Inside the Mentor-Mentee Connection (More Than Mentoring, Part 8)
3 Ps in a Pod: An Education Podcast
Release Date: 05/08/2025
Inside the Mentor-Mentee Connection (More Than Mentoring, Part 8)
3 Ps in a Pod: An Education Podcast
On this episode of 3Ps in a Pod, we continue our conversation with mentor Inez Ramirez, NBCT, from Maricopa Unified School District — this time, with one of her teacher mentees, Anthony Gonzalez. Through the episode, Inez and Anthony share with host Juliana Urtubey, NBCT, and discuss with each other how they worked together through the past year and the ways Inez’ instructional mentoring support has had a deep impact on Anthony and his students. Inez and Anthony’s conversation centers on some specific ways that they have been working to strengthen Anthony’s instructional...
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Mentorship in Action with Inez Ramirez (More Than Mentoring, Part 7)
3 Ps in a Pod: An Education Podcast
On this episode of 3Ps in a Pod, you will meet Inez Ramirez, NBCT, a mentor with the Maricopa Unified School District. Inez walks us through her role as an instructional mentor for beginning teachers and the ways mentoring supports teachers in her district. She shares how she not only differentiates the support she provides but the various ways that she meets the needs of her mentees and maximizes their time spent connecting. Host Juliana Urtubey, NBCT, and Inez reinforce that the mentor-mentee support structures are built on trusting relationships. As a mentor through the Arizona K12...
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Mentoring Pre-Service Teachers (More Than Mentoring, Part 6)
3 Ps in a Pod: An Education Podcast
So far in this series on More Than Mentoring, we’ve been talking about mentoring you receive as a classroom teacher. On today’s episode, we step inside Northern Arizona University’s College of Education and talk with two faculty about how they mentor student teachers. Bobby Macias and Ashley Esparza are both teach and support pre-service educators at NAU. They share with host Juliana Urtubey, NBCT, about the current realities of supporting pre-service educators and the conversations they are having with those they support. As we explore the mentoring components of pre-service...
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Mutual Mentorship: Colleagues as Coaches (More Than Mentoring, Part 5)
3 Ps in a Pod: An Education Podcast
Emmett Burnton and Ryan Donovan are two teachers both working in the social studies department at Boulder Creek High School in Deer Valley Unified School District. Not only colleagues, Emmett and Ryan have become mentors and coaches for each other. In today’s episode, 3Ps in a Pod hosts Kathleen Paulsen, NBCT, and Marlys Weaver talk with these outstanding educators about how they mentor each other to be their professional best and continue to evolve their practice. Both teachers were also recognized for their teaching practice by the Arizona Educational Foundation. Emmett is the 2025 AEF...
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Mentoring and Professional Learning (More Than Mentoring, Part 4)
3 Ps in a Pod: An Education Podcast
Join Kathleen Paulsen, assistant director of induction and mentoring at the Arizona K12 Center, as she connects with long-time educator and author Joellen Killion. They take a deep look at mentoring and induction and talk about what continues to inspire and drive Joellen’s work. Joellen is a renowned leader in education with 30 years of experience in the design, implementation, and evaluation of professional learning. Joellen has served as a senior advisor to Learning Forward and is also the author of several books. On the podcast, Kathleen specifically discusses Joellen’s article “”...
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Mentoring for Different Learning Needs (More Than Mentoring, Part 3)
3 Ps in a Pod: An Education Podcast
Dr. Andy Kahn of returns to 3Ps in a Pod to talk about what to know about students with learning and thinking differences and also how mentors can help teachers in supporting these students, all on this third episode of our series on More Than Mentoring. Dr. Kahn asks both teachers and mentors to have a working knowledge of our classroom and students in a holistic and meaningful way. Mentoring cannot only help teachers prepare for the content and logistical elements of what needs to be delivered in the classroom but also for the emotional aspect as well. Mentoring is a way to support a growth...
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Being a Mentoring Teacher with Sarah Brown Wessling (More Than Mentoring, Part 2)
3 Ps in a Pod: An Education Podcast
Join host Juliana Urtubey, NBCT, on this episode of 3Ps in a Pod as she connects with Sarah Brown Wessling, NBCT, an Iowa-grown educator who is as passionate as ever about what she does and finding ways to make deep connections. In this second episode of our series “More Than Mentoring,” Sarah explains how she collapses the space between mentor and teacher in order to be in a collaborative relationship with her mentees. Sarah Brown Wessling is a high school English teacher and the director of the National Teacher of the Year program, which gives her the opportunity to work with the...
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Let’s Talk Mentoring (More Than Mentoring, Part 1)
3 Ps in a Pod: An Education Podcast
Welcome to this new 3Ps in a Pod series on More Than Mentoring! In this first episode, host Marlys Weaver welcomes Arizona K12 Center Executive Director Daniela Robles and Assistant Director of Induction and Mentoring Kathleen Paulsen to explore instructional mentoring, how it’s different than coaching, and what this work can do for teachers, mentors, and school communities. Kathleen and Daniela both share how they came to instructional mentoring before actually having the title of a mentor or coach, either by reaching out to help new teachers in their school or to support National Board...
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Promises and Perils of AI in Education with Ken Shelton
3 Ps in a Pod: An Education Podcast
We’ll have a full season of 3Ps in a Pod starting soon. In the meantime, here’s a special episode of 3Ps in a Pod with Ken Shelton, an expert on artificial intelligence (AI) in education and author of The Promises and Perils of AI in Education: Ethics and Equity Have Entered the Chat. Marlys Weaver of the Arizona K12 Center and Dr. LeeAnn Lindsey of the Arizona Institute for Education and the Economy, co-host this episode. Dr. Lindsey also co-hosted last spring and was part of the team that created the guide . Ken has worked in education for more than 20 years and holds a Master of Arts...
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Removing Barriers to Post Secondary Opportunities: Students and Staff (Healthy and Thriving Environments for Strong Connections and Strong Schools, Part 8)
3 Ps in a Pod: An Education Podcast
While we focus on K-12 education at the Arizona K12 Center, today on 3Ps in a Pod, we’re talking about a particular pathway for high school graduates. Today, Amanda Schmidt, a senior development director with NAU Advancement, joins us to talk about ways to remove or lower barriers to post-secondary education and how, as a community, we can all participate in helping others achieve success by lowering financial barriers. Amanda shares about why she encourages students to lead with curiosity when considering post-secondary possibilities and the importance of reaching out to find out what...
info_outlineOn this episode of 3Ps in a Pod, we continue our conversation with mentor Inez Ramirez, NBCT, from Maricopa Unified School District — this time, with one of her teacher mentees, Anthony Gonzalez.
Through the episode, Inez and Anthony share with host Juliana Urtubey, NBCT, and discuss with each other how they worked together through the past year and the ways Inez’ instructional mentoring support has had a deep impact on Anthony and his students.
Inez and Anthony’s conversation centers on some specific ways that they have been working to strengthen Anthony’s instructional practices. This dynamic mentor-mentee duo guides us through their year-long learning journey together and touches on specific elements of Anthony’s practice that they have focused on to create a more engaging environment for students and strengthen the impact of Anthony’s teaching on his students.
The podcast closes with Anthony reflecting on the past school year and the ways he has built his “toolbox.” He shares with us how others are helping him to reflect and continue to grow as he learns how to apply new skills in his instructional practice. Anthony reminds us of the importance of reflection as we continue to grow and evolve as professionals and calls us to be open to learning and talking about our practice.
Continue your learning
After listening to this episode, use the reflection guide to explore how you might further connect students to community and co-design learning opportunities unique to your location. Find the reflection guide at this link.
Learn more about the Arizona K12 Center at azk12.org.