audio by year 2008

Bring your teaching methods into the 21st century with the help of our special guest, Candy Shively of TeachersFirst.org. She's hand picked five different web resources (designed for varying ages and subjects) that can be used in the classroom right away. Whether you're new to educational technology or you know your way around monitors and computer mice, she's got something that'll interest you. We also respond to a listener email that asks us to define the term "digital divide." (Note: The web addresses--URLs for the techies among you--of the web sites Candy identifies in this episode are listed on our web site, www.newteacherhotline.com. Just check the comments section for Podcast #17. You can also find the links at Candy's web site, www.teachersfirst.org, by typing "tech toolbox" into the search box.)

This week, we sit down with Rich Ognibene, the 2008 New York State Teacher of the Year. Among the topics of conversation: qualities that make a good teacher stand out, managing student discipline before it becomes a problem, and cultivating a productive and welcoming classroom environment. Most of all, you'll sense Rich's passion for teaching and for his students as he explains how to move beyond simply conveying academic content in your classroom to making a difference in your students' lives.

We interview Rick Ellenburg, the 2008 Florida State Teacher of the Year. He delivers great advice for new teachers, including three invaluable guidelines all rookies should keep in mind. As you listen, I think you'll find it impossible NOT to be uplifted and encouraged by Rick's dedication and love for his kids. Finally, he addresses the biggest fear all new teachers have: hamster babies. Confused? Listen to learn more!

Our last few shows have been dedicated to interviews, so we decided to knock out some of the listener email that's been piling up in the interim. Today we hit some of the basics of Teaching 101, like how to write lesson plans. Join us as we broadcast from Glen's sprawling estate (specifically his living room). Here, I'll even pull up an extra chair for you.

You've got questions. We've got answers, and sometimes we answer twice (listen to this episode to see what I mean). In this email roundup, we help you calm your nerves as you prepare for the first day of school. We also discuss some grittier subjects, including one emailer's frustrations in his student teaching experience and another teacher's trouble dealing with a student that loves to play the victim in class.

After an extended spring break, the New Teacher Hotline returns with all new episodes that will carry you through the entire hot and hazy summer. This week, it is our honor to host the 2008 Virginia Teacher of the Year, Tommy Smigiel. As you'll learn, Tommy endured a traumatic event as a high school student, but rather than let that event define him, he used it as an inspiration to one day return to that school as a teacher. He explains why resiliency may be the most important trait of a rookie teacher.

In this episode, we chat with Pamela Harman, the 2008 Alabama Teacher of the Year. One of the topics we discuss in depth is mentorship--how to get new teachers the help they need by partnering with experienced teachers in their schools. Luckily, we manage to finish the interview right before all the equipment goes haywire.

It’s almost time to go back to school, and our gift to you is the inspirational Georgia Teacher of the Year, Emily Jennette. A self-described “Energizer Bunny,” Emily is dedicated to teaching the whole child. You’ve got to hear her story about how she involved a local business to help a class of struggling elementary school students. Emily found ways to inspire them to a new outlook on school, and she’ll do the same for you, just in time for the new school year to begin!

If you're a teacher, I hardly need remind you that the summer is over and a new school year has arrived. Whether you view the new year as a blessing and a time of unique wonder (like seeing a rare flower suddenly surface along a well-trod path) or a time of surprise and panic (like seeing a hungry puma surface from the deep end of your swimming pool) depends upon your preparation. In this episode, we talk about how prepared a new teacher should be at the beginning of the school year. We also dish out the tough love in our new "We Told You So" segment. Everyone loves being lectured to, don't they? It is our fist show back, so the episode shakes off a little rust with a handful of bloopers at the very end, and I ask you: is that a rogue cellist suddenly playing a single, haunting note at time stamp 15:18? Spooky! Speaking of spooky, look out for the Halloween episode of the New Teacher Hotline at the end of next month.

In this spooktacular episode of the Hotline, we discuss the very scary topic of teacher evaluations. What could be more frightening than losing your job in a struggling economy? I can only think of one thing...a listener email from Transylvania, Romania (really!) that asks about the differences are between teaching adults and teaching kids.