The Edu20/20 Podcast

Sometimes doing what’s right means being the villain in someone else’s story.

In this After Hours episode, Courtney and Shannon talk about the very thin line between heroes and villains, especially when you're making hard decisions, setting boundaries, leading others, or having conversations people don't want to hear. They share personal stories about people pleasing, competition, leadership, self-reflection, and learning to stay focused on your purpose even when other people don't agree with you.

Timestamps

00:00 Welcome to After Hours
00:43 The difference between a hero and a villain
03:41 When you're the villain in someone else's story
07:05 Being okay with hard decisions
09:37 Competition, comparison & staying focused on your why
12:57 Why leaders have to have hard conversations
16:58 The importance of self-reflection

#Leadership #TeacherLife #SchoolLeadership #SelfReflection #Edu2020

https://www.edutwentytwenty.com

PLCs and teacher collaboration should help teachers solve problems, plan instruction, and improve student learning. But when meetings aren't connected to an actual need, they can quickly feel like one more thing on a teacher's plate.

In this episode, Courtney and Shannon break down common PLC mistakes and share how leaders can make collaborative planning more purposeful. They discuss differentiating support for teachers, using student work effectively, introducing new strategies without overwhelming teachers, and structuring collaboration so teachers actually leave with something they can use.

Timestamps

00:00 Welcome to the Edu20/20 Podcast
01:45 What makes collaborative planning effective?
02:41 When PLCs waste teachers' time
06:21 Using student work effectively
11:07 How to introduce new strategies
14:09 How to structure better PLCs

#PLCs #CollaborativePlanning #InstructionalCoaching #SchoolLeadership #TeacherSupport

https://www.edutwentytwenty.com

The school year is officially in full swing, the honeymoon is over, and educator burnout can start creeping in fast.

In this After Hours episode, Courtney and Shannon get surprisingly serious about practical ways to manage teacher burnout. They talk about shifting your perspective, figuring out what's actually making you feel overwhelmed, getting comfortable saying no, and building simple systems that make your day easier.

Timestamps

00:00 Welcome back to After Hours
01:14 How do you avoid teacher burnout?
02:21 You see what you're looking for
04:04 A simple way to shift your perspective
06:35 What's actually making you overwhelmed?
08:05 Why educators need to start saying no
12:05 Build systems that make your life easier

#TeacherBurnout #TeacherLife #TeacherTips #EducatorWellness #Edu2020

https://www.edutwentytwenty.com

Classroom walkthroughs can provide valuable instructional data, but only if leaders are clear about why they're doing them and what happens afterward.

In this episode, Courtney and Shannon break down what makes a classroom walkthrough effective, why compliance-focused observations can damage teacher trust, and how leaders can use walkthrough data to provide practical feedback and plan meaningful teacher support.

Timestamps

00:00 Are classroom walkthroughs good or bad?
02:21 When a four-minute walkthrough goes wrong
04:30 What makes an effective classroom walkthrough?
06:32 Why walkthrough feedback matters
08:03 Use walkthrough data to plan teacher support
10:41 What actionable feedback actually looks like
14:19 Building trust through honest conversations

🎁 Free Resource: Watch our Beyond the Checklist: Making Walkthroughs Work for You webinar and access the accompanying walkthrough resource: 
edutwentytwenty.com/courses/tiering-without-tears-differentiating-your-instructional-coaching/

#ClassroomWalkthroughs #InstructionalCoaching #SchoolLeadership #TeacherFeedback #Edu2020

https://www.edutwentytwenty.com

Teaching is already a full-time job. Naturally, schools also find approximately 47 other things for teachers to do.

In this After Hours episode, Courtney and Shannon share some of the extracurriculars, clubs, coaching jobs, fundraisers, and questionable after-school activities they somehow got roped into during their teaching careers. From cheer moms and mascot mishaps to bootleg Girls on the Run, a four-week drama club, teacher rock bands, and school fundraisers that probably needed a second opinion, there is a lot to unpack.

Timestamps
00:00 Welcome back to After Hours
01:51 Why new teachers get roped into EVERYTHING
02:16 Shannon's traumatic career as a cheer coach
04:45 Courtney was technically a cheerleader
07:36 Coaching basketball & dealing with parents
08:49 Bootleg Girls on the Run
10:01 Beta Club & Battle of the Books
11:14 Pelican Productions & teacher rock bands
14:21 The four-week drama club
15:49 The craziest school fundraisers

#TeacherLife #TeacherHumor #TeacherStories #Education #Edu2020

https://www.edutwentytwenty.com

With high-quality instructional materials doing much of the heavy lifting, do teachers still need to lesson plan? Yes, but that doesn't mean spending hours creating detailed plans no one ever looks at.

In this episode, Courtney and Shannon break down how teachers and school leaders can simplify lesson planning by focusing on the planning moves that actually impact instruction and create accountability without turning lesson plans into another compliance task.

Timestamps
00:00 The lesson planning debate
01:48 Do teachers still need lesson plans with HQIM?
03:14 Why teachers still need to plan before teaching
05:36 Should leaders require lesson plans?
06:53 How to simplify lesson planning
07:40 The Big Four lesson planning moves
09:02 Leaders: Model your lesson planning expectations
10:42 How to monitor lesson plans without checking every one
13:05 Building a manageable lesson planning system
15:06 Explain the "why" behind your expectations
16:31 What nearly 400 classroom observations taught us

#LessonPlanning #TeacherTips #SchoolLeadership #CurriculumImplementation #Edu2020

https://www.edutwentytwenty.com

What happens when we ditch the education talk and just start asking each other questions? Things get weird pretty quickly.

In this After Hours episode, Courtney and Shannon share their favorite books, concerts and TV shows, tell a few cult stories, introduce some very particular children and cats, and discuss their highly scientific methods for surviving stress.

Timestamps
00:00 Welcome back to After Hours
01:30 Our favorite books and series
04:33 Favorite concerts & our Swiftie confession
06:14 Concerts, cult life & cheating for the Lord
08:16 Our favorite TV shows
09:56 Kids, cats & extremely picky eaters
12:28 How we deal with stress

#TeacherHumor #TeacherLife #EducatorPodcast #Edu2020

https://www.edutwentytwenty.com

Students can look like they're listening, complete every assignment, and still not actually learn the content.

In this episode, Courtney and Shannon share three simple teaching strategies that help students retrieve, process, and practice what they're learning so teachers can check for real understanding, not just compliance.

Timestamps
00:00 Are students listening or actually learning?
01:26 What is retrieval practice?
04:54 Strategy #1: Retrieval before review
07:49 Strategy #2: Chunk and check
13:03 Strategy #3: Practice with a product
14:29 Stop checking for completion instead of comprehension
16:01 Why copying notes doesn't guarantee learning

#TeachingStrategies #StudentLearning #StudentEngagement #TeacherTips #Edu2020

https://www.edutwentytwenty.com

Every professional development session has the same cast of characters: the eager learner, the side talkers, the emergency phone-call person, the paper grader, and the one who always has something to add or question.

In this After Hours episode, Courtney and Shannon confess their own bad PD behavior, share stories from leading teacher training, and somehow end up discussing Vaseline, gloves, and school bathroom emergencies.

Timestamps
00:00 Welcome back to After Hours
01:01 Bad teacher behaviors in professional development
03:22 When the room gives you absolutely nothing
05:03 The people you meet in every PD
09:20 Grading papers during staff meetings
11:00 The person who always knows more
13:03 The Vaseline and gloves story

#ProfessionalDevelopment #TeacherLife #TeacherHumor #Education #Edu2020

https://www.edutwentytwenty.com

Classroom walkthroughs should help leaders make better decisions about coaching and teacher support. But when the purpose is unclear, the data goes unused, or teachers never receive feedback, walkthroughs can quickly damage trust.

In this episode, Courtney and Shannon break down the biggest walkthrough mistakes and explain how leaders can make classroom observations more transparent and useful for everyone.

Timestamps
00:00 Why classroom walkthroughs matter
02:25 Red flag: No clear purpose
04:05 What leaders should look for
05:53 Red flag: Walkthroughs become compliance
07:08 How walkthrough data should drive support
10:05 Red flag: Teachers receive no feedback
11:45 Why face-to-face feedback matters

#ClassroomWalkthroughs #SchoolLeadership #InstructionalCoaching #TeacherSupport #Edu2020

https://www.edutwentytwenty.com