Episodes

I had the amazing opportunity to moderate a segment during the Teach Better 12 Hour Live Event on social emotional learning (SEL). In this bonus episode, Mandy Froelich and I discuss important strategies to use in the classroom and on the campus to help regulate student’s emotions and assess student needs. About Mandy Froehlich: Mandy Froehlich passionately encourages educators to create innovative change in their classrooms. A former Director of Innovation and Technology, technology integrator...

What is the highest level of learning in professional development? This week’s guest, Dr. Michele Schmidt Moore, shares how leaders can design professional learning environments that encourage and enhance teacher’s discovery, passion, and curiosity. In this episode, we discuss: Passion Projects for Educators Intentional PD Designs The Leader in You Series And Michele’s podcast, “Design Lessons” About Dr. Michele Schmidt Moore: Dr. Michele Schmidt Moore, host of the Design Lessons podcast is a ...

After creating and implementing new teaching strategies and building procedures, many educators are seeking to go back to “normal”. Should we keep any practices from this past year or should we go back to our previous strategies? This week’s guest, Thomas Murray, shares how we design learning experiences that impact all students, while creating future ready skills. In this episode, we discuss: Future Ready Leaders Future Ready Learners Going Back to “Normal” vs Continuing New Practices And Tom’...

In this bonus episode, Latrese Younger shares her five top leadership books and the reasons she loves these amazing resources. In addition, we discuss her school and how she is ending the school year strong. About Latrese Younger: Latrese D. Younger has over thirteen years of education experience across several different school districts. She began her journey as an English Language Arts teacher in Dinwiddie County, VA, which she credits with firming her foundation in education excellence. Thro...

Today, May 9th, is a special day for two reasons, 1. It’s mother’s day and 2. Today is the 3rd anniversary of the Aspire podcast! Join Todd Nesloney and I as we celebrate mothers day, the three year anniversary of the podcast and our discussion on classroom and campus culture! Featuring Todd Nesloney and Joshua Stamper About Todd Nesloney: Todd Nesloney is the Director of Culture and Strategic Leadership for the Texas Elementary Principals and Supervisors Association (TEPSA). He was previously ...

As the school year comes to a close, we can all agree that we are exhausted mentally and physically. This past year and a half has been difficult in many ways and every educator's mental health has been affected. Just the other day, I was telling a staff member that COVID has made even the easiest decisions much harder. With this in mind, how are we taking care of ourselves? This week’s guest, Dan Tricarico shares how he uses the 5 “S”s, Which are stillness, silence, space, subtraction, and slow...

In your classrooms, are your students participating in one interactive lesson per unit or are they experiencing natural learning opportunities each day? This week’s guest, Becky Schnekser, shares how transforming her classroom allowed her students to explore, engage, and discover new learning opportunities to model interactive field experiences. In this episode, we discuss: Field Science Professional Development Flipping to an Outdoor Classroom Teach Better Speakers Network And Becky’s Upcoming...

On your campus or in your district, do you have a lot of initiatives being implemented? What is the impact of each of those initiatives or programs? This week’s guest, Peter DeWitt, shares how relationship building and collaboration with teachers are the most rich actions by a leader and how you can have a greater impact on campus culture. In this episode, we discuss: Collective Teacher Efficacy Flipped Meeting Model Instructional Leadership Tips New Book Announcement And Leaders Coaching Leade...

In this bonus episode, Brad Hughes shares his five top leadership books and the reasons he loves these amazing resources. In addition, we discuss his new podcast and some Teach Better event details. About Brad Hughes: Brad Hughes is the host of The Good News, Brad News Podcast. Brad is an elementary school principal in Ontario, Canada, with 25 years’ experience in education. Prior to becoming a school leader, Brad taught for 16 years from Kindergarten to eighth grade, most recently teaching mid...

In remote learning, have you felt restricted with the new learning environment? This week’s guest, Dr. Ryan Read, shares how to use project based learning in all learning models for students to gain experience in solving real world problems. In this episode, we discuss: Struggles with Blended Learning Building Authentic Relationship Remotely Social Media Burnout And The Pixel Classroom Podcast About Dr. Ryan Read: Ryan is serving as a business and technology teacher at Stillman Valley High Sch...

This week’s guest, Tom Schimmer, shares his journey as a leader, redefining accountability in grading, the myths of standards based grading and the importance of descriptive feedback. In this episode, we discuss: Standards Based Mindset Grading True North Myths about Standards Based Grading And Grading From the Inside Out About Tom Schimmer: Tom Schimmer is an independent education author, speaker, and consultant from Vancouver, BC. Over the course of his career he has been a classroom teacher...

In this bonus episode, Greg Moffitt shares his five top leadership books and the reasons he loves these amazing resources. In addition, Greg introduces two bonus children’s books to instill leadership qualities in our classrooms. About Greg Moffitt: Greg Moffitt is the Principal at Fairmont Charter Elementary School in the Vacaville Unified School District (Vacaville, CA) where he works with staff, parents, and – most importantly – students to create a school community that champions the streng...

Based on your past educational struggles, have you ever asked yourself, “Will I be enough in this leadership position?”. This week’s guests, Dr. Basil Marin, explains how his struggles in school created doubt about the impact he could make on student’s lives and his leadership capacity. In this episode, we discuss: The Challenges of Higher Education Equity practices in schools Teaching Students “Professional Skills” And Basil’s character in the new book by Jeff Kubiak, “It’s Me” About Dr. Basi...

When someone comes to you with a problem, do you immediately try to solve the issue? This week’s guests, Dr. Nathan Lang-Raad, explains how leaders need to use a coaching model of questions to find the best solutions and teach problem solving skills, similar to Glenda in “The Wizard of Oz”. In this episode, we discuss: Listening instead of speaking Providing the correct tools and resources as a leader Creating boundaries to help with mental health And his book, The Teachers of OZ: Leading with ...

Have you ever been on the dance floor at a party or a wedding and when the DJ changes the song, everyone either runs on or off the dance floor? This week’s guests, Dr. Joe Clark, explains why leadership is similar to being a disc jockey and how to inspire others to take action and serve others. In this episode, we discuss: Why it’s important to share when you made a mistake How to go above and beyond your position And his book, If the Dance Floor is Empty, Change the Song About Dr. Joe Clar...

When you add resources or programs to your campus or district, how do you decide what students receive these new opportunities? This week’s guests, Zandra Jo Galvan, shares how when presented an opportunity to add multiple resources to her district, she made sure all students had the same resources at their fingertips and she explains how to build partnerships with community businesses to expand her student’s experiences. In this episode, we discuss: First steps when leading in a new district B...

In your district or on your campus, how are you identifying and supporting the social emotional needs of your students, staff, and parents? As many of you know, I believe, as a leader, we must focus on all aspects of a person, especially mental health and emotional regulation. This week’s guests, Jamie Peden and Kelly Starnes, share how they started to find solutions to improve students struggling with emotional triggers, empathy and resilience. In this episode, we discuss: Implementing Soluti...

In the 19th Aspire Mailbag episode, Hedreich Nichols, Jeff Gargas, and I answer questions on different leadership topics provided by the listeners. Please join us for this episode as we answer questions and discuss how to retain staff, make every student feel included in school, top characteristics of a good leader, and the newest Teach Better projects! About Hedreich Nichols: Hedreich Nichols, author, educator, and host of the YouTube series on equity strategies for educators, #SmallBites, is ...

Regardless of which direction it's headed, a ship encounters different weather patterns during its voyage: smooth sailing, the doldrums, and storms. Like a ship, life is unpredictable and ever-changing. The Captain needs to be prepared for every situation. As a leader, what strategies are you using to be successful in this unpredictable time in education? This week’s guest, Randy Russell, shares how he has used his relationships and partnerships to provide support, resources and hope to his dist...

In your school or district, how is homework utilized and graded? Has your philosophy of homework changed during the pandemic and online learning? Today's guest, Dr. Erik Youngman, discusses the role of homework and shares strategies to make homework deliberate and valuable in our new educational settings. In this episode, we discuss: Homework and Grading Practices Growth Mindset as a student and leader Building Leaders through Coaching And “12 Characteristics of Deliberate Homework”. About Dr....

When you think of Social Emotional Learning (SEL), do you think about the procedures, curriculum, and skills needed for students? What about the adults in the building? How are they supported through your Social Emotional Learning structure? Today's guest, Tre Gammage, shares how the majority of schools don’t have programs for the adults in schools and strategies to help with mental health for all ages. In this episode, we discuss: Being Proactive vs Reactive SEL strategies for Adults Creating ...

As a teacher, have you ever received feedback from an administrator who only was in your classroom once, twice, maybe three times a year? And if you are the administrator, did you feel the time in the teacher’s class was enough to provide true feedback to help with their progress? This week’s guest, Craig Randall, shares how he struggled with the traditional teacher assessment process and the strategies he used to create a new trust based program. In this episode, we discuss: Teaching and leadi...