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PODCAST

The Wheelhouse

Dr. Grant Chandler

The Wheelhouse exists to create an inclusive community of empowered educators who believe that, together, we can disrupt the transactional herding nature of schooling to create districts, schools, and classrooms where each student feels confident, optimistic, capable, well-supported, and emboldened to be and to become who they are meant to be. Guiding Principles 1. We are steadfastly committed to each learner and each educator believing they are distinctive and irreplaceable. 2. We believe that

education courses

All Episodes

47:36

The Wheelhouse Reorientation: Designing for Coherence

The Wheelhouse ·

2026/09/29

What happens after we recognize drift? That is where this conversation begins.In our last Wheelhouse Reorientation, we returned to the idea of drift—the slow movement away from what a school or system says matters and what students actually experience.But naming drift is only the beginning. Eventually, we have to ask a harder question:What would we have to build if we actually wanted to resist it?This is a Wheelhouse Reorientation—an earlier conversation we believe is worth hearing again in light of

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42:38

The Wheelhouse Reorientation: The Quiet Cost of Drift

The Wheelhouse ·

2026/09/22

Drift rarely announces itself.Schools and systems don’t usually lose their way all at once. It happens slowly. Quietly. Sometimes almost invisibly.The meetings still happen. The initiatives keep moving. People stay incredibly busy. But somewhere along the way, the work can begin moving further and further from the purpose that started it.And students often feel that shift long before adults are willing, or able, to name it.This is a Wheelhouse Reorientation—an earlier conversation we believe is

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38:45

What We Can No Longer Ignore

The Wheelhouse ·

2026/09/08

For the Season 13 finale, we’re not looking back just for the sake of looking back. We’re asking a harder question: After everything we’ve heard this season, what can we no longer afford to ignore?Over the course of this season, we’ve talked about belonging, curiosity, neurodiversity, identity, artificial intelligence, student agency, dignity, and the systems and practices that can either support human beings or slowly diminish them. We’ve listened to students, educators, and leaders describe the

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55:45

No One Should Have to Shrink to Belong

The Wheelhouse ·

2026/08/31

What does it cost to walk into a room and wonder whether all of you is welcome there?For many LGBTQIA+ people, that question is not theoretical. It can shape how we move through schools, workplaces, families, communities, and relationships. How much of ourselves do we reveal? Who is safe? What happens if people really know us? And why, in spaces that claim to value dignity and belonging, are people still being asked to hide, shrink, or edit themselves just to fit?In this episode of The Wheelhouse,

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44:07

How Many Students Will It Take

The Wheelhouse ·

2026/08/25

How many students have to tell us the exact same thing before we decide to do something about it? That question sits at the center of this episode.Throughout Season 13, we have heard students, educators, and advocates describe many of the same experiences in different ways. Students want to be known. They want to matter. They want adults to see more than a score, a label, a diagnosis, a behavior, or a circumstance. They want learning to mean something. They want to belong. And they want some

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50:54

Keep the Main Thing the Main Thing

The Wheelhouse ·

2026/08/18

We spend a lot of time talking about what schools need to become. More innovative. More responsive. More future ready.But before we add another initiative, another technology, another pathway, or another reform, maybe we need to ask a more fundamental question:Have we kept the main thing the main thing?In this episode of The Wheelhouse, we are joined by Derek Shuttleworth, a public school English teacher beginning his twenty-sixth year in education, and one of his former students, Madison

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59:38

Navigating AI in Education: The Human Element

The Wheelhouse ·

2026/08/11

Artificial intelligence is changing how we work, create, communicate, and learn. But it is not arriving in schools on neutral ground.Schools are already wrestling with lack of alignment, drift, fragmentation, dehumanization, instructional erosion, and uncertainty about the future. So the real question is not simply whether students should use AI. The more important question is this:Will AI help schools become more coherent, more purposeful, and more human—or will it accelerate the very conditions

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45:06

Cultivating Student Curiosity and Wonder: The Secret...

The Wheelhouse ·

2026/08/04

Curiosity is not something schools have to manufacture. Students arrive with it. They ask questions. They explore. They test ideas. They try to make sense of the world around them.And yet, somewhere along the way, too many begin to experience learning as something to complete rather than something that invites discovery. It becomes about assignments, grades, pacing, and getting through the required material.So what happens to wonder?In this episode, Dr. Beverly Bisnett-Jenks joins us to explore the

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55:48

From Recipients to Contributors: What Happens When We...

The Wheelhouse ·

2026/07/28

We tell students they matter. We invite them to share their voices, describe them as future leaders, and assure them that their ideas are important.But too often, we also ask them to wait.Wait until they graduate. Wait until they earn the right credentials. Wait until the adults have made the decisions. Wait until some future moment when their contributions will finally be taken seriously.In this episode, Dr. A.J. Ernst joins us to examine what happens when educational institutions care about

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54:13

Distinctive, Not Deficient: What Neurodivergent...

The Wheelhouse ·

2026/07/21

Too often, schools treat difference as a problem to manage rather than a part of our shared humanity to understand and value.In this episode, Chiara Latimer, Dr. Tanya Manning-Yarde, and Kari Elizabeth Brown join us for a deeply personal and challenging conversation about neurodiversity, discrimination, and dignity in education. Drawing from their professional expertise and lived experiences, they reveal what can happen when schools misunderstand behavior, overlook different ways of communicating,

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49:50

What Happens When the System Defines the Student...

The Wheelhouse ·

2026/07/14

The discourse presented in this podcast episode elucidates six pervasive conditions afflicting educational institutions: lack of alignment, drift, fragmentation, dehumanization, instructional erosion, and future confusion. It posits that these conditions extend beyond theoretical constructs, manifesting tangibly in the lived experiences of students, educators, and families alike. The core inquiry of this episode confronts the profound question: what transpires when the systemic structures imposed

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44:38

Six Real Conditions Schools Can No Longer Ignore: ...

The Wheelhouse ·

2026/07/07

The Wheelhouse has recently garnered recognition from Tal Gur and Elevate Society, an acknowledgment that resonates profoundly with our mission to uphold the essential tenets of human-centered education. We contend that schools ought to be sanctuaries where each student is not only seen and valued, but also challenged and supported in their quest for meaningful futures. However, this commendation also amplifies our responsibility to confront the pressing conditions that jeopardize this vision, which

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38:56

Navigating Fragmentation: What It Takes to Achieve...

The Wheelhouse ·

2026/06/16

The essence of sustaining a coherent human system amidst the pressures of contemporary educational environments is the focal point of our discussion. We delve into the intricacies of what disciplined coherence truly entails for leaders, particularly in navigating the complexities that threaten to fragment their systems. Under duress, it becomes evident that many systems falter not in their vision or strategic planning, but rather in their implementation. The conversation highlights the imperative

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43:56

The Four Pillars of Educational Coherence: A Students...

The Wheelhouse ·

2026/06/02

The Students Matter Ecosystem is predicated on the critical necessity of coherence within educational systems, emphasizing the vital alignment between leadership, instruction, innovation, and student experiences. The discussion transcends mere identification of systemic drift; it delves into the mechanisms required to construct an integrated framework that consistently honors the uniqueness and irreplaceability of each student. We explore why many educational systems falter in achieving this

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39:57

Drift Detected: Unpacking the Hidden Challenges in...

The Wheelhouse ·

2026/05/19

Drift is one of the most dangerous forces in education because it rarely announces itself.Schools do not usually drift all at once. They drift slowly. Quietly. Almost invisibly. The system keeps moving. Meetings still happen. Initiatives still launch. Adults stay busy. But over time, the work can begin to move away from its original purpose — and students often feel that shift long before the adults are willing to name it.In this hiatus episode of The Wheelhouse, the conversation turns toward one of

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38:28

The Student Perspective: Unfiltered Voices from the...

The Wheelhouse ·

2026/04/28

The essence of this podcast episode revolves around the critical inquiry: how often do we genuinely place students at the center of our educational discourse? To culminate Season 12, we have invited four insightful K-12 students—Sasha, Athena, Isiah, and Malaki—to share their unfiltered perspectives on their experiences within the educational system. In this discussion, we eschew scripted dialogue and focus on listening to the authentic voices of these students, thus allowing their narratives to

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38:16

Intentionality Over Busyness: A Deeper Look

The Wheelhouse ·

2026/04/21

We named it last episode: drift. Not as a theory. but as a reality in schools. The slow, quiet slide away from what actually matters for students.This episode pushes the question further. If we know it’s happening, why do we keep allowing it? Because the truth is, drift doesn’t survive on ignorance. It survives on comfort, busyness, and avoidance. We stay active. We check the boxes. We keep things moving. But too often, that motion has nothing to do with real learning.So we go there. Where are we

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37:36

Drift, Theatre, and the Lie We Tell Ourselves

The Wheelhouse ·

2026/04/14

The central theme of this discussion revolves around the notion of educational drift—specifically, the disconcerting disparity between what we profess to value in education and the actual practices that unfold within our classrooms. We assert that students and relationships matter, and we claim to be constructing future-ready schools. However, upon closer examination, we must confront the uncomfortable truth that our actions often fail to align with these declarations. This episode invites a

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37:23

Building Authentic Classrooms: Future Teachers Share...

The Wheelhouse ·

2026/04/07

The discourse presented herein engages with a critical inquiry: What transpires when aspiring educators candidly articulate their perceptions of the educational framework they are poised to navigate? This episode features the insights of two teacher candidates from Siena University, Halise Ozdemir and Danielea Grant, who, through their lived experiences within the educational system, compel us to reflect on the duality of their roles as both learners and future leaders. They confront the pressing

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45:20

Exploring the Unspoken: The Emotional Landscape of...

The Wheelhouse ·

2026/03/31

The central theme of our discourse with Dr. Tanya Manning-Yarde, veteran educator and host of the podcast, Who Needs Shoes, illuminates a critical yet often overlooked aspect of education: the emotional landscape of the school experience. We delve into the profound impact that feelings of embarrassment and shame can have on students’ willingness to engage and learn, revealing that these emotions frequently overshadow the instructional methods employed in educational settings. Dr. Manning-Yarde

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