The Art of Teaching

My thoughts on the art of teaching.

TOPICS OF DISCUSSION: In this episode, I speak with Rob about professional development, topics that are commonly addressed in PD, the need for more PD in psychology, making connections with kids, methods of teaching, and observing other teachers. As an added bonus, Rob takes my pedagogical version of the Proust/Lipton quiz!

TOPICS OF DISCUSSION: In this episode, I speak with Rob about why he became a teacher, what it’s like to be ambiteacherous, the comparison of teaching English to Mathematics, giving quality feedback to students, why he is returning to the classroom after a one year hiatus, and what are the best qualities needed of a teacher to mentor a student teacher.

TOPICS OF DISCUSSION: In this episode, I speak with Lytle about the overall objective of learning mathematics, problem solving, and cross curriculum learning. I challenge Lytle to put the 14 Geometry Standards (according to the state of Virginia) in order and discuss the reasoning of a logical order. As an added bonus, Lytle takes my pedagogical version of the 10 question Proust/Lipton quiz! WORDS OF WISDOM: “The purpose of earning a degree is to show a potential employer that you can commit to something and finish it.” “Kids are not just learning math if we’re doing our job correctly.” “What I’ve experienced in teaching math is that there aren’t many teachers willing to go outside the box.” “It’s impossible to get through the entire Algebra 1 curriculum [in the time we’re given] with fidelity.” “If you’re unhappy where you are, switch schools or just find a way to change in up.”

TOPICS OF DISCUSSION: In this episode, I speak with Lytle about why she became a teacher, why she switched from collaborative to lead teacher, what’s the feeling of getting your own classroom, why most students think math is the most boring subject, and what’s the responsibility of the math teacher in terms of making math less boring. WORDS OF WISDOM: “Care about the human condition.” “When it comes to alternative education, take everything you know about teaching and throw it out the window.” “Every teacher should spend some time in the alternative setting because after that you will better understand behavior management.” “We put too much pressure on ourselves as teachers to reach every kid.” “As a teacher, it’s OK for your lesson to fail.”

TOPICS OF DISCUSSION: In this episode, I speak with Tolbert about why he’s called by his last name, why he’s still teaching, what do you want students to take away from your class and retain years later, As an added bonus, Tolbert takes my pedagogical version of the 10 question Proust/Lipton quiz! WORDS OF WISDOM: “The minute I stop learning from the students I’m interacting with, I’ll want no part of it anymore.” “Fundamentally, education needs to be a space where we can talk about challenging things.” “If you can succeed in the service industry, it lends itself well to the skills you need to succeed in the classroom.” “When you can read a piece of literature, listen to a piece of music, see a work of art, or watch a movie that helps you understand yourself better …. There’s no better definition of magic in the world than that. If a student makes that connection, then that’s a win.” “The content of English class entails reading, writing, thinking, and speaking. If the student can’t do those things, how are they going to develop in any other content?” “When you realize that teaching is a job and not your [entire] life, you’ll become a better teacher.“

TOPICS OF DISCUSSION: In this episode, I speak with Tolbert about why he became a teacher, what it means to be well-read, and the goals of reading in our past and current educational system. As an added bonus, Tolbert takes my literary blindfold test with an incentive based beer blindfold taste test! WORDS OF WISDOM: “To become a teacher, you have to have that ‘moment’.” “When you are well-read, you can look at things from a variety of perspectives and view points.” “I wish I had read everything I was assigned in high school.” “No art is new. It’s just repackaged. Once you understand that, it’s very freeing.”

TOPICS OF DISCUSSION: In this episode, I speak with Ryan about how the unofficial Henrico County THRONG accomplishment and award Ryan with the Over-acting award, how National Board has impacted his career, and how the R.E.B. award impacted my career. As an added bonus, Ryan takes my pedagogical version of the 10 question Proust/Lipton quiz! WORDS OF WISDOM: “If you want a mini-way of getting better [at teaching], then download the National Board standards and just read them.” “Stay passionate. Stay hungry about teaching.” “Seek out professional development that you think is valuable for your teaching context.” “You’re the master of your own classroom. Shut the door and teach because you know what’s best for your students.” “If you can surround yourself with people that are also passionate, then that can really elongate your career.”

TOPICS OF DISCUSSION: In this episode, I speak with Ryan about the need for teachers to share and volunteer, the advantages of teaming within a school, an overview of the Specialty Center of which Ryan is the chair, sharing and creating curriculum, making choices of what to cover/emphasis (or not) within the given curriculum, and the need to teach skills over content. WORDS OF WISDOM: “[Working with a department that shares] is the main reason Why I’m still teaching 20 years later.” “Often, we lose teachers because they feel isolated.” “It’s all about the community feel. Kids want to be a part of something small [in number] but also something big [important]. “Watch the Ted Dintersmith documentary Most Likely to Succeed.” “[Creating Content around and idea] attracts passionate teachers.” “You’ve got be authentic. Every good teacher changes a borrowed lesson plan.” “I love the autonomy in that I chose what to emphasize in my class, and other teachers can chose something else.” “[to the history student] Why does this matter to you in 2022?’”

TOPICS OF DISCUSSION: In this episode, I speak with Ryan about how he left personal finance at Circuit City to become a teacher via the Junior Achievement program, the challenges of relinquishing control of your class to someone else, teaching at the middle school level helps prepare you for teaching at the high school level, the transition from middle to high school teaching, and the requirements of student teaching. WORDS OF WISDOM: “Student teaching is basically one big interview for getting a job at that school.” “Middle School teaching is about harnessing their energy while high school is more about dealing with apathy.” “As a middle school teacher, I developed my pedagogical strategies to be super hands on, getting kids out of their seats, and doing a variety of different things.” “Tenth graders might be the most difficult to teach.” “Content is the least important of all of the different things you do in a class. For me, it’s more of the strategies and skills than the drill and kill content.” “It’s a people job.” “The more experience young people get in the classrooms with kids, the better teachers they will become.” “When you’re doing counseling or coaching, you get to know the psyche of a young person and can only be beneficial in a school setting.”

TOPICS OF DISCUSSION: In this episode, I speak with Lindsey about how technology has inspired instruction, types of technology, teaching methods, our podcast project we did together with students, the need for less structure, and the importance of a good rubric. As an added bonus, Lindsey takes my pedagogical version of the 10 question Proust/Lipton quiz! WORDS OF WISDOM: “If technology is not enhancing what you’re doing, you don’t need it.” “I love a good structure but I think the open-endedness of [the podcast project] pushed me out of my comfort zone so I was ironically more comfortable with the mess.” “I hope I’ve helped students learn more about themselves.” “The more we continue to prioritize what we value, and how to make experiences better for kids, then any new initiative or piece of technology; that’s going to continue to be a revolving door. We’ve got to hold on to why we teach.” “This is not a job we can do by ourselves. We need each other.”

TOPICS OF DISCUSSION: In this episode, I speak with Linsey about why she became a teacher, the recognition of cliques within a faculty and how we could address it, starting a career in a new school, bringing your “A-game” to the classroom, creating your own change, winging it, and why she’s considering becoming an administrator. WORDS OF WISDOM: “We have to make more time to do things outside of the school building together.” “[not bringing your ‘A-game’] is due to growing pains for the school, some of that is the way education has changed. Everything we do has been flipped upside down over the past two years, so some of it is fatigue.” “National Board forced me to ask why I do what I do.” “I’m very blunt with my students. I’ll tell them that I’ve never done this project before and I’m going to need their feedback. This could totally flop in our face and that’s Ok because that’s really how we learn.” “Kids are going to remember the process and the honesty.” “There are days when I know what I want to teach, but I can’t figure out what it should look like, so I’m just going to talk and see where the discussion goes. The way I do it in one class is going be totally different than another class.”

TOPICS OF DISCUSSION: In this episode, I speak with Jill about running into former students in public, what we want students to remember years later, British literature and teaching the ‘classics’, the use of props in teaching and has our grade driven system hindered creativity. As an added bonus, Jill takes my pedagogical version of the 10 question Proust/Lipton quiz! WORDS OF WISDOM: “Ten years from now, people will not remember what you taught them. They’ll remember how you treated them.” “If they [students] can relax and kind of like themselves, then maybe the process of learning can begin.” “The problem with teaching things that are considered ‘classics’ is that kids can’t relate to it. … The hope is that kids will pick up these books again and read them." “That looks great. [referring to a fake piece of pizza] I’ve got to put it in my classroom. Why? I don’t know." “I’m always amazed when watching my peer teachers; which we don’t do enough.” “When you stop learning from the kids, then it’s time to get out of education." “I love people. I don’t like humanity."

TOPICS OF DISCUSSION: In this episode, I speak with Jill about why she became a teacher, what she looks for when interviewing others, the importance of making connections with students, taking on the role of the student’s ‘school mom’, why kids need to take on school as their job, why change schools, having your own kids at the school you teach, and Jill’s 5-prong philosophy for what ever teacher needs to remember. WORDS OF WISDOM: "Everything is gray. There are no black and white issues in any type of teaching." "If you have rapport, then you’ll have [classroom] management." "A lot of it [connecting with students] is pulling a kid over, sitting them down and saying, 'Look me in the eyes. I’m your school mom here. What’s going on?’" "Your job is to be a student and once you graduate, you can choose your destiny." "The first year I worked, I was hired the day before school began. I didn’t go to teacher preparation week, so I was blissfully ignorant." "The 5-prong philosophy!"

TOPICS OF DISCUSSION: In this episode, I speak with Allen about the saying “Those who can’t, teach.”, my twist to this topic “Those who don’t try, shouldn’t teach.”, teachers need to be inquisitive of all topics, the use of data in music education, should the arts be a requirement for all students every year, and the delicate balance between showing and discovery. WORDS OF WISDOM: “Curriculum is too compartmentalized.” “I happen to have brought my soapbox with me. Do you mind if I stand up on it for a second?” “Some things are not quantumly measurable.” “How much of learning has become something that can fit neatly into a standardized testing box? But that’s not how people learn and that’s not how we function.”

TOPICS OF DISCUSSION: In this episode, I speak with Allen about why he became a teacher, how he survived 30 years of it, why he changed schools, qualities of some his favorite educators, public speaking, and the use of humor in the classroom. As an added bonus, Allen takes my pedagogical version of the 10 question Proust/Lipton quiz! WORDS OF WISDOM: “We run from the things we want to do.” “It was 10 years before I knew what I was doing.” “Reinvention is always possible.” “I admire teachers who can be themselves in front of students.” “If you can make them laugh, then usually they will hear the next thing you say.”