders, and schools from seeing education as an ordinary job into an extraordinary adventure. Genta feels that every person who walks into a school deserves to love their experience! She is a believer in finding awesome and celebrating life every day! Genta is full of energy, full of passion, and full of love for helping others on their journey in life and learning. 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, Who's Doing the Work? Lesson Sets by Jan Burkins and Kim Yaris, is a collection of 30 short lessons that guide teachers as they encourage students to take ownership of their own reading development, and it is an amazing resource for teachers of grades K-2. You can check it out here.

Hello everyone! I've brought on Monica Genta to help us spice up our classrooms and bring our lessons to the next level! I love Monica's advice in this episode because it's advice everyone can take to heart. It's broad enough we can all learn from her, and deep enough that it will bring meaningful change to our lessons and practices. Monica is the author of two books, Game Changers and 180 Days of Awesome, a middle school science teacher, and nationwide educational consultant and motivational speaker. Her goal is to transform teachers, leaders, and schools from seeing education as an ordinary job into an extraordinary adventure. Genta feels that every person who walks into a school deserves to love their experience! She is a believer in finding awesome and celebrating life every day! Genta is full of energy, full of passion, and full of love for helping others on their journey in life and learning. 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, Who's Doing the Work? Lesson Sets by Jan Burkins and Kim Yaris, is a collection of 30 short lessons that guide teachers as they encourage students to take ownership of their own reading development, and it is an amazing resource for teachers of grades K-2. You can check it out here.

Hello everyone! Today, we are learning how to learn with Barbara Oakley PhD, and giving away some FREE BOOKS! Barbara Oakley is an amazing advocate for learners of all ages, and has put together an amazing piece of work along side her partner on the project, Terrence Sejnowski, PhD. This book is all about understanding the brain and how it processes and remembers information, and putting it in a way that not only we can understand, but so can our students! A few of the points we hit on in this episode are: The importance of processing time Why ADHD exists, and why it can be a benefit to a child Science behind how we learn and why certain strategies JUST WORK! …AMONG OTHERS! I love Learning How to Read, I loved this conversation with Barbara, and I can't wait for you guys to dive into this amazing detailed and insightful part 2. You can win a copy of Learning How to Learn by sharing your #TMTtakeaways on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook. Make sure to tag me (@teachmeteacherhost, @jacobchastain_ , Teach Me, Teacher) and use the hashtag so I can pick a winner! More details in the show. Enjoy! Don't forget to subscribe and review the show on iTunes!

Hello everyone! Today, we are learning how to learn with Barbara Oakley PhD, and giving away some FREE BOOKS! Barbara Oakley is an amazing advocate for learners of all ages, and has put together an amazing piece of work along side her partner on the project, Terrence Sejnowski, PhD. This book is all about understanding the brain and how it processes and remembers information, and putting it in a way that not only we can understand, but so can our students! A few of the points we hit on in this episode are: What the book is intended for Why procrastination is such a big deal and how to handle it Why the brain needs rest, and what that looks like in our busy classrooms ...AMONG OTHERS! I love Learning How to Read, I loved this conversation with Barbara, and I can't wait for you guys to dive into this amazing detailed and insightful episode. You can win a copy of Learning How to Learn by sharing your #TMTtakeaways on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook. Make sure to tag me (@teachmeteacherhost, @jacobchastain_ , Teach Me, Teacher) and use the hashtag so I can pick a winner! More details in the show. Enjoy! Don't forget to subscribe and review the show on iTunes!

Hello everyone! You asked, so I delivered! If you're a new teacher, this episode is for you! I gathered my best advice, as well as some great advice from my friends over on Instagram, Megan Medina of Beauty, Brains, and Other Things, and Rachel Fairchild of Chalk and Coffee, to help you in your new year. This is your crash course! Make sure to take some great notes, and continue to dive into the back catalogue of the podcast, because we have episodes on all sorts of subjects YOU need to make your year great. Enjoy! Don't forget to subscribe and review the show on iTunes! PS: Make sure to check out this episode on relationships in the classroom, and why they are so important!

Hello everyone! Today, we are continuing our talking about social justice in our classrooms! Megan Forbes, otherwise known as @toocoolformiddleschool on Instagram and Youtube , brings the heat again and helps us not only understand why we need social justice, but what it looks like in the classroom. In this episode, we discuss: That education is political, but it doesn't have to be partisan How to implement social justice into our classrooms A free lesson idea to encourage academic conversations about big issues This is an important episode, and I'm extremely proud I get to bring this type of content to the Teach Me, Teacher audience. Enjoy! Don't forget to subscribe and review the show on iTunes! For episodes on social justice in our schools, click here.