The EDVERYTHING Podcast: For Everything Education

Latest Episodes:

Episode 58: Getting the Most From the Pre & Post Observation Conferences Nov 07, 2019

Show notes

Teacher Observation season is upon us, and no matter your experience level in the classroom, the fact is, having another adult in the classroom can make even the most seasoned teachers feel a sense of nervousness.

In this episode, Danielle & Nicole discuss the aspects of teacher observations that often get overlooked: the pre-conference and post-conference. For many, these short meetings are seen as yet another check on the to-do list that holds little to no real value. Well, not for Danielle & Nicole who recognize this meeting as an opportunity to learn and progress as an educator.

What you'll hear:

Pre-conference

See it as an opportunity to understand what the observer/school values
Give context for how this lesson fits into the overall unit—but also try to highlight how this reflects what you do in your classroom
Just like an interview, be prepared to ask what you want feedback on—and choose it carefully

Post observation

Consider how you are taking the feedback
Will this person be doing your next observation?
What takeaways do you have knowing your observer?

Episode 57: Teacher Turned Visibility Coach: a Conversation with Alissa McDonald Oct 31, 2019

Show notes

For many of us, making our students feel seen and heard is a major priority. After all, we want them to feel valued and to know what they have to offer matters. While it may be easy for ourselves, as the educator in the front of the room, to recognize what we bring to the table inside the classroom, when we leave that environment and enter the supersaturated, competitive space that is Instagram for Teachers, we may find ourselves feeling a bit lost in a sea of seemingly similar voices. How can we find our specialty and deliver our message to those we connect with? Alissa, a teacher turned visibility coach, is ready to share just what it takes to turn that desire into a reality.

Alissa is self-taught at finding traction on social, but she approaches it from a business perspective first, given her own background as a small business owner. A once local business owner with her sister, Alissa taught herself the ins and outs of marketing for small businesses, and others started seeking her out so they could follow the same strategy. Nowadays, Alissa is applying this same framework to help fellow teachers grow their side hustle online, helping them with the element they need the most improvement with : getting visible.

Links mentioned:

Alissa's website:

https://alissamcdonald.com/

Alissa's Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/teacherbynaptime/

Alissa's Facebook Group:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/teacherhustle

Alissa's Podcast:

https://alissamcdonald.com/category/podcast/

Episode 56: From Small Biz Summit to the Classroom Oct 24, 2019

Show notes

This week Danielle & Nicole debrief after Nicole's experience at Create & Cultivate's first-ever Small Business Summit.

As blossoming small business owners ourselves, we're always seeking the opportunity to communicate, connect and learn alongside others especially in the presence of the greats (um, hellooo Marie Forleo!) Nicole took the opportunity to join 500 other small business owners on their journey. This all-day NYC event featured icons like Courtney Quinn, Arielle Loren, Puno Dostres, Lisa Price, Sophia Bush and Stacey London, and of course, Jaclyn Johnson.

In this episode, Danielle interviews Nicole on her experience at the Small Business Summit and how some of her key takeaways are relevant and applicable to the classroom, a growing small business, and beyond.

You'll hear some of the top content and advice from the experts mentioned above, but one key piece that Nicole walked away with is crafting a true "pitch". In the link below, you'll get a true tutorial of how to do this for your own platform.

Check out Puno Dostres' take on the ultimate pitch.

https://www.instagram.com/stories/highlights/18069646789158033/

Episode 55: Teacher Side Hustle 101 with Stacey Ogden Oct 17, 2019

Show notes

This week on the Edverything Podcast, we feature Stacey Ogden, the founder of @SideHustleTeachers. Stacey is a veteran music educator turned blogger turned podcaster, turned edupreneur coach. Stacey is an incredible example of owning her role as a teacher, but not allowing this to define every aspect of her life so that she can fully embrace her multiple passions and encourage others to do the same (and maybe make a little extra income along the way!)

Stacey created a free online community which allows her to deep dive with teachers who want to start a business as a way to stay busy over the summer, or want a different way to pursue their passions, or make a little extra income, or are looking to transition out of the classroom altogether. Stacey is so very present with her community to not only offer free resources, support, real-time feedback, but she offers a free 15-minute call with each new member to truly learn about how she can support and guide their transition to side-hustling.

Stacey’s goal is to help her clients become equipped with the skills, knowledge, and confidence to run successful businesses, and boy, does she do it well.

In this episode, we hone in on some of the main reasons teachers hesitate committing fully to a side business, why we need to stop learning and start doing, 3 major questions to ask yourself before starting a side hustle, and how to avoid major pitfalls associated with the early stages of side businesses.

If you do anything after today’s episode, I hope it is to join @sidehustleteachers on Facebook. Did you know there are over 2,700 members?!

Links mentioned:

Stacey's website:

http://side-hustle-teachers.com/

Stacey's Facebook Group:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/sidehustleteachers/

Episode 54: The New Student Welcome Wagon Oct 10, 2019

Show notes

Welcoming those students who, for whatever reason, have joined your class late can be a real challenge. You want to help them adjust to the new class environment and community but may not have time to familiarize them with your classroom set up and the students there in the same way you could at the beginning of the year when everyone was in a new situation. In order to be ready and welcoming to students no matter when they join your classroom, here are some steps you can take to make the transition process as smooth as possible— for you and the students.

The inspiration for this episode was months ago— I new student welcome kit was making the rounds on Pinterest—one mostly containing classroom supplies, which sparked its own debate.

Recently, I’ve had a number of new students, and the issue has come up again. While it probably won’t be necessary to provide your students with supplies, having something ready and waiting to go and a plan for how to integrate them in the class will help make things easier for everyone involved.

The New Student Welcome Packet:

An actual welcome letter (a pseudo table of contents for the packet)
Copy of the syllabus
Copy of the classroom rules/policies/expectations (you probably have this hanging in your room)
An overview of who you are (perhaps you by the numbers or something you usually hand out to get parents getting to know you)
A student intake survey
Log in information/how to create accounts for websites used
All the handouts you have created to date that they will need for the midterm/final/etc.
Schedule for when things need to be made up/turned in if needed

How do you include them in class?

Partner/group work that YOU assign

Episode 53: The Big Picture: Advice from a School Admin Turned Children’s Book Author, Nicole Hoye Oct 03, 2019

Show notes

Teacher burnout is a real problem in education. Some of our guests have regained their passion for the field by changing grade levels or using their TpT store to spark renewed interest in education. Nicole Hoye, an elementary teacher in Canada, took a different path— but one that is sure to inspire others to similarly fall back in love with teaching.

In this episode, Nicole Hoye vulnerably discloses the exact emotions that she was feeling which led her to think that maybe she was no longer the teacher she would want her own child to have—and the wheels this revelation put in motion. Nicole decided to pursue an administrative path at her school, believing that too often teachers need more to be supported than they typically receive from leadership. But Nicole didn’t stop there. She turned a long-time dream into reality: publishing a children’s book.

With a teacher as the main character, the book itself and even the podcast episode serve as important reminders to help teachers keep perspective in this difficult profession and the realization that our students of any age are capable and aware of the unique strengths we bring to the classroom each and every day.

In this episode you’ll hear:

-How to transition from teacher to admin, whether working at the same school or in a new environment

-The biggest misconceptions around the role of admin in your school

-How writing a book could serve as another method of documenting your teaching journey

-The reason a picture book was created with the teacher as the main character

-Why you need to keep your why in mind

-What steps go into publishing a children’s book

Links mentioned:

Purchase Nicole’s book! Miss Claire Has Lost Her Flair https://www.amazon.com/dp/1513651625/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_GEiMDbE3AKYJN

Episode 30: A How-To Guide For Being A Good Mentor/Mentee

https://www.edverything.com/podcast/2019/mentor-mentee-relationships

Episode 29: Engaging Transformations: Inspiring Students And Teachers To Get Started With Kayla Dessert https://www.edverything.com/podcast/2019/engaging-transformations-kayla-dessert

Episode 25: Successfully Skipping A Grade: When To Move To A New Grade Level— And How To Do It Well With Heather Planchon https://www.edverything.com/podcast/2019/teacherchanginggradelevelheatherplanchon

Episode 22: Time, Tasks, & Trauma: Troubleshooting Common Teacher Stressors With Amanda Murtaugh, LMHP https://www.edverything.com/podcast/2019/time-tasks-trauma-troubleshooting-common-teacher-stressors-with-amanda-murtaugh-lmhp

Episode 52: A Message from the Tech Department Sep 26, 2019

Show notes

Danielle & Nicole are here with a very special message from a very special guest. This week, we feature an expert on all things IT, technology in schools, classroom tech troubleshooting, and more. We were lucky enough to sit down with Mike, who is our in house technology guru, and more widely known as Danielle's husband!

We asked you responded. When we reached out to our Instagram community about some of their biggest technology flops, the responses came rolling in. We heard the bad and the ugly when it comes to unexpected technology fails, but we're here to remind you that we're all learning.

Today's episode features some of the most common technology-related questions, comments, complaints, and struggles; and it is well worth it to take out a pen and paper to jot down all that Mike has to offer. From keyboard shortcuts to simple troubleshooting tactics to strategies for anticipating tech errors, Mike is here to help.

Episode 51: Technical Difficulties Sep 19, 2019

Show notes

After celebrating their 1 year podcasting anniversary (!!!) Danielle & Nicole are here to share some of the not so comfortable parts of teaching - dealing with technical difficulties. While every teacher has had their fair share of tech-horror stories, more than half the battle is learning how to remain calm during these potentially stressful situations. Danielle and Nicole break-down some of the common technical difficulties they've experienced in their classrooms over the years and the ways they've learned to trouble-shoot and keep their cool.

In this episode you'll hear:

-Making sure students know how to use the tech especially before project submission time

-How to manage varying classroom tech setups especially as a Traveling Teacher

-How to differentiate between issues you can and cannot anticipate

Episode 50: 5 Rules of Thumb For The Traveling Teacher Sep 12, 2019

Show notes

Danielle and Nicole are back with their 50th episode! Woo-hoo! And while we're excited to reach this benchmark, we're back to business discussing what it's like to be a teacher "on the move". Nicole has done her fair share of traveling between classrooms, and shares her 5 rules of thumb for making these classroom transitions as seamless as possible.

Rule of Thumb #1:

Shoutout to our pal and fellow podcaster, Kelly Jackson @thesimiplyorganizedteacher for this quote; "Everything needs to have a home".

— organizational tools at home base and in teacher bag

— backups of backups chargers, batteries, pens

Rule of Thumb #2:

"Have a system"

- homework submission, classroom helpers, start and close procedures

Rule of Thumb #3:

"Spend the Time"

- stay late/go in early to set up for next day.

- No luxury of “game time decision”

Rule of Thumb #4:

"Don’t Waver on Authority"

- traveling doesn’t mean disorganized

- own the space

Rule of Thumb #5:

"Communication is Key"

- talk with neighboring teachers

- ask for help and your own permanent space in the classroom

Episode 49: Ideas For Remembering 9/11 In The High School Classroom Sep 05, 2019

Show notes

While using holidays as a source of inspiration for lessons is a common practice in the lower grades, tackling a day as serious as 9/11 can yield important and productive teaching moments at the high school level. While some may shy away from this topic, it is possible to incorporate a respectful and meaningful lesson on Sept. 11 that connects and enhances the curriculum for your subject area discipline.

Why Discuss 9/11 in the Classroom

1| Nearly all students in k-12 education now were born after Sept. 11, 2001 and those that were alive were much too young to have first-hand memories of the event. Without speaking about it directly in class, students will have little exposure to this significant cultural moment. History classes have a lot of area to cover, and few courses will make it to something as modern as 9/11. Despite the fact that students will not have direct experience with it, the aftermath of that day is still very much a part of the political and cultural landscape even to this day. Given that students of this generation are being labeled Homelanders, it makes sense that they should know the origin intimately.

2| This provides an authentic opportunity to teach about primary sources in an accessible way. Many courses are arranged chronologically, and while this makes sense, it means that dealing with primary sources presents an even greater challenge because the style in which these sources are written seem so archaic and the topics, too, are often completely foreign. Primary sources about 9/11 will use language that seems much more familiar and the students will have a general knowledge about the events being referenced. Though outside of the typical order, students will buy into the fact that class is taking a break from typically scheduled lessons because it makes sense to cover it on the anniversary of the event itself, not realizing that you have additional motives for doing this.

3| While one might initially associate debates and 9/11 with politics and conspiracy theories, there are still other ways to use this topic to stimulate academic venturing into any overly loaded controversies. Because this event has stimulated so much art, questions regarding ownership of the event and who has the right to use this as inspiration can stimulate real debate. Whether this event genuinely changed the landscape of art or literature or cultural more generally is also a real area for academic argument.

How to Make a Lesson Centered on 9/11

Billy Collins’s “The Names” is a remarkable piece for students to examine. After reading the short poem, students can watch Collins perform it with a photo tribute to the victims here.

Take the lesson a step further with their suggested extension activity designed to make students consider when and how cultural divides form. Get this entire lesson to use with your English, Social Studies, Journalism, or History class here

The memorial itself opened on the 10th anniversary and the museum opened in 2014. Take the virtual tour and discuss what seems most impactful.

Bonus Idea Leave it to the pros

Find it all here.

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

The EDVERYTHING Podcast: For Everything Education

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected