381: From Compliance to Curiosity – Rethinking Student Engagement
Getting Unstuck – Cultivating Curiosity
Release Date: 09/23/2025
401: How Do Writer Friendships Make the Creative Journey More Sustainable?
Getting Unstuck – Cultivating Curiosity
Guest Hurley Winkler is a writer and editor from Jacksonville, FL. Her newsletter, “Lonely Victories,” is among the top Substack publications in the Literature category. She teaches creative writing at Flagler College. Summary In this episode, I speak with writer and teacher Hurley Winkler about journaling, creative practice, and building a sustainable writing life. Hurley traces her path to writing back to childhood anxiety and early journaling inspired by Harriet the Spy, and describes how writing eventually became her preferred independent art form after early interests in...
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400: How Do Observing and Deep Listening Help Shape Strong Writing?
Getting Unstuck – Cultivating Curiosity
Guest Heather Lende is the author of four books centered on her life in Haines, Alaska: If You Lived Here, I’d Know Your Name, Take Good Care of the Garden and the Dogs, Find the Good: Life Lessons from a Small-town Obituary Writer, and, most recently, Of Bears and Ballots, about her adventures in local politics. Heather served as Alaska Writer Laureate from 2021-2023, has an honorary Ph.D in Humane Letters from the University of Alaska, Anchorage, and is the recipient of the Middlebury College Alumni Award. Summary In this, my 400th episode, I sit down with writer Heather Lende...
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399: Why Do Public Lands Remain a Source of Controversy?
Getting Unstuck – Cultivating Curiosity
Guest Adam Bronstein grew up exploring the Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York and knew from a young age that he wanted to work to protect wild places. He received a BS from SUNY College of Environmental Science & Forestry in Environmental Studies and Geographic Information Technologies. Adam first joined the Western Watershed Project staff in 2020. Outside his capacity at WWP, Adam hosts and produces Our Public Lands podcast, advocates for Wilderness, and is a dedicated public lands hunter and angler—always looking for that elusive cow-free habitat. Summary In...
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398: Why Do Internal Customers Matter as Much as External Ones?
Getting Unstuck – Cultivating Curiosity
Guest April Obersteller is a people-centered leader, operator, and founder of And Not Or, a community and leadership platform built around the belief that we don’t have to choose. She has led customer and employee experience across iconic consumer brands, including YETI and woom, and now leads community and experience at Recess. April also hosts The AND Podcast, where she shares real conversations about leadership, growth, and humanity. Summary In this episode, Jeff talks with April Obersteller, co-founder and CEO of And, about what it really takes to build companies that succeed by...
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397: Who and What's Behind the Continued Efforts to Sell or Transfer Our Public Lands?
Getting Unstuck – Cultivating Curiosity
Guest Hal Herring is a long-time contributing editor and writer at Field and Stream magazine and has covered conservation and the environment for national and international publications for almost thirty years. His work was featured in the Patagonia documentary Public Trust in 2020, and he is at work on a book about the American public lands. Summary In this episode of Getting Unstuck: Cultivating Curiosity, Jeff speaks with writer and public-lands advocate Hal H. about renewed political efforts to weaken protections for America’s public lands. The conversation centers on three major...
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396: What We Read and Why in 2025
Getting Unstuck – Cultivating Curiosity
Summary In this episode, Cultivating Curiosity host Jeff Ikler reflects on his love of year-end “Best Books” lists and why reading sits at the heart of his podcast and personal life. He welcomes lists from institutions like The New York Times and the New York Public Library, seeing them as both a defense against book banning and a source of discovery, connection, and generosity. For Ikler, books spark curiosity, deepen empathy, and create bonds—whether through gifting or thoughtful conversation with authors. He also underscores podcast hosts' responsibility to read their guests’ work...
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395: Why Are Many of Today’s Students Anxious, Aggressive, and Shut Down?
Getting Unstuck – Cultivating Curiosity
Guests Why are school children more anxious, aggressive, and shut down than ever before? We first heard answers from educators Tamara Neufeld Strijack and Hannah Beach in April 2020. Hannah takes us up to the present in this update episode. Tamara is the academic dean of the Neufeld Institute, where she develops and delivers courses and workshops that support parents, teachers, and helping professionals around the world in making sense of children through developmental science. Tamara works as a registered clinical counsellor, parent consultant, and sessional instructor for several...
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394: "Earthrise"—What Can the Apollo 8 Mission to the Moon in 1968 Still Teach Us?
Getting Unstuck – Cultivating Curiosity
Update: If you listened to last week’s podcast, you know that today’s episode about the historic Apollo 8 mission to the moon in late December 1968 was one of my most popular of 2024. The lessons from that mission, which I discussed in episode 344, are just as important, if not more so, today in episode 394. An artist’s rendering of Apollo 8 as it photographs “Earthrise.” Summary In this episode, I reflect on the Apollo 8 mission to the moon in late December 1968 and the turbulent year that preceded it. The episode highlights enduring lessons on inequality,...
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393: Which Podcast Episodes Did You Listen to the Most in 2025?
Getting Unstuck – Cultivating Curiosity
Summary This coming February, will start its eighth year. My goal with this podcast is to host guests who will make us think, “I didn’t know anything about that,” or “That’s something I hadn’t considered,” or “I might be able to apply that to some aspect of my life.” In each case, “that” refers to the topic being discussed. And the topics will vary widely. Unlike other shows that focus on a single topic, such as politics, entertainment, or leadership, Getting Untuck’s focus is eclectic. This year, I offered episodes about how to inspire student curiosity, the healing...
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392: In What Ways Do Children Grow When They Run Real Businesses?
Getting Unstuck – Cultivating Curiosity
Guest Leah Ellis is a mom of four, writer, wedding officiant, Girl Scout leader, and founder of The Society of Child Entrepreneurs. Her life blends family, creativity, and leadership, from giggling over business plans at the breakfast table to mentoring kids through hands-on entrepreneurship. With her children as her compass, Leah is reminded daily that growth is messy, love is work, and compassion changes everything. Through SoCE, Nerdy Nuptials ICT, and Girl Scouts, she creates spaces where kids, couples, and communities are empowered to lead with authenticity. Leah believes in making room...
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Rebecca Winthrop is a leading global authority on education, the director of the Center for Universal Education at Brookings, and an adjunct professor at Georgetown University. She is dedicated to ensuring that every child has the opportunity to thrive in life, work, and as an engaged citizen. She leads cutting-edge research and initiatives aimed at transforming education systems around the world to better support children’s learning and development.
Rebecca is a trusted advisor to both school communities and national and international organizations. Her expertise is sought by many, including parent networks, schools, district education leaders, the White House, the United Nations, and Fortune 500 companies. Rebecca’s work is centered on developing and advocating for evidence-based strategies that bring people together—families, educators, policymakers, and companies—to help children maximize their potential.
She is the co-author with Jenny Anderson of The Disengaged Teen: Helping Kids Learn Better, Feel Better, and Live Better.
She holds a PhD from Columbia University’s Teachers College, an MA from its School of International and Public Affairs, and a BA from Swarthmore College.
Summary
Jeff and Rebecca explore how schools’ outdated designs hinder student agency and engagement. They unpack the four “disengagement modes,” highlight practices that foster curiosity and autonomy, and stress the role of families, teachers, and systemic reform in helping students become lifelong, self-directed learners.
Key Takeaways
Outdated Structures vs. Agency: Schools were built for compliance, not curiosity—modern learning must cultivate student agency and exploration.
Four Modes of Engagement: Students move among Passenger, Achiever, Resistor, and Explorer engagement modes.
Pathways Forward: Family collaboration, autonomy-supportive teaching, and project-based learning help students thrive and connect knowledge to real life.
Social Media
Instagram: @drrebeccawinthrop
TikTok: @drrebeccawinthrop
LinkedIn: Rebecca Winthrop