Didactic Cafe: Recent Episodes
Chad Lehrmann
As an author and a high school social studies teacher, I am fascinated by characters- as well as the character that defines those characters. This podcast will explore topics in history, writing, and current events through the lens of ethics and integrity. I believe that learning to live a life of character is best achieved by exploring and debating the ethical nature of human life.
Follow my new podcast, Culture Cuts with Chad Lehrmann at all the same sites!
We separate our lives into so many parts. Work and home life, church and public life, online and reality. I've done it, too. I used to manage two podcasts- one for education, one for urban legends analysis. It got so tiring trying to maintain those two distinct sites, so I decided to merge them. Maybe it's time we merge our lives again. Make who we are online the same as who we are in person. Get rid of our 'voices' we adopt to convey a sense of power and just speak as we naturally do.
This is the first episode of my new podcast which will share some of the older podcasts over educational issues alongside my "Urban Legends Unmasked" series and this Didactic Cafe podcast. Look for that classic content along with all new podcasts coming at you weekly!
A friend shared a quote with me the other day:
2022 taught me to stop aspiring to sit at tables where I have to bring my own chair, squeeze in between folks, and repeatedly convince others why I should be there. I learned to build a new table.
As educators, we sometimes find ourselves among peers and on campuses that keep denying us a seat at the table. We can choose to keep forcing our way in where we are not wanted, or we can build our own table. We can leave toxic cultures, or we can stay and build fellowships with like-minded teachers who want to hear our voice, and wantto make space for us.
So what do you say, shall we learn to build our own table?
I spent the last week working with my school's production of Puffs, a parody of that magical school with the Potter kid. As a teacher, I got to literally peek behind the curtain of a unique classroom- one that deserves a lot more attention and a standing ovation. Music education is talked about often, but less so do we sing the praises of theatre and art. On this episode, I share what I learned about the class of the stage, and share some of the insight I gleaned from other the directors, the students, and just the general amazingness that is the student-led theatre.
I sometimes feel invisible as an educator.
Not from my students, or my family, but from my community. From my fellow educators.
And I am not alone.
I don't know that I have answers for those of us who feel invisible, other than we need to start letting people know how we feel. Too many amazing teachers leave because their concerns, their needs, and they fears go unseen by fellow teachers and administrators. We cannot keep "sucking it up," we need to let people know we want to be acknowledged.
And when we can, we need to make sure we are shining a light on the invisible teachers among us.
Teacher pay gets all the press when it comes to why teachers are leaving the profession. But for teachers in the field, a very close second would be issues that stem from poor or broken leadership.
Whether you are a department head, campus admin, district admin, School Board member, or state educational leader, you have a tremendous responsibility to communicate with, support, end favoritism, and build connections where disconnects exist.
This podcast will share what this teacher sees can and should be done to develop and maintain strong educational leadership. Because failure to lead well will inevitably lead to a well drained supply of teachers.
Note-This is the first of a series on teacher burnout and how to stem the tide of losing excellent educators.
Teachers try every day to do the impossible- teach diverse learners meaningful lessons that lead to deeper understanding. Occasionally, we craft a lesson that truly captures lightning in a bottle- a learning experience that not only creates understanding, it creates a lasting memory that students will talk about for the rest of their lives.
Jonathan Brady is an English and History teacher that I have the pleasure of calling a colleague and a friend. He has created many lighting in a bottle moments, but on today's episode, we will chat about one in particular that he goes above and beyond on- 1984. Not only does it help students get immersed in the book, it teaches relevant life lessons and is generally, a lot of fun.
Teachers like Jonathan are doing this every day- pouring their lives into students and their profession. This is the first in what I hope to be a continuing, if intermittent, series of interviews with amazing educators.
I often see posts on social media lamenting that schools don't teach kids how to argue, how to keep a checkbook, or how to do basic human life skills.
These posts are inherently wrong and demonstrate a misunderstanding of what IS done and taught in Public Schools.
On this episode, we will look at five common requests people have for things that should be taught- finance, debate, manners/common sense, Religion, and "Civics." We will also talk about how each of these either ARE taught, or cannot be taught because it would be unconstitutional- or just wouldn't make common sense. (See what I did there?)
Oh, and if you want to know what schools are legally required to teach, check the link below.
https://texreg.sos.state.tx.us/public/readtac$ext.ViewTAC?tac_view=3&ti=19&pt=2
One Friday at a public high school, a huge fight breaks out. The next Friday, a concert breaks out when there is a lightning delay of a football game.
One was covered in the media and shared relentlessly on social media. The other was the concert. And outside of parents and educators and students that were there, very little was shared.
A tale of two Fridays is that we as a society seem to prefer sharing the bad to the good. And that every day in America's public schools is a tale of two worlds- probably more. Educators are trying to reach kids who have everything, kids who have nothing, kids with good parental influence, kids with none, kids with goals and kids whose goal is simply survival.
Which story are you going to share?
Talking about my writing journey- how I went from a poetry writing 3rd Grader to the multiple book selling not-at-all phenom I am today!
Educators are leaving their profession at alarming rates. We write it off as pandemic fatigue, or low pay- and that is part of it. But teachers are tired of playing the role of villain in story being told by some legislators, influencers, and school choice agenda setters. This is the voice of a teacher who wants you to know the state of education today.
A common buzzword in many circles today is "Imposter Syndrome." But what is it really, and how do you overcome it- or it's more common variation: self-doubt? We will explore the foundations of the phenomenon, as well as steps we can take to overcome it in ourselves and how to aid those we love who are facing it.
There is an epidemic of dissatisfaction and disconnection in America's workforce. I believe the key to overcoming this roadblock to happiness is found in recognizing and pursuing the aspects of our callings that bring us to life. This episode looks at four key passions for finding joy in your work.
1. Work- find joy in the results of what you do.
2. People- who do you work for, who do you serve?
3. Creation- Be passionate about what you make, whether it is tangible or conceptual.
4. Faith- Whatever you believe in- science, religion, art, etc- give it your all.
Talking about five learning experiences and challenges from 2021 and five goals for growth in 2022.
Five Learning Experiences of 2021
1. Learning from my family's character
2. The impact of January 6 on my faith, patriotism, and view of humanity
3. The process of growing as an AP World History Teacher (or anything)
4. Economics of Teaching/Writing
5. Book Successes
Five Goals for 2022
1. Being more present
2. Growing as an AP teacher with reflection
3. Discover or develop a good marketing strategy/tool
4. Complete my first book series and begin writing new books
5. Produce my first audiobook of Killtown.
Why are we so drawn in by nostalgia? What about our hometowns and pasts acts as a magnet that pulls us back, time and again? And is it dangerous to think too longingly about those by-gone days?
Book 3 of the Sawyer Shepherd Chronicles allows the main character to dive into those deep, philosophical questions. All while fighting demons and monsters and the normal pressures of becoming an adult. I wanted to give a little bit of background on why I wrote this book, and do a tease/reminder that Fall of Man- book 4- comes out this Wednesday, December 15!
Author Chad Lehrmann offers behind-the-scenes insight into the second novel in the Sawyer Shepherd Chronicles, Red Hand Rising. He explains why it is his least favorite novel he has written, but also why it contains some of the most important- and fun to write- scenes of the series.
Taking a moment to dive into the creation of my first novel- Sawyer Shepherd Chronicles: Rites of Passage. I wanted to share the genesis of the story- which truly began when I was in high school but has changed DRASTICALLY over the years. Every writing is an evolution, this is just a sort of "Director's Commentary" of that process.
An increasing number of teachers are asking themselves a terrifying question:
"How much longer can I do this?"
After two years of pandemic teaching, wave after wave of new initiative forced from the top down, and decades of under-appreciation and low pay, teachers are wondering it is time to seek employment elsewhere. And these are teachers with years of experience who feel a moral calling to make a difference.
We need to be aware of the impending crisis of teacher shortages, and we need to make adjustments now. And as teachers, until we make the final decision to leave or things get better, we need to find ways to cope and persevere. While we can.
As a history teacher, I get asked if I teach "Real" History. Usually, this means do I teach a version of history that is palatable to a liberal or conservative viewpoint. And it is a wholly erroneous question. History is not simple, black and white answers. It is a kaleidoscope of color that changes with the way the light hits it. And it is all true. If a people survive long enough, their entire history becomes one long line of "inconvenient truths."
I work at College Station High School in College Station ISD. We were one of the first schools in Texas to open to in-person education, and despite a campus of nearly 2000 students plus close to 200 staff, we never had to shut down. In that year, I learned and grew a tremendous amount as an educator and as a person. I want to share some of the things that grew from this trying year of teaching.
Which, it turns out, was one of my best years ever.
I often get asked about why and how I write. These two questions are bound together because many of the methods I use to write are extensions of why I write. In this podcast, I talk about the idea of writing as a catharsis, a compulsion, and an act of creation.
Looking at the historical figure of Theodore Roosevelt in one of his most trying moments- navigating the undiscovered "River of Doubt" in the Amazonian Rainforest. During this time he models a rare leadership trait- servanthood.
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In this first podcast, meet host Chad Lehrmann as he explains just who he is and why the Didactic Cafe exists. The purpose of the podcast is to explore issues in history, writing, education, and current events with an eye toward developing an ethical approach to life. Not just based on looking at what is best for yourself, or what suits your perspective, but in being able to see and appreciate a variety of worldviews.