We Teach Inspired!!

On this episode of the podcast Kyle is joined by Liz Kleinrock (@teachandtransform and teachandtransform.org) to have a discussion about anti-bias education and equity in schools. Liz is a teacher, trainer and presenter on social justice and anti-bias education who has presented at SXSW EDU and has been published in Teaching Tolerance. Liz discussed her own educational experience growing up in Wasington DC and how after stops in St. Louis for college and Oakland she has found a home at a charter school in Los Angeles. Liz talked about what anti-bias education strives to do and how we can all become more aware of the biases we hold and how they are impacting our students. Liz discussed in a powerful way the need for teachers to stop underestimating the impact their words and actions have over their students and start to embrace our ability to positively impact the lives of our kids. We can all provide spaces in our classrooms for students to be reflective and have the types of conversation our country needs to have in order for real change to take root. We hope you enjoy this episode of the podcast and please reach out to us with any questions you may have!

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On this episode we are joined by Heather Salaz of Advancing Improvement in Education (aieconference.net or @aieconf on Instagram). We had a great conversation with Heather about her time as a full release mentor (meaning no classroom duties), the power of getting to know students to build our cultural proficiency, and November's AIE Conference that is striving to BE THE CHANGE. Heather discussed the need for us to make education more human and how she mentors teachers to meet students where they are. She explained that too often as teachers we're so focused on the end game that we don't get to know our students and where they are starting from. It was a really powerful conversation and we hope you enjoy it. Feel free to reach out to us on Instagram @valueaddsvalue, via email at [email protected], or on Facebook we are Lighthouse Educator Development!

On this episode we were lucky enough to be joined by the man, the myth, the legend, Mr. Joe Dombrowski (IG: @mrdtimes3)! And when you listen to this episode you'll realize that he is everything you hope he'd be and so much more. Not only were we blown away by his passion for education and the teaching craft, but his authenticity and candor were unreal. Joe is so willing to authentic because his guiding principle is to 'embrace your weird' and throughout the show he discusses ways that teachers of all experience levels can do this. Joe opens up about his love for April O'Neil from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the concerns he has for the state of education, and how he has found value in his life both personally and professionally. He also mentioned that he is working on a book!! We hope you are as entertained and inspired by this episode as we were and as always thanks for tuning in.

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*@valueaddsvalue on Instagram

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*[email protected]

On episode #41 Kyle and Wilkie are joined by their friend and motivational rockstar Mike Berezny (@mikeybee3)! Mike's message on how as teachers and people we must trust the process of growth really struck a chord with us. This was such a fun conversation in which Mike and Wilkie share their love of hip hop and their progression as rappers. Mike is actually a performing artist and if you follow him on social media you'll see how he uses hip hop with his students. We also discussed the value of motivation and inspiration in teaching students and how we can all work to find our inner superhero. We respect Mike so much for the way he prioritizes personal development with his students and look forward to his #mindsetmonday each week. We hope you find as much value in it as we did! As always if you want to connect with us send an email to [email protected] or find us on Instagram @valueaddsvalue.

On this episode we were joined by Tosha Wright the founder of The Wright Stuff Chics (@thewrightstuffchics) and the Teach Your Heart Out Conference (@teachyourheartoutcon). It was amazing to hear the story of how in less than three years her and her mother have made such a gigantic impact on the teaching community through their inspiring apparel and inventive conference. During our conversation we discussed the value of teachers building authentic relationships in our urban schools, how we can better serve teachers who are new to the profession, and her mission to inspire teachers in ways that will leave a lasting impact on the profession. We hope this conversation gets you as fired up as it did us. As always thanks for listening and to connect with us please email us at [email protected], follow us on Instagram @valueaddsvalue, or find us on Facebook as Lighthouse Educator Development. To learn more about Tosha, The Wright Stuff Chics, and The Teach Your Heart Out Conference click on the links below.

https://thewrightstuffchics.com/

http://www.teachyourheartoutcon.com/

Their upcoming events are June 29-30 in Las Vegas and October 12-13 in Miami!

On this episode Kyle is joined by J.R. Rivera (@_jrrivera) to talk about inspiration, purpose, and the book tour for his book "What's Eating Up Your Time." J.R. teaches at the SLAM Charter School in Miami after having spent time teaching in his hometown of Fort Myers and prior to that playing arena football. We connected with J.R. on his belief that each teacher has a unique purpose and the importance of being authentic to create relationships with students. We spoke on how teachers can strive to go the extra mile, how to create a purpose driven routine, and how he helps his kids create a vision for the future. We're excited for the continued collaboration that is in the works with J.R. and we hope you enjoy this episode. If you don't follow him on social media you should and to buy a copy of his book click the link below!!

https://www.amazon.com/Whats-Eating-Your-Time-developing/dp/1978177585/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1522029482&sr=8-1&keywords=What%27s+eating+up+your+time

Episode #38 is one of our best yet as we were joined by CJ Reynolds (@realrapwithreynolds)! CJ teaches 9th grade English at Latin Boys High School in West Philly... INSERT THE FRESH PRINCE THEME HERE and has an incredible YouTube channel with which he puts out videos on teaching. During our conversation we talked about the value of both authenticity and vulnerability and how we models them for his boys. CJ also discussed how to "find the you" among your students meaning that if we are struggling to connect with our students we should seek out kids who were like us at that age because we can easily relate. And among other things made the point in conclusion that our job as teachers is to make sure kids feel seen and heard and challenges us to strive at that goal. It was a powerful conversation and you're going to want to follow CJ wherever you can! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRGA_FqyigEPmh5U37Yn7fA

On this episode we are joined by Ben and were able to record in the same room. We felt it was important to talk about school safety and the idea that teachers should/could be armed. Our opinions on this topic may vary, but our discussion centers around what we theorize would be the impact on the teaching force if measures to arm teachers were put in place. There isn't a single answer to solve the problem of school safety and we don't claim to have one. We want to be a part of the conversation and hope you enjoy our show.

On episode #36 we talk about how changing your conjunctions from BUT to AND can completely change your message. As Wilkie says during the episode when you use the conjunction 'but' the excuse that follows will lurk around everything you do. When you use the conjunction 'and' it will launch you in a positive direction attacking the challenges you face. What stood out to both of us was on the tone of voice changes when using but versus and. We picked up the concept of using 'and' from Gary Vaynerchuk as we both follow him on Instagram. We think changing your conjunctions as teachers and modeling for your students how they can change theirs can reap serious dividends. We hope you enjoy episode #36 and if you have questions send us an email or follow us on social media!!

Instagram: @valueaddsvalue

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On this episode Kyle sits down for a conversation with Rick Howden. Rick is a fellow Winona State grad who was close to Kyle's roommate in college Jared Stene who passed away in 2008. They talk about the legacy Jared left and how it lives on through the Jared P. Stene Student Leadership Scholarship, how government and education are connected, and what they future of learning is. Rick has worked in the past for Congressman Tim Walz of Minnesota and brings a unique perspective on the role of teachers and education in our society. We hope you enjoy the podcast with Rick! If you have questions or topics you'd like us to cover please drop an email to [email protected] or find us on Instagram as @valueaddsvalue.