Need a practical roadmap for increasing student ownership? So much of teaching now revolves around teacher accountability, but the same accountability and ownership can be transformative for students as well! Students who have opportunities to increase their ownership over their learning throughout the school year can complete more assignments on time, they feel more confident during testing, and they feel less anxiety over time when it comes to academics.

In today’s episode, I’m interviewing Erika Waltherr, who’s been working in Baltimore City Public Schools since 2012 is currently doing work there as a school-based Literacy Coach. She’s observed the difference in students since the start of the pandemic, and how many of them struggle to be independent and self-motivated.

Erika wrote an article for our Truth for Teachers writer’s collective, and I’m interviewing her here to go even deeper. We’re discussing practical ways to get your students to be more independent, take more responsibility for their own learning, and shift the balance in your classroom from teacher-centered to student-centered. This advice will be especially helpful for teachers who may struggle with letting go of control in their classrooms.

Read/share Erika’s article here: https://truthforteachers.com/truth-for-teachers-podcast/student-centered-learning-reality/ 

If you teach 8th-12th grade, check out Finding Flow Solutions, my new curriculum lined designed to help students find flow in the classroom and manage their time, energy, and focused attention: https://shop.truthforteachers.com/collections/finding-flow-solutions

Click here to read the transcript and participate in the discussion or, join our podcast Facebook group here to connect with other teachers and discuss the Truth for Teachers' podcast episodes.

I’m starting a brand new show with short episodes dropping each week from Monday-Friday!

The purpose of the Truth for Teachers Daily Encouragement Podcast is to offer an exclusive message each day for educators who want to show up as the best version of themselves. Every weekday, you’ll receive a short message that helps you return to what matters, stay grounded in your purpose, and uplift your mood.

The TFT Daily Encouragement podcast is ad-free and exclusive to subscribers for $3.99/month.

(And don’t worry, the regular TFT podcast you already know and love isn’t going anywhere, isn’t changing, and remains free for listeners! This is something NEW and ADDITIONAL for those who want more.)

Each episode of the Daily Encouragement podcast is 3-5 minutes long: no promotions, no fluff, no filler. You’ll hear just a boost of motivation and inspiration on topics like:

• mindfulness
• self-compassion
• radical acceptance
• reframing your thoughts
• managing anxiety
• enjoying your work
• connecting deeply with students
• staying grounded in your vision and purpose

I plan to make one episode per week a guided meditation or mindfulness moment, in which you’re invited to slow down and be fully present in the moment and in your body. You don’t have to close your eyes and you’re not expected to enter a meditative state: these eps will just be a quick moment to get out of your own head and connect to your higher self or even just to your breath. It’s a break in which I guide you to reflect on gratitude, non-attachment, joy, or another concept that helps you return to a state of ease and flow.

This podcast is designed for ALL educators (anyone who works in a school), including those who ordinarily don’t listen to podcasts because they don’t have the alone time or mental bandwidth to consume lengthier episodes.

It’s designed to be the perfect short, calming listen for:

• When you first wake up to start your day on a positive note
• During your commute to school to ease into “school mode”
• On your break to re-energize yourself for the afternoon
• After dismissal to ground, calm, and re-center when the day’s done

I tried to pick a price that felt affordable for educators while staying mindful of the hosting/payment process costs, and I think that $3.99/monthly offers a really good value for a Mon-Fri daily show. If you appreciate my work in general and with the podcast specifically, I would love your support with this project!

The technical details: Subscriptions and payments are handled through Spotify so the link to subscribe is a Spotify payment link. You can use a credit card or Google Pay. Once you’ve subscribed, you can listen right in Spotify. If you have another podcast app that you like better, you can copy/paste the private RSS feed link into the podcast player of your choice and listen there. Each weekday a new episode will automatically appear in the feed wherever you want to listen to your podcasts. You can cancel anytime through Spotify, just know that your access to the podcast archives will be removed at the end of your monthly billing period.

I’m committed to the TfT Daily Encouragement Podcast ONLY for this school year, and will then re-evaluate. So, if this is something you’re interested in, sign up now!

Subscribe to the TfT Daily Encouragement podcast;
https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/dailyencouragement/subscribe

Learn more:
http://truthforteachers.com/dailyencouragement

The first episode drops Monday, Sept. 11th!

I hope this will be an easy, fun, way for you to hear some positive words spoken into your heart and mind on a daily basis, so you can keep showing up as the best version of yourself each day.

Thank you for supporting me and my work!

Angela

I recently read a powerful book called, “Of Boys and Men: Why They’re Struggling, Why We Should Care, and What We Can Do About It” by Richard Reeves. It’s not the first piece of media I’ve consumed about the crises men are facing in the U.S. right now, but IS the first I’ve seen with a deeply comprehensive, intersectional understanding of the problems AND practical solutions.

In this episode, I wanted to open a (hopefully ongoing) conversation about this topic, sharing what I learned from the book and what educators should be aware of when considering how to to support the boys in their classrooms.

I’ll discuss:

• Just a few of the ways in which outcomes for men are lagging behind those for women, leading to an increase for men in fentanyl and opioid use; deaths of despair; unwillingness to enter college or the workforce; and vulnerability to groups that push harmful misogynistic ideologies
• How older millennials, Gen X, and Boomers may be unaware of how much boys are currently lagging behind girls in key areas of success because the opposite problem was more prevalent when we were younger
• Why acknowledging that structural and institutional support for boys/men does not negate the different types of support that are still needed for girls/women
• How schools can use redshirting, male staff members, and vo-tech programs to improve outcomes for boys
• What unlearning needs to happen around “women’s work” so that activities/careers coded as female are seen as desirable by boys (and are better compensated for everyone)
• Why the opening of doors for girls in STEM fields needs to be paired with role models and opportunities for boys in HEAL fields (health, education, administration, and literacy) 
• Why we can’t keep condemning “toxic masculinity” without offering a broad range of possibilities for healthy masculinity
• How educators can be conscious of the messages that boys receive about what expressions of their identity are acceptable
• Ways educators can help boys embody their full authentic selves and be free from limiting social constructs around what men are (and aren’t) allowed to feel, think, be, and do

This is a controversial and delicate topic, so please listen when you are in the headspace to extend grace if some of my phrasing or examples aren’t ideal! I plan to address this topic again in at least one future episode with the support of a guest expert as well as the voices of male students themselves. Resource recommendations, interview suggestions, feedback, and additional perspectives are welcome at info@truthforteachers.com.

Click here to read the transcript and participate in the discussion or, join our podcast Facebook group here to connect with other teachers and discuss the Truth for Teachers' podcast episodes.