Time for Teachership

How can we transform IEP meetings from overwhelming, compliance-driven processes into meaningful collaborations that center students, empower families, and support inclusive education?

In this episode of the Time for Teachership podcast, host Lindsay Lyons welcomes guests Dr. Frank Vicente and Alexis Florence, special education professionals, parents, and champions of inclusion, to discuss how schools can reimagine the Individualized Education Program (IEP) process to better serve students with disabilities and their families.

Drawing on their experiences as both educators and special education parents, Frank and Alexis share practical strategies for making IEP meetings more accessible, collaborative, and student-centered. They challenge educators to look beyond standardized test scores, recognize the expertise of everyone on the team, and build systems that support meaningful participation before, during, and after meetings.

The conversation explores how small but intentional changes—such as communicating with families before meetings, leading with student strengths, clarifying team members' roles, and making evaluation data easier to understand—can transform the IEP process and strengthen inclusive practices across schools.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why we need to reimagine the IEP process: Shift from viewing IEP meetings as isolated events focused on paperwork and evaluations to seeing them as part of an ongoing process of inclusion, collaboration, and student support.

• How to center student and family voice: Create meaningful opportunities for students and families to share their perspectives, priorities, strengths, needs, and visions for the future.

• How to make IEP meetings more welcoming and accessible: Contact families beforehand, explain what to expect, use accessible language, and help parents feel comfortable contributing to the conversation.

• Why strengths-based IEP meetings matter: Begin with students' strengths before discussing areas of need, helping establish a more positive and collaborative foundation for planning.

• How to look beyond standardized test scores: Bring together evaluation results, classroom observations, work samples, and family insights to understand students holistically and identify meaningful patterns.

• How to clarify specially designed instruction (SDI): Explore how changes to content, instructional methods, and delivery help students access the curriculum and participate in inclusive learning environments.

• How to prepare for effective IEP meetings: Use agendas, pre-meeting organizers, guiding questions, and clear expectations to help every team member understand their role.

• How to strengthen general education teacher participation: Ensure general education teachers understand how they can contribute to discussions about goals, accommodations, modifications, and student progress throughout the meeting.

• How to build inclusive systems: Recognize that inclusion requires intentional planning, staffing, budgeting, professional learning, and collaboration across the school ecosystem.

Find the episode resources here:

lindsaybethlyons.com/blog/283

Connect with Frank & Alexis:

• Website: https://www.sctstraining.com

• Education United Alliance: https://www.educationunitedalliance.com

• Email: [email protected]

• Email: [email protected]

What if family engagement wasn't just about back-to-school nights, parent-teacher conferences, and school events—but a core part of your school's culture?

In this episode of the Time for Teachership podcast, host Lindsay Lyons welcomes guest Ashley Harding, educator and family engagement advocate with Northstar Academics, to explore how schools can move beyond traditional family engagement practices and build meaningful, sustainable partnerships with families and communities.

Ashley shares how her own childhood experience growing up in a community where teachers and families were deeply connected shaped her vision for schools as community hubs. Together, Lindsay and Ashley discuss why families should be treated as valuable partners and leaders in education, rather than passive participants or people to blame when engagement efforts fall short.

They explore how schools can rethink family engagement by making it a sustainable part of school culture, centering shared decision-making, and creating opportunities for families to influence school policies, support student learning, and help shape their children's educational experiences.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why family engagement must become part of school culture: Move beyond one-time events and build lasting relationships that continue throughout a student's educational journey.

• How to shift the narrative around family involvement: Recognize families as valuable partners with agency, knowledge, and insights—not as obstacles or people who simply need to be more engaged.

• Why family co-leadership matters: Explore how shared decision-making can strengthen school culture, support teacher satisfaction, and improve student attendance, behavior, social-emotional wellness, and academic achievement.

• How to make family engagement more equitable and accessible: Consider families' work schedules, home languages, communication preferences, and other barriers when planning engagement opportunities.

• How to build sustainable family-school partnerships: Create systems that extend beyond one staff member or family engagement coordinator and become embedded in the school's everyday practices.

• How to connect family communication to student learning: Help families understand what their children are learning, why it matters, and how they can support that learning at home.

• How to move from participation to leadership: Invite families and community members to help shape school initiatives, contribute ideas, and co-lead meaningful change.

• One practical action step for educators and school leaders: Identify one simple, consistent practice that can bring families into partnership with the school throughout the year.

Find the episode resources here:

lindsaybethlyons.com/blog/282

Connect with Ashley Harding:

• Website: https://www.go3degrees.com/

• Instagram and Facebook: @northstaracademics

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashleyelizabethharding/

What happens when students and older adults have intentional opportunities to learn from one another?

In this episode of Time for Teachership, host Lindsay Lyons talks with guest Ivy Mitchell, a former civics teacher and creator of Bridging the Generations, about using intergenerational connection to strengthen civic engagement, challenge age-based stereotypes, and help young people see themselves as active members of their communities.

Ivy shares how a simple classroom idea grew into a community event—and eventually into a local cable television program—designed to create meaningful conversations between generations.

At the heart of her work is a powerful goal: counteracting the social forces that disconnect us from one another and creating more opportunities for people to talk with and learn from people they might not otherwise encounter.

• Intergenerational relationships can strengthen students' sense of community and civic participation.
• Intentional connection can challenge stereotypes about both young people and older adults.
• Students are often more curious about older adults' experiences than adults might expect.
• Informal experiences like shared meals can help build stronger relationships.
• Educators can start small rather than waiting for a perfect program.
• Community partnerships can make intergenerational projects much easier to organize.
• Students and older adults should both have opportunities to ask questions and share their experiences.
• Civic education can extend beyond government knowledge into authentic community participation.
• Technology and "stranger danger" culture can reduce spontaneous interactions, making intentional connection increasingly important.
• Intergenerational learning benefits both generations, creating opportunities for curiosity, storytelling, belonging, and mutual learning.

Grab the free resource connected to this episode at:

lindsaybethlyons.com/blog/281

Connect With Ivy Mitchell

Website: https://app.smore.com/n/c1tdf-bridging-the-generations-2025

What happens when young people and older adults have meaningful opportunities to learn, volunteer, and build relationships together?

In this episode of Time for Teachership, host Lindsay Lyons talks with guest Marissa Birne about the power of intergenerational learning and her work developing Vermont Youth Leaders in Aging, a volunteer program that connects high school students with older adults in their communities.

Marissa shares why relationships are at the heart of intergenerational education, how connecting across generations can challenge age-based stereotypes, and what educators and community leaders can do to create more opportunities for young people and older adults to learn from one another.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Intergenerational learning is rooted in relationships — meaningful connections between young people and older adults can provide mentorship, encouragement, belonging, and mutual support.
• Freedom dreaming: Marissa envisions every young person having an older adult in their corner while also valuing aging as a time of continued learning, connection, and growth.
• Challenge age-based silos — schools and communities often separate people by age, limiting opportunities for different generations to learn from one another.
• Develop an age-positive mindset — authentic relationships can challenge stereotypes about both older adults and young people.
• Vermont Youth Leaders in Aging connects high school students with older adults through intergenerational volunteer groups facilitated by University of Vermont students.
• Build strong community partnerships — senior living communities, assisted living facilities, senior centers, libraries, and other organizations can become valuable partners in intergenerational programming.
• Make programs mutually beneficial by building activities around participants' interests, strengths, talents, and lived experiences.
• Use a balance of structure and flexibility — guided activities can help participants feel comfortable initially while allowing students and older adults to eventually lead conversations themselves.
• Intergenerational activities can take many forms, including storytelling, music, games, creative projects, cultural sharing, interviews, service projects, and collaborative learning.
• Expect initial nervousness — participants may be hesitant at first, but relationships and conversation can grow stronger with consistent opportunities to connect.
• Create opportunities for belonging — the episode highlights how simply having someone excited to see you can create a powerful sense of connection and purpose.
• Co-generation matters — involve students, older adults, and community partners in designing the program rather than creating it for them.
• Start locally — identify potential community partners, have conversations with students and older adults, and look for shared needs and interests.
• Resources for getting started include Generations United, CoGenerate, and Marc Freedman's How to Live Forever: The Enduring Power of Connecting the Generations.
• Big takeaway: Intergenerational programs can help young and older people move beyond age-based assumptions, build meaningful relationships, and create more connected communities.

Grab the free resource connected to this episode at:

lindsaybethlyons.com/blog/280

Connect With Marissa Birne:

Website: https://www.uvm.edu/larnermed/centeronaging/vermont-youth-leaders-aging

What can educators learn from Indigenous ways of knowing, intergenerational learning, storytelling, and community-centered education?

In this episode of the Time for Teachership podcast, host Lindsay Lyons talks with guest Dr. Anton Treuer, author, educator, and scholar, about how education can help create social transformation and prepare students to thrive in an increasingly diverse world.

Dr. Treuer explores the importance of moving beyond a single way of teaching and learning and creating educational spaces where students can encounter different cultures, perspectives, stories, and ways of solving problems. He shares examples from Indigenous communities and schools, including Indigenous language revitalization, culturally integrated curriculum, and the Hawaiian-language school Nāwahī.

The conversation also examines the power of intergenerational learning and the ways schools can reconnect young people with elders, community members, and the natural world. Dr. Treuer explains why storytelling and cultural practices can help students develop values and understandings in ways that go beyond simply learning information.

A major theme throughout the episode is the idea that educators don't have to be experts in every culture or every topic. Instead, they can approach learning with curiosity, ask good questions, bring in community knowledge, and learn alongside their students.

• Why education is so powerful in creating social transformation
• Dr. Treuer's vision for education and social change
• The importance of intergenerational learning and multi-generational communities
• What educators can learn from Indigenous ways of knowing
• How storytelling can become a powerful tool for learning and reflection
• The role of oral histories and community stories in education
• How cultural practices can help students develop values and ways of seeing the world
• Moving beyond a single, dominant approach to teaching and learning
• Why students benefit from exposure to multiple cultures and perspectives
• Indigenous language revitalization and its role in education
• The example of Nāwahī and Hawaiian-language education
• How schools can integrate Indigenous knowledge across subject areas
• Discovering the mathematics and STEM learning already present in culture and community practices
• Making STEM education more relevant and relatable to students
• Why educators don't need to be content experts on every culture or topic
• How teachers can learn alongside their students
• The importance of asking big questions and connecting students with community knowledge
• Creating educational environments that support different learning modalities
• The impact of historical and ongoing educational practices on Indigenous communities
• Moving beyond stereotypes and romanticized ideas about Indigenous cultures
• What educators can learn from Indigenous approaches without treating any culture as a monolith
• Embracing discomfort as part of the work of pursuing justice and humanity
• The relationship between justice, opportunity, community, and human connection
• How school culture, curriculum, professional learning, and family engagement can all contribute to more inclusive education

Grab the free resource connected to this episode at:

lindsaybethlyons.com/blog/279

Connect with guest Dr. Anton Treuer:

Website: https://antontreuer.com/

What happens when middle school girls have a consistent, trusted group of older women who listen to them, validate them, and create a safe space for them to be heard?

In this episode of the Time for Teachership podcast, host Lindsay Lyons talks with guest Karen Foley of the Juvenile Protective Association (JPA) in Chicago about the transformative power of intergenerational learning and JPA's Grandmothers Program, which connects middle school girls with older women from their communities.

Karen shares how Grandmothers Circles create opportunities for girls to talk about what is really happening in their lives—from friendship drama and social media to safety, confidence, identity, and the challenges of growing up. Rather than teaching or telling girls what to do, the grandmothers primarily listen, guide, validate, and create a sense of safety and belonging.

The conversation also explores why investing in girls and women benefits entire communities, how educators can create more meaningful intergenerational experiences, and what schools and community organizations should consider when developing their own programs.

Karen emphasizes that the power of the Grandmothers Program isn't necessarily in the activities themselves. It is in the relationships, consistency, trust, and opportunity for young people to feel seen and heard.

• Why intergenerational learning can benefit both young people and older adults
• The purpose and structure of JPA's Grandmothers Program
• Why middle school can be such a challenging time for girls
• How trusted adults can support girls' confidence, safety, and sense of belonging
• The importance of listening to students rather than immediately trying to teach or fix
• How grandmothers can serve as guides without attempting to replace parents or caregivers
• Recruiting and preparing community grandmothers and older women
• Why consistency and psychological safety are essential when working with students
• How schools can integrate intergenerational programs during or after the school day
• What girls and grandmothers can learn from one another
• Using real-life topics like social media and online safety to spark intergenerational conversations
• A fun example of girls learning cursive from grandmothers—and what it reveals about generational differences
• How educators and students can help shape the design of an intergenerational program
• The importance of providing access to mental health professionals when difficult topics arise
• JPA's Connect to Kids program and its approach to reflective practice, educator support, and stronger relationships with students

Grab the free resource connected to this episode at:

lindsaybethlyons.com/blog/278

Connect with guest Karen Foley:

Website: https://jpachicago.org/grandparent-circle/

Think it's too early in the school year to start classroom discussions? Think again.

In this episode of the Time for Teachership podcast, Lindsay Lyons makes the case for starting classroom discussions now—whether you're a few weeks into the school year, starting later, or listening at another point in the year.

Drawing particularly from Making Classroom Discussions Work, edited by Jane C. Lo, Lindsay explores both why classroom discourse matters and practical ways educators can begin building a culture of meaningful, student-led discussion.

The key message is simple:

You don't have to wait until students are "ready" for discourse. You build readiness by giving students opportunities to practice discourse.

• Why classroom discussions are worth instructional time
• What distinguishes high-quality discourse from a simple turn-and-talk
• How students construct knowledge through discussion
• Why responding to peers and engaging with different points of view matters
• How classroom discussion supports complex thinking and genuine inquiry
• The connection between discourse and student voice
• How discussion builds students' capacity for civil dialogue across disagreements
• Why classroom discourse can help students feel more confident discussing issues outside of school
• How discussion connects to the higher levels of Bloom's Taxonomy
• Using discussion for analysis, evaluation, critique, and creation
• Why discussion should be treated as a skill that needs practice
• How to introduce discourse early in the school year
• Choosing accessible texts, issues, values, and ideas as starting points
• How to build toward more challenging conversations over time
• Different ways to structure classroom discourse
• How to use content, prompts, framing, and purpose to create stronger discussions
• Moving beyond discussion as simply a way to check for understanding
• How to use fiction and nonfiction texts as opportunities for values-based discussion
• Using deliberation to explore problems, issues, and possible solutions
• How to identify a "starter conversation" that can launch a culture of discourse

Get the free resource and episode notes: lindsaybethlyons.com/blog/277

What if the way we phrase a discussion question is actually shaping the kind of thinking and conversation students have?

In this episode of the Time for Teachership podcast, Lindsay Lyons explores how to reframe discussion prompts so classroom discourse moves beyond binary "agree or disagree" questions and toward deeper listening, critical analysis, perspective-taking, values exploration, and civic imagination.

Drawing from work with San Francisco Unified School District and ideas from educators and researchers including Nichelle Pinkney, Joe Schmidt, Hess and McAvoy, Lindsay shares four ways educators can rethink the purpose and framing of discussion questions.

The goal isn't to eliminate argumentation or binary questions altogether. Instead, it's to expand the discourse repertoire so students have opportunities to develop more complex thinking and genuinely learn from one another.

• Why discussion prompts matter so much for the quality of classroom discourse
• How binary "agree/disagree" questions can contribute to polarized conversations
• Moving from debate and argumentation toward dialogue and deep listening
• Why students need opportunities to practice seeking to understand
• How to determine the purpose of a discussion before writing the prompt
• Why creating a strong discussion prompt can take significant time and thought partnership
• When a forced-choice question can actually be useful as a scaffold
• Four ways to reframe binary discussion questions:
  1. Critical Analysis
  2. Policy
  3. Values Identification
  4. Civic Imagination
• Examples of reframing questions around immigration, gun violence, zoning, school policies, and other complex issues
• How to use "could" instead of "should" to open up more imaginative possibilities
• Why students may need scaffolds before moving into more open-ended discourse
• How identifying values can make conversations less polarized and more personal
• How civic imagination can help students move beyond deficit-oriented questions
• Why the goal of classroom discourse doesn't always need to be reaching consensus
• How discussion prompts can support student voice, deeper thinking, and student-led discourse

Get the free resource and full episode notes: lindsaybethlyons.com/blog/276

How can we help students have meaningful conversations across differences—not by avoiding disagreement, but by learning how to engage in it well?

In this episode of the Time for Teachership podcast, Lindsay Lyons talks with Joe Schmidt and Nichelle Pinkney, co-authors of Civil Discourse: Classroom Conversations for Stronger Communities, about what it actually takes to create classrooms where students can listen, question, disagree, learn from one another, and participate in productive dialogue.

Joe and Nichelle offer a powerful reframe: civil discourse isn't about winning an argument or getting everyone to agree. It's about sharing information, seeking understanding, and being willing to learn something from the conversation.

The conversation moves beyond the idea that teachers simply need to give students "discussion protocols" or sentence starters. Instead, Joe and Nichelle unpack the deeper instructional design work behind strong classroom discourse—including how to prepare students, frame questions, build the skills gradually, and create structures that make meaningful conversation possible.

• What civil discourse actually means in a classroom
• Why discourse is about information sharing rather than winning
• The difference between disagreement and conflict
• Why students don't need to agree with one another to have a productive conversation
• How our experiences, identities, and backgrounds influence the way we understand the world
• Why listening and understanding are essential components of civil discourse
• How to prepare students for challenging or controversial conversations
• Why teachers shouldn't begin the year with the most emotionally charged topics
• How to build students' "muscle memory" for discussion protocols
• Using low-stakes and even silly topics to practice discourse skills before tackling controversial issues
• How to use discussion protocols such as Philosophical Chairs, Circle, and Socratic Seminar
• Why the way you frame a discussion question can dramatically influence the quality of the conversation
• How narrowing a question can reduce the emotional temperature of a discussion
• The difference between a broad compelling question and a focused discussion question
• Why students sometimes argue past one another because they aren't actually disagreeing about the same thing
• How defining the specific issue underneath a disagreement can make productive dialogue possible
• How strong questions help students move beyond simply answering a prompt toward actually conversing with one another
• Ways to scaffold students' preparation for discourse
• How civil discourse connects to student voice and student-led discussion
• The role of discourse in building stronger classroom and school communities

Grab the free resource connected to this episode at:

lindsaybethlyons.com/blog/275

Joe shares that listeners can connect with him through joeschmidtsocialstudies.com and find his book The Social Studies Field Guide at socialstudiesfieldguide.com.

Nichelle is active on social media as @MissNikki_P and serves as president of the Texas Social Studies Leader Association.

What if creating a supportive classroom environment starts not with changing student behavior, but with understanding the nervous systems of the adults and students in the room?

In this episode of the Time for Teachership podcast, Lindsay Lyons talks with Emily Read Daniels, an internationally recognized trauma specialist and trainer in the trauma-informed schools movement, about The Regulated Classroom, co-regulation, polyvagal theory, felt safety, and the powerful role educators play in shaping the emotional and relational climate of a classroom.

Emily brings the conversation back to something educators don't hear often enough: the educator matters, too. Rather than focusing exclusively on what teachers should do with students or to students, The Regulated Classroom centers the adult's nervous system and explores how educators can recognize their own states and intentionally create conditions that support regulation and connection.

• Why educator regulation matters and why trauma-informed practice can't only focus on students
• The difference between a mindset shift and a body-state shift
• Why we may need to feel better to do better, rather than simply knowing better
• How felt safety and belonging create conditions for learning
• What co-regulation looks like in practice
• Emily's Regulated Classroom framework, including two educator capacities and four core practices
• The four core practices: Connectors, Activators, Settlers, and Affirmations
• How collective rhythm, gesture, mirroring, and other practices can support connection and regulation
• The three primary nervous system states discussed through polyvagal theory: ventral vagal regulation, sympathetic activation, and dorsal vagal shutdown
• How educators can learn to track their nervous system state
• What it means to recruit the realm of social engagement
• How facial expression, eye contact, vocal tone, gesture, and physical proximity can communicate cues of safety or threat
• Why you can't simply declare a classroom a "safe space"
• The difference between declaring safety and intentionally creating experiences that may inspire felt safety
• How nervous system regulation connects to student discourse and difficult conversations
• Why adults need co-regulation practices in staff meetings and professional spaces, too
• The common educator barrier of "I don't have time for that" and why regulation isn't an extra
• Why fun, joy, and connection aren't distractions from learning—they can help create the conditions for learning
• The power of simply noticing what is happening in your body as a first step toward change
• How attachment can reshape the way educators understand student behavior and connection

Free Resource:

Hear more about guest Emily Read Daniels and get the episode freebie at lindsaybethlyons.com/blog/274.