EP335 How teacher language shapes us—and teaches kids to find their wisest self (with Lily Howard Scott)
Angela Watson's Truth for Teachers
Release Date: 10/05/2025
EP344 So what are we doing here? Expanding into retreats, video essays, mindfulness, and more
Angela Watson's Truth for Teachers
After 20+ years of creating exclusively for educators, I'm expanding into some new creative spaces. In this podcast episode, I share the "why" behind my new YouTube channel ("So What Are We Doing Here?"), my Substack publication, my free guided meditations on Insight Timer, and some other fun new places to find me. I also talk about how my own work has shifted more toward adults, and why so much of what I've always talked about on this podcast (productivity, mindset, burnout, boundaries) goes way beyond the classroom. Then I get into something I've been wanting to demystify for a while: the...
info_outline
EP343 The truth about AI's environmental impact: Finding your ethical stance as an educator
Angela Watson's Truth for Teachers
Is AI using a bottle of water every time you make a query? Are you a bad person if you use it in your classroom? Should schools ban it entirely—or go all-in? If you've felt confused or conflicted about AI ethics, this conversation is for you. I sit down with Dr. Karen Boyd, an AI ethics consultant who works with schools and nonprofits, to get real answers about the environmental impact of AI—and to talk through the much bigger ethical questions educators are wrestling with. In this episode, we cover: The truth about AI's water and energy use (spoiler: Netflix is way worse) Why "just don't...
info_outline
EP342 The hidden curriculum: getting real about the values we teach
Angela Watson's Truth for Teachers
Each time we decide which history gets a full unit and which gets a mini-lesson… Each time we choose whose stories to showcase in classroom libraries while others gather dust on shelves … Each time we select which family structures and cultures to represent in class and which we quietly pretend don’t exist … We’re teaching whose voices matter, what counts as normal, and how power works. That's the hidden curriculum. And it's been operating in classrooms since the first schools were founded. This episode is about uncovering the hidden curriculum in your own teaching, so you can make...
info_outline
EP341 Everything all at once: what it's like to be a teacher with ADHD (with Andrew Gardner)
Angela Watson's Truth for Teachers
When he got his ADHD diagnosis at age 30, the first thought Andrew Gardner (https://www.agardner.com/about) had was, "Okay, now what? I'm still an idiot." That negative voice had been with him his entire teaching career, driving him to work 80-90 hour weeks trying to prove he wasn't failing at the basics everyone else seemed to handle easily. In this conversation, Andrew walks us through what it's actually like to teach with ADHD. He shares the invisible struggles no one could see from the outside, the white-knuckling through administrative tasks, the depression that came from years of that...
info_outline
EP340 Stay human: Teaching students to protect their brain power in an AI world
Angela Watson's Truth for Teachers
"If AI can write my essay in 30 seconds, why should I spend 30 minutes doing it myself?" I believe students asking this question deserve a thoughtful response ... or even better, an invitation to think critically about their own values and personal philosophy around artificial intelligence. In this episode, I'm offering some tools to help you facilitate these conversations with students, breaking down the neuroscience of why writing matters in ways AI can't replicate. We'll explore three core principles: 1) Writing is brain-building: When students write, they create neural pathways through...
info_outline
EP339 It took me years to realize I'm not lazy. I'm neurodivergent.
Angela Watson's Truth for Teachers
Growing up, every report card comment and parent conference involved my teachers expressing some version of the following: "Angela is smart, but not working to her potential." "Angela needs to focus and apply herself." "Angela is a capable student but does not put forth effort." "Angela could do the work if she wanted to but she appears lazy and unmotivated." I shared a little of this story a few years back, and how I was labeled as gifted at first, and then diagnosed with a learning disability in math: For years, I believed something was fundamentally wrong with the wiring in my brain....
info_outline
EP338 Looking ahead to 2026: A new direction beyond Truth for Teachers
Angela Watson's Truth for Teachers
It’s the final episode of the 2025 season, and I want to leave you with something meaningful. I’m sharing some personal thoughts as I prepare to step away for my December internet sabbatical. I’m thinking deeply about alignment, presence, and what it means to move forward with clarity and purpose. If you’ve been feeling the tension between what you have to do and what you’re called to do … this episode might resonate. Key highlights: Why I'm shifting directions in 2026 to focus on deeper connections with educators (and serving more than just folks in K-12) How my personal life has...
info_outline
EP337 Restorative practices aren’t a strategy–they’re a way of being (with Marisol Quevedo Rerucha)
Angela Watson's Truth for Teachers
“The adults in the building need healing just as much as the kids do. Self-compassion isn’t soft. It’s the most radical act of self-preservation an educator can practice.” That’s a quote from my guest in this episode, Marisol Quevedo Rerucha. She’s the author of Beyond the Surface of Restorative Practices and the CEO of Heartset Consulting Group. A former teacher, principal, and district leader, she now supports individuals, communities, and systems in building high-trust, equity-centered spaces. Together, Marisol and I explore what a restorative way of being looks like, how...
info_outline
EP336 4 routines to help students notice and adjust their thinking
Angela Watson's Truth for Teachers
Metacognition — “thinking about your thinking” — is one of the most powerful skills we can teach students, and it doesn’t require adding anything new to your already packed schedule. In this episode, you’ll learn four simple, one-minute routines you can weave into your daily classroom flow to help students notice, analyze, and adjust their own thinking. We’ll explore: How to use attention checks so students can redirect focus in the moment Why brain break signals teach learners to connect physical energy with mental clarity (and how to manage them without chaos) How mistake...
info_outline
EP335 How teacher language shapes us—and teaches kids to find their wisest self (with Lily Howard Scott)
Angela Watson's Truth for Teachers
“Giving kids, and yourself, language to wrap around the idea that we have an inner leader (our kindest, best self) is transformative.” Join me as I talk with Lily Howard Scott, a NYC-based parent, educator, and author, who shares insights from her book The Words That Shape Us: The Science-Based Power of Teacher Language. We’re exploring how our internal self-talk shapes our perceptions of students and ourselves, and how intentional language can transform classroom culture. Lily shares practical strategies for helping students of all ages: Notice and separate from their thoughts and...
info_outline“Giving kids, and yourself, language to wrap around the idea that we have an inner leader (our kindest, best self) is transformative.”
Join me as I talk with Lily Howard Scott, a NYC-based parent, educator, and author, who shares insights from her book The Words That Shape Us: The Science-Based Power of Teacher Language.
We’re exploring how our internal self-talk shapes our perceptions of students and ourselves, and how intentional language can transform classroom culture. Lily shares practical strategies for helping students of all ages:
- Notice and separate from their thoughts and feelings (“feelings as visitors”)
- Understand they are always good inside, even when they make a bad choice
- Access their wisest self to respond thoughtfully instead of reacting automatically
Lily also introduces tools like “outer shells and inner swirls” to help students notice assumptions and guide interactions in more mindful, empowering ways.
Whether you’re looking to improve classroom culture, support student self-reflection, or strengthen your own teacher mindset, this episode offers actionable strategies and inspiring reminders about the words we choose and the impact they have.