Amy Wright, K-4 Interventionist at Prairie Hill Elementary School in Illinois, joins this episode. Amy begins this episode reflecting back on her 30-year teaching career, and trends she's noticed every few years. She shares how recently she's tried to "keep it simple" by having clear and high expectations for her students, focusing on the love of reading, writing, math, and learning. Amy closes with offering advice to teachers.

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Dr. Angela Herring, Instructional Coach and ELA Department Chair in Georgia, joins this episode. Angela's expertise lies within coaching teachers, and she shares how in this climate, teaching really is "survival of the fittest." In order to help her teachers not feel burnt out, Angela provides a safe space for her staff.  This is critical in helping them face challenges they weren't taught to handle during teacher training. Just like with our students, Angela explains why establishing trust and relationships first is crucial to school leadership. She also reminds us that if someone confides in you, it should end there. If you're a teacher leader or school/district leader, you won't want to miss this episode!

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Lisa Liptak, first grade teacher at Annie Fisher STEM, in Hartford CT, joins this episode. Lisa dives right into how to help students navigate trauma during these uncertain times. She shares best practices such as role-playing, teaching students to problem-solve, discussing the importance of using words, and more. Lisa explains how each day in her classroom starts and ends with circle time, and stresses the importance of letting students talk to one another about how they're feeling and why. She closes with explaining how she uses praise in her classroom community.

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Zach Pfrimmer, third grade teacher at Liberty Elementary School in Washington, joins this episode. Zach first discusses the transition to being back in person this year, and how we're all doing the best we can for our students. Zach also shares how he has established himself as a teacher leader in the building, and shares best practices to ensure every teacher who is part of a student's journey can collaborate. He talks about finding experts in your school building and learning from them. We end the episode talking about how you can bring back more joy to your building and colleagues.

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Jessica K. Medley, 8th grade math teacher at South Gerard School in Alabama, joins today's episode. Jessica recently transitioned from teaching elementary students to middle school students, and dives into how challenging yet rewarding this change has been. She explains the importance of understanding new content knowledge, and shares strategies she's relied on that she took from her elementary experience such a Quick Checks and small group instruction. 

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Jennifer Seitz, Special Education teacher at Yorkship Elementary School in New Jersey, joins today's episode. Jennifer is incredibly passionate about using data to drive instruction, and she shares ways in which she engages students with connecting students to their data. She explains how she uses data meetings, planning time, and small group instruction to support her students. Jennifer also offers advice to teachers: "Be yourself. Let them see you," and explains how this has changed her relationships with her students.  

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Amy Spears, 8th grade math teacher at Alton Middle School in Illinois, joins today's episode. Amy shares the 10 things she's learned about precise math language. For example, she explains why you should use "simplify" rather than "reduce" when talking about fractions with your students. Hear why these small changes can be critical for students, and how Amy has changed the way she teaches math over the course of her career.

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Regina Hewlett Norman, fourth grade ELA teacher at Liberty Point Elementary in Georgia, joins this episode. Regina discusses how technology has supported her and her students this year, and how she celebrates successes even during these uncertain times. She also dives into the importance of maintaining a work/life balance, and provides best practices to take care of both your physical and mental bodies. 

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Kevin Finnegan, principal at the Prairie Hill School in Illinois, joins this episode. Kevin discusses how his school community uses consistent PLCs, which have changed student outcomes, and how leadership supports teachers with collaborative planning time. Kevin dives into replicable best practices that other leaders and teachers will definitely find helpful! 

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Sally Shum McDevitt, Associate Design Director, Learning Games, at Curriculum Associates (CA), joins this episode to discuss her new book, Family Style! Sally shares what brought her to CA,  her passion for representation in children's literature, and what fueled her fire to write a book. 

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