Top of the Class

Latest Episodes:

Top of the Class Episode 54-Alternative Pathways to Educator Licensure-Dr. Carol Lippert and Carolyn Mann Jul 10, 2023

Show notes

We wanted to bring to you all a topic that has been on our minds for some time now. We have been in countless meetings, sessions, and conversations all about the teacher pipeline or educator pipeline and how we can help to fill the need out there. We know the need is great and we have had the opportunity to speak with some experts on some innovative pathways to educator certification AND GCU has been doing some innovation of its own. That said, we have two guests today who are going to help us break down this topic a bit more and chat about the idea of teacher residency and alternative pathways to educator licensure.

Let’s hear from our amazing guests today!

Top of the Class Episode 53-Why We Appreciate Being an Educator with Julianne Bridwell & Ryan Reid Jun 06, 2023

Show notes

Recently, we celebrated a VERY important week. As the academic school year winds down each year, we have Teacher Appreciation Week. While we celebrate teachers and educators EVERY single day, this is a week where we pay extra special attention to our educators. To our listeners out there, teachers, leaders in the field, and anyone who is in the education field, we THANK you all from the bottom of our hearts. We know this job comes with a whole slew of ups and downs, but each and every one of you is making a daily difference in young minds and the future of society as a whole. So, thank you! That said, we wanted to celebrate here on Top of the Class. So, we have brought in some amazing guests and experts to chat with us about why we appreciate being an educator. Let’s take a listen!

Top of the Class Episode 52-Servant Leadership-Part 4 with Nicholas Johnson May 01, 2023

Show notes

We are back with the 4th and FINAL episode in our special 4-part series on servant leadership. This topic has been rich with good reminders, tips, and ideas on how we can best serve our fellow colleagues, our students, our student’s families, and the community around us. We are so excited to wrap up such an amazing series with our final guest today.

Let’s jump right in and take a listen!

Top of the Class Episode 51-Servant Leadership-Part 3-with Melissa Woodward Apr 03, 2023

Show notes

We are back…for part 3 of a very special FOUR-part series all on servant leadership. We know that it might not be a term used at all places of work, but our roles as educators really do embody a lot of those characteristics that are found in servant leadership. So, we thought it was such a worthy topic to dive into with 4 amazing experts who each have 4 very different backgrounds and are in 4 very different roles in the education profession! Join us as we hear from the expert, Melissa Woodward, and special guest host, Assistant Dean, Lindy Gaudiano!

Top of the Class Episode 50-Servant Leadership-Part 2-with Emily Hollendoner Mar 06, 2023

Show notes

Well, we are back for another wonderful episode. This is Part II of our Servant Leadership Series. If you missed Part I, we chatted with an alum who went a bit viral on our COE Instagram page for her role in “Life of a First Year Teacher: Life of Shay!” and learned SO much! Feel free to take a listen! Now, we know that as educators, servant leadership is a term we often hear used in our field. In addition, here at GCU and in the College of Education, part of our mission is to assist in the overall human flourishing of our communities. Teachers do just that! So, let’s hear from our next guest to chat about such a meaningful topic!

Top of the Class Extra Credit-Why We LOVE GCU with Emily & Meredith Feb 14, 2023

Show notes

With today being Valentine’s Day, we thought that this was the perfect day to share the LOVE. In this Extra Credit episode, Emily and Meredith dive into why they love GCU and a little bit about their own history and journey. With over TWO decades between them at GCU, there is a lot of love to go around.

If you are new to Top of the Class, or if you are a veteran listener, we hope you enjoy this fun episode. So, sit back, relax (unless you are driving), and enjoy the show!

Top of the Class Episode 49-Servant Leadership-Part I-with Shay Quitno Jan 27, 2023

Show notes

Today, we have a fun episode that is actually part of a FOUR-part series! For the next few episodes, we are going to be talking all about servant leadership. As classroom teachers and school leaders, we’re not just leaders, but we’re servant leaders who provide emotional and academic support, create cultures of learning, encourage the individuals we work with to grow, and make room for everyone’s ideas to be heard. Our topic today is SO important that we thought it was necessary to break it down into four episodes with four AMAZING guests. So, buckle up and get ready to listen to the wise words of our first guest educator in this series, Shay Quitno.

Top of the Class Episode 48-Bringing Character Ed to Classrooms with Emily Farkas Sep 20, 2022

Show notes

We are beyond thrilled about today’s episode. This has been a topic that is very important to us here at GCU and in the College of Education, but also personally important to us at Top of the Class. We know that there are SO many challenging things that our students experience in life. The world is HARD! And, we also know that those things affect our students in the classroom. Educators spend so much time with their students and lessons go beyond the math, English, science, and social studies curriculum. So, we are here to chat about character education and what that looks like in the classroom. And, we have brought an amazing expert to speak with us today! We can’t wait for you to give this episode a listen!

Top of the Class Episode 47-Back-to-School Basics with Dr. Victor Diaz Aug 22, 2022

Show notes

We are so excited right now. As we record this episode, we have been bombarded with all of the back-to-school media, commercials, pictures on social media, etc. And, we know that so many of you are preparing to return to your classrooms and many of you may already have a classroom full of students! We know there is SO much work, TLC, and planning that goes into getting ready for back to school. We thought it would be wonderful to bring in one of our local experts to talk a little bit about what it takes to get a school ready for the students to come back to school each fall. Let’s jump right in and start this school year off with another fantastic episode of Top of the Class!

Top of the Class Episode 46-Students with Exceptionalities & Online/Hybrid Environments with Dusty Sanchez and Julie Blair Jul 25, 2022

Show notes

Today, we are going to talk about a really special topic. We wanted to discuss those online and hybrid environments, specifically how we can best support our students with exceptionalities. We have brought in two amazing experts in this area today, Dusty Sanchez and Julie Blair, to help us all learn! Let’s get ready to learn from the best. We also have some amazing resources discussed and shared by our experts today below:

High Leverage Practices (HLPs): High-Leverage Practices Resources | CEEDAR (ufl.edu)
Removing Barriers to Effective Distance Learning by Applying High Leverage Practices: Removing Barriers to Effective Distance Learning by Applying the High-Leverage Practices (ufl.edu)
Assistive Technology Padlet from Arizona Department of Education/Exceptional Student Services: Assistive Technology JOT – Spring 2021 (padlet.com)
CIDDL: https://ciddl.org/

**Please note that these resources are suggested by our experts and are not affiliated with GCU or Top of the Class.

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