We’re hearing that the challenges of teaching have reached a tipping point and something has to give. Many who love teaching don’t want to leave, but they feel that teaching is leaving them. What are the options?

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Morsal Sayar is an elementary school teacher who has been dedicated to the field of education for five years. She completed both her undergraduate and graduate degrees at Virginia Commonwealth University’s School of Education. Currently, she teaches in a public elementary school located in Richmond, Virginia.
Victor “Coach” Hicks is passionate about closing the digital divide among students of color, more specifically, Black Students. He enjoys using his talents to provide culturally relevant computer science experiences for students in grades K-12 along with professional development and consultation services for K-12 educators.

He is a proud product of two HBCUs: Fisk University and Clark Atlanta University. His experiences at these illustrious institutions inspired him to make it a priority to include the cultural relevance of Historically Black Colleges and Universities in his pedagogy across grade levels and content areas.

As we wind down the school year, we pause for a moment to look at what we’re thinking and feeling about the SEL supports we’ve embraced and introduced into our classrooms.

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Sheldon L. Eakins, Ph.D. is the Founder of the Leading Equity Center and host of the Leading Equity Podcast. He is also the author of Leading Equity: Becoming an Advocate for All Students. With over 11 years in education, he has served as a teacher, principal, and Director of Special Education.

Dr. Eakins has a passion for helping educators accomplish equitable practices in their schools. He has earned a B.S. degree in Social Science Education, an M.S. degree in Educational Leadership, and a Ph.D. in K-12 Education.

Dennis Shirley is Gabelli Faculty Fellow and Professor of Education at the Lynch School of Education and Human Development at Boston College. He has conducted research and led professional development workshops for teachers, principals, and affiliated staff in 30 nations in 6 continents and his work has been translated into many languages. He has two new books published with Andy Hargreaves. The first is entitled Five Paths of Student Engagement: Blazing the Trail to Learning and Success and the second is Well-being School: Three Forces to Uplift Your Students in a Volatile World. Dennis works with educators in many countries to help with clarifying their challenges, identifying promising strategies, and implementing and assessing change. He is skilled at breaking down ill-defined problem sets to establish ambitious goals that can be attained with persistence, creativity, and dignity. Combining cutting-edge research with high levels of engagement for the educators charged with educating the young on a daily basis, Dennis is sought-after because of his respect for teachers and administrators and his enjoyment of the pleasures involved in working with students to improve their learning.

Dennis holds a doctoral degree from Harvard University. In addition to his appointment at Boston College, he is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts in London.

Rachelle Dené Poth is an edtech consultant, presenter, attorney, author, and teacher. Rachelle teaches Spanish and STEAM: What’s nExT in Emerging Technology at Riverview Junior Senior High School in Oakmont, PA. Rachelle has a Juris Doctor degree from Duquesne University School of Law and a Master’s in Instructional Technology. Rachelle is an ISTE Certified Educator and a Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert. She is a past-president of the ISTE Teacher Education Network and served on the Leadership team of the Mobile Learning Network for five years. She received the ISTE Making IT Happen Award and has received several Presidential Gold Awards for volunteer service to education. She was named one of 30 K-12 IT Influencers for 2021. Rachelle is the author of seven books, ‘In Other Words: Quotes That Push Our Thinking,” “Unconventional Ways to Thrive in EDU” (EduMatch) and “The Future is Now: Looking Back to Move Ahead,” ISTE “Chart A New Course: A Guide to Teaching Essential Skills for Tomorrow’s World”, True Story: Lessons That One Kid Taught Us (EduMatch), “Your World Language Classroom: Strategies for Digital and In-Person Instruction”, and her latest book, “Things I Wish […] Knew.” Rachelle has a podcast, ThriveinEDU available at https://anchor.fm/rdene915 Her books are available at bit.ly/Pothbooks

Across the nation, at all levels, educators are reporting a rise in troublesome student behaviors. The list of causes is wide and deep, but the first professionals expected to manage student behavior are classroom teachers. This episode takes an unvarnished look at the new genre of student behavior challenges and how some educators are handling them.

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Dara Laws Savage is a 26-year educator from the great state of Delaware. She has served on numerous local, regional, and state committees, and has been Teacher of the Year in two different districts. She is an Emeritus national faculty member of PBLWorks, and is presently the English 9 teacher and Instructional Coach at the Early College High School at Delaware State University while working on her doctorate. Dara is a proud Board of Education member for the Seaford School District (alumna) and the owner of Savage Educational Consulting.
Jaime Donally is a passionate technology enthusiast. She began her career as a math teacher and later moved into Instructional Technology. Her desire to build relationships has brought about opportunities to collaborate with students and educators around the world. She provides staff development and training on immersive technology as an edtech consultant. Her latest adventures include the launch of Global Maker Day and the #ARVRinEDU community, events and presentations. She works as an author and speaker to provide practical use of augmented and virtual reality in the classroom.

Jon Harper is currently an assistant principal at Choptank Elementary School in Cambridge, Maryland. This is his 12th year as an assistant principal and prior to that he was a math coach and taught first through fifth grades. He is the author of My Bad: 24 Educators Who Messed Up Fessed Up and Grew! He Hosts #MyBad Radio and Teachers’ Aid.

As the pandemic lingers, schools are increasingly facing shortages of teachers and substitute teachers. Our guest is a superintendent of a school district who deployed an innovative solution that has been well-received by teachers, students, and parents.

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Serbrenia J. Sims, Ed.D., came to Surry County Public Schools in 2007 as the principal of Luther Porter Jackson Middle School. In 2009, she began working as the Assistant Superintendent for Instruction. She was promoted to Division Superintendent on July 1, 2020. Dr. Sims began her educational career in Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools as a teacher, then later moved up to become the Director of Accountability, Grants and Program Evaluation. She later served as an Assistant Principal and Summer School Principal in York County Public Schools prior to coming to Surry County Public Schools.

Dr. Sims received her Doctorate of Education in 1989, from the College of William and Mary, a Masters of Public Administration from Auburn University, a Bachelors of Science in Biology from Auburn University and a teaching endorsement from Christopher Newport University. She holds a Division Superintendent License and a Postgraduate Professional License from the Virginia Board of Education. She received a Virginia ASCD Impact Award in 2013.

Many of us agree and have accepted that social-emotional learning is a priority in the wake of the COVID-19 Pandemic. But what about those who are either conflicted about balancing teaching content and meeting the expanded non-academic needs of students and teachers.

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Tom Mitchell: A lifelong learner and student advocate, Tom Mitchell has worked with children and young adults in a variety of settings for over 30 years. From a day care program for pre-K children to summer camps and outdoor education centers, Tom has facilitated hiking, caving, canoeing, and other adventure-based learning activities with youth of all ages. Tom worked with college students through the Community Living and Learning Center at George Washington University while earning his master’s degree in education and served as a school counselor in both rural and suburban Virginia school divisions for 12 years. He was honored as the middle school counselor of the year in Spotsylvania County Public Schools before entering educational administration. He currently serves as the Director of Mental Health and Wellness. He is presently researching school counselor leadership while pursuing a doctorate in counselor education and supervision through Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia.

Joel Lavin currently serves as a student services administrator in Eugene, Oregon. Joel is an experienced educator who served as assistant principal at South Eugene High School and previously as principal of River Road/El Camino del Río and Awbrey Park Elementary School, and assistant principal of Roosevelt Middle School. He was also a teacher of Spanish and middle school science for 9 years. Driven by a passion for restorative justice, inclusion, equity, and school wellness, he takes pride in providing the best support possible to the students he serves. He brings a strong equity lens and a passion to ensure all students, families and staff are supported for success. He also serves in the Oregon Center for Educational Equity. Joel has been recognized by ISTE, Leading Equity, and The Transformative Principal for his extraordinary commitment to student success.

In this episode, we identify the two types of student trauma we need to be able to spot and respond to appropriately. Listen in as our guests share the practices they effectively use in one of the largest school systems in the nation.

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Laila Ogunyomi is currently the Campus-Based Mentor Teacher for new teachers and a 5th grade ELA teacher at Hutchinson Elementary school in Atlanta. She holds a Master of Curriculum and Instruction, and she has the following endorsements: Teacher Support Specialist, Math, STEM and ESL She not only has experience in elementary education, but she also has experience teaching collegiate students in traditional and distant learning modes. In addition, I experienced teaching in Mexico as a foreign exchange student. Mrs. Ogunyomi has been a teacher since 2008. Her social media presence advocates for parent and teacher unity in urban school settings. Here Facebook group, Parents and Teachers Unite, and Instagram @parent_and_educatuors focus on bridging the gap between school and communities.

Dr. Shuanta Broadway-McDaniel has spent 23 years in the education profession. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Public Administration from the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. Dr. Broadway-McDaniel turned her career focus to education earning a Master of Arts in Teaching from the University of Memphis. Her educational leadership degrees were earned at the University of West Georgia. There she earned an educational specialist degree and doctorate in school improvement. Dr. Broadway-McDaniel has been principal of Hutchinson Elementary School in Atlanta Public Schools since 2012. Since her tenure, the school has achieved academic growth in all content areas and has been deemed a Georgia Title 1 Reward School and received Cognia STEM certification.

What does it take to rapidly respond to the moment-by-moment social-emotional needs of students as we navigate another disrupted school year? In this episode, we talk with a high school’s quick response team about the proven model they use to provide support to students and teachers when needed.

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Sheila Dannar has completed an Educational Specialist degree at UMKC and is beginning her 23rd year as an educator in KCPS. She initially attended the University of Missouri – Columbia and obtained an undergraduate degree in Elementary Education with a minor in Spanish. She began teaching Spanish at Bingham Middle School in KCPS and later taught 4th grade at East Elementary School. After completing a Masters in Urban Leadership and Policy Studies at UMKC, Ms. Dannar began as an administrator in KCPS and has served in both elementary and middle schools prior to coming to East High School for the 2018-19 school year.

Courtney Simpson is the Restorative Justice Coordinator at East High School.

Mackenzie Even is the Trauma-Sensitive Schools Clinician at East High School and assists learners at East HS experiencing any sort of emotional trauma
Kayla Celello is the lead SEL teacher at East High School and is a secondary English Language Arts teacher whose passion is to provide an equitable education to all her students.

As the country prepares for a new influx of immigrants, we pause to consider the impact on schools and teachers around the nation. Join us for a practical discussion about teaching new immigrant students and what we’ll need to know (and do) to successfully manage their transition into our classrooms.

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Larry Ferlazzo teaches English, Social Studies and International Baccalaureate classes to English Language Learners and mainstream students at Luther Burbank High School in Sacramento, California. This is his 18th year at Burbank! He has written 12 books: The ELL Teacher’s Toolbox (with co-author Katie Hull Sypnieski) Navigating The Common Core With English Language Learners (with co-author Katie Hull Sypnieski); Building A Community Of Self-Motivated Learners: Strategies To Help Students Thrive In School and Beyond; Classroom Management Q&As: Expert Strategies for Teaching; Self-Driven Learning: Teaching Strategies For Student Motivation; The ESL/ELL Teacher’s Survival Guide (with co-author Katie Hull Sypnieski); Helping Students Motivate Themselves: Practical Answers To Classroom Challenges; English Language Learners: Teaching Strategies That Work; and Building Parent Engagement In Schools (with co-author Lorie Hammond).

Morsal Sayar is an elementary school teacher at Chesterfield County Public Schools in Virginia. She attended VCU, where she completed her undergraduate degree in Early and Elementary Education and a Master’s of Teaching. Part of her goal as an educator is to ignite a passion for learning in young minds so that they can grow to be lifelong learners both inside and outside of the classroom.