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Social media is a ubiquitous part of many students’ lives.  It can help them connect with their friends, share their ideas, and learn what’s going on in the world.  Unfortunately, it can also be a breeding ground for bullying, false information, and even predatory behavior.  How can parents, teachers, and anyone working in schools help students stay safe on social media?

All educators want to prepare students for life after school, and we’ve spent increasing amounts of time and energy thinking about what this means-- not only in terms of academics, but also supporting (or “soft”) skills.  Problem solving, creativity, and social-emotional learning have all become part of our conversation around these non-academic skills, but one thing seems especially relevant today: being a socially responsible citizen.  How can educators prepare students to engage in public discourse, participate meaningfully in their communities, and truly understand their relationship to national and global issues?

Round Lake has been implementing mastery learning more and more faithfully over the last decade, but the philosophy can still be challenging.  For one thing, few, if any, of us were raised in schools that practiced mastery learning, so we have a default idea of what teaching and assessment should look like.  On top of that, mastery learning can feel counter-intuitive, even contrary, to our notions of fairness and motivation.  It can even make us feel like we’re not preparing students for life after high school.  

Teaching subjects separately from one another might seem “natural” to us because, of course, we all remember going to math class, science class, English, and so on.  But chunking out content into traditional subject lanes isn’t the only way to generate student learning, and more and more schools (both American and international) are exploring alternatives. 

To the casual observer, school districts today serve as one-stop shops for social services.  Round Lake, for instance, provides all of the services you might expect from a modern district, such as mental health care, speech pathology, occupational therapy, and college counseling, but so much more on top of that.  For instance, we provide social services for students experiencing homelessness, connections to material resources for economically disadvantaged families, free breakfast and lunch for all students, and even a school-based health center where students and employees can get physicals, flu shots, and other services.  Clearly, our district and many others are expanding the educational umbrella to cover not only academic, but also social, emotional, economic, and health-based resources.

We all want students to be prepared to participate in respectful, well-informed public discourse; unfortunately, they are often immersed in the vitriolic echo chamber of social media, today's most prominent forum for public dialogue.  Moreover, many issues today cause such high levels of emotion, even anxiety, for students that they struggle to engage with opinions contrary to their own.  How can we help them participate in sensitive discussions effectively?

Anxiety over immigration, citizenship status, and ICE is a fact of life for many students and community members.  How can we be supportive, compassionate, and helpful to kids and families?  Join our panelists for a discussion of this sensitive but relevant issue.

We've all heard that teachers should have high expectations for students, but what does this actually mean?  Does simply having those high expectations guarantee that students will perform at higher levels?  How do I communicate to students what I expect of them?  Join panelists Emily Cushing, Katie Wishau, and Kyle Zimmerman for a discussion of how expectations can be articulated in the classroom.

Parents and teachers have a lot in common: they both want what's best for kids, they both feel heavily invested in student success, and they both work day in, day out to help our students.  So how can we make the most of this partnership?  Join panelists Maria Colunga and Merced Alfaro as we tackle this relevant, complex issue.

We've all been there.  You see a teacher struggling, and you want to jump in with your sage advice.  Sometimes, this is a great idea, but not always.  Panelists Sharon Aiello, Eve Somariba, and Matt Van Ham discuss the if, when, and how of giving unsolicited advice to a colleague.

Few things impact a building's culture more than the trust between its leaders and staff.  Our panelists, Mike Berrie, John Randolph, and Natalie Rojas discuss how to build trust and where to start when trust is broken. 

We've been hearing for years that our students will one day fill jobs that don't even exist right now.  How are we supposed to prepare them when we don't even know what they'll do with their future?  What academic and interpersonal skills will our kids need down the road?  

We all hope we never have to decide what to do in the event of an active shooter.  Still, preparing for the worst is an unfortunate reality of working in education.  Our panelists discuss how they personally view this issue, then debate what training and communication might help school staff protect themselves and their students in case of a crisis situation.

Many early career teachers experience burnout (or, at the very least, disillusionment) during their first few years in the field.  Our panelists discuss this phenomenon, then share some survival techniques and insights into what makes teaching a uniquely challenging profession.

When working with students in poverty, is awareness enough?  Should our language, our lessons, or our discipline work differently when addressing under-resourced children?  Our panel examines these and more questions on this week's episode.

Mohammad Ali, Michele Hawksworth, and Ray Porten join the podcast to discuss the evaluation process: what should it look like, and how to get the most out of it.

Dede Gill, Kristin Lilla, and Crystal Oswald join forces to examine the issue of sleeping students.  They discuss how to learn what prevents some students from staying awake and how to partner with them so they can get the most out of your class.