#382 Teaching, Power, and Policy with John B. King Jr., Former U.S. Secretary of Education (pt.1)
Release Date: 05/05/2025
The Tool to Finally Engage Students in Writing (Redux)
Teach Me, Teacher
Hello everyone! Writefully Empowered is HERE! It’s my second book, all about creating a writing workshop that empowers young people to be their best and write pieces they care about. In this episode, I talk with my co-host of (my paused second podcast) about her experience with reading the book, what her takeaways are, and what other educators might find useful in it too. This episode previously aired when the book was released. .
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Empowering Inclusion with Melinda Arnost (Greatest Hits)
Teach Me, Teacher
Hello everyone! If you have listened to the podcast for a significant amount of time, you have probably heard me talk about how my son is autistic. It has been a journey, for sure, but something that has been helpful along the way has been all of the great educators who have supported him and his needs. With that said, I couldn’t be more excited to bring my talk with Melinda Arnost to you. She is the author of the upcoming book, Empowering Inclusion, and a passionate educator. Melinda is exactly the kind of educator we love to have on Teach Me, Teacher: passionate, innovative, and deeply in...
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#400 How Technology Can Support Literacy (Tinsley Galyean pt.2)
Teach Me, Teacher
In this episode, we sit down with Tinsley Galyean—co-founder of Curious Learning and author of the forthcoming book —to challenge everything we think we know about technology, kids, and learning. As debates rage over screen time, AI, and the impact of digital tools on child development, Galyean offers a powerful counter-narrative: what if technology, used intentionally, could become one of the most transformative forces in global childhood literacy? Drawing on fieldwork across Ethiopia, India, Bangladesh, South Africa, and beyond, Tinsley reveals how low-cost smartphones and child-driven...
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#399 Reframing Tech and Literacy with Tinsley Galyean (pt.1)
Teach Me, Teacher
In this episode, we sit down with Tinsley Galyean—co-founder of Curious Learning and author of the forthcoming book —to challenge everything we think we know about technology, kids, and learning. As debates rage over screen time, AI, and the impact of digital tools on child development, Galyean offers a powerful counter-narrative: what if technology, used intentionally, could become one of the most transformative forces in global childhood literacy? Drawing on fieldwork across Ethiopia, India, Bangladesh, South Africa, and beyond, Tinsley reveals how low-cost smartphones and child-driven...
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180 Days with Penny Kittle — Greatest Hits
Teach Me, Teacher
Hello everyone and happy Thanksgiving break! We will be back to our regular scheduled programming next week, but for our off week, let's revisit one of the top minds in education to look at reading and writing practices that actually work in secondary classrooms. NOTE: This episode featured a giveaway that has already been honored. If you’re in ELA, you probably . If you don’t know who she is, you’re in for a treat, regardless if you teach ELA or another subject. In this episode, Penny and I discuss her new book (co-written with Kelly Gallagher), and how we can better our...
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#398 Ruthless Equity (Ken Williams pt.3)
Teach Me, Teacher
This week, we’re back with Part 3 of my conversation with Ken Williams — and we’re pushing even deeper into what real leadership looks like when the excuses are stripped away. In this installment, we go beyond the question of whether teachers matter and dig into the systems, habits, and mindsets that either amplify teacher expertise or quietly suffocate it. Because here’s the truth far too many leaders avoid: You can’t claim to believe in teachers while building a school that doesn’t trust them. We talk about how some schools unintentionally create environments where demographics...
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#397 How Schools Make Teachers Invisible (Ken Williams pt.2)
Teach Me, Teacher
This week, I sit down with Ken Williams — educator, speaker, author of Ruthless Equity, and founder of Unfold the Soul — to dig into a question that hits the core of what schools are becoming: Do teachers still matter? In far too many places, we’ve slipped into treating demographics like destiny. Schools get so wrapped up in predicting outcomes based on factors kids can’t control that teachers end up feeling obsolete before they even step into the room. When we assume what students can’t do, we quietly remove the people who can change everything: the teachers. If we actually want...
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#396 Do Teachers ACTUALLY Matter? with Ken Williams (pt.1)
Teach Me, Teacher
This week, I sit down with Ken Williams, educator, speaker, and author of Ruthless Equity and founder of Unfold the Soul, to wrestle with one of the toughest questions in education today: Do teachers still matter? In too many schools, leadership decisions, policies, and even cultural norms seem to have already decided what kids can and cannot do — leaving teachers feeling like their impact is secondary. But if we truly believe teachers matter (and we say we do), why don’t our practices reflect that belief? Ken brings his signature honesty and insight as we unpack how schools can reclaim...
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#395 High School Students Need to Be Engaged Too!
Teach Me, Teacher
High school kids are tough to reach… but maybe that’s the fun part. In this episode, we’re talking about engagement that actually works—finding that ONE thing that makes your lessons hit different. Maybe it’s a wild outfit. A totally new lesson design. A classroom setup that surprises them. Something weird, bold, or uniquely you. Because when you make it your own… that’s when kids connect. That’s when it sticks. Listen now on Teach Me, Teacher — where passion meets practice, and every classroom becomes a story worth telling.
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#394 Leading People, Not Buildings (Carrie Jackson pt.2)
Teach Me, Teacher
Hello everyone! This week I’m joined by Carrie Jackson, the incredible principal of Allen High School in Texas — and someone I’ve had the privilege of working alongside in my career. Carrie embodies what it means to lead with humility, compassion, and care. In our conversation, we dig deep into what real leadership looks like — not the kind that leans on authority or power, but the kind that sees people first. We talk about the difference between power and influence, and how the best leaders earn trust and respect not through force, but through consistency, empathy, and a genuine...
info_outlineIn this powerful episode, host Jacob Chastain sits down with Dr. John B. King Jr., the 10th U.S. Secretary of Education under President Obama, to discuss his new book Teacher by Teacher.
They explore Dr. King's journey from classroom teacher to national education leader, offering a rare insider’s perspective on the state of American education.
Together, they unpack the challenges educators face today, including the growing politicization of the profession and its impact on schools and communities. A must-listen for anyone passionate about teaching, policy, and the future of education.
John B. King Jr. served in President Barack Obama’s cabinet as the tenth U.S. Secretary of Education. Over the course of his extensive and influential career in public education, he has been a high school social studies teacher, a middle school principal, the first African American and Puerto Rican to serve as New York State Education Commissioner, a college professor, and the president and CEO of the Education Trust, a national education civil rights organization.
King is currently the chancellor of the State University of New York (SUNY), the nation’s largest comprehensive system of public higher education. Both of King’s parents were career New York City public school educators.
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