What are the stories that you want to share with the world? Telling your story and sharing parts of yourself is how we learn, connect, and build empathy. No matter the context, whether in a personal or professional setting, your story matters. Powerful stories can leave a lasting positive impact on students and teachers because they show us that we are not alone in our struggles. But the trick is — you may not realize the impact that your story can have until you share it. This is just one of the many things I learned this week from my … Read More
How to Teach Big and Kick Ass – Interview with A.J. Juliani, Author of Empower: What Happens When Students Own Their Learning – Ep. 027
Kids live in a world where they don’t have to wait for anything. But in school, we tell them what they have to do, when they should do it, and how it needs to be done. There are few opportunities for student choice and even fewer opportunities for students to create something of their own. As kids learn to play the game of school, they learn that doing as they’re told is how you win. But what happens when kids get to college and out in the real world and there isn’t anyone telling them what to do anymore? We … Read More
Ditch That Textbook – Interview with Matt Miller, Author of Ditch That Textbook – Ep. 026
It is time to retake control of your curriculum! As teachers, we must be true to ourselves in everything we do in the classroom. Sometimes this means trying new things, and sometimes this means not knowing if they’ll work or not. But jumping into these new experiences can be so rewarding! When you teach from within yourself, you create opportunities to transfer your enthusiasm and your excitement down to your kids — and THAT can be the biggest driver of learning more than anything that is plainly written for you in a boring, old textbook. Matt Miller, author of Ditch … Read More
Education & Television: How to Make it Work! – Interview with Linda Simensky, VP of Children’s Programming at PBS – Ep. 025
Welcome back! I know it’s been a long time since our last episode but the Punk Rock Preschool Podcast is returning in spectacular fashion! This week, I am thrilled to share with you my interview with Linda Simensky, the VP of Children’s Programming at PBS. Linda is one of the most impressive human beings on the planet — not only is she in charge of children’s programming at PBS, she is also responsible for green-lighting and developing some of the most iconic and memorable children’s television shows of the past 20 years! In the 90s, Linda was the second employee … Read More
First-Year Teacher Tips: How to Plan the Perfect First Week of School – Ep. 024
For a first-year teacher, your first week of school can be a doozy! Even though you may have tons of experience student-teaching, I don’t know any programs that let you walk into a classroom and student-teach on the first day of school. Therefore, this entirely different (and very important) world of teaching remains foreign to you until it is your own classroom and the first day of school is upon you! Then, with no practice, you are expected to explain and enforce classroom rules and procedures, establish a classroom culture, ween kids into challenging content and centers, communicate and coordinate … Read More