Episode Summary In this episode, I step away from my normal format and simply talk about where I am right now. After more than 300 episodes, multiple podcast series, book ideas, websites, teaching, and constantly creating, I’ve reached a point where I’m mentally and physically exhausted and realizing that something has to give. I share
I Need to Take a Step Back Read More »
Episode Summary In this episode, I look at one of the simplest realities behind teacher workload: there are still only 24 hours in a day. During my 24 years in education, the responsibilities surrounding teaching have expanded tremendously. Many of those responsibilities are individually reasonable, but when we continue adding them together, the total workload
More Responsibilities, Same 24 Hours Read More »
Episode Summary In this episode, I look beneath some of the student behavior we discussed in the previous episode and explore the growing emotional and mental health needs teachers are seeing in classrooms. After 24 years in education, I’ve noticed more anxiety, emotional dysregulation, school avoidance, shutdowns, anger, absences, and students needing significant adult support
The Student Mental Health Crisis Read More »
Episode Summary In this episode, I wrap up the first week of the Teachers Are Not Broken series by asking what actually walks out the door when a great teacher leaves. Schools don’t simply lose someone who knows the curriculum. They lose relationships, institutional knowledge, mentorship, leadership, professional judgment, trust, and years of influence that
What Happens When Great Teachers Walk Away Read More »
Episode Summary In this episode, I widen the conversation about teacher retention because I believe this crisis reaches far beyond teachers and schools. When a great educator leaves, the effects ripple outward to students, families, colleagues, communities, businesses, and eventually society itself. Education helps prepare the people who enter every other profession, which means all
Why This Isn’t Just a Teacher Problem Read More »
Episode Summary In this episode, I take a deeper look at what we commonly call the teacher shortage and ask whether the shortage itself is really the problem—or whether it is a symptom of something deeper happening within the profession. After 24 years in education, I’ve watched the conversation change from schools receiving huge numbers
The Teacher Shortage: Symptoms vs. Causes Read More »
Episode Summary In this episode, I explore the difference between teacher burnout and moral injury, a concept that helped me better understand what many educators may be experiencing. I also share how my longtime mentor, Dr. Tangela Sylvester, encouraged me to explore the idea more deeply and gave me language for something I had already
Teacher Burnout vs. Moral Injury: Understanding the Difference Read More »
Episode Summary In this episode, I begin an important new series by asking a difficult question: why are so many good teachers leaving the profession? I want this conversation to be honest without becoming negative, because I love teaching and believe deeply in the importance of strengthening the profession rather than tearing it down. I
Why Good Teachers Are Leaving the Profession Read More »
Episode Summary In this episode, I reflect on Jason Hillman’s powerful presentation about trauma from a national education conference in Las Vegas. Rather than building his session around a framework or school improvement strategy, Jason shared his family’s deeply personal experiences with breast cancer, his own health challenges, and his daughter’s eating disorder. His story
Jason Hillman: The Impact of Trauma — A Personal Story Read More »
Episode Summary In this episode, I reflect on Regina Stephens Owens’ presentation about physical, mental, and relational wellness from a national education conference in Las Vegas. Teaching is deeply rewarding, but it can also be physically, mentally, and emotionally demanding. Regina reminded educators that caring for ourselves is not another task to add to an