Teachers on Fire

KEVIN O’SHEA is a primary teacher currently in Beijing, China who will be moving to a school in Shenzhen, China in the fall. Kevin is a big fan of nature, outdoor education, inquiry, and photography. He’s also the producer of the Just Japan Podcast and the new Making Better Teachers Podcast. In our conversation, Kevin recalls the time he assigned differentiated work to his students - only to experience a nightmare that tempted him to leave education entirely. He discusses the mission and vision of his new Making Better Teachers podcast, and explains how past years of content creation have led him to this point. He also talks about the dynamics and importance of his international PLN, the beauty of Outdoor Classroom Day, and the voices that shape his thinking and inspire his professional practice.  See more from Kevin: On Twitter: https://twitter.com/MadForMaple On YouTube: http://youtube.com/c/BusanKevin  On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jlandkev/ On his blogs: https://makingbetterteachers.com/ & http://justjapanstuff.com On Facebook: http://facebook.com/makingbetterteachers & http://facebook.com/justjapanstuff 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 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFDPjkAn7lZb-rahyVDttKA Song Track Credits Intro: Stand Up (by Mike Cosmo -- license purchased at https://taketones.com/) Outtro: Bluntedsesh4 (by Tha Silent Partner, courtesy of FreeMusicArchive.org) 

KAREN CASWELL is a 4th grade teacher in Australia. Her favorite themes in education include relationships, reading, kindness, and global connections. She’s also an Apple Certified Teacher, Seesaw Ambassador, and the founder of #TLAPdownunder! Follow Karen on Twitter @kcasw1 and visit her blog at https://www.karencaswell.com/. In our conversation, Karen recalls a crisis of disillusionment which threatened to pull her away from teaching completely. Thankfully, a leave of absence from the classroom and some inspirational reading from Dave Burgess Consulting helped to reignite her passion, and she’s been a different educator ever since. Karen also shares some of her practices on Seesaw, one of several good online portfolio platforms that connect parents with student learning, and she describes some of her passions and goals in the area of student literacy. Finally, Karen talks about the education voices that shape her thinking and inspire her passion for education today. See more from Karen: On Twitter: https://twitter.com/kcasw1 On her blog: https://www.karencaswell.com/ On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mrsc_teaching_passionately/  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 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFDPjkAn7lZb-rahyVDttKA Song Track Credits Intro: Stand Up (by Mike Cosmo -- license purchased at https://taketones.com/) Outtro: Bluntedsesh4 (by Tha Silent Partner, courtesy of FreeMusicArchive.org) 

AARON BLACKWELDER is a high school English teacher and golf coach at Woodland Public Schools in Woodland, Washington. He’s the founder of the Teachers Going Gradeless website and Twitter chat @TG2Chat and #TG2Chat. He’s also a father, husband, autism advocate, Google Certified Educator, and he’s loving life!  Follow Aaron on Twitter @AaronSBlackwel1 and visit his blogs at mrblackwelder.wordpress.com and https://teachersgoinggradeless.com/, where he welcomes contributions from anyone with experience in the areas of gradeless assessment. In our conversation, Aaron recounts the beginnings of the TG2 site, chat, and mission. He gives us some great practical examples of gradeless assessment, feedback, and reporting philosophies from his own practice, and makes the case for more schools to consider this paradigm shift. He also shares a personal passion that fuels him outside of the school, an edtech tool that makes his practice more efficient, and the education voices that shape his thinking and inspire his passion today. See more from Aaron: On Twitter: https://twitter.com/AaronSBlackwel1 & https://twitter.com/TG2Chat On his blog: mrblackwelder.wordpress.com On the TG2 blog: https://teachersgoinggradeless.com/ 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 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFDPjkAn7lZb-rahyVDttKA Song Track Credits Intro: Stand Up (by Mike Cosmo -- license purchased at https://taketones.com/) Outtro: Bluntedsesh4 (by Tha Silent Partner, courtesy of FreeMusicArchive.org)

ADAM WELCOME is a former teacher, principal, and director of innovation. He’s also a recognized education leader, speaker, and the author of Kids Deserve It and Run Like a Pirate. Follow Adam on Twitter @MrAdamWelcome. In our conversation, Adam recalls the disillusionment he once felt when he realized that colleagues weren’t prepared to sacrifice to put their learners first. He explains how this period led to a career in education leadership and Kids Deserve It, a book he co-authored with Todd Nesloney. He also tells the story of Run Like a Pirate, a book that followed an incredible year of 13 marathons, and argues that we all have more power inside of us than we think we do. He goes on to share personal passions, habits that make him more productive, and the voices that shape his thinking and inspire his passion today. See more from Adam: On Twitter: https://twitter.com/mradamwelcome On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mradamwelcome/ On the Kids Deserve It blog: https://www.kidsdeserveit.com/ On his personal blog: https://mradamwelcome.com/ 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 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFDPjkAn7lZb-rahyVDttKA Song Track Credits Intro: Stand Up (by Mike Cosmo -- license purchased at https://taketones.com/) Outtro: Bluntedsesh4 (by Tha Silent Partner, courtesy of FreeMusicArchive.org)

KALI SLUSSER is an instructional coach, fitness obsessor, and kombucha fanatic! She is also a wife of a fellow teacher and a mom of three. Connect with Kali on Twitter @KaliSlusser and follow her ongoing reviews of the DBC books with Greg Moffitt at https://readlikeapirate.wordpress.com/. In our conversation, Kali recalls the moment when her identity as an educator was shaken and she considered changing industries completely. She explains what she loves about her current role as an instructional coach, and updates us on her quest to read and review every one of the titles from Dave Burgess Consulting. Kali also shares a reading tip, describes her morning routines, and shares some of the voices and resources that shape her thinking and inspire her practice today. See more from Kali: On Twitter: https://twitter.com/KaliSlusser On her book review blog: https://readlikeapirate.wordpress.com/ On her personal blog: https://kalislusser.wordpress.com/ 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 Medium: https://medium.com/@teachersonfire On YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFDPjkAn7lZb-rahyVDttKA Song Track Credits Intro: Stand Up (by Mike Cosmo -- license purchased at https://taketones.com/) Outtro: Bluntedsesh4 (by Tha Silent Partner, courtesy of FreeMusicArchive.org) 

ANNICK RAUCH is a Grade 1 French immersion teacher in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. She’s a loving mom to 4 boys and wife to the man who allows her to do it all! Her passions in education include growth mindset, global collaboration, and all things innovation. You can follow her on Twitter @AnnickRauch and visit her blog at http://www.annickrauch.ca/. In our conversation, Annick recalls a challenging situation in her classroom involving a live image search gone wrong, and explains how she, parents, and students grew from the experience. She talks about the Power of YET and the global collaboration happening through YouTube read-alouds. Annick also describes how the books from Dave Burgess Consulting have made such a positive difference in her life and practice, including influential relationships with people like Tamara Letter, author of A Passion for Kindness. Annick concludes by sharing her professional growth goal for this year, productivity strategies, and the voices and resources that shape her thinking and inspire her practice. See more from Annick: On Twitter: https://twitter.com/AnnickRauch On her blog: http://www.annickrauch.ca/ On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/annickrauch/ 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 Medium: https://medium.com/@teachersonfire On YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFDPjkAn7lZb-rahyVDttKA Song Track Credits Intro: Stand Up (by Mike Cosmo -- license purchased at https://taketones.com/) Outtro: Bluntedsesh4 (by Tha Silent Partner, courtesy of FreeMusicArchive.org) 

SUSAN JACHYMIAK is a 4th grade teacher in Orland Park, IL. She’s a rookie this year, and she’s clearly on fire! Follow her on Twitter @MsJachymiak and visit her blog at http://msjachymiak.weebly.com. In our conversation, Susan recalls a couple of unfamiliar challenges she was forced to figure out at the outset of her very first teaching position. She describes the thinking behind the #NewTeacherJourney chat and explains how she hopes to support other new teachers using the power of social media. Susan also shares what excites her about education today, her professional growth goal for next year, her productivity strategies, and the voices and resources that shape her thinking and inspire her practice. See more from Susan: On Twitter: https://twitter.com/MsJachymiak On her blog: http://msjachymiak.weebly.com On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/susan_jachymiak 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 Medium: https://medium.com/@teachersonfire On YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFDPjkAn7lZb-rahyVDttKA Song Track Credits Intro: Stand Up (by Mike Cosmo -- license purchased at https://taketones.com/) Outtro: Bluntedsesh4 (by Tha Silent Partner, courtesy of FreeMusicArchive.org)

RAE HUGHART is a middle school Math teacher, educational consultant, Director of Training & Development for the Teach Better Team, and a co-host for the Teach Better Talk Podcast - and if you haven’t given Teach Better Talk a listen, you need to! Connect with Rae on Twitter AND Instagram @RaeHughart, and check out her course offerings and resources at TeachBetter.com. In our conversation, Rae recalls the struggle of school during most of her own years in K-12, thanks largely to a reading disability and associated comprehension issues that made learning incredibly difficult. She talks about how those memories motivate her to continue to improve her own practice today and reach disengaged students who are having similar experiences. Rae also gives us a summary of the Teach Better mission, a preview of their upcoming book, a description of #MasteryChat, and some good insights for best practices around professional activities on Twitter and Instagram. She goes on to share a personal passion, her productivity tips, and some of the voices and resources that shape her thinking and inspire her practice. See more from Rae: On Twitter: https://twitter.com/RaeHughart On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/raehughart/ At the Teach Better Team Site: https://teachbetter.com/ On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/teachbetterteam/ 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 Medium: https://medium.com/@teachersonfire On YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFDPjkAn7lZb-rahyVDttKA Song Track Credits Intro: Stand Up (by Mike Cosmo -- license purchased at https://taketones.com/) Outtro: Bluntedsesh4 (by Tha Silent Partner, courtesy of FreeMusicArchive.org)

TISHA RICHMOND is a Technology Integration Specialist serving 19 schools in Medford, Oregon. She’s also a speaker and author of Make Learning Magical: Transform Your Teaching and Create Unforgettable Experiences in Your Classroom.  In our conversation, Tisha recalls her professional tipping point: just as doubt and discouragement prompted her to think of leaving the profession, she encountered a host of innovative tools and practices that rejuvenated her passion for education. That turnaround now fuels her passion to inspire other educators, and she unpacks an inspiring vision and practical suggestions for change within Make Learning Magical. Tisha also shares her professional goal for this year, her tips for personal productivity, and the voices that shape her thinking and inspire her practice. See more from Tisha: On Twitter: @tishrich At her Blog: tisharichmond.com Her Book: https://amzn.to/2SFGBDV 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 Medium: https://medium.com/@teachersonfire On YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFDPjkAn7lZb-rahyVDttKA Song Track Credits Intro: Stand Up (by Mike Cosmo -- license purchased at https://taketones.com/) Outtro: Bluntedsesh4 (by Tha Silent Partner, courtesy of FreeMusicArchive.org) 

ROSE PILLAY is an education leader and curriculum consultant for the Catholic Independent Schools of the Vancouver Archdiocese. Her One Word for 2019 is SMILE, and Rose keeps educators inspired on her mission to serve, support, and celebrate growth and relationships. Buckle up for this interview! Her colleagues call her a girl on fire, and you’ll understand why when you hear her passion and commitment for learning. Follow Rose on Twitter @RosePillay1 and visit her blog at https://teachafl.wordpress.com/.  In our conversation, Rose discusses how she manages the dark days when doubts creep in and she wonders if she is making a difference. She describes how her faith informs her practice, explains why educators should engage in PLNs, and recalls the origin of her blog, Fail Better. Rose also tells us about her professional goals for 2019 and shares some of the voices and resources that are shaping her thinking and inspiring her practice today. Follow Rose: On Twitter: https://twitter.com/RosePillay1 At her Blog: https://teachafl.wordpress.com/ 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 Medium: https://medium.com/@teachersonfire On YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFDPjkAn7lZb-rahyVDttKA Song Track Credits Intro: Stand Up (by Mike Cosmo -- license purchased at https://taketones.com/) Outtro: Bluntedsesh4 (by Tha Silent Partner, courtesy of FreeMusicArchive.org)