In our final episode for Season 2, we talk with Jen Leban all about the life of a middle school art teacher. Shenanigans ensue.By The Bretzmann Group

An elementary teacher, a middle school teacher, and a doctoral student walk into a podcast... Listen to the stories that 14-year veteran math teacher tells to Josh and Mandy as she describes her work transitioning to a doctoral student looking at stats. and gender stereotypes. Fascinating stuff.By The Bretzmann Group

Join Josh and Mandy as they talk with elementary teacher Andrea Childes about how she uses the power of social media to share and learn new ideas. Plus, hear how Andrea succeeds in asking authors for advance copies of their work so she can include great books in her global read aloud.By The Bretzmann Group

Justin and Josh turn into two nerds sharing stories about memory castles, dungeons and dragons, and hooks to deliver instruction at the point of highest student engagement. Why do students disengage in our classrooms? Justin takes on a journey through a fantastic and deep analogy.By The Bretzmann Group

Josh and Mandy talks with Amy Storer, instructional coach, who shares stories about her love of hard rock music and more. The group discusses becoming a teacher, and Josh gets emotional when thinking about parents. For more stories, check out bit.ly/storiesinedu1By The Bretzmann Group

Josh and Mandy are joined by 14 year veteran teacher Doug Robertson as he shares stories from inside his classroom and from the books that he's written over the years. The group talks about hooks, experiences, and reading. Fun and deep-thinking stories are plentiful this week. bit.ly/storiesinedu1By The Bretzmann Group

His friends call him the Swiss Army knife. Justin Payne's different interests and expertise show the versatility of a modern teacher. He models for his students the idea of a growth mindset and fostering multiple talents. We could listen to him tell stories for hours... Find more good stories at bit.ly/storiesinedu1…

First year fourth grade teacher Susan Jachymiak shares stories about her experiences as she reflects on the beginning of her career. She shares her blog and the blogs of others as a way to reflect and a way to look back and reflect more in the future. Susan, Josh, and Mandy discuss how she wanted to be a fourth grade teacher in fourth grade and now…

Infographics and sign making. Anchor charts. Good stories. Plus Makey Makey love stories. Geeking out on makerspaces, laser printers, and (accidentally) starting things on fire. You can find more good educator stories at bit.ly/storiesinedu1By The Bretzmann Group

Fantastic storyteller Rolland Chidiac joins Josh and Mandy to tell the story of how he lost his class. Tune in to see if he's found them yet. Rolland is a 2nd and 3rd grade teacher who believes that it's more important to be a creator than only a curator. So he creates. Through the use of internet tools, he blogs, vlogs, uses youtube to create and …

"Kulak, we need you. It's an emergency." Brian Kulak re-tells the story that he shared in the Stories in EDU book about a former student who needed his help years ago and remains a friend today. He also shares an introduction to "Flash Lessons" which have become a nation-wide phenomenon. Brian, Josh, and Mandy take a deep dive into relationships in…

Mandy and Josh discuss goals (including running half-marathons and more), and are joined by the fun stories from Stephanie Crawford's instructional coach and middle school teaching experiences. Everybody shares their favorite MEME stories and makes plans for a MEME OFF! Stephanie shares stories from her first years of teaching and the group discuss…

Mandy shares her passion for chips and queso while Josh nerds out about his brand new telescope. The diversity continues with the difference between 74 degrees in Texas and 10 degrees (or less) in Wisconsin. Plus Josh, Mandy, and Ben share stories about music and Josh explains his affinity for Weird Al Yankovic and the parodies he has made. AND YES…

Julie Fishburn joins guest hosts Jason Bretzmann and Kenny Bosch to tell the story of how she was asked about a flipped classroom and went from pretending she knew what it was to becoming a flipped classroom expert so she could make the learning experiences better for her students. Julie also shares the story how Lindsay Stephenson challenged her t…

I want my kids to have David Theriault as their teacher. Every day. More teacher stories in the Stories in EDU book bit.ly/storiesinedu1By The Bretzmann Group

In this first of two great episodes with David Theriault, he shares the story of how he gets his students to engage with and end up liking Shakespeare. Othello is where it's at! David, Josh, and Mandy all share their favorite blogs. Check out more stories at bit.ly/storiesinedu1By The Bretzmann Group

Teacher and FFA Advisor Dr. Robin McLean tells the story of the terrible beginning she had in the organization and how the situation changed her and helped in her journey toward a career of leading students down similar paths. It's all about the relationships. Read more in the Stories in EDU book bit.ly/storiesinedu1 and discuss with other educator…

It's a new method for our youngest students to remember how to sit down appropriately and it is so NOT appropriate! But it is a funny story from the mouth of a Kindergartener. Andy Losik shares this and other stories from his work with early learners. Then Andy, Mandy, and Josh explore whether we have gone too far after the story about Andy's stude…

John knows about high school teaching, but he had to substitute teach in a second grade classroom. You gotta' hear this story. Presentations. Crying. Then, a great success. More great stories include students who read their first book ever as a high school student...and then asked for the second book in the series. Student choice and more. Read his…

Rachelle shares stories about reflecting, blogging, and moving her students toward being creators. She explains her process of creating a more engaging classroom that fosters more energized students. Rachelle tells the story of her own adventure with creating and learning while using the Hummingbird robot experience. And of course great stories com…

Sidney wasn't focused, wasn't engaged, and spent a lot of time on his phone. Aubrey Jones tells the story of what happened next when he connected with her and with the content. She continues on to tell us how she learned as much as she taught that year in her new school. Find out more inside the Stories in EDU book at bit.ly/storiesinedu1…

Mandy and Josh laugh with Jon Spike about his unusual job title and the great work he has done in various educational roles. In addition, he tells the story of how he had some tense (yet funny) moments early in his career. He learned so much from that early experience including not to forge the signature of your boss! You can read more about what t…

Kris Jenkins tells the story of Mrs. Moore who gave her a safe place to ease back into school after her dad was taken at such a young age. That mentorship continued and blossomed as Kris looked to her again as a new teacher. She stayed in contact with her 2nd grade teacher as Mrs. Moore was well into her 80s. And you won't want to miss the stories …

Josh and Mandy host David Abdel who is not in his first career, but he is in the career he loves. He shares stories from inside his blended learning classroom, and details the experiential learning he created for students to show them how citizens were motivated to make a change. Plus, Josh tries to get him to talk about spreadsheets. Spreadsheets?…

Guest hosts Jason Bretzmann and Kenny Bosch hear and tell stories with long-time educator Chuck Moss. Chuck re-tells his story from inside the Stories in EDU book related to his use of Principal Mark French's idea of the "Good News Call of the Day." These are good, wholesome stories that will inspire and uplift us. bit.ly/storiesinedu1…

Josh and Mandy host Kylie Kissel as we get to hear a variety of stories including the one that puts us on the edge of our seats because we don't know how it will turn out. He continues on to share other stories that make us laugh out loud and stories that inspire us to try to be better. Don't miss this episode! Check out more stories at bit.ly/stor…

Mandy and Josh host teacher, Jason Bretzmann, as he tells the story of how the "Stories in EDU" book was created and then shares stories from inside the book. Plus more stories. It's stories on top of stories on top of stories to start season two. bit.ly/storiesinedu1By The Bretzmann Group

Front-end student choice, genius hour, and the power of students having more control over their own learning. They tell all the stories in this episode of stories in EDU. Join Mandy and Josh as they share alongside teacher Sarah Fuchs. Plus enjoy the quick stories prompted by the Game of Stories tinyurl.com/ppdstories…

Mandy and Josh talk with Darren about his use of improv as a teaching, brain break, and creation-of-culture tool. Plus improv as a metaphor for life. Another podcast full of stories to inspire and get us moving forward. And don't forget about the usefulness of the Personalized PD: Game of Stories tinyurl.com/ppdstories…

Clearly we're outside of our comfort zone here, but Mandy and Josh share stories with college professor and intelligence expert Art La Flamme. Interesting to hear how learning, personalization, and relationships connect different educators in different ways.By The Bretzmann Group

Jason Bretzmann subs in for Mandy as Melissa Emler shares stories about her students being social media interns and the impact that telling our education stories has on the culture of a school and a district. Melissa shows Josh and Jason why she is truly a "Multi-Passionate Educator."By The Bretzmann Group

A magical conversation about gamifcation, food trucks, and getting our students to love the learning process. Josh, Mandy, and Tisha tell stories about making the learning authentic, meaningful, and fun.By The Bretzmann Group

The most stories per square inch in any podcast so far. Heartwarming and inspiring stories. Plus puppets, puppets, and more puppets. How are these little plush tools so useful for kids of all ages? Check in with Mandy, Josh, and Barb to find out more. Plus get your Game of Stories deck now at tinyurl.com/ppdstories…

Josh and Mandy talk with Teresa Gross and hear about the flexibility she has shown as an educator. Different grades, different roles, and a never-changing commitment to her students. Add in a Game of Stories card about Google tools and you get a useful conversation about education and educators. You should tell your stories too. Submit your story a…

One of the best conversations with lots of give and take and experiences shared. Follow the journey of educator Halley Ortiz as she leaves the classroom and comes back again. She shares all that she learned (well, maybe a fraction of it) and tells the stories of how she and her students have learned together and made progress. She is a champion for…

Josh and Mandy talk with Sherrill about her passion for sketchnoting and hear the stories of the impact they have had on her students. The group shares stories about how sketchnoting can happen as a preferred note-taking method even if students or teachers are not artists. Great stories and a wonderful extra conversation using the Game of Stories t…

Josh and Mandy talk with current teacher of teachers, former elementary teacher, and multi-book author Brian Costello. He says we've probably forgot a lot of our stories so it's probably about time that we start telling them. We don't want to lose them, right? Submit yours at storiesinedu.com to share it with the world.…

Josh and Mandy hear the stories from the college classes of Ken Bauer. He talks about flipped learning, mastery learning, and peer instruction. But mostly he tells the stories of what it's like when you change from a traditional to a learner-centered classroom...and what it's like when Pepe uses your markers! Submit your own stories for the Stories…

Josh describes it as the most inspiring podcast so far. Principal Menxueiro tells the story of how she and her staff have all become reading teachers to take their school of students who couldn't read to a school of readers. Josh, Sandra, and Mandy discuss the ups and downs and the methods of celebrations used to share their stories with the world.…

Amazing experiences and enlightening stories about a career in education that led to the conclusions that we have to celebrate the art of teaching instead of focusing too much on the data of education. Dr. Latoya Dixon explains her philosophy and the ideas in her book Burned Out, Beaten Up, & Fighting Back: A Call to Action for America's Public Edu…

Josh, Mandy, and Gerry explore the world of mastery learning, how Gerry implements it, and how his students explained it as workshop presenters at a big conference. Plus a Game of Stories card about student-video-making. tinyrul.com/ppdstoriesBy The Bretzmann Group

Dr. Sam Patterson is the guy who runs the makerspace. But he also helps students fix things, engage in design thinking, and create skills for a life time. As he says, "The most important things students make are decisions." And he teaches them how to do that well. Mandy and Josh listen and guide this episode as Sam tells great stories about driving…

An interesting, in-depth discussion of the stories that result when students get small amounts of time to plan and create every day. Nick, Mandy, and Josh discuss maker spaces, constructionist educational theory in practice, and one student's imagined whimsical flute. Listen in to hear what happened next...…

Brian Farrell explains his roundabout process to become a teacher while Josh and Mandy try to convince him that even though he didn't give his stuffed animals detentions as a 5 year old, the profession still honors him as a teacher. You're the real deal Brian! Tune in to hear the discussion about middle school teaching, building a class-sized pyram…

Whether teaching in Singapore, Chicago, or preparing to teach next year in France, Tara Linney shares her unique experiences educating the students of the world. She explains how the curricula are similar, but the students are a wonderful diversity of cultures and traditions. Josh and Mandy lead the discussion of where Tara has been and how she got…

Mandy and Josh talk with educator and personalized PD advocate Knikole Taylor about how she has not been afraid to have her students lead the learning and learn alongside them. The group discusses the shift from a time when teachers knew everything to a more collaborative process for learning. Plus a discussion sparked by Game of Stories tinyurl.co…

A wonderful, well-rounded conversation about how we evolve as educators (with some pokemon references thrown in for Josh-style analogies). Mandy and Josh explore the world that educators live in and discuss the research-based benefits of wellness (and yoga!) for educators. The conversation draws to a close with a Game of Stories prompt where these …

Mandy and Josh discuss the components of a great conference for presenters and participants with instructional coach Shaina Glass. But they don't stop there. The trio discuss goal-setting, passion planners, and supporting teachers so they get what they need for their students. A look into how thoughtful educators are still learning and growing. The…

Josh and Mandy hear and share stories about growing as a person and growing as a professional. While working with other educators, we can find those who will push us and those who will support us. Both are important. It's about coaching, connecting, and carrying it further. A free-wheeling conversation about being there for each other as educators …

Josh talks with Library Media Specialist Kira Schockley and gets an international perspective on education based on her experiences as an educator in different parts of the world. Who does food service at your school? Is it the students? Listen in...By The Bretzmann Group