Ep 28 - Shauna Pollock: "Figure out what they are curious about and empower them to follow their curiosity"

Shauna Pollock is an educator in Ottawa, Ontario. She is in the midst of preparing to open her own independent school in September 2017 - Blue Sky School.

Listen in to hear what Shauna has to say about what she is currently doing in education and her path to becoming a teacher [experiences along the way: Disney's EPCOT and how it influenced her classroom (and her book writing opportunity), starting a school for Syrian teenagers, the passionate learner experiment, helped open a Montessori school in Ottawa, and now working on opening her own school], writing her book and the special opportunities that came with that experience, how she stayed focused while researching for her book, students and parents as customers/users - teaching students for more than one year, her work with Syrian refugees, what motivates and inspires her, the passionate learner experiment experience, some of the ins and outs of the independent school she is starting, and what she would say to someone to help them get motivated/inspired.

You can listen to the Podcast here.

You can connect with Shauna by email or on Twitter (@misspollock).

Her book can be found here and you can read more about the book at the Creating Classroom Magic site.

Ep 27 - Derek Rhodenizer: "Go out into the hallway and give five kids a high five"

Derek is the Director of Academics at Westboro Academy (JK-8 independent bilingual co-ed school) in Ottawa, Ontario. Trained as a teacher in New Zealand, Derek found his place in Education in the private system. He is an active digital leader, always looking to connect.

Listen in to what Derek has to say about his current role in education and the work he is doing at the moment (Admin focused on the academic side of things), the Lego wall in his office and thinking about it as another learning space in the school, his experience working in independent schools, discovering Twitter and leveraging it to create a professional learning network, living in Ottawa, his Podcast and how it came to be, how he got into teaching, what motivates and inspires him daily, his thoughts on failure and fear, a story about bio hacking, and what he would say to someone in need of motivation/inspiration.

You can listen to the Podcast here.

You can check out Derek's Podcast, "Rhodenizer's Eduthoughts", here.

You can connect with Derek on Twitter (@DerekRhodenizer).

Ep 26 - Jonathan So: "You have to find inspiration in the littlest things sometimes"

Jonathan So is a grade 6 Classroom Teacher Peel Region. When he and I met a few years ago he was teaching grade 2. He recently earned a Master's Degree in Mathematical Education and had the privilege of talking about "making kids doers of math" at a Parent Conference sponsored by his school Board.

Listen in to what Jonathan has to say about what he is currently doing, what got him into teaching, thoughts about failing a University course and his father's reaction, Mathematics and how it has always been part of his life, his keynote for his school board's parent conference, his teaching philosophy and how it came to be, his love of learning, what he would say to people who are not motivated/inspired, how he sees things differently since becoming a father, and Stuart Shanker and the work he is doing with respect to self regulation.  

You can listen to the Podcast here.


You can watch Jonathan's talk here:

You can connect with Jonathan on Twitter (@MrSoclassroom) and his Blog site.

Ep 25 - Cassie Hawrysh: "Whatever you're chasing, chase with all that you have"

Cassie Hawrysh is a professional Skeleton racer from Brandon, Manitoba. She is in her 8th year as a Skeleton athlete. Aside from being on the Canadian National team, she was an alternate for the 2014 Olympic games in Sochi, Russia. 

"In 2002 she chose to focus on track & field, competing as a Heptathlete and 400m Hurdler for the University of Regina in Saskatchewan where she was named 4 X All-Canadian; by 2007, she had earned my BA in Journalism with distinction. A spur of the moment move to Calgary in 2009 launched her Skeleton career and she spent the first few months just convincing herself that sliding head-first at 140km/h wasn’t a crazy idea. As it turns out, it is a little crazy – but nothing makes her happier and she's also a natural at it. From being named female Rookie of The Year in her first season to numerous podium finishes and two World Cup 4th-place medals to date - as our 2013/14 Canadian Champion she knows what her sport requires to be the best, and she continues to push & race her way straight to the top." (as taken from Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pg/CassieHawrysh/about/?ref=page_internal) 

Listen in to what Cassie has to say about herself, what it's like to be an athlete at such a high level, what she would be doing if she were not a Skeleton athlete, how she uses/manages her Social Media accounts (Brand), the ins and outs of her digital presence, the connections that matter to her, and the TEDx talk that she did in Winnipeg called 'Run Wild'.

You can hear the Podcast here.

You can connect with Cassie on Twitter (@CassieHawrysh), Instagram (@cassiehawrysh), SnapChat (cassie-opia), and her website.