The TeatimeTeaching's Podcast

Episode 19_ What Does A Professional Educator Look Like? Part Two.

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In today’s episode, I finish up asking some of my education students the big question: “what does a professional educator look like?” 
As you recall, I had my students, in their first ever education class, consider the dispositions necessary to be a professional educator. Then, in groups, they created posters, with stick figures embellished to show how these dispositions might look in an ideal teacher.
Remember, for many of these students, this poster presentation was their first time talking about education in front of others. I’m thankful they agreed to allow me to record this for the podcast at the time.
So, from those who had recently left school…what does a professional educator look like?
As we navigate having to teach, learn, and parent in multiple modalities caused by a global pandemic, I can’t but help to notice how often these students pointed out that teachers needed to be flexible, organized, and caring. Even in the beforetimes, and, if you are listening to this in the future, after the pandemic is over, you would agree that these are key dispositions for all educators to possess.
My colleagues in the Edjacent collaborative are focusing on issues of professionalism, and the many expectations thrust upon teachers as a result of systemic, personal, societal, or administrative pressures influencing the profession. As many of us will attest, there is no “one answer” to the question of what a professional educator looks like.  The word “professional” is a term often used to place pressure on educators, when in reality the field has been slowly and systematically deprofessionalized. How the next generation of teachers embrace their status will be key. 
This is definitely a topic that we will revisit in the future…
 
But until then,
That was Episode 19 of the Teachers Teatime Podcast.
This podcast is a proud member of Edjacent, a design collaborative made up of educators who dream of a better world for our students and their teachers. We create, write, talk, teach and learn about the things that matter most in education. To find out more, point your browser to www.edjacent.org. That’s w w w dot e d j a c e n t dot o r g.
For me, it’s the stories of teachers, students, and school communities that matter. As such, this podcast is only possible with the help and support of its listeners. Please leave positive reviews wherever you are able. If you are an ITunes or Spotify subscriber, leaving a good review can really help our visibility.  Also, please don’t keep this podcast to yourself. Tell your friends to subscribe and listen too.  
One thing we all have in common is that we’ve been to school. So, if you would like to contribute to the pod in any way, if you have a story to share, long, short, tragic, or comic, if you have comments to make about the podcast, or just want to say “hi”, you can send an email to TeachersTeaTimePod@gmail.com. I love to read what you have to say.
Or if social media is your thing, you can follow me on Twitter @markdiacop and on Instagram at markdiacopoulos
You can find suggestions for topics, copies of the show notes, and you can download previous episodes of the podcast at www.teachersteatimepod.com
The podcast artwork was created by Phaedra.
Opening and closing music is by Bryan Boyko.
It’s been my pleasure to be your host today.
Thank you for listening.
This podcast is available in iTunes. Subscribe with this URL: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-teatimeteachings-podcast/id1497468044
For other podcatchers, subscribe with this one: https://feed.podbean.com/teatimeteaching/feed.xml

Episode 18 - What does a professional educator look like? Part One.

In today’s episode, I ask some of my education students a big question: “what does a professional educator look like?” 
I thought it pertinent to share this now as, over the last year, especially during the pandemic, teachers have had to adapt to multiple models of teaching: in person, online self-paced, online in real-time, hyflex (where they do online and in-person at the same time), the art and act of teaching has been on public display more than ever before. Education is complex, and teachers have had to adjust how, when, and where they work at minimal notice. In the public eye, teachers have gone from heroes, when parents struggled to get their own kids to engage in learning when on lockdown, and the subsequent realization that wrangling over thirty of someone else’s children is more difficult than they initially assumed. To villains, when some teachers are inflexible or intolerant in acknowledging the problems of their learner’s new learning environments, or the narrative that students are not learning online, or not being given work that is engaging, or that teachers are struggling to adapt to these new modalities. The thing is, the dispositions needed to be a successful, professional educator in the height of a pandemic, are not that different to those of a successful professional educator in the before times.
This takes us to today’s content. A year ago, right before the pandemic hit, I asked my students, who were in their first ever education class, to think about what they know about teachers and teaching, and in groups, create a poster showing what a professional educator looks like and why. How might you tell if a teacher is a good one just by looking?
For many, this poster presentation was their first time talking about education in front of others. I’m so thankful they agreed to allow me to record this for the podcast at the time.
So, from those who had recently left school…what does a professional educator look like?
 
Listening to these presentations, I couldn’t help pick out some common dispositions. I’m sure there were some that resonated with you too. We will here some more from the students in the next episode.
For me, it’s the stories of teachers, students, and school communities that matter. As such, this podcast is only possible with the help and support of its listeners. Please leave positive reviews wherever you are able. If you are an ITunes or Spotify subscriber, leaving a good review can really help our visibility.  Also, please don’t keep this podcast to yourself. Tell your friends to subscribe and listen too.  
One thing we all have in common is that we’ve been to school. So, if you would like to contribute to the pod in any way, if you have a story to share, long, short, tragic, or comic, if you have comments to make about the podcast, or just want to say “hi”, you can send an email to TeachersTeaTimePod@gmail.com. I love to read what you have to say.
Or if social media is your thing, you can follow me on Twitter @markdiacop and on Instagram as markdiacopoulos
You can find suggestions for topics, copies of the show notes, and you can download previous episodes of the podcast at www.teachersteatimepod.com
The podcast artwork was created by Phaedra.
Opening and closing music is by Bryan Boyko.
This podcast is available in iTunes. Subscribe with this URL: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-teatimeteachings-podcast/id1497468044
For other podcatchers, subscribe with this one: https://feed.podbean.com/teatimeteaching/feed.xml

Episode 17 - Standards Based Assessment w/ Doug Wren

In this episode we complete our conversation with Doug Wren. Today he tells us about one way of doing standards-based assessment and why it’s important to assess for deeper learning.
This podcast is a proud member of Edjacent, a design collaborative made up of educators who dream of a better world for our students and their teachers. We create, write, talk, teach and learn about the things that matter most in education. To find out more, point your browser to www.edjacent.org. That’s w w w dot e d j a c e n t dot o r g.
For me, it’s the stories of teachers, students, and school communities that matter. As such, this podcast is only possible with the help and support of its listeners. Please leave positive reviews wherever you are able. If you are an ITunes or Spotify subscriber, leaving a good review can really help our visibility.  Also, please don’t keep this podcast to yourself. Tell your friends to subscribe and listen too.  
One thing we all have in common is that we’ve been to school. So, if you would like to contribute to the pod in any way, if you have a story to share, long, short, tragic, or comic, if you have comments to make about the podcast, or just want to say “hi”, you can send an email to TeachersTeaTimePod@gmail.com. I love to read what you have to say.
Or if social media is your thing, you can follow me on Twitter @markdiacop and on Instagram as markdiacopoulos
You can find suggestions for topics, copies of the show notes, and you can download previous episodes of the podcast at www.teachersteatimepod.com
The podcast artwork was created by Phaedra.
Opening and closing music is by Bryan Boyko.
This podcast is a proud member of Edjacent, a design collaborative made up of educators who dream of a better world for our students and their teachers. We create, write, talk, teach and learn about the things that matter most in education. To find out more, point your browser to www.edjacent.org. That’s w w w dot e d j a c e n t dot o r g.
For me, it’s the stories of teachers, students, and school communities that matter. As such, this podcast is only possible with the help and support of its listeners. Please leave positive reviews wherever you are able. If you are an ITunes or Spotify subscriber, leaving a good review can really help our visibility.  Also, please don’t keep this podcast to yourself. Tell your friends to subscribe and listen too.  
One thing we all have in common is that we’ve been to school. So, if you would like to contribute to the pod in any way, if you have a story to share, long, short, tragic, or comic, if you have comments to make about the podcast, or just want to say “hi”, you can send an email to TeachersTeaTimePod@gmail.com. I love to read what you have to say.
Or if social media is your thing, you can follow me on Twitter @markdiacop and on Instagram as markdiacopoulos
You can find suggestions for topics, copies of the show notes, and you can download previous episodes of the podcast at www.teachersteatimepod.com
The podcast artwork was created by Phaedra.
Opening and closing music is by Bryan Boyko.
This podcast is available in iTunes. Subscribe with this URL: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-teatimeteachings-podcast/id1497468044
For other podcatchers, subscribe with this one: https://feed.podbean.com/teatimeteaching/feed.xml

Episode 16 - Standards and Assessments w/ Doug Wren

In this episode we continue our conversation with Doug Wren. Today he tells us why we have standards and standardized assessment, and we get into some of the problems with standards-based teaching, learning, and testing. 
This podcast is a proud member of Edjacent, a design collaborative made up of educators who dream of a better world for our students and their teachers. We create, write, talk, teach and learn about the things that matter most in education. To find out more, point your browser to www.edjacent.org. 
For me, it’s the stories of teachers, students, and school communities that matter. As such, this podcast is only possible with the help and support of its listeners. Please leave positive reviews wherever you are able. If you are an ITunes or Spotify subscriber, leaving a good review can really help our visibility.  Also, please don’t keep this podcast to yourself. Tell your friends to subscribe and listen too.  
One thing we all have in common is that we’ve been to school. So, if you would like to contribute to the pod in any way, if you have a story to share, long, short, tragic, or comic, if you have comments to make about the podcast, or just want to say “hi”, you can send an email to TeachersTeaTimePod@gmail.com. I love to read what you have to say.
Or if social media is your thing, you can follow me on Twitter @markdiacop and on Instagram as markdiacopoulos
You can find suggestions for topics, copies of the show notes, and you can download previous episodes of the podcast at www.teachersteatimepod.com 
This podcast is available in iTunes. Subscribe with this URL: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-teatimeteachings-podcast/id1497468044
For other podcatchers, subscribe with this link: https://feed.podbean.com/teatimeteaching/feed.xml

Episode 15 - A Career in Education / Being a male elementary teacher with Doug Wren

In this episode we begin a conversation with Doug Wren, a recently retired colleague. He has an interesting teacher’s story to share. I knew Doug as an Assessment and Evaluation expert, and in the next episode, he will share insights about assessment. But before that, he taught elementary school. I find his insights into being a male teacher in a largely female dominated world fascinating.  It’s always good to lean on the experience of our colleagues, and I find Doug a wise head to talk to. Here is his story.  
This podcast is a proud member of Edjacent, a design collaborative made up of educators who dream of a better world for our students and their teachers. We create, write, talk, teach and learn about the things that matter most in education. To find out more, point your browser to www.edjacent.org. That’s w w w dot e d j a c e n t dot o r g.
For me, it’s the stories of teachers, students, and school communities that matter. As such, this podcast is only possible with the help and support of its listeners. Please leave positive reviews wherever you are able. If you are an ITunes or Spotify subscriber, leaving a good review can really help our visibility.  Also, please don’t keep this podcast to yourself. Tell your friends to subscribe and listen too.  
One thing we all have in common is that we’ve been to school. So, if you would like to contribute to the pod in any way, if you have a story to share, long, short, tragic, or comic, if you have comments to make about the podcast, or just want to say “hi”, you can send an email to TeachersTeaTimePod@gmail.com. I love to read what you have to say.
Or if social media is your thing, you can follow me on Twitter @markdiacop and on Instagram as markdiacopoulos
You can find suggestions for topics, copies of the show notes, and you can download previous episodes of the podcast at www.teachersteatimepod.com 
This podcast is available in iTunes. Subscribe with this URL: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-teatimeteachings-podcast/id1497468044
For other podcatchers, subscribe with this one: https://feed.podbean.com/teatimeteaching/feed.xml

Episode 14 - Pub Talk 1:Teaching during an election and a pandemic

Today’s episode features the first ever Teatime Teaching Podcast Pubtalk. One of the things that I’ve missed as a result of the pandemic is the chance to talk with other professionals in a relaxed environment. For me that usually involves a beer, a coffee, or a cup of tea. With the wonders of the internet, I was able to chat to friends of the podcast, Chris and Megan, and meet Jared, someone I hadn’t spoken to before. We decided that as we are in the final days of an election campaign, we would alleviate some of our anxieties and talk about the state of all things education in the context of the election and of course the ongoing ramifications of the COVID 19 global pandemic. We all share a history of working in the same school district at various points in our careers, and the things that happen there are like the stories I hear from other school districts around the country, so I’m sure there will be things that resonate with you as you listen in.
As you know, usually I like to keep episodes to less than 30 minutes, but as with a real pub talk, there was a lot that we all had to say. For the purposes of this episode, I’m sharing the highlights of our conversation. There is so much we could continue to talk about, so it’s likely that we will have another pub talk soon.
I cannot thank Jared, Chris, and Megan enough for taking the time to talk and share their thoughts at this time. There is a lot for us to ponder and reflect upon. However, this is a time where educators are working hard to make a difference for their students in challenging circumstances. The more we can do to hear their voices and their stories the better. I look forward to learning more from our participants, and from other folks willing to speak out, share, and try new ways to make public education better for all students.
This podcast is a proud member of Edjacent, a design collaborative made up of educators who dream of a better world for our students and their teachers. We create, write, talk, teach and learn about the things that matter most in education. To find out more, point your browser to www.edjacent.org. That’s w w w dot e d j a c e n t dot o r g.
For me, it’s the stories of teachers, students, and school communities that matter. As such, this podcast is only possible with the help and support of its listeners. Please leave positive reviews wherever you are able. If you are an ITunes or Spotify subscriber, leaving a good review can really help our visibility.  Also, please don’t keep this podcast to yourself. Tell your friends to subscribe and listen too.  
One thing we all have in common is that we’ve been to school. So, if you would like to contribute to the pod in any way, if you have a story to share, long, short, tragic, or comic, if you have comments to make about the podcast, or just want to say “hi”, you can send an email to TeachersTeaTimePod@gmail.com. I love to read what you have to say.
Or if social media is your thing, you can follow me on Twitter @markdiacop and on Instagram as markdiacopoulos
You can find suggestions for topics, copies of the show notes, and you can download previous episodes of the podcast at www.teachersteatimepod.com
The podcast artwork was created by Phaedra.
Opening and closing music is by Bryan Boyko.
This podcast is available in iTunes. Subscribe with this URL: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-teatimeteachings-podcast/id1497468044
For other podcatchers, subscribe with this one: https://feed.podbean.com/teatimeteaching/feed.xml

Episode 13 - Learning Expeditions and Meeting Students Needs with Chris Jacobs

Today’s episode is the final part of my interview with Chris Jacobs. In it we consider the future of the iLab and how learning expeditions can form the foundation for future instruction. We speculate on the differences in approach when faced with issues of remote learning, social distancing, and other challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. We finish with some advice for teachers about what they can do to begin to innovate and meet the needs of today’s learners.
You can see how they are adapting and what is happening in the iLab by following them on Twitter @GRHSiLab.   If you want to learn more about Chris’ work, you can follow him on Twitter @ChrisJacobsGRHS
This podcast is a proud member of Edjacent, a design collaborative made up of educators who dream of a better world for our students and their teachers. We create, write, talk, teach and learn about the things that matter most in education. To find out more, point your browser to www.edjacent.org. That’s w w w dot e d j a c e n t dot o r g.
For me, it’s the stories of teachers, students, and school communities that matter. As such, this podcast is only possible with the help and support of its listeners. Please leave positive reviews wherever you are able. If you are an ITunes or Spotify subscriber, leaving a good review can really help our visibility.  Also, please don’t keep this podcast to yourself. Tell your friends to subscribe and listen too.  
One thing we all have in common is that we’ve been to school. So, if you would like to contribute to the pod in any way, if you have a story to share, long, short, tragic, or comic, if you have comments to make about the podcast, or just want to say “hi”, you can send an email to TeachersTeaTimePod@gmail.com. I love to read what you have to say.
Or if social media is your thing, you can follow me on Twitter @markdiacop and on Instagram as markdiacopoulos
You can find suggestions for topic titles, show notes, and download previous episodes of the podcast at www.teachersteatimepod.com
The podcast artwork was created by Phaedra.
Opening and closing music is by Bryan Boyko.
This podcast is available in iTunes. Subscribe with this URL: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-teatimeteachings-podcast/id1497468044
 
For other podcatchers, subscribe with this one: https://feed.podbean.com/teatimeteaching/feed.xml
 
 

Episode 12 - Interdisciplinary & Community Learning in the iLab with Chris Jacobs

Last week’s episode was well received. Chris’ story is interesting and the work he is doing now is groundbreaking. In today’s episode we will listen to the second part of our conversation. In it we talk about the interdisciplinary approach he and his colleagues take to planning and organizing learning. We hear some examples of the community connections that help to shape the experiences of his students, how they deal with issues of standards and accreditation, and we hear about how the iLab pivoted to emergency learning in the Spring.
As an update, the school system where the iLab is located has started the school year remotely, in a slightly different model than that adopted in the spring. If you want to know how they are adapting to these exceptional circumstances, or if you want to know more about the ilab, you can follow their official Twitter account @GRHSiLab.   If you want to learn more about Chris’ work, you can follow him on Twitter @ChrisJacobsGRHS
This podcast is a proud member of Edjacent, a design collaborative made up of educators who dream of a better world for our students and their teachers. We create, write, talk, teach and learn about the things that matter most in education. To find out more, point your browser to www.edjacent.org. That’s w w w dot e d j a c e n t dot o r g.
For me, it’s the stories of teachers, students, and school communities that matter. As such, this podcast is only possible with the help and support of its listeners. Please leave positive reviews wherever you are able. If you are an ITunes or Spotify subscriber, leaving a good review can really help our visibility.  Also, please don’t keep this podcast to yourself. Tell your friends to subscribe and listen too.  
One thing we all have in common is that we’ve been to school. So, if you would like to contribute to the pod in any way, if you have a story to share, long, short, tragic, or comic, if you have comments to make about the podcast, or just want to say “hi”, you can send an email to TeachersTeaTimePod@gmail.com. I love to read what you have to say.
Or if social media is your thing, you can follow me on Twitter @markdiacop and on Instagram as markdiacopoulos
You can find suggestions for topic titles, show notes, and download previous episodes of the podcast at www.teachersteatimepod.com
The podcast artwork was created by Phaedra.
Opening and closing music is by Bryan Boyko.
This podcast is available in iTunes. Subscribe with this URL: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-teatimeteachings-podcast/id1497468044
 
For other podcatchers, subscribe with this one: https://feed.podbean.com/teatimeteaching/feed.xml
 

Episode 11 - A career of innovation with Chris Jacobs

I’ve been looking forward to releasing this episode all Summer. Today’s episode features the first part of an interview with someone who I find truly inspirational. When I interviewed Chris Jacobs back in lockdown, our discussion was absolutely fascinating, and I wanted to release it at a time when we could all use a bit of inspiration. As we return to school, whether that is in person, or remotely, it is worthwhile listening to his teacher’s story and finding out a little more about the work he and his colleagues do to create an innovative environment in his school.
Chris has been an educator for as long as I have. He is currently the lead teacher in an interdisciplinary high school experience know as the Innovations Lab, or I-Lab for short. It is, in my opinion, a groundbreaking and humane way to approach learning in a high school setting. I encourage you to find out more about the iLab, details will be at the end of the podcast. For now, I’ll let Chris tell you more as we begin this interview recorded a few weeks into lockdown, at the end of April.
If you want to know more about the ilab, or learn more about Chris’ work, you can follow him on Twitter @ChrisJacobsGRHS.  The Ilab also has its own twitter account. They do daily updates of all the goings on @GRHSiLab.
This podcast is a proud member of Edjacent, a design collaborative made up of educators who dream of a better world for our students and their teachers. We create, write, talk, teach and learn about the things that matter most in education. To find out more, point your browser to www.edjacent.org.
 
If you would like to contribute to the pod, if you have stories to share, comments to make, or just want to say “hi”, you can send an email to TeachersTeaTimePod@gmail.com. I love to read what you have to say.
 
Or if social media is your thing, you can follow me on Twitter @Markdiacop and Instagram @markdiacopoulos
 
You can find suggestions for topic titles, show notes, and download previous episodes of the podcast at www.teachersteatimepod.com
 
The podcast artwork was created by Phaedra.
 
Opening and closing music is by Bryan Boyko.
 
This podcast is available in iTunes. Subscribe with this URL: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-teatimeteachings-podcast/id1497468044
 
For other podcatchers, subscribe with this one: https://feed.podbean.com/teatimeteaching/feed.xml
 

Public Education in a Pandemic: Society or Economy, Open or Closed?

In this episode we discuss whether schools were truly closed in the pandemic and whether they need to reopen. We also ask whether schools serve society, as envisioned by Horace Mann, or the economy?
To contribute to Alex' GoFundMe: https://gf.me/u/ycpfst  
This podcast is a proud member of Edjacent, a design collaborative made up of educators who dream of a better world for our students and their teachers. We create, write, talk, teach and learn about the things that matter most in education. To find out more, point your browser to www.edjacent.org.
 
If you would like to contribute to the pod, if you have stories to share, comments to make, or just want to say “hi”, you can send an email to TeachersTeaTimePod@gmail.com. I love to read what you have to say.
 
Or if social media is your thing, you can follow me on Twitter @Markdiacop and Instagram @markdiacopoulos
 
You can find suggestions for topic titles, show notes, and download previous episodes of the podcast at www.teachersteatimepod.com
 
The podcast artwork was created by Phaedra.
 
Opening and closing music is by Bryan Boyko.
 
This podcast is available in iTunes. Subscribe with this URL: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-teatimeteachings-podcast/id1497468044
 
For other podcatchers, subscribe with this one: https://feed.podbean.com/teatimeteaching/feed.xml