Teachers on Fire

By Tim Cavey

Warming your heart, sparking your thinking, and igniting your professional practice. Reach out on any social media platform @TeachersOnFire. Hosted by Tim Cavey.... more

· Education

4.8

2525 ratings

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FAQs about Teachers on Fire:

How many episodes does Teachers on Fire have?

The podcast currently has 318 episodes available.

Teachers on Fire episodes:

February 22, 2026 ERIC SHENINGER: Navigating AI in Our Schools with Clarity, Intention, and Purpose
→ How can education leaders help staff move from AI anxiety to AI optimism and fluency?
→ How can we make sure that pedagogy always trumps technology in our classrooms?
→ How can we promote the kind of disruptive thinking necessary to future-proof our learners for an unpredictable world?
Welcome back to another episode of the Teachers on Fire Podcast, airing live on YouTube most Saturday mornings at 8am Pacific, 11am Eastern. My name is Tim Cavey, and my mission here is to warm your heart, spark your thinking, and ignite your professional practice.
About This Guest, Eric Sheninger
Eric works with schools throughout the world, helping educators meet and exceed their potential to improve outcomes for learners. He is the founder and CEO of Aspire Change EDU, a collaborative consultancy designed to provide personalized support to all educational systems. Prior to this, he was a teacher and an award-winning Principal at New Milford High School.
Timestamps from This Episode
0:00:00 - Eric Sheninger is an award-winning principal, author, and speaker.
2:01 - About his book, Personalize: Meeting the Needs of All Learners
3:47 - Leveraging technology and personalized learning frameworks
7:56 - How to use AI as a force multiplier as education leaders
12:57 - Which AI tools Eric uses for which purposes
16:22 - How to move from AI anxiety to AI optimism and fluency
21:16 - Pedagogy trumps technology - and that includes AI
24:59 - The disruptive thinking necessary to future-proof our learners
28:02 - Words for the innovative educator who feels alone
34:06 - How and where to connect with Eric online
34:54 - Eric's current work on a next book
Connect with Eric
on LinkedIn,
on X @E_Sheninger,
on Instagram @esheninger,
on YouTube @EricSheninger, and
on his website at https://ericsheninger.com/.
Visit the home of Teachers on Fire at https://teachersonfire.net/.
Song Track Credit: Tropic Fuse by French Fuse - retrieved from the YouTube Audio Library at https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/.
...more
37min
February 15, 2026 Building School Culture That Lifts All Learners - with JOSH TOVAR
→ What does it look like to put student connections before content?
→ How can we help every student in our communities feel a sense of belonging?
→ How can we leverage social media to tell stronger stories as building leaders?
Welcome back to another episode of the Teachers on Fire Podcast, airing live on YouTube most Saturday mornings at 8am Pacific, 11am Eastern. My name is Tim Cavey, and my mission here is to warm your heart, spark your thinking, and ignite your professional practice.
About This Guest, Josh Tovar
Josh is the proud principal at Memorial Pathway Academy in Garland ISD, just outside of Dallas, Texas. Josh has been in education for over thirty years and has supported at all levels from elementary to university. Josh is the proud son of Virginia and Jesus Tovar, a proud immigrant to the USA and former US Marine.
Timestamps from This Episode
0:00:00 - Josh Tovar is the principal of Memorial Pathway Academy in Garland, TX
1:43 - How Josh's wife empowers his leadership
7:29 - "No More Orange Jumpsuits" at MPA
15:47 - How Josh uses social media to tell stories and build culture
21:40 - How Josh makes every MPA student feel that they belong
27:02 - Combining the discipline of the Marines with love and joy
30:59 - How Josh relates with students who have made big mistakes
34:30 - Josh's contributions on two recent ed leadership books
39:33 - How and where to connect with Josh online
Connect with Josh
on LinkedIn,
on LinkedIn
and on X, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube @JTspotlights.
Visit the home of Teachers on Fire at https://teachersonfire.net/.
Song Track Credit: Tropic Fuse by French Fuse - retrieved from the YouTube Audio Library at https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/.
...more
44min
February 11, 2026 3 Podcast Guests Who Inspired Changes to My Personal and Professional Life
I'm trying something NEW!
In this first walking journal entry, I reflect on three recent guests on the Teachers on Fire Podcast who inspired changes to my personal and professional life. They are: Edmond Chin, Rich Czyz, and Becky Keene.
...more
11min
February 09, 2026 AI Optimism: What's the proper place of AI in the classroom? with BECKY KEENE
→ How can AI tools and technologies support learning in the classroom?
→ How can students leverage AI tools for greater creativity and judgment?
→ How can we make sure our AI policies align with mission and core pedagogical beliefs?
Welcome back to another episode of the Teachers on Fire Podcast, airing live on YouTube most Saturday mornings at 8am Pacific, 11am Eastern. My name is Tim Cavey, and my mission here is to warm your heart, spark your thinking, and ignite your professional practice.
About This Guest, Becky Keene
Becky is an educator, author, and speaker who helps schools integrate AI to empower students as creators and support innovative teaching and learning. She designs professional learning for teachers and leaders on practical, responsible AI use—blending instructional coaching and game-based learning to make AI meaningful in the classroom.
Connect with Becky
on LinkedIn,
on X @beckykeene,
on Instagram and TikTok @BeckyKeeneEdu,
and at her website, beckykeene.com.
Visit the home of Teachers on Fire at https://teachersonfire.net/.
Song Track Credit: Tropic Fuse by French Fuse - retrieved from the YouTube Audio Library at https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/.
...more
28min
February 02, 2026 Building Regenerative Schools - with RUTH POULSEN
→ How can principals do better than superficial gestures of teacher appreciation?
→ How can we address teaching colleagues who seem caught in a martyr mindset?
→ How can school leaders work efficiently without building a toxic culture of rushing?
Welcome back to another episode of the Teachers on Fire Podcast, airing live on YouTube most Saturday mornings at 8am Pacific, 11am Eastern. My name is Tim Cavey, and my mission here is to warm your heart, spark your thinking, and ignite your professional practice.
About This Guest, Ruth Poulsen
Ruth is an international school leader who has spent her career building cultures of care—from China to Colorado, and next up, Jordan. She’s currently on sabbatical and writing Regenerative Schools, a newsletter exploring the mindset shifts and systems changes needed to prevent the crisis of educator burnout and ultimately, to support student wellbeing.
Connect with Ruth
on LinkedIn,
on Substack at regenerativeschools.substack.com
In This Conversation
0:00:00 - Ruth Poulsen is a school principal and education writer.
1:31 - Stepping from an industrial paradigm to a regenerative mindset
4:56 - Distinguishing between efficiency and frantic rushing
9:19 - The "fertilizer" in our schools: toxic element or asset?
11:48 - How can teachers show appreciation beyond superficial efforts?
14:52 - Surveys: How to take the pulse of teachers effectively
20:13 - How to set up tree lines in our schools: boundaries that preserve and protect
29:04 - Managing parent complaints
30:25 - How to coach colleagues caught in a martyr mindset
35:01 - Creating intentional moments in schools that connect with mission
36:53 - Ruth talks about Regenerative Schools, her Substack
38:58 - How and where to connect With Ruth Poulsen online
Visit the home of Teachers on Fire at https://teachersonfire.net/.
Song Track Credit: Tropic Fuse by French Fuse - retrieved from the YouTube Audio Library at https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/.
...more
41min
January 25, 2026 Dr. DANNY STEELE: Support Teachers FIRST to Serve Students Well
→ What does it mean to lead with curiosity over expertise?
→ How can we make our schools places where the adults like to come to work?
→ How can school leaders build a presence that feels more supportive, less policing?
Welcome back to another episode of the Teachers on Fire Podcast, airing live on YouTube most Saturday mornings at 8am Pacific, 11am Eastern. My name is Tim Cavey, and my mission here is to warm your heart, spark your thinking, and ignite your professional practice.
About This Guest, Dr. Danny Steele
Danny is a former award winning principal who speaks to educators around the country about the difference they make for kids. He’s also the author of several best-selling books for educators, including The Instructional Leader in You: 10 Strategies for Every School Leader, Essential Truths for Principals, and The Total Teacher: Understanding the Three Dimensions that Define Effective Educators.
Connect with Danny
on LinkedIn,
on X @SteeleThoughts,
on Instagram @SteeleThoughts,
on his blog at https://www.steelethoughts.com/
In This Conversation
1:50 - Passion drift for school leaders
4:09 - Leading with curiosity over expertise
6:48 - Creating cultural conditions to overcome stagnancy
7:53 - Staff come first, students second
8:57 - Admitting vulnerability as a building leader
10:31 - Observing the student experience instead of teacher performance
12:09 - When an expert teacher struggles to integrate into the community
13:15 - Being a supportive resource instead of a policing presence
15:11 - Shouting out teachers for their great work
16:49 - Building fun and meaningful traditions in your school
19:14 - Danny raps about the power of good choices
21:06 - Danny Steele's six education books
22:19 - Danny Steele's speaking services and other resources on his website
Visit the home of Teachers on Fire at https://teachersonfire.net/.
Song Track Credit: Tropic Fuse by French Fuse - retrieved from the YouTube Audio Library at https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/.
...more
25min
January 17, 2026 How to Teach READING and WRITING - with Leah Mermelstein
→ How should we approach the tensions around the Science of Reading?
→ What does the art of teaching literacy look like in today’s classroom?
→ How can we set up our students for successful independent writing?
Welcome back to another episode of the Teachers on Fire Podcast, airing live on YouTube most Saturday mornings at 8am Pacific, 11am Eastern. My name is Tim Cavey, and my mission here is to warm your heart, spark your thinking, and ignite your professional practice.
About This Guest, Leah Mermelstein
Leah collaborates with school districts, educational professionals, learning organizations, and families to enhance K-6 literacy instruction and promote literacy development.
Connect with Leah
on LinkedIn,
on X @MermelsteinLeah,
on Instagram @leahmermelsteinconsulting,
on her website, leahmermelstein.com, and
on her Substack at leahmermelstein.substack.com.
In This Conversation
0:00:00 - Leah Mermelstein is a literacy consultant based in Hoboken, New Jersey.
1:19 - The gradual release model for independent writing
5:42 - How to navigate the Science of Reading
11:15 - Collaborative writing as the missing link
17:53 - The "art" of teaching in a research-aligned classroom
23:38 - How to think about teacher feedback
29:36 - How parents can support their children in ELA
32:46 - Literacy toolkits, personalized coaching, and learning cohorts from Leah
34:56 - Where to connect with Leah Mermelstein online
Visit the home of Teachers on Fire at https://teachersonfire.net/.
Song Track Credit: Tropic Fuse by French Fuse - retrieved from the YouTube Audio Library at https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/.
...more
37min
January 10, 2026 ATTENTION as CURRICULUM: Designing Schools as Walled Gardens - with Andrew Cantarutti
→ Why must attention become the curriculum of our schools?
→ How are classrooms disrupting student attention and learning?
→ What is the important choice that our schools and districts must make?
Welcome back to another episode of the Teachers on Fire Podcast, airing live on YouTube most Saturday mornings at 8am Pacific, 11am Eastern. My name is Tim Cavey, and my mission here is to warm your heart, spark your thinking, and ignite your professional practice.
About this guest, Andrew Cantarutti
Andrew is an educator and writer with over a decade of experience teaching in public and private schools across Canada and the world. His work bridges classroom practice with educational theory, drawing on insights from philosophy, developmental psychology, and cognitive science to reimagine how learning environments can cultivate focus, depth, and intellectual resilience.
Connect with Andrew Cantarutti
on LinkedIn,
on X @walledgardenedu,
on Instagram @walledgardenedu, and
at https://walledgardenedu.substack.com.
In This Conversation
0:00:00 - Andrew Cantarutti is an educator and writer with international experience
1:12 - Imagining schools as walled gardens for deep attention and critical thinking
4:54 - Teacher reactions to "Why Attention Must Become Curriculum"
7:38 - How are we disrupting student attention in the classroom?
12:49 - Why schools must avoid the Marketplace Mirror Model
16:29 - Gamification of learning, "engagement"
18:22 - How do we make attention the curriculum itself?
27:19 - Andrew on the role of AI in schools
34:29 - The choice facing schools today
37:56 - Where to connect with Andrew Cantarutti online
Visit the home of Teachers on Fire at https://teachersonfire.net/.
Song Track Credit: Tropic Fuse by French Fuse - retrieved from the YouTube Audio Library at https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/.
...more
40min
January 04, 2026 How a Running Habit Transformed Life and Work - with EDMOND CHIN
→ How did a new running habit transform one educator’s life?
→ What’s brewing in the coffee world, and what is one bean that we need to try?
→ How can we take our own next steps of personal and professional growth in 2026?
Welcome back to another episode of the Teachers on Fire Podcast, airing live on YouTube most Saturday mornings at 8am Pacific, 11am Eastern. My name is Tim Cavey, and my mission here is to warm your heart, spark your thinking, and ignite your professional practice.
About this guest, Edmond Chin
Today’s Teacher on Fire is Edmond Chin. Edmond is a runner, coffee connoisseur, and high school teacher in Vancouver, Canada. He’s also a colleague and personal friend of the host, Tim Cavey, which makes this episode extra special.
Connect with Edmond
on LinkedIn,
on X @EdmondC87, and
on Instagram @edmondc87
In This Conversation
0:00:00 - Edmond Chin is a runner, coffee connoisseur, and high school teacher in Vancouver.
1:35 - Edmond's running story: how and why it started
5:22 - The challenge of building the habit
6:26 - The benefits of a running habit
8:55 - Keys to consistency
13:16 - Edmond's running goals for 2026
18:46 - How Edmond's coffee quest began
20:36 - Coffee highlights from 2025
22:47 - Why teachers should cultivate passions outside of the classroom
24:37 - Edmond's professional goals for this year
26:13 - How and where to connect with Edmond Chin online
Visit the home of Teachers on Fire at https://teachersonfire.net/.
Song Track Credit: Tropic Fuse by French Fuse - retrieved from the YouTube Audio Library at https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/.
...more
29min
December 14, 2025 Powerful Productivity for School Leaders - with RICH CZYZ
→ What hope is there for the school leader who feels constantly overwhelmed?
→ What’s the most common productivity pitfall that school leaders fall into?
→ How can we manage fires and interruptions without burning out?
Welcome back to another episode of the Teachers on Fire Podcast, airing live on YouTube most Saturday mornings at 8am Pacific, 11am Eastern. My name is Tim Cavey, and my mission here is to warm your heart, spark your thinking, and ignite your professional practice.
About this guest, Rich Czyz
Rich is a school principal, cofounder of fouroclockfaculty.com, the author of four books on education and leadership. Rich is dedicated to creating productive environments and engaging all stake-holders in meaningful and relevant learning opportunities.
Connect with Rich
on LinkedIn,
on X @RACzyz,
at his website, https://fouroclockfaculty.com.
In This Conversation
0:00:00 - Rich Czyz is the principal of an elementary school in New Jersey
1:21 - The vision for school leaders in Autopilot: Practical Productivity for School Leaders
2:45 - A misconception about productivity
4:13 - One immediate shift that education leaders can make
5:29 - A common productivity pitfall for school leaders
8:08 - Being visible on campus as a building leader
9:54 - How to manage interruptions in the weekly calendar
12:00 - How to think about delegation when it feels like only you can do it
13:57 - 5th Grade students do the intercom announcements
15:34 - Doing the work that powers the mission before email
18:08 - How to conduct a personal time inventory
20:33 - Rich's daily routine, from wake-up to end of day
24:47 - Managing substitute shortages
27:04 - How and where to connect with Rich Czyz
Visit the home of Teachers on Fire at https://teachersonfire.net/.
Song Track Credit: Tropic Fuse by French Fuse - retrieved from the YouTube Audio Library at https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/.
...more
29min

FAQs about Teachers on Fire:

How many episodes does Teachers on Fire have?

The podcast currently has 318 episodes available.

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