Brave New Teaching: A Podcast for High School and Middle School Teachers

If you've ever daydreamed about writing a novel between grading essays, this one’s for you. In this episode, we chat with former English teacher turned YA author Katie Bayerl about her newest book, What Comes After—a laugh-out-loud, heart-tugging story about grief, identity, and the afterlife. Katie shares her journey from the classroom to the writing world, her process for weaving humor into heavy themes, and how her novel ca...

It’s Amanda here, and if you’ve ever hit the road with a car full of kids (or just your teacher brain trying to stay five steps ahead) you know that summer travel takes some serious strategy. In this solo episode, I’m sharing all my favorite tips for stress-free, memory-filled road trips. From how I set up my car to the genius packing system that saves me from digging through suitcases at midnight, I’ve got you covered.

I’m also div...

This episode lit us up in the best way. Amanda sat down with Aaron H. Aceves, author of This Is Why They Hate Us, for a heartfelt conversation about identity and the power of honest storytelling. Aaron’s openness about his own journey challenged us to reflect on how we, as educators, can lead with vulnerability and create space for students to do the same. His protagonist, Enrique, is messy, hilarious, and deeply real—and that kind...

We’re so excited to share part two of our conversation with Aimee Phan, author of The Lost Queen! If you caught part one, you already know how rich and thoughtful this discussion is. In this episode, we dive deeper into how retellings like The Lost Queen can help students see that stories aren’t set in stone—and that they have the freedom to make stories their own. Aimee shares how the creative process can empower young writers to ...

What if the legendary queens of Vietnamese history were reborn as modern-day teens in California? In this episode, we chat with author and educator Aimee Phan about her brand new YA fantasy novel, The Lost Queen. Aimee shares how her experience growing up as the daughter of Vietnamese refugees—and the absence of Vietnamese stories in the books she read—inspired her to create stories that center Vietnamese culture, history, and iden...

In part two of our conversation with author Samira Ahmed, we deep dive into the genre of Internment—is it dystopian, speculative, or realistic fiction?—and why that label matters in the classroom. What starts as a conversation about shelving quickly becomes an exploration of how genre influences student thinking, how we can break down subject silos in education, and why teaching through inquiry is more critical than ever. Samira sh...

Camp BNT is back for year three, and we’re kicking things off with bestselling author (and former high school English teacher!) Samira Ahmed. In this episode, Samira shares how her time in the classroom shaped her writing, the inspiration behind Internment, and how educators can use essential questions to spark powerful conversations. Plus, get a sneak peek at her upcoming projects—and hear why she’s so passionate about writing for...

We’re wrapping up our Hero’s Journey series with a fresh twist—this time through the lens of fantasy in eleventh-grade American Literature. Marie shares how she took a bold leap by introducing a fantasy choice novel unit, transforming student engagement and challenging traditional ideas of what counts as “American Lit.” This episode ties together our vertical alignment approach from earlier grades and emphasizes how thoughtfully cr...

Teaching The Odyssey doesn’t have to be stuck in surface-level plot points. It can be the unit where students are guided through their own epic journeys!

In this third episode of our Hero’s Journey series, we’re diving into how we’ve completely reimagined teaching The Odyssey to ninth graders. If you’ve been following along, you know we started this series with an overview of using the Hero’s Journey as a curriculum tool, then explo...

Let’s be honest—The Hobbit isn’t always a crowd-pleaser in middle school, but in this episode, we’re sharing how to turn it into a powerful, skills-based exploration of the hero’s journey. We dive into using essential questions, shifting focus from content to critical thinking, and using tools like our favorite evidence tracker to make Bilbo’s transformation come alive. Plus, we chat about modern pairings and why it’s okay if your ...

We’re kicking off a new four-part series all about teaching the Hero’s Journey—starting with the dos and don’ts of unit design. In this episode, we share how this timeless framework can lead to deeper thinking, richer discussions, and yes… even a newfound love for fantasy (spoiler: one of us used to be a skeptic!). You’ll walk away with essential questions to anchor your units AND a free evidence tracker to help students go beyond ...

We’ve all had those end-of-year activities that looked great on paper—but quickly turned into chaos in the classroom. In this episode, we’re sharing some of our own “what were we thinking?” moments, along with practical strategies to help you rethink and rescue those well-intentioned lessons. From creative writing prompts that actually work to research assignments that don’t overwhelm, we’re diving into how structure and clarity ca...

Looking for a way to fundraise and build a love of reading in your school? In this episode, we share how a well-planned Read-a-Thon can bring in big funds for books while creating a strong literacy culture. Amanda walks through her recent experience running a successful Read-a-Thon, including choosing a platform, organizing volunteers, and getting local businesses involved. We’re also talking about the perks of hosting a book fair ...

What if summer reading didn’t have to feel like a chore for students or teachers?

In part two of our Summer Reading Rescue series, I’m continuing the conversation about how we can reimagine summer reading programs to actually work, and even bring joy back to reading. We know the summer slide is real, and in part one, I laid the groundwork by talking about the research and the importance of having a clear PURPOSE behind your program....

What the research tells us is clear: reading skills are lost over the summer.  

And that loss is not equitably distributed among our student population.  It’s estimated that low income students can lose up to two months of reading achievement over the summer - much more than more affluent students.

So we are faced with a dilemma: we know that the summer slide is real, but we also know that forcing students to read over the summer has...

Did you catch last week’s episode? If not, listen here! In that conversation, we gave our initial reaction to the Atlantic article, The Elite College Students Who Can’t Read Books. Need the TL;DR? The article claims Gen Z is reading the fewest amount of books in recent history and some of the adverse effects of shifting to skill-focused learning. Today, we’re continuing the discussion, with a focus on college readiness.  

The articl...

Are students reading less than ever before? In this episode, we dive into The Atlantic article The Elite College Students Who Can’t Read Books and unpack its bold claims about reading full books, attention spans, technology, and the shift toward skill-focused education. We’re asking the tough questions and sharing our real reactions!

One thing is for sure. If we want students to read, we need to be intentional about how we build our...

Today we’re fully embracing the energy of spring - because what better time to refresh our bookshelves and reignite our love for reading?! We’re buzzing with excitement over all the amazing new releases coming out, from Emily Henry’s Great Big Beautiful Life to John Green’s Everything is Tuberculosis. If you’re anything like us, your TBR list is about to explode, and honestly, we wouldn’t have it any other way!

We’re sharing our top...

Marie here! Did you know that I teach high school English AND theatre? From early mornings with (multiple cups of) coffee in hand to juggling English lessons and theatre rehearsals, my days as a high school teacher are anything but boring. In this episode, I’m taking you behind the scenes of a typical day in my life - showing you how I bring creativity into my classroom and balance all the moving parts of being a teacher.

This day w...