Teachers differentiate for their students in the classroom. Shouldn't they do the same for their students when going on a field trip/school travel? In this episode, Luke Liddle, Managing Director for Independent Schools Cultural Alliance, explains how he allows for student agency in his work with international student travel.

Dr. Nicki Newton and Ann Elise Record are back! They each have their own lists of the best ways for students to practice problem solving and they collaborate to create one essential top ten list.

In this episode, Melissa chats with Libo Valencia, a high school/college math educator who incorporates math play into his instruction. K-12 teachers will be inspired by Libo's creativity and enthusiasm.

In this episode, Melissa chats with Eric Gibbs, President of Ouriginal, a plagiarism software for K-12 and higher education. Eric shares how teachers can use the software as part of the writing process to help students learn how to create original work.

In Part Three of my anti-mlm series, Melissa shares clips from her chats with Dave Vaughan and Sarah Haider. Have you tried using literature to facilitate discussions with students about high control groups? Do you feel MLMs are way too normalized in our society and you want to know how to have hard conversations with friends, family, or colleagues? These two educators have a lot to say!

In Part Two of her Anti-MLM series, Melissa shares her personal MLM story, explains why she just recently became obsessed with this topic, and matches her experiences directly to Steven Hassan's BITE Model of Authoritarian Control.

This episode is Part One of a three episode series about Anti-MLM education. Melissa chats with author, activist Robert FitzPatrick about the dangers of MLMs and why public education is not addressing these issues in curriculum at the middle school/high school level. Robert has been in many documentaries about MLMs including the recent Amazon documentary LuLaRich. He has a lot of current, vital information to share with educators.

Educators are lifelong learners and their students benefit from having well rounded, curious teachers. In this first episode of Season 3, Melissa shares how the purpose of this podcast is changing for her. She is focusing on exploring her own interests and how they relate to education. Nature, writing, podcasting (especially with students), film, and her new obsession coercive control/cults/MLMs and the need for education about them.

In the last episode of Season 2, Melissa takes a stroll around her school to find out how her fellow educators stay positive with all the changes and upheaval in education due to the pandemic. Enjoying students' positive energy and having a work life balance are some of the topics mentioned.

In this episode, Melissa chats with garden photographer and podcaster, Elizabeth Wilson. Elizabeth shares her thoughts with educators about helping students capture memories and important moments.

In this special episode, Melissa pays tribute to her father, Lester Fleishman, who passed on 10/16. Two of his former students share their thoughts on how Lester Fleishman influenced them, not just in music, but in life.

In this episode, Melissa interviews educator Ashleigh Reade, assistant professor of theater at Boston Conservatory at Berklee. Ashleigh teaches voice and speech for both the musical theater and contemporary theater programs, as well as the Actor's Toolkit for first-year students. She shares her focus on expressivity, intention, and context when helping anyone with vocals or speech. Teachers can learn a lot from Ashleigh about helping their students become more confident public speakers.

In this episode, Jamie Benning shares with educators his process in creating documentaries. Jamie shares about how he researches, curates film and interviews, and edits to create his Filmumentaries.

In this episode, Michael McLaughlin and Leeann Blais, educators at Austin Prep in Reading, MA collaborate to create a top ten list of tech tools for student collaboration. Michael is the head of middle school and Leeann is a 6th and 7th grade English teacher.

In this episode, I chat with Eva, a 15 year old high school sophomore who loves to write. Eva provides great insight for teachers about what students really hope for when learning how to be better writers. Eva shares what inspires her, as well as her writing process. She is able to publish her work, collaborate with other young authors, and get feedback with a site called Wattpad.

In this episode, I zoom in on research and the writing process with author and Washington Post writer, Geoff Edgers. Geoff stresses the importance of in depth research and plenty of time to write and revise.

In this third edition of the Top Ten episodes, Grant Hightower and Craig Murray collaborate to create one essential top ten list of movie quotes that are a metaphor for education. Grant and Craig are educational leaders and movie buffs.

In Episode 48, I chat with investigative journalist Dave Malkoff about his work for the Weather Channel and beyond. He gives teachers his recommendations for improving students' interviewing skills and how they should focus on telling a story. This is a great follow up to my recent Podcasting with Students series.

What equipment and technology do I need to podcast with students and how do I share our podcast with the most listeners? In this episode, I share some affordable, realistic answers to these questions and reflect on what worked for The Birch Meadow Way Podcast this past Spring 2021.

In this second episode in the Podcasting with Students series, I share ideas for improving your students' vocal performance. I share clips from The Birch Meadow Way Podcast which my fourth grade colleagues and I started with our students this past Spring 2021. Pace, Emphasis, Diction, Tone, and Volume are discussed.