Teachers on Fire

In this special episode of the pod, long-time supporter of the podcast Bryon Carpenter takes over the microphone and interviews me, Tim Cavey, using the same questions I’ve used to interview my 99 previous guests. I share about the challenges of performing in front of students while my personal life was in turmoil, describe what is setting me on fire about education right now, and celebrate the end of my MEdL degree program and thesis. And of course, I share the voices and resources that are shaping my thinking and inspiring my own professional practice today. It was a fun conversation that I hope you’ll enjoy. Again, special thanks go Bryon Carpenter for hosting this episode. You can follow Bryon on Twitter @BryonCar. Huge thanks go to you and all the other faithful listeners of the podcast! Your support has meant so much, and I could not have gotten to this milestone without you. Here’s to more learning and growth on the way to 200! Visit https://teachersonfire.net/ for all the show notes and links from this episode. Connect with the Teachers on Fire podcast on social media: On Twitter: https://twitter.com/TeachersOnFire On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/teachersonfire/ On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TeachersOnFire/ On LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/TimWCavey On The Teachers on Fire Magazine: https://medium.com/teachers-on-fire On YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFDPjkAn7lZb-rahyVDttKA Song Track Credits Intro: Easy (by Mike Cosmo -- license purchased at https://taketones.com/) Outtro: Bluntedsesh4 (by Tha Silent Partner, courtesy of FreeMusicArchive.org)

DAN KREINESS is an Instructional Coach at Norwalk Public Schools and a doctoral candidate at the American College of Education. He was also recognized as an ACSD Emerging Leader 2017 and is the host of the Leader of Learning podcast. In our conversation, Dan shares candidly about the friction he experienced in his last administrative position. He describes the mission and vision of the Leader of Learning podcast and explains how growth mindset and transformational leadership fuel his work as an instructional coach. As we close our conversation, Dan also shares the voices and resources that are shaping his thinking and inspiring his practice today. You can connect with Dan ... On Twitter @DKreiness: https://twitter.com/dkreiness On Instagram @DKreiness: https://www.instagram.com/dkreiness/ On YouTube @Dan Kreiness: https://bit.ly/2m2a2oY On his blog at https://leaderoflearning.com/ Visit https://teachersonfire.net/ for all the show notes and links from this episode! Connect with the Teachers on Fire podcast on social media: On Twitter: https://twitter.com/TeachersOnFire On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/teachersonfire/ On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TeachersOnFire/ On LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/TimWCavey On The Teachers on Fire Magazine: https://medium.com/teachers-on-fire On YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFDPjkAn7lZb-rahyVDttKA Song Track Credits Intro: Easy (by Mike Cosmo -- license purchased at https://taketones.com/) Outtro: Bluntedsesh4 (by Tha Silent Partner, courtesy of FreeMusicArchive.org)

CHRIS WOODS is a high school math teacher, STEM presenter, and host of the STEM Everyday podcast. Chris likes to remind his students and followers that STEM is everywhere around us … we just have to learn to recognize it. In our conversation, Chris shares transparently about the challenges of reaching every student in 9th grade. He explains why it’s so critical to cultivate curiosity and demonstrate relevance for our learners through STEM education, and offers his take on the suggestion that STEM sometimes overshadows the creative arts. As we wrap up, Chris also shares the voices and resources that are shaping his thinking and inspiring his practice today. You can connect with Chris ... On Twitter @DailyStem: https://twitter.com/dailystem On Instagram @DailyStem: https://www.instagram.com/dailystem/ On YouTube @Chris Woods: https://bit.ly/2Lll8yy On his blog at http://dailystem.com/ Visit https://teachersonfire.net/ for all the show notes and links from this episode! Connect with the Teachers on Fire podcast on social media: On Twitter: https://twitter.com/TeachersOnFire On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/teachersonfire/ On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TeachersOnFire/ On LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/TimWCavey On The Teachers on Fire Magazine: https://medium.com/teachers-on-fire On YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFDPjkAn7lZb-rahyVDttKA Song Track Credits Intro: Easy (by Mike Cosmo -- license purchased at https://taketones.com/) Outtro: Bluntedsesh4 (by Tha Silent Partner, courtesy of FreeMusicArchive.org)

NINA PAK LUI has taught at the middle and high school levels and today she instructs pre-service teachers at the School of Education at Trinity Western University in Langley, BC, Canada. Nina views teaching as a sacred calling, and she’s dedicated to inspiring and equipping future teachers to be caring, competent, inclusive and reflective. She designs and facilitates meaningful learning experiences that intentionally connect theory to practice. In our conversation, Nina candidly shares about a time when the tensions between her vision and realization became too much for her mental health, leading her to take extended leave from a high school. She offers insights about how schools can better recognize and include cultural minorities in their learning communities, and describes how assessment comes down to honoring the humanity of the students in our care. She also shares personal passions, a productivity hack, and the voices and resources that shape her thinking and inspire her practice today. Connect with Nina: On Twitter at https://twitter.com/npaklui On her blog at http://ninapaklui.com/ Visit https://teachersonfire.net/ for all the show notes and links from this episode! Connect with the Teachers on Fire podcast on social media: On Twitter: https://twitter.com/TeachersOnFire On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/teachersonfire/ On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TeachersOnFire/ On LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/TimWCavey On The Teachers on Fire Magazine: https://medium.com/teachers-on-fire On YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFDPjkAn7lZb-rahyVDttKA Song Track Credits Intro: Easy (by Mike Cosmo -- license purchased at https://taketones.com/) Clip: Bobby Drake (by Benjamin Banger, (@BenJaminBanger on Instagram, website at http://smarturl.it/hjfi20) Outtro: Bluntedsesh4 (by Tha Silent Partner, courtesy of FreeMusicArchive.org)

JEFFERY FRIEDEN is a teacher, blogger, presenter, and podcaster. He enjoys connecting teachers and building professional relationships in order to intensify impact on learning. He is also the author of Make Them Process It: Uncovering New Value in the Writer's Notebook, published in 2017. In our conversation, Jeffery shares how and why he was bluntly called out by a neighboring teacher and explains how that incident contributed to his personal and professional growth. He discusses what overzealous educators can do when colleagues have heard enough, and talks about the powerful impact of finding your tribe in a professional learning network. He goes on to describe a personal passion outside of education, identifies the productivity hack that allows him to create content as a husband and father of four, and lists some of the resources that shape his thinking and inspire his practice today. Connect with Jeffery: On Twitter at https://twitter.com/MakeThemMastrIt On Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/makethemmasterit/ On his blog at https://makethemmasterit.com/ At his podcast: https://makethemmasterit.com/podcast/ Visit https://teachersonfire.net/ for all the show notes and links from this episode! Connect with the Teachers on Fire podcast on social media: On Twitter: https://twitter.com/TeachersOnFire On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/teachersonfire/ On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TeachersOnFire/ On LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/TimWCavey On The Teachers on Fire Magazine: https://medium.com/teachers-on-fire On YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFDPjkAn7lZb-rahyVDttKA Song Track Credits Intro: Easy (by Mike Cosmo -- license purchased at https://taketones.com/) Outtro: Bluntedsesh4 (by Tha Silent Partner, courtesy of FreeMusicArchive.org) 

JUSTIN BELT is a husband, father of five, and teacher of thousands! He’s an aspiring leader, innovator, musician, and he’s part of our great writing team over at the Teachers on Fire Magazine on Medium. Last but not least, Justin is the host and producer of The WHYcast, a podcast about finding and clarifying your WHY. In our conversation, Justin shares candidly about the challenges and importance of connecting with hard-to-reach students. He talks about the mission and vision of The WhyCast, and describes what is setting him on fire about education today. Justin also describes the personal passions that bring him alive as a human being outside of the classroom, and shares some of the resources that shape his thinking and inspire his practice today. Connect with Justin: On Twitter @Class_ClassMr_B On Instagram @IAm.MisterB On Medium at @TheWhySeeker At his podcast @TWhyCast Visit https://teachersonfire.net/ for all the show notes and links from this episode! Connect with the Teachers on Fire podcast on social media: On Twitter: https://twitter.com/TeachersOnFire On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/teachersonfire/ On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TeachersOnFire/ On LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/TimWCavey On The Teachers on Fire Magazine: https://medium.com/teachers-on-fire On YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFDPjkAn7lZb-rahyVDttKA Song Track Credits Intro: Easy (by Mike Cosmo -- license purchased at https://taketones.com/) Outtro: Bluntedsesh4 (by Tha Silent Partner, courtesy of FreeMusicArchive.org) 

JANELLE McLAUGHLIN is a keynote speaker, education consultant and strategist, and educational leadership coach. She is a former classroom teacher, district administrator, and high ability coordinator. She loves to learn, laugh, connect, and make completos! In our conversation, Janelle recalls the most difficult period in her education career. She describes her passion and vision for what professional development can and should look like, and unpacks a professional goal for 2019. Finally, she shares some of the voices and resources that inspire her professional growth today. Connect with Janelle: On Twitter @Ms_Mac4  On Instagram @Janelle_McL On LinkedIn at Janelle McLaughlin At her site at Innovative Education Solutions Visit https://teachersonfire.net/ for all the show notes and links from this episode! Connect with the Teachers on Fire podcast on social media: On Twitter: https://twitter.com/TeachersOnFire On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/teachersonfire/ On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TeachersOnFire/ On LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/TimWCavey On The Teachers on Fire Magazine: https://medium.com/teachers-on-fire On YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFDPjkAn7lZb-rahyVDttKA Song Track Credits Intro: Easy (by Mike Cosmo -- license purchased at https://taketones.com/) Outtro: Bluntedsesh4 (by Tha Silent Partner, courtesy of FreeMusicArchive.org)

JORGE VALENZUELA is both a graduate teaching assistant and doctoral student at Old Dominion University and the lead coach at Lifelong Learning Defined. He is a national faculty member of the Buck Institute for Education and a national teacher effectiveness coach for the Engineering by Design curriculum. His work is aimed at helping educators understand and implement computational thinking, computer science, STEM/STEAM, and project-based learning. Jorge is a national presenter, ISTE author, and frequent contributor to books, academic journals, how-to blogs, and webinars. He is also the 2018 awardee of ISTE’s Computer Science Excellence Award and recipient of the Lynn Barrier Engineering Leadership Award for his contributions to STEM education in the Commonwealth of Virginia. In our conversation, Jorge talks about how a lack of confidence held him back from sharing his learning with his PLN. He offers some sage advice about how to get started with project-based learning, and describes what excites him about computational thinking in the classroom. He also shares a productivity habit, a professional goal, and the voices that shape his thinking and inspire his practice today. Connect with Jorge: On Twitter @JorgeDoesPBL  On Instagram @JorgeDoesPBL On his blog at https://www.lifelonglearningdefined.com/. Visit https://teachersonfire.net/ for all the show notes and links from this episode! Connect with the Teachers on Fire podcast on social media: On Twitter: https://twitter.com/TeachersOnFire On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/teachersonfire/ On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TeachersOnFire/ On LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/TimWCavey On The Teachers on Fire Magazine: https://medium.com/teachers-on-fire On YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFDPjkAn7lZb-rahyVDttKA Song Track Credits Intro: Easy (by Mike Cosmo -- license purchased at https://taketones.com/) Outtro: Bluntedsesh4 (by Tha Silent Partner, courtesy of FreeMusicArchive.org)

SHANE LAWRENCE is a high school educator in Alberta, Canada who specializes in film studies but also teaches digital media and art courses at the 7th and 8th grade levels. Shane is the host and producer of The Ed Podcast. In our conversation, Shane shares candidly about how the extraordinary demands of a musical production once stretched him to a breaking point. He tells the origin story of The Ed Podcast and describes his mission as a podcaster today. Shane talks about what is exciting him in education, the new course that will teach him the most in the coming school year, and the key to overcoming imposter syndrome. As we conclude, he also shares the voices and resources that are shaping his thinking and inspiring his practice today. Connect with Shane: On Twitter @TheEdPodcast On Instagram @TheEdPodcast On his podcast: The Ed Podcast Visit https://teachersonfire.net/ for all the show notes and links from this episode! Connect with the Teachers on Fire podcast on social media: On Twitter: https://twitter.com/TeachersOnFire On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/teachersonfire/ On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TeachersOnFire/ On LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/TimWCavey On The Teachers on Fire Magazine: https://medium.com/teachers-on-fire On YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFDPjkAn7lZb-rahyVDttKA Song Track Credits Intro: Easy (by Mike Cosmo -- license purchased at https://taketones.com/) Outtro: Bluntedsesh4 (by Tha Silent Partner, courtesy of FreeMusicArchive.org) 

LATEZEON BALENTINE is a mom of three boys, teacher, and founder of September Chances, Inc. - a nonprofit organization created to show the joy in reading and increase reading fluency and literacy. Latezeon is also a Donors Choose Teacher Ambassador, dog lover, an advocate for mental health awareness, and blogger. And she’s got a book on the way, stay tuned! In our conversation, Latezeon discusses the adversity that she and other educators face in her state and district. She’s definitely “in it for the outcome - NOT the income,” she laughs. Thankfully, things have improved from her first year, when she was hired and compensated as a substitute teacher - but expected to do the work of a full-time teacher. Latezeon shares her commitment to growing the joy of reading for learners, her passion for supporting other educators through Donors Choose, and her dedication to removing the stigmas around mental illness.  Connect with Latezeon: On Twitter @LHBLovesEdu On Instagram @LHBlovesEDU On her blog: https://lhblovesedu.home.blog/. Visit https://teachersonfire.net/ for all the show notes and links from this episode! Connect with Teachers on Fire podcast on social media: On Twitter: https://twitter.com/TeachersOnFire On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/teachersonfire/ On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TeachersOnFire/ On LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/TimWCavey On The Teachers on Fire Magazine: https://medium.com/teachers-on-fire On YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFDPjkAn7lZb-rahyVDttKA Song Track Credits Intro: Easy (by Mike Cosmo -- license purchased at https://taketones.com/) Outtro: Bluntedsesh4 (by Tha Silent Partner, courtesy of FreeMusicArchive.org)