The Extraordinary Educators Podcast
189 episodes - English - Latest episode: 6 days ago -Best practices, tips, and stories to help you be extraordinary in your classroom and beyond, featuring Curriculum Associates' Director of the Educator Community Sari Laberis.
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Episodes
37 Teacher Mental Health with Marine Freibrun
April 21, 2021 04:00 - 18 minutes - 12.8 MBMarine Freibrun, teacher in Idaho, joins this episode. Marine talks about how this year has been different for her, and at times felt like her first year of teaching. She shares best practices like gratitude journaling, to support her own mindset in order to best support her students. Marine also talks about how her district adapted to support teacher mental health this year. Marine's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/talesfromaverybusyteacher Marine's leader Instagram: https://www.ins...
* Bonus Episode!* Pandemic Effects with Morgan Polikoff
April 19, 2021 04:00 - 14 minutes - 10.3 MBMorgan Polikoff, Associate Professor of Education at the University of Southern California’s Rossier School of Education, joins this episode for a bonus interview! Morgan studies standards, assessment, accountability policies, and the impact of the pandemic on American families and students' educational experiences. Morgan dives into the longitudinal effects of the pandemic such as the digital divide, racial gaps and family desires to send their children back to school, and preferences for m...
36 Remote Student Engagement with Frinzetta Boman
April 14, 2021 04:00 - 15 minutes - 10.3 MBFrinzetta Boman joins Danielle and Sari for this episode. This is Frinzetta's thirty-eighth year of teaching, and she teaches first grade in Alabama. Frinzetta dives into engaging her first graders remotely, ensuring she could establish a classroom culture remotely, and enjoying this year even though it has been like no other. Hear Frinzetta discuss tips and best practices for engaging students in their unique environment. Frinzetta's Twitter: https://twitter.com/BomanFrinzetta Engaging F...
35 Leadership with Jamilah Hud-Kirk
April 07, 2021 04:00 - 19 minutes - 13.6 MBJamilah Hud-Kirk, Principal in Clayton County, GA, joins this episode to talk about leading a school community during a pandemic. Jamilah shares tips, best practices, and practical advice about being a principal, mother, and wife during this time. Get inspired by her optimism, self-care, and helpful tools to ensure you fill your cup before filling others. She shares how she "leads with balance." Self-care paper: https://www.curriculumassociates.com/-/media/mainsite/files/i-ready/iready-the-...
34 SEL with Andrea Baney
March 31, 2021 04:00 - 16 minutes - 11.2 MBAndrea L. Baney, Grade 4 Teacher at Liberty Valley Intermediate School in PA, joins this episode to talk about social-emotional learning. Andrea shares a personal story that sheds light on to why she cares so much about SEL in her classroom. This topic is more important now than ever, and you'll be inspired by hearing Andrea's story. She also shares tips and ways she's incorporated SEL into her classroom. Self-care blog: https://www.curriculumassociates.com/blog/teacher-self-care-101 Feel...
33 Magnetic Reading with Elizabeth Bassford
March 24, 2021 04:00 - 19 minutes - 13.5 MBElizabeth Bassford, Associate Vice President of Content and Implementation at Curriculum Associates, joins this episode to talk about the launch of Curriculum Associates' newest reading program, Magnetic Reading. This new Grades 3–5 reading comprehension program builds knowledge, scaffolds instruction to support all learners, and uses actionable data to save teachers time. Elizabeth dives into the program and explains how Magnetic Reading is designed to build knowledge and help students make...
32 Connection with Meagan Davis
March 17, 2021 04:00 - 21 minutes - 14.7 MBMeagan Davis, teacher at Park Place Middle School in WA, joins the show to discuss middle school and how to stay connected with students during remote learning. Meagan shares how she ensures her classroom is equitable, and how students are responding. She explains how to stay connected with students when they aren't in the physical classroom, and how to connect to her middle schoolers during this time by being vulnerable. Resources: Meagan's check-in worksheet: https://docs.google.com/...
31 Math Discourse with Joe Flick
March 10, 2021 05:00 - 13 minutes - 8.97 MBJoe Flick, teacher in New York, joins Danielle and Sari to discuss math discourse. Joe talks about engaging students in the math classroom both remotely and in person during this school year. Learn best practices and tips for creating math discussion in your classroom, ranging from using think time to a karaoke machine! Resources: Building community in a math classroom: https://readyclassroomcentral.com/articles/building-a-community-of-learners/ Stuck Points poster: https://readyclassr...
30 Data-driven Instruction with Anne Barbour
March 03, 2021 05:00 - 15 minutes - 10.7 MBAnne Barbour joins this episode to discuss how to use data to drive instruction. Anne shares how she implemented school-wide and grade-wide systems and activities to get students talking about data and measurement, and then geometry. Anne discusses how she connects literacy to math, and engages her students remotely. Combing through grants, Anne was successful in getting additional resources for her students. Resources: Data Analysis Guide: http://i-readycentral.com/dataanalysisguide D...
29 Family Communication with Maria Vollrath
February 24, 2021 05:00 - 17 minutes - 12.2 MBMaria Vollrath, third grade teacher in Florida, joins the show to talk about how her year is going. In her fifteenth year of teaching, this year has been like no other. Maria dives into classroom organization strategies and systems that she had to rethink this year. She has so many ways she keeps families engaged, and discusses how she ensures the school/home link with her families. Maria shares best practices, tips, and practical ways to keep communication lines open in real-time. Resour...
28 Virtual, Hybrid, and In-Person Learning with Megan Tegerdine
February 17, 2021 10:00 - 16 minutes - 11.7 MBDanielle and Sari are back to bring you the second half of the second season of the Extraordinary Educators podcast! Megan Tegerdine, 5th and 6th grade Special Education Teacher at the Ackerman School in MO joins the show to talk about all types of teaching during this school year. From going fully remote to hybrid, to fully remote, back to in-person, Megan discusses the ins and outs of adjusting to different ways she's teaching. Megan also dives into keeping students engaged when they're aw...
27 Gratitude with Danielle & Sari
November 25, 2020 10:00 - 5 minutes - 4.03 MBThis shorter episode is the final episode before the new year! Danielle and Sari discuss what they are thankful for, and share a gratitude activity you can do (with or without your students!). As always, thank you for all you do. We'll see you in 2021! Links: Example gratitude exercises: https://positivepsychology.com/gratitude-exercises/ Instagram: Instagram.com/MyiReady Twitter: Twitter.com/CurriculumAssoc Email: [email protected]
26 Brave Leadership with Danielle & Sari
November 18, 2020 10:00 - 28 minutes - 19.9 MBDuring this episode Danielle and Sari dive into what it means to be a leader, especially during this time. They discuss relevant research from Brene Brown and others, and the 5 C's of leadership. Links: Dare to Lead: https://daretolead.brenebrown.com/ Brene Brown podcast: https://brenebrown.com/podcast/introducing-unlocking-us/ 5 C's of Brave Leadership: Courageous, compassionate, care, creativity and connections Permission to Feel: https://www.amazon.com/Permission-Feel-Unlocking-Emoti...
25 Mathematics & Remote Learning with Mark Ophaug
November 11, 2020 10:00 - 15 minutes - 10.8 MBMark Ophaug, PD Specialist at Curriculum Associates, joins Danielle and Sari to discuss teaching math remotely. Mark talks about strategies to facilitate discourse remotely, and obstacles teachers are facing and how to overcome them during this time. He dives into using the 4's R, Turn & Talks, and other ways to encourage students to keep talking during math class. Mark also talks about Think Time and why it is still super important. Links: Mark's Twitter: https://twitter.com/Mr_Ophaug R...
24 Using Data with Lorraine Pascarella
November 04, 2020 10:00 - 15 minutes - 10.4 MBLorraine Pascarella, teacher in New York state, joins Danielle and Sari to discuss remote and hybrid learning, and using data to drive instruction. She dives into planning small group instruction, and figure out how to balance filling gaps with grade-level content. Lorraine also provides some silver linings of this time such as smaller group sizes. She offers advice to teachers for navigating this unique fall. Links: Lorraine's Twitter:https://twitter.com/pascarellaMRE Using the Prerequis...
23 Engaging Students with Meghan Mayer
October 28, 2020 09:00 - 16 minutes - 11.1 MBMeghan Mayer, teacher in Florida, joins Danielle and Sari to discuss remote learning and engaging her middle school students. She dives into new strategies for keeping her students excited about learning, and finding moments of authentic teaching. Meghan also offers advice to teachers during this time, and how to step out of her comfort zone. Links: Meghan's TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thecrazycreativeteacher Meghan's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecrazycreativeteacher/?hl=en...
22 Staying Connected with Ty Holmes
October 21, 2020 09:00 - 14 minutes - 9.67 MBTy Holmes, National Director at Curriculum Associates, joins again for a discussion about staying connected. Ty talks about how to approach interactions that cause us to come apart, and how to bring ourselves closer together. He explains how "omission causes pain," and how we can be inclusive, especially during this time. Links: Staying Connected Webinar: https://share.vidyard.com/watch/cojDxNzNxSvdHMzeNxspnr Brene Brown: https://brenebrown.com/ Data Chats: i-ReadyCentral.com/DataChats ...
21 Equity with Ty Holmes
October 14, 2020 09:00 - 24 minutes - 17.1 MBDanielle and Sari are joined by Ty Holmes, National Director at Curriculum Associates. Ty discusses equity in education, and how educators can work to address and close gaps. He dives into best practices during math class, and normative vs. criterion data, too. Links: Isabel Wilkerson - American's Caste System: https://www.npr.org/2020/08/04/898574852/its-more-than-racism-isabel-wilkerson-explains-america-s-caste-system Normative vs. Criterion data: https://www.curriculumassociates.com/-/...
20 Race & Teacher Bias with Megan Robinson
October 07, 2020 09:00 - 14 minutes - 10.1 MBDanielle and Sari are joined by Megan Robinson, National Director at Curriculum Associates, for part II of her interview. Megan shares research related to race and teacher bias, and discipline. She digs in to many studies related to race, and how their outcomes can greatly effect the students in your classroom. Links: Preschool Study Overview: https://news.yale.edu/2016/09/27/implicit-bias-may-explain-high-preschool-expulsion-rates-black-children Preschool Study: https://medicine.yale.ed...
19 Equity & Goal Setting with Megan Robinson
September 30, 2020 09:00 - 15 minutes - 10.5 MBDanielle and Sari are joined by Megan Robinson, National Director at Curriculum Associates. Megan shares research related to race and the opportunity myth, and goal setting with students. She emphasizes the importance of grade-level goals, and how to ensure you're creating ambitious yet attainable goals for students. Links: The Opportunity Myth via TNTP: https://tntp.org/assets/documents/TNTP_The-Opportunity-Myth_Web.pdf Setting and Tracking Growth Goals: https://i-readycentral.com/artic...
18 Partnering with and Supporting Families with Frank Salinas
September 23, 2020 08:00 - 17 minutes - 12.2 MBDanielle and Sari are joined by Frank Salinas, an incredible educator in Texas. Frank explains how he motivated his students to try their best on their assessments at home, while also supporting and working with their families. Frank shares best practices on communicating with families, getting their buy-in, and closing the loop by sharing data with them. Links: Tips & Tricks for Remote Learning: https://www.curriculumassociates.com/-/media/mainsite/files/i-ready/extraordinary-educators-t...
17 How We're Supporting Educators, Students & Families
September 16, 2020 08:00 - 14 minutes - 9.97 MBDanielle and Sari are joined by Mara Rodriguez, Senior Director of Educator Success at Curriculum Associates. Being a parent and former teacher herself, Mara shares how remote learning is going for her and her family, and how we're working to support educators and their students and their families during this time. Mara explains the importance of turnkey resources and how these are created at Curriculum Associates. Educators are wondering how to get accurate data when students are learning a...
16 Distance Learning with Christi Moore
September 09, 2020 08:00 - 13 minutes - 9.56 MBDanielle and Sari are joined by Christi Moore, i‑Ready Reading Skills Plus Interventionist. Christi shares her experiences with distance learning, and how she’s adjusted to increase student engagement and do what's best for her students. Christi also explains how to keep mindfulness when scrolling through social media, and why it is important to celebrate yourself! Balancing love and rigor, Christi also digs into how she's made connections with students during this time. Links: Tips & Tric...
15 Season 2 Intro
September 02, 2020 08:00 - 6 minutes - 4.46 MBDanielle and Sari are back for Season 2! Thank you to all of the educators out there, who continue to inspire us with the work you do every single day. This episode provides an overview of the season, and what Danielle and Sari will discuss in future episodes. Please see below for learning at home resources. Leader Assessing at Home Resources: Assessing at Home Kit for Leaders Checklist for Administering the Diagnostic at Home for District Leaders Checklist for Administering the Diagnos...
14 Teacher Appreciation
May 06, 2020 09:00 - 16 minutes - 11.7 MBHappy Teacher Appreciation Week! Danielle and Sari are joined by Rob Waldron, CEO of Curriculum Associates. Rob, Danielle, and Sari explain what Teacher Appreciation means to them, and why it’s more important now than ever to show our sincerest gratitude for the amazing work educators do every single day. They each share a story about an educator who inspired them, and why. They end the episode sharing ways you can show appreciation to your colleagues during this time and always. This episo...
13 Remote Lessons Learned
April 29, 2020 09:00 - 17 minutes - 12.3 MBDanielle and Sari are joined by Nelida (Nellie) Pagan, teacher at P.S. 160—The Walt Disney Magnet STEAM School, in New York City. Nellie shares her experiences with distance learning, and how she’s adjusted each week. With schools now closed for the remainder of the year, Nellie explains best practices such as creating teams to problem-solve issues such as attendance, and how to create a schedule that’s feasible for both students and their families. Links: Nellie’s Twitter: Twitter.com/Ne...
12 Remote Learning Part II
April 22, 2020 09:00 - 19 minutes - 13.5 MBDanielle and Sari are joined by Kyle Cantrell, Grade 5 Math and Science Teacher at John Pittard Elementary School in Tennessee. Kyle discusses how he’s continuing teaching via virtual learning and communicating with families. From checking in with his students and class, to establishing some sort of structure to share and connect with one another, Kyle shares best practices and tips for remote learning. Links: Kyle’s Twitter: Twitter.com/KCantrellJPE Flipgrid: info.flipgrid.com ClassDo...
11 Mindfulness
April 15, 2020 09:00 - 15 minutes - 10.7 MBDanielle and Sari are joined by Kimberly Robinson, Grade 2 Teacher at Literacy Leadership Technology Academy, in Florida. Kimberly discusses transitioning to remote learning, and how a support community is crucial for this work. As an extrovert, she thrives by reaching out and staying connected, and most importantly, being mindful. Kimberly is taking it one day at a time and sets bite-sized goals for herself and her students. Kimberly also stresses the importance of self-care and how critica...
11 Mindfulness
April 15, 2020 09:00 - 15 minutes - 10.7 MBDanielle and Sari are joined by Kimberly Robinson, Grade 2 Teacher at Literacy Leadership Technology Academy, in Florida. Kimberly discusses transitioning to remote learning, and how a support community is crucial for this work. As an extrovert, she thrives by reaching out and staying connected, and most importantly, being mindful. Kimberly is taking it one day at a time and sets bite-sized goals for herself and her students. Kimberly also stresses the importance of self-care and how critica...
10 Remote Learning
April 08, 2020 09:00 - 19 minutes - 13.2 MBDanielle and Sari are joined by Mark Ophaug, Professional Development Specialist at Curriculum Associates. Mark discusses how he’s supporting educators virtually during this time, and best practices for remote learning for adults. From getting a platform, to learning how to get comfortable with technology, Mark talks about best practices for learning during this time. Now, more than ever, there is an opportunity to get your feet wet with new technology and learn something new. We also hope t...
9 Continuing Learning at Home
April 01, 2020 09:00 - 13 minutes - 9.36 MBDanielle and Sari are joined by Anna Redding, Grade 4 Teacher at George Welch Elementary School, in Louisiana. Anna dives right into how she’s supporting her students remotely. As a mother, she explains the struggles between knowing how to teach but teaching her own children at home while balancing instruction and communication with all of her students. Anna explains some tips such as sticking to a schedule and allowing children to have a choice with their activities. Links: Anna’s Instag...
8 Student Engagement Part II
March 25, 2020 09:00 - 12 minutes - 8.49 MBDanielle and Sari are joined by Larry Edward Duncan, Teacher at Hawkins Elementary School in Mississippi. Larry explains how his classroom is a safe-haven, and how he encourages students to make mistakes. He also dives into “Friday Facetime,” his version of weekly data chats with students. Although these conversations typically happen in the classroom, Larry shares how they could happen virtually. Learn about how Larry balances growth and proficiency and encourages his students to own their ...
7 High Expectations Part II
March 18, 2020 09:00 - 13 minutes - 9.53 MBThis week Danielle and Sari take a break from teacher interviews, and dive into more about high expectations. Based on feedback from listeners, they discuss how to establish a high bar with students. Danielle models a roll-out of how she would set high expectations in her classroom, followed by a discussion about exactly what Danielle said and why, and how she delivered her message. Here is an outline of Danielle’s talking points: This day/week/year is going to be different. I am going to ...
6 Data Tracking
March 11, 2020 09:00 - 17 minutes - 12.4 MBThis week Danielle and Sari interview Meghan Mayer, English Language Arts Teacher at Woodland Middle School in Florida. Meghan’s students know she’s going to discuss data with them, but how does she build that strong data culture and expectation? Meghan discusses how she uses previous year’s data at the start of the school year, and how she finds the time to have data chats during the school day, which can be difficult with how many students she has and with a middle school schedule. Data di...
5 Small Group Instruction
March 04, 2020 10:00 - 14 minutes - 10 MBIn this episode, Danielle and Sari interview Olivia Ruggirello, kindergarten teacher in Woodstock, Georgia. They discuss all things small group instruction! From routines and procedures, to planning for each group, Olivia explains how she effectively teaches in small groups in her classroom. Modeling, both with a teacher and with students, is critical for success. Olivia also shares the logistics of how she keeps her centers organized and easy for her kindergartners to understand. Olivia emp...
4 Student Buy-in
February 26, 2020 10:00 - 13 minutes - 8.97 MBGet ready for the first teacher interview! Blakley Fore, teacher at Popp's Ferry Elementary in Mississippi, joins Danielle and Sari to discuss student buy-in. From planning unique celebrations based on students’ interests, to creating friendly competition, Blakley dives into how she engages her students. She explains how she keeps students motivated throughout the school year, and why it’s so important to connect with students on every level. From rolling out routines and data chats to teach...
3 The Importance of Research
February 19, 2020 10:00 - 7 minutes - 5.14 MBAs a teacher, we know you barely have time to fill up your water bottle! Danielle and Sari discuss the importance of staying up to date with current education research, but also why this is so hard for educators. How can you know what you’re doing in the classroom is proven to work while using your time in the most efficient way possible? Stay tuned for next week’s episode where we have the first teacher interview! Links: · Instagram: Instagram.com/MyiReady · Twitter: Tw...
2 Student Engagement
February 12, 2020 10:00 - 14 minutes - 9.67 MBDanielle and Sari discuss student engagement, including two ways to ramp it up in your classroom! Hear tips and tools for getting student buy-in and building relationships as well as best practices for boosting student engagement. Also, learn about “if you care, they care” and why it’s crucial to show passion for your students and content in the classroom. Links: · Getting Good Data: i-ReadyCentral.com/GetGoodData, i-ReadyCentral.com/PrepareStudents · Engaging Students: ...
1 High Expectations
January 15, 2020 17:00 - 13 minutes - 9.5 MBDanielle and Sari discuss what makes an extraordinary educator and how these incredible teachers set high expectations in the classroom. What are high expectations and how can you communicate them to students? They discuss a new study done by TNTP, the Opportunity Myth (https://tntp.org/publications/view/student-experiences/the-opportunity-myth) and why exposing students to grade-level content is crucial for student success. Links: TNTP Opportunity Myth: https://tntp.org/publications/view...