The Elephant and the Teacher

In this episode, Michelle sits down with Morgan Hahn – Wyoming’s 2025 State Teacher of the Year – to tackle the "elephants" in the modern classroom. From the dusty archives of American history to the cutting edge of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in education, this conversation explores how we can keep the "human" at the center of learning.In this episode, we discuss:The Power of Primary Sources: Why Abraham Lincoln’s Lyceum Address still matters for today’s students.AI as a Teaching Tool: How Morgan moved from "burnout" to using AI to offload soul-sucking administrative tasks like rubric creation.Civic Agency in Rural Schools: The unique opportunities for Wyoming students to connect with local government and see themselves as active participants in the "American Experiment."Storytelling in Teaching: Morgan’s journey from a Yellowstone whitewater raft guide to an AP History teacher, and how "showmanship" helps students care about the Gilded Age.Whether you're a "history nerd" or a teacher looking for an ethical way to integrate AI literacy into your curriculum, this episode offers a grounded, hopeful perspective on the future of the classroom.Ask a Question: Have an "elephant" you want Michelle to address? Fill out our listener form [Linked Here].Support the Podcast: If this episode moved your thinking, please leave a 5-star review and tag @DearMrsRoundy on social media!

What does it actually feel like to be a new teacher?In this episode of The Elephant and the Teacher, The Elephant and the Teacher host Michelle Roundy explores the neuroscience, psychology, and emotional weight of being new at something, especially when it’s public. She discusses the overwhelming cognitive load of a first-year teacher and how it relates to her experience learning to snowboard. Research shows that nearly 44% of teachers leave the profession within their first five years. Why? It’s not grit. It’s not toughness. In this episode, you’ll learn:What cognitive load really means for first-year teachersWhy new teachers experience nearly 3x the cognitive demand of veteransThe role of the nervous system in teacher burnoutHow co-regulation impacts teacher retentionWhy “equal” workloads are not the same as equitable supportPractical leadership strategies to better support novice educatorsWhether you are a new teacher navigating self-doubt, a veteran educator who has forgotten what it feels like to snowboard instead of ski, or a school leader committed to teacher retention, this episode invites you to reconsider how we support the humans doing this work.Want to learn more? Click on this link to access a list of further reading and resources that dive deeper into this topic.Ask a Question: Have an "elephant" you want Michelle to address? Fill out our listener form [Linked Here].Support the Podcast: If this episode moved your thinking, please leave a 5-star review and tag @DearMrsRoundy on social media!

What happens when a classroom teacher stands in the room where laws are made?In this episode, I’m taking you behind the scenes of a moment that felt both surreal and deeply grounding: my address to the Wyoming House and Senate. As the State Teacher of the Year, I was granted "privilege of the floor," but I found myself wrestling with a very human experience: the feeling of being "small" in a space of such immense power.I realized that what I had to offer wasn't a lecture, but an invitation. Drawing inspiration from Pablo Neruda’s Ode to the Table, I share the speech I gave to our legislators, reframing public education not as a set of budgets or policies, but as a table. It’s a place where we gather, where we argue, where we feed each other, and most importantly, where our students find their agency.Read Pablo Neruda’s "Ode to the Table" here.Ask a Question: Have an "elephant" you want Michelle to address? Fill out our listener form linked here.Support the Podcast: If this episode moved your thinking, please leave a 5-star review and tag @DearMrsRoundy on social media!

In this episode of The Elephant and the Teacher, Michelle Roundy dives into a truth we’ve all felt but rarely discuss: the awkward, sometimes painful "pushback" that happens when a student or colleague is recognized for excellence.From the "oohs" and "ahhs" of a classroom to the staffroom murmurs of favoritism, Michelle explores why negative reactions to success are a normal part of human tribal psychology and why we must change them to build healthier organizations. Drawing on social theory and psychological archetypes, she breaks down the shift from "peer" to "sovereign" and identifies the "shadow responses" (the Wounded Warrior and the Wounded Mother/Sister) that can erode trust in a school community.Michelle provides actionable strategies for leaders and teachers to transform school culture by making recognition transparent, reducing gossip, and building psychological safety. By reframing individual success as a collective win, these tools help shift organizations from a mindset of scarcity to one of shared growth and abundance.Ask a Question: Have an "elephant" you want Michelle to address? Fill out our listener form linked here.Support the Podcast: If this episode moved your thinking, please leave a 5-star review and tag @DearMrsRoundy on social media!

In this interview, Michelle talks with Hallie a school psychologist, CPS trainer, and implementation leader at Think:Kids about Collaborative Problem Solving (CPS) and the mindset shift required to move beyond rewards, punishments, and compliance-based discipline.Hallie shares how a failing behavior plan with a first-grade student forced her to confront the limits of traditional behaviorism and ultimately led her to CPS. Together, they explore why behavior is best understood as skill-based rather than willful, and how this reframe changes everything from how teachers regulate themselves to how students learn to problem-solve independently.This conversation covers:What Collaborative Problem Solving actually is (and what it’s not)The five skill areas that drive behaviorPlan A, Plan B, and Plan C—and when each mattersWhy regulation must come before problem-solvingHow CPS builds trust, communication, and long-term independenceMichelle weaves in her own experiences as a teacher and parent, illustrating how CPS provides language and structure for approaches that many educators intuitively feel but struggle to articulate or defend in systems driven by compliance.This episode is for educators, parents, and leaders who are ready to stop asking “Why won’t they?” and start asking “What skills are missing—and how can we build them?”Connect with Michelle on Instagram: ⁠@dearmrsroundy⁠Think:Kids Link: https://thinkkids.org/Learn-Collaborative-Problem-Solving/Additional-Courses/ASK A QUESTION: Do you have a question you’d like Michelle to address on The Elephant and The Teacher? Complete this form for an opportunity to receive insight on your specific situation.

In this episode, Michelle explores what happens when teachers and leaders give their power away by staying stuck in blame, resentment, and complaint – even when the system IS broken.This conversation invites listeners to look honestly at where they may be outsourcing responsibility for their energy, culture, and leadership. Michelle weaves in the old fairy tale The Red Shoes, as interpreted by Clarissa Pinkola Estés, as a metaphor for the shortcuts we take to feel relief and how those shortcuts often lead us down the path to burnout.This episode is not about ignoring systemic issues. It’s about reclaiming agency, integrity, and authorship inside imperfect systems. If you’ve ever felt exhausted, stuck, or quietly resentful in your work, this is an invitation to step off the complaining train and return to conscious choice.Connect with Michelle on Instagram: @dearmrsroundyBooks referenced in this episode:The 15 Commitments of Conscious LeadershipWomen Who Run With the Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola EstésDo you have a question for Michelle to discuss on The Elephant and The Teacher? Fill out this form for a chance to gain insight on your specific situation.

In this episode, Michelle tells the story of Emily’s backpack—a small moment that opens up a much larger question about learning. When a student loses access to their usual comforts, what actually happens? Through a morning meltdown, natural consequences, and honest reflection, this episode explores how our well-intentioned supports can sometimes prevent growth. A conversation about failure, scaffolding, and the courage it takes to let students struggle just enough to learn.If this conversation stirred something for you, consider sharing it with a colleague or friend who lives in this work alongside you. Michelle would love to hear what questions, resistance, or insight it sparked.Connect with Michelle on Instagram: @dearmrsroundy

What do we really hear when a student asks, “Is this graded?” Or, “How many points is this worth?”In this episode of The Elephant and the Teacher, Michelle explores the deeper meaning behind these familiar classroom questions and why our responses matter more than we think. She shares how you can build resourcefulness and give students more ownership of their learning without abandoning accountability.You’ll leave this episode with:A new lens for interpreting common student questionsPractical language that supports agency and resourcefulnessReflection prompts to examine where we may unintentionally reduce student ownershipPermission to let go of control in service of deeper learningIf this conversation stirred something for you, consider sharing it with a colleague or friend who lives in this work alongside you. Michelle would love to hear what questions, resistance, or insight it sparked for you.Connect with Michelle on Instagram: @dearmrsroundy

In this heartfelt and inspiring episode, Dakota - Michelle’s brand strategist, interview host, and friend - sits down with Michelle Roundy, the 2026 Wyoming Teacher of the Year, for an honest and uplifting conversation.Michelle shares her unexpected journey to becoming a teacher at age 40, and reflects on how her long daily commute through the Snake River Canyon became sacred creative space. She opens up about the vulnerability she brings to the classroom, the reality behind the Teacher of the Year spotlight, and how she balances a full and beautiful life as a mother, instructional coach, podcast host, and animal lover.Together, they explore:Why Michelle almost didn’t become a teacherHow vulnerability and authenticity shape her teaching and leadershipThe unique challenges and gifts of being recognized as Teacher of the YearAnd the story behind how this podcast got its nameThis episode is a warm, real, and deeply human conversation about the sacredness of everyday moments and the courage to follow what lights you up.LINKS:Follow Michelle on Instagram: @dearmrsroundyFollow Dakota on Instagram: @thedakotahuntA Book Michelle is Loving: North Woods: A Novel by Daniel MasonA Podcast Michelle is Loving: The Jefferson Fisher Podcast 

The Elephant and the Teacher is a podcast for anyone who believes that teaching - and leading - begins with the human work.You’ll hear reflections from real classrooms, experiments in teacher lead professional learning and leadership thinking rooted in thoughtful self-work instead of compliance. You’ll also hear old stories - myths, fairy tales, history - not as nostalgia, but as mirrors for the work of growing humans.Whether you are in the classroom, guiding systems, raising children, or simply trying to understand what it actually takes to learn and change - this podcast invites you into an honest, unguarded, human conversation about the work that shapes us.Follow Michelle on Instagram @dearmrsroundy.