K-12 Greatest Hits: Your shortcut to what works in education

The emerging emotional science is clear, we often oversimplify how we discuss the emotional experience of teaching and the emotional inner life of teachers. In this episode, we explore two models that reframe what we often simplistically label as burnout and offer a new lens for discussing what those of us who teach are experiencing right now and what we need as we look to the school year ahead.

Follow on Twitter: @JYooBrannon @kevinleichtman @bamradionetwork @jonHarper70bd

Dr. James L. Floman is an Associate Research Scientist at the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence. He received his PhD at the University of British Columbia, where he studied the effects of mindfulness and compassion meditation on teacher emotion regulation and prosocial behavior with Dr. Kimberly Schonert-Reichl. Dr. Floman has three core research streams: 1) The assessment of dynamic social-affective processes (i.e., developing and validating EI and well-being measurement tools); 2) EI, mindfulness, and well-being training (i.e., developing, optimizing, and scaling EI and well-being-enhancement interventions for real-world applications); and 3) Affective neuroscience (studying mental training-induced changes in ‘emotional brain’ function and structure).

Jennifer Yoo-Brannon is a teacher and instructional coach in El Monte, California, with over 16 years of experience teaching high school students, mentoring teachers, and designing and facilitating professional learning. Jennifer’s passions include: building collective teacher efficacy, designing meaningful professional learning, and fostering emotional resilience among all educators. She is an Edsurge Voices of Change Writing Fellow and has written for Edsurge and The California Educator.

Kevin Leichtman is an adjunct professor and former English teacher of grades 7-12. He is the author of two books and a researcher in the fields of burnout, mindset, SEL, and equity. You can learn more about Kevin by visiting tlceducate.com

John Griesse has been teaching for 13 years with Fayetteville Public Schools. He spent the first four years teaching all subjects in third grade. The last 9 years he taught in a departmentalized fourth grade. He focused on math, reading, science, and social studies in those nine years.

The four-day school week is not new, but the speed at which schools are adopting the model is breathtaking. Largely driven by the difficulty in attracting and retaining teachers, school districts are making the leap at increasingly rapid rates. In this episode we ask, what do teachers and school leaders need to consider ahead of time to be prepared?

Follow on Twitter: @sgthomas1973 @bamradionetwork @jonharper70bd @DocSig @askpang

Dr. Robert Sigrist currently serves as the Assistant Superintendent of Business and Operations for the St. Joseph School District in St. Joseph, MO. He is beginning his 29th year as an educator. He received his Ed.D. in Educational Leadership & Policy Analysis from the University of Missouri-Columbia. He earned his M.S. in Secondary Administration from Northwest Missouri State University and his B.S. in Natural Science from Missouri Western State University.

Alex Soojung-Kim Pang, PhD., is the author of “REST: WHY YOU GET MORE DONE WHEN YOU WORK LESS.” Rest has been translated into a dozen languages, and recently appeared in a new paperback edition with a foreword by Arianna Huffington.

Shawn Thomas is in her 20th year of teaching in the largest county in Georgia. She has taught Kindergarten, Second and Third Grade, and ESOL K-5.

The four-day school week is not new, but the speed at which schools are adopting the model is breathtaking. Largely driven by the difficulty in attracting and retaining teachers, school districts are making the leap at increasingly rapid rates. In this episode we ask, what do teachers and school leaders need to consider ahead of time to be prepared?

Follow on Twitter: @sgthomas1973 @bamradionetwork @jonharper70bd @DocSig @askpang

Dr. Robert Sigrist currently serves as the Assistant Superintendent of Business and Operations for the St. Joseph School District in St. Joseph, MO. He is beginning his 29th year as an educator. He received his Ed.D. in Educational Leadership & Policy Analysis from the University of Missouri-Columbia. He earned his M.S. in Secondary Administration from Northwest Missouri State University and his B.S. in Natural Science from Missouri Western State University.

Alex Soojung-Kim Pang, PhD., is the author of “REST: WHY YOU GET MORE DONE WHEN YOU WORK LESS.” Rest has been translated into a dozen languages, and recently appeared in a new paperback edition with a foreword by Arianna Huffington.

Shawn Thomas is in her 20th year of teaching in the largest county in Georgia. She has taught Kindergarten, Second and Third Grade, and ESOL K-5.

We invited the authors of three books written to teach us how to talk with people we disagree with on just about everything. Each shared with us their framework for navigating difficult discussions with difficult people in school, at work, and in life. This episode is the first in a series aimed and learning how to talk about those sensitive social, cultural, and civic issues we simply can’t ignore. This informed and candid discussion left us with a roadmap for the episodes ahead on everything from mask mandates, to transgender issues, race relations, growing incivility, and threats to our democracy.

Follow on Twitter: @BobLitan @Tania_Israel @bamradionetwork @jonharper70bd

Dr. Judith L. Pace is a Professor in the Teacher Education Department at the University of San Francisco’s School of Education. She is a qualitative researcher who examines classroom teaching and curriculum — focusing on social studies — and its relationship to diversity, democracy, and sociopolitical contexts. She has studied classroom authority relationships and academic engagement, teaching for democratic citizenship in government classes, social studies under high stakes accountability, and teacher preparation for teaching controversial issues. Her last study was conducted in Northern Ireland, England, and the Midwestern U.S., and she is fascinated by curriculum and teaching in politically divided and post-conflict societies.

Dr. Tania Israel is a Professor of Counseling Psychology at the University of California, Santa Barbara and a Fellow of the American Psychological Association. Dr. Israel’s award-winning book, Beyond Your Bubble: How to Connect Across the Political Divide, Skills and Strategies for Conversations That Work (APA, 2020) grew out of the skill-building workshop that she developed and delivered to hundreds of participants following the 2016 election. It draws on her strengths as a psychologist and community collaborator to prepare people to engage in dialogue across political disagreement.

Dr. Robert Litan, is one of the few practicing lawyers in any field, with a Ph.D. in economics and an extensive research and career in economics. Litan has directed economic research at three leading national organizations: the Brookings Institution, the Kauffman Foundation and Bloomberg Government. Litan has held several appointed positions in the federal government. In 1993, he was appointed Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Antitrust Division of the Justice Department. In 1995, Litan was appointed Associate Director of the Office of Management and Budget, where he oversaw the budgets of five cabinet-level agencies. Litan is the founder of debatecenteredinstruction.org, a  clearinghouse for teachers wanting information about how to incorporate debate into their classrooms, based on his book Resolved: Debate can Revolutionize Education and Help Save our Democracy (Brookings Press, 2020). During his research career, Litan has authored or co-authored 30 books and edited another 14 and authored or co-authored more than 250 articles in professional and popular publications on a wide range of legal and public matters.

We invited the authors of three books written to teach us how to talk with people we disagree with on just about everything. Each shared with us their framework for navigating difficult discussions with difficult people in school, at work, and in life. This episode is the first in a series aimed and learning how to talk about those sensitive social, cultural, and civic issues we simply can’t ignore. This informed and candid discussion left us with a roadmap for the episodes ahead on everything from mask mandates, to transgender issues, race relations, growing incivility, and threats to our democracy.

Follow on Twitter: @BobLitan @Tania_Israel @bamradionetwork @jonharper70bd

Dr. Judith L. Pace is a Professor in the Teacher Education Department at the University of San Francisco’s School of Education. She is a qualitative researcher who examines classroom teaching and curriculum — focusing on social studies — and its relationship to diversity, democracy, and sociopolitical contexts. She has studied classroom authority relationships and academic engagement, teaching for democratic citizenship in government classes, social studies under high stakes accountability, and teacher preparation for teaching controversial issues. Her last study was conducted in Northern Ireland, England, and the Midwestern U.S., and she is fascinated by curriculum and teaching in politically divided and post-conflict societies.

Dr. Tania Israel is a Professor of Counseling Psychology at the University of California, Santa Barbara and a Fellow of the American Psychological Association. Dr. Israel’s award-winning book, Beyond Your Bubble: How to Connect Across the Political Divide, Skills and Strategies for Conversations That Work (APA, 2020) grew out of the skill-building workshop that she developed and delivered to hundreds of participants following the 2016 election. It draws on her strengths as a psychologist and community collaborator to prepare people to engage in dialogue across political disagreement.

Dr. Robert Litan, is one of the few practicing lawyers in any field, with a Ph.D. in economics and an extensive research and career in economics. Litan has directed economic research at three leading national organizations: the Brookings Institution, the Kauffman Foundation and Bloomberg Government. Litan has held several appointed positions in the federal government. In 1993, he was appointed Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Antitrust Division of the Justice Department. In 1995, Litan was appointed Associate Director of the Office of Management and Budget, where he oversaw the budgets of five cabinet-level agencies. Litan is the founder of debatecenteredinstruction.org, a  clearinghouse for teachers wanting information about how to incorporate debate into their classrooms, based on his book Resolved: Debate can Revolutionize Education and Help Save our Democracy (Brookings Press, 2020). During his research career, Litan has authored or co-authored 30 books and edited another 14 and authored or co-authored more than 250 articles in professional and popular publications on a wide range of legal and public matters.

Across the nation, at all levels, educators are reporting a rise in troublesome student behaviors. The list of causes is wide and deep, but the first professionals expected to manage student behavior are classroom teachers. This episode takes an unvarnished look at the new genre of student behavior challenges and how some educators are handling them.

Follow on Twitter: @jaimedonally@JorgeDoesPBL @bamradionetwork @jonharper70bd @msdarasavage

Dara Laws Savage is a 26-year educator from the great state of Delaware. She has served on numerous local, regional, and state committees, and has been Teacher of the Year in two different districts. She is an Emeritus national faculty member of PBLWorks, and is presently the English 9 teacher and Instructional Coach at the Early College High School at Delaware State University while working on her doctorate. Dara is a proud Board of Education member for the Seaford School District (alumna) and the owner of Savage Educational Consulting.
Jaime Donally is a passionate technology enthusiast. She began her career as a math teacher and later moved into Instructional Technology. Her desire to build relationships has brought about opportunities to collaborate with students and educators around the world. She provides staff development and training on immersive technology as an edtech consultant. Her latest adventures include the launch of Global Maker Day and the #ARVRinEDU community, events and presentations. She works as an author and speaker to provide practical use of augmented and virtual reality in the classroom.

Jon Harper is currently an assistant principal at Choptank Elementary School in Cambridge, Maryland. This is his 12th year as an assistant principal and prior to that he was a math coach and taught first through fifth grades. He is the author of My Bad: 24 Educators Who Messed Up Fessed Up and Grew! He Hosts #MyBad Radio and Teachers’ Aid.

Across the nation, at all levels, educators are reporting a rise in troublesome student behaviors. The list of causes is wide and deep, but the first professionals expected to manage student behavior are classroom teachers. This episode takes an unvarnished look at the new genre of student behavior challenges and how some educators are handling them.

Follow on Twitter: @jaimedonally@JorgeDoesPBL @bamradionetwork @jonharper70bd @msdarasavage

Dara Laws Savage is a 26-year educator from the great state of Delaware. She has served on numerous local, regional, and state committees, and has been Teacher of the Year in two different districts. She is an Emeritus national faculty member of PBLWorks, and is presently the English 9 teacher and Instructional Coach at the Early College High School at Delaware State University while working on her doctorate. Dara is a proud Board of Education member for the Seaford School District (alumna) and the owner of Savage Educational Consulting.
Jaime Donally is a passionate technology enthusiast. She began her career as a math teacher and later moved into Instructional Technology. Her desire to build relationships has brought about opportunities to collaborate with students and educators around the world. She provides staff development and training on immersive technology as an edtech consultant. Her latest adventures include the launch of Global Maker Day and the #ARVRinEDU community, events and presentations. She works as an author and speaker to provide practical use of augmented and virtual reality in the classroom.

Jon Harper is currently an assistant principal at Choptank Elementary School in Cambridge, Maryland. This is his 12th year as an assistant principal and prior to that he was a math coach and taught first through fifth grades. He is the author of My Bad: 24 Educators Who Messed Up Fessed Up and Grew! He Hosts #MyBad Radio and Teachers’ Aid.

In this episode, we pause to examine the seemingly endless minor and high-stakes decisions that we need to make in our classrooms every day. Listen in as we identify ways to manage the decision fatigue that some feel.

Follow on Twitter: @katyfarber @Non_Toxic_Kids @dubioseducator @drchriscip @Jonharper70bd @bamradionetwork

Dr. Katy Farber is a classroom educator and writer from Vermont. She has written and co-authored several books about education, including Why Great Teachers Quit and How We Might Solve the Exodus (Corwin Press).

Faige Meller taught for 38 years at the same school “The Center For Early Education” and that’s where she is a substitute teacher. She began teaching in 1977 in the preschool. In 1991 she became one of the kindergarten teachers. She taught kindergarten until retired in June 2015. She started subbing in 2016 and subbed in Toddlers, 3 and 4-year-old program, kindergarten, 1st and 2nd. She did a three-and-a-half-month sub position for a kindergarten teacher from January till April 17th — which included in the classroom and then remote learning.

Christina Cipriano, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor at the Yale Child Study Center and Director of Research at the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence (YCEI). Dr. Cipriano’s research focuses on the systematic examination of social and emotional learning (SEL) to promote pathways to optimal developmental outcomes for the traditionally marginalized student and teacher populations.

In this episode, we pause to examine the seemingly endless minor and high-stakes decisions that we need to make in our classrooms every day. Listen in as we identify ways to manage the decision fatigue that some feel.

Follow on Twitter: @katyfarber @Non_Toxic_Kids @dubioseducator @drchriscip @Jonharper70bd @bamradionetwork

Dr. Katy Farber is a classroom educator and writer from Vermont. She has written and co-authored several books about education, including Why Great Teachers Quit and How We Might Solve the Exodus (Corwin Press).

Faige Meller taught for 38 years at the same school “The Center For Early Education” and that’s where she is a substitute teacher. She began teaching in 1977 in the preschool. In 1991 she became one of the kindergarten teachers. She taught kindergarten until retired in June 2015. She started subbing in 2016 and subbed in Toddlers, 3 and 4-year-old program, kindergarten, 1st and 2nd. She did a three-and-a-half-month sub position for a kindergarten teacher from January till April 17th — which included in the classroom and then remote learning.

Christina Cipriano, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor at the Yale Child Study Center and Director of Research at the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence (YCEI). Dr. Cipriano’s research focuses on the systematic examination of social and emotional learning (SEL) to promote pathways to optimal developmental outcomes for the traditionally marginalized student and teacher populations.

There’s so much we urgently need to talk about, mask mandates, transgender issues, race relations, growing incivility, threats to our democracy, but so little we can safely discuss in mixed company. Increasingly, what starts out as a cordial and benign conversation can get weird quickly. In this second episode, we talk about why the way we often manage difficult conversations is no longer sustainable and how to identify the right people with whom we can talk through the difficult cultural, social, and political discussions that are becoming more unavoidable.

Tony Pingitore is a father, husband, teacher, counselor, and highly respected community organizer in Ohio. His state is home to a large population of “red people” who are struggling with the changes sweeping the country. Tony spends his days navigating the hard lines that divide us and has personally witnessed the damage the relentless conflict is having on friends family, and organizations.

Errol St.Clair Smith is a 30-year veteran of traditional media, an Emmy-winning correspondent, and the executive producer at BAM Radio Network. Errol spends his days listening to educators navigate increasingly sensitive topics in an attempt to maintain their authenticity and integrity, without doing damage to their professional relationships or careers. Errol lives in California with his wife, daughter, and a large population of “blue people.”