What is the relationship between writing, teaching, and hosting a podcast? Today on the show I sit down with the Teaching Writers Speak podcast host, Ty Walkland. 

One of the gifts of starting this PhD has been helping to produce another podcast, Teaching Writers Speak. On this podcast, Ty Walkland expertly interviews teachers, scholars, and community educators about the practice and craft of teaching writing. Teaching Writers Speak has put out a first season of episodes and, while I know I’m biased, it’s a really excellent show that explores the complexities of what it means to be a teacher of writing.

In this episode Ty Walkland and I chat about being a teacher of writing, how he has recovered from the tyranny of writing assessments as a young person, and what has surprised him about hosting a podcast. He also explains why he initially said an emphatic NO to hosting a podcast when first approached…if you have ever thought about hosting your own podcast, hearing his take on this might just convince you to just give it a try.

I think you will be able to tell right away when listening to this episode that Ty is a wonderful human that I thoroughly enjoy getting to talk with. So let’s get right into it: click the Soundcloud link to take you to this interview. 

Things Mentioned in this Show:

• The Teaching Writers Speak podcast
• Teaching Tomorrow episode 51: Curriculum as a vehicle for change with Dr. Rob Simon
• The Table Manners Podcast
• Ty’s most recently published article: Swirling a Million Feelings into One

What does it mean to be called to the teaching profession and how can we sustain that passion when things get hard? Today on the show I am in conversation with Margaret from My Call to Teach.

I really loved this conversation with Margaret. I initially wanted to have her to talk about a news article writing unit she did with her students, but as I started to research her, I came to realize that Margaret has a powerful story that I think all of us in this profession can learn something from.

She started out in the corporate world, realized that teaching was her calling, so went back to school to become an elementary teacher. Pretty soon, she noticed a gap in the resources available to teachers in Ontario and so started to sell her resources to other teachers. We get into more of her story in the interview, but this conversation serves as fantastic insight into how teachers can find their passion in the profession, lead from the middle, and how serving other people can be a restorative form of self-care. 

This conversation is coming out in June and so all teachers listening are likely needing some easy things to do for the final days with their students. Stick around for the end of the conversation when Margaret shares one idea that you just have to say YES to.

I’m so glad you are here. Let’s jump right in.

Links to Things Mentioned in this Show:

• Margaret’s site, My Call to Teach
• Margaret (My Call to Teach) on Instagram
• Margaret (My Call to Teach) on Facebook
• Margaret (My Call to Teach) on TikTok
• Newslea