If your school is lucky enough to have a full-time certified librarian, it's likely they are not being utilized to their full capacity. In fact, yours may be one of a growing number of schools that are eliminating librarians altogether, and that is a terrible idea. In this episode, I sit down with four accomplished librarians — K.C. Boyd, Barbara Paciotti, Lauren Mobley, and Karina Quilantan-Garza — to explore all the ways a certified school librarian can make teachers' work easier, more efficient, and more effective, and to make a strong case for why every school needs one.

Thanks to WeVideo and The Modern Classrooms Project for sponsoring this episode.

To read a full transcript of this conversation, visit cultofpedagogy.com/pod and choose episode 226.

Many states are seeing record high numbers of teacher turnovers and vacancies. While the problems that caused this shortage have not gone away, there are groups of people who are coming up with some creative ways to address this situation, new and surprisingly affordable pathways for training good, enthusiastic teachers. Two of these programs are Oxford Teachers College at Reach University and Educators Rising. In this episode, educator Kimberly Eckert talks with me about how and why both of these outstanding programs work.

Thanks to Edge•U Badges and EVERFI for sponsoring this episode.

To read a full transcript of our conversation and find links to all the resources mentioned in this episode, visit cultofpedagogy.com/teacher-shortage.

Crying in front of your students can be a humiliating experience. Not the kind that happens when you're moved to tears by a poignant story or you react to upsetting news; those moments can actually bond you to your students. It’s the kind that comes from frustration, shame, anger, or loss of control. It might be something you experience as a new teacher, but it can also happen well into your career. Regardless, if it happens to you, it can shake you up. In this episode, I share a few thoughts that might help.

Thanks to Edge•U Badges and EVERFI for sponsoring this episode.

To read a written version of this episode and find links to all the resources I mention, go to cultofpedagogy.com/crying-in-class.

It's happened to so many teachers: You teach your heart out. Really just knock it out of the park. Then you ask a question all students should know the answer to … and nothing. What's going on? In this episode, educator and writer Blake Harvard offers four possible explanations for why we get the blank stare, along with four solutions that will help us see a lot less of it.

Thanks to Edge•U Badges and The Modern Classrooms Project for sponsoring this episode.

To read Blake's article, go cultofpedagogy.com/stare.

As our student population grows ever more diverse, many schools haven't been quite as successful as they'd like to be when trying to connect with students' families. If current efforts aren't working, it's time we tried a different approach. In this episode I talk with Nawal Qarooni, author of the new book Nourishing Caregiver Collaborations about the specific approaches teachers can take to more authentically involve families in their children's education 

Thanks to Listenwise and Khan Academy Kids for sponsoring this episode.

For links to Nawal's book and a transcript of this conversation, go to https://cultofpedagogy.com/pod and choose episode 222.

When high school English teacher Dan Tricarico started taking photos of his colleagues, he didn't expect them to create new bonds among his staff. Teachers rarely get an opportunity to have their humanity and uniqueness showcased in this way, but these beautiful portraits do just that — and anyone with a smartphone can do the same thing for the teachers at their school. 

Thanks to WeVideo and The Modern Classrooms Project for sponsoring this episode.

To view the full portrait gallery go to https://cultofpedagogy.com/pod and choose episode 221.

Standardized testing has, without a doubt, created a lot of problems in education, and far too often, our conversations about these problems end in statements like "we need to just get rid of them all" or "Oh well, nothing we can do to change things." In this episode, education researcher Jenn Binis joins me to talk about a different approach to solving the problems around standardized testing: moving away from all-or-nothing thinking and towards the idea of reducing harm. Jenn offers 5 specific strategies educators can take to make things better.

Thanks to NoRedInk and Edge•U Badges for sponsoring this episode.

Read Jenn's full blog post by going to cultofpedagogy.com/standardized-tests-what-to-do

It's a brand-new year, and to celebrate the launch of the 10th edition of our Teacher's Guide to Tech, we're exploring 8 tech tools that are worth a look in 2024. I'm joined by my team of ed tech geniuses — Brandie Wright, Lucia Hassell, Kim Darche, and Marnie Diem — to talk about a collection of tools that can make your teaching richer, more efficient, and more satisfying. Enjoy!

Thanks to WeVideo and The Modern Classrooms Project for sponsoring this episode.

Check out the 2024 Teacher's Guide to Tech at https://teachersguidetotech.com.

As a teacher, you probably find yourself in situations pretty often where you're made aware of a student having needs or challenges that exceed what your school typically offers them. The list of student needs in so many schools is never-ending, and your desire to help meet them is probably pretty strong, too. But attempting to meet these needs on your own — to become a kind of "savior" to your students — can not only lead to burnout for you, it's also not ultimately that helpful to the student long-term. In this episode Alex Shevrin Venet, author of the book Equity-Centered Trauma-Informed Education, returns to talk about the danger of getting into a savior mentality when helping our students, how to tell if you're slipping into that kind of thinking, and how to shift toward healthier and more helpful ways of thinking about and approaching student needs.

Thanks to NoRedInk and The Modern Classrooms Project for sponsoring this episode.

You can find links to Alex's book and a full transcript of our conversation at cultofpedagogy.com/savior-mentality/.

Our classrooms have the potential to be spaces where we learn how to have conversations about challenging topics with respect, curiosity, and kindness. Contrary to the voices that say race is not an appropriate topic for school, in this episode we're saying just the opposite. My guests are Matthew Kay, author of the book, Not Light, But Fire: How to Lead Meaningful Race Conversations in the Classroom, and Jennifer Orr, Kay's co-author of the follow-up book, We're Gonna Keep On Talking: How to Lead Meaningful Race Conversations in the Elementary Classroom. I talked with Matt and Jen about the value of discussion as a teaching tool, the elements that are necessary for creating a healthy ecosystem for race conversations, some strategies for having these conversations in organic and authentic ways, and a message for teachers working in states that are hostile to conversations about race.

Thanks to NoRedInk and The Modern Classrooms Project for sponsoring this episode.

You can find links to both books and a full transcript of our conversation at cultofpedagogy.com/classroom-conversations-about-race/.

I have no new strategies or tools or books to share with you this week. Nothing new to implement. Just a simple call to action for administrators to start giving your teachers more specific, genuine positive feedback. They need it. 

Thanks to NoRedInk and The Modern Classrooms Project for sponsoring this episode.

You can read this podcast as a post at cultofpedagogy.com/your-teachers-need-a-win/.