Episode 18: Teachers' Blues

Episode 19: Promotion

For today, I want you to think about the most important life lesson you learned. It could be from experience, an elder, a friend, a teacher, or anything in between. It could be about friendship, money, love, failure, death, hope, or countless other themes. Share your insight, wisdom, and values. I hope to learn from you.

Episode 18: Teachers' Blues

Now, let’s take a moment of silence.  In fact, let that be our focus this week. Sit with silence. Reflect on a time when you had to be silent. Was the moment uncomfortable, peaceful, painful, hostile, or a mixture of emotions? Was it ceremonious, voluntary, or forced? Was it political, religious, personal, or accidental? Were you alone? Some moments with tension and silence revolve around death, goodbyes, longings. Explore wherever the silence leads you.

Episode 17: Lesson Plan (March 26, 2014)

For this week, I want you to think about a lesson you learned (or taught) while at school that did not involve academic standards. Through that experience, you might have developed character, self-awareness, pride, confidence, or some other attribute. Those are the moments that make my job worthwhile. As Lola Ida used to say, “Teaching is not just a profession; it is a mission.”

Episode 16: There are books here (after Jamaal May)

Now, it is your turn. I want you to think of something that is missing from the classroom. If you are choosing something tangible, do not make a supply list. Focus on one item: tissue paper, markers, flexible seating. It could be something more abstract: a course (art, home economics, woodwork) or even subject matter (SEL, diversity, financial literacy). Whether a student, teacher, parent, or visitor, your observation matters. Why is that item or topic so important? What are the possibilities when it is accessible in the classroom?

Episode 15: Daily Routine

CDK: Either they could write about how they have faced a similar hurdle in their life where they struggled with self confidence, or how they would approach someone else going through this—like a close loved one. KT: I think that would be an interesting spin-off.  CDK: I would like the listeners to respond to how they would approach—say a loved one or just a friend—going through a hurdle in their life, battling self-confidence, and low-self esteem.