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Ugh! Sometimes, it can be so frustrating to teach students because all they care about is the grade! All of this focus on the grade puts on blinders and they miss the journey. Is it possible to teach students 'how to learn'? How we can we teach students how to be resilient when they face adversity or rejection?  How can teachers package up their lessons in a way that make it easier for students to learn?

Today I bring on Eric Janssen, an Entrepreneur and faculty member at the Ivey Business School. At Ivey, Eric teaches  Sales Foundation, New Venture Creation, and a course he designed called Hustle and Grit. Eric  was recently awarded the HBA Ivey Teaching Award for outstanding impact as an Ivey Instructor. Eric has always had a knack for teaching. Upon graduation, Eric also taught Business 1220 at Ivey was awarded the Teaching Honour Roll Certificate for exceptional course ratings. 

Outside of the classroom, Eric preaches what he teaches. Eric has played a role in many firms on their sales team, none bigger than working for Intillex as their Chief Revenue Officer. Intillex is most well known for their RFID Wristbands used by the worlds best live events such as Coachella, Bonaroo, and Boots and Hearts. Eric also the host of his own podcast called The Entrepreneur Podcast.  You probably guessed it…Eric is a proud graduate from the Ivey Business School with his HBA and MBA.

On this episode, we chat about:

1. "Rejection Olympics" - An assignment Eric created for his course 'Hustle and Grit'
2. How does Eric teach students how to learn?
3.  How do we steer students to focus on learning and not worry about the grades?
4. Why is becoming a part-time entertainer in the classroom necessary for learning?

This episode is incredible! Eric is an amazing educator, and you have to listen what this man has to say!

Links:

• The Entrepreneur Podcast hosted by Eric Janssen
• LinkedIn - Eric Janssen 

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With parents-teacher interviews around the corner, I thought it was fitting to do a remix of our pilot episode "What Makes a Great Teacher from a Students Perspective?" 

Today I chat with Jennifer and Steve Latimer, proud parents of four children: Abby, Blake, Jack, and Sadie. Abby and Blake both currently attend Western University. Abby is currently in her third year attending the Ivey Business School, while Blake is in his second year at Western also studying business at Huron College. Jack is  currently in grade 11, and I have the pleasure of teaching him in my grade 11 accounting class, and finally Sadie just entered high school and is starting grade 9 at Appleby College. 

 Steve and Jen have some long standing ties with Appleby College sending all four children through the school. Jennifer is also currently the Vice President of the Appleby College Parents Association.

In this episode, we chat about:

1. What do parents look for in a great elementary school teacher? Who were some if their favourite elementary school teachers that taught their children?
2. What do parents look for in a great high school teacher? Who were some of their favourite high school teachers over the years?
3. As parents, how do they prefer to receive bad news about their children during PT interviews? 
4. Naturally, parents become less involved in their children's education at the post-secondary level. What do they hope their children get out of the post-secondary education experience? 

and much more! Get ready for PT interviews and check out this episode! Good luck to everyone this week. To new teachers, you got this!

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The world is slowly starting to open up. Wouldn't it be nice to travel the world and make some money at the same time?

Teaching abroad is a popular option for teachers looking to see the world, experience new culture and make some cash while doing it. If you ever wondered what it was like to teach abroad this is the episode for you!

Today I chat with Renee Faubert, a Guidance and Learning Resource Teacher and Former Arts teacher at Canadian International School in Vietnam. Renee has been teaching for 8 years . She started her career in teaching in Ecuador teaching MYP Design. Before moving to Vietnam, Renee was a Boarding Advisor and Arts Teacher at Branksome Hall. Renee graduated with a B.Ed from Queens University. 

We chat about:

1. How does a teacher begin the process of the job search?
2. Financially, who covers the cost of the flights, move and other logistical responsibilities?
3. Culturally what are major differences between North American teaching and teaching aboard? 
4. What is compensation like for teachers teaching abroad?
5. How do contracts work when signing up for abroad teaching?

and much more!

Check us out! Click the link. Click subscribe. You won't want to miss this episode! 

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I know this sounds silly....but have you ever thought what it would be like to drive a school bus?! As teachers, we are so focused in the classroom! But we need bus drivers to get the kids to the school safely and on time!

Today my guest is Max Ross, a former bus driver for Attridge Bus Company and Appleby College.  Max  is a stand up comedian from Toronto Ontario. Outside of his comedy career, Max served in the Canadian Armed Forces as an Airborne Infantry soldier.  His previous career paths and life experiences inspires Max's comedy. He has performed across Canada and the United States, performed at the Burbank Comedy Festival in Burbank California and was part of the Ed The Sock "War on Stupid" Canadian Comedy tour. He has also co-produced and hosted his own comedy show in Toronto named "Thank Me For My Service - Military Comedy Show", a show consisting of comedians who previously served in the military.

You can follow Max on Instagram/Twitter/TikTok @maxrosscomedy

You can watch a sample of Max's stand-up act by clicking this link!

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Welcome back to part two of our conversation with Sean! We continue our conversation around the topic of sports psychology and arming coaches with the knowledge and advice to help assist their athletes through this years academic year. 

Today I bring back my colleague and office mate Sean Poitras! Sean is a Social Science teacher at Appleby College and coaches the Varsity Boys Hockey team and Soccer team. Sean has dedicated his life and career to the study of psychology. He received his Bachelors degree in Sports and Exercise Psychology at Laurentian University and went on to receive his Masters of Education in Athletic Counselling Psychology from Springfield College. He also served as an adjunct professor at Sheridan College various psychology courses, and worked as a consultant  for several firms as a sports psychologist. He was also a previous owners of his own private practice called Focus North Performance a sports psychology consulting firm.

Today I chat with Sean about:

1. Sports Rebab: What role does coaches play in the recovery process for student athletes? 
2. Team Dynamics: Is there research that suggest a team that likes each other performs better on the field? How much emphasis should coaches put into team bonding?

Check us out! Don't forget to click subscribe and follow us each week!

LinkedIn: Sean Poitras
Instagram: FocusnPerform

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Is choking in sports a real thing? Can athletes burn out? Do athletes face performance anxiety? If you are a coach and you've seen these affect your players, how can we help them? Many coaches do not have training in sports psychology, and find it difficult to help our athletes face their mental challenges. So what can coaches do?

Today I bring on my colleague and office mate Sean Poitras! Sean is a Social Science teacher at Appleby College and coaches the Varsity Boys Hockey team and Soccer team. Sean has dedicated his life and career to the study of psychology. He received his Bachelors degree in Sports and Exercise Psychology at Laurentian University and went on to receive his Masters of Education in Athletic Counselling Psychology from Springfield College. He also served as an adjunct professor at Sheridan College various psychology courses, and worked as a consultant  for several firms as a sports psychologist. He was also a previous owners of his own private practice called Focus North Performance a sports psychology consulting firm.

Today I chat with Sean about:

1. What does a sports psychologist do? What value can they bring to a team?
2. Performance Anxiety/"Choking": What does the research say? How can athletes overcome this? How can coaches help our athletes? 
3. Mindfulness: How can coaches incorporate mindfulness into their practices? What are the benefits of mindfulness? 

This is a two part episode! Next week we talk about the mental toll rehab takes on athletes, and discuss. the importance of team dynamics. What does research say about game performance versus team cohesion? Plus much more!

LinkedIn: Sean Poitras
Instagram: FocusnPerform

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Most of us grew up or have taught in a co-ed school. What would it be like though to teach at a single gendered school?

Today I bring in an old friend, Alan Chan, an IB Economics and Math Teacher from Upper Canada College, one of the most prestigious all boys schools in Toronto. Alan has been working at UCC for eight years and outside of the classroom has been the Head Coach of the Varsity Boys Volleyball Team and U16 Badminton Team. He also served as Assistant Coach to the U14 Volleyball Team. He also spent some time being involved in the schools boarding life program as a Residential Assistant. Alan received his B.Ed and Masters of Economics from the University of Toronto. 

On this episode I ask Alan:

1. What is it like to work at an all boys school? The good and the bad?
2. Do the boys act and behave differently in school without girls around them?
3. How do the boys get the opportunity to learn to socialize with girls?
4. Is an all boys school right for everyone? What type of boys would thrive in this environment?

plus much more!

Tune in this week on The Teacher Hotline! Next week, is the Thanksgiving long weekend, so there won't be an episode. So tune in now!

Website: Upper Canada College
Twitter: @Alan_Chan
LinkedIn: Alan Chan 

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It is September! That means future teachers are beginning to think about if they want to start the journey of becoming a teacher! So lets' take a few episodes to review some of the Teacher Education programs available to us in Ontario.

Today I bring in two guests: Niki Boytchuk-Hale and Miles Duke. Niki is a concurrent education, entering her third year at Queens University. At the same time she is completing her bachelors in fine arts with a minor in Indigenous Studies and Certificate in Law. As for her practicum, Niki was placed at St. Mildreds, teaching grade 1's and was hired back for a few months at own high school at Appleby College, teaching Visual Arts and Canadian Law.

Our second guest is Miles Duke, a graduate of Western University Bachelor of Education program. Miles graduated in 2019 and focused his studies on the primary and junior grades. Miles is now working as an Occasional Teacher in the Thames Valley District School board in London. Previous to his B.Ed Miles earned his Honours Bachelors in English Languages and Literature from the University of Toronto.

In this episode we talk about:

1. What is a concurrent education program? How is it difference than a traditional bachelor of education degree?
2. How much does each program cost?
3. How is each program structured?
4. What did they enjoy about the program? What feedback do they have for their school?

Both Niki and Miles gave Western and Queens four out of five stars for their teacher education experience. Listen to this episode to hear what they have to say!

Deadline for Western/Queens 2022 B.Ed - December 1st, 2021
Deadline for Queens 2022 Con.Ed - February 1st, 2022

Social Media
Niki's Instagram - @nik.paint
Niki's Twitter - @n_boytchuk
Niki's LinkedIn - @Niki Boytchuk-Hale

Miles Linkedin - @Miles Duke

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We are back for part two of our conversation with Mr. Fraser Grant, the new Head of School and Deputy Principal of Appleby College. 

Mr. Grant has been working at Appleby College for 27 years and counting. Over the years, he served primarily as an Economics Teacher but also served in various leadership roles such as the Senior School Director, Assistant House Director, and was as the schools Assistant Head of Academic for the last 12 years. Fraser has his M.Ed from Brock University and Masters in Economics from McMaster. But the  true beauty of this story is Fraser also was a former student at Appleby College back in the good old days and was part of the 1987 graduating class and has now climbed his way to the top as our new Head of School. So in the words of Drake, Mr. Grant indeed did start from the bottom and now he is here!

Last week we had a very productive conversation around grade inflation and why we think it is happening across Canada. This week we shift our conversation to: how can we fix this problem? We examine a few solutions and topics such as:

1. Standardized Testing - Does this work? Will it eliminate grade inflation?
2. Waterloo Engineering's Grade Adjustment - Does this work? Does it have consequences?
3. Harvey Mansfield 'Two Grades' Practice - A Harvard Economics professor gives his students two grades! Listen in to why he does this and how it combats grade inflation.
4. Private Schools - Are they a big culprit to giving our grades for money? 

Plus much more!

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Is an 80% average in 2021 worth the same as an 80% average back in 1990? 

I love teaching grade 12's....except when January comes around and university marks starts to get uploaded to universities. 

Grades are such a sensitive subject now. Programs are becoming more competitive, expectations are higher, and more students are applying than ever before. As a result, we have seen grades being inflated over the year. The question is, why is this happening? How did this happen? Is this sustainable? 

Today I bring in my new boss, AKA new Head of School and Deputy Principal of Appleby College, Mr. Fraser Grant. Mr. Grant has been working at Appleby College for 27 years and counting. Over the years, he served primarily as an Economics Teacher but also served in various leadership roles such as the Senior School Director, Assistant House Director, and was as the schools Assistant Head of Academic for the last 12 years. Fraser has his M.Ed from Brock University and Masters in Economics from McMaster. But the  true beauty of this story is Fraser also was a former student at Appleby College back in the good old days and was part of the 1987 graduating class and has now climbed his way to the top as our new Head of School. So in the words of Drake, Mr. Grant indeed did start from the bottom and now he is here!

Today we talk about:

1. Has he seen grade inflation at our school, Appleby College during his tenure?
2. What is causing grades to be inflated in Canada? 
3. With grades creeping up, can this be a good thing if looked through a different lens?
4. How can we equally compare grades and credits when they are clearly not equal across schools?
   • Waterloo Engineering introduced a concept called an "Adjustment Factor" to students grades depending on which school they came from. Some schools are notorious for giving out higher grades. Is this the way to fix grade inflation?

Plus much more! This is part one of a two part conversation. You won't want to miss it!

Articles:

• Waterloo Engineering and the Adjustment Factor Article 

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