The Old School

Your two forward thinking, future loving hosts celebrate the podcast's 150th episode by looking at changes in language. Inspired by an episode of Words Unraveled with Rob Watts and Jess Zafarris (link below), the hosts take a look at changes in language and whether they are ultimately good, bad or just a part of the dynamic nature of language as seen in the centuries before. They will look at profanity, euphemisms, the downgrade of grammatical importance and the growing informality of language. All the while, trying to figure out the level of which they are comfortable with the changes and how AI could exacerbate the changes or wipe out language completely. Another wholesome and optimistic look at the developments of language. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JYqGa_-UZE

Your two favorite curmudgeons set their sights on doctors in particular and the health care system in general. While there is much to love and admire about our health system, there are idiosyncrasies that annoy the hosts - from quick primary doctor visits to the tone that some physicians have when speaking to us to a host of other little things that lead to one big episode. What are you biggest pet peeves about going to the doctor? Leave a comment. The pod would love to hear from you.

The Old School podcasters celebrate the Olympics as the final events conclude in Milan on 22 February. There is a great deal of talk on what makes it special, what makes it annoying and what the hosts would add or subtract to the list of events. Mr. Miller regales in his story of his visit to the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver while Dr. Bourgeois dwells in the wonder of watching track and field events. All of this Olympic talk of finely tuned athletes with bodies at the peak of their power is preceded by a discussion on the wonders of SPAM. 

Your two intrepid podcast hosts tackle the subject of mysteries and conspiracies. Theories are debated regarding John F. Kennedy, fake pigeons and dodgy mattress stores. There is also a look at mysteries such as the cases of Amelia Earhart, D.B. Cooper and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. The two hosts also broach the subject of the psychology of believing in conspiracies and the lionization of such dubious figures as criminals Cooper, Bonnie and Clyde and Butch and Sundance. Dr. Bourgeois gets Mr. Miller's goat, Mr. Miller takes it head long and hilarity ensues. 

Returning to the field of education, your two favorite podcasters delve into a subject that has been touched on before but never elaborated upon and that is the hiring of teachers. The Old School first addresses how teachers are trained and whether, despite historical precedence, a nationalized and uniformed certification process is favorable to the various, and at times questionable, local and state-wide versions. Second, the hosts dive into the interview process and the best way to discover the best teaching prospects and finally, ending with the on-the-job training teachers get or don't. The podcast covers a lot of territory today to try and understand the best way to get the best people in the most needed classrooms.

As snow and temperatures fall on North Texas and nearly the entire eastern half of the country, your two intrepid hosts battle the conditions within their warm, cozy offices to deliver an episode on winter. The hosts focus on such conditions as seasonal affected disorder on one end of the spectrum but also the fact that some of the coldest countries in the world are also at the top of the happiness index. Dr. Bourgeois and Mr. Miller consider the dichotomy of those two ideas and everything in between about the coming of winter. Not really coming anymore. Winter is here. 

Your two favorite podcast hosts tackle one of the touchiest subject they've ever discussed - a midlife crisis. In the course of the discussion, there is a great deal of digging into the myths associated with these phases of life, the symptoms and the extent of this condition. Much of what people know is a distortion created by media but the psychological evidence paints a different picture and the hosts will try to, in the modern parlance, unpack it.

The two loveable hosts welcome back the great Dr. Alex Fingers to discuss the idea of collecting things. From sports cards and comics as kids to music and more refined items as adults. Why do we collect things? How does it help us emotionally, socially and how does that help in other aspects of our lives? It is not just hoarding things - though it can certainly go in that direction. Rather, it is something that fires passions, fosters connections and in the end, become the things that define us.

Your two loveable hosts, in the midst of bowl games and the soon-to-begin NFL playoffs, talk about being a sports fan. The two attempt to draw out its positives but also the increasing number (of late) of negatives. What is acceptable? What should not be acceptable? Are fans using their status as paying customers to forget about social norms and mores? The hosts, while going down a few rabbit holes - including, whether Dr. Bourgeois can really call himself a "good fan" - attempt to answer these questions and discuss many other items.

The Old School Podcast welcomes Mr. Ferrell Yeokum to discuss classroom management and his new book, Mastering Classroom Discipline for New Teachers: A Practical Guide to Create an Orderly Classroom, Prevent Disruptions and Improve Student Performance. The three educators discuss the forces within the classroom, within the school and outside the school that can impact a well-run classroom and the teachers who attempt to accomplish their goals. In doing so, Mr. Yeokum provides some strategies and some approaches that can greatly assist new teachers with the incredibly difficult task to point their students in one, successful direction.