After School Chat: Recent Episodes
Levar Sheffield and Sarah Williford
Studies have shown that teachers make an average of 1500 decisions per day, or about 4 decisions per minute. This is a podcast that discusses the encounters teachers have day in and day out. Your hosts, Levar Sheffield and Sarah Williford hope to flesh out the purpose of teaching, discuss viewpoints held on pedagogy, and hear from people in various positions within the educational system. After School Chat is a weekly conversation about what it's really like at school.
Hey guys! This week I had a wonderful conversation with Maureen (Mo) Foster about technology in the classroom. She is working to become a technology instructional coach, and already has experience with helping teachers add technology to the classroom. We talk about how the pandemic accelerated the direction that teaching was moving in. Mo also offers insight into some of the problems that came with this style of teaching, but also the benefits offered through technology. We hope you enjoy this week's episode! Catch you next week!
Hey guys! This week we have another guest, Leeann Morris! She is an amazing teacher who is on the PBIS team. Coach and I loved getting to ask her questions about this school-wide system, her experience in its implementation and practice, and other tips and tricks for classroom management! Take a listen for our reward system ideas, and let us know what yours are! We hope you enjoy this week's episode of After School Chat.
Hey guys! Another week closer to summer break! Coach and I hope that everyone is hanging in there by using their decompression techniques and selfcare strategies. We come to you this week to chat about having a substitute in the classroom. We talk about what it is like to have a sub for specials and a normal classroom, and the challenges that comes with. Coach also enlightens us about his experience in admin with keeping all the plates spinning while having 14 teachers out and only 4 substitutes. We talk about short time vs long term subs, and so much more. Take a listen, then tell us what you think! You can find us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twiiter!
Hey guys! Coach and I are back with a new episode for you wonderful listeners! This week we talked to a Dual Langauge teacher about so many different topics. We asked her questions about the struggles that are unique to Dual Language students and teachers, the difference between Bilingual and Dual Language, and how cultural differences impact learning. We loved having Debbi on, and look forward to having her on again soon! Take a listen and tell us what you think on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.
Hello! Coach and I chat this week about teacher mental health. We give examples of struggles we have faced ourselves, then list strategies we use to cope. We touch on some of the possible systemic issues that contribute to the underlying cause of our stress. Teaching is a large burden, but it is a burden of love. There are incredibly rewarding aspects of teaching, but they can become over shadowed by extra work, toxic work places, low pay, and of course, the pandemic. We hope you enjoy the episode this week! Catch you next week!
Hey guys! Coach Sheffield and I hope that you and your families were safe during the hard freeze. We come to you this week talking about childhood mental health. Although there is not a curriculum for mental health, it is a topic that must be learned by everyone, and it has a larger impact on academic success than some might think. Poor mental health can be caused by a myriad of factors- genetics, abuse, the pandemic, and many more. Coach and I talk about how poor mental health impacts students, how it manifests in the classroom, and how we have found a way help every student improve their mental health. This may be a multipart episode because this is an important topic to us. Let us know if you have seen a shift in the mental health of your students on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter!
Hey guys! This week Coach and I discuss what it was like in school before COVID, during the first year of the pandemic, and now what it is like nearly 3 years into the pandemic. I am sure a lot of you can think of ways that this pandemic has affected large aspects of teaching, but Coach and I wanted to chat about the smaller impacts that play into or are caused by the sacrifices we had to make. Shifting to an all virtual, then half virtual, and lastly some mish-mosh of both, has been challenging and confusing to say the least, but it has been revolutionary in other ways. Coach and I hope you enjoy listening to this episode. As always, please let us know what pros and cons you have noticed at your work since the start of the pandemic on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter!
Hey guys! Coach and I had an enthralling chat about toxic situations we, and some of our friends, have faced while at work in school. From teacher feuds, to misplaced frustration, and even vindictiveness, we talk about so many different types of toxicity that teachers face day to day at work. Take a listen, and let us know what situations you have seen, or maybe even gone through, and let us know what you learned from it! Coach and I hope you enjoy this episode of After School Chat. Let us know what you think on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter!
Hey guys! In the week before Thanksgiving break, Coach and I chat about "Teaching Myths" we have read or been told of. Some of these blew us away when we heard them. Have you heard any beliefs about teaching that you feel are completely untrue? Take a listen to the myths we bust, and let us know if there are any myths you'd like to debunk on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Catch you next week!
Hey guys! We are back with another thought-provoking topic: Personal vs Professional Development. Which one creates the biggest benefit to becoming a successful teacher? Why do we need both? What do each types of development look like? What do each types of development offer teachers? Listen and find out! Coach and I had fun with this topic, and it might be one to dive deeper into. What do you think? Let us know on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram!
After a far too long break, we are happy to announce a new episode of After School Chat! Be sure to tune into this episode because we brought on a guest for the first time! In this episode, Coach and I interview Coach J about after school programs. Both Coach J and Coach Sheffield have led after school programs, so they had tons of insight on the details of after school programs! As always, let us know what your thoughts are on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter! Coach Sheffield and I will catch you next week in an episode about Personal vs Professional Development.
Hey guys! I hope y'all are doing well! Coach and I want to thank you all for listening to our podcast and spreading the word. We love hearing the feedback, and we love seeing the engagement online! We welcome all ideas and constructive discourse!
Anyways, this week's episode is all about school culture, what it is, what it looks like, and what it affects. Coach and I hit on a lot of good points, but we may have missed some. If we did, please let us know on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, and we can continue the discussion with you guys!
Hey guys! This week Coach and I talk about punishments and consequences in the classroom. As specials teachers, we see students for a fraction of the time that homeroom teachers see them. This means that the impact we have on their behavior is considerably less than a homeroom teacher has. Coach and I also talk about ways we can adapt to this adversity, and actually work with teachers to strengthen both of our behavior management systems! Take a listen, and tell us what you do for behavior management on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter!
Hey guys! This week Coach and I talk about ways we decompress, why it is important to decompress, and what has happened to us when we do not decompress. Have you ever felt like coming home and staring at a wall for an indeterminant amount of time? Then you may relate to our topic this week! Tune in to the episode this week, and leave us a comment on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter about the ways you decompress, or an experience you've had dealing with decompression.
P.S. This is the twitch psychiatrist I talk about on the episode. https://kanojiapsychiatry.com/about/
After double checking, I realized that I misspoke on the episode. He does not conduct actual therapy sessions on stream, but he does talk to streamers in a very similar way.
In this episode, Coach and I discuss what bullying is by definition, and what it actually looks like. We talk about how it has changed since we were kids, to now. We talk about the ways we have handled bullying incidents in our classes, what we have been told to do by admin, and what we think would truly help students develop as people. Join our after school chat by letting us know what you think on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram!
Hey guys! I lost my voice this week, you know how it is, and as I am sure no one would enjoy listening to a dying cat, so this week Coach and I give you an episode from last year! In this episode of After School Chat, Coach and I talk about why we feel specials isn't just an "extra class". How do you feel about specials? Are they not as important as core classes? Can they be used to further apply concepts learned in core classes?
Let us know on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter!
Edit: If you downloaded the podcast and noticed that there was no audio, I have re-uploaded the episode with the correct audio. So sorry for the inconvenience and confusion!
Welcome back to the podcast! Coach and I are so excited to talk to you about what is different this school year. We have our own concerns for coming back top school as normal, but we are also excited to see all of our students back in class! Coach and I discuss the new safety precautions, the difference in behavior in our students, and our plans to adapt to several changes.
We are so curious to hear your thoughts on this school year! Do you have any concerns about the school year/ Do you think this year is a year back to normal, or is it a recovery year? What are you anticipating will be different? How do you plan to adapt?
Let us know on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter!
Hey guys! On this week's episode, Levar and I dive into the topic of classroom discipline. How do specials teachers create structure for their students? Why is consistency in consequences so important for students? Let's talk about it!
Please feel free to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter! We would love to hear your thoughts on these topics!
In this episode, Levar and I discuss the obstacles we have faced so far, and the ways we overcame them. Everything from communication to emotional stamina. Listen in to hear about what teachers worry over day in and day out!