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Angela Watson's Truth for Teachers

The podcast designed to speak encouragement and truth into the minds and hearts of educators, and get you informed and energized for the week ahead.
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Angela Watson's Truth for Teachers
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Now displaying: October, 2022
Oct 30, 2022

When we feel responsible for controlling students' behavior and work habits, the classroom environment, the way parents/caregivers and other faculty behave, and how the school and district make decisions, we are destined to be miserable. Other people will rarely meet our ideals, and trying to force them to do so will feel like a full-time job in itself.

The second edition of my new book addresses this. It’s called, "Awakened: Change Your Mindset to Transform Your Teaching.” Depending on when you’re listening to this episode, the paperback, Kindle eBook, and audiobook version are either available now or available for pre-order.

In this episode, you’ll hear an excerpt from the audiobook about replacing unrealistic standards and changing the stories we tell ourselves about control.

I’ll talk about 5 unrealistic standards we often hold:

  • I need people to know the "right" way to do things
  • I need to identify all problems and fix them immediately
  • I need to make sure everything goes according to my plans
  • I need everything to be fair and make sense
  • I need to know what's going to happen next

Listen in as I share how these unrealistic standards can be replaced with the following productive thoughts in your work as an educator:

  • I can accept other people's ways and methodologies
  • I can let go of the interpretation that something's wrong
  • I can be happy when things don't go my way
  • I can handle things that don't make sense
  • I can be okay with not knowing

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.

Oct 16, 2022

Revolutionaries and visionaries can get exhausted. They often sacrifice their own needs because they believe so strongly in the cause.

Today I’m asking aloud: Does it have to be that way? Is there a sustainable approach to fighting for liberatory education? What might it look like to create change in education without martyring ourselves?

My guest is Dr. Nadia Lopez, an award-winning educator who became a viral sensation after the popular blog Humans of New York featured her as one of their most influential people. Dr. Lopez founded Mott Hall Bridges Academy, a STEAM-focused middle school in Brownsville, Brooklyn, New York, in 2010, and served as the principal for ten years. Her Ted Talk on the Education Revolution has garnered more than a million views.

In 2020, Dr. Lopez ended her tenure as Mott Hall Bridges Academy’s principal as an act of self-preservation after developing a stress-related illness that threatened her life. The experience inspired her to develop a coaching program for women of color in educational leadership designed to build their capacity, with a focus on sustainability.

Listen in as she shares her experience with past (and current) burnout, and what she’s learned about finding a sustainable approach to doing good work in education.

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.

Oct 9, 2022

Here’s a little insider knowledge into the publishing world and how I make decisions to ensure all 5 of my books are current and relevant...

I’m planning to release a second edition of Awakened: Change Your Mindset to Transform Your Teaching in November 2022, and I wanted to give you an idea of what will be different and why.

From a technical standpoint, the second edition of a book counts as a brand new book: it has a new ISBN number, new links and listings in online retailers, etc.

As a general principle in publishing, a book should only be released as a second edition if readers who already own the first edition would benefit from owning the second. In other words, it needs to be different enough from the first edition — to have enough updated content, new ideas, and so on — to qualify as a separate book. This is the first time I’ve ever attempted a second edition of a book and it’s been a really enjoyable process, as you’ll hear.

I’m also creating an audiobook version which I’m very excited about — there wasn’t one for the first edition. I think the book really lends itself well to that format, and of course I’m reading it myself, because so many of you are used to my voice from the podcast and it would feel weird to hear someone else reading it!

I wanted to let you hear an excerpt from the audiobook version of the Awakened second edition that talks about choices I’ve made around updating books and removing books from print. Listen in to hear what’s changed and why.

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.

Oct 2, 2022

When students struggle to focus, follow directions, and stay on task, it may be helpful to consider cognitive load theory.

Classroom teacher Jennifer Brinkmeyer’s my guest in this episode to talk about how she’s utilized her research in this area to help students get more done with less mental effort.

Cognitive load is a learning theory developed by educational psychologist John Sweller. In this theory, our brains are compared to a computer’s working memory. Just as a computer can only hold so much information in its working memory at a time, so can a brain.

There are 3 types of cognitive load to consider: intrinsic, germane, and extraneous loads. Surprisingly to both Jennifer and I, the goal is NOT to minimize all of them!

Listen in as Jennifer breaks down how cognitive load theory is applicable in her classroom, and the 3 tips she has for considering cognitive load during instructional time.

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.

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