Hallway Conversations

Episode 011: Emotional Labor

In this episode, Matt asks the question, “When we talk about the emotional labor of teaching, what do we mean, and what does it look like?” Dave explains his understanding of this term: the way we manage our own emotional state to help bring about a particular emotional state in others--which is something educators must do often. We grapple with the implications of this for educators: do we have to deny some aspect of our whole selves to do the work we are called to do? We discuss how our teaching identities play out as we do the emotional labor of teaching, and the dual nature of burden and privilege we have in doing this work.

Episode 010: Teaching for Delight

In this episode, Matt asks the question, “How do we teach for ‘delight?’” We talk about this in the context of both delighting in our students as well as teaching them to delight in their learning. We discuss what planning looks like in teaching for delight, and the tension of balancing structure and serendipity. As we think through developing learning spaces that are safe for students even when they can be uncomfortable, we think through David Smith’s conception of “gardens of delight”--and how we can invite students into these kinds of learning opportunities to take joy in their learning, and show them that we delight in them.

Episode 009: Management

In this episode, Matt asks the question, “When we talk about classroom management, who or what are we actually managing?” We discuss how our thinking about management has evolved throughout our careers, including Matt’s disastrous first day of teaching Kindergarten PE. Dave shares his conception of “office consciousness” as part of creating a space where learning happens. Along the way we also discuss norms for behavior, the importance of practicing procedures, the connection between discipline and discipleship, and ideas we’ve gleaned that can help shape the classroom environment in such a way that we might not have to “manage” our students.

Episode 008: Lessons from a Year of COVID

In this episode, we welcome our first guest to the podcast, our good friend and colleague, Abby De Groot. To kick off the conversation, Matt raises a two-fold question: “What are your initial reflections as we look back at this past year? And, what shouldn’t (or should) return to ‘normal’ as we move forward?” The three of us reflect together on things that we experienced over the past 12 months, and how it has shaped our work as educators. We share ideas we’ve noticed about how the challenges of teaching in a COVID world have pushed teachers, students, and whole schools to innovate, and we wonder about which of these changes could stick for the future, and which ones we should definitely leave behind as things get back to “normal.” Challenging as this past year has been for us--and so many other educators--we still are able to name things that we are continuing to learn, and find plenty of things to laugh about.

Episode 007: Classroom Culture

In this episode, Dave asks the question, “How do we foster an environment where learning can flourish?” Matt shares how James Smith’s book Desiring the Kingdom was formative for him in thinking about what flourishing means, and how it got him considering some of the practices that Christian educators can (and perhaps should) be incorporating to bring about flourishing. We describe some of the formative practices we use to help foster a culture of learning in our classrooms, and the places that we are still growing in our teaching practices.

Episode 006: Advice

In this episode, Matt asks the question, “What is the best (or worst) advice you ever received as a teacher?” Dave shares a story of some unfortunate advice he received as a novice teacher that colored the beginning of his teaching practice. We talk about classroom management, wanting our students to like us, having high expectations, and how we have grown as teachers. We also explore the relationship between accountability and joy in both the classroom and in our faith lives. We also wind up talking about teachers we had who formed us as teachers—how the conversations unfold!

Episode 005: Homework

In this episode, Matt brings up one of Dave’s most-read blog posts, which is entitled “No More Crappy Homework,” and raises the question, “How do we avoid giving ‘crappy homework?’” Dave shares from some of the research he has done about what makes for effective homework. Matt and Dave reflect together on some of the less-than-optimal assignments they gave to students early in their careers, and talk about equitable homework, grading homework, and various perspectives parents have on the value of homework. Matt asks about strategies for making more effective homework, and Dave shares some research-based suggestions.

You can read Dave’s original blog post here: https://iteach-and-ilearn.blogspot.com/2015/12/no-more-crappy-homework.html 

Episode 004: Self-Care

In this episode, Matt kicks things off by asking, “How can we do ‘self-care’ well as educators?” We discuss the pros and cons of the idea of work-life balance, our identities as educators, the importance of supporting each other as colleagues, and caring for ourselves well so we can serve others well. We get a little vulnerable about our own struggles with this, and share some of the strategies we use to strive to keep our lives in rhythm.

Episode 003: Motivation

In this episode, Matt raises the question, “What motivates you?” We talk about different aspects of motivation, including Dan Pink’s work around autonomy, mastery, and purpose, the challenge of our Enneagram number (we are both type 3), and learning to be our authentic selves. Dave shares his 10-minute rule for getting started on hard things, and Matt shares his conception of vision-driven decision-making, which he finds very motivating.

Episode 002: Metaphors

In this episode, Matt asks the question, “What would be your metaphor for describing yourself as a teacher?” As we discuss this question, we share our own metaphors for our teaching. We also discuss how Dave talks with his whole body, the role of playfulness and imagination in our teaching practices, and how we exhibit care and concern for our students.