Erin and Rick got to sit down and have a wonderful chat with a truly phenomenal educator, Kirby Mackenzie. Kirby is a Library Teacher who is full of passion about what she gets to do everyday. In part 2 of our conversation with Kirby, we discuss the why and how she and some teacher friends started their Book Bus for the kids in their community. Then we talk about what all the Book Bus has lead to… including The Ellen Show!

Erin and Rick got to sit down and have a wonderful chat with a truly phenomenal educator, Kirby Mackenzie. Kirby is a Library Teacher, aka: Boss of the Books. She is full of passion about what she gets to do everyday. In part 1 of our conversation with Kirby, we discuss all things books, reading, and literacy. She shares some wonderful recommendations and tools, so get ready to jot those down!

Erin & Rick had the pleasure of attending ED TALKS at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, AR. We spoke with each of the presenters and this episode is with Kristi Conner. Kristi talks about how “your first reaction is what you get”. Those first 5 minutes in our classrooms have the power to make or break the rest of the day. The way we communicate sets the tone for the response. From visual to verbal communication, a change can be made in the first 5 minutes.

Erin & Rick had the pleasure of attending ED TALKS at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, AR. We spoke with each of the presenters and this episode is with Nick Brown. Nick said that our lives are not our own. From womb to tomb we are bound by others, from past to present. And by each crime and every kindness we birth our future.

Erin & Rick had the pleasure of attending ED TALKS at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, AR. We spoke with each of the presenters and this episode is with Lupe Peña de Martinez. Lupe talks about how asking questions can serve as sparks for deep connection and belonging.

Erin & Rick had the pleasure of attending ED TALKS at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, AR. We spoke with each of the presenters and this episode is with Tracy Rhodes. Tracy shares how failure is the key to success. Small or big, all success is worth celebrating!

Erin & Rick had the pleasure of attending ED TALKS at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, AR. We spoke with each of the presenters and the first interview was: Leron McAdoo. Leron went from “delinquent to distinguished” because of his sixth grade teacher and what he recognized in Leron. What a story Leron has! And don’t even get us started on the passion and enthusiasm he has when sharing his story!

Erin & Rick got to sit down and share a chat with a phenomenal educator, Lindsey Barton. This was a long-awaited interview for us and it did not disappoint! Lindsey teaches 8th grade US history and what a teacher she is! She is an avid life-long learner who is a master in the classroom. Lindsey is a wealth of information and resources, teachers!

Erin & Rick had the privilege of chatting with another one of our book contributors and, yet again, it was amazing! Pam Swan is a retired educator who is still working with students a few days a week. Her heart and soul for teaching lies in her belief that each of her students are lovable and capable. She has lived that out each year and with each student. What a beautiful thing!

Erin & Rick got to sit down and talk with Michael Mayo. Michael worked with students who have special needs and after being in the non-traditional classroom for over 2 decades, he is recently retired and performing hypnosis full time. Michael will be at all 3 of our Teachers Night Out events this year! You do not want to miss out on his excellent comedy hypnosis show! Hilarious!!

Erin & Rick got to have a splendid chat with another one of the contributors to the Relate, then Educate book, Arturo Aviña. Arturo is an elementary theater teacher and he loves what he gets to teach! He has an absolutely hilarious presence on social media and you should be following him! Check him out @schooledbyarturo on TikTok and Instagram. His commentary and jokes about teaching are spot on!

Erin & Rick got to chat with Monte Syrie. Monte is one of the teachers featured in the, “Relate, then Educate” book, so we were thrilled to get to talk with him and get to know more! Connection and community are the most important things in Monte’s classroom. He has been in the classroom for 28 years and is still revolutionizing! He’s willing to change how he does things and what he’s doing in order to best serve his students. #Project180 What an educator!

Erin & Rick were THRILLED to get to sit down with Oklahoma’s 2023 Teacher of the Year, Traci Manuel! What a gift Traci is to our state! We discuss Traci’s non-traditional path to get into education. She shares her love and passion for English and teaching English to all grades of students. And she talks about her mission as Teacher of the Year and what she’s doing to reach educators. Traci, you are something special and we are excited to get to share our conversation!

Erin & Rick sat down with Kari Rich to chat about her years in the classroom teaching early childhood. Though she always knew she’d be a teacher, she didn’t always know she’d be teaching the little ones. And thank goodness she is! Her heart overflows with love and passion for her kindergarteners and her former preschoolers. Kari shares some amazing tools and strategies she uses to manage her classroom and build trust and community with her students.

Erin & Rick got to meet and have a wonderful chat with Emily Foster from rural Michigan. Emily taught for a few years, stayed home to be with her babies, and now she’s headed back to the classroom again! As you can imagine, she has nerves, she’s excited, but mostly she’s grateful that she gets to go back to being in the classroom. And we couldn’t be more thrilled that she’s going back! We will be checking in with Emily throughout this school year through Teacher Journal videos. We’ll get to follow her journey all year long! So, enjoy getting to know Emily Foster!

Erin & Rick had the pleasure of having a conversation with our friend, Karen Workun. Karen’s story is featured in the “Relate, then Educate” book and what a story it is! We discussed the power of reading meaningful literature and how by reading the stories of others, we can step into their shoes and walk around a little bit. We explored some great ways that Karen builds and implements a strong classroom community and culture each year with her students. And this year, Karen is switching things up! She’s going to be in the business of teaching teachers… while making sure to visit her first love, the classroom, as much as possible.

Erin got to sit down with the two authors of the “Relate, then Educate” book, Andrea Avey & Rick Holmes! We discussed the book’s conception, their writing process, and the purpose of this wonderful book. You’ll be inspired and moved by all 16 of the untold stories of teachers, by teachers that fill the pages of the book. Get your copy anywhere you find books! https://bookshop.org/search?keywords=Relate+then+educate

Erin & Rick had a truly wonderful chat with JJ Jedamski. JJ is something special. He is a school culture master! JJ is a former Director of School Culture and worked to completely transform both the student culture and the faculty culture in his district. He now travels around the country inspiring students and teachers.

Erin & Rick got to sit down and have a great chat with freshmen teacher, Jennifer Phenicie. Jennifer teaches freshmen English & Leadership. We talked about what makes this grade so special, classroom management strategies, and some wonderful ways to intentionally connect with our students. We even talked about educational student travel programs and what great opportunities they are for teachers and students to see the world!

Erin & Rick sat down with Molly Holmes the other day and WOW what a story. She grew up in a small town in Oklahoma, went to college to be a teacher, and is now teaching in the Middle East and loving it. This is a SUPER interesting conversation with a teacher who tried something different.