Posts

Lead with Love: Why the Principal of the Year Reads His Mistakes to His Staff

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Can you lead with love and be a successful principal? Jason Johnson, principal of Orange High School in Hillsborough, North Carolina, shows us that you can. I found some of the things he does shocking (but refreshing, actually). Jason is the 2026 US National High School Principal of the Year. So, what does he do that is shocking? He once read all the mistakes he made one year at the last faculty meeting of the year. He tells brand-new teachers to make mistakes (and how he works with them). If kids want to drop an AP course, he wants them to talk to him personally. In his 29 years in public education, most of them in Orange County Schools, he has built a school where the state performance grade climbed from a C to a B, and proficiency rose for every student group. Jason also shares the one thing his principal said to him when he was a teacher that caused him to immediately go get an application for grad school to seek to be a principal. He also shares his ideas for giving effect...
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Math Anxiety and Mental Math: Advice From the Fastest Human Calculator

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Math anxiety and mental math are two topics math teachers talk about constantly. How do we engage students who are scared of math? And how important are math facts anyway? Our guest, Neelakantha Bhanu Prakash, won the 2020 Mental Calculation World Championship doing math in his head. So what does a champion mental mathlete think about memorizing math facts? As he has worked to help kids get better at math, what has he learned about overcoming math anxiety? And what is wrong with the test scores we use every day that may be keeping kids out of future careers in math? Let's talk about this and more with Neelakantha Bhanu Prakash, known as the world's fastest human calculator. What you'll learn: What the world's fastest human calculator really thinks about memorizing math facts Why he walked away from competing to take on math phobia The teacher he'd choose over an AI that's right every time The placement test that got an eighth grader completely wrong Wha...
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National Principals Month: A Message for Every Principal

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Happy National Principals Month! This is the perfect time to talk about having strong relationships between principals, teachers, and students for the good of our schools! Raquel Martinez started her teaching career as a biology teacher, eventually becoming principal of Sageview High School in Pasco, Washington. In 2024 she served as the first Latina president of the National Association of Secondary School Principals, now known as the National Principals Association. We often feature amazing principals from this organization. In this Thought Leader Thursday, we're featuring an episode we recorded on October 8, 2024, about how this trailblazing principal leader charted her course. She shares how a principal encouraged her to lead her science department, what a teenager working in the fields needed from her teachers, and her message to every principal who feels alone. What you'll learn: What a "tap on the shoulder" really felt like for Raquel The day her principa...
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Explicit Vocabulary Instruction: How to Make Words Stick

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Explicit vocabulary instruction beats five words on Monday and a quiz on Friday. Students need to know vocabulary, and that old routine is not the fastest or most efficient way for kids to learn all that vocab. Fifth-grade teacher Sean Morrisey makes vocabulary stick by using explicit vocabulary instruction. Sean spent eight years as a school psychologist who tested struggling readers. Frustrated that kids weren't learning, he moved into the classroom and has taught for eighteen years. He also created the Word Mapping Project, a curriculum that ties vocabulary, spelling, and word parts together. In this episode, Sean shares the routine he uses to teach new words, how he teaches kids to use word parts to figure out words, and an awesome tip to help kids learn more words, faster (and probably easier). What you'll learn: Why a word list and a Friday quiz don't stick The three moves Sean makes the first time students meet a new word What a flock of sheep has to do with s...
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ChatGPT for Teachers: Skip the Prompts, Start Talking

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Prompt engineering is outdated. Yes, you heard it. That is what Christie Cloud, instructional tech facilitator, and Dave Hinrichs, director of digital platforms and pedagogy, said in their chapter in The Educators' AI Guide 2027. Their favorite tool is ChatGPT. In this episode, they discuss what matters in the world of AI and offer a simple explanation of AI agents. They'll share their thoughts on why AI needs to be in schools and how we need to be wise about choosing our models. Now, I do want to mention this is a highlight reel of our long interview (almost 45 minutes) as aired and published on Cool Cat Teacher Talk so if you want to dive even deeper, check out their episode on my long-form show. What you'll learn: Why Christie thinks banning AI in schools is short-sighted The cell phone and social media lesson Dave says schools can't repeat with AI Why "prompt engineering" scared teachers off, and what to do instead The one-question-at-a-time trick ...
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Words of Encouragement for Struggling Students

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Sometimes when we try to speak words of encouragement for struggling students it can backfire. When a teen is hurting but they won't talk, what do you say? Lawrence C. Harris, a 20-year-old youth speaker and teen author, sat in our classrooms not long ago. He tells us what helped him and what made him pull away. Lawrence shares the well-meaning phrases that shut struggling students down, the words that keep the door open, and one small thing you can do at the start of class this week. What you'll learn: The two phrases teachers mean kindly that make a struggling teen retreat What to say when a student is clearly struggling but won't open up Why the student who seems happiest in class might be hiding the most The "one pebble a day" idea for a student who feels overwhelmed The decision that turned Lawrence's life around A start-of-class routine that gives students something to look forward to Full show notes, transcript, and resources: https://www.coo...
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Classroom Engagement Strategies for Short Attention Spans

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Classroom Engagement is something all teachers can struggle with. Does it ever feel like kids can't pay attention anymore? Do you feel like attention spans are shorter than ever? Whatever you think about attention spans, we still have to engage the students sitting in front of us. Dr. Michael McDowell, an 18-year public school educator who served as a math and science teacher, coach, principal, and superintendent, shares classroom engagement strategies that can help! Michael is the author of The Attention Gap. He walks us through a math lesson built in short intervals, and two routines you can try in any K-12 class tomorrow. What you'll learn: Why splitting a lesson into I do, we do, you do can wear students out What the attention research measured, and what it means for your class period The one question that tells you if students are with you A silent routine that has students watching your every move What one dot on a piece of student work can teach the whole class ...
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