Our students' sense of self is extremely important and perhaps there are fewer who appreciate that more than former counsellor and now teacher Dani Bostick. A survivor of childhood sexual abuse, Dani brings her life experiences and passions to bear on the grievous injuries that our students may be bearing each day as they enter the classroom. She shares her insight on how to have difficult discussions as a class, alongside tips for teachers as they find themselves entrusted with the traumas that some of our students may share with us. Dani is a passionate educator and fierce defender of students' rights to feel safe and loved at school.

Links:

Dani on Twitter
DaniBostick.net
The Ed Podcast on Twitter

Sponsored Links:

Back to School Again Podcast
The Well Endowed Podcast
ATB Financial
The Alberta Podcast Network

For part II of our conversation (see part I here) me and Shauna Pollock get together to talk more directly about Blue Sky School, its founding principles as inspired by Walt Disney (the man, not the company) and we also go through some of the big questions about Blue Sky and its role in the educational world. It's a great deep dive into the mind of a truly revolutionary educator: Shauna is dead-set on doing what's best for students, even if that means creating an entirely new way educational system from the ground up.

Links:

Shauna on Twitter
Blue Sky School
The Ed Podcast on Twitter

Sponsored Links:

The Otherwise Podcast
ATB Financial
The Alberta Podcast Network

Tigers have two settings: off, and high. Shauna Pollock is definitely a tiger. A teacher with a thousand tales to tell, this conversation represents the first of a two-part conversation all about her adventures as an educator. We discuss her origins as a teacher and why she felt alienated by the education system; her various exploits in education in varied settings; her philosophy of education and how that led to the formation of her latest endeavour, Blue Sky School. It's a big journey, but one that will inspire and motivate!

Links:

Shauna on Twitter
Blue Sky School
The Ed Podcast on Twitter

Sponsored Links:

Let's Do Coffee Podcast
ATB Financial
The Alberta Podcast Network

Rebecca Chambers likes to do one thing every day that scares her. While it's a quote that many people like to put on their walls, Rebecca truly lives it. We talk about her adventures as she moves beyond a straight curriculum delivery system and goes all-in on PBL and community engagement and how that helps to redefine her role and bring purpose to her classroom.

Links:

Rebecca on Twitter
UnLearnWithUs.com (Rebecca's blog)
Ken Robinson's TED talk: Schools Kill Creativity
The Ed Podcast on Twitter

Sponsored Links:

Park Power
Otherwise Podcast
ATB Financial
The Alberta Podcast Network

It's a common refrain that "anyone can teach". Honestly, some part of this statement is true. This month, though, I'm joined by Shaun Smith and John Courville to unpack this idea and just what it truly means to be a teacher. We've also got a raft of wins and fails, plus our timeouts. Oh, and we also talk a lot about pirates and doubloons.

Links:

Shaun on Twitter
The Ed Podcast on Twitter
Timeout - Shadow of the Tomb Raider

Sponsored Links:

Back to School Again Podcast
ATB Financial
The Alberta Podcast Network

Dan Scratch is a Social Studies teacher in Edmonton, AB. More importantly, he's an educator who's passionate about social justice and equity for his students. We talk about the power of personal stories, bringing controversial topics into the classroom, and we focus in on the single biggest indicator for future student success.

Links:

Dan Scratch on Twitter
Dan Scratch on Medium
The RAD Educator Network
The Ed Podcast on Twitter

Sponsored Links:

Let's Do Coffee Podcast
ATB Financial
The Alberta Podcast Network

Caleb Endfield teaches STEM and is a counsellor on a reservation in Arizona. Having little experience with this area of the education world, it was a real honour to sit down and have this conversation with him. We talked about life on a reservation, the role that STEM plays in helping students prepare for the future, and the challenges students face as they decide whether to cross out of the reservation culture.

Links:

Caleb on Twitter
The Ed Podcast on Twitter
Paper Tigers on IMDB

Sponsored Links:

Park Power
ATB Financial
The Alberta Podcast Network

Caterina is a three-year veteran of teaching and a newly minted masters student. An ELA and Social Studies teacher, she is passionate about language and culture. We talk about how those impact her teaching and her success with establishing a cultural centre at her school. We also talk about her favourite hashtag, "survivingteaching" and what it means to be less than perfect, and why it's important to share our imperfect selves with others.

Links:

Caterina's Blog
Caterina on Twitter
The Ed Podcast on Twitter

Sponsored Links:

Park Power
ATB Financial
The Alberta Podcast Network

Tonya Gilchrist is a language & literature teacher, an instructional coach, a literacy consultant and a speaker. Our conversation hinges on what happened after Tonya became disatisfied with teaching in America and how that lead her to where she is today. We talk about her current role and the way she uses inquiry and creative thinking to help her students find success. We also dive into the way that inquiry changes roles for both students and teachers, plus how to confront fear for everyone finding themselves in a classroom defined by autonomy and curiosity.

Links:

Tonya on Twitter
tonyagilchrist.com
The Ed Podcast on Twitter

Sponsored Links:

The Otherwise Podcast
ATB Financial
The Alberta Podcast Network

Sometimes tweaks just won't do. Instead, we're faced with the option of either abandoning ship or completely rebuilding from scratch. On today's show, I'm joined by Shaun and Joe as we talk about those times where we just want to burn it all down and start over. It may be a unit, a lesson, a methodology, or an entire career; we talk about why we do it, when it's appropriate, and the pros and cons of taking such a drastic approach.

Links:

Joe on Twitter
Shaun on Twitter
The Ed Podcast on Twitter
The Florida Project (movie)
Season 2 of Ozark on Netflix

Sponsored Links:

Back to School Again Podcast
Litfest Alberta
ATB Financial
The Alberta Podcast Network