What to Do When Teachers Are at Very Different Places With AI
Shifting Schools: Conversations for K12 Educators
Release Date: 01/25/2026
The Business of You with Marnie Stockman and Nick Coniglio
Shifting Schools: Conversations for K12 Educators
This week Jeff talks with Nick and Marnie about why we want to help students stop waiting for permission and start building a bridge to a career on your their own terms. In this episode, Jeff Utecht is joined by Marnie Stockman and Nick Coniglio, authors of The Business of You, a book that reframes career growth, personal branding, and leadership through a simple but demanding idea: you are already running a business, and that business is you. Using the story of Sydney, a young professional trying to stand out in a crowded job market, Marnie and Nick explore what it means to move from passive...
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Sara Amini: The Stories We Carry and the Friends Who See Them
Shifting Schools: Conversations for K12 Educators
What can a graphic novel teach educators about belonging, friendship, and the inner lives of young people? Sara Amini is an actor and author whose semi-autobiographical middle grade graphic novel Mixed Feelings started as a collection of essays before finding its real form. In this conversation, she and Tricia dig into why the graphic novel gave her a sharper way to tell a story about not fitting neatly into any one category, and what that means for the kids (and adults) who read it. They talk about humor as a way into hard topics like racism, xenophobia, puberty, and loneliness. Sara...
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Why Friendship Is Serious Business for Kids and Adults
Shifting Schools: Conversations for K12 Educators
Alyson Gerber joins Tricia Friedman to talk about The Liar Society, why friendship is serious business, and what mystery stories can teach young readers and adults about belonging, trust, competition, and connection. In this conversation, Alyson shares why friendship sits at the center of her work, how middle grade fiction can help readers think more deeply about loneliness and identity, and why the best friends are the ones who cheer for your growth. They also go behind the scenes of writing a mystery series. Alyson explains how she outlines her novels, why she uses the Save the Cat beat...
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Living at the edge of emerging technology
Shifting Schools: Conversations for K12 Educators
What happens when we stop asking AI to do everything faster and start asking how it might help us understand people better? In this episode, Jeff sits down with Andy Sitison, CTO of , for a conversation about empathetic AI, story collection, and why trust may be the real differentiator in the next phase of technology. Andy shares how his work uses AI not just as a productivity tool, but as a way to surface patterns in human experience by gathering and analyzing stories from real people. Together, they explore what gets lost when efficiency becomes the main goal, why intent matters so much in...
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Human Still Required: out now!
Shifting Schools: Conversations for K12 Educators
Jeff Utecht is back with a brand new book for schools looking to understand what to prioritize in the era of AI. Human Still Required is available for purchase, and you can get chapter one free: Learn all about it in this special bonus episode.
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Billy Ray on Writing Hope in Dark Times, and Building Future Worlds
Shifting Schools: Conversations for K12 Educators
What does it take to write a story that faces darkness without surrendering to it? In this episode, Tricia speaks with acclaimed screenwriter Billy Ray about his move into YA fiction with Burn the Water, a future-set story shaped by Shakespeare, political urgency, and a deep belief in young people’s capacity to lead us forward. Their conversation explores community, imagination, hope, and the discipline of creating when the world feels bleak. Billy also offers a sharp look at his writing process, including what changed when he moved from screenwriting to novel writing, and why he sees...
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Why Kids Need Stories About Belonging and Friendship Right Now | Jasmine Warga
Shifting Schools: Conversations for K12 Educators
What can a cheetah and a rescue dog teach us about trust, friendship, and belonging? In this episode, Tricia Friedman sits down with bestselling author Jasmine Warga to talk about her newest book and the powerful themes at its heart: vulnerability, unlikely friendships, and the courage it takes to let someone truly see you. Inspired by a real program in zoos where rescue dogs are paired with anxious cheetahs, Warga’s story explores how connection can help both animals—and humans—feel less alone. Through the voices of a cheetah and a dog, the book opens up conversations about anxiety,...
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Tui T. Sutherland on Creativity, World-Building, Empathy, and Writing for Young Readers
Shifting Schools: Conversations for K12 Educators
In this episode, we sit down with Tui T. Sutherland, bestselling author of the Wings of Fire series, for a rich conversation about creativity, writing, world-building, empathy, and storytelling for young readers. Tui shares how play, curiosity, and even dogs can support focus and imagination, why world-building starts with better questions, and how writers can balance community feedback with their own creative vision. She also reflects on the role of empathy, diversity, and self-exploration in storytelling, offering practical insights for aspiring writers, educators, and anyone interested in...
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Dream Big, Start Small: A Conversation with Peter H. Reynolds
Shifting Schools: Conversations for K12 Educators
In this episode, we sit down with beloved children's book author and illustrator Peter H. Reynolds to explore how educators can ignite creativity and self-discovery in young learners. Peter shares why a single question can transform how we teach, and why imagination and dreaming big aren't luxuries but essentials. What We Cover: How teachers activate creativity through authentic, feeling-driven questions Encouraging kids to explore many interests instead of choosing just one path The vital role of imagination and dreaming big in personal growth Chapters 00:00 The Impact of Educators...
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Character First Writing: Practical Mini Lessons from Deborah Goodrich Royce
Shifting Schools: Conversations for K12 Educators
Deborah Goodrich Royce, author of literary psychological thrillers and a former actor, unpacks how she builds tension without forcing the outline. You will hear how sensory observation from her New York Botanical Garden work feeds scene-level detail, why she prefers a “reveal” that feels earned over a twist that feels gimmicky, and how an actor’s training translates into characters with layered motives and believable self-deception. What you will learn How to pace a psychological thriller so the reader feels pulled forward, not pushed. Character-first plotting: letting voice,...
info_outlineHow do you move forward with AI in schools when staff confidence is all over the place?
Jeff Utecht and Tricia Friedman address one of the most persistent leadership challenges in AI literacy implementation. Within the same faculty, some educators are experimenting confidently with tools and workflows while others feel intimidated, skeptical, or frustrated by rapid change.
Jeff and Tricia frame the issue through a mindset-first lens and introduce practical leadership moves grounded in BAKE: balance, adaptability, knowledge sharing, and empathy. The conversation begins with a simple leadership truth: confidence grows through a beginner’s stance, repetition, and low-stakes practice, not perfection on day one. Tricia shares a “pumpkin patch” analogy for learning something new and models how leaders can normalize experimentation and productive struggle for staff.
From there, the episode explores how leaders can reduce anxiety and build confidence by “level setting” foundational understanding of how AI works. When teachers grasp what is happening under the hood, they are more willing to engage, ask better questions, and try new workflows.
A central theme is personalization. Confidence increases when educators connect AI learning to what they already love about teaching, then use AI to enhance that strength rather than asking teachers to adopt tools for their own sake. The hosts also highlight the importance of playful, low-stakes experimentation outside of school contexts, from recipe support to pop-culture research challenges, as a way to learn tool boundaries without the pressure of classroom performance.
The episode closes with a clear leadership stance: sustained learning matters. AI capabilities are changing quickly, so professional learning cannot be treated as a one-time training. Adaptability requires ongoing documentation of experiments, time-stamped learning, and renewed emphasis on media literacy as AI becomes more persuasive and more embedded in everyday life.
If you are leading AI literacy in a school or district and trying to support both early adopters and hesitant educators, this episode offers a grounded approach to building momentum without fracturing culture.
In this episode, you will hear about leading AI literacy when teacher confidence varies widely, progress over perfection and the beginner’s stance, differentiated professional learning for AI, foundational understanding of how AI works, low-stakes experimentation that increases staff buy-in, balancing voices of early adopters and skeptics, adaptability as AI tools evolve, and mindset-first change management through the BAKE Framework.
Explore the BAKE resources and multiple ways to engage, including a four-week email series, PLC slide decks, a live cohort, and school-wide implementation:
https://www.shiftingschools.com/
Our show is edited and produced by Sagheer M. Learn more about his work:
https://www.upwork.com/freelancers/~01a20f0c0c32996d55
Are you signed up for Crayola Creativity Week?
https://www.crayola.com/learning/creativity-week
Reach out to learn with us: info@shiftingschools.com
00:00
Welcome and Series Context
Jeff frames the third and final BAKE episode and names the core leadership question about uneven staff confidence.
01:30
Why Confidence Gaps Are Normal When Learning Something New
Using the beginner’s stance and the pumpkin patch example to normalize discomfort and learning curves.
03:30
Progress Over Perfection in Teaching and Leadership
Why educators often expect mastery too quickly and how modeling learning matters.
05:30
The Leadership Challenge of Mixed AI Confidence
High flyers, hesitant staff, and the tension leaders feel managing both groups.
08:00
Level Setting: How Understanding AI Builds Confidence
Why explaining how AI works reduces fear and increases willingness to engage.
10:30
Passion-Based Entry Points for AI Learning
Connecting AI use to what educators already love doing in their work.
13:00
Playful, Low-Stakes AI Experiments
Using non-school examples to explore AI without pressure or risk.
15:30
Pop Culture as a Confidence Builder
The Taylor Swift research experiment and why interest drives learning.
18:00
Abundance of Information and Better Questions
Why confidence grows when educators move from answers to inquiry.
20:00
Empathy First: Leading With BAKE
Starting with empathy before tools, expertise, or expectations.
21:45
Knowledge Sharing Inside and Outside the Classroom
Why sharing personal AI use builds collective confidence.
23:15
Adaptability in a Fast-Changing AI Landscape
Why AI learning must be ongoing, time-stamped, and revisited.
25:15
Balance: Creating Space for All Voices
Supporting both skeptics and early adopters through reciprocal dialogue.
27:15
Key Takeaways and Next Steps
Mindset-first leadership, community, and how schools can engage further with BAKE.