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© 2026 Schoolutions: Teaching Strategies to Strengthen School Culture, Empower Educators, & Inspire Student Growth
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Do you need innovative strategies for better classroom management and boosting student engagement? This podcast is your go-to resource for coaches, teachers, administrators, and families seeking to create dynamic and effective learning environments.
In each episode, you'll discover how to unite educators and caregivers to support students, tackle common classroom management challenges, and cultivate an atmosphere where every learner can thrive.
With over 25 years of experience as a teacher and coach, host Olivia Wahl brings insights from more than 100 expert interviews, offering practical tips that bridge the gap between school and home.
Tune in every Monday for actionable coaching and teaching strategies, along with inspirational stories that can transform your approach and make a real impact on the students and teachers you support.
Start with one of our fan-favorite episodes today (S2 E1: We (still) Got This: What It Takes to Be Radically Pro-Kid with Cornelius Minor) and take the first step towards transforming your educational environment!
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Welcome back to Part Two of my S5E23 @schoolutionspodcast conversation with Stacey Shubitz. We discuss the importance of looking beyond just IEP goals and accommodations in special education. Stacey emphasizes considering child development and the need for downtime, joy, and culturally relevant books. Caregivers can use these parenting tips to provide emotional support and foster inclusive education for children with disabilities outside of school hours. Stacey reveals the surprising advice ...
Discover a powerful perspective shift on educational evaluations that eliminates stigma and empowers families. In this transformative reel clip, Stacey Shubitz shares how one parent reframed the evaluation process as "finding the key to unlock the brain" – a beautiful metaphor that changes everything about how we approach student struggles and student success. If your child is experiencing low engagement, classroom behavior challenges, or attention in class difficulties, this video offers ho...
Part One of my S5E23 @schoolutionspodcast conversation, literacy specialist and parent Stacey Shubitz shares her dual perspective on navigating special education. If you've ever felt lost in IEP meetings or unsure how to advocate for your child, this episode is your roadmap. Stacey, author of Make the School System Work for Your Child With Disabilities, reveals why leading with your child's strengths—not deficits—changes everything. She breaks down the difference between IEPs and 504 plans, ...
This February, join @schoolutionspodcast as it highlights educators and researchers advancing child support. 🎯 What You'll Learn: • How to navigate IEPs, 504s, and disability services with confidence • The shocking research behind foundational writing skills that transforms student success • A neurodivergent educator's journey supporting thriving students in inclusive classrooms • The alarming trend: NYC pediatricians diagnosing kindergartners with play-deprivation-induced anxiety and ...
Welcome back to Part Two of my S5E22 @schoolutionspodcast conversation with Katie Keier. This episode builds on the foundation from Part One, exploring Katie's unique classroom strategies. We dive into her innovative teaching techniques, including why she creates classrooms that foster belonging and student engagement through choice, materials, and the honoring of every child's story. Katie shares powerful examples of student participation and student motivation, including kindergartner...
Are standards enough to inspire real writers? In this powerful reel, Katie Keier shares why teaching writing standards in isolation isn't creating confident, motivated writers in our classrooms. Learn about the "iceberg method" - where standards are just the tip, and meaningful purpose sits beneath the surface. The truth: Kids can learn to spell "cat" and blend sounds, but without an authentic audience, purpose, and opportunities for student participation, they'll never see themselves as rea...
Part One of my S5E22 @schoolutionspodcast conversation, Katie Keier shares how her Writers Playshop is changing kindergarten writing through play. Learn about effective teaching strategies and how to create a dynamic classroom environment where children thrive. In this episode, 33-year veteran teacher Katie Keier shares how a five-year-old revolutionized her entire approach to teaching writing. Discover why she refuses to spell words for children, how materials serve as story catalyst...
In Part Two of my S5E21 @schoolutionspodcast conversation, literacy expert Maria Walther focuses on the power of the read aloud. This episode offers more teaching strategies for educators and builds on our Part One conversation. Discover how incorporating read aloud stories and read aloud books can enhance reading instruction and foster a love for storytime in your classroom. What You'll Learn: ✅ The Monday-Friday Sandwich Strategy for integrating picture books with curriculum ✅ How to...
In this reel clip, we discuss the essential components of shared reading and why it needs to be updated. Many classrooms lack traditional materials, impacting effective teaching strategies. Maria Walther also shares reading tips for creating a more engaging and impactful literacy experience for students. Shared reading doesn't have to disappear from your classroom just because big books are hard to find! Maria Walther even reveals why shared reading is slipping away in classrooms and s...
In Part One of my S5E21 @schoolutionspodcast conversation, Maria Walther breaks down the critical difference between read aloud and shared reading, and shares why those short, focused bursts of instruction are the bridge your students need between teacher-led learning and independence. We discuss how to make this work alongside published curriculum, effective teaching, instructional strategies, and lesson planning that honors what kids need. Key Topics Discussed in Part One: ✅ The diff...
Part Two of my S5E20 @schoolutionspodcast conversation with Dr. Michelle Chanda Singh, learn about effective digital media and edu tech tools that give students creative agency, fostering interactive learning. In this episode, you'll discover: 🎯 Why traditional curriculum fails and how storytelling bridges the gap 📱 Digital storytelling tools: Canva and Adobe Spark 🎤 The guest speaker strategy that actually resonates with students 👨👩👧👦 How a 10th-grade interview assignment preserved ...
Start Monday With One Story | Transform Student Engagement Through Storytelling 📚✨ One simple shift can revolutionize classroom belonging and student motivation. Start with ONE story. ONE perspective. ONE moment. Stories aren't just content—they're entry points that help students see themselves, stay engaged, and go deeper into learning. When we incorporate stories, we raise the humanity in our classrooms. Perfect for teachers, new teachers, education coaches, school administrators, instruc...
In Part One of my S5E20 @schoolutionspodcast conversation, Dr. Michelle Chanda Singh shares how inclusive teaching can profoundly impact the student experience and foster a sense of belonging for all students, emphasizing that education for all hinges on deeply connected learning. She discusses how a Spanish teacher's innovative language learning approach helped her overcome feelings of invisibility in the classroom. In this part one deeply personal conversation, Michelle reveals: ✨ W...
Part Two of my S5E19 @schoolutionspodcast conversation with Rusty Keeler tackles the "how" of implementing adventurous play—storage solutions, liability myths, phantom policies, and the 13-year success story of Ithaca Children's Garden's Anarchy Zone. 🎯 What You'll Learn: • Storage and organization strategies for loose parts play (yes, even for Type A educators!) • How to address liability concerns with administrators and insurance companies • The truth about licensing requirements vs. inter...
Discover the power of loose parts in creating engaging, natural play spaces that boost creativity, student engagement, and active learning! In this reel clip with Rusty Keeler, we explore how simple, low-cost materials can transform any outdoor environment—whether it's a school playground, backyard, or homeschool setting—into a space where children thrive. Learn why traditional playground equipment like monkey bars isn't enough, and how natural elements like rolling hills, sand, water, mud, ...
Part One of my S5E19 @schoolutionspodcast conversation with Rusty Keeler explores how to integrate more unstructured play, loose parts, and outdoor activities for kids into daily life, fostering child development and encouraging open-ended play. It's time to grow imagination. Rusty has spent 30+ years designing and advocating for natural outdoor play around the world, and he's witnessed firsthand how we've fundamentally changed childhood. While we've created increasingly "safe" playgro...
Happy New Year! I'm excited to share a Schoolutions Teaching Strategies podcast update with you, designed to enhance your weekly planning routine and boost your productivity. Starting January 5th, 2026, guest conversations will be divided into two shorter episodes, released on Mondays and Fridays. Wednesdays will feature a 60-second reel, offering a bite-sized piece from our conversation that you can share with a colleague. This month's theme: Imagination, Play, and Storytelling - essential ...
In this S5E18 Schoolutions Teaching Strategies BONUS, I tackle the complex challenges within coaching relationships, especially when teachers repeatedly decline coaching. This conversation addresses the resistance and avoidance behaviors that can stall progress, offering insights for instructional leadership. It's an exploration of personal growth in coaching, emphasizing the impact of effective relationships. What happens when a teacher says no to coaching? Not just once, but repeatedly. In...
In this S5E18 Schoolutions Teaching Strategies conversation, Chrissy Beltran explains how to stop being a "fixer" coach and start being a partner! In this powerful conversation, Chrissy (Buzzing with Ms. B) shares game-changing strategies for instructional coaching that actually work with all teachers, maximize teacher support, and drive student success. Chrissy is the host of the "Instructional Coaching with Ms. B" podcast (250+ episodes), a former literacy coach and instructional coach sup...
In this S5E17 Schoolutions Teaching Strategies BONUS, I unpack Sarah Tesar's honest story about leaving public school kindergarten—not because of bad admin or paperwork, but because the emotional cost became unsustainable. This isn't just about teacher burnout. It's about the empathy paradox: the same qualities that make someone great at student engagement and classroom belonging can become impossible to sustain without systemic support. In This Episode, You'll Discover: ✅ Why self-care adv...
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