'Stand and Deliver' with Don Baus
Better Learning Podcast
In this episode of the Better Learning Podcast, host Carla Cummins is joined by co-host Victoria Morlan as well as architect and education advocate Don Baus for a powerful conversation around the 1988 film Stand and Deliver. With decades of combined experience in designing and supporting student-centered environments, the two explore how the true story of Jaime Escalante continues to challenge and inspire today’s educators, designers, and school leaders. Set in a struggling East L.A. high school, Stand and Deliver follows math teacher Jaime Escalante as he empowers his students to defy...
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'High School Musical' with Candace Seda & Stephanie Seda
Better Learning Podcast
In this episode of the Better Learning Podcast, Carla Cummins is joined by her daughter Jennifer Cummins and special guests Candace Seda and Stephanie Seda for a fun and thought-provoking dive into Disney’s 2006 cultural phenomenon High School Musical. With a multigenerational panel of educators, designers, and education advocates, the group explores how the film’s catchy tunes, teen drama, and feel-good message intersect with real-life high school experiences. Set at the fictional East High School, High School Musical follows Troy Bolton and Gabriella Montez as they challenge stereotypes,...
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'Teachers' (1984) with Steve Miletto
Better Learning Podcast
Kevin Stoller is joined by longtime educator and podcast host Steve Miletto to unpack the 1984 film Teachers, a gritty dramedy that offers an unflinching critique of the American public school system. Directed by Arthur Hiller and starring Nick Nolte, Teachers dives headfirst into the dysfunction, bureaucracy, and burnout often hidden behind school walls. Set in a troubled urban high school, the story centers on idealistic teacher Alex Jurel, who’s caught between his desire to make a difference and a system that seems determined to maintain the status quo. With subplots involving a...
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'Mean Girls' with Steven Shapiro & Nancy Shapiro Rapport
Better Learning Podcast
Mean Girls, directed by Mark Waters and written by Tina Fey, is a cult classic teen comedy based on Rosalind Wiseman’s book Queen Bees and Wannabes. The film humorously yet accurately portrays the harsh realities of high school social dynamics, focusing on cliques, peer pressure, and the impact of popularity on self-identity. The story follows Cady Heron, a homeschooled girl navigating the cutthroat social hierarchy of public high school life after moving from Africa. As she infiltrates "The Plastics," the school’s most popular clique, Cady faces a moral dilemma that tests her values,...
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'Top Gun' with Stacey Waxtan
Better Learning Podcast
Few movies capture the essence of leadership, teamwork, and adaptability quite like Top Gun. While it’s a high-octane film about elite fighter pilots pushing their limits, the lessons it offers extend far beyond the cockpit—straight into the world of education. Just like Maverick and his fellow aviators must embrace continuous learning, mentorship, and resilience, educators and school leaders face the challenge of preparing students for an ever-evolving future. In this review, we’ll break down the powerful parallels between Top Gun and education, exploring what it means to...
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Revisiting the Origins of Our Movie Review Format and Future Films
Better Learning Podcast
In this special episode, we take a nostalgic look back at the early recordings that sparked our popular movie review format. This episode is a fun compilation of guests sharing their favorite school-related movies and TV shows, along with their thoughts on what’s realistic — and what’s not — about those stories. Our guests represent voices from across the country, including Pennsylvania, Utah, Texas, Missouri, Montana, Arizona, Wisconsin, California, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Illinois, North Carolina, Oregon, Kentucky, New York, Connecticut, Minnesota, and Rhode Island. Each guest...
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'The Incredibles' with Mercedes Johnson & Katie Riley
Better Learning Podcast
What Do The Incredibles and Educators Have in Common? In our latest Better Learning Podcast episode, we dive into The Incredibles (2004) and uncover powerful insights for educators. Just like Mr. Incredible and Elastigirl face lawsuits that restrict their powers, teachers often feel held back by red tape and policies that limit their ability to innovate in the classroom. We explore how educators can break free from these constraints, unlocking their creativity, adaptability, and empathy to make a bigger impact. Plus, we break down fun film moments that mirror real-life school experiences....
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'Battle Royale' with BrandonToksMovies & Ben Treadway
Better Learning Podcast
What happens when competition goes way too far? In this episode, we dive into Battle Royale—the cult classic that makes The Hunger Games look like a friendly school fundraiser—to uncover any connections to education. Joined by TikTok movie reviewers BrandonToksMovies and Ben Treadway, we break down the film’s themes of competition, authority, and survival—and how they (thankfully, in a less deadly way) mirror the struggles students face in real life. Can we actually learn anything from this extreme scenario to improve schools? How does this dystopian scenario reflect the pressures...
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'Summer School' with Mark Greenberg & Eric Stoller
Better Learning Podcast
It’s 1987. The surf’s up, the sun’s out, and high school teacher Freddy Shoop is about to have the summer of his life… until he’s roped into teaching remedial English to a group of students who would rather be anywhere else. In this episode of the Better Learning Podcast, Kevin, Eric, and Mark crack open Summer School, the cult classic that blends outrageous 80s comedy with a surprisingly insightful take on teaching, student motivation, and the eternal struggle between fun and responsibility. We break down what makes Mark Harmon’s Mr. Shoop one of the most unexpectedly relatable...
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'October Sky' with Michael Duncan
Better Learning Podcast
Can one teacher change the course of a student’s life? Can curiosity survive in a system that prioritizes conformity? October Sky is more than just a heartwarming story about a boy and his rockets—it’s a powerful look at the impact of education, ambition, and the struggle between dreams and expectations. But how accurately does it reflect today’s schools? Are students still discouraged from pursuing unconventional paths? Do educators still have the power to ignite change? In this review, we’ll break down what October Sky gets right (and where it misses the mark) when it comes to the...
info_outlineRadio is a powerful example of why being different doesn’t mean being wrong—and how society often struggles with that distinction.
Based on a true story, the film follows the relationship between high school football coach Harold Jones (played by Ed Harris) and a young man with an intellectual disability, James Robert “Radio” Kennedy (played by Cuba Gooding Jr.). Initially an outcast in the community, Radio is taken under Coach Jones’s wing, gradually becoming a beloved figure at the school.
The film ultimately teaches that just because someone doesn’t fit traditional expectations doesn’t mean they’re wrong or less than. True strength lies in compassion, and real leadership is about lifting others up rather than shutting them out. Radio encourages us to rethink our biases and embrace people for who they are, not just for how they compare to societal norms.
Takeaways:
- Education should be student focussed
- Everyone should have a chance to learn
- One person can change a community
About Meredith Watassek:
Meredith Watassek joined Stantec as an Education Planner after more than 24 years in Education. The last nine years of her career as an educator, she served as Director of Career and Technical Education (CTE) for the sixth largest school district in Texas. Meredith has guided dozens of Stantec clients through the engagement process on projects while simultaneously leading planning and specifications development for future academic spaces.
Several of her most recent projects include School Master Planning for Alvin Community College, visioning and design of the Career and Technical Education Center for Lamar CISD, and School Master Planning and Specifications for Salteaux First Nations in Saskatchewan, Canada. Before joining Stantec, Meredith oversaw Stantec’s design and execution of the James Reese Career and Technical Education Center for Fort Bend Independent School District in Sugar Land, TX, defining program and project scope for the new facility.
With a rich background in CTE, Meredith can communicate with educators in a way that architects cannot; because she’s been in their shoes, at the front of a classroom, managing both success factors and the student experience. She believes that learning environments shape a student's experience, even if just passively. It is inside schools that students develop beliefs about their ability to be successful. For this reason, Meredith maintains that designers, planners, architects, and contractors have a responsibility to provide the most nurturing environment possible for students.
Connect with Meredith Watassek:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/watassek-meredith-a561b23a/
Twitter: https://x.com/MWatassek
Connect with co-host, Carla Cummins:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carla-cummins-01449659/
Connect with host, Kevin Stoller:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinstoller/
Episode 219 of the Better Learning Podcast
Kevin Stoller is the host of the Better Learning Podcast and Co-Founder of Kay-Twelve, a national leader for educational furniture. Learn more about creating better learning environments at www.Kay-Twelve.com.
For more information on our partners:
Association for Learning Environments (A4LE) - https://www.a4le.org/
Education Leaders' Organization - https://www.ed-leaders.org/
Second Class Foundation - https://secondclassfoundation.org/
EDmarket - https://www.edmarket.org/
Catapult @ Penn GSE - https://catapult.gse.upenn.edu/
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