Episodes
Jan. 14, 2025
Navigating the Digital Classroom: Insights from Rookie Online Teacher Steven Arredondo
🎙️ Welcome to Transparency in Teaching! In this episode, Anne reconnects with her first-ever student teacher, Steven Arredondo, now a first-year educator navigating the world of online teaching. Steven shares insights on man…
Dec. 12, 2024
The Rookie Report: How New Music Teacher Mark Inspired a Whole New Band Program
In this episode of the new series The Rookie Report, Transparency in Teaching, host Anne interviews Mark Garcia, a passionate music educator currently teaching at a high school in Rialto. Mark shares his journey from his mas…
Dec. 4, 2024
The Rookie Report: Stories from New Teachers' First Years.
Welcome to Transparency in Teaching ! In this special episode, Anne introduces an exciting new series that dives into the real-life journeys of brand-new teachers. From navigating the certification process to stepping into t…
Nov. 2, 2024
Trump vs. Harris on Education: Who's Got Our Kids Backs?
Anne takes a look at the good and the bad of both candidates' proposed policies for education.
Aug. 14, 2024
054 Why Teachers Quit (3.0): Same themes, Different times
We've been here before, twice! This is our third episode on this topic. It seems some things don't change. Districts are still struggling to hire and retain educators. This job we do and love comes with a price many aren't w…
July 17, 2024
053 Losing Faith in Education? Will these Mandates Renew It?
Hey there, amazing listeners! I'm thrilled to share the latest episode of our Transparency in Teaching podcast. In this episode, my fabulous co-host, Jen, and I dive into some hot topics making waves in the education world. …
June 11, 2024
052 WTF Education News: Promotion Policies, Armed Teachers, and Mandatory Anthem Singing"
In this episode of Transparency in Teaching, Anne and Jen discuss three intriguing news stories that could impact schools across the country. The topics include Tennessee's rethinking of its third-grade retention policy, Ohi…
May 23, 2024
051 State Testing and Sex Education: Jen explains how it works
YAY! It's state testing time at schools all over the country. We love the inconvenient schedule changes and the disruption of the end-of-year rush to get through our curriculum, said no teacher ever. In this episode, Jen exp…
March 11, 2024
050 From Firing Teachers to Scripted Lessons: Unpacking Houston's School District Overhaul
Welcome back to another episode of TransparencyInTeaching.com. Today, we're diving into the controversial state takeover of the Houston Independent School District (HISD), which has been making headlines. With me, your host,…
Feb. 19, 2024
049 From Planning to Performance: How Teacher Collaboration Boosts Student Achievement
In today's episode, we dove deep into teacher collaboration, discussing the why and how to do it. We explored why teacher collaboration is crucial for both teacher and student performance, and shared personal anecdotes to il…
Jan. 10, 2024
048 Jen and Anne on the Other Side of the Mic
Jen and I, Anne, sat down for a Zoom interview with Christopher Nesi, the head of the Education Podcast Network . The EPN plays host to a terrific collection of education-related podcasts, which you should definitely check o…
Jan. 8, 2024
047 Mastery Learning: What are teachers Really Grading?
The current grading system used in education has been in place for over a century, but it is becoming increasingly clear that it needs reform. In this episode, Jen and Anne discuss the current system's flaws, such as grade i…
Dec. 9, 2023
046 Battling Teacher Burnout: What To Do to Put Out the Fire
In this episode, Anne and Jen shed light on the issue of teacher burnout and its prevalence in the education system. We discuss teachers' experiences facing challenges such as an intense curriculum without sufficient resourc…
Dec. 9, 2023
045 Ed News This Week: To Out or Not To Out: Coming to a School Near You & Move over Covid, The Chronic Absenteeism Epidemic
This week, Anne shares updates and opinions on the ongoing battle of whether to tell or not to tell on Trans kids. Is this trust-busting practice worth fighting about? And she sheds light on the growing academically deadly p…
Dec. 9, 2023
044 EdNews This Week: Chess Goes to Class, Grad Requirements Revamp & Teaching Credential Sans Degree
In this episode of EdNews This Week, Anne announces that she and co-host Jen will be featured guests on another podcast called Behind the Mic , out September 1st on the Education Podcast Network . This week's three news stor…
July 11, 2023
043 The Teacher Workload: Teachers Get Less for More
The Teacher Workload: Teachers Get Less for More In this episode, Anne, Jen, and their special guest Maria delve into the multifaceted nature of the teacher workload, shedding light on the fact that the profession entails mu…
July 3, 2023
042 Ed News This Week: New Discipline Rules; Congress hears about mental health, A ChatGPT for Students
Welcome to another edition of Ed News This Week. This week I’ll share why LAUnifed School District teachers (and a lot of us other teachers) are not happy about mandated discipline changes, What Congress has heard about ment…
June 26, 2023
041 Summer Planning to Make Fall a Breeze
Ah, summer vacation! The time when teachers can finally break free from the clutches of students, exams, and endless lesson planning. It's a time to kick back, relax, and forget about school... Or is it? Many teachers count …
June 20, 2023
040 Ed News this Week: Mastery learning Ok'd Across US, The Carnegie Unit to Retire, US Ed Funding Summarized
In this episode of "Transparency in Teaching," host Anne discusses three news stories related to education—the first shares how mastery learning has now been approved in all 50 states in the US. The second story explores why…
June 5, 2023
039 Ed News This Week: Book Banning District Gets Hand Slap, Taxpayers Fund Private School, & Struggling Third Graders to Be Held Back
It's Anne here with a mini-episode of Transparency and Teaching Podcast, the News Edition. We used to start our episodes with education news, but you know, uh, we got so long-winded as we talked about the main topics that we…
April 5, 2023
038 Retaining Third Graders Who Can't Read: Right or Wrong?
A recent article in “The 74” caught my attention this week. It discussed how Tennessee and Michigan are currently debating removing the statute requiring third graders who are reading below grade level to be retained. With s…
March 18, 2023
037 Why Student Teaching Needs a Revamp: Exploring the Challenges and Solutions for Effective Teacher Training
I don't think you'll find too many current student teachers who disagree that student teaching needs a revamp. Most teacher candidates spend at least 14 weeks student teaching consisting of 8 hours a day, teaching, lesson pl…
March 1, 2023
036 Is it Time to Stop Saying the Pledge of Allegiance?
Welcome to Season 3 of Transparency in Teaching. Anne, here! Thought it might be nice to start off with a little true story that spurred the topic of this episode: Is it time to stop saying the Pledge of Allegiance? I asked …
Jan. 9, 2023
035 Who's Indoctrinating Whom?
According to Merriam-Webster , the word indoctrinate originated in the 17th century. It meant "to teach," as it comes from docēre, the Latin word for teaching. But by the 19th century, the meaning shifted to signify teachin…