Aristotle once said, “The fate of empires depends on the education of the youth.” That statement is as true today as it was in ancient Greece. That is why it is so imperative we change the negative narratives circling around our schools. Because if the next generation doesn’t understand the importance and power of education then we may not have the next generation of educators.

Paul Kennedy is the Director of Scholar Advancement for Global Academies and is known for his school culture innovations. Paul dropped by to chat with Jordan and Matt on alumni culture, athletics in education, the joy of teaching, student voice, preparing leaders, changing the narratives around education, diversifying the curriculum, fostering relationships, and why your school Principal should be known as The Head of Learning.

Links:

You can connect with Paul at  [email protected] for information on Global’s Alumni program at gla_alumniprograms

An in-depth look at the program Paul leads at Global Academies.

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From the outside, it may seem that all is well. But on the inside, it may feel like you have a Kodiak Bear breathing down your neck ready to pounce.

Now imagine you're a student trying to learn Algebra or Adverbs under those conditions. That’s the reality that more and more of our kids face today as the CDC says that Trauma is the most significant health crisis in today's youth.

Todd Finley is a Professor at East Carolina University who specializes in preparing teachers to connect with students under duress and how they can unlock the charisma they need to shine in today’s classroom.

Todd also chatted with Jordan and Anna on Equity in Teacher Preparation, role-playing to master classroom management, PD best practices, brain-based teaching, what it takes to succeed at different grade levels, what PLCs are really meant for, and how to rebound from classroom horror stories.

Links:

You can connect with Todd on Twitter at @finleyt or on LinkedIn.

You can find The Trauma Resource Institute here: https://www.traumaresourceinstitute.com/

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If students don’t want to be in the space, they aren’t going to learn in that space. Education can’t simply be a content delivery platform anymore. You have to create a robust Social-Emotional experience for your students to create the ideal conditions for learning. A House System can be the way you instill camaraderie and belonging into your school community.

In this week’s episode, David Olinger joins Jordan and Anna to chat about House Systems, Change Management, Incorporating SEL, and Honoring the Work that Precedes us. David is the Director of Digital Strategy for O’Dea High School in Seattle Washington and he is also a leading educational consultant specializing in Change Management.

Links:

You can connect with David on Twitter @olingerdavid or on LinkedIn

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Sometimes we hold on to traditions in schools and in classrooms that don’t drive learning, culture, or experiences. Sometimes the traditions are exactly what is driving those critical pieces. In this week’s episode, we chat with Kelly Rodriguez about how to know when you need to overcome or change traditions and when you need to lean into the things that are working. Hint: ask your students!

Kelly also stopped by to chat about teaching as a 2nd career, the various meanings of a “safe school”, creating staff ownership in new programs, and we game plan your next student-staff softball game!

Links:

You can follow Kelly on Instagram at senora_krod

To learn more about how Kelly and how Maranatha utilize Houses and LiveSchool Points check out our case study here: https://www.whyliveschool.com/stories/maranatha-christian-schools

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* BONUS EPISODE * Teachers don’t need wellness PD or Pizza Parties. They need to be seen as professionals. Charmaine Williams is a veteran educator, accomplished writer, podcaster, and founder of the Controlled Chaos Academy. She joined Jordan and Anna this week to speak directly to school leaders on the behalf of teachers.

Charmaine also stopped by to chat about student voice, relevant rewards, administrator visibility, teacher recognition, how to coach teachers to be their best, and providing transformative learning experiences.

Links:

You can connect with Charmaine at www.alwayscharmaine.com or find her on Twitter at @AlwaysCharmaine1 and be sure to connect with her on LinkedIn @CharmaineWilliams!

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What sets apart a great school from a failing school? What’s the secret sauce of schools that are closing achievement gaps? Why do U.S. teachers leave the classroom at twice the rate of other developed countries?

In this week’s episode, we are joined by Education Researchers Laura Hernandez and Dion Burns from the Learning Policy Institute. Laura and Dion share their research on all of those questions above plus best practices in relationship building, self-assessing your school culture, developing trust in new programs, and we looked at time as the most critical resource in schools.

Links:

The Learning Policy Institute: www.learningpolicyinstitute.org

Key Research to Reference: Instructional Leadership Corps and the Positive Outliers Studies

Overall Design Principals: https://k12.designprinciples.org/

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If we are going to address the teacher shortage, we need to address teacher stress, burnout, and how society views the profession. Our guest today is working on doing just that by improving student engagement and bringing community involvement into the classroom through Project-Based Learning.

Terra Tarango joins us this week to discuss Teaching Careers, Project-Based Learning, Community Involvement, Student Engagement, Fire Drills, Teacher Press Releases, Learning Loss, Pluto’s Planetary Status, and Coaching Teachers.

Links:

Don’t forget to follow @TerraTarango on Twitter or if you have questions you can email her at [email protected] and check her out at blueappleteacher.org!

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Sometimes school leaders have to do what’s best for their teachers and their students. Don’t be afraid to be that agent of change when the time comes to do what's best for your school.

In this episode, Jordan is joined by Gerry Brooks (@gerrybrooksprin) and Lisa Kear (Elementary School Principal) to discuss leadership transitions, career adversity, building staff morale, teacher shortages, and how to balance what needs to be done with what your staff needs to get it done.

Links:

Don’t forget to follow @gerrybrooksprin on all of your favorite social media platforms!

You can find Lisa via the Liberty Elementary Facebook page (libertyhawks)!

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Schools need innovation to successfully navigate the ever-changing waters of modern education. That innovation is impossible without the collaboration of all the necessary stakeholders. In this week's episode, we talk with Dr. Nick Polyak about creating a collaborative culture in your school that allows innovation to shine.

Listen as Anna and Jordan talk with Superintendent Polyak about Career Mobility, Equity in Schools, Collaborative Cultures, Student Voice, School Leadership Trees, and how to create an Innovation Incubator in your school.

Links:

Don’t forget to follow Dr. Nick Polyak at @npolyak and check out “The Unfinished Leader”.

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We all underestimated the behavior needs we ended up facing last school year. Learn how @PrincipalTurk and his staff built empathy in their students through relationships and logical consequences. 

Listen as Anna and Jordan talk with Anthony about those topics plus servant leadership, encouraging innovation, and internal podcasts to communicate with your school community.