AI, Technology & the Future of Education

Episode Summary In this episode, I reflect on how much education has changed during my 23 years in the classroom. Technology, curriculum, assessments, standards, expectations, systems, and now artificial intelligence have all reshaped the profession. Yet the longer I teach, the more convinced I become that the most important parts of education remain deeply human.

Episode Summary In this episode, I reflect on a season following COVID when educators returned expecting to continue exploring language arts curriculum options, only to discover that major decisions had already been made during the summer. New resources had arrived, old materials were gone, and expectations had shifted dramatically. While change itself was not necessarily

Episode Summary In this episode, I reflect on the reality that change is one of the few guarantees in education. New initiatives, programs, expectations, assessments, and systems constantly emerge. Some changes feel exciting and useful, while others create uncertainty, frustration, or resistance. The challenge is learning how to respond thoughtfully when educators do not have

Episode Summary In this episode, I reflect on one of the ongoing tensions many educators experience between educational policy and classroom reality. Using state testing as an example, I discuss how accountability systems serve an important purpose while also recognizing that students often continue learning and growing long after testing windows have closed. Those moments

Episode Summary In this episode, I reflect on working with a student who struggled with selective mutism and found speaking in front of others incredibly difficult. Progress did not happen through a program, a device, or a quick intervention. It developed slowly through patience, encouragement, family support, collaboration with school staff, and a relationship built

Episode Summary In this episode, I reflect on my experiences working within educational systems where pacing guides and curricular expectations became extremely tight. Grade-level teams were often expected to stay almost perfectly aligned, moving through the same lessons at nearly the same time. While that consistency may have made organizational sense, it sometimes meant moving

Episode Summary In this episode, I reflect on a student who needed daily check-ins that often had very little to do with academics. Those conversations were about encouragement, reassurance, perspective, and helping him reset during difficult days. That experience reminded me that students need much more from educators than content instruction alone. I unpack why

Episode Summary In this episode, I reflect on how difficult sustained attention can be for students growing up in a world filled with constant stimulation. Music, videos, notifications, devices, multitasking, and endless streams of information compete for students’ focus throughout the day, making quiet concentration increasingly difficult to protect. I unpack the importance of balance

Episode Summary In this episode, I reflect on the power of curiosity and how differently learning feels when students are genuinely wondering, investigating, and trying to figure something out. I have seen that energy during inquiry-based science activities and creative writing experiences, where students move beyond simply completing an assignment and begin exploring ideas because

Episode Summary In this episode, I reflect on why digital literacy has become about far more than simply knowing how to use technology. Through conversations with students, I have seen how easily young people can place trust in online information, communicate with strangers, overshare personal information, or struggle to recognize the risks that exist within