Brave New Teaching: A Podcast for High School and Middle School Teachers

A pep talk on focusing only on what you can control in chaotic times. Tackles student anxiety around course selection and how post-COVID habits affect resilience. Uses a bank-account metaphor to weigh goals, trade offs, and where to invest time and energy. Shares choices for sustaining a program amid scheduling chaos and tiny actions teachers can make to protect their energy.

In this week’s team meeting, we share what we’ve been reading and swap book recommendations (and a few that didn’t quite land). Then we dive into an Edutopia reel about being a “warm demander” in the classroom, exploring how to hold students to high expectations while building strong, respectful relationships. We break down what this actually looks like in real moments, plus share tips that you can apply in your own classroom!Resources:Become a founding beta tester of Brave New Teaching University.Edutopia’s warm demander reelWatch BNT episodes on YouTube!Shop Our Faves.Related Episodes:Episode 223, The Sherlock Society: An Interview with Author James PontiEpisode 283, Resistant Readers Need the Four Reading Realms: A Walkthrough - BNT Team MeetingEpisode 288, Pardon Us - STOP Meeting Students Where They Are?!?! - BNT Team MeetingSHOW NOTES: https://www.bravenewteaching.com/home/episode289"Send us a message - please include your contact information so we can chat soon!"Head to bravenewteaching.com/waitlist to become a beta tester for BNT University!Support the show📚 BNT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT & RESOURCES 👩‍💻Join Happy Hour!Curriculum RehabDown with the Reading QuizShop the BNT Resource LibraryConnect with us on Instagram @bravenewteachingSubscribe to our YouTube Channel

A lively conversation reacting to a provocative Atlantic article about whether teachers should 'meet students where they are.' They parse media hype, argue for cross-level collaboration, and discuss planning that starts with students. PLUS classroom and library project highlights like a picture-book bracket, Monarch voting, theater productions, and student-led costuming.

🔗 Grab our FREE 100% Engagement Listening Guide to get even more out of this episode!What if 100% engagement isn’t about doing more, but about choosing differently? After two episodes with the authors of 100% Engagement, this is our real classroom debrief. We share what happened when we actually tried the strategies, from reworking Book Snaps to spark better conversations to adapting a musical chairs–style activity into a fast-paced fiction preview. We unpack engagement vs. compliance, small shifts that changed lesson energy, and why engagement is part of our professional responsibility...not a performance!Resources:100% Engagement Listening Guide (FREE!)Become a founding beta tester of Brave New Teaching University.Take our quiz, and we’ll send you an episode playlist that’s tailored just for you!100% Engagement by Brian Sztabnik and Susan BarberWatch BNT episodes on YouTube!Shop Our FavesRelated Episodes:Episode 285, 100% Engagement (Part 1)Episode 286, 100% Engagement (Part 2)SHOW NOTES: https://www.bravenewteaching.com/home/episode287"Send us a message - please include your contact information so we can chat soon!"Head to bravenewteaching.com/waitlist to become a beta tester for BNT University!Support the show📚 BNT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT & RESOURCES 👩‍💻Join Happy Hour!Curriculum RehabDown with the Reading QuizShop the BNT Resource LibraryConnect with us on Instagram @bravenewteachingSubscribe to our YouTube Channel

What do you do when last period feels like it’s dragging and everyone, including you, is running on fumes? In part two of our conversation with Brian Sztabnik and Susan Barber, we share quick, high-energy strategies to reset the room, from Top Chef–inspired build challenges to two-sentence horror stories and poetry puzzles that get students moving and thinking fast. We also talk meme projects for Pride and Prejudice, character playlists for Frankenstein, and how to build a classroom culture where it’s safe to care. Most importantly, we remind you that engagement doesn’t have to be nonstop chaos. Sometimes quiet reading and plot review are exactly what your students need, and what you’re doing already matters.Resources:100% Engagement Listening Guide (FREE!)Watch BNT episodes on YouTube!Shop Our Faves.Related Episodes:Episode 96, How to Select Choice Reading + Our 20 Favorite Classroom Books Episode 191, Project Based Learning: An Interview with Danielle HicksEpisode 282, We’re Building Our ELA Units WRONG. Here’s How to Fix ItEpisode 284, 100% Engagement (Part 1)✨ SHOW NOTES: https://www.bravenewteaching.com/home/episode286"Send us a message - please include your contact information so we can chat soon!"Head to bravenewteaching.com/waitlist to become a beta tester for BNT University!Support the show📚 BNT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT & RESOURCES 👩‍💻Join Happy Hour!Curriculum RehabDown with the Reading QuizShop the BNT Resource LibraryConnect with us on Instagram @bravenewteachingSubscribe to our YouTube Channel

Brian Sztabnik, a high school English teacher and coach, and Susan Barber, a Midtown High English teacher and curriculum consultant, chat about practical ways to boost student participation. They explore authentic engagement versus busywork. They share quick strategies for jumpstarting discussions, inquiry-based tasks, and chat-style warmups that get every student involved.

Super Bowl weekend is here, and while the game is fun, we’re really here for the commercials, and how to teach them well! In this team meeting, we share book talk and a clear plan for tackling Super Bowl commercial analysis. You’ll hear practical, classroom-ready steps using tools like the Four Reading Realms and SPACE CAT to help students have stronger conversations, deeper analysis, and way more buy-in!Resources:My 2026 Amazon List4 Reading Realms Webinar (free!)Rhetorical Analysis Starter KitWatch BNT episodes on YouTube!Shop Our Faves.Related Episodes:Episode 178, Unit Makeover: Rhetorical AnalysisEpisode 280, New Year Teacher Trends for 2026: Goals, Books, and Real TalkEpisode 282, We’re Building Our ELA Units WRONG. Here’s How to Fix it.Episode 283, Resistant Readers Need the Four Reading Realms: A Walkthrough - BNT Team MeetingSHOW NOTES: https://www.bravenewteaching.com/home/episode284"Send us a message - please include your contact information so we can chat soon!"Head to bravenewteaching.com/waitlist to become a beta tester for BNT University!Support the show📚 BNT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT & RESOURCES 👩‍💻Join Happy Hour!Curriculum RehabDown with the Reading QuizShop the BNT Resource LibraryConnect with us on Instagram @bravenewteachingSubscribe to our YouTube Channel

Resistant readers are often reacting to confusion, not a lack of ability, and that’s exactly where the Four Reading Realms come in! In this episode, we walk through a framework Amanda developed to clarify the purpose behind different reading tasks, helping students understand what kind of thinking is required and why it matters. By separating reading into intentional realms (focused on identity, perseverance, efficiency, and discernment), we can set clearer expectations, build trust, and support deeper engagement, even for students who have struggled with reading in the past.🔗 Resources: Webinar: The Four Reading RealmsBecome a founding beta tester of Brave New Teaching University!Watch BNT episodes on YouTube!Shop Our Faves.Related Episodes:Episode 276, Ok, but what if the secret to getting them to read is getting them to WRITE???Episode 280, New Year Teacher Trends for 2026: Goals, Books, and Real TalkEpisode 282, We’re Building Our ELA Units WRONG. Here’s How to Fix it.SHOW NOTES: https://www.bravenewteaching.com/home/episode283"Send us a message - please include your contact information so we can chat soon!"Head to bravenewteaching.com/waitlist to become a beta tester for BNT University!Support the show📚 BNT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT & RESOURCES 👩‍💻Join Happy Hour!Curriculum RehabDown with the Reading QuizShop the BNT Resource LibraryConnect with us on Instagram @bravenewteachingSubscribe to our YouTube Channel

What if our obsession with data is actually distracting us from the real work? In this team meeting, we dig into how a “data first” or “book first” approach can miss the human side of learning and why culture and engagement have to come first. We look ahead to what teaching needs to look like in 2026, sharing a conversation-first planning workflow that starts with what students actually care about and then selects the skills and texts that support those conversations!Resources:Become a founding beta tester of Brave New Teaching University!Watch BNT episodes on YouTube!Shop Our Faves.Related Episodes:Episode 221, Back to School Survival Kit for TeachersEpisode 280, New Year Teacher Trends for 2026: Goals, Books, and Real TalkEpisode 281, SEL and Organic Community Really Are This SimpleSHOW NOTES: https://www.bravenewteaching.com/home/episode282"Send us a message - please include your contact information so we can chat soon!"Head to bravenewteaching.com/waitlist to become a beta tester for BNT University!Support the show📚 BNT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT & RESOURCES 👩‍💻Join Happy Hour!Curriculum RehabDown with the Reading QuizShop the BNT Resource LibraryConnect with us on Instagram @bravenewteachingSubscribe to our YouTube Channel

Are you absolutely crawling through January molasses, too? I know I am! In this week’s Team BNT meeting we’re talking honestly about what happens when tired, overwhelmed students are trying (and failing) to keep everything in their heads as finals approach. I share simple, repeatable routines that help students reduce anxiety, take control of their time, and build real classroom community. We also touch on real teacher life during this stretch, from finals grading and midyear resets to Costco snack runs, and wrap up with a sneak peek at Brave New Teaching University, our upcoming space designed to make everything we’ve created more organized, usable, and supportive for teachers in 2026 and beyond!Resources:NEW: Watch BNT episodes on YouTube!Shop Our Faves.Related Episodes:Episode 276, Ok, But What if the Secret to Getting Them to Read is Getting Them to WRITE??Episode 277, Phones, Chromebooks, AI, and the Battle for Their Attention (Send Help!)Episode 278, Kids Have Officially Forgotten How to Play, and We're Going to Help Them Remember!Episode 279, 2026 Will Bring Uncomfortable Shifts, and That’s a Really Good Thing Episode 280, New Year Teacher Trends for 2026: Goals, Books, and Real Talk - BNT Team MeetingSHOW NOTES: https://www.bravenewteaching.com/home/episode281"Send us a message - please include your contact information so we can chat soon!"Head to bravenewteaching.com/waitlist to become a beta tester for BNT University!Support the show📚 BNT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT & RESOURCES 👩‍💻Join Happy Hour!Curriculum RehabDown with the Reading QuizShop the BNT Resource LibraryConnect with us on Instagram @bravenewteachingSubscribe to our YouTube Channel