Have a Life Teaching

What does it really mean to communicate a vision—and why does it matter so much for school culture?

In this episode, John Schembari is joined by Corey Gordon, CEO of DeliverEd, to explore how schools and districts can move beyond vision statements as “documents on a page” and turn them into drivers of strategic action and improvement.

Together, they unpack:

• Why a clear vision is the essential first step in building strong ...

In this episode, John Schembari is joined by student author Amy Wallace and education researcher Dr. Nick Jackson to explore AI in education—from the learner’s perspective.

Key Topics Covered

• How students actually use AI to think, revise, and plan

• Why bans and AI “detection” tools fail

• What AI reveals about broken assessment systems

• Student agency vs. performative voice

• AI, careers, and uncertainty in the future workforce

• Lessons ...

Chronic absenteeism still hovers around 25% nationwide—and one root cause keeps surfacing: student disengagement.

In this episode, we sit down with Alfie Kohn, author of Punished by Rewards, to unpack a hard truth many of us weren’t trained to question:

👉 Rewards, grades, praise, and “positive reinforcement” don’t build motivation—they often undermine it.

Alfie reminds us:

• Motivation isn’t one thing. The kind matters more than the...

In 2025, great teaching isn’t about delivering content — it’s about curating it, unleashing student curiosity, and building true student efficacy.But here’s the twist: teachers can’t foster efficacy if leaders are still ferry-captains instead of bridge-builders.In my latest conversation with Tanya Bosco (Chief Strategy Officer at IDE Corp), we unpack the leadership mindset shifts from her new book Students Taking Charge: Implementa...

Making Social Studies Come Alive Through Inquiry

In this week’s Podcast episode, I sit down with Charisse Smith Ph.D. —CEO of Sankofa Educational Consulting and former K–6 Social Studies Supervisor in Trenton Public Schools, NJ—to dig into why inquiry-driven social studies is essential for today’s learners.

We talk about:

✨ Moving beyond facts + dates to real student thinking

✨ Why elementary students can handle complex history

✨ Pow...

Cutting Through the Noise with Priority Standards

Teachers are asked to do everything — personalization, differentiation, voice and choice, standards-based instruction… but rarely is anything taken off the plate.

In this episode of the Podcast, I sit down with Larry Ainsworth, the nationwide expert on unwrapping standards, priority standards, and creating clear learning targets.

We dive into:

✨ How to identify what’s truly essential f...

In this Have a Life Teaching Podcast episode, we speak with Maureen Chapman and James Simons of Core Creative Partners about their new book, Leaders of the Class.

We explore how motivation, perseverance, communication, and collaboration can be intentionally taught alongside academic content—especially at the secondary level.

Our guests share powerful stories about helping schools rebuild joy post-pandemic, why adolescents need more ...

Host Dr. John Schembari brings together three leading K–12 podcasters from the U.S. and Australia to explore why they podcast, how they amplify teacher voices, and what keeps them inspired.

They discuss balancing practical classroom takeaways with deeper human stories, staying authentic and apolitical, and the impact of connecting educators worldwide.

Key Themes:

• Diversity of voices in education

• Equity and purpose in teaching

• Balan...

In this episode of the Have a Life Teaching Podcast. we welcome Dr. Carmen Bell Ross—founder and CEO of SP Grace—and her daughter, Sierra Ross, a Harvard University student, for a powerful mother-daughter conversation on helping students not just get into college but thrive once they’re there.

Dr. Carmen shares the origins and pillars of her College Smarter Method, a framework that helps students identify their authentic strengths, ...

John talks with Mickey Evans and Erin Sanchez about place-based learning, a pedagogy of connectedness that roots instruction in students’ local communities, cultures, and environments.

They share design principles for creating authentic, equitable learning experiences and examples from tribal, rural, and urban schools—showing how community partnerships, storytelling, and student voice transform learning.

The episode also explores h...

In this episode, Dr. John Schembari speaks with Nicholas Bradford - Founder at National Center for Restorative Justice - about how restorative justice can transform school culture by balancing accountability, relationship building, and community repair.

Together, they unpack what restorative practices look like in real classrooms and explore how schools can move from punitive discipline models to ones focused on learning, empathy, ...

Guest:
Dr. Tim Shanahan, literacy researcher, author of Leveled Reading, Leveled Lives, and founder of the UIC Center for Literacy.

Episode Summary:
Dr. Shanahan joins John to discuss why students must engage with grade-level, complex texts—and how teachers can scaffold instruction instead of lowering text difficulty. He explains practical ways to support struggling readers while maintaining rigor and motivation.

Key Takeaways:

• Matc...

“If students can’t read to learn, they can’t learn through reading.”

In this episode of the podcast, I talk with Gwen Pauloski, author of Making Deep Sense of Informational Text: A Framework for Strengthening Comprehension in Grades 6–12.

We dig into why every teacher—not just ELA—needs to see themselves as a literacy teacher.

Gwen shares her four pillars for helping adolescents make sense of complex texts: 1️⃣ Rebuilding confidence ...

In this inaugural episode, education podcasters sit down to reflect on the art and purpose of podcasting in education. From the challenges of balancing storytelling with scholarship to the power of teacher voice in shaping public dialogue, the panel explores what happens when educators turn the mic on themselves.

Key Themes:

• The rise of podcasting as professional learning for educators

• Building authentic conversations in K–12 ...

In this episode of The Have a Life Teaching Podcast, host Dr. John Schembari talks with Illinois educators Paige Timmerman and Courtney Hake, co-authors of Their Stories, Their Voices. Together, they explore how teachers can use personal narrative writing to help students find and share their authentic voices—while meeting academic standards and preparing for real-world writing.

Paige and Courtney discuss how narrative writing build...

In this episode of the Have a Life Teaching Podcast, I had the privilege of sitting down with David Richards, CEO of Changemaker Education, to discuss the revolutionary world of micro schools.

As a leader in the micro school movement, David shared his personal journey from traditional education to launching micro schools, emphasizing the importance of personalized learning, project-based learning (PBL), and social-emotional learnin...

Poetry isn’t just “beautiful prose” — it’s a doorway into critical thinking, voice, and perspective.

In this episode, I sit down with Jewellyn Forrest, national writing consultant and co-founder of Autonomy Learning, to explore how poetry — and especially figurative language — can:

✔️ Help students “read between the lines”

✔️ Unlock reluctant writers

✔️ Build community and celebrate student voice

✔️ Offer an equity lens by honoring ...

Too often, I see learning objectives on the board that say “Students will think about…” — but how do we actually know what students are thinking?

This week on the Podcast, I sit down with returning guest Alice Vigors, author of The Thinking Classroom and her brand-new book The Learning Classroom.

We dig into how teachers can make thinking visible by:

- Clarifying learning intentions & success criteria

- Embedding real-time, acti...

When Teachers Believe—in Themselves and Each Other—Students Thrive

This week on the podcast, we sit down with Jenni Donohoo and Glenn Forbes to discuss their new book, Collective Impact: Overcoming the Twelve Enemies of Teacher Efficacy.

We explore how collective efficacy—educators’ shared belief in their power to impact student learning—creates school cultures where both teachers and students flourish.

Just as we encourage students t...