Intro to the ELEMENTS series: What Air, Fire, Earth, and Water Can Teach Us about Re-Modeling the Education System
Release Date: 04/06/2023
Plot Twist: We're Still Alive (And Here's What We've Been Up To!!)
Regenerative Ed
Hey everyone-- it's been a little bit! We're so happy to be back here with you in this format again. This podcast covers what's been up (babies? homeschooling? natural dyes? Edshed projects?), where we are with education work/the podcast/grounded teaching work, and how we want to continue to plug into this community-- and we hope you'll join us! Show notes: (You can directly register on or apply for scholarships !) Use code EARLYBIRD for $20 off until June 1! Have more questions? Reach out or You can also connect with us on or or
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AIR ELEMENT Deep Dive: What Can Air Teach Us About Reimagining & Remembering A Thriving Education System?
Regenerative Ed
Today we get into our about deep-dive workshop-in-a-podcast-series! We're tackling the first element in this deep dive series on what Air, Fire, Earth, and Water, and we're asking: What can air teach us about reimagining and remembering the ed system? 00:00 - Introduction - Why We're Doing This 07:30 - Part 1- Respect, Appreciation, Embodiment 17:53 - Part 2- The Invisible Source of Life (Definitions and Foundations) 35:37 - Part 3- Making Space and Knowing Not Everything is For Us Part 4 (Feeling Deflated or Winded), Part 5 (Taking Shape and Elasticity) and Part 6 (A Catalyst...
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Intro to the ELEMENTS series: What Air, Fire, Earth, and Water Can Teach Us about Re-Modeling the Education System
Regenerative Ed
Today is an introduction to a 4-part deep dive (well, 5 if you count this intro). It’s a workshop-in-a-podcast learning series on the the four elements of air, fire, earth, water, what we can learn from them about creating new systems and structures around education. The goal of digging into the elements here is to view ourselves and our work in education as part of a LIVING SYSTEM. Not part of an industry or a factory, which is no secret that’s how we operate! We know this. We see it. We dwell on the problems! What we’re talking about here is a way of connecting to paradigms outside of...
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Teaching Black History All Year + Joy, Picture Books, Teaching Teachers, Kindergarteners, and more.
Regenerative Ed
Today I'm joined by Dawnavyn James whose main message for us as an audience today is TEACH BLACK HISTORY!!! :) Dawnavyn is an early childhood, elementary, and Black History educator. She is a PhD student at the University at Buffalo and a fellow for the Center for K-12 Black History and Racial Literacy Education. Her research interests include elementary Black history education, instruction, and curriculum development. We talk about creating a safe container for race and identity conversations in the classroom especially for little ones and using picture books (at all levels) to help inspire...
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Rebecca Harrison and Mending for a More Regenerative Future
Regenerative Ed
What does mending have to do with reimagining education? Check out this conversation I had with Rebecca Harrison of Rebecca is the person you'd turn to when you rip your absolute most favorite pair of jeans that fit you like a glove and you're having an internal dilemma as you hover them above the trash can. Off recording, Rebecca and I were chatting a lot about her team which she describes like a dream team full of some of the most talented sewists in Pittsburgh, and I was struck by the power of community. You’ll hear us chat about some of the logistics of mending– where to start...
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Episode 52: Twins Talking About Teaching, Trains, Poisons, Place-Based Education, SAT Tests & more
Regenerative Ed
Today is a special podcast because I’m chatting with Jess, my twin. She’s here and well with a new baby in tow, and I for one am so very very very grateful that she is here and well and that we can continue our chats like we have since the womb (I assume?!). This morning we were chatting about the Norfolk Southern Train Derailment that is so close to our houses and talking about what it has to do with extraction and systems like education– you know, a normal conversation for us–and I was like, maybe let's record this? So, we hopped on Zoom. And what you'll find (after my framing and...
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Place-Embedded Learning with School Leader and Teacher Rachel Balkcom
Regenerative Ed
I felt really privileged to have this conversation with such a light! Rachel is so clearly passionate about her work, and it's contagious. Our conversation discusses the model of place-based--nay, a place-embedded micro-school, La Luz, and the ripple effects that happen when you embed students in the community. And, true to form as folks who care about questioning the whole system, we get into a lot of other territory: a respectful process for listening for what the community needs then designing curriculum from there, working with partners and being open to wherever they are right now,...
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Maja Watkins: Improv for Social Emotional Learning in the Classroom
Regenerative Ed
I was thrilled to get the chance to interview classroom teacher, author, founder (and so much more!) Maja Watkins recently! When a colleague said I needed to connect with her, I Googled her up, and there I saw-- for the first time-- "Improv Curriculum" related to social emotional needs. IMPROV CURRICULUM?! Sounds pretty not-mechanical: not perfect, not scripted, not standardized, rooted in connection and joy and humor. Maja is so passionate about students, and she draws on her creative improv background when it comes to their social and emotional needs. She's created literally...
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A Buffet of Failures (and Feedback)
Regenerative Ed
FAIL. We all fail. What's it mean? What can we do with it? In a non-toxic-positivity sort of way, there's a lot failure can teach us about...teaching. And in a living-systems sort of view (which is what we do on the podcast and at Grounded Teaching), there's a lot we can learn about feedback systems to prevent or learn from perceived failures. That's what November is actually all about. Each month, aligned to our monthly programming in We Are Verbs, we are digging into a theme, and with our new re-organization with sliding scale tiers including a free section I record a podcast for each...
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The Industrial Education Complex & Clinging to Rot
Regenerative Ed
This week it's just me, talking about some things I hold dear: applying principles and themes of living systems to heal ourselves, our relationships to ourselves as "educators", and to make possible change for our learners by breaking down the barriers of modern western culture (that we might not even be aware have been towering over us), opening up a new way for ourselves and our students to learn to be in this world. That, and my black walnut hulling experience last weekend. If you love this podcast, please share it with a friend! Rating and reviewing is also helpful. Thank you!...
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Today is an introduction to a 4-part deep dive (well, 5 if you count this intro). It’s a workshop-in-a-podcast learning series on the the four elements of air, fire, earth, water, what we can learn from them about creating new systems and structures around education.
The goal of digging into the elements here is to view ourselves and our work in education as part of a LIVING SYSTEM. Not part of an industry or a factory, which is no secret that’s how we operate! We know this. We see it. We dwell on the problems!
What we’re talking about here is a way of connecting to paradigms outside of industrial, extractive, colonial, capitalistic paradigms to see if there’s something here we can learn about setting up these new systems. We deal with education here in this Regenerative Ed Podcast, but, I often get folks saying, hey, this applies to the food system or the healthcare system or the personal systems I use in my household. Yes, yes! Definitely it does.
We are in an age where it’s clear as day that the old systems aren’t working and we’re looking at what to do differently. I’m suggesting here that there are an infinite amount of things we can look to for inspiration, which is what we do on this podcast. In this series, we are focusing on the four elements. We’ll talk about science, we’ll talk about symbols, we’ll talk about cultural phrases, we may even dip into the cosmos.
NOTE: I am not an expert in the elements! I am a human being with a history of experiences, many of which involve the educational system and textile systems, and I simply can observe patterns and connect them to ways to be in these new systems that has proved helpful for people. There’s no capital T Truth here! Take what works and leave the rest. Add to it and create your own.
Next week, we’ll start with the air element!
I’ll see you next week to chat more about movement, currents, music, libras, and what it all has to do with education. Come and join us for this workshop-in-a-podcast format, wherever you are, whenever you are.
For full transcript, you can head to the website.
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