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It’s been a long time coming… PONDERING EDUCATION IS BACK! CLICK HERE TO VIEW THIS EPISODE’S GOOGLE SLIDES. CLICK HERE TO VIEW THIS WEEK’S EPISODE ON YOUTUBE! Rundown of Tonight’s Show: A special thank you to Boston City Councilor, Michelle Wu, for joining me on the Season 3 premiere of Pondering Education. CLICK HERE to learn more about Councilor Wu’s campaign to become the next Mayor of Boston! Book of the Week – WRITING, REDEFINED by SHAWNA COPPOLASocial Media Follow of the Week – VAL BROWNPodcast of the Week – HAVE YOU HEARD by Jennifer Berkshire and Jack SchneiderRyan’s Take on the Start to the 2020-2021 School Year! CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE WRITING, REDEFINED! CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE A WOLF AT THE SCHOOLHOUSE DOOR! CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE LEAD FROM DAY ONE! Thanks for tuning in to this week’s episode! See ya’ll next week. Until then.. Stay Happy. Stay Healthy. Stay Safe. Ryan

A Conversation with Boston City Councilor, Michelle Wu to discuss the reopening of Boston Public Schools. Release Date: Sunday, August 16, 2020 On today’s episode of Pondering Education, Ryan speaks with Boston City Councilor, Michelle Wu, about the upcoming reopening of Boston Public Schools. Ryan also reveals his “EduBook Recommendation of the Week” as well as his “Educator to Follow” pick – two brand new segments to the show. Be sure to check back to the show notes in the coming days for access to a transcript of the show! Today’s Special Guest: Boston City Councilor, Michelle Wu “When she was elected to the Boston City Council in November 2013 at the age of 28, Michelle became the first Asian-American woman to serve on the Council. In January 2016, she was elected President of the City Council by her colleagues in a unanimous vote, becoming the first woman of color to serve as Council President. Her legislative work has focused on access to opportunity for residents of all backgrounds. Michelle was the lead sponsor of Boston’s Paid Parental Leave ordinance and Healthcare Equity ordinance prohibiting discrimination based on gender identity — both of which passed unanimously through the Council and were signed into law by Mayor Martin J. Walsh. She also authored Boston’s Communications Access ordinance, which guarantees translation, interpretation and assistive technology for access to city services regardless of English language proficiency or communications disability. To promote economic development, she also introduced a successful ordinance to end the city’s ban on BYOB for small neighborhood restaurants, and recently introduced the “Boston Unplugged” ordinance to eliminate all permits and fees for small businesses in commercial districts to host acoustic performances. In 2016, Michelle was honored as one of Ten Outstanding Young Leaders by the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce and as part of Marie Claire magazine’s New Guard: The 50 Most Influential Women in America. In 2017 she received the Massachusetts Democratic Party’s highest honor, the Eleanor Roosevelt Award. She is fluent in Mandarin and Spanish, and lives in Roslindale with her husband Conor, her sons Blaise and Cass.” (Source: http://michelleforboston.com/welcome/about/) Follow Councilor Wu on Twitter! Click Here to Visit Councilor Wu’s website. EduBook Recommendation of the Week (August 16, 2020) We Want to Do More Than Survive: Abolitionist Teaching and the Pursuit of Educational Freedom by Dr. Bettina L. Love. CLICK HERE to purchase your copy! Follow Dr. Love on Twitter! Learn more about the Abolitionist Teaching Network! Educator to Follow – Dr. Dena Simmons (August 16, 2020) Be sure to follow Dr. Dena Simmons on Twitter! Check Out Recent Articles from Dr. Simmons below! “Without Context, Social-Emotional Learning Can Backfire” (edsurge.com) “Why We Can’t Afford Whitewashed Social-Emotional Learning” (ascd.org) VIDEO: “How Students of Color Confront Imposter Syndrome” (Ted Talks) Thank you all so much for listening! Be on the look out for a full transcript of today’s episode coming soon. I’ll be back with an all-new episode next Sunday evening! Please be sure to like, share, and subscribe to Pondering Education! Follow Us on Social Media: TWITTER FACEBOOK INSTAGRAM Until next week, please take care of yourselves and each other. Stay safe out there! All the best, Ryan

Pondering Education Special Edition Release Date: Friday, April 3, 2020 CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE L.E.A.D. from Day One! For more information on the ASCD Emerging Leaders program, CLICK HERE! Click here to learn more about the amazing work of GLSEN!

Pondering Education Podcast Special Edition “Forces of Influence” Release Date: March 23, 2020 CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE FORCES OF INFLUENCEClick Here to Access the Study Guide! Thanks for listening! Ryan

Pondering Education Special Episode “An Interview with John Meehan” Release Date: March 23, 2020 Click Here to Purchase EDRENALINE RUSH! CLICK HERE TO VISIT JOHN’S WEBSITE! Thanks so much for listening to Pondering Education! You can purchase Ryan’s debut release, L.E.A.D. from Day One by Clicking Here! Thanks so much for listening! See you next time. Stay healthy and safe! All the best, Ryan

Pondering Education SPECIAL SUMMER EPISODE! Release Date: Tuesday, August 27, 2019 Welcome to a special edition of Pondering Education! On tonight’s show, Ryan unpacks many of the lessons learned from an unbelievable Teaching Tolerance workshop last week. Among the topics discussed tonight: How to speak up against every prejudice, bias, and stereotypes. Social Justice StandardsEssential Questions Preparing for Difficult Conversations What debate topics (if any) should be off limits in the classroom? Be sure to visit Teaching Tolerance for an abundance of free resources to help ensure your classroom is safe, welcoming, and inclusive for all students! Finally, Ryan’s book, LEAD from Day One, is now available through EduMatch Publishing! To purchase, click here: bit.ly/LEADfromDayOne That’ll do it for this episode of Pondering Education. Until next week, be sure to take care of yourself, take care of each other, and, of course, take care of your students. Best, Ryan

“EduChatting with Starr Sackstein and Connie Hamilton” Pondering Education Season 2 Episode 13 April 7, 2019 Episode Overview On tonight’s episode of #PonderingEducation, Ryan goes educhatting with Starr Sackstein, NBCT and Connie Hamilton, Ed. S. from last month’s ASCD #Empower19 conference in Chicago! To kick off tonight’s episode, Ryan discusses last week’s MCAS controversy and calls on the Massachusetts Department of Education to take drastic actions to rectify the mess caused by the inclusion of a racist question in the 10th grade ELA test. Following a final word from our month-long sponsor, Studentreasures, Ryan speaks with Starr and Connie from Empower19! ***Note: Please excuse the background noise throughout the interview. The media room was hopping at the time!*** Links Starr Sackstein Twitter Starr Sackstein Website Connie Hamilton Twitter Connie Hamilton Website Be sure to subscribe to Pondering Education on your preferred podcast platform! Until next week! Ryan

Pondering Education Season 2 Episode 12: “Charting a Path Toward Racial Equity” Racial equity. If you’re involved in education at some level, you’ve undoubtedly heard the call to action to bring about racial equity to our schools. But how do we go about ensuring equity for all students? Tonight’s episode of Pondering Education seeks to help us all understand the actions we can take to help close the opportunity gap. Tonight’s Rundown Welcome Happy Transgender Day of Visibility  You are seen. You are loved.  Ryan’s Remarks  A word from Studentreasures. A Conversation with Nyla Bell and Karmen Rouland of the Mid-Atlantic Equity Consortium.  Follow MAEC on Twitter Follow Karmen Rouland on Twitter Nyla is not on Twitter, but she’s still amazing!  Wrap-Up Next Sunday… It may be Wrestlemania 35, but you’ll still get a brand new episode of Pondering Education!  My guests will be Starr Sackstein and Connie Hamilton!  Please be sure to subscribe to Pondering Education on your preferred podcast platform!  Many thanks! Ryan

Pondering Education Season 2: Episode 11 “Supporting Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming Students” Release Date: Sunday, March 24, 2019 Episode Overview On tonight’s episode, Ryan speaks with Vanessa Ford and Becca Mui on how we can best support our transgender and gender non-conforming students in school. It’s a fantastic conversation that touches upon the benefits of establishing GSAs, understanding the importance of pronouns, and much, much more. You won’t want to miss this conversation that was recorded live in Chicago during last week’s ASCD Empower19 conference! Also in the episode, Ryan touches upon the topic of supporting students with ADHD. He speaks with Tim Grivois-Shah and Dr. Ravi Grivois-Shah on how schools can put plans in place to better meet the needs of students with ADHD! Important Links Vanessa Ford Twitter GLSEN Education Twitter GLSEN Website GLSEN Twitter Tim Grivois-Shah Twitter Dr. Ravi Grivois-Shah Twitter Final Words Thank you to all for supporting Pondering Education! We are now on SPOTIFY! Please continue subscribing to the show, and, if you’re so inclined, a nice review would go a long, long way! We will see you later in the week when Ryan speaks with Karmen Rouland and Nyla Bell as we discuss racial equity in education! Take care, Ryan

Pondering Education Season 2: Episode 10 “A Conversation with Elizabeth Acevedo” Air Date: Thursday, February 28, 2019 CLICK HERE to purchase The Poet X! CLICK HERE to pre-order With the Fire on High! To learn more about tonight’s sponsor, Studentreasures, CLICK HERE!

On Today’s Show Welcome to Super Sunday! On this special episode of Pondering Education, Ryan speaks with Kelly Gerstenberg, Director of Programming at ASCD! We’re on the Road to Empower19, and you’ll get an inside look into the planning of this incredible event. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR ASCD EMPOWER 19 Later, Ryan speaks with Jon Harper, author of the new book, My Bad. Jon is an accomplished educator, podcaster, speaker, and now author! CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE MY BAD Thank you so much for listening! If you’re enjoying the show, please be sure to subscribe to Pondering Education on your preferred podcast platform! CLICK HERE TO FOLLOW PONDERING EDUCATION ON TWITTER!

Pondering Education Season 2 – Episode 8 “Engage the Brain with Allison Posey” Release Date: Monday, January 21, 2019 On today’s episode – “Engage the Brain with Allison Posey:” Ryan speaks with Allison Posey, author of Engage the Brain: How to Design for Learning that Taps Into the Power of Emotion. CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE ENGAGE THE BRAIN! CLICK HERE TO FOLLOW ALLISON ON TWITTER!  Thank you for listening to today’s show! Please help Pondering Education by subscribing to the show on your preferred podcast platform! The show is now available on iTunes, Stitcher, iHeartRadio, Radio.com, and more! FOLLOW PONDERING EDUCATION ON SOCIAL MEDIA: TWITTER and FACEBOOK HELP SPREAD THE WORD! If you’re enjoying the show, be sure to recommend it to your colleagues, family, and friends!

Pondering Education Season 2 – Episode 7 “Time Management with PJ Caposey” Release Date: Thursday, December 27, 2018 On tonight’s episode, Ryan reflects on 2018, looks ahead to 2019, and speaks with PJ Caposey, author of Manage Time or Time Will Manage You.       CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE MANAGE YOUR TIME, OR TIME WILL MANAGE YOU.           CLICK HERE TO CATCH UP ON PAST EPISODES OF PONDERING EDUCATION! Be sure to follow Pondering Education on Social Media!  TWITTER INSTAGRAM FACEBOOK   Until next time, Ryan

Pondering Education Season 2 / Episode 6 “Teacher Leadership with Dr. Jill Harrison Berg” Release Date: Tuesday, November 20, 2018 On tonight’s episode, Ryan talks with Dr. Jill Harrison Berg, author of Leading in Sync, to discuss the effect of teacher leadership on student learning. Follow Dr. Jill Harrison Berg on TWITTER!  CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE LEADING IN SYNC!    CLICK HERE to listen to past episodes of Pondering Education. If you’d like to become the next sponsor or guest of the show, email pondereducation@gmail.com for more information! Follow Pondering Education on Social Media! Twitter Instagram Facebook

Pondering Education Season 2 Episode 5 “The Journey of a New Teacher” Release Date: Thursday, November 15, 2018   On tonight’s episode, Ryan checks in with Susan Jachymiak, founder of the hit Twitter chat, #newteacherjourney, to discuss her first year in the classroom! CLICK HERE to follow Susan on Twitter!   Interested in becoming a sponsor of Pondering Education? Would you like to be a guest on the program? Email Ryan today at pondereducation@gmail.com. 

Pondering Education Season 2 – Episode 4 Release Date: Friday, November 9, 2018 The Teacher Wars: Part 1 Tonight’s special episode is the first in a series of seven to discuss Dana Goldstein’s book, The Teacher Wars: A History of America’s Most Embattled Profession. We begin our series with a discussion on the book’s introduction which beautifully sets the stage on what’s to come later in the text. Be sure to follow Dana Goldstein on Twitter! You can also visit her website by CLICKING HERE. If you’d like to follow along with our discussion, you may purchase the book HERE or by visiting your local bookstore.

Pondering Education Season 2 – Episode 3 #MassCUE18 and the Growth of EDU Conferences Release Date: Monday, October 22, 2018   On tonight’s special episode of Pondering Education, Ryan reviews last week’s #MassCUE18 conference that was held at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. The event was an amazing success. With the recent boom in the number of EDU-Conferences across the country, some are simply hit or miss. However, MassCUE put on a learning experience that proved beneficial to all education stakeholders. Tonight’s Rundown: Introduction #MassCUE18 Segment 1: The Boom of EDU-Conferences and #MassCUE18 Segment 2: The 1 Session I’m Still Thinking About Segment 3: Review of Tom Murray’s Keynote Speech Thank You and Good Night                     Key Links MassCUE Website MassCUE Twitter Tracy Sockalosky Twitter Tracy Sockalosky Presentation  Tom Murray Website  Tom Murray Twitter Purchase Learning Transformed That’ll do it for tonight!   Always remember… Take care of yourself. Take care of each other. Take care of those students! Talk soon, Ryan

Pondering Education Season 2 – Episode 2 “The Journey Continues” Date Released: Sunday, October 7, 2018 Episode Rundown: Bell Work Are you subscribed to the show on iTunes? If not, please do! Be sure to follow Pondering Education on social media! Twitter Instagram Facebook  Ryan discusses the negative stereotypes associated with being the “chill” teacher. Lesson of the Day A Conversation with Susan Jachymiak  Exit Ticket Challenge of the Week

Pondering Education Season 2: Episode 1 #NewTeacherJourney Release Date: Monday, September 3, 2018 w/ Special Guest: Susan Jachymiak Meet Susan Jachymiak!  My name is Susan Jachymiak, and I will be beginning my first year of teaching this year. I graduated from Illinois State University this May, and I am blessed to be able to start this new chapter in my life as a 4th grade teacher. I am passionate about growth mindset and helping students achieve their full potential. My former teachers have inspired me in more ways than one, and due to having that earnest desire to want to make a difference in the world one student at a time, I knew that teaching was the perfect profession for me. I’m looking forward to getting to know the students and the community as a whole and documenting my journey via this podcast.   I joined Twitter last May, and I truly think that becoming a connected educator impacted my life in more ways than one. I started to blog, started #newteacherjourney which is a chat that is Sunday night at 8:30 pm CST, and have been asked to be a guest on multiple podcasts. As a first year teacher, I am blessed to have an amazing professional learning network who supports me and pushes me further than I could have ever imagined.   FOLLOW SUSAN ON TWITTER!             

Pondering Education Episode 18: Literacy is LIT Release Date: Monday, August 27, 2018 w/ Special Guest: Dr. Tim Rasinski   Visit Dr. Rasinski’s Personal Web Site! http://www.timrasinski.com/ Follow Dr. Rasinski on Twitter!