Hello everyone! Spring is here—and everything that means for school. State testing. Unknowns. Changes. Student behavior struggles…the list goes on. This time of year can be stressful and miserable at times for teachers. If you know, you know…

But this time can also be a moment for clarity. A moment for reimagining and refocusing on what you need to do to make an impact in the classroom. This time of year can be the difference between ending on a high note, and ending in a way that isn't a representation of what you can truly accomplish in your work.

This episode is all about acknowledging the struggles of this time of year, but not staying there. It's about moving forward and taking action that will help you reach the finish line of your school year.

**This episode previously aired as #308. Timely and needed. A new episode will release next Monday.

Hello everyone!

We hear about it everywhere…The test. Whatever state you're in might change what test you're talking about, but it follows us. It infects our teaching, our conversations, and even how we view our jobs.

But is standardized testing as bad as so many make it out to be? Let's find out.

Jeff Farely, a Texas principal, has a lot to say on the matter. He tackles why standardized testing exists, how teachers should think about it, and spends a considerable amount of time unpacking the loaded language we use when talking about "the test."

You'll want to listen to this episode, and then share it with every educator you can. Jeff gives us an insight much needed in our job.

What happens after we name the problem—but still aren't sure what to do about it?

In Part 2 of this conversation on Teach Me, Teacher, I continue my discussion with Jacob Adams, founder and executive director of Inner Spark Learning Lab, moving from diagnosis into action. If Part 1 unpacked the Disconnection Crisis in education, this episode is about what it actually looks like to respond to it inside real schools, with real constraints.

We go deeper into the practical side of building connection—not as a buzzword, but as a design principle. Jacob shares concrete ways schools can begin shifting culture, from rethinking daily structures and adult-student interactions to creating spaces where student voice isn't just heard, but shapes the experience of learning.

This isn't about adding another initiative. It's about fundamentally reworking how schools operate so that connection becomes the foundation, not the afterthought.

We also wrestle with the tension educators feel every day: how do you prioritize relationships and relevance in systems still driven by compliance, testing, and outcomes? What can teachers and leaders actually do tomorrow, even if the larger system hasn't changed yet?

If you found yourself nodding along in Part 1, this episode gives you a place to start. It's honest about the challenges, but grounded in real examples of what's possible when schools commit to going deeper instead of just doing more.

Because if disconnection is the root issue, then the work ahead isn't just to understand it—it's to rebuild something better in its place.