Teachers on Fire

CHRIS WOODS is a high school math teacher, STEM presenter, and host of the STEM Everyday podcast. Chris likes to remind his students and followers that STEM is everywhere around us … we just have to learn to recognize it.In our conversation, Chris shares transparently about the challenges of reaching every student in 9th grade. He explains why it’s so critical to cultivate curiosity and demonstrate relevance for our learners through STEM education, and offers his take on the suggestion that STEM

NINA PAK LUI has taught at the middle and high school levels and today she instructs pre-service teachers at the School of Education at Trinity Western University in Langley, BC, Canada. Nina views teaching as a sacred calling, and she’s dedicated to inspiring and equipping future teachers to be caring, competent, inclusive and reflective. She designs and facilitates meaningful learning experiences that intentionally connect theory to practice.In our conversation, Nina candidly shares about a time

JEFFERY FRIEDEN is a teacher, blogger, presenter, and podcaster. He enjoys connecting teachers and building professional relationships in order to intensify impact on learning. He is also the author of Make Them Process It: Uncovering New Value in the Writer's Notebook, published in 2017.In our conversation, Jeffery shares how and why he was bluntly called out by a neighboring teacher and explains how that incident contributed to his personal and professional growth. He discusses what overzealous

JUSTIN BELT is a husband, father of five, and teacher of thousands! He’s an aspiring leader, innovator, musician, and he’s part of our great writing team over at the Teachers on Fire Magazine on Medium. Last but not least, Justin is the host and producer of The WHYcast, a podcast about finding and clarifying your WHY.In our conversation, Justin shares candidly about the challenges and importance of connecting with hard-to-reach students. He talks about the mission and vision of The WhyCast, and

JANELLE McLAUGHLIN is a keynote speaker, education consultant and strategist, and educational leadership coach. She is a former classroom teacher, district administrator, and high ability coordinator. She loves to learn, laugh, connect, and make completos!In our conversation, Janelle recalls the most difficult period in her education career. She describes her passion and vision for what professional development can and should look like, and unpacks a professional goal for 2019. Finally, she shares

JORGE VALENZUELA is both a graduate teaching assistant and doctoral student at Old Dominion University and the lead coach at Lifelong Learning Defined. He is a national faculty member of the Buck Institute for Education and a national teacher effectiveness coach for the Engineering by Design curriculum. His work is aimed at helping educators understand and implement computational thinking, computer science, STEM/STEAM, and project-based learning.Jorge is a national presenter, ISTE author, and

SHANE LAWRENCE is a high school educator in Alberta, Canada who specializes in film studies but also teaches digital media and art courses at the 7th and 8th grade levels. Shane is the host and producer of The Ed Podcast.In our conversation, Shane shares candidly about how the extraordinary demands of a musical production once stretched him to a breaking point. He tells the origin story of The Ed Podcast and describes his mission as a podcaster today. Shane talks about what is exciting him in

LATEZEON BALENTINE is a mom of three boys, teacher, and founder of September Chances, Inc. - a nonprofit organization created to show the joy in reading and increase reading fluency and literacy. Latezeon is also a Donors Choose Teacher Ambassador, dog lover, an advocate for mental health awareness, and blogger. And she’s got a book on the way, stay tuned!In our conversation, Latezeon discusses the adversity that she and other educators face in her state and district. She’s definitely “in it for the