Phil Janiszewski, a former high school chemistry and physics teacher, discusses his transition to motivational speaking to combat educator burnout and boredom. He emphasizes the importance of integrating personal interests into teaching to maintain enthusiasm. Phil highlights the significance of positive psychology, which suggests that happiness leads to success. He advises educators to identify activities that fill them up and to give back to their community. Phil also stresses the need for administrators to support teachers better, acknowledging the challenges they face, and offers his services as a motivational speaker to boost morale and resilience.
Website: https://philjanuszewski.com/
Melissa chats with Jon Rand and Tom Turner from the "Failing Writers" podcast. John and Tom highlight the significance of making writing enjoyable and the potential of flash fiction and radio ads as educational tools.
In Episode 2 of What About This?, Melissa talks about her fourth and fifth-grade drama club's upcoming performance and a recent Thanksgiving play. Andrea recounts her experiences at the MassCUE Fall Conference at Gillette Stadium, highlighting keynote speakers and the positive feedback. They also discuss Andrea's role at MassCUE, including organizing events and an internship program.
Leah Crawford is an experienced educator and independent education consultant. She emphasizes the importance of engaging teaching methods, such as using dialogic exchange and mentor texts to enhance student comprehension and creativity. Leah also highlights the significance of teaching concepts over skills and the value of using literature to foster a rich understanding of storytelling and writing techniques.
https://searchingforexcellence.co.uk Bob Cox’s site - the home of Opening Doors
https://www.crownhouse.co.uk/opening-doors The Opening Doors series of books
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLxCgNvQM8mbQK9KZ3P5UtQ5dmy5uQrRAX 15 mini tutorials lifted from the books on YouTube
Bluesky @thinktalkleah.bsky.social
LinkedIn Leah Crawford
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Major Choice is a career mentorship program for students with and without disabilities. The program emphasizes personalized mentorship, self-exploration, and career exploration, aiming to help students find fulfilling careers. Educators and professionals are encouraged to become mentors or volunteers. https://www.majorchoice.com/home-page5pdqllzu62926234
Holly Britton, a handwriting instruction specialist, discusses the importance of early transcription skills in education. She highlights the decline in handwriting proficiency, especially during COVID-19, and the need for explicit instruction starting from kindergarten. Holly founded Squiggle Squad, designed to teach handwriting through a fun, research-based approach.
Melissa chats with AJ Cullen, a licensed independent clinical social worker and certified Animal Assisted Intervention specialist. She discusses her podcast "Rising Voices" with co-host Danielle Terrell, which aims to connect young professionals with careers in autism and human services. AJ also shares her journey with Autism Barks, a business connecting neurodivergent individuals to Animal Assisted services.
Melissa interviews Mel Emerick, an elementary music teacher and author. Mel discusses her innovative teaching methods, including using a rubber chicken for green-screen lessons and creating a curriculum for oral dictation. She emphasizes the importance of humor and engagement in teaching, aiming to make learning enjoyable and memorable for students.
Melissa Milner and Andrea Calvin are starting their podcast adventure with this episode. They share personal interests, such as Melissa's love for concerts and Andrea's passion for baking. Andrea mentions upcoming events, including the MassCUE Fall Conference at Gillette Stadium. Melissa talks about her after school drama club and podcasting with students. Their next episode will be in December.
Melissa Milner hosts Ed Goyette, co-founder of Major Choice, a career mentorship program for students with and without disabilities. Major Choice is a sponsor of The Teacher As…Podcast. Ed shares the program's inception during the pandemic and its expansion to a national level. The program emphasizes personalized mentorship, self-exploration, and career exploration, aiming to help students find fulfilling careers. Educators and professionals are encouraged to become mentors or volunteers.
This guest blogpost by Amy McMahon accompanies the podcast episode where Amy chats with Melissa about the benefits of brain breaks. Amy shares some of her favorites.
This guest blogpost by Phil Januszewski is a follow up to our podcast episode published on 1/25.
Tom Turner is cohost of the Failing Writers Podcast, alongside Jon Rand. In this guest blogpost, that accompanies their Teacher As Podcast episode, Tom shares about the difficulty of writer’s block and the temptation to use AI. He discusses the difference between creating original work and using AI.
This guest blogpost is written by Holly Britton who Melissa interviewed for the podcast. It focuses on the foundational skill of handwriting.
Mel Emerick took time out to write a guest blogpost as a companion to our conversation. The podcast episode is Zooming In on Humor as a Teaching Tool with Mel Emerick. Mel writes about how we need to engage students and make them feel safe before we can teach them anything (Maslow before Bloom).
This blog was created as a companion resource for my presentations at the MassCUE Conference on 10/15/25 and 10/16/25. It is chock full of resources to start podcasting with students no matter what level you teach.
Brad Duquette shares about his company, Major Choice. Major Choice’s mission is to help young people, especially those on the autism spectrum, figure out their post-school paths.
Enjoy this guest blogpost by author educators Erika Bare and Tiffany Burns about connecting with students.
In this guest blogpost, Janea Dahl, the creator of Drama Notebook, shares ways to incorporate drama into the elementary classroom. Janea emphasizes the importance of creativity, cooperation, and confidence-building in drama education.
Amy McMahon, with 27 years in education, discusses the importance of brain breaks in the classroom, especially post-COVID, to help students self-regulate and focus. Amy shares various no-prep brain break activities, including the "timer game," "mind reader," "silent partner draw," and "going on a picnic."