From amazing writers, to incredible school leaders, and forward-thinking educators, it has been our immense pleasure to sit down with and learn from innovative individuals from all walks of life!
As we celebrate our 100th episode, A Retrospective on Our Podcasting Journey, we take a look at some of our “fireflies”, a term coined by our friend Kevin Honeycutt, to describe individuals who light up our lives. Join us as we revisit the wealth of knowledge and expertise they have generously bestowed upon us.
Here are the key ideas we took away from this episode:
- Building Relationships: We need the skills necessary to build meaningful relationships, but many of us don’t know where to start! Thankfully, Susan Enfield taught us to be committed to knowing names, strengths and needs of those around us. Kathy Hurley spoke about the importance of giving back to each generation and Monica Guzman encouraged us to remain interested about those with differing opinions.
- Cultural Responsiveness: It’s imperative that we create a world dedicated to inclusivity. Our guest Holden Klaus spoke about creating a safe environment for LGBTQIA+ students while guest Ken Holden shared eye opening statistics about detention and expulsion rates for black and Latino students. Yaritza Villalba talked about being a culturally responsive instructor while Dr. Alan Phan discussed overcoming our biases to see people more clearly.
- Collaboration: The biggest problems can be more easily solved through working together! Several guests taught us how including Jennifer Williams who shared a program in which thousands of students came together globally to propose solutions to real world problems. Dr. Naomi N. Makau shared her perspective of the world as a global village.
- Critical Thinking: Design thinking and creativity lend themselves to more robust problem-solving. Jessica Artiles explored methods to solve “wicked problems”, complex issues that lack clear solutions. John Bielenberg and Brandt Williams shared the challenges of the hard-wired mind when faced with thinking outside the box.
- SEL (Social-Emotional Learning): We dove further into how schools and students can feel supported mentally and emotionally with the guidance of Mychal Mills who shared the importance of being balanced in the body, mind, and heart through proper nutrition, movement, positive media, and more. Jacqueline Nesi taught us about a “warm and firm” approach in governing student use of social media.
- Ed Challenges: Last but not least, we explored the challenges that technology presents in education with guests like Dewayne McClary who discusses the importance of data privacy. Ken Shelton talked about the importance of creating student access to the internet for rural and urban communities and Julie Albright talked about putting social media aside in favor of face-to-face interactions.
- All themes developed organically throughout the lifecycle of the podcast and we’ve organized them just for you in our choice boards! They allow you to select podcasts that are centered around these themes, you’re preferred podcast platform, and links to additional resources like books the guest has written.
Learning from experts on how to make schools, and our world, more open, inclusive, and progressive continues to be a rewarding experience. Thanks so much for celebrating with us and cheers to 100 more!
Check out the full podcast for all the details: YouTube | Spotify | Apple Podcasts
Don’t forget to listen to three of our podcasts from our themed choice boards to earn 0.5 of CEU credit. Simply submit this form when you finish.