ClassCast Podcast Ep.033 features host Ryan Tibbens sharing his views about reopening schools in the fall and, more importantly, advice about how teachers, administrators, parents, and students can all adjust their rhetoric to achieve better results. In recent weeks, social media posts from parents and from teachers have turned increasingly vitriolic, illogical, and unproductive. Private pages and Facebook groups have emerged catering to every possible reopening preference, and in those echo chambers, the people who are supposed to care most about students -- parents and teachers -- seem to have lost focus on the purpose of school -- education. From concerns about childcare to teachers' health, from tax rates to technology, we would all benefit from a little more composure and compromise. Check out this sub-30 minute episode and let us know what you think. 

Be sure to like, follow, subscribe, share, and comment to spread the word and increase the level of discourse about education. (Then take a break from social media to reset your composure!)

Support the show (http://paypal.me/TibbensEST)!

​ClassCast Podcast Ep.029 features Kaplan's Entrepreneur in Residence Megan O'Connor speaking with host Ryan Tibbens about the new Boost Year program, entrepreneurship in education, and how formal education might change after COVID-19 pressures. Ms. O'Connor shares her own educational and professional background, including her work at education tech firms, and her beliefs about how college will change to better prepare students for careers. Her current project, Kaplan's Boost Year, is an alternative to the traditional gap year experience, designed to improve students' career readiness prior to entering college. 

Anyone interested in gap years, career preparation, or entrepreneurship in the field of education will find immense value in this episode.  Be sure to like, follow, share, and comment to let us know what you think!

ClassCast Podcast Clip 029.1 features Megan O'Connor, a successful entrepreneur in the education field, talking with host Ryan Tibbens about her role and responsibilities as Kaplan's Entrepreneur in Residence. If you are interested in entrepreneurship, innovating in the education space, or a career in business, Ms. O'Connor shares useful insights in this quick clip.  Be sure to like, follow, share, and comment to let us know what you think! 

Support the show (http://paypal.me/TibbensEST)!

ClassCast Podcast Clip 029.2 features Kaplan Entrepreneur in Residence Megan O'Connor describing the new Boost Year program, how it works, and what if offers students who are looking for a different educational experience before college.  Students who are considering a gap year or alternate path between high school and college might consider what a Boost Year offers in terms of career insights and readiness. Be sure to life, follow, share, and comment to let us know what you think! 

Support the show (http://paypal.me/TibbensEST)!

Episode 025 of the ClassCast Podcast features host and teacher Ryan Tibbens discussing four topics in relation to COVID-19 and school closures: 1) the need for more substitute teachers and blended learning, 2) teacher pay and new responsibilities, 3) Teacher Appreciation Week 2020, and 4) Grading.  In each section, Tibbens identifies problems or concerns that all community stakeholders should consider and offers practical insights and solutions.  In Part 3, Teacher Appreciation Week 2020, he takes a more personal approach than most ClassCast clips by thanking many of his own teachers and explaining their impacts on his life.   

The full episode and all four clips are linked below; plus, as always, they are streaming on Apple Podcasts/iTunes, Spotify, iHeartRadio, and other major platforms. Write a comment below to let us know what you think and what you suggest.

(Note: The four clips cut from this episode contain some additional commentary and information that did not fit into the full episode upload. Most content is the same, but additional details, particularly related to Teacher Appreciation Week in Part 3, are available in the highlight clip.)

Support the show (http://paypal.me/TibbensEST)!

​In this clip from ClassCast Podcast Ep.025, host Ryan Tibbens addresses one of the most significant challenges facing schools as they make plans to reopen -- substitute teachers. Most school divisions across the country already struggle to hire enough substitutes, and COVID-19 will exacerbate that problem next fall. Most substitutes are older, making them at higher risk of infection and serious illness. How many people are willing to risk their health for a crummy part-time job that pays $11-$14 per hour? As we plan to reopen schools, most people are thinking about separating desks, staggering schedules, and disinfecting buildings.  Everyone seems to be overlooking the most obvious problem of all -- the teachers, not the students, are at greatest risk. What will we do when large numbers of teachers are out of work for two weeks or more (even if they are asymptomatic, a positive test will yield a required absence)?  

All our preparations and contingency plans must address the need for substitutes and increased blended learning.  Host Ryan Tibbens outlines those issues and a path forward in this clip. 

Support the show (http://paypal.me/TibbensEST)!

​This clip from ClassCast Podcast Ep.025 features host Ryan Tibbens addressing the current problems facing teachers' compensation, largely resulting from the COVID-19 social distancing and business closures which seem likely to set off a recession. Many plans for reopening schools next year call for staggered schedules, more teacher cleaning duties, increased technology dependence, blending learning, and more -- and that's not even considering the health risks many teachers will face. Teachers, school boards, and tax-payers should all be cognizant of the pressures on teacher compensation and how those changes may affect both the short and long-term strength of the profession.  With budget cuts coming, most teachers remember pay freezes, furloughs, and other problems from a decade ago; but the current changes in education may require different administrative and fiscal plans if teachers are going to be asked to do even more in the course of providing education and safety for the nation's youth.

Support the show (http://paypal.me/TibbensEST)!

​In this clip from ClassCast Podcast Ep.025, host and high school English teacher Ryan Tibbens offers some simple suggestions for this year's Teacher Appreciation Week and then reminisces about some of his most influential teachers, offering them thanks for their efforts along the way. If you want to hear more about how teachers impact future teachers, or if you ever attended school with Mr. Tibbens, this clip may have something special for you -- it is far more personal than most ClassCast Podcast discussions.  

THANK YOU to all the educators working hard to help others!

Support the show (http://paypal.me/TibbensEST)!

​This clip from ClassCast Podcast features host Ryan Tibbens examining grading and arguing for a variation of pass/fail grading at all times. "Any argument you make against grading right now works just as well any other time." Grades distract from learning; promote external, rather than intrinsic, motivation; increase anxiety; and waste time. During COVID-19 closures, many school divisions across the nation have adopted some variety of pass/fail grading, and where the works is made optional, people act amazed at the changes in student motivation and behavior. We need to re-examine our grading systems to increase true learning, student motivation, and equity. 

Support the show (http://paypal.me/TibbensEST)!