Accepting The Challenges: Recent Episodes

Shane Howard

Behind the scenes, after hours, staying up late and going above and beyond. That sums up educators in a nutshell. Educators fill so many different roles in the journey of tomorrow's adults and we want to give them the proper shine and appreciation they deserve. We will be showcasing teachers, counselors, superintendents, principals, headmasters, and much more.

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Shane and Mike Liggett have an insightful chat on Mikes journey from college basketball to being a star in the teaching world. Its refreshing to hear Mike's humble approach, his lessons learned from a great mentor. You will also learn how the #sneaker culture has impacted how Mike connectes and engages with today's youth.

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Shane and Ryan have an insightful conversation on k-12 education, mental health, and serving at risk youth. Ryan details his experience of using Bal-A-Vis-X in his instruction and the benefits he has seen out of this. Ryan shares his tips on work life balance, self-care and his approach to helping and serving young people who have dealt with trauma.

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Shane and Dr. Tracey Beckendorf-Edou discuss her journey in education and how that led her to progress from a math and science teacher to a now Superintendent. Dr. Beckendorf-Edou shares how her life experiences , childhood trauma and time in Africa has allowed her to channel those experiences to be an education leader any community would be honored to have. I strongly suggest you check this episode out ASAP.

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Shane chats with Dr. Tron Young about his role as a principal. In this interview you will quickly see Dr. Young's energy and why he was no doubt a no brainer to be awarded Lifechanger 2020 IL Middle School Principal of The Year. He also explains why he loves getting kids in the "middle" and why he loves leading middle schoolers.

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Shane catches up with Carlos Malave. Carlos dives into his journey into education, and taking it a step further and becoming a restorative practice consultant. He also candidly shares his struggles, family life challenges as a kid and how he has used those experiences to impact the lives of the youth he serves each day. A raw, real and uncut conversation about life, and the pain and struggles we all deal with.

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Shane chats with Dr Adam Ehrman. Dr Ehrman discusses his journey from humble beginnings, growing up as a teachers son, how he decided to go into education and why he does what he does. Currently serving his third school district at the superintendent level he details why he chose the current district he works in and what he thinks is ahead for the future of education. Educators of all career paths, this is a must listen.

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Shane chats with Chris Tennyson the Assistant Regional Superintendent of Schools. Chris shares his life journey into law enforcement and how that guided him into education. Chris also shares how his experience in law enforcement allowed him to stop a would be school shooting while a principal of Fulton High School that undoubtedly saved countless lives. This is certainly a must listen for those in education and parents alike.

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Shane is joined by Dr. Kelli Joseph to have an impactful conversation about her amazing and inspiring journey into education and her role as Superintendent. They both take a moment to compare ACT scores, with a surprising outcome. Shane and Dr. Kelly also dive into social subjects of today and discuss what can be done at the local levels to truly impact the future for our young people and society as a whole. This is a conversation full of laughs and energy and one you do not want to miss.

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Dr. Elmendorf discusses why he calls middle school the "messy middle" and why he believes that serving the middle school age demographic takes a high level of emotional intelligence. Doug also gives some insight into his journey, his love for technology and where he thinks the current education disruption will go. 

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Shane and Dr. Powers dive into how he is navigating the current pandemic. Dr Powers also shares what he loves about his position serving the largest high school in New Hampshire. 

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Shane is joined by Teacher and Author Danielle Shelton. Danielle shares what she has learned from teaching k-12 and post-secondary. You get to hear her passion in how she works to inspire and connect with young people. Danielle also shares where her love and passion comes from and how her family, life experiences and a caring grandfather molded her into the educational leader she is today. 

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Shane sits down with Richard Ramos. Richard shares his journey from young immigrant, overcoming gangs and juvenile detention to serving City Council Member and Mayor Pro Tem in San Fernando California , to becoming a principal at multiple schools and becoming a true servant to his community and the youth within it. Shane and Richard point out their similarities in overcoming challenges and share stories for an episode that should be a must listen for educators and non-educators alike.

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Join Shane as he sits down with Robert, former NCAA Division one standout for the Georgetown Hoyas as he details his journey through life, around the world playing basketball professionally and now serving young people in a community that he loves. Robert also dives in to some of the lessons learned from the late Coach John Thompson. 

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The Superintendent of Schools at Brigantine Board Of Education, Glenn Robbins sits down to discuss his journey and how the current challenges brought his team and community together.

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From marketing and communications professional to Silicon Valley area teacher. This is a journey you do not want to miss. 

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As a Principal in rural Texas, Patrick details his journey through different states, what drives his culture, and much more.

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We sit down with Fred Johnson a retired colonel of the United States Army, Author, and now Teacher. Hearing his journey into teaching and what he has learned so far is truly inspiring.

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Our Newest Episode is a great example of a full-time remote teacher that embraces technology and change. It was awesome to hear Layal Olive describe some of the real-world skills she's teaching today's young people about how to maneuver in a world of information overload.

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Nate was nominated for the Wisconsin Teacher of the Year Award in 2016, he was the recipient of the Milwaukee Public Schools Start, Stay, Succeed Award in 2017,  and is currently the coordinator for the Black and Latino Male Achievement program for Milwaukee Public Schools.