Jessica Werner, founder and CEO of North Shore Learning, discusses her journey from teaching to helping teachers avoid burnout. She highlights the need for universal classroom management systems and the value of self-reflection and teacher well-being. Her company, North Shore Learning, offers free resources, webinars, and on-demand courses to support educators.

Dr. Matt Zakreski, a clinical psychologist specializing in neurodivergent kids, discusses his work with ADHD, autism, giftedness, OCD, and dyslexia. He emphasizes the importance of awareness and accommodations for neurodivergent individuals, highlighting the need for universal design in education. Dr. Matt shares strategies for managing anxiety, such as praising behaviors and adapting environments. Dr. Matt's approach focuses on strengths rather than deficits and aims to support both students and educators.

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."

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.

https://www.failingwriterspodcast.com/

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://leahcrawford.com

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.

Melissa discusses the inspiration that came from a Metallica Master Class titled "Being a Band." She shares metaphors to teaching including Metallica's keys to building a resilient team: not neglecting individuals, keeping cool, empathizing, being real, embracing strengths, checking egos, building up bandmates, and remembering common goals.

Brad and Tricia, co-founders of Major Choice, discuss their mission to help young people, especially those on the autism spectrum, figure out their post-school paths. They highlighted their program which includes self-exploration, career exploration, and outreach. They emphasized the importance of live mentoring and skill-building

Melissa chats with Caroline Starr Rose, a middle grade and picture book author, discusses her journey from teaching to writing. She shares her experience of writing "May B," a historical fiction verse novel, which took 12 years to publish. Rose emphasized the importance of persistence and the impact of positive teacher encouragement. 

Melissa Milner talks with Erika Bare and Tiffany Burns who have collaborated on a book titled "Connecting Through Conversation: A Playbook for Talking with Students." Erica, a superintendent, and Tiffany, a university administrator, share their extensive experience in education and their mission to help students feel cared for and connected. They discuss practical strategies for building relationships, such as listening well, treating students with dignity, and fostering trust.

In this episode, Melissa shares the process of planning for her afterschool drama club. She talks about one main resource that she is pulling from, dramanotebook,com created by Janea Dahl.

Melissa talks to Dr. Aditya Nagrath, founder of Elephant Learning, who discusses his company's program, which has helped over 175,000 students learn a year's worth of math in three months with 30 minutes of weekly use. He emphasized the importance of teaching math as a language and gamification to reduce math anxiety.

Melissa discusses her experience with the WIDA course on developing language for learning in mathematics, which aligns well with her district's Illustrative Mathematics (IM) curriculum. She highlights the importance of math discourse and the role of teachers as guides rather than leaders. 

Melissa discusses the benefits and logistics of podcasting with students, highlighting its role in enhancing speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills in anticipation of her Podcasting with Students workshop at the Reynolds TLC Center in May, 2025. She details the various types of student-created content emphasizing the importance of student voice and choice in content creation.