Schoolutions: Teaching Strategies to Strengthen School Culture, Empower Educators, & Inspire Student Growth
Do you need innovative strategies for better classroom management and boosting student engagement? This podcast is your go-to resource for coaches, teachers, administrators, and families seeking to create dynamic and effective learning environments. In each episode, you'll discover how to unite educators and caregivers to support students, tackle common classroom management challenges, and cultivate an atmosphere where every learner can thrive. With over 25 years of experience as a teacher and coach, host Olivia Wahl brings insights from more than 100 expert interviews, offering practical tips that bridge the gap between school and home. Tune in every Monday for actionable coaching and teaching strategies, along with inspirational stories that can transform your approach and make a real impact on the students and teachers you support. Start with one of our fan-favorite episodes today (S2 E1: We (still) Got This: What It Takes to Be Radically Pro-Kid with Cornelius Minor) and take the first step towards transforming your educational environment!
Episodes
In this S5E17 Schoolutions Teaching Strategies BONUS, I unpack Sarah Tesar's honest story about leaving public school kindergarten—not because of bad admin or paperwork, but because the emotional cost became unsustainable.
This isn't just about teacher burnout. It's about the empathy paradox: the same qualities that make someone great at student engagement and classroom belonging can become impossible to sus...
In this S5E17 Schoolutions Teaching Strategies conversation, Sarah Tesar shares why being a public school kindergarten teacher for 12 years made her an excellent teacher for other people's children, but prevented her from being fully present with her own family, and how she's now created a hybrid homeschool model that honors both her expertise as an educator and her needs as a whole human being.
What You'll ...
In this S5E16 Schoolutions Teaching Strategies BONUS, I break down MJ Murray Vachon, LCSW's powerful teaching strategies that seem almost too simple to work—but they do. Listen to learn how you can transform your classroom with 3 simple practices that unlock genuine curiosity and calm. In this bonus episode,
Discover why saying "I don't know you" every morning can revolutionize student engagement, how ...
In this S5E16 Schoolutions Teaching Strategies conversation, join me with seasoned clinician MJ Murray Vachon, LCSW, as she shares the story of a 14-year-old who mooned a bus—and how nine minutes of curious conversation taught him life skills that lasted decades. Discover why curiosity requires discomfort, how to create calm from the inside out, and the simple "notice" practice that even Notre Dame football players starte...
In this S5E15 Schoolutions Teaching Strategies BONUS, I unpack the question: What if the teaching traditions we follow aren't actually required? This week's bonus episode explores the revolutionary concept of "stepping aside" in education—not stepping away, but repositioning yourself so students can drive their own learning.
In this reflection on Sarah Zerwin's groundbreaking work, we examine phant...
In this S5E15 Schoolutions Teaching Strategies conversation, join me with teacher and author Sarah M. Zerwin as she shares strategies from her book Step Aside: Strategies for Student-Driven Learning with Secondary Readers and Writers (Illustrated by Jane Zerwin).
🚗 The Driving Course Metaphor: Student-driven learning isn't about abandoning students—it's like teaching someone to drive. You don't toss them th...
In this S5E14 @schoolutionspodcast BONUS, I unpack @katedriscoll931 's revolutionary approach to education that prioritizes observation over analysis, pride over perfection, and joy over data. Whether you're teaching art, math, or anything in between, Kate's strategies for classroom belonging, student engagement, and inspiring students will transform how you think about effective teaching.
What if the mos...
In this S5E14 Schoolutions Teaching Strategies conversation, join me with Kate Driscoll (@art_teacher_life) an Australian art educator whose first Facebook video reached 80 million people! With 37 years in education (23 as a primary teacher, 14 as an art specialist), Kate shares transformative strategies for nurturing creativity in students.
In this episode, discover:
• How to build student engagement through art educa...
In this S5E13 Schoolutions Teaching Strategies BONUS, I unpack 3 game-changing insights from my conversation with attachment expert @attachmentnerd that will transform your approach to classroom behavior, student engagement, and inclusive teaching.
🧠 THE NERVOUS SYSTEM TRUTH: Learn why students laugh during serious lessons (hint: it's not about disrespect) and how this understanding changes everything about classroom...
In this S5E13 Schoolutions Teaching Strategies conversation, join me with attachment expert Eli Harwood ("The Attachment Nerd") as she revolutionizes our understanding of student behavior, classroom belonging, and student engagement. Discover why nervous laughter isn't defiance - it's a cry for help with emotional regulation.
In this transformative episode, you'll learn:
• Why "You're...
In this S5E12 Schoolutions Teaching Strategies BONUS, I unpack three game-changing education strategies from my conversation with Gravity Goldberg that will revolutionize your classroom behavior and student motivation.
🧠 What if everything you've been taught about student engagement and student fatigue is WRONG?
Discover why the glazed eyes and fidgeting you see 15 minutes into independent reading isn't re...
In this S5E12 Schoolutions Teaching Strategies conversation, literacy expert and author Gravity Goldberg reveals game-changing strategies backed by 25 years of teaching experience. Discover the revolutionary research that explains why student exhaustion isn't about tired brains—it's about expectations.
🎯 KEY INSIGHTS:
✅Students retain 76% MORE information when movement is integrated into learning
✅The &...
In this S5E11 Schoolutions Teaching Strategies BONUS, I unpack game-changing insights from math expert Mona Iehl about why student engagement and student motivation actually INCREASE when we give kids harder problems. This counterintuitive approach transforms classroom behavior and builds true classroom belonging through mathematical struggle.
💡 What You'll Discover:
- Why rescuing kids from struggle hurts their mathemat...
In this S5E11 Schoolutions Teaching Strategies conversation, elementary educator and math coach Mona Iehl shares her transformative 5-step Word Problem Workshop method that's revolutionizing how students engage with mathematics. From "I'm not a math person" to confident problem solver—this conversation will change how you think about teaching math.
🎯 What You'll Learn:
- The 5 steps to creating ...
In this S5E10 Schoolutions Teaching Strategies BONUS, I break down the Essential Standards Framework from Larry Ainsworth that completely transformed my teaching—and can transform yours too. Stop drowning in standards and start teaching what actually matters.
🎯 The Game-Changer: Research shows students who master 88% of standards perform BETTER on tests than those who skim through 100%. This episode gives you three action...
In this S5E10 Schoolutions Teaching Strategies conversation, join me with Larry Ainsworth, the pioneer of essential standards work, where he reveals why focusing deeply on fewer standards leads to BETTER assessment results than frantically trying to cover everything. Yes, you read that right: 88% focused teaching outperforms 100% surface-level teaching.
What You'll Learn:
✅ The REAL criteria for identifying essen...
In this S5E9 Schoolutions Teaching Strategies BONUS, I break down my conversation with Angela Stockman. Have you ever thought admitting "I don't know" would ruin your credibility as an educator? In this bonus episode, I share the vulnerable moment in 2006 when I believed saying those three words had sabotaged my career—and what actually happened next that transformed my entire teaching practice.
Building on ...
In this S5E9 Schoolutions Teaching Strategies conversation, join me with Angela Stockman to move beyond feeling overwhelmed with data, thanks to Angela's practical teaching tips that foster student-centered learning. Learn how to refine your classroom practices and assessment strategies for better outcomes. This video provides actionable insights for teachers by improving data analysis to inform teaching strategies.
I...
In this S5E8 Schoolutions Teaching Strategies BONUS, I break down my conversation with Patty McGee about revolutionary grammar instruction that replaces shame with curiosity and memorization with discovery. If you've been struggling with student engagement in grammar lessons or wondering how to make grammar instruction actually stick, this episode will transform your approach..
Stop teaching grammar the way we were t...
In this S5E8 Schoolutions Teaching Strategies conversation, join me with literacy consultant Patty McGee as she reveals how 10-minute daily grammar studies can revolutionize student engagement and writing power. Transform grammar instruction from worksheet dread to engaged discovery!
📚 GET THE BOOK: Not Your Granny's Grammar by Patty McGee & Tim Donohue
In this episode, discover:
• Why traditional g...
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