The Minimalist Educator Podcast
A podcast about paring down to focus on the purpose and priorities in our roles.
Episodes
111 episodes
Episode 106: Strip the Agenda: Fewer Words, Better Meetings with Chris Fenning
Meetings can quietly take over a school week and still leave everyone feeling behind. We bring back communication expert and author Chris Fenning for a practical conversation about effective meetings in e...
Episode 105: Grammar, Pared Down: Teaching Less So Writing Sticks with Patty McGee
Grammar doesn’t fail because kids “just don’t get it.” It fails when we teach it like a scavenger hunt of labels and then hope it magically shows up in student writing the next day. We sit down with national literacy consultant and author Patty...
Episode 104: Clarity-Driven School Leadership with Casey Watts
“We’ve told them the expectation” can be true and still leave a staff completely unsure what to do next. That gap is where frustration grows, where initiative fatigue sets in, and where leaders start calling normal uncertainty “resistance.” We ...
Episode 103: Less Sacred, More Honest! Unpopular Opinions Part 2 with Guests
We keep our unpopular opinions rolling with a hard line on what counts as real intervention, a critique of rigid pacing guides, and a push for repair after conflict instead of removal without follow-up. We argue for qualified support where it m...
Episode 102: Clearing the Air! Unpopular Opinions in Education Part 1 with Guests
Join past guests, Naomi Church, Sheila Kennedy, Krista Leh, and
Episode 101: How Less Rescuing Grows Resilient Students with Josephine Hunt
What if the kindest thing we can do for students is to stop rescuing them? We sit down with educational leader and mentor (and Plan Z Coach) Josephine Hunt to unpack how natural and logical consequences—not punishments, not prize boxes—grow rea...
EPISODE 100: 100 Episodes, One Thread! Focus Changes Everything with Return Guests
We celebrate 100 episodes with past guests to distill what actually helps educators simplify, focus, and bring joy back to teaching. Reflection, metacognition, micro-PD, boundaries, and student voice come together as a humane blueprint for sust...
Episode 099: Voices That Prove It! Doing Less Works with Christine and Tammy
Seven familiar voices return with fresh proof that doing less can change everything. We asked past guests what shifted since we last spoke, and their updates land with clarity: SEL works when it’s who we are, not what we assign; attention thriv...
Episode 098: What Horror Films Can Teach Us with Pete Turner
What can a great horror film teach us about sharper teaching, braver parenting, and better creative work? We sit down with Dr. Pete Turner—senior lecturer at Oxford Brookes University and author of books on The Blair Witch Project and found foo...
Episode 097: From Hawai’i To Indiana: How Local Context Transforms Science Classrooms with Whitney Aragaki and Kirstin Milks
What if the fastest path to deeper learning is simply paying close attention to where and who we are? We sit down with award-winning educators and co-authors Whitney Aragaki and Kirstin Milks to explore a clear, humane approach to place-based s...
Episode 096: Planning Less, Teaching Happier with Judith and Lorena
Ever wish planning felt lighter, clearer, and actually energizing? We sit down with Judith Roca Bastardes and Lorena Roca Bastardes, the educators behind Roma Planners, to unpack how a simple PYP-focused planner grew from a personal survival to...
Episode 095: When You Realize Your Students Are Your Work and Other Moments of Realizations in Mental Overload with Christine and Tammy
Tammy and Christine talk about if you have ever caught yourself wishing the students would stay out a bit longer so you can “get real work done”? We unpack that exact moment of misalignment and the quieter signals that follow like missing meeti...
Episode 094: Rethink Inputs, Prioritize Impact, Honor Agency with Sharyn Skrtic
What happens when a school stops juggling initiatives and starts pursuing impact with clarity and intent? We chat with international accreditation leader Sharyn Skrtic to unpack a simple but transformative shift: define the learner you want to ...
Episode 093: Reaching Kids Beyond The Box With Pete Hall
The school year can feel like a rolling storm of demands—new curricula, behavior challenges, data deadlines, and the quiet fear that there’s never enough time. We sit down with Pete Hall to cut through t...
Episode 092: Strategic Humor For Lighter, Stronger Schools with Christine and Tammy
What if one small shift could make lessons stickier, meetings warmer, and workload feel lighter? We dive into the overlooked power of humor as a strategic tool for teaching and leadership, blending research with lived classroom experience to sh...
Episode 091: January Resets For Teachers with Nicole
The first week back can feel chaotic, but it doesn’t have to. In this episode, we chat with returning guest, mentor teacher, and Plan Z coach, Nicole Dissinger to map out a calm, pr...
BONUS Season Six Preview: A Milestone Season with Christine and Tammy
Season 6 kicks off with momentum and purpose: a leaner, clearer way to teach and lead, plus a major milestone as we head toward our 100th episode. We map the journey ahead—from a January reset that honors how students grow over the break to a g...
Episode 090: Season 5 Highlights! Courage, Focus, And What Matters Most
Season 5's highlights trace a clear path: protect focus, trust people, and let values drive the work. We pull the best “pare-down pointers” from guests who shared practical ways to simplify coaching, leadership, and classroom practice.•...
Episode 089: Values At Work with Dr. Amanda March
Ever feel like the noise never stops? We invited Dr. Amanda March, former school psychologist, professional learning expert, and founder of Rise and Align Consulting, to help us turn down ...
Episode 088: From Average To Exceptional with Todd Whitaker
What if the fastest path to a better school isn’t a new program, but a sharper focus on the people already doing the right work? We sit down with leadership expert and bestselling author
Episode 087: Rural Schools, Clear Priorities with Dr. Melissa Sadorf
Rural education isn’t about scarcity. It’s about clarity. We sit down with Dr. Melissa Sadorf, Executive Director of the National Rural Education Association, professor, long...
Episode 086: Coaching Without The Chaos with Lindsay Deacon
Coaching doesn’t fail because we lack strategies; it fails when our calendars, agendas, and relationships pull us in ten directions at once. We sit down with instructional coaching coordinator
Episode 085: Behind Our New Book with Christine and Tammy
What if your greatest leadership move is not to add, but to edit? We share the thinking behind our new book, Your School Leadership Edit, and walk through a practical framework that helps you simplify systems, protect your time, and raise instr...