Punk Rock Preschool Podcast

What is a catch up boy? A catch up boy is a young man who has gone his entire life without guidance of a competent, confident and consistent adult male. And then, something terrible happens. It could be any number of traumas: the death of someone close, addiction, abuse, gangs, crime. And when these events [...]

At 28, Ed Latimore was stuck. At 33, Ed Latimore is on top of the world. How did he do it? By harnessing the power of momentum and pushing forward to change his life. Ed is an inspiration. In five years he joined the army, thrived as an amateur boxer, graduated with a Physics degree, [...]

#1. Dream Big I’ve always had a desire to do things people wouldn’t even think to do — KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) April 24, 2018 #2.  Trust Your Intuition Don’t follow crowds. Follow the innate feelings inside of you. Do what you feel not what you think. Thoughts have been placed in our heads to make [...]

Are we raising kids who are prepared for an unpredictable and changing world?  We tell children to follow their heart and go with their their gut, but are we giving kids the tools to even listen? Intuition can’t be taught from a textbook but it can be developed in the classroom. And while this is [...]

Meet the Black Mr. Rogers! Mr. Dwayne Reed, a first year teacher on the West Side of Chicago, has already made a profound impact on so many students and teachers around the world. And he does so by bringing the positivity, freedom, and cool vibes of being a kid into every lesson in the classroom!  Sounds [...]

Do you want the playbook to unlock your student’s full potential? Lucky for you, today’s guest is Annie Brock who literally wrote the book on growth mindset in the classroom! She actually wrote multiple books on growth mindset! In this episode, Annie shares incredible strategies and research to help you bring growth mindset into your [...]

Teaching is an art form. When you live and teach artistically, magical things will happen in your classroom. Today’s guest is Enrique Feldman, an artist, author, conductor, singer, speaker, composer, musician, and educator. Enrique’s approach to learning is so unique, inspiring, and up-lifting because he gives us tools and mindsets to bring joyful curiosity back [...]

What are the stories that you want to share with the world? Telling your story and sharing parts of yourself is how we learn, connect, and build empathy. No matter the context, whether in a personal or professional setting, your story matters. Powerful stories can leave a lasting positive impact on students and teachers because [...]

Kids live in a world where they don’t have to wait for anything. But in school, we tell them what they have to do, when they should do it, and how it needs to be done. There are few opportunities for student choice and even fewer opportunities for students to create something of their own. [...]

It is time to retake control of your curriculum! As teachers, we must be true to ourselves in everything we do in the classroom. Sometimes this means trying new things, and sometimes this means not knowing if they’ll work or not. But jumping into these new experiences can be so rewarding! When you teach from [...]

Welcome back! I know it’s been a long time since our last episode but the Punk Rock Preschool Podcast is returning in spectacular fashion! This week, I am thrilled to share with you my interview with Linda Simensky, the VP of Children’s Programming at PBS. Linda is one of the most impressive human beings on [...]

For a first-year teacher, your first week of school can be a doozy! Even though you may have tons of experience student-teaching, I don’t know any programs that let you walk into a classroom and student-teach on the first day of school. Therefore, this entirely different (and very important) world of teaching remains foreign to [...]

If you want to bring the skills of the 21st century into your classroom but don’t know where to start, drop what you’re doing and listen to this episode right now! This week, we have a special guest – Kiki Prottsman – who is the Curriculum Development Manager for Elementary Curriculum at Code.org.  Kiki has [...]

The best way to learn about personal responsibility is to live it! With this long list of classroom jobs, every student will have an opportunity to contribute to your classroom’s success! To choose jobs each week, I would write each student’s name on a popsicle stick and place a piece of velcro on the back [...]

If you’re looking for the perfect themes to plan in your classroom, look no further! Bring a new theme to the classroom each week and help your students find their passions! Expose kids to the most interesting, fascinating topics that exist and let them discover the topics and ideas that capture their imaginations! In this [...]

Today we are doing our first interview on the Punk Rock Preschool Podcast, and it is not one you want to miss. Our guest today is Author, Podcaster, Graphic Designer, Coach, Entrepreneur, and Creator, Christopher Hines. Chris runs the Greatness Podcast Network, which includes podcasts on education, business, finance, community, mindset, and all the other [...]

Has anyone ever told you that public trackers “don’t work?” I’ve heard this plenty, but I’ve seen public tracking work with my own two eyes, for myself and for other teachers. I’ve also seen teachers run their class exceptionally without any trackers, either for behavioral or academic motivation. Frankly, I don’t know how there are hundreds of pages of literature [...]

How do kids learn self-control and self-discipline? How can they take ownership of their educations and remind themselves to make great choices in school? Self-discipline can’t happen by accident! It comes from teachers modeling discipline and being consistent with it! Always enforcing your classroom rules and expectations doesn’t make you a disciplinarian. It makes you a [...]

“There are two things a person should never be angry at: what they can help and what they can not.” Plato knew the deal. This wisdom has existed for centuries! Let’s pass it on to our students so they have the work ethic and mindset to create their own futures! So how do we teach kids [...]

How do you pick the themes you teach? Do you lesson plan yourself or with a team of teachers? Do you use your school’s provided lessons or do you create your own curriculum and teach what you love? If you want more freedom and flexibility, you should take it! You deserve to have fun! Listen here [...]

Teaching and parent communication don’t have to be separate things. For Mother’s Day, give moms (and dads) the best gift ever – an opportunity to see their child’s growth every single day! Most parents wish they could spend the day with their child so let’s give them the next best thing! Build parent communication into [...]

Are you ready for a breakthrough? At the end of the year, it’s more likely we are going to be having a breakdown! In this episode, learn how to unleash your students’ full potential in the final part of your school year so they are inspired to leave a permanent mark on history! (You can catch up [...]

Do you want to save money, teach kids personal responsibility, and make the school day run much smoother all at the same time? If this sounds too good to be true, you are going to love what you learn in this week’s episode! When you start the school-year, your classroom is filled with brand new crayons, [...]

What does your perfect curriculum look like? I’m not asking about THE perfect curriculum, because there is no such thing! There is only YOUR perfect curriculum. What works for you? What do you want to teach? How can you bring energy, passion, and enthusiasm to class every day and leave your students with the skills [...]

Your perfect school-year continues in this episode of the Punk Rock Preschool Podcast! After your class discovers that learning is everywhere – in the classroom, in their home, in their community, in the world, and in their lives – they are going to want to put this knowledge to good use! Students have started to discover [...]

“Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.” Ben Franklin, as always, dropping wisdom. And as I’ve found, listening to actual philosophers usually affords the best teaching philosophy.  In this case, it’s spot-on. But how do you get kids involved in a preschool discussion every single day? [...]

What does your perfect year look like?  As you and your students embark on all of your learning adventures, what will be the story of your classroom? How does your journey begin and how do you want it to end? Listen here as we write the perfect script and turn your school-year into a blockbuster movie! Like any [...]

What is critical thinking and how do you explain it to a class of four and five-year-olds? One of my students summed it up best when she said, “Mr. G! My brain is talking!” Yup, that’s pretty much the best explanation of “thinking” I can imagine. And it got me thinking, “Critical thinking must be when [...]

A happy parent can tell you so much more than any evaluation from an administrator.  Now that I am out of the classroom, I can say that without having to worry that putting my parents’ happiness above all else can somehow harm my job status. Where I taught in Oklahoma City, we used the Marzano’s Instructional Strategies [...]

A field trip to the movies can actually be one of the most effective ways to spend your time. If that sounds counter-intuitive or maybe just flat-out wrong, then you may be surprised by what you hear in this episode of the Punk Rock Preschool podcast. If you want to connect with your students on a [...]

What’s more important? Going over the same calendar and weather routine every single day (and boring kids half-to-death) OR changing things up and bringing something fresh and new to school each morning? Would you rather fill your day with monotonous routines or would you rather light up your students’ worlds with the best classroom on the planet? Bring enthusiasm and [...]

Did your education prepare you for life in the 21st century? If I asked you to come up with a list of “things I didn’t learn in school,” I bet you’d have no problem running off a number of essential life-skills you had to learn on your own. Meanwhile, you spent four years in high school reading [...]

Before you teach a topic, always ask yourself: “Will this make my students fall in love with learning?” As preschool teachers, we shouldn’t obsess over repeating the calendar and weather every morning because this sends the wrong kind of messages to kids: Learning is routine. Learning is the same thing every day. Learning is repetition [...]