Moving forward after tragedy doesn't mean putting our feelings aside and carrying on as though nothing happened. For school leaders, grief, anger, fear, and helplessness are real responses to events that affect the safety and well-being of the communities they serve. Learning to move forward begins with allowing ourselves to feel what we're experiencing. In this episode, I reflect on the school shooting in Bend, Oregon, and the emotional impact these tragedies have on educators, students, famil

In Episode 3 of our series, we tackle the intricate process of how students qualify for SPED services. Have you ever wondered what it takes for a child to receive the support they need? We break down the timeline, testing procedures, and legal requirements that families must navigate. Here’s a sneak peek of what we cover: The Timeline: From referral to IEP, we discuss the often frustrating wait times that can stretch up to four months. How does this impact students who are struggling? Qualify

Synthesizing in First Grade: When Our Thinking Changes as We Read In this week's episode of The Education Connection, I'm sharing how I teach synthesizing, a reading comprehension strategy that helps students recognize how their thinking changes as they read and learn new information. I'll walk you through my classroom routine, starting with a simple anchor chart, making predictions halfway through a read-aloud, and comparing those predictions to what actually happens at the end. Plus, I'm sh

Meet Michael Hansen, a Technical Administrator with State Farm Insurance Company. I met Michael at the Illinois Sports Officials conference and learned about his journey with State Farm, as a soccer official, a deaf person, and a deaf athlete. Michael is part of the Deaf National Soccer team representing the USA and serves the game as a soccer official. He is a husband and father, a man of strong faith, and he'll join us on the #ELB podcast tomorrow, Wednesday, October 28th, 2026, LIVE at 4:15 E

When students struggle with intense emotions or challenging behaviors, how we respond can shape the relationship we build with them. But what if the most effective response isn't correcting the behavior, but understanding the human being behind it? In this episode, I talk with Steve McMahon, an educator and behavior intervention specialist who helps schools respond to intense behaviors through connection, mindset, and de-escalation. Steve shares stories from his work with students and school le

Making Pictures in Our Minds: Teaching Visualization in First Grade | Writing About Reading Series What do popcorn, a good book, and a little imagination have in common? They're all part of one of my favorite reading comprehension lessons! 🍿📚 In this episode of The Education Connection, I'm sharing how I teach visualization in my first-grade classroom by turning our read-aloud into a little movie-theater experience! With popcorn bags, a movie-film anchor chart, and a surprise illustration rev