In this episode, Brent shares three short stories illustrating the power contained in even the briefest of our interactions with others, and how those moments can be life-changing for others…and ourselves.

Kevin grew up in poverty, attending school in more than 20 states before becoming the first high school and college graduate in his family. For 13 years, he taught K-12 art, summer art camps, and wrote and directed high school plays. He is currently a technology integrationist and staff developer based in Colorado Springs. In this episode, Kevin sh…

Ever encountered someone who just exudes joy, who brightens your day when you’re in his or her presence? What if we were able to be that kind of person for those around us? In this episode, Brent shares a recent experience and how it can remind us that every one of us, regardless of position, has the opportunity to share contagious joy.…

In this episode, Brent shares a personal story to remind us that not only is it important to take care of ourselves so we can better serve others, but that self care can look different for each of us. As silly as it sounds, it might even take the form of a fast food restaurant.

This episode will put a smile on your face as six amazing educators share heartwarming stories that remind us not to focus on the challenges of the job, but rather on the best parts of being a teacher.

At some point in your life, you may have received the following advice – “Never look back!” While we definitely don’t want to live in the past, in this episode, Brent uses a personal story to make the case that looking back isn’t just okay, it’s necessary to remember and appreciate how far we’ve come.…

Tisha is an innovative district Student Engagement & Professional Development Specialist, international speaker, Canva Learning Consultant, and Canva Education Creator from Southern Oregon. Previously, she served as a district Tech Integration Specialist and taught Family & Consumer Science for 25 years. Tisha is also a podcast host and author of M…

Being a classroom or school leader is a serious job. A very serious job. Please don’t let the title of this episode lead you to believe otherwise. But in this broadcast, Brent reminds listeners that we should never let the mundane-yet-important tasks keep us from having fun and spending time with students.…

Allyson has been an educator for 24 years, an award-winning school leader for 19 of those years. She is passionate about students and staff and leads others through their strengths. Allyson is also the author of multiple books, most recently publishing Leading the Whole Teacher with Dave Burgess Consulting. In this episode, Allyson discusses the im…

Ashley has been in the field of education for 17 years. She began her career teaching middle school in Florida and then Long Beach, California, and she is currently an Instructional Technology Specialist in Southern California. She is also the host of the Blending In Podcast where she helps other teachers leverage the power of technology in the cla…

Kevin has been an award-winning teacher in Southern California for over 20 years, currently teaching classes in history and economics at the high school level. Having a strong desire to share with other educators, Kevin shares a multitude of lessons and digital resources on his website at mrroughton.com. Another of his passions is Disney, and in 20…

Yes, you read the title correctly. This episode references the popular toilet spray that helps eliminate odors in the bathroom. “And, just how does this relate to education?” you ask. Well, in this episode, Brent shares a powerful reminder that while parts of the job may stink, our job as leaders is to do everything we can to make it stink less. In…

Lisa is a 5th grade teacher in Southern California who is passionate about providing her students with engaging, outside-of-the-box learning experiences. She loves sharing resources at conferences, on social media, and through her website, and in this episode, Lisa shares how she draws on her own experience with game shows to make her classroom a “…

Bill is the Director of Technology at Hillbrook School in Northern California. Passionate about helping educators harness the ever-changing face of technology to better individualize teaching and learning, he shares resources at billselak.com and through his Bill Selak Talks podcast. In this episode, Bill shares the incredibly important reminder th…

Erika is a veteran educator, serving in the field for 24 years. She spent 16 years as an elementary and middle school teacher, became a math specialist and instructional coordinator, and is now a second-year elementary principal in St. Louis, Missouri. Erika has a passion for supporting teachers so they can better support their teachers. Becoming a…

In this episode, Brent uses a personal story and a scene from the classic movie City Slickers to transparently share the importance of avoiding the trap of comparing ourselves to others.

Carly has 15 years of experience in Multilingual Education, including her service as an EL teacher, a third-grade bilingual classroom teacher, and a district-wide Multilingual Instructional Coach. She is currently a multilingual education specialist at the Illinois Resource Center and the author of Moving Beyond for Multilingual Learners. When talk…

Todd is the Director of Culture and Strategic Leadership for the Texas Elementary Principals and Supervisors Association (TEPSA). He was previously a Principal/Lead Learner at a PreK-5 school in Texas. He is also an award-winning author for his books Kids Deserve It!, Stories From Webb, Sparks in the Dark, and When Kids Lead. In this episode, Todd …

In the previous episode, Brent’s recently retired father began sharing leadership lessons he’s learned throughout his career. In this episode, he’s back to share four more valuable pieces of advice, things he wishes he knew when he started his career, knowledge that can help listeners better serve those in their care.…

To celebrate the 100th episode of the podcast, Brent chats with a distinguished guest – his father (be sure to check out father and son in Episode 6 as well). Don has recently retired from a long and successful career in a variety of leadership positions. In this episode, the first of a two-part conversation, he shares valuable pieces of advice, ei…

Mike is an elementary school principal in Illinois and the author of The EduCulture Cookbook: Recipes & Dishes to Positively Transform School & Classroom Culture. Solomon is a middle school teacher and author of three novels for young readers: A Ghost in the Attic, Feasters: An Apocalyptic Tale, and Feasters: The Circle. Brent is the author of Stor…

Vernon is an entrepreneur, speaker, life coach, consultant, and leader. He has over 17 years of experience in education working in large, urban school districts and has previously served in the roles of teacher, teacher leader, campus leadership team member, and district-level support. Get ready to be inspired as Vernon passionately reminds us that…

Rosalba has been an educator in Southern California for nearly 20 years. She started her career as an instructional assistant, taught for 14 years, and then moved into administration where she is currently in her first year as the principal of Castle View Elementary in Riverside, California. Rosalba is passionate about supporting those around her, …

In this episode, Brent shares some of his reflections on the 2020-2021 school year, focusing not only on the challenges, but on the skills, knowledge, and experiences we gained because of them. As we prepare to welcome students back in August, Brent reminds us that we are better than we were 15 months ago. So let’s not just settle for things gettin…

Back as a guest on the podcast for the fourth time, John is a passionate educator doing amazing things as the Executive Director of Westlake Charter School in Sacramento, California. He is also the host of the incredible Learn With John Eick Podcast, one you definitely want to check out. In this episode, John and Brent take inspiration from Star Tr…

Toby is a former elementary school teacher and currently an assistant principal at Gary Road Elementary School in Mississippi. He is a passionate educator who actively shares encouragement, resources, and expertise through Twitter and his blog. His wife, Leah, has been an educator and is currently working at home taking care of their three children…

In this episode, Brent flies solo to talk about how a simple song lyric can remind us that we have a choice -- to water the tree of thankfulness rather than the weed of negativity.

Evan has been an educator for 23 years, had multiple roles in the field, and has been a school district administrator for the past 11. In this episode, Evan talks about balance, boundaries, and breaks as he transparently shares his powerful story of the importance of advocating for our own mental and physical health.…

Mike is in his seventh year as an elementary principal in Lansing, Illinois. Before moving into administration, he taught middle school English Language Arts for 15 years. Mike is the author of the book The EduCulture Cookbook (to be released spring/summer 2021), co-host of the Punk Rock Classrooms Podcast, and shares his thoughts on education on h…

Mary is an assistant principal in the Murrieta Valley Unified School District. Before moving into administration, she taught middle school math and was an Instructional Math Coach. In this episode, Mary shares the powerful story of how she immigrated to the United States at a young age and the challenges she faced as a second language learner. You …

Joe is the Director of Academic Innovation at CUE. He is also a Google Innovative Educator/Trainer, a Microsoft Innovative Educator, and the co-host of the Sons of Technology Podcast. In this episode, Joe and I share the stories of our journeys to a more fit and healthy lifestyle, along with encouragement and tips on how others can take the journey…

Sean is a National Board Certified Teacher and currently the Staff Development and Induction Coordinator for the Murrieta Valley Unified School District in Southern California, facilitating the district’s professional development programs and induction program for new teachers. In this episode, Sean shares the personal story of how he came to under…

Dr. Sam, a professor at Grove City College in Pennsylvania working with preservice teachers in the areas of educational technology and special education, is back for another episode (see her previous chat in Episode 52)! She is also the author of EduMagic: A Guide for Preservice Teachers and EduMagic Shine On: A Guide for New Teachers. In this epis…

Brian is the Director of Technology of the Washington Unified School District in Northern California, the Board President of CUE, and co-host of the awesome Check This Out podcast. While this past year brought significant challenges, there were also some bright spots. In this episode, Brian and Brent share some of the silver linings from 2020.…

Scott is a former language arts teacher turned educational technology coach in Northern California, passionately helping educators infuse technology into their teaching. He is also the host of multiple outstanding podcasts including the TNT Edtech Podcast and Education Today. In this episode, Scott and Brent share the stories of how they got into p…

Jessica, an elementary principal in Southern California, is back to continue the conversation she and Brent began in Episode 83 on building classroom and campus culture! Listen in as Jessica and Brent share even more practical ways educators can make their schools a place where students want to be, teachers want to teach, and parents want to send t…

Jessica has been an elementary principal in the Colton Joint Unified School District for over 10 years. She is passionate about celebrating students, staff, and creating a positive school culture, and she frequently shares her passion with the world via her blog, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. In this episode, Jessica and Brent share practical wa…

In this episode, Brent is interviewed by his pastor, John Hansen, for his church's weekly podcast. Brent discusses the joys and challenges of teaching and leading through a global pandemic, offers encouragement and suggestions for teachers and parents, and reminds us we're making more of a difference than we may realize.…

In an episode borne from his recent blog post, Brent talks about how we should make our classrooms more like...wait for it...El Pollo Loco. That's right. El Pollo Loco. As most of us prepare to begin the new school year in a virtual model, this episode will remind you that our lessons, as great as they might be, may not be what get students up in t…

Nyree and Tory are both educators in Southern California, Nyree a Curriculum Program Specialist for Technology in the Colton Joint Unified School District, and Tory an elementary special education teacher in the Murrieta Valley Unified School District. In this episode, Nyree, Tory and Brent have an honest conversation about equality, racism, white …

John is a passionate educator doing amazing things as the Executive Director of Westlake Charter School in Sacramento, California. In this broadcast, released on both Teaching Tales and the Learn with John Eick Podcast, John and Brent swap stories and lessons learned after one month of distance learning.…

Dr. Ed is the Vice President of Strategy and Content and co-owner of NUITEQ. As a professional and parent, he is deeply concerned about how we can make education relevant for careers that don’t yet exist. In this episode, he chats with Brent about the importance of fostering creativity in students and their teachers.…

Solomon is a veteran educator with more than 20 years classroom experience currently teaching middle school in Southern California. He is also the author of two books for children and young adults, A Ghost in the Attic and Feasters: An Apocalyptic Tale. If you've ever dreamed of writing a book for kids, this episode is for you as Solomon shares the…

Along with his dad and daughter, Brent's amazing wife becomes the third member of the family to be a guest on Teaching Tales. Jill has worked in the field of social work for 25 years and is currently the Chief of Child and Family Programs at International Christian Adoptions, a foster care and adoption agency in Southern California. In this episode…

Todd is in his eighth year as an elementary principal in Southern California. Before moving into administration, he spent 13 years as a classroom teacher and two as an assistant principal. Todd is an active member of the educational community, sharing his wisdom, experiences, and resources on Twitter and through his blog. In this broadcast, Todd an…

Amber is the proud principal of Whitt Elementary in Wylie ISD in Wylie, Texas. She has co-created a space on Facebook for principals, by principals, that shares staff appreciation and motivation ideas, tips, and tricks to ensure the well being of a campus staff. Amber is also the co-author of Lead With Appreciation, a book filled with practical str…

Dean is a 3rd grade teacher in the Riverside Unified School District in Southern California. A 20-year veteran in the classroom, his students create their own podcast called the Deaver Scholars Podcast to highlight the amazing things happening in their classroom and school. In this episode, Dean and Brent share stories of the many positive effects …

Meredith is a veteran educator in Florida with over 40 years of experience. Though officially retired, Meredith is still impacting educators around the world through #BookCampPD, a weekly Twitter chat she created to connect educators with each other and with the outstanding educational books available to help teachers and administrators grow their …

Sarah is a former English Teacher and building principal turned author and entrepreneur who is living her own leap of faith on a mission to teach masses. She is a co-author of Balance Like a Pirate, the author of Lead with Faith, and a state and national conference speaker around topics of balance, resilience, and faith. In this episode, Sarah and …

Ann is an Educator Innovation Lead at Flipgrid, helping teachers all over the world engage and empower their students by recording and sharing short videos. In this episode, Ann shares a TON of powerful ways educators can easily use Flipgrid to amplify student voice. You don't want to miss this episode!…