Value Adds Value!

Vanessa Cronin is the host of the Empowered Teaching Podcast, yoga guru, and a Bilingual Teacher! We loved getting to talk with Vanessa about her journey as an immigrant and educator, how she learned English, and her belief that everyone on the planet should do yoga. She is doing great work on her podcast as well as on Instagram, so if you don't follow her or haven't subscribed to her podcast go do that now!! https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/empowered-teaching/id1434059025?mt=2 --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/valueaddsvalue/support

When our friends at The Wright Stuff Chics and Teach Your Heart Out decided to help a school in Bay County Florida after they had lost everything in a hurricane we weren't surprised, but we were blown away by the donation by Hand 2 Mind of $700,000 worth of materials to help those students and teachers get back on their feet! On this episode we catch up with Brandi Brown of Hand 2 Mind to talk about that particular donation, why in a technological world hands on learning still matters, and how to get more resources in the hands of more teachers and students! If you'd like to learn more about Hand 2 Mind you can go to their website or find them on Facebook and Instagram: IG and TW: @etahand2mind Facebook: ETA Hand 2 Mind https://www.hand2mind.com/ --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/valueaddsvalue/support

John Rodney is a teacher in Burbank who lives in L.A. and is just a good dude! We were fortunate to connect with John on Instagram (@teachertoteacher) and he agreed to have a chat with us for the podcast. He told the story of how being a summer bar tender in Maine got him connected to a principal in L.A. which turned into a teaching job and he has now been there for over a year. John also gave us good advice on how to get to know your community and the impact that can have on your students. He teaches in a community with a large Armenian population and he discusses how he learned to give examples that are culturally relevant to them. We can say for certain that John will be back on the podcast soon! If you'd like to support us you can subscribe and leave a review and if you'd like to learn more head over to theledproject.com! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/valueaddsvalue/support

These ladies are our people! If you don't follow @practicallypositiveteaching on Instagram you're missing out on a daily dose of inspiration and motivation for teachers! Whether it is dancing in the car rider line or creating their chalkboard videos Sally and Sarah are go to educators for us whether we need some positivity or advice. On this episode we talk about how to embrace our uniqueness without having to compare it to others and how we can be positive about education without ignoring the realities of our situations. For more great content from these two check out their website! https://practicallypositiveteaching.com/ --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/valueaddsvalue/support

Are you an educator with a spouse that is also an educator?! Nita and Mike Creekmore are that and it was so fun to get a chance to have them on the podcast together. We had the chance to talk about how the dynamics have changed between them as they have gone through their careers and how they find balance in their work and family lives. It was incredible to hear how they interacted with one another and set the other up for success. We hope you enjoy this episode of the podcast!! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/valueaddsvalue/support

Ryan Giffen may not be a teacher, but he is deeply involved with the education community. A man who comes from a long line of teachers he now works connecting schools and conferences to some of the greatest teachers and leaders in the business. He provides teachers with many of the incredible speakers and trainers we see in our schools and conferences. He is a part of the education space, but we enjoyed the conversation on education from a different perspective. If you want to connect with him you can find him on Twitter and Instagram @ryangiffen! https://premierespeakers.com/staff_directory/ryan_giffen --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/valueaddsvalue/support

This is the audio of our session from The New Year Teachers Reboot Conference put on by Educators 2 Educators! We talked about how our actions as teachers tell a story and if we're not intentional in how we tell that story the stories our students tell about us will not be ones were proud of. If you want to check out more on the Reboot Conference click the link below!! https://educators2educators.com/conference/ --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/valueaddsvalue/support

On this episode we talk with Principal Jessica Cabeen about her journey from Musical Therapist to middle school principal! What was fun about this episode was that although we were introduced through a mutual friend we both grew up in northwest Wisconsin. We weren't in high school at the same time, but we were able to share the common experience of growing up in a small town and learning to teach in the urban setting. We talked about building relationships, setting high expectations and giving kids space to fail. If you'd like to learn more about Jessica you can check out her website or find her on Instagram and Facebook! jessicacabeen.com --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/valueaddsvalue/support

On this episode of the podcast we are joined by the incredibly fun and engaging Esther Brunat for a conversation on how to build relationships through humor. We connect during the Teachers Reboot Conference after watching her session called Petty on Purpose. Asking students questions like, "Who peed in your cheerios?" can often diffuse tense situations and create connections between teachers and students. This episode is filled with laughs and real talk! We hope you enjoy it! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/valueaddsvalue/support

We had the chance to catch up with fellow Texan and rockstar educator Hal Bowman for this episode of the podcast! Hal has taught just about everything from band to biology, but is now traveling the country working to help schools change their cultures for the better. He's been in hundreds of schools for the past few years and we had a conversation about what teachers go through and what conversations teachers are having across the country. The consensus-- there are incredible teachers doing incredible work with zero fanfare all over the country and its our job to help bring those teachers to the forefront and change our nations culture on the value of the teaching profession! We hope you enjoy this conversation as much as we did! And if you don't follow Hal jump on it! halbowman.com @halbowman on Facebook and Instagram --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/valueaddsvalue/support

On this episode of the podcast we were joined by Charnaie Gordon who is the creator of the 50 States, 50 Books movement (https://www.50states50books.net/). What started off as a way for her kids to give back has turned into a movement that in less than a year has donated diverse books to underprivileged kids to over half of the 50 states! We had the chance to discuss with her the value of reading for kids along with how they plan to continue their efforts once they reach all 50 states. The best news is their still looking to donate more books to more kids, so go to their website if you want to apply to get books for your classroom or to give books to help their cause! https://www.50states50books.net/ Instagram: @hereweeread and @ 50states50books --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/valueaddsvalue/support

On this episode of the podcast we were joined by Amanda Tooley (@growingwithmrst) for a conversation on life as a teacher in Los Angeles and culturally responsive teaching. The situation is not great in L.A. Unified Schools according to Amanda and more than likely at the time of this episode's release the teachers there will be on strike, but Amanda's attitude and her passion for teaching will not be shaken. We had the chance to talk with her about the desires of the teachers in L.A. versus what the media portrays them as, how she works to build identity in her students before cultural awareness, and the impact that reading has on both teachers and students. We hope that the teachers out there get the resources and support they deserve and that you enjoy this episode of podcast! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/valueaddsvalue/support

Here's a brief recap of the year that was for us at Lighthouse Educator Development! We're so grateful to all who have listened and supported this podcast. And we're so blessed to have built the relationships we have this past year! We can't wait to show you what's in store for 2019! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/valueaddsvalue/support

We were honored on this episode to have the opportunity to speak with Dr. Pedro Noguera on how The Board Vs. Board of Education Supreme Court Decision is impact our schools 65 years after it happen. Dr. Noguera is a professor at UCLA and is a highly sought after educational consultant. We had the chance to meet him at The AIE Conference in November and he was gracious enough to share some of his time with us. His perspectives changed how we viewed the educational system and why everyone should care about it. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/valueaddsvalue/support

This is the first installment of a new series we call LIFE LESSONS WITH LAW. It is a chance for us to talk about what we face as teachers and people and this particular episode talks about a difficult conversation Law had with a colleague. It is a common problem that many teachers face, but we're proud of the way he handled it. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/valueaddsvalue/support

On this episode we had a conversation with Jessica Martin who is better know as @the_whimisical_teacher on Instagram about her passion for teaching, the realities of teaching in a remote part of Nevada and how she has built a supportive online community. It is those online relationships that helped create The New Year Teacher Reboot which she will be the host of! It is a FREE 3 day online conference to help teachers get right in the new year! We'll be there and we hope you will to. Turn learn more click the link below! https://educators2educators.com/conference/ --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/valueaddsvalue/support

Are you a math teacher?! Then this episode is the ticket for you cause we have two great ones! We have our very own Wilkie Law and Dana Harris who is a math teacher and tutor in Oakland. Kyle just listened for most of this episode as the fellas talked about the need to teach practical math and how students are benefiting from online tutoring. Dana is putting out a ton of great math content on his YouTube channel so be sure to check him out! https://www.youtube.com/user/youngmathguru --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/valueaddsvalue/support

For this episode we had the chance to talk with a man who is doing incredible work for the special needs community Mr. Mythiquer Pickett. We connected with him through our friend Chip Baker and we were so impressed with the work he is doing out of Houston through the non-profit he founded called We See Abilities. He is helping kids with special needs increase the joy in their lives through sports and activities. It really is a worthwhile cause and he gives some concrete advice that we can use as educators to better serve our special needs students. To learn more visit their website or find them on Instagram! https://www.weseeabilities.org/ --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/valueaddsvalue/support

On this episode we share with you the audio from the AIE Conference panel on teacher retention that featured Wilkie, Michael Bonner, Hamish Brewer, Mike Zucker of UTSA, and Heather Salaz of AIE. It was a great conversation on how we can get more teachers into our profession, the challenges our schools and teachers are facing, and how we can help the teachers already in the profession succeed and find their purpose in teaching. We're looking forward to having all of these people on the podcast of individual conversations soon! You can connect with Michael online @michaelbonner_ and Hamish @relentless_principal! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/valueaddsvalue/support

Some kids are smarter than you, some kids have cooler clothes than you, some kids are better at sports than you. It doesn't matter...you have your thing too. Be the kid who can get along. The kid that is generous. The kid that is happy for other people. The kid that does the right thing. The kid that tries his best. Be the nice kid. Many of you have seen this quote, but here is your chance to hear from the man who created it, Bryan Skavnak (bethenicekid.com). Bryan has spent much of the last year talking with students and teachers about what his intentions were in writing this passage and how he strives to help kids build better relationships in schools and he was kind enough to come on the podcast to talk with us about it. If you'd like to support them and work with Bryan you can go their website find them on or find them on Facebook and Instagram @bethenicekid. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/valueaddsvalue/support