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Providing ideas and resources for K-12 teachers and school-based administrators.
Episodes
Monday Sep 29, 2025
Monday Sep 29, 2025
Mediocrity - Part 4: Not in These Classes. This is episode 788 of Teaching Learning Leading K12, an audio podcast.
Mediocrity creeps into being when something should have been done but wasn't. Ignored or the thought that somehow the issue would fix itself or go away allows mediocrity to cement itself to the school or organization. It becomes accepted as how we do things here. A shrug and a comment, "It's just life in our building. You get used to it." The great thing is that not every teacher or administrator is swayed by the trap of "it's ok." There are educators who probably come to mind that are far from mediocre, matter of fact they are incredible examples of what life in classrooms and schools should be like.
I have been in public education for 39 years. Over those years I have had the good fortune of working with some amazing educators. (I have previously shared some of the memories of the ones who weren't good.) Now it is time to share some thoughts about a few of the educators I have had the good fortune of calling teammates or supervisors. I learned and experienced much over the years. I always wanted to be surrounded by colleagues who didn't try to be mediocre. I wanted to work with those peers who wanted to make a difference and spent the time and energy on trying to do just that.
In this episode I share some stories about amazing educators who I worked with. They were educators who understood that to make a difference you had to know what you were trying to accomplish. They knew that you had to be purposeful about what you needed to do. They figured out that to make a difference you had to commit to the time it required, make plans, collaborate with others, and be prepared to fail and learn from the failure. There was not mediocrity their classes.
So much to think about!
Thanks for listening!
Thanks for sharing!
Before you go...
You could help support this podcast by Buying Me A Coffee. Not really buying me something to drink but clicking on the link on my home page at https://stevenmiletto.com for Buy Me a Coffee or by going to this link Buy Me a Coffee.
This would allow you to donate to help the show address the costs associated with producing the podcast from upgrading gear to the fees associated with producing the show. That would be cool. Thanks for thinking about it.
Hey, I've got another favor...could you share the podcast with one of your friends, colleagues, and family members? Hmmm? What do you think? Thank you!
You are AWESOME!
Length - 18:58
Thursday Sep 25, 2025
Thursday Sep 25, 2025
Mediocrity: Could I Have Done More? This is episode 787 of Teaching Learning Leading K12, an audio podcast.
Mediocrity creeps into being when something should have been done but wasn't. Ignored or the thought that somehow the issue would fix itself or go away allows mediocrity to cement itself to the school or organization. It becomes accepted as how we do things here. A shrug and a comment, "It's just life in our building. You get used to it."
What is going on in your building where mediocrity has been able to foment?
In this episode I share some specific examples of mediocrity that was allowed to be the norm, the status quo, the way they did things in a few schools. Was there someone there asking - "Could I have done more?" Could I have done something to set the organization on the correct path and pushed the accepted meh practices out? Could I have replaced the bad practices with something better that focused the school on working together?
Hope that while you listen that you think about what accepted aspects of your work environment should be identified as a waste of time, eliminated, and replaced with practices that encourage collaboration and assist with accomplishing the mission of the organization, building, or school.
So much to think about!
Thanks for listening!
Thanks for sharing!
Before you go...
You could help support this podcast by Buying Me A Coffee. Not really buying me something to drink but clicking on the link on my home page at https://stevenmiletto.com for Buy Me a Coffee or by going to this link Buy Me a Coffee.
This would allow you to donate to help the show address the costs associated with producing the podcast from upgrading gear to the fees associated with producing the show. That would be cool. Thanks for thinking about it.
Hey, I've got another favor...could you share the podcast with one of your friends, colleagues, and family members? Hmmm? What do you think? Thank you!
You are AWESOME!
Length - 33:36
Monday Sep 22, 2025
Monday Sep 22, 2025
Mediocrity: Settling for OK. This is episode 786 of Teaching Learning Leading K12, an audio podcast.
Mediocrity can find its place in your building by you not paying attention to what is going on in your setting. It can manifest by allowing things to go unaddressed. There are challenges in our schools where situations can arise that are going to take time and require our full attention. Unfortunately, that time commitment can cause some to ignore and move on. In other words, the leader puts a blind fold to his eyes and covers his ears and says, "I see nothing, I hear nothing." By doing this the climate will be adequate. It will be just ok. Mediocrity will settle in for a long time.
So much to think about!
Thanks for listening!
Thanks for sharing!
Before you go...
You could help support this podcast by Buying Me A Coffee. Not really buying me something to drink but clicking on the link on my home page at https://stevenmiletto.com for Buy Me a Coffee or by going to this link Buy Me a Coffee.
This would allow you to donate to help the show address the costs associated with producing the podcast from upgrading gear to the fees associated with producing the show. That would be cool. Thanks for thinking about it.
Hey, I've got another favor...could you share the podcast with one of your friends, colleagues, and family members? Hmmm? What do you think? Thank you!
You are AWESOME!
Length - 24:14
Monday Sep 15, 2025
Monday Sep 15, 2025
Mediocrity: How Does It Appear in Your School or School System? This is episode 785 of Teaching Learning Leading K12, an audio podcast.
This is a short introduction to what mediocrity is and why it is important to identify it. I share some thoughts from my friend Mark Wilson that he discussed in his workshop - From Getting by to Getting Better. This is an introduction to a series of episodes that is focused on exposing your mediocrity and sharing some ideas to overcome it.
So much to think about!
Thanks for listening!
Thanks for sharing!
Before you go...
You could help support this podcast by Buying Me A Coffee. Not really buying me something to drink but clicking on the link on my home page at https://stevenmiletto.com for Buy Me a Coffee or by going to this link Buy Me a Coffee.
This would allow you to donate to help the show address the costs associated with producing the podcast from upgrading gear to the fees associated with producing the show. That would be cool. Thanks for thinking about it.
Hey, I've got another favor...could you share the podcast with one of your friends, colleagues, and family members? Hmmm? What do you think? Thank you!
You are AWESOME!
Learn more about Mark Wilson:
Honda Commercial:
Length - 14:37
Monday Sep 08, 2025
Monday Sep 08, 2025
Annalies Corbin, PhD - The PAST Foundation: Access Through Innovation. This is episode 784 of Teaching Learning Leading K12, an audio podcast.
Dr. Annalies Corbin is the Chief Goddess, President & CEO of the PAST Foundation. In 2000, Dr. Corbin founded the PAST Foundation, an organization she envisioned could lead the way to connecting scientific research with classrooms, schools and communities.
From a single school partnership in 2006, Annalies has grown PAST’s supporters across the nation, building a reputation for both transforming teaching and learning by understanding tomorrow’s education needs. In 2015, Annalies’ commitment to transforming schools led to the development of PAST Innovation Lab. Connecting directly with teachers through online professional development courses, MAEd program and on-site workshops, PAST Innovation Lab impacts more classrooms and expands learning opportunities for teachers and students everywhere.
In 25 years, PAST has impacted more than 3.2 million students, over 25,000 teachers across 42 states, hosting nearly 20,000 visitors and building hundreds of partnerships.
In 2019, Annalies and PAST launched Learning Unboxed. This podcast series highlights industry experts and students talking about the changing needs in the world of teaching, learning and the future of work. Rather than trying to fix a system that is working exactly as it was designed, this series challenges listeners to join the conversation of how we “unbox” education and create innovative solutions to better meet workforce needs.
Our focus today is ... The PAST Foundation and Learning Unboxed.
Great conversation!
So much to think about!
Thanks for listening!
Thanks for sharing!
Before you go...
You could help support this podcast by Buying Me A Coffee. Not really buying me something to drink but clicking on the link on my home page at https://stevenmiletto.com for Buy Me a Coffee or by going to this link Buy Me a Coffee.
This would allow you to donate to help the show address the costs associated with producing the podcast from upgrading gear to the fees associated with producing the show. That would be cool. Thanks for thinking about it.
Hey, I've got another favor...could you share the podcast with one of your friends, colleagues, and family members? Hmmm? What do you think? Thank you!
You are AWESOME!
Connect & Learn More:
https://www.facebook.com/PastFoundation
https://www.linkedin.com/in/annalies-corbin-4016121/
Length - 47:32