My thoughts on the art of teaching.

TOPICS OF DISCUSSION:

In this episode, I speak with Rob about professional development, topics that are commonly addressed in PD, the need for more PD in psychology, making connections with kids, methods of teaching, and observing other teachers.

As an added bonus, Rob takes my pedagogical version of the Proust/Lipton quiz!

TOPICS OF DISCUSSION:

In this episode, I speak with Rob about why he became a teacher, what it’s like to be ambiteacherous, the comparison of teaching English to Mathematics, giving quality feedback to students, why he is returning to the classroom after a one year hiatus, and what are the best qualities needed of a teacher to mentor a student teacher.

TOPICS OF DISCUSSION:

In this episode, I speak with Lytle about the overall objective of learning mathematics, problem solving, and cross curriculum learning. I challenge Lytle to put the 14 Geometry Standards (according to the state of Virginia) in order and discuss the reasoning of a logical order.

As an added bonus, Lytle takes my pedagogical version of the 10 question Proust/Lipton quiz!

WORDS OF WISDOM:

“The purpose of earning a degree is to show a potential employer that you can commit to something and finish it.”

“Kids are not just learning math if we’re doing our job correctly.”

“What I’ve experienced in teaching math is that there aren’t many teachers willing to go outside the box.”

“It’s impossible to get through the entire Algebra 1 curriculum [in the time we’re given] with fidelity.”

“If you’re unhappy where you are, switch schools or just find a way to change in up.”

TOPICS OF DISCUSSION:

In this episode, I speak with Lytle about why she became a teacher, why she switched from collaborative to lead teacher, what’s the feeling of getting your own classroom, why most students think math is the most boring subject, and what’s the responsibility of the math teacher in terms of making math less boring.

WORDS OF WISDOM:

“Care about the human condition.”

“When it comes to alternative education, take everything you know about teaching and throw it out the window.”

“Every teacher should spend some time in the alternative setting because after that you will better understand behavior management.”

“We put too much pressure on ourselves as teachers to reach every kid.”

“As a teacher, it’s OK for your lesson to fail.”

TOPICS OF DISCUSSION:

In this episode, I speak with Tolbert about why he became a teacher, what it means to be well-read, and the goals of reading in our past and current educational system. As an added bonus, Tolbert takes my literary blindfold test with an incentive based beer blindfold taste test!

WORDS OF WISDOM:

“To become a teacher, you have to have that ‘moment’.”

“When you are well-read, you can look at things from a variety of perspectives and view points.”

“I wish I had read everything I was assigned in high school.”

“No art is new. It’s just repackaged. Once you understand that, it’s very freeing.”

TOPICS OF DISCUSSION:

In this episode, I speak with Ryan about how the unofficial Henrico County THRONG accomplishment and award Ryan with the Over-acting award, how National Board has impacted his career, and how the R.E.B. award impacted my career. As an added bonus, Ryan takes my pedagogical version of the 10 question Proust/Lipton quiz!

WORDS OF WISDOM:

“If you want a mini-way of getting better [at teaching], then download the National Board standards and just read them.”

“Stay passionate. Stay hungry about teaching.”

“Seek out professional development that you think is valuable for your teaching context.”

“You’re the master of your own classroom. Shut the door and teach because you know what’s best for your students.”

“If you can surround yourself with people that are also passionate, then that can really elongate your career.”

TOPICS OF DISCUSSION:

In this episode, I speak with Ryan about the need for teachers to share and volunteer, the advantages of teaming within a school, an overview of the Specialty Center of which Ryan is the chair, sharing and creating curriculum, making choices of what to cover/emphasis (or not) within the given curriculum, and the need to teach skills over content.

WORDS OF WISDOM:

“[Working with a department that shares] is the main reason Why I’m still teaching 20 years later.”

“Often, we lose teachers because they feel isolated.”

“It’s all about the community feel. Kids want to be a part of something small [in number] but also something big [important].

“Watch the Ted Dintersmith documentary Most Likely to Succeed.”

“[Creating Content around and idea] attracts passionate teachers.”

“You’ve got be authentic. Every good teacher changes a borrowed lesson plan.”

“I love the autonomy in that I chose what to emphasize in my class, and other teachers can chose something else.”

“[to the history student] Why does this matter to you in 2022?’”

TOPICS OF DISCUSSION:

In this episode, I speak with Ryan about how he left personal finance at Circuit City to become a teacher via the Junior Achievement program, the challenges of relinquishing control of your class to someone else, teaching at the middle school level helps prepare you for teaching at the high school level, the transition from middle to high school teaching, and the requirements of student teaching.

WORDS OF WISDOM:

“Student teaching is basically one big interview for getting a job at that school.”

“Middle School teaching is about harnessing their energy while high school is more about dealing with apathy.”

“As a middle school teacher, I developed my pedagogical strategies to be super hands on, getting kids out of their seats, and doing a variety of different things.”

“Tenth graders might be the most difficult to teach.”

“Content is the least important of all of the different things you do in a class. For me, it’s more of the strategies and skills than the drill and kill content.”

“It’s a people job.”

“The more experience young people get in the classrooms with kids, the better teachers they will become.”

“When you’re doing counseling or coaching, you get to know the psyche of a young person and can only be beneficial in a school setting.”

TOPICS OF DISCUSSION:

In this episode, I speak with Lindsey about how technology has inspired instruction, types of technology, teaching methods, our podcast project we did together with students, the need for less structure, and the importance of a good rubric. As an added bonus, Lindsey takes my pedagogical version of the 10 question Proust/Lipton quiz!

WORDS OF WISDOM:

“If technology is not enhancing what you’re doing, you don’t need it.”

“I love a good structure but I think the open-endedness of [the podcast project] pushed me out of my comfort zone so I was ironically more comfortable with the mess.”

“I hope I’ve helped students learn more about themselves.”

“The more we continue to prioritize what we value, and how to make experiences better for kids, then any new initiative or piece of technology; that’s going to continue to be a revolving door. We’ve got to hold on to why we teach.”

“This is not a job we can do by ourselves. We need each other.”