Berit Gordon is an author and coach of teachers from across the country. Her book, The Joyful Teacher, is a collection of tried-and-true strategies that empower teachers and help them create an even greater impact in their classroom. Her other book, No More Fake Reading, offers solutions for boosting stamina, joy, and skills among adolescent reader…

Jennie Brown has 800 students. Not in her lifetime, not in the last decade, right now, each and every week. Jennie teaches Elementary Music in Bluffdale, UT. She is a passionate teacher and learner, always looking for the next amazing thing to learn. Moving from the grade level classroom to the Music classroom has allowed Jennie to embrace Joy as a…

Catherine Baker, my heart warms up at the sound of her name. If you knew Catherine, you’d know exactly what I mean. She smiles and lights up the room with her goodness. She’s kind and sweet, thoughtful and smart, and when she talks with you her energy and her eyes make you feel like you might be the most important person in the world. Catherine has…

If ever I had a kindred spirit, Kathryn McRitchie is it. We met in a class I was teaching at Stanford University one summer, Culturally and Linguistically Responsive Teaching for Social Studies. She walked in with her “Moms Demand Action” tote bag and said good morning to me with her Tennessee accent; to say she had me at hello is just the truth. S…

I came to know Shauna through her instagram, Teach for the Culture. The first thing I ever saw was a tshirt that said, “Joy and Learning Must Co-exist,” something I’ve taken on as a bit of a mantra if you remember Peter’s episode earlier this season. Her merch was so cute I loved seeing new things as she added them every couple of weeks. What I fou…

Carlos' joy does not run loud like Peter’s and Ashlei’s, it runs quiet like a strong current under still water. It’s the sparkle in his eyes, the turned up corner of his shy smile, the feeling you get when you walk into his classroom and feel ready to be brave because you know your teacher has created a space for you to thrive, as if it was your bi…

Ashlei is lit from within with a joy that is pure goodness. Yes she will make you laugh. Yes she will lead the dance party. And, yes, she is good good good to the core. You can’t help but feel your vibration rise in her presence. If a rising tide lifts all boats, Ashlei’s energy lifts all spirits. Don’t be fooled by the dinosaur costume or the spir…

Peter Myers exudes a light that is so bright it can knock you off your feet. We shared an office and a classroom the year he was my student teacher and, when Peter arrived on my doorstep, he brought the spirit of joy along with him. Peter exemplifies what it means to normalize joy and invites all of us to find our own way to do the same.…

By Nicole Lusiani

Each August is set aside dedicated to a book to help us get back into the thinking and doing of school. This season we look at pieces from my book, Nothing's Missing. Rather than share a story from the last chapter, "Rise Tall Toward the Sun," I am taking a few minutes to reflect and explore our role as teachers in this very complex time. How can w…

The short season in August set aside for a book to help us get back into the thinking and doing of school continues with a story from Nothing's Missing and the chapter, Wildflowers Don't Grow in Rows. Each story was chosen because it offers some reflection on the chapter theme I think will serve you well as you head back to school in the coming day…

The short season in August set aside for a book to help us get back into the thinking and doing of school continues with a story from Nothing's Missing and the chapter, Feel the Fear and Walk on Through. Each story was chosen because it offers some reflection on the chapter theme I think will serve you well as you head back to school in the coming …

The short season in August set aside for a book to help us get back into the thinking and doing of school continues with a story from Nothing's Missing and the chapter, Take Responsibility. Each story was chosen because it offers some reflection on the chapter theme I think will serve you well as you head back to school in the coming days.…

The short season in August set aside for a book to help us get back into the thinking and doing of school continues with a story from Nothing's Missing and the chapter, Set Your Intention. Each story was chosen because it offers some reflection on the chapter theme I think will serve you well as you head back to school in the coming days.…

Each August we'll read a book and the episodes for the short summer season with excerpts from the book as well as solo episodes about the theme of that book. This year, we're reading a book I wrote, Nothing's Missing: A Year of Reckoning, Release, and Remembering who I am. Episode two features from a story from the chapter "Hear the Call," which of…

We're interrupting the typical Copy Room Conversations with several short episodes released on Wednesdays and Sundays this August as we transition back into the thinking and doing of school. Each August we'll read a book and the episodes for the short summer season with excerpts from the book as well as solo episodes about the theme of that book. T…

We're interrupting the typical Copy Room Conversations with several short episodes released on Wednesdays and Sundays this August as we transition back into the thinking and doing of school. Each August we'll read a book and the episodes for the short summer season with excerpts from the book as well as solo episodes about the theme of that book. T…

The last episode for our season on paying it forward drops on Sunday with my new friend, Mary Chai. I’ve long believed teaching to be a spiritual practice, one that stretches us as much as it saves us, one where we use every ounce of who we are in service to our kids, even the kids (especially the kids) who we wish some days were absent. Mary is th…

In the last of our episodes featuring both the inspired and the inspiring, we listen in on Julie and Briana talk about teaching, friendship, and paying it forward. They belong to one another, and something tells me Julie will always be Briana's teacher, no matter how old we all get.By Nicole Lusiani

In our second of three duos this season, we meet Lisa and Ana. Ana was Lisa's student and, with Lisa, she found her voice. Now she uses that voice to do the same for her students. This conversation is a testament to what it means to be a teacher.By Nicole Lusiani

When you're a teacher in large part because of a teacher you had, there is no greater gift you can give than to tell them so. In the next three episodes, you'll meet three teachers duos, one inspired, the other inspiring. Truth be told, in every case, the inspiration most definitely goes both ways. First up is history teacher, Tik-Tok-er (@cmdla), …

If the last episode was personal, this one can only be characterized as *very* personal, as I interview my dearest friend and high school sweetheart, Samuel Bradbury. In many ways he paved my life's path; in some ways I may have paved his too. In this episode, we explore both as well as the deeply important role teachers play in the lives of our st…

This episode is a personal one, where I talk with the teacher who, more than any other, helped me develop the identity of "student" which opened the door to the work of my life and heart. The conversation brings me full circle, a circle 35 years in the making.By Nicole Lusiani

Dr. Micia Mosely is the Founder and Director of the Black Teacher Project. She's also an academic, a comedian, a storyteller, and a teacher. In this episode we talk about the importance of communities of belonging as well as the fuel of love and legacy; her story serves as the perfect bridge between seasons one and two and it was my honor to spend …

Welcome to Season 2 of Copy Room Conversations. This season we focus on paying it forward, honoring the legacy of those who came before us by serving those who come after us. In this season you'll meet educators I've known and loved for decades, and another who I met IRL the day we recorded our episode. My intention with this season is to remind yo…

Lydia McClanahan is a decades long teacher, instructional coach, and librarian who specializes in culturally authentic texts. Because we teachers LOVE to talk about great practical tools in the copy room, Lydia will be joining us in our copy room for the last episode of every season. In these episodes you get to listen on us chatting like we do, an…

Mary Milton, the name conjures up a vision of joy and curiosity, love and support, and a relentless desire to serve. In this episode Mary and I talk about where that desire to serve comes from and how she's used it to care for and empower our kids, our colleagues, and our community.By Nicole Lusiani

For all the pressures our teachers are under right now, we must also remember our principals are arguably under even more. I often wonder what a Sheryl Cambra principalship would look like in this season, as I long for leaders like her in a time like this. She has retired now, leaving it all on the field, as they say, with no regrets. Learning from…

The School Spouse, the School Bestie, the School Neighbor...the luckiest among us have all of these because school is a microcosm of our larger lives. How we do one thing is how we do everything and Stephanie and Sharon remind us of that very fact. Consummate partners to others in all areas of their lives, in school they were each other's. Listen i…

Who among us does not need a cheerleader right now? I'm sharing my dear friend and consummate cheerleader with you because now, more than ever, we need someone who puts the wind at our backs. Glenna will pick you up and carry you over the finish line herself if you can't, she's that dedicated to making sure everyone in her care knows how valuable t…

In a time when we need our community more than ever, many of us are retreating, taking cover for the sake of surviving what is the most difficult year of our teaching careers. Teacher friends are the best friends, and Tovi is and has been both of these things to me for more than 25 years. Let's listen as she reminds us - through story and laughter …

I'm sharing my mentors with you this season with the intention of sharing their gifts with you, in this most unprecedented time of challenge in our profession. Pamela Wilson is my 3F mentor: First, Favorite, and Forever. Listen in as she shares her wisdom with all of us.By Nicole Lusiani

Welcome to Season 1 of Copy Room Conversations. This season we focus on belonging, and you'll meet the women who gave me a seat at their table and sustained me through a 20-year teaching career and beyond. My intention with this season is to share these extraordinary women with you as a form of nourishment and a reminder that we belong to one anoth…

What is the "Copy Room?" Listen for a quick introduction into the what and why behind Copy Room Conversations.By Nicole Lusiani

Teaching is a series of invitations. Here is your invitation to join us in the Copy Room.By Nicole Lusiani