We Teach Inspired!!

Hey Mrs. Raz!! We're so lucky to have Bonnie Razler on the podcast to talk about how to integrate technology into the classroom. Technology is not a gimmick according to Bonnie and she says it frees her up to create meaningful connections with her students. We had a really good conversation about the importance of technology in giving students access to all of the learning that is out there and show them all the options available for them in the future. I asked what collaboration looks like in her classroom as she teaches in a 1:1 school and she explained that there are very few days where it is quiet in her room. That might stress some of you out, but her 4th graders adapt to her culture of finding solutions themselves. She said that it puts them in a position in which everyone has something offer the group and everyone gets to use their skills. If you don't follow @hey_mrs_raz on Instagram and @bonnieraz on Twitter you best go do that!!

On this episode we catch up with our friend Danielle Knight before the start of her online Teach With Tech Conference (http://teachwithtechconference.com/). Danielle and her colleagues are bringing together 25 speakers from across the world to teach 25 sessions over four days on a variety of topics in the educational tech space. Best of all it is totally FREE!!! We're signed up and are looking forward to checking out the presenters and finding the technologies that are most applicable to us. We also got to talk with Danielle about her experiences teaching English in a SPED setting and how she uses technology not just to deliver content, but also to assess learning. She talked a length on how we as teachers can use technology to give students choices in their learning and their products. If you don't follow Danielle you can find her across all social media channels as STUDY ALL KNIGHT and to check out her resources go to studyallknight.com. And please if you're not signed up for teach with tech there is still time! Conference is July 23-26.

We were so fortunate to have met Erin at Teach Your Heart Out Las Vegas and she was kind enough to join us on the podcast! During our conversation Erin talks about growing up in school with a learning disability and how that impacts the way she connects with her students. Erin didn't know until college that she has Auditory Processing Disorder, so growing up she just thought she wasn't that smart, and unfortunately teachers told her so. That's what makes her story and the work she is doing now that much more powerful! Erin talks about how we can't drop our expectations for special education students because many of them are capable learners in their own ways. She works with mild to moderate SPED students and she works hard to help them realize their potential and get out of feeling helpless in their learning. We also got the chance to talk about her Peer Counseling class that trains students counselors to provide support to their fellow students, but only after they have spent a year working on themselves are the allowed to help others. Erin is doing incredible things and we're so glad to call her a friend!

On this episode we are joined by Greg Smedley-Warren of The Kindergarten Smorgasboard! Greg is an incredible kinder teacher in Nashville and has created The Elevate Conference and The TKS Bootcamp, a math and literacy program for elementary school. During our conversation Greg discusses the immense diversity of Nashville and how he creates relationships with students in a class that has students who speak six different languages. He talks about how he overcomes the language barrier by being deliberate and explicit when building relationships with kids. His tip--eat lunch with your kids. Greg does every single day!! Greg also speaks on the need to take risks as teachers and invite the failure that can often times result from those risks. To round out the conversation he talks about his Elevate events and how teachers are using the TKS Bootcamp. We're so grateful to Greg for coming on the podcast and for the contributions he makes to education everyday!

Here's how you can learn more about Greg and The Kindergarten Smorgasboard:

https://thekindergartensmorgasboard.com/bootcamp

https://thekindergartensmorgasboard.com/

https://www.elevateyourclassroom.com/

On Social Media: The Kindergarten Smorgasboard

On this episode we had the distinct honor of talking with former Special Forces Soldier turned middle school history teacher Zach Lois. During this conversation Zach talks about how his time in the military and the lessons he learned has impacted him as a teacher. After growing up in Southeastern Wisconsin Zach as traveled the world during his military service and that experience has shaped how he approaches education. This episode is filled with practical wisdom for teachers, but what stood out most to us was his belief that every teacher should be called a leader. We 100% believe this to be the case and hope after this episode we all take a more active role as leaders for our schools and students. Thank you again to Zach for his service and for sharing his story on the podcast!

You can follow Zach on Instagram @classroomcommando

Thank you so much for your support of the podcast!

Please feel free to reach out with any questions:

Email: [email protected]

Instagram: @valueaddsvalue and @its.wil.law.iii

Twitter: @valueaddsvalue and its_wil_law_iii

Facebook: Lighthouse Educator Development

On this episode of the podcast we're joined by Allegra Levine who is an English Teacher in NYC and the founder of Teach To Teach. Allegra's slogan for Teach To Teach "Let Education Mend Our Nation" and she does so by donating one book to a school in need for every item bought from her store. Not only does Allegra have an incredible mission, but she also is a dedicated educator. During our conversation she talks about the need to give students freedom when it comes to writing and how through writing she can help them advocate for themselves. Allegra also stresses the need to surround yourself with great people as an educator because as she put it, "Your reputation is who people think you are, your character is who you really are." This was such an enlightening conversation and if you haven't checked out the work that Allegra is doing you owe it to yourself to do so!

Here's how you can connect with Allegra:

https://teachtoteachshop.com/

Instagram: @teach_to_teach

Know any great educators that deserve to tell their stories on the podcast?! Please let us know!

Email: [email protected]

Instagram: @valueaddsvalue and @its.wil.law.iii

Twitter: @valueaddsvalue and its_wil_law_iii

Facebook: Lighthouse Educator Development

On this episode Kyle is joined by Kaitlyn Edington! We're sorry Wilkie was busy during the recording, but making his wife's anniversary present to precedence over the podcast this time. We wish we could have gotten this episode out to you before we went to Teach Your Heart Out, but we can assure you that Kaitlyn is even more wonderful in person than she is on the podcast. During our conversation we talked about her experience leaving home to teach in another state and how that shaped who she is as an educator. Kaitlyn speaks beautifully during the podcast on how kids lose their desire for the arts as they start to become more self conscious of their work and others opinions of it. And we finish up the conversation with how adults can benefit from pursuing the arts. It was such a fun conversation and we were so lucky to get to meet Kaitlyn in person last week!

To connect with Kaitlyn follow her on Instagram @artwithmrs.e!!

On this episode we're joined by The Sprinkle Topped Teacher herself Nicki Dingraueto! This was such a fun conversation for us as she shares our love of fitness and sweets! During our conversation Nicki talks about how she incorporates movement and flexible seating to keep kids engaged in learning and how those things have increased her students success. She has also been a vocal advocate for teachers in Arizona's Red For Ed Movement and encourages all teachers to get the mental health support that they need. When it comes to teachers who are protesting Nicki emphasizes that in every state where there have been protests it has been about much more than teacher salaries. Nicki talks about the lack of resources students are facing across the country and why it a necessity that students get the resources they need. Our favorite pieces of advice from Nicki-- surround yourself with good people and eat more donuts!! We're so grateful for Nicki coming on the show and we're excited to let you listen to her story!

Follow Nicki online as The Sprinkle Topped Teacher and shop her TPT store https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/The-Sprinkle-Topped-Teacher

Here is our reflection on Day 1 of Teach Your Heart Out Las Vegas. To put it mildly it was one of the most powerful experiences we've ever had. We'll be back next week with more reflections, but we can not stress enough that every teacher needs to be a part of this community.

Follow them on social media or go to their website https://www.teachyourheartoutcon.com/

To get this shirt go to https://thewrightstuffchics.com/collections/t-shirts

Noelle Pickering is a former middle school math teacher who now blogs and creates online resources and training at https://www.maneuveringthemiddle.com/. During our conversation Noelle talked about how math skills are still critical even though we have tools that can solve "math problems" for us. She tells a funny story of needing a moving truck and the customer service representative not understanding how the basic dimensions determine whether things like beds and couches would fit. After talking about some of her favorite math resources we asked Noelle about how she creates classroom organization. Her answer, "find your pain point when it comes to organization and fix that first." We think this is such good advice because it is hard to solve any problem if you haven't first identified the pain point. We are so grateful that Noelle spent time with us and if you want to connect with her she can be found as Maneuvering The Middle on social media.

Let us know how we're doing and who you'd like to have us interview:

Email [email protected]

IG: @valueaddsvalue

Twitter: @valueaddsvalue

Facebook: Lighthouse Educator Development

Website: theledproject.com