Thank you #Educrush
#EduCrush
Hey there Friends, It's Alex. I just wanted to come and say thank you to all of you for everything! Thanks especially to Natalie for all she's shared and taught me. I'm working on some new things starting with a new podcast on Youtube (for now) called Curiosity Bridge, the link is below. Linkedin is best way to connect for those who'd like Thanks again, Alex
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114 — Five Things I Wish I Knew Before Starting #EduCrush
#EduCrush
On her final episode of the #EduCrush podcast, Natalie reflects on her personal growth throughout the past four years of creating the show and shares insights into what's next. Show Notes: The greatest validation comes from within. Creativity thrives on consistency. Equity without introspection is a trap. You are the solution until you become the problem. My voice is powerful. →
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Introducing...Unleash YES with Tom & Nat!
#EduCrush
This new podcast from Natalie Vardabasso with co-host Tom Schimmer will help you leave the politics of your job behind and experience the freedom of becoming your own boss. →
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113 - Dungeons and Formative Assessment w/Andrew Rigby
#EduCrush
On this episode Alex interviews passionate and innovative educator Andrew Rigby, on the numerous benefits of TTRPG’s for students in the classroom. Continue the conversation with Natalie on or Continue the conversation with Alex on or
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112 - Changing Ourselves, Our Assessment Practice & Our Careers (w Starr Sackstein)
#EduCrush
Though Starr is considered a leading voice in innovative assessment and grading practices, it didn’t start out that way. Once upon a time, she was a teacher in her classroom on the precipice of making a terrifying change. In this episode, Nat talks with Starr about how her personal growth journey triggered a change in her practices and eventually a major pivot in her career. Learn how Starr learned to let go of control and empower students so you can do the same. Show Notes: How doing personal, inner work sparks an openness to change and learning, like it did when Starr chose to transform...
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111 – The Court of Public Opinion
#EduCrush
Continue the conversation with Natalie on or Continue the conversation with Alex on or On this episode Alex discusses how the court of public opinion influences policy, ethics and our feelings about assessment.
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110 – Hacking Parent Communication (w Crystal Frommert)
#EduCrush
✊ Parent communication isn’t the sexiest part of our jobs, but that doesn’t make it any less critical. Natalie is joined by Crystal Frommert, author of “When Calling Parents isn’t your Calling,” to discuss strategies to proactively partner with parents and how to assert ourselves when communication crosses into disrespectful territory. Show Notes: Whenever possible, we should lean towards verbal rather than written, digital communication. Many of us are nervous about talking to parents because of bad past experiences and deep fears of being exposed as a fraud. Parent...
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109 – Pillars of the community w/ Rodney Noel
#EduCrush
On this episode Alex interviews an expert in the community work that goes on in major cities. He has 20 years of experience working with children and youth, non-profits, schools, and families. He also happens to be my older brother, Rodney Noel. Continue the conversation with Natalie on or Continue the conversation with Alex on or
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108 – Assessment Identity (w Karley Alleyn)
#EduCrush
✨J Assessment and identity might not seem like a logical pairing on the surface, but they are a powerhouse combo for learning and professional growth. Everyone has an assessment story that we carry into the school space and those experiences determine what we believe to be true about ourselves, learners, and learning. Today Natalie reconnects with her childhood friend, Karley Alleyn, to explore the shared childhood experience that was fundamental to their assessment identities and what Karley learned about the role of authentic mentorship in its continued development...
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107 – Learning for Need, Honour, and Awe
#EduCrush
Happy new year! What are the things in this world that make your jaw drop? Things that are so awesome that you can’t help but get excited about it, about learning about it and experiencing it? On this episode of #Educrush, Alex explores knowledge for need, for honour and for awe as we take some time to look to the past and to space! Links to SN 1006 because it’s awesome. Continue the conversation with Natalie on or Continue the conversation with Alex on or
info_outlineIn this solo episode, Natalie honors the Halloween season by describing five ghastly ghouls haunting our schools: phantom policies, zombie meetings, dementor processes, and the control and avoidance poltergeists. Learn what they are and how to defeat them!
💬 Continue the conversation with Natalie on Twitter or Instagram
🎧Listen to the podcast episode that inspired this episode: “Slaying your Organizational Debt Monster.”
🎥Watch Rodney Evans describe organizational debt.
✊ Join our Facebook group for community, connection and allies.
✨Get on the list for advance tickets for the Empowerment Ecosystem Summit!
Show Notes:
- Organizational debt is the policies, practices and ways of working that are no longer serving their purpose, leading to bureaucracy.
- Phantom policies are born of a idiosyncratic mistake and scare teachers from more meaningful practice (e.g. teachers must have 5 entries per week in their grade book).
- Zombie meetings are routine meetings that have lost their soul. (e.g. PLC meetings).
- Dementor processes suck the life out of creativity and innovation. (e.g. committees as a part of the change process).
- The control poltergeist haunts leaders lacking connection and leads to a culture of permission.
- The avoidance poltergeist haunts leaders who feel unsafe and leads to a culture of influence.
- The fix to all of these issues is the thing we tend to avoid in our workplaces, tough conversations (with ourselves and others).