Teaching Learning Leading K-12

Dr. Quintin Shepherd: The Secret to Transformational Leadership. This is episode 526 of Teaching Learning Leading K12. Dr. Quintin Shepherd, a true visionary for the future of education, is the Superintendent at Victoria Independent School District in Victoria, Texas. Sarah Williamson of SWPR Group works with leaders in education to create thoughtful public relations programs that promote growth, build momentum, and enhance learners’ academic success and overall well-being.  Today, we are focused on their book - The Secret to Transformational Leadership Even with the deluge of leadership books on the market, a superintendent of a large school district and his colleague, the head of a prominent PR firm, still struggled to find a book that spoke to them about what they needed to become really successful leaders. So they wrote one themselves. Dr. Quintin Shepherd and co-writer Sarah Williamson use their combined decades of experience in the education and corporate spheres to create a unique model for leadershi

Jeff Ikler & Steven Miletto Discuss Knowing Your Purpose and Doing One More. This is episode 525 of Teaching Learning Leading K12, an audio podcast. Jeff Ikler is Director of Quetico Career and Leadership Coaching, a firm dedicated to helping individuals overcome career issues, and leaders develop sustained changes in their leadership practices and organizations. He received his certificate in coaching from the Coach Training Institute, a firm recognized as one of the leading coach-training organizations in the world. His approach blends data-driven coaching, and consulting informed by working for more than 35 years in the corporate world. Jeff holds a Master’s in the Teaching of History along with a Bachelor’s in History from the University of Illinois. He taught high school history in Maywood and Batavia, Illinois, for seven years. He is a certified innovation facilitator using the SIT (Systematic Inventive Thinking) process. Additionally, Jeff is a former Executive Vice President at Pearson Learning

Laurel Schmidt talks about her book Gardening in the Minefield: A Survival Guide for School Administrators. This is episode 524 of Teaching Learning Leading K12, an audio podcast. Laurel Schmidt is a lifelong educator (teacher, principal, district director), art lover, and writer. She's the author of a critically-acclaimed novel, How to Be Dead – A Love Story, and four non-fiction books on art, learning, and brain development. Today we will be focused on her book for school administrators - Gardening in the Minefield: A Survival Guide for School Administrators. She's a nationally recognized expert who has helped thousands of docents and museum educators master the art of leading dynamic inquiry-based conversations that have museum visitors and students longing for more.  Laurel also works with the education departments of numerous museums in Los Angeles and New York. She is a consultant to The Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), and co-author of Contemporary Art Start: A Curriculum Guide to Contemporary Art

Carol Anderheggen talks about her books - Writing Down Cancer & Born-Child. This is episode 523 of Teaching Learning Leading K12, an audio podcast.  Carol Anderheggen has been a published poet and writer since the 1980s and is an active disaster relief volunteer with the American Red Cross. She has confronted many challenges in her life. Taken out of her home early in her life, removed from a mom with mental health issues, she floundered in foster care and then was adopted by a Navy couple. Her second mother became an alcoholic. Later in life she became a survivor of breast cancer. Both her childhood of trauma and her adult health scare are the subject of her books. Her first chapter book, Writing Down Cancer, was published by Finishing Line Press. She followed that up with the publishing of Born-Child. She has been published in regional journals such as Anemone, The Great Swamp Gazette, Newport Life, and Northeast Journal and served on the staff of The Frost Festival of Poetry, Franconia, NH for seven

Meg Flanagan - Helping Parents - Military & Civilian - Navigate Public School Requirements like 504 Plans, IEPs, and More. This is episode 522 of Teaching Learning Leading K12, an audio podcast. Meg Flanagan is an educator who is passionate about helping families find peaceful, practical solutions to school problems. After serving as a tutor, she noticed that many families were unsure about who to ask or what to do when it came to getting their child the best help at school. This is a concern that is universal! As a Mom, she knows just how hard it is to remain clear-headed in the face of a crisis that could impact her kids. She loves serving as a voice of reason and a moderator when parents are overwhelmed and struggling to figure out the best things to help their child learn and grow. She is ready to use her decade of experience as a teacher and mom to help your family find sanity and solutions to stressful school problems! Lots to learn! Some extra information before you go... The new intro and outro

Miriam Plotinsky - Teach More, Hover Less: How to Stop Micromanaging Your Secondary Classroom. This is episode 521 of Teaching Learning Leading K-12, an audio podcast. Miriam Plotinsky is an instructional specialist with Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland, and the author of Teach More, Hover Less: How to Stop Micromanaging Your Secondary Classroom and the upcoming Lead Like a Teacher: How to Elevate Expertise in Your School.  Miriam is a National Board Certified Teacher and certified administrator, she lives in Silver Spring, Maryland and can be reached via her website or on Twitter: @MirPloMCPS. Today, we are focused on her book, Teach More Hover Less: How to Stop Micromanaging Your Secondary  Classroom.  Some extra information before you go... The new intro and outro music was written and performed by Brian K. Buffington. Connect with Brian at briankbuffington@gmail.com or go to his website at  https://briankbuffington.com/ He is an awesome musician, comedic power, teacher, trainer, technology g

Sheila Akbar - President & COO of Signet Education - Getting Into College. This is episode 520 of Teaching Learning Leading K12, an audio podcast. Sheila Akbar joined the Signet team in the summer of 2010, bringing with her a wealth of experience teaching SAT, ACT, GRE, literature, and composition in both one-on-one and classroom settings. Sheila loves both teaching and learning, and finds nothing more rewarding than working closely with students to overcome the challenges they face. After graduating from Harvard in 2002, Sheila spent two years working in financial services before continuing her academic career, which culminated into two doctorates. She brings her significant business and academic experience to bear on her current role at Signet. Her skills include speaking to every client to craft a tailored solution for their needs, managing the administrative team, and providing educational thought leadership for the company. Sheila holds a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree from Harvard Universit

Harvey "The College" Wizard - Helping Students Stand Out from the Crowd and Get Accepted Into the College They Desire. This is episode 519 of the audio podcast - Teaching Learning Leading K12. The story of how Harvey Wizard became an internet multimillionaire in the early days of affiliate marketing is told in the New York Time Bestseller, “Get Rich Click.”  Harvey is a successful serial entrepreneur, the world’s winningest college admissions coach, an international bestselling author, award winning photographer, published songwriter and globetrotting standup comedian.  And today, Harvey will tell us not only how to get accepted to schools like Harvard and Stanford (without unethical shenanigans), but also how the same approach can enable anyone to win at even life’s most competitive games. Awesome conversation! You will know that you can achieve more after listening to Harvey! Lots to learn! But wait... The new intro and outro music was written and performed by Brian K. Buffington. Connect with Brian at bri

Omar Reda, MD talks with me about his book The Wounded Healer: The Pain and Joy of Caregiving. This is episode 518 of Teaching Learning Leading K12, an audio podcast. With us today is Dr. Omar Reda, world-renowned, Harvard-trained trauma expert, the author of several books, including his most recent book, “The Wounded Healer: The Pain and Joy of Caregiving”, and the founder of Untangled, a healing initiative that aims to break the cycles of trauma-related dysfunction through connection, support, education, empowerment, and the mastery of healthy coping skills. Today, we are focused on his book - The Wounded Healer: The Pain and Joy of Caregiving.  Lots to learn! But wait... The new intro and outro music was written and performed by Brian K. Buffington. Connect with Brian at briankbuffington@gmail.com or go to his website at  https://briankbuffington.com/ He is an awesome musician, comedic power, teacher, trainer, technology guru, and overall creator of all that is cool. Thanks, Brian! Oh, yeah... Could you

  Tim Moss & Bill Wall talk with me about their book - Complexities and Challenges: Clinical Perspectives in Combat Veteran Treatment and the Unique Needs of Military & Veteran Families. This is episode 517 of Teaching Learning Leading K12, an audio podcast. Lt Col (retired) William Wall is a combat veteran and CEO for The Center for Life Stress and Psychotherapy. He is a 30-year veteran of the Air Force and Army and an internationally recognized leader in the field of disaster and military-related clinical traumatology. During his Air Force career, he served as the mental health deputy flight commander at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and the chief of behavioral health for Air Force Materiel Command. He was deployed in 2004-2005 as a combat stress team commander for Operation Iraqi Freedom and learned firsthand the dynamics of combat stress and its relation to PTSD. He served as social work ambulatory programs coordinator and manager for the Freedom Center, Dayton VA’s Operation Enduring Freedom

Lesley Koplow - Popcorn Comes to School: The Story of a Kitten in Kindergarten. This is episode 516 of Teaching Learning Leading K12, an audio podcast. Lesley Koplow is a clinical social worker, teacher and author who lives in New York City. She is the Director of Emotionally Responsive Practice at Bank Street College, founder of Networks for Schools That Heal and a psychotherapist in private practice.  Lesley is the author of several books including; Where Rag Dolls Hide Their Faces, The Way Home, Unsmiling Faces: How Preschools Can Heal, Creating Schools That Heal, Bears, Bears Everywhere: Supporting Children's Emotional Health in the Classroom, Tanya and the Tobo Man, Politics Aside; Our Children and Their Teachers in Score-Driven Times, and Emotionally Responsive Practice: A Path for Schools That Heal.  Lesley is also the author of a children’s series A Story for Children in the Time of COVID…Lilah in the Land of the Littles , Jasmine’s Big Idea, and Wilson’s Wishes… and now Popcorn Comes to School: The

Eileen J. Donovan: A Lady Newspaperman's Dilemma. This is episode 515 of Teaching Learning Leading K12, an audio podcast. Today I am talking with Eileen J. Donovan. Although born in New York City, where she spent most of her life, she has lived in six states and has visited most of the others. She earned her MA in English at Northern Arizona University. In one way or another, she has been writing her entire life, whether it was imaginative stories for her friends, or advertising copy for industrial clients. She never felt her stories were “good enough” to be published. At the persistent urging of her late husband, she finally agreed to seriously edit and revise one of them and take the plunge. Although accepted for publication, the book never made it all the way to print. However, she had the courage to pursue her dream of becoming a published author. Years later, her persistence paid off. Her traditionally published debut historical novel, Promises, won the 2019 Marie M Irvine Award for Literary Excellence

Richard Owens & Anthony Cook: How can we make the college prep process more equitable? This is episode 514 of Teaching Learning Leading K12, an audio podcast. Today I’m talking with Anthony Cook and Richard Owens: Anthony is currently the Coordinator of College and Career Counseling at Osceola County School District in Kissimmee Florida. The National College Attainment Network (NCAN) recently named Cook one of 15 College and Career Readiness Fellows across the United States and the sole Fellow from Florida. Cook earned a Master of Science (M.S.) focused in Marriage and Family Therapy/Counseling from Stetson University. Richard Owens, The Managing Director of Programs at Tarrant To & Through Partnership (T3 Partnership), began his career in the classroom teaching fifth-grade math and science, and later joined Teach for America in a variety of roles.  As a senior managing director for Teach for America he built a community of more than 600 equity-driven corps members and alumni. With a focus on the p

Vicki Cody talks about her books Army Wife: A Story of Love and Family in the Heart of the Army and Fly Safe: Letters From the Gulf War and Reflections from Back Home. This is episode 513 of Teaching Learning Leading K12, an audio podcast.  Vicki Cody grew up in Burlington, Vermont and graduated from the University of Vermont in 1975, with a BS degree in education. For the next 33 years she was an Army wife, supporting her husband in his career. While raising their two sons and moving all over the United States and overseas, she served as a coach and mentor for Army spouses and as an advocate for Army families. Vicki has received numerous awards for her work on behalf of military families. In 2007, she was written into the Congressional Record in a tribute to her by Congressman Sylvestre Reyes, for her writings about Army life and her contributions to the nation as an Army wife and Army mom. In 2021, Vicki, along with her husband Dick, received the General Creighton Abrams Medal for Service from the Associ

Barbara R. Blackburn talks about her books Rigor in the K-5 Math and Science Classroom and Rigor in the 6-12 Math and Science Classroom. This is episode 512 of Teaching Learning Leading K12, an audio podcast. Barbara R. Blackburn, named a Top 30 Global Guru in Education, has dedicated her life to raising the level of rigor and motivation for professional educators and students alike. What differentiates Barbara’s over 30 books are her easily executable concrete examples based on decades of experience as a teacher, professor and consultant.  Barbara’s dedication to education was inspired in her early years by her parents. Her father’s doctorate and lifetime career as a professor taught her the importance of professional training. Her mother’s career as a school secretary shaped Barbara’s appreciation of the effort all staff play in the education of every student.  Barbara has taught early childhood, elementary, middle and high school students and has served as an educational consultant for three publishing

  Walter Stephen Geeding shares his award winning novel - Endless Times - Volume One: The Path of Kokopelli. This is episode 511 of Teaching Learning Leading K12, an audio podcast. Walter Stephen Geeding, ever since he ran away from home as a teen-ager to gallivant across North America with his best friend, has always been a curious man of adventure who has lived his life as wildly as the characters in his books.  In fact, it is hard to separate Walter from the exploits his characters unveil on the pages of his books.  At age 17, Walter was a hippie who traveled all over the nation and Canada in an old convertible. He did odd jobs – YMCA instructor, painted water towers, built homes, photo lab technician – and got himself into all kinds of brushes with the law. He even shot himself – twice – accidentally. Eventually he turned his life around, and at age 38 earned a BA in English from Missouri Southern State University. In 1996 he earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Tulsa. He became a prosecutor

Gisela Bengfort shares her children's book series: Wolfy's Adventure. This is episode 510 of Teaching Learning Leading K12, an audio podcast. Gisela Bengfort-Piatti frequently tells stories to her kids and grandkids about animals, empathy, making decisions, and unlimited possibilities. Camryn, one of her grandkids, inspired her to write down some of these family stories and true events from her past to the present.  Her children’s book series covers topics of trust, friendship, fortitude, overcoming challenges, resilience, and love. The stories show that it takes courage to live life fully, that we can’t always win but to not try guarantees a loss, that every failure makes us grow bigger, and that nothing is static for long. Gisela loves the outdoors and all animals. You can find her on many Bay Area trails, sharing her laughter with family and friends. She was born in Switzerland, where she met the love of her life, Joe Bengfort, in 1997. Six months later, they got married in the USA, and she moved with he

Dr. Jamie Weiner - The Quest for Legitimacy: How Children of Prominent Families Discover Their Unique Place in the World. This is episode 509 of the audio podcast Teaching Learning Leading K12. Jamie Weiner is a psychologist and co-founder of Inheriting Wisdom, a consultancy for high-net-worth families. Jamie works on all the problems that exist behind the money. Co-founder of Inheriting Wisdom with his wife, Dr. Carolyn Friend, he excels in activating families to become high performance families. Dr. Weiner is the co-author of The Legacy Conversation, a book designed to encourage families to have meaningful dialogues about the impact of money and the importance of intentionality for families of means. He has authored numerous articles and speaks frequently. Intrigued with the experiences of rising-gen family members, Jamie initiated an ongoing qualitative research study called “The Land of the Giants”. The purpose of the study is to understand what it is like growing up in the shadows of other’s successes.

Jeremy S. Adams: The State of Education in the U.S. Today. This is episode 508 of Teaching Learning Leading K12, an audio podcast. Jeremy S. Adams is a high school and University teacher living in Bakersfield, California. He and his writing have appeared in The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, The Huffington Post, C-Span, The Sacramento Bee, and numerous national education podcasts.  Mr. Adams has won numerous accolades for his teaching and writing efforts including the 2014 California State Teacher of the Year Award (Daughters of the American Revolution), the 2012 Kern County Teacher of the Year Award, was a 2013 semi-finalist for the California Department of Education's California Teacher of the Year Award, and was a finalist in 2014 for the Carlston Family Foundation National Teacher Award.  He was recognized in 2014 by the California State Senate for his achievements in education. He was a 2018 CSUB (California State University, Bakersfield) Hall of Fame inductee--the first classroom teacher ever

Dan E. Hendrickson Discusses His Novel - The Living Legend: A Last Enemy Prequel, Writing Techniques, and Influences on His Writing. This is episode 507 of Teaching Learning Leading K12, an audio podcast. Dan Hendrickson was born in Sheridan Wyoming in 1962 near the rustic Big Horn mountain range to Carl and Helen Hendrickson. He went to school in the Sheridan School District graduating from Sheridan High School in 1981. He was an avid participant in boxing, martial arts, wrestling, and track. His father owned a small eight lane bowling alley that he ran until Dan was 12 years old. Carl also had a master’s degree in English and loved to write poetry and plays. Dan picked up on his father’s love for the written word and enrolled in Casper Community College in 1982 majoring in journalism. Although he found that he had an aptitude for investigative reporting, he decided that his interests were in other areas. He went on to do much volunteer Christian ministry work throughout the United States most of his adult