The ABC's High School Teachers Really Need to Know
This podcast was developed to help high school teachers better reach students, as well as gain more self-fulfillment by doing just that. We will discuss essential strategies and stories to help new, experienced, burned-out, and/or growth-focused teachers find their way in a world of confusing, endless, and oftentimes overwhelming resources for educators. Hopefully, you will find these both tangible and applicable in your own professional journey. This podcast is definitely not about “polish” and “pretty”. Instead, it’s about REAL strategies that have proven results in REAL classrooms. Thank you for taking the time to get better for your students. Most of all, thank you for being a teacher.
Episodes
110 episodes
Episode #6: Furries and Other Fires
It is absolutely impossible for a teacher to adequately meet all of the mental health and socioemotional health needs of our students - nor should we try. In a world and society that's "all about me" and relative ethics, we have to ...
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Season 5
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Episode 6
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17:11
Episode $5: Enrichment > Edutainment
Enrichment is far more effective than edutainment. As students reach high school, they search for more "meaning" in lessons than "fun" alone. Enrichment is the key to both engaging students and establishing that meaning. For e...
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Season 5
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Episode 5
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31:14
Episode #5: Don't Forget to Document
Effective and professional teachers document early and often. They document the good and the bad. They document how effective lessons are in meeting their goals. They document patterns in student performance and behavior. &nbs...
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Season 5
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Episode 4
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21:22
Episode #3: Chatterbox
It's the age-old question, "How do I keep my students from talking so much in class?" This episode will help you answer that question by looking at why students talk in the first place, as well as why your classroom management techniques ...
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Season 5
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Episode 3
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30:43
Episode #2: Ban Bad Discipline Practices
This episode presents a powerful list that educators can use to improve their classroom management, particularly when discipline problems occur. Whether you are new to the classroom or a long-time veteran, we need to realize that effectiv...
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Season 5
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Episode 2
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54:37
Episode #1: All About People
Effective teachers focus on people, not just lessons or assessments. We learn together, achieve together, struggle together, overcome together, and celebrate together. The classroom and your lessons should reflect the real world because i...
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Season 5
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Episode 1
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24:59
Episode $26: Zero Regrets....Yeah Right
As humans and effective teachers, we will always regret things - certain choices we made, how we taught a lesson, how we reacted to a student, etc. Not only is that natural, it makes us better educators and people. Learning from mis...
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Season 4
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Episode 26
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22:54
Episode #25: Young and the Restless
Effective teachers turn the challenges of working with teenagers into opportunities for success and learning. Working with high schoolers is not for the weak. They will be hormonal, use inappropriate language and humor, face peer pr...
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Season 4
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Episode 25
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25:14
Episode #24: X-Factor
It's amazing how often we notice that certain teachers have the "X-factor." They just "get it." They are superstars. We may say the same about certain teachers we had in school. Do you have the X-factor? Have...
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Season 4
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Episode 24
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22:26
Episode #23: Warning Signs
Effective teachers understand and define success through goal-setting. If we don't set goals and pay attention to the warning signs that indicate we are off-track, we risk being less effective in the classroom and beyond.
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Season 4
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Episode 23
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30:15
Episode #22: Vast Learning Opportunities Are Being Missed
The world is changing, and it always will. Effective teachers know, understand, and adapt to this change. Educators and the education system need to focus on producing students that are dynamic innovators and thinkers. This ep...
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Season 4
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Episode 22
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37:14
Episode #21: Undercover Agents and Unholy Alliances
Serving in education, like most occupations, comes with its fair share of "politics." The goal is to stay out of the fray as much as possible. Instead, focus on your job and your students. Few things bring more "political" un...
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Season 4
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Episode 21
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16:03
Episode #20: Tragedy of the Commons
The "tragedy of the commons" is having a real impact on educators and the system as a whole. Teachers are a limited resource with limited time and capacity. Educators need clear job descriptions and boundaries that are both r...
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Season 4
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Episode 20
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21:06
Episode #19: Stop the Sham Trials
It's sad to say, but students endure sham trials all the time in education. They are regularly "crystal-balled", pigeon-holed, stereotyped, and found guilty by association. Effective teachers instead make building individual relatio...
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Season 4
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Episode 19
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21:11
Episode #18: Rigor and Rigidity are Overused Weapons
Making a class convoluted and challenging without purpose or intentionality is a losing strategy. Also, serving as the inflexible dictator of your process will inevitably fail students. Don't weaponize rigor and rigidity. Inst...
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Season 4
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Episode 18
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24:02
Episode #17: Question what You Celebrate
You can determine a great deal about the culture of a classroom or school by what is celebrated in them. Be intentional about what you celebrate (and how). If not, you will undermine your own process and inevitably leave stude...
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Season 4
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Episode 17
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21:25
Episode #16: Part to Whole vs. Whole to Part Learners
One of the fundamental questions we must ask ourselves about a student is whether he/she is a "Part to Whole" (PW) or "Whole to Part" (WP) learner. Does a student need all the details in order to fully understand a concept or does h...
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Season 4
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Episode 16
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21:12
Episode 15: Out of Bounds
Connecting and building relationships with students in the classroom is hugely impactful, as is building community with those you work with/for professionally. However, effective teachers know that there are things that should alway...
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Season 4
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Episode 15
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39:06
Episode #14: Nickelback
The obvious reality is that teachers are overworked. Also, there is no such thing as "giving 110%." Why do we take on more classes, more clubs, and more duties just to get a nickel back? Effective teachers know that we have to...
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Season 4
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Episode 14
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23:00
Episode #13: Mundane in the Membrane
The moment your class (or you) becomes mundane for students is the very moment our process begins to be less effective. Even the best instructional and assessment strategies have to be used thoughtfully and intentionally. Is your cl...
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Season 4
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Episode 13
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14:59
Episode #12: Low Expectations = Low Results
A simple truth: Low expectations almost certainly equal low results. From homogenizing the population to pushing 50% "zeroes," the system seems built to soften expectations and push students through regardless of actual learni...
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Season 4
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Episode 12
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20:58
Episode #11: Kryptonite for Kids
We have to take a deep and empathetic look at what is affecting our kids today. From school dances and time management woes to friend drama and bullying, there is a great deal of kryptonite out there making it harder and hardener to effec...
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Season 4
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Episode 11
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34:52
Episode #10: Jerry...Jerry...Jerry!
More and more classrooms are becoming absolute clown shows and ineffective learning environments because of student populations that are becoming increasingly disruptive, disinterested, and disillusioned. While effective teachers primaril...
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Season 4
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Episode 10
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27:58
Episode #9: Inequity is Inevitable
Strive for equitable access to education, knowing your classroom will never be perfect. However, don't obsess with trying to create equitable outcomes - no matter how much some in society and educational leadership push you to do so. ...
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Season 4
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Episode 9
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23:17
Episode #8: Heavy Lifter Hostility
As you know, 20% of people do 80% of the work. It's no different in our profession. In the high-functioning world of eduction, years of "heavy lifting" by a teacher can inevitably lead to burnout, health repercussions, time manageme...
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Season 4
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Episode 8
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17:39