Teachers on Fire

MELISSA BLACK has been an early childhood educator and teacher leader for over fifteen years. She believes that all children are capable of learning and achieving great success and believes that the role of a teacher is truly the work of an activist and requires the skills of an artist. Welcome to Teachers on Fire interviews, airing LIVE on YouTube every Saturday morning at 9:00 Pacific and 12:00 Eastern! Join the conversation and add your comments to the broadcast. IN THIS CONVERSATION with MELISSA BLACK: 0:47 - Current teaching context 1:14 - Story time: an extremely difficult teaching experience at a previous school 4:48 - Why she writes about professional learning on Medium 5:49 - What is setting her on fire in the area of elementary literacy 6:36 - Professional learning goal: clear and concise instructions for students 7:29 - A joy outside of the classroom: reading 8:04 - Replacing doomscrolling with writing 8:51 - Someone to follow on X: Sharyn Kish (@KinderKish here on YouTube) 9:26 - Edtech tool recommendation: Fundations Fun Hub 9:50 - Book recommendations 10:17 - Podcast pick: Sold a Story 10:47 - YouTube channel recommendation: English for ABC 11:14 - Streaming choice: fashion channels 11:49 - Where to follow Melissa Black online CONNECT with ME On X @TeachersOnFire (https://X.com/TeachersOnFire) On Facebook @TeachersOnFire (https://www.facebook.com/TeachersOnFire/) On YouTube @Teachers On Fire (https://www.youtube.com/@teachersonfire) On LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/timwcavey/ Visit the home of Teachers on Fire at https://teachersonfire.net/.

Welcome to Saturday Morning Teacher Talk, airing LIVE on YouTube every Saturday morning at 8:30 Pacific and 11:30 Eastern! Join the conversation and add your comments to the broadcast. MAKING NEWS on X THIS WEEK: What advice would you give a new teacher feeling that late-fall energy slump? (from Teacher 2 Teacher) Annick Rauch, full-time teacher and author of PheMOMenal Teacher, shares why she pushed herself to go for a run after 11 hours of report card writing. Tyler Rablin questions the need for tests or big assessments at the end of units that measure learning against a handful of standards at once. Tom Schimmer challenges traditional grading paradigms that put the weight of the assessment on the title (rather than the cognitive complexity). Marcus Luther asks his students these three check-in questions each month as a way to tune in to the needs of his learners. Monte Syrie explores the level up that occurs when we approach assessment AS instead of assessment OF. Sara Candela says that it's time to give students the gift of boredom. Boredom leads to building. Following up on the post from Marcus Luther, Adrian Neibauer shares six reflective questions that he asks his students on the regular. Emily points out that anyone can be a teacher. Not everyone can be an outstanding teacher. Christina says that her teacher superpower is getting middle schoolers to laugh at her bad jokes. Zach Groshell reminds students and learners of all ages to use slide decks effectively - not as presentation scripts. Scott Martin wonders if the advance of AI should be pushing education more in the direction of character formation instead of content memorization. Dr. Matt Rhoads lists his picks for top edtech tools of the year. Kyle Niemis shares an amazing list of 14 AI use case demonstrations from 14 tech coaches, including a shareable Google Sheet. Make sure to take advantage of this resource. CONNECT with ME On X @TeachersOnFire (https://X.com/TeachersOnFire) On Facebook @TeachersOnFire (https://www.facebook.com/TeachersOnFire/) On YouTube @Teachers On Fire (https://www.youtube.com/@teachersonfire) On LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/timwcavey/ Visit the home of Teachers on Fire at https://teachersonfire.net/.

JEREMY JORGENSEN is a veteran teacher of 25 years who's passionate about learning, teaching, working with kids, and supporting educators. Welcome to Teachers on Fire interviews, airing LIVE on YouTube every Saturday morning at 9:00 Pacific and 12:00 Eastern! Join the conversation and add your comments to the broadcast. IN THIS CONVERSATION with JEREMY JORGENSEN: 0:53 - Overcoming an early-career struggle: classroom management 4:17 - Current teaching context in Arbor Vitae, WI 5:57 - Show your work: Jeremy explains his habit of reflective writing 7:33 - EL Education and Jeremy's role as an ELfluencer at the coming conference 11:57 - Tim talks about the power of Austin's Butterfly 12:53 - Professional goals: bringing energy and positivity, reflecting regularly 15:06 - A source of passion outside of school: summer camp 17:28 - Jeremy's key to mindfulness is his weekly review 19:56 - Lightning round: Jeremy's top picks for education voices 22:05 - Where to follow Jeremy online 22:22 - The mission and vision of Why Edify CONNECT with ME On X @TeachersOnFire (https://X.com/TeachersOnFire) On Facebook @TeachersOnFire (https://www.facebook.com/TeachersOnFire/) On YouTube @Teachers On Fire (https://www.youtube.com/@teachersonfire) On LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/timwcavey/ Visit the home of Teachers on Fire at https://teachersonfire.net/. SONG TRACK CREDIT Chef Brian by Latasha Dude by Patrick Patrikios New Year by Bad Snacks Positive Fuse by French Fuse Summer in the Neighborhood by Bad Snacks Tropic Fuse by French Fuse Sunny Travel by Nico Staf Coupe by The Grand Affair Fast and Run by Nico Staf Go! By Neffex *All songs retrieved from the YouTube Audio Library at https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/.

Welcome to Saturday Morning Teacher Talk, airing LIVE on YouTube every Saturday morning at 8:30 Pacific and 11:30! Join the conversation and add your comments to the broadcast. MAKING NEWS on X THIS WEEK: Natalie Vardabasso calls out a series of oppressive assessment practices that she "has something to say about." Natalie is back with another challenge: "Stop grading everything students do." Monte Syrie reflects on his change of thinking about "his" students being called out of class to attend other extracurricular activities. Jason Kennedy reminds us that we ALWAYS make an impact on relationships and learning in the classroom, whether we want to or not. Josh Ogilvie shares how one of his students only sees the act of assessment as an opportunity for teachers to call out instances where they are incapable or missing the mark. Alice Keeler shares a screenshot from Quizizz that illustrates a game mode that requires students to achieve mastery of a set of content before advancing. John Sowash lets us know that Gmail users can offer email recipients in-email availability calendars (they can choose a time slot from your calendar). CONNECT with ME On X @TeachersOnFire (https://X.com/TeachersOnFire) On Facebook @TeachersOnFire (https://www.facebook.com/TeachersOnFire/) On YouTube @Teachers On Fire (https://www.youtube.com/@teachersonfire) On LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/timwcavey/ Visit the home of Teachers on Fire at https://teachersonfire.net/.

Welcome to Saturday Morning Teacher Talk, airing LIVE on YouTube every Saturday morning at 8:30 Pacific and 11:30! Join the conversation and add your comments to the broadcast. MAKING NEWS on X THIS WEEK: California's Governor Newsom just signed a bill requiring cursive writing (handwriting) to be taught to all students in grades 1-6. Here's why I think that is a terrible decision. Prodigy Education is encouraging teachers to support student out-of-school performances (sports, competitions, recitals). Here's why I think this is a dangerous precedent. TCEA shows how we can use "I noticed" to build relationships with our students (credit to FreshFromTheFourth  Chey Cheney argues that we shouldn't discredit or discourage students from copying as a first strategy for finding a solution. Rolland (@RChids on X) shares suggestions for how we can reset our brains on the weekend before entering a new week. John Sowash shares some news from Google Slides: presenters can now draw and annotate directly on the Slides during presentations. CONNECT with ME On X @TeachersOnFire (https://X.com/TeachersOnFire) On Facebook @TeachersOnFire (https://www.facebook.com/TeachersOnFire/) On YouTube @Teachers On Fire (https://www.youtube.com/@teachersonfire) On LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/timwcavey/ Visit the home of Teachers on Fire at https://teachersonfire.net/. SONG TRACK CREDIT Chef Brian by Latasha Dude by Patrick Patrikios New Year by Bad Snacks Positive Fuse by French Fuse Summer in the Neighborhood by Bad Snacks Tropic Fuse by French Fuse Sunny Travel by Nico Staf Coupe by The Grand Affair Fast and Run by Nico Staf Go! By Neffex *All songs retrieved from the YouTube Audio Library at https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/.

Welcome to Saturday Morning Teacher Talk, airing LIVE on YouTube every Saturday morning at 8:30 Pacific and 11:30! Join the conversation and add your comments to the broadcast. MAKING NEWS on X THIS WEEK: Scare a teacher in four words! Thanks to @TeacherGoals for this fun challenge.  Dr. Brad Johnson reminds us to show appreciation to our leaders during National Principals Month, and I shout out my principal, Andrea Wiebe. Empower your learning targets by using them, talking about them, reflecting on them with students. - Jason Kennedy  Natalie Vardabasso points to the importance of crafting compelling learning goals. I interpret this on the micro (classroom) level AND on the macro. Why are we doing school at all? What's the point?  Supporting the growth of the whole child looks like the core competencies, taught and reinforced at every grade level for students in British Columbia.  8 Ways to Scaffold Writing - created by @ValentinaESL and reshared by TCEA on X  "Tell me more." The coaching question that feels like a hug from Eleana Aguilar.  "Engagement isn't synonymous with fun. It's about stretching students' cognitive abilities." - @AliceKeeler on X  Educator Ashley Aoki shares a very cool image of a learning profile (created on Canva).  CONNECT with ME On X @TeachersOnFire (https://X.com/TeachersOnFire) On Facebook @TeachersOnFire (https://www.facebook.com/TeachersOnFire/) On YouTube @Teachers On Fire (https://www.youtube.com/@teachersonfire) On LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/timwcavey/ Visit the home of Teachers on Fire at https://teachersonfire.net/. SONG TRACK CREDIT Chef Brian by Latasha Dude by Patrick Patrikios New Year by Bad Snacks Positive Fuse by French Fuse Summer in the Neighborhood by Bad Snacks Tropic Fuse by French Fuse Sunny Travel by Nico Staf Fast and Run by Nico Staf *All songs retrieved from the YouTube Audio Library at https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/.

This podcast covers topics such as giving zeros as assessment, standards-based grading controversy, powerful feedback, reducing test anxiety, review activities, self-reflection, supporting new initiatives in education, social emotional skills in learning, and the balance between SEL and academics.

Welcome to Saturday Morning Teacher Talk, airing LIVE on YouTube every Saturday morning at 8:30 Pacific and 11:30! Join the conversation and add your comments to the broadcast. MAKING NEWS on X THIS WEEK: Welcome to Saturday Morning Teacher Talk, going LIVE every Saturday morning. Join the conversation and see your comments featured live on the broadcast! In this edition: Chey Cheney observes Truth and Reconciliation Day - Canada's national holiday and annual invitation to reflection on our ongoing journeys of restoration and reconciliation. Ashley Aoki shares how her BC school marked Orange Shirt Day. Teacher2Teacher (via SELebrateYOU) shares a new take on TGIF: What did you TRUST in this week? What were you GRATEFUL for this week? What INSPIRED this week? What was FUN this week? What are some mental fitness activities that have a positive impact on your ability to manage challenging situations in your daily work? Is aiming for "a slow burn" a more realistic outcome than burnout, teachers? Is that a positive metaphor? Joy Kirr strengthens her mental fitness by collecting wins and 7th grader quotes from each week. Jarrett Lerner shares a picture of a public commitment wall: teachers write their promises and commitments to students for the year. From Jon Gordon: 7 small steps to take that will set every new day on a positive course. John Sowash laments Google's announcement that Google Jamboard will no longer be a thing, but he suggests three alternatives: Google Slides, FigJam, and Canva. CONNECT with ME On X @TeachersOnFire (https://X.com/TeachersOnFire) On Facebook @TeachersOnFire (https://www.facebook.com/TeachersOnFire/) On YouTube @Teachers On Fire (https://www.youtube.com/@teachersonfire) On LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/timwcavey/ Visit the home of Teachers on Fire at https://teachersonfire.net/. SONG TRACK CREDIT Chef Brian by Latasha Dude by Patrick Patrikios New Year by Bad Snacks Positive Fuse by French Fuse Summer in the Neighborhood by Bad Snacks Fast and Run by Nico Staf *All songs retrieved from the YouTube Audio Library at https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/.

Welcome to Saturday Morning Teacher Talk, airing LIVE on YouTube every Saturday morning at 8:30 Pacific and 11:30! Join the conversation and add your comments to the broadcast. On X This Week: 0:45 - Where are YOU on the Teacher Hierarchy of Needs right now? (Dr. Brad Johnson) 3:33 - Tony Vincent shows off the new Quizizz AI feature that will automatically generate quizzes based on any selected YouTube video, URL, PDF, PPT, or text prompt. 6:24 - Tony Vincent also shares an exciting feature coming to Google Slides collaborations: live pointers! (Partners can see exactly where their partners are working on the slide.) 8:01 - Assessment expert Tom Schimmer makes the point that pre-assessment as an advanced version of what has yet to be taught is pointless. 10:39 - Adam Grant observes that schools tend to favor the fastest sprinters (thinking of timed tests), but life functions more like a marathon that rewards learners who ask the right questions. 11:51 - Do you run out of time to finish your lessons? Marcus Luther encourages us to take a deep breath and leave it for the next class - everything is going to be just fine. 13:41 - A fun test for teachers: How many of these student words do you recognize? CONNECT with ME On X @TeachersOnFire (https://X.com/TeachersOnFire) On Facebook @TeachersOnFire (https://www.facebook.com/TeachersOnFire/) On YouTube @Teachers On Fire (https://www.youtube.com/@teachersonfire) On LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/timwcavey/ Visit the home of Teachers on Fire at https://teachersonfire.net/. SONG TRACK CREDIT Chef Brian by Latasha Dude by Patrick Patrikios New Year by Bad Snacks Positive Fuse by French Fuse Summer in the Neighborhood by Bad Snacks Fast and Run by Nico Staf *All songs retrieved from the YouTube Audio Library at https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/.

Join me LIVE for Saturday Morning Teacher Talk at 8:30 Pacific, 11:30 Eastern on YouTube! Here's what we discussed on this edition of the show: How many hours of school work are you putting in daily outside of contractual hours? (Fixing Education) My colleague dreads coming to work each day. What can I say to them? (Crappy Teacher) How are you building culture in your classroom and school using physical contact? (Zac Bauermaster) When teachers are policing student Crocs in schools, who wins? (Jay Wamsted) "I don't assign NEW work that MUST be completed at home." (Jay Wamsted) LEARN = Reflect, Solve, Create, Grow, and Think. (Bethany Hill) What makes a good apology? (Adam Grant) "It's okay that you didn't meet the standard." (Monte Syrie) Pawan Wander shares how she introduced creative constraints to her students using LEGO. Are you able to wind down and truly relax during your lunch hour? (Chey Cheney)