Time for Teachership

In this powerful episode of the Time for Teachership podcast, Lindsay Lyons talks with Dr. Darla Bishop, educator, public health advocate, and author, about how families and schools can partner together to build financially confident kids from preschool through adolescence.

Dr. Bishop shares why children are the carriers of social change, how everyday errands can become rich financial literacy lessons, and what teachers and families can do right now to start conversations about money that build independence, responsibility, and community-mindedness.

You'll walk away with:

• Practical scripts for handling "Can I have this?" moments at the store
• A developmental roadmap for teaching money from pre-K to high school
• Ways teachers can invite families into math and money learning
• A powerful reflection exercise to examine your own "money rules"
• A surprising statistic about teachers and long-term wealth

This episode is a must-listen for educators, parents, and anyone who wants to raise kids who understand money, make thoughtful choices, and feel empowered—not stressed—about finances.

• Why kids can drive generational change in financial habits
• How to turn everyday shopping trips into money lessons
• The difference between saying "We can't afford that" vs. teaching price awareness
• How financial literacy supports independence and decision-making
• Simple ways teachers can partner with families around money conversations
• Why handling real coins and cash still matters for learning
• How financial lessons evolve from early childhood through teen years
• The hidden financial advantage many teachers have
• A reflection activity to uncover your personal money mindset

Get Your Episode Freebie & More Resources On My Website: https://www.lindsaybethlyons.com/blog/263

Connect with guest Dr. Darla Bishop

• Website: https://darlabishop.com

In this episode of the Time for Teachership Podcast, Lindsay Lyons talks with Christina Hidek, founder of PTO Answers and author of The Principal's Parent Group Playbook, about how schools are overlooking one of their greatest assets: parent groups.

Christina shares why PTOs and PTAs are often misunderstood, under-leveraged, and poorly supported—and how school leaders and teachers can transform family engagement by building true partnerships with parent organizations. If you've ever felt frustrated by family involvement, struggled to connect with your PTO, or wondered how to move beyond fundraisers and carnival themes, this episode is your roadmap to a healthier, more impactful school-family collaboration.

You'll walk away with practical strategies for shared goal setting, communication, leadership mindset shifts, and ways to align parent groups with your school's strategic plan.

• Why parent groups are the "third pillar" of school leadership
• The mindset shifts families and educators both need
• The difference between a PTO and a PTA (and why it matters)
• How to align PTO work with your school's strategic plan
• Why many parent groups struggle with institutional knowledge loss
• What principals and teachers can do to cultivate healthy partnerships
• How PTOs can go far beyond parties, fundraisers, and event planning
• Real examples of PTOs funding meaningful school initiatives like STEM programs
• Practical next steps for parents, teachers, and school leaders

Get Your Episode Freebie & More Resources On My Website: https://www.lindsaybethlyons.com/blog/262

Connect with guest Christina Hidek

• Website: https://ptoanswers.com/

In this episode of the Time for Teachership Podcast, host Lindsay Lyons welcomes picture book author and illustrator Molly Arbuthnott for a rich conversation about why picture books are not the "bottom rung" of reading—but the top.

This episode is part of a special mini-series for educators and families focused on how to support children's reading lives. Molly shares how picture books create space for deep thinking, emotional conversations, imagination, and student voice—without the pressure of "right answers."

If you read with children at home or in the classroom, this episode will completely reframe how you think about picture books.

• Children should not have books "dumbed down" for them
• Picture books can gently explore hard topics like death, accidents, grief, and resilience
• There are no wrong answers when discussing a picture book
• Art and story create safe practice for sharing different interpretations
• Kids should be "gatekeepers" in choosing what they read
• Animals as characters create freedom for interpretation beyond identity or politics
• Picture books are powerful entry points into discussions about climate change, community, resilience, and belonging
• Reading should stay joyful and imaginative—for adults and children

Get Your Episode Freebie & More Resources On My Website: https://www.lindsaybethlyons.com/blog/261

Connect with guest Molly Arbuthnott

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

In this powerful episode of the Time for Teachership Podcast, host Lindsay Lyons sits down with therapeutic school principal and psychologist Doug Bolton to explore a timely question:

What if our definition of success in schools is actually harming kids, families, and educators?

Doug shares research-backed insights on the youth mental health crisis, the unintended consequences of achievement-driven schooling, and the essential role of belonging, emotional regulation, and relationships in building true resilience.

If you're an educator, school leader, or parent feeling the pressure of grades, test scores, and constant busyness, this episode offers a hopeful, practical reframe.

• Why today's students (and teachers and parents) are more stressed than ever
• How test-score culture has reshaped education since No Child Left Behind
• The myth of "high-achieving schools" and selective colleges as predictors of life success
• The research behind belonging and relationships as the foundation of resilience
• The Circle of Courage framework: Belonging, Mastery, Independence, Generosity
• Bruce Perry's "Regulate, Relate, Reason" model for classrooms and homes
• Why "misbehavior" is often stress behavior
• The importance of building in daily pause and ponder time for nervous system recovery
• Practical first steps families and teachers can take immediately

Get Your Episode Freebie & More Resources On My Website: https://www.lindsaybethlyons.com/blog/260

Connect with guest Doug Bolton

• Website: drdougbolton.com

Most schools are collaborating.

But very few are collaborating in a way that systematically elevates instruction for every teacher and every student.

In this episode, guest Kurtis Hewson breaks down the Collaborative Team Meeting (CTM)—a deceptively simple structure that becomes the engine of a school's entire support system. You'll learn how CTMs sit inside a larger four-layer collaboration model, why focusing on "yellow" students (not red) is a game-changer, and how a tight, repeatable meeting structure builds collective efficacy, distributive coaching, and real instructional growth.

If you've ever felt like your school is "playing whack-a-mole" with student needs or drowning in meetings about individual students, this episode offers a practical, proven alternative.

• The four layers of collaboration every school needs
• Why adding one meeting can actually reduce meetings overall
• The critical mindset shift: tier the supports, not the kids
• Why CTMs focus on yellow students (and how that prevents future red)
• The pre-work, norms, roles, and timing that make CTMs effective
• How celebrations turn into organic strategy sharing
• The Key Issue protocol that keeps conversations about practice, not personalities
• How CTMs create distributive coaching across a staff
• The biggest mistake schools make when trying to collaborate

• 00:00 Why CTMs are different from typical collaboration
• 02:30 The four layers of collaboration explained
• 06:45 Kurtis's "every child deserves a team" vision
• 09:00 Three mindset shifts schools must make
• 14:00 What happens before a CTM starts (pre-work & norms)
• 18:00 Why celebrations matter more than you think
• 20:30 The Key Issue protocol explained
• 24:30 How teachers commit to trying new strategies
• 26:30 Distributive coaching and capacity building
• 29:30 The biggest challenge: sticking to the structure
• 33:30 The free CTM Starter Kit and new book announcement

Get Your Episode Freebie & More Resources On My Website: https://www.lindsaybethlyons.com/blog/259

Connect with guest Kurtis Hewson

• Website: jigsawlearning.ca

What if "student voice" isn't the goal?

In this episode, guest Adam Fletcher reframes the conversation around Meaningful Student Involvement—a deeper, more transformative approach built on student–adult partnerships, confronting adultism, and cultivating personal engagement from kindergarten through graduation.

Adam argues that education is not just preparation for democracy—it is the bedrock of civil society itself. When students are true partners in learning, teaching, and leadership, schools become places where young people practice being community members, decision-makers, and engaged citizens now.

You'll walk away with practical frameworks (the Three-Legged Stool of School Transformation and the Cycle of Student Engagement) and real examples from classrooms, schools, and national initiatives that make this work tangible at any level.

• Why student voice alone is not enough
• The difference between student voice, engagement, and meaningful involvement
• How adultism quietly shapes schools—and how to confront it
• What personal engagement really looks like (beyond compliance)
• The Three-Legged Stool: structure, culture, and attitudes
• The Cycle of Student Engagement: listen → validate → authorize → act → reflect
• Concrete examples from a classroom, a school, and a national policy initiative
• Why meaningful student involvement may be the most important response to AI in schools

• 00:00 Why students must be drivers in a transformative time
• 02:00 What "meaningful student involvement" really means
• 03:00 What student voice is—and what it is not
• 05:00 Student–adult partnerships explained
• 06:30 Understanding and confronting adultism
• 08:10 Personal engagement vs. compliance
• 12:15 The Three-Legged Stool: structure, culture, attitudes
• 16:00 The Cycle of Student Engagement framework
• 20:00 Examples: national PTA policy work, a K–12 school transformation, and a third-grade classroom
• 24:00 Common challenges: competition vs. collaboration in education systems
• 26:30 AI, corporate interests, and why student involvement matters more than ever
• 28:00 Where to start: The Guide to Meaningful Student Involvement
• 31:00 Learning from non-white and Indigenous perspectives on democracy
• 33:00 Where to find Adam's free resources and publications

Get Your Episode Freebie & More Resources On My Website: https://www.lindsaybethlyons.com/blog/258

Connect with guest Adam Fletcher

• Website: adamfletcher.net

In this guest episode, Leah Ellis shares with Lindsay how a simple moment with her 4-year-old during the pandemic sparked a movement where kids don't just learn about leadership… they practice it now by starting real businesses, solving real community problems, and seeing themselves as capable change-makers today.

You'll hear how Leah uses the improv mindset of "Yes, and…" to coach youth ideas without shutting them down, how her 36-week entrepreneurship curriculum works in schools, and powerful stories of young people creating crosswalk campaigns, sustainable book businesses, and product prototypes from scratch.

• Why saying "children are the future" can unintentionally limit youth leadership
• How to use "Yes, and…" to nurture student ideas instead of correcting them
• A questioning strategy that helps kids become problem-solvers
• What a 36-week youth entrepreneurship curriculum looks like in practice
• How youth businesses build confidence, resilience, and leadership
• Common challenges for adults (and how to step back without stepping away)
• Why failure recovery is the fastest path to confidence

• 00:00 "Children are not the future" — the mindset shift
• 03:00 Leah's big dream for youth leadership and agency
• 04:00 The story of the 4-year-old who started a business
• 08:30 Advice for educators vs. families
• 10:15 Youth business stories: crosswalk campaign, book business, phone case prototypes
• 16:20 The "Yes, and" coaching method with kids
• 17:45 Inside the 36-week entrepreneurship curriculum
• 19:10 Challenges adults face (stepping back, allowing failure)
• 20:30 Challenges kids face (resources, mindset, family dynamics)
• 22:20 One thing adults can do immediately
• 23:00 Reframing the stories we tell ourselves
• 24:40 How to connect with Leah and the Society of Child Entrepreneurs

Get Your Episode Freebie & More Resources On My Website: https://www.lindsaybethlyons.com/blog/257

Connect with guest Leah Ellis

• Website: https://societyofchildentrepreneurs.org/

What if students weren't just "given a voice," but shared real power in how schools operate?

In this episode, Lindsay sits down with Ana, Jacoby, and Lindsey from UP for Learning to explore what youth–adult partnership actually looks like in practice—and how it's transforming schools at the classroom, district, and even state policy level.

You'll hear how students and adults work side-by-side through youth participatory action research (YPAR), how mindset shifts unlock authentic partnership, and how this work has influenced initiatives like statewide conversations on school safety, graduation requirements, and student voice advisories across multiple states.

This conversation goes far beyond "student voice." It's about shared decision-making, shared responsibility, and shared leadership to reimagine what education can be.

• What youth–adult partnership really means (beyond student voice)
• How mental model shifts are the first step to transforming schools
• Why schools must move from adult-centered to partnership-centered systems
• Real examples of students shaping state education policy
• How restorative practices, YPAR, and belonging intersect
• A simple reflection educators can use tomorrow to start partnering with students
• How personalized learning, project-based learning, and flexible pathways connect to partnership

• 00:00 Introduction to UP for Learning's mission
• 05:00 What educational equity looks like in partnership
• 11:00 The mindset shift adults must make
• 19:00 Personal stories of transformation through partnership
• 25:00 State and district policy work led by youth–adult teams
• 32:00 One thing educators can do tomorrow
• 34:30 How to connect with UP for Learning

Get Your Episode Freebie & More Resources On My Website: https://www.lindsaybethlyons.com/blog/256

Connect with guests Ana, Jacoby, Lindsey

• Learn more: UPforLearning.org

In this powerful episode of the Time for Teachership Podcast, host Lindsay Lyons speaks with educator Caitlin MacLeod-Bluver about teaching social studies through the lens of justice, literacy, and belonging.

Caitlin shares what it means to teach during challenging times—supporting students facing food insecurity, immigration detention, and political rhetoric affecting their communities. Despite these realities, she explains why classrooms remain powerful spaces for hope, civic engagement, and liberation.

The conversation explores:

• Literacy as a tool for liberation

• How teachers can create true classroom belonging

• The importance of background knowledge and vocabulary

• Why rigorous reading matters for equity

• Supporting student voice and agency in social studies

• Practical strategies teachers can implement tomorrow

If you're an educator wondering how to teach reading, history, and justice simultaneously, this episode offers both inspiration and actionable strategies.

When teachers avoid discussing current events, students may assume their teachers support injustice.

Acknowledging difficulty helps students develop resilience and confidence.

New learning sticks best when connected to what students already know.

Students become stronger readers by reading challenging texts, not by avoiding them.

Deep learning requires time for:

• discussion

• vocabulary exploration

• critical thinking

Get Your Episode Freebie & More Resources On My Website: https://www.lindsaybethlyons.com/blog/255

You can connect with Caitlin MacLeod-Bluver on Instagram:

@2025VTTeacheroftheYear

How do teachers respond when students appear to have little or no background knowledge about a topic?

In this episode of the Time for Teachership Podcast, host and instructional coach Lindsay Lyons explores strategies for helping students connect new learning to their lived experiences. Rather than viewing students as lacking knowledge, she encourages educators to expand their definition of background knowledge to include students' identities, communities, experiences, and cultural assets.

Drawing on frameworks such as Funds of Knowledge and Cultural Wealth Theory, Lyons shares practical tools educators can use to help students build meaningful connections to historical content, social studies themes, and inquiry-based learning.

Listeners will learn how to support students in making sense of new information, generating deeper questions, and engaging in analytical thinking—without assuming they are starting with an "empty vessel."

This episode is especially helpful for social studies teachers, instructional coaches, and educators focused on inquiry-based learning.

• Rethinking the idea of students having "no background knowledge"

• Why student experiences are valuable learning assets

• Using Funds of Knowledge in the classroom

• Applying the Cultural Wealth Model to social studies instruction

• Strategies to help students connect historical topics to their own lives

• Cognitive routines that support inquiry and analysis

• Helping students generate deeper historical questions

• Building tools students can reuse across learning contexts

• Students rarely lack background knowledge—they simply have different forms of knowledge.

• Teachers can help students connect academic content to lived experiences.

• Asset-based frameworks support more inclusive and effective learning.

• Cognitive routines help students move from connections to critical thinking and analysis.

• Connection prompts can transform classroom conversations and inquiry.

Get Your Episode Freebie & More Resources On My Website: https://www.lindsaybethlyons.com/blog/254