Bullying has been around since the beginning of time. No one's been able to crack the code on how to stop and prevent bullying from happening across schools in the country. In fact, bullying has now evolved with the introduction of social media in the past decade. So what can educators and schools do?! So today we bring in Alain Pelletier, a anti-b…

We're back baby! Season 3! Here we go. We are now going to go to a monthly format. Life is crazy, so we'll try this new format and see how it goes. We kick things off by revisiting my old stomping grounds at Western University. Have you ever thought about transitioning to teaching at the university/college level?! You should highly consider it! I h…

Having tough conversations with students is all part of the job. Teachers can have conversations ranging from grades all the way to mental health. But what about the guidance counselors?! They face a lot of tough conversations behind closed doors that teachers don't see. So in todays episode we want to explore those conversations and how to have th…

Have you ever thought about teaching at a university? Have you ever thought about teaching in a teacher education program? We'll you'll want to tune in to this weeks episode! Today I bring in Liz Coulson, an Assistant Professor and Coordinator of The Education Studies program in the Department of Language Studies at the University of Toronto Missis…

Building off last weeks episode, we are going to dive deep into the jobs of our school leaders. This week we are taking a look at the High School Principals role. After all my years in education, I still have no idea what the heck these people do! Are they just shaking hands and kissing babies? Who knows! Today I bring in John Marinelli, Principal …

Hey incoming teacher candidates! This episode is for you! If you are planning to apply to different teacher education programs and not sure which one you should go to, you'll want to check out this episode. On today's episode, we check out University of Toronto - Ontario of Institute of Education (OISE) Master of Teaching program (not Masters of Ed…

Have you ever thought about going into school leadership? Perhaps a High School Vice Principal is opening up and you have your eyes on it? Do you have any idea what the job entails? Well, look not further and listen to this episode! Today I bring in Candace House, Vice Principal at Waterloo Region District School. Candace has been in this role for …

Ok folks, so this is a big one! If you got an Elementary LTO job interview coming up, you need to click this episode! Super juicy with all of the questions from the TDSB with a former VP panelist coaching you through some of the answers! Today we have Linda Taillefer, a Educational Consultant and retired elementary school Vice Principal in the Toro…

After all these years in education, I'm just finding out now what is a Montessori school! This entire time I thought it was some sort of Religious school. Wow, I was so wrong. If you're thinking about applying for a job at Montessori school or maybe even sending your kids to a Montessori school, you'll want to check out this episode! Today we bring…

Imagine living with students and then waking up the next day and teaching those same students. This happens everyday at all boarding schools and its the norm! I work at a boarding school, and its a different beast. I don't work directly in boarding, but I know a few people that do. Today I bring in Andrew McNiven, a Business Teacher from Ridley Col…

As a kid growing up in an Asian household, the dream for my parents was for their children to become a doctor. My brother helped my parents achieve that dream. I failed miserably. I couldn't even make it out of grade 10 chemistry! So many students and parents want to become doctors, but in reality have no idea what the job entails! Are people just …

Ever think about making a career change as a teacher into the world of guidance? Look no further! So today I bring in Adrienne Tolton, a guidance counsellor from Garth Webb Secondary School in the Halton District School Board. Adrienne has been a guidance counsellor for four years. Before guidance, she was a teacher 18 years teaching Math and Scien…

Ever wonder what the heck the folks in HR are looking for before submitting your resume? How can school boards possibly sift through all those resumes and pick the right candidate? Oh and once you get an interview, now you need to prep for that gauntlet! On todays episode, I hope to peek behind the curtain and help with the job application process.…

Today I'm introducing a new segment in the show called "I Wish I Knew in School". Unfortunately, we are forced to begin choosing career paths at an early age. Media, family and friends can also paint an inaccurate depiction of certain career paths. So on this segment, I want to bring in seasoned professionals to talk about the good, the bad and the…

Episode 50 🎉 I can't believe we are at the half century mark! It's wild this podcast is still going! To celebrate this milestone, I chat with Melody McAllister, Event & Community Marketing Specialist at none other....Spaces! Our proud sponsors! Melody worked as an elementary teacher for about 14 years in Garland Texas. She was recipient of the Garl…

Six years ago, I took a Stand Up Comedy class at Second City. Six years later, I somehow still have a job as a teacher! Hallelujah! 🙌 To give back, I started a stand up comedy co-curricular for teenagers at our school. It's been running for four years, and we begin the course tomorrow! So what better way to have a teacher/comedian on the podcast th…

Happy Halloween! 🎃 Teachers, have you ever considered writing your own book? A novel, or perhaps a children book? Have you ever had that desire, but just have no idea where to start? Well you came to the right place! Today, I bring in Rahel Tesfaledet, author of Kinza's World Magical Travel Adventures! Besides being a published author, Rahel is als…

Today we have Steve Brown, CEO of Nelson Publishing in to chat with The Teacher Hotline. Steve has been in this role for almost 6 years. His career spans a diverse mix of industry and technology experience from multi-media entertainment, logistics services, automotive, and now to learning solutions. Since joining NELSON in September 2016, Steve has…

We are back at school baby! And we got an awesome episode lined up for ya to kick off the school year! Today we have Kelley Pomis, Director of Teacher Coaching and Development at Atlas Prep in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Kelley has been a teacher since 2002. She has taught at all levels from K-12 . As an expert in teacher development and leadership…

Holy smokes! Inflation is killing us! Gas is costing us a kidney, buying a bag of milk costs an arm and a leg, and in 5 years, I'll probably be living on the streets with these outrageous bills! Learning how to manage your money is one of the most important life skills. It starts at a young age. In this episode, I talk to Aly Hirji, a business teac…

Laptops, cell phones, social media, apps, didn't exists for many of us when we were in school. As teachers, many of us are still learning how to use all this new technology ourselves. As Spiderman Uncle Ben said..."with great power, comes great responsibility" . We need to make sure we educate our students in using all these amazing tools responsib…

It's summer! The kids are on holidays, and teachers are living their best life! But imagine if your kids did not go back to school....they were home schooled. What would that look like? How would that work?! Would it be pandemic learning all over again? If you're a parent or teacher and interested in home schooling, you might want to check out this…

Teachers, are you excited for retirement?! After the last two years, I think some of us are considering it a lot sooner than we initially planned! I'm only 10 years into the job, so I'm still a young buck! But it's never too soon to start thinking about retirement. Today I bring in Jim Connolly, a retired elementary school teacher from the Simcoe C…

Unions. Unions. Unions. You love them or you hate them! Teacher's unions have been front and centre in the news over the last few years. Even if you aren't a teacher, you know at the very least they exists. But other than sitting at the bargaining table, what other value does the Ontario Teacher's Federation provide teachers? So today, I bring in C…

It's exam season everyone! During the pandemic, schools and teachers had to rethink and reimagine how to assess students. Traditional tests and exams were difficult to do online. Now we are out of the assessments, a lot of teachers (including myself) are reverting back to old ways. In this episode, I wanted to explore what are the best way to asses…

Last season I did an episode interviewing my Associate Teacher, Paul Kralik. I asked him questions about how to give feedback, managing a student teacher, and his overall approach. This term, I am managing my first teacher! I thought the best way to learn is to ask him what he's looking for! We decided to make it into a podcast episode to figure ou…

Do any teachers listening teach Advance Placement courses? Has anyone ever taken these courses? I've seen these courses being offered when I was a student at my high school. The school I currently work at also offers these courses...not going to lie...I have no idea what value these courses provide! All I know is they are harder and they are suppos…

Hello! Welcome back to Season 2 of The Teacher Hotline! 🙌 We are back! I can't believe we are doing this again. But believe it baby! On our first episode back, we're coming at ya hot with an awesome episode with Tim Cavey, a Middle School VP at Vancouver Christian School. He is also the host of the #1 EduPodcast in Canada, called Teachers on Fire! …

Thank you to everyone who has been supporting the Teacher Hotline podcast! It has been an incredible ride over the last several months! This podcast was built out of boredom during the lockdown, and has now turned into something much bigger. The podcast was recently listed as the #6 Teacher Education Podcast in Canada. Thats all because of you! Tha…

A few weeks ago I asked my guest Alan Chan, what is it like to work at an all boys school? Naturally, that lead me to ask, what is it like to work at an all girls school? So today I got to speak to Sarah Leaper, a middle school teacher at St. Mildred's-Lightbourn School! I wanted to know: 👧 What are the different all girls school out there in Ontar…

This year I was lucky enough to train a student teacher and have my first experience in being an Associate Teacher. Teaching a student teacher is definitely a lot different than teaching your students! So it made me think, what makes a great Associate Teacher? This week, I brought in my Associate Teacher, Mr. Paul Kralik. Paul trained me back in Ma…

Ugh! Sometimes, it can be so frustrating to teach students because all they care about is the grade! All of this focus on the grade puts on blinders and they miss the journey. Is it possible to teach students 'how to learn'? How we can we teach students how to be resilient when they face adversity or rejection? How can teachers package up their les…

With parents-teacher interviews around the corner, I thought it was fitting to do a remix of our pilot episode "What Makes a Great Teacher from a Students Perspective?" Today I chat with Jennifer and Steve Latimer, proud parents of four children: Abby, Blake, Jack, and Sadie. Abby and Blake both currently attend Western University. Abby is currentl…

The world is slowly starting to open up. Wouldn't it be nice to travel the world and make some money at the same time? Teaching abroad is a popular option for teachers looking to see the world, experience new culture and make some cash while doing it. If you ever wondered what it was like to teach abroad this is the episode for you! Today I chat wi…

I know this sounds silly....but have you ever thought what it would be like to drive a school bus?! As teachers, we are so focused in the classroom! But we need bus drivers to get the kids to the school safely and on time! Today my guest is Max Ross, a former bus driver for Attridge Bus Company and Appleby College. Max is a stand up comedian from T…

Welcome back to part two of our conversation with Sean! We continue our conversation around the topic of sports psychology and arming coaches with the knowledge and advice to help assist their athletes through this years academic year. Today I bring back my colleague and office mate Sean Poitras! Sean is a Social Science teacher at Appleby College …

Is choking in sports a real thing? Can athletes burn out? Do athletes face performance anxiety? If you are a coach and you've seen these affect your players, how can we help them? Many coaches do not have training in sports psychology, and find it difficult to help our athletes face their mental challenges. So what can coaches do? Today I bring on …

Most of us grew up or have taught in a co-ed school. What would it be like though to teach at a single gendered school? Today I bring in an old friend, Alan Chan, an IB Economics and Math Teacher from Upper Canada College, one of the most prestigious all boys schools in Toronto. Alan has been working at UCC for eight years and outside of the classr…

It is September! That means future teachers are beginning to think about if they want to start the journey of becoming a teacher! So lets' take a few episodes to review some of the Teacher Education programs available to us in Ontario. Today I bring in two guests: Niki Boytchuk-Hale and Miles Duke. Niki is a concurrent education, entering her third…

We are back for part two of our conversation with Mr. Fraser Grant, the new Head of School and Deputy Principal of Appleby College. Mr. Grant has been working at Appleby College for 27 years and counting. Over the years, he served primarily as an Economics Teacher but also served in various leadership roles such as the Senior School Director, Assis…

Is an 80% average in 2021 worth the same as an 80% average back in 1990? I love teaching grade 12's....except when January comes around and university marks starts to get uploaded to universities. Grades are such a sensitive subject now. Programs are becoming more competitive, expectations are higher, and more students are applying than ever before…

School is around the corner, and that means sports is also back! All the players and coaches are excited to the courts and field this fall, which means coaches are starting to prepare for tryouts and practices. If you are new to coaching or looking to hear a fresh perspective on coaching, this episode is for you! Today, I bring in Lou Caffazo, the …

Welcome to part 2 of our chat with Andrew Hallam! Teacher's might not be making the same income as doctors or lawyers but it doesn't mean we can't build similar wealth! With the proper investing techniques and armed with the right knowledge, teachers can build a million dollar portfolio! Don't believe me? Then listen to Andrew Hallam, a former Engl…

Teacher's might not be making the same income as doctors or lawyers but it doesn't mean we can't build similar wealth! With the proper investing techniques and armed with the right knowledge, teachers can build a million dollar portfolio! Don't believe me? Then listen to Andrew Hallam, a former English teacher, but is now a respected and #1 selling…

Nature or Nurture? Biology versus Environment? This is a classic question that has commonly come up in regards to child development. As teachers, we should be interested in finding out the answer to this question because we see our students 8 hours a day for 5 days a week for 10 months! So I went to our expert, Dr. Aletha Harven, an Associate Profe…

I'm pretty sure every Ontario teacher knows we have a pension. But do you even know what a pension is? Why the Ontario Teacher Pension Plan is regarded as one of the best ones? What implications does it have when it comes to your retirement? We'll we are going to talk about our financial future and how our pension plan is going to help us live a co…

Babies! Who doesn't love them?! Not so fast...there are a ton of stuff related to your work you need to get in order before you can start cuddling up to your new born child! Today I chat with Ashley Frampton and Danielle Kindree, two moms who experienced what it is like to on maternity leave. Ashley is an elementary school teacher from the Calgary …

Teachers, have you ever had a student in your class with ADHD, Dyslexia, ODD or perhaps even a student that is super gifted and intellectually, way ahead of the curve? It must be difficult to support these students in a large classroom. There has to be a better way! Well, one school in Calgary, Alberta thinks there is. Let me introduce to you Rundl…

With online learning, teachers did not have the same opportunity to make the same connections we normally would with our students in the classroom. There were a lot of blindspots that we missed. I wanted to get an honest opinion from students of how the school year actually went for them? What better way then to go directly to the students and ask …

So you think teaching a classroom full of kids is hard? How about managing an entire school? Oh lets add in covid, online learning, managing faculty and staff plus schools with boarding students. There are a ton of responsibilities a schools Principals needs to manage. On this episode, we chat with Dr. Katrina Samson, the incoming Principal for Hav…