M. Shannon Hernandez http://myfinal40days.com Author of Breaking the Silence: My Final Forty Days as a Public School Teacher Fri, 23 Sep 2016 22:53:07 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=4.6.1 74802342 31: Science Roundtables and Student-Created PSA Videos with educator Joe Vincente http://myfinal40days.com/31-science-roundtables-and-student-created-psa-videos-with-educator-joe-vincente-2/ Tue, 24 Nov 2015 13:00:44 +0000 http://myfinal40days.com/?p=472 In this episode, educator Joe Vincente discusses why our first job as teachers is to help students fall in love with the subject matter we teach. Joe shares how his 6th-12th grade Manhattan school has transformed the traditional science curriculum through the implementation of Science Roundtables and Student-Created PSA Videos. When students are empowered and engaged with the curriculum, magic happens both inside and outside the classroom!

Tips from this episode:

  • Explore how to get students jazzed up and loving the content you teach day in and day out
  • Learn why it is important to celebrate and honor students’ work–and a variety of ways to do that in your classroom
  • Understand what it takes to create a community of learners who possess a strong sense of confidence and desire to succeed

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]]> 472 30: Why the Community School Model Makes Sense with educator James Boutin http://myfinal40days.com/30-why-the-community-school-model-makes-sense-with-educator-james-boutin-2/ Tue, 17 Nov 2015 13:00:39 +0000 http://myfinal40days.com/?p=471 In this episode, educator James Boutin discusses why we should be spending most of our time, as educators, answering the question Why do we educate? versus How do we educate? James is a firm believer in empowering students with a curriculum rooted in love, integrity, honesty, and empathy. Listen in as James shares why the community school model is working so well at school he works at in Seattle.

Tips from this episode:

  • Explore what it means to build a community of empowered learners using the C.A.P.S model (Community, Academics, Post-High School, Social-Emotional Learning)
  • Learn why community schools are working so much better than schools that continue to operate from a “top-down” philosophy
  • Understand why students need more unstructured time in the day and how to meet their needs developmentally

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]]> 471 29: Teaching Entrepreneurship at The Green School in Bali with educator Aaron Eden http://myfinal40days.com/29-teaching-entrepreneurship-at-the-green-school-in-bali-with-educator-aaron-eden/ Tue, 20 Oct 2015 12:00:21 +0000 http://myfinal40days.com/?p=410 In this episode, educator Aaron Eden shares his experience about teaching at the “Greenest School in the World”. Aaron is currently an educator at The Green School in Bali, and he has developed a curriculum focused on entrepreneurial thinking. He takes the listener on a journey  and shares what it means for teachers and students to view the world through a creative, entrepreneurial lens.

Tips from this episode:

  • Explore what it means for teachers to be co-learners in the classroom.
  • Learn why thematic planning around real-world topics help students relate to the world they live in
  • Understand what learning expectations need to be present in a classroom so that everybody involved learns to solve problems in a creative way

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]]> 410 28: The 3 Key Pillars that Make Successful Public Schools with author Caroline Lewis http://myfinal40days.com/28-the-3-key-pillars-that-make-successful-public-schools-with-author-caroline-lewis/ Tue, 06 Oct 2015 12:00:08 +0000 http://myfinal40days.com/?p=409 In this episode, author and former educator, Caroline Lewis, talks about the three pillars that make successful public schools. Caroline’s book, Just Back Off and Let Us Teach, calls on effective teachers to do their parts to make the profession noble again, to seize opportunities to elevate teaching, and to recognize their ability to impact learning and learners. She honors the best teachers as heroes–and we talk candidly in this show about what “great teaching” really looks and feels like.

Tips from this episode:

  • Explore the ideas of climate, leadership, engagement, and opportunity–and how they define superior teachers
  • Learn why love is so important to the work we are doing as educators–both in the classroom and advocating on the streets.
  • Understand why it is important to let the great teachers know they are loved, valued, and needed.

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]]> 409 27: Starting the School Year Off Right! with Educator Chris Cline http://myfinal40days.com/27-starting-the-school-year-off-right-with-educator-chris-cline/ Tue, 22 Sep 2015 12:00:23 +0000 http://myfinal40days.com/?p=407 In this episode, educator Chris Cline shares several tips for starting the school year off right! And we are not talking about those first few exciting days or weeks of school, but rather we delve into how to keep the excitement alive when the “newness” wears off and things settle down around mid-October.

Tips from this episode:

  • Learn why it is realistic to plan your lessons topically, 3-7 months in advance.
  • Understand why learning inventories are great ways to get to know the students–and for the students to get to know the teachers, too.
  • Find numerous ways you can show kids (outside of the classroom) that you care about them.

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]]> 407 26: 3 Subjects Schools Should Teach to Improve the World with educator Andrea Schulman http://myfinal40days.com/26-3-subjects-schools-should-teach-to-improve-the-world-with-educator-andrea-schulman/ Tue, 08 Sep 2015 12:00:38 +0000 http://myfinal40days.com/?p=342 In this episode, former educator Andrea Schulman shares the three subjects she thinks schools should teach to improve the world. And, because she couldn’t teach them on a daily basis, due to the “testing culture” found in schools, Andrea shares a heartfelt account of why she made the decision to leave her teaching career.

Tips from this episode:

  • Find out the three subjects Andrea things should be taught in every school across the country.
  • Understand why positive words have the power to build a personal connection with students each day.
  • Learn why Andrea is passionate about getting the word out about the Law of Attraction.

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]]> 342 25: How Metal Detectors Make Students Feel with student Dennis Belen http://myfinal40days.com/25-how-metal-detectors-make-students-feel-with-student-dennis-belen/ Tue, 25 Aug 2015 12:00:46 +0000 http://myfinal40days.com/?p=341 In this episode, high school student Dennis Belen speaks candidly about what it feels like to have to walk though a metal detector everyday of his high school career. He shares powerful insights into the unfairness of the situation–especially since the school down the block has no metal detectors. Dennis also shares much wisdom about public education from a student’s perspective.

Tips from this episode:

  • Find out why Dennis feels like a “second class citizen” each day he must walk through a metal detector to get to class.
  • Explore why Dennis is passionate, at the age of 18, about critical pedagogy, and how he is trying to get other students on board with this way of learning and teaching.
  • Listen in as Dennis explains how students learn best, and why he is so interested in advocating for public education.

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]]> 341 24: Using Humor To Build Classroom Community with educator Don Russell http://myfinal40days.com/24-using-humor-to-build-classroom-community-with-educator-don-russell/ Tue, 11 Aug 2015 12:00:25 +0000 http://myfinal40days.com/?p=340 In this episode, veteran teacher and author Don Russell talks about the power–and place–for humor in the classroom. He shares how to infuse the classroom with laughter and why it is so important to build a classroom community. We share lots of blunders and laughs together–showing that it is okay to mess up and laugh at yourself every once in a while!

Tips from this episode:

  • Explore ways to humor to build deeper connections with students
  • Learn what to do if humor goes awry and is mistaken as an insult or sarcasm
  • Understand why humor shows students that teachers are human beings too

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]]> 340 23: Teachers as Self-Motivated Researchers with educator Anthony Cody http://myfinal40days.com/23-teachers-as-self-motivated-researchers-with-educator-anthony-cody/ Tue, 28 Jul 2015 12:31:19 +0000 http://myfinal40days.com/?p=337 In this episode, author and educator Anthony Cody discusses the importance of teachers becoming self-motivated researchers. It is through this voluntary practice that teachers become better at their craft, and Anthony shares with you the process he has used for over 25 years.

Tips from this episode:

  • Learn why teachers must take personal responsibility for enhancing their teaching skills
  • Discover how race, class, influence, and background affect our own teaching styles
  • Understand why students must see you not only as a teacher, but a learner too, if you are going to build a successful learning community in your classroom

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]]> 337 22: Teaching History Beyond the Textbook with educator Dr. Yohuru Williams http://myfinal40days.com/22-teaching-history-beyond-the-textbook-with-educator-dr-yohuru-williams/ Tue, 14 Jul 2015 12:00:51 +0000 http://myfinal40days.com/?p=336 In this episode, professor and consultant Dr. Yohuru Williams shares tips for keeping students super-engaged in history classes. The “trick”? Take the lessons beyond the textbook–right out into the community!

Tips from this episode:

  • Learn how to create a love of history in every student in the school
  • Discover tips for getting students to investigate their environments and make learning personal
  • Explore how to bring economic and political factors surrounding an event into your classroom relate them to students’ lives

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