The Edu20/20 Podcast

Primary source analysis can be challenging for students, especially when they're working with unfamiliar vocabulary, historical documents, or complex texts. And while graphic organizers can help, they don't always teach students how to analyze a source independently.

In this episode, Courtney and Shannon share practical strategies for teaching primary source analysis, from building background knowledge and setting a clear purpose to helping students distinguish evidence from inference. They also introduce Right There, Been There, Connect That, a simple mental model students can use to analyze sources across subjects and grade levels.

Timestamps

00:00 Welcome to the Edu20/20 Podcast
01:14 What counts as a source?
02:04 Why primary source analysis is challenging
03:34 The problem with relying on graphic organizers
07:38 Helping students become independent thinkers
09:03 Build background knowledge and set a purpose
12:24 Teaching source analysis with a mental model
13:22 Right There, Been There, Connect That
16:54 Applying the strategy to complex texts

#PrimarySourceAnalysis #SocialStudiesTeachers #SourceAnalysis #TeachingStrategies #Edu2020

https://www.edutwentytwenty.com

Halloween in the classroom is a special kind of chaos, especially when the candy starts flowing and classroom management goes out the window.

In this Halloween edition of After Hours, Courtney and Shannon share their funniest Halloween memories from teaching, childhood costume disasters, creative school dress-up ideas, and a few classroom pranks that probably wouldn't fly today. From homemade costumes and sugar hangovers to inflatable Ursula and a teacher being chased across the playground dressed as a banana, things get appropriately ridiculous.

Timestamps

00:00 Welcome to the Halloween After Hours special
02:00 Courtney's modeling career and other distractions
05:05 Halloween traditions in the classroom
07:15 The dreaded post-Halloween sugar hangover
09:03 Childhood Halloween costume disasters
11:28 Favorite costumes and school dress-up ideas
15:56 Classroom pranks and spooky teaching stories

#TeacherHumor #HalloweenAtSchool #TeacherLife #HalloweenCostumes #Edu2020

https://www.edutwentytwenty.com

Sometimes doing what’s right means being the villain in someone else’s story.

In this After Hours episode, Courtney and Shannon talk about the very thin line between heroes and villains, especially when you're making hard decisions, setting boundaries, leading others, or having conversations people don't want to hear. They share personal stories about people pleasing, competition, leadership, self-reflection, and learning to stay focused on your purpose even when other people don't agree with you.

Timestamps

00:00 Welcome to After Hours
00:43 The difference between a hero and a villain
03:41 When you're the villain in someone else's story
07:05 Being okay with hard decisions
09:37 Competition, comparison & staying focused on your why
12:57 Why leaders have to have hard conversations
16:58 The importance of self-reflection

#Leadership #TeacherLife #SchoolLeadership #SelfReflection #Edu2020

https://www.edutwentytwenty.com

PLCs and teacher collaboration should help teachers solve problems, plan instruction, and improve student learning. But when meetings aren't connected to an actual need, they can quickly feel like one more thing on a teacher's plate.

In this episode, Courtney and Shannon break down common PLC mistakes and share how leaders can make collaborative planning more purposeful. They discuss differentiating support for teachers, using student work effectively, introducing new strategies without overwhelming teachers, and structuring collaboration so teachers actually leave with something they can use.

Timestamps

00:00 Welcome to the Edu20/20 Podcast
01:45 What makes collaborative planning effective?
02:41 When PLCs waste teachers' time
06:21 Using student work effectively
11:07 How to introduce new strategies
14:09 How to structure better PLCs

#PLCs #CollaborativePlanning #InstructionalCoaching #SchoolLeadership #TeacherSupport

https://www.edutwentytwenty.com

The school year is officially in full swing, the honeymoon is over, and educator burnout can start creeping in fast.

In this After Hours episode, Courtney and Shannon get surprisingly serious about practical ways to manage teacher burnout. They talk about shifting your perspective, figuring out what's actually making you feel overwhelmed, getting comfortable saying no, and building simple systems that make your day easier.

Timestamps

00:00 Welcome back to After Hours
01:14 How do you avoid teacher burnout?
02:21 You see what you're looking for
04:04 A simple way to shift your perspective
06:35 What's actually making you overwhelmed?
08:05 Why educators need to start saying no
12:05 Build systems that make your life easier

#TeacherBurnout #TeacherLife #TeacherTips #EducatorWellness #Edu2020

https://www.edutwentytwenty.com

Classroom walkthroughs can provide valuable instructional data, but only if leaders are clear about why they're doing them and what happens afterward.

In this episode, Courtney and Shannon break down what makes a classroom walkthrough effective, why compliance-focused observations can damage teacher trust, and how leaders can use walkthrough data to provide practical feedback and plan meaningful teacher support.

Timestamps

00:00 Are classroom walkthroughs good or bad?
02:21 When a four-minute walkthrough goes wrong
04:30 What makes an effective classroom walkthrough?
06:32 Why walkthrough feedback matters
08:03 Use walkthrough data to plan teacher support
10:41 What actionable feedback actually looks like
14:19 Building trust through honest conversations

🎁 Free Resource: Watch our Beyond the Checklist: Making Walkthroughs Work for You webinar and access the accompanying walkthrough resource:
edutwentytwenty.com/courses/tiering-without-tears-differentiating-your-instructional-coaching/

#ClassroomWalkthroughs #InstructionalCoaching #SchoolLeadership #TeacherFeedback #Edu2020

https://www.edutwentytwenty.com

Teaching is already a full-time job. Naturally, schools also find approximately 47 other things for teachers to do.

In this After Hours episode, Courtney and Shannon share some of the extracurriculars, clubs, coaching jobs, fundraisers, and questionable after-school activities they somehow got roped into during their teaching careers. From cheer moms and mascot mishaps to bootleg Girls on the Run, a four-week drama club, teacher rock bands, and school fundraisers that probably needed a second opinion, there is a lot to unpack.

Timestamps
00:00 Welcome back to After Hours
01:51 Why new teachers get roped into EVERYTHING
02:16 Shannon's traumatic career as a cheer coach
04:45 Courtney was technically a cheerleader
07:36 Coaching basketball & dealing with parents
08:49 Bootleg Girls on the Run
10:01 Beta Club & Battle of the Books
11:14 Pelican Productions & teacher rock bands
14:21 The four-week drama club
15:49 The craziest school fundraisers

#TeacherLife #TeacherHumor #TeacherStories #Education #Edu2020

https://www.edutwentytwenty.com

With high-quality instructional materials doing much of the heavy lifting, do teachers still need to lesson plan? Yes, but that doesn't mean spending hours creating detailed plans no one ever looks at.

In this episode, Courtney and Shannon break down how teachers and school leaders can simplify lesson planning by focusing on the planning moves that actually impact instruction and create accountability without turning lesson plans into another compliance task.

Timestamps
00:00 The lesson planning debate
01:48 Do teachers still need lesson plans with HQIM?
03:14 Why teachers still need to plan before teaching
05:36 Should leaders require lesson plans?
06:53 How to simplify lesson planning
07:40 The Big Four lesson planning moves
09:02 Leaders: Model your lesson planning expectations
10:42 How to monitor lesson plans without checking every one
13:05 Building a manageable lesson planning system
15:06 Explain the "why" behind your expectations
16:31 What nearly 400 classroom observations taught us

#LessonPlanning #TeacherTips #SchoolLeadership #CurriculumImplementation #Edu2020

https://www.edutwentytwenty.com

What happens when we ditch the education talk and just start asking each other questions? Things get weird pretty quickly.

In this After Hours episode, Courtney and Shannon share their favorite books, concerts and TV shows, tell a few cult stories, introduce some very particular children and cats, and discuss their highly scientific methods for surviving stress.

Timestamps
00:00 Welcome back to After Hours
01:30 Our favorite books and series
04:33 Favorite concerts & our Swiftie confession
06:14 Concerts, cult life & cheating for the Lord
08:16 Our favorite TV shows
09:56 Kids, cats & extremely picky eaters
12:28 How we deal with stress

#TeacherHumor #TeacherLife #EducatorPodcast #Edu2020

https://www.edutwentytwenty.com

Students can look like they're listening, complete every assignment, and still not actually learn the content.

In this episode, Courtney and Shannon share three simple teaching strategies that help students retrieve, process, and practice what they're learning so teachers can check for real understanding, not just compliance.

Timestamps
00:00 Are students listening or actually learning?
01:26 What is retrieval practice?
04:54 Strategy #1: Retrieval before review
07:49 Strategy #2: Chunk and check
13:03 Strategy #3: Practice with a product
14:29 Stop checking for completion instead of comprehension
16:01 Why copying notes doesn't guarantee learning

#TeachingStrategies #StudentLearning #StudentEngagement #TeacherTips #Edu2020

https://www.edutwentytwenty.com

Every professional development session has the same cast of characters: the eager learner, the side talkers, the emergency phone-call person, the paper grader, and the one who always has something to add or question.

In this After Hours episode, Courtney and Shannon confess their own bad PD behavior, share stories from leading teacher training, and somehow end up discussing Vaseline, gloves, and school bathroom emergencies.

Timestamps
00:00 Welcome back to After Hours
01:01 Bad teacher behaviors in professional development
03:22 When the room gives you absolutely nothing
05:03 The people you meet in every PD
09:20 Grading papers during staff meetings
11:00 The person who always knows more
13:03 The Vaseline and gloves story

#ProfessionalDevelopment #TeacherLife #TeacherHumor #Education #Edu2020

https://www.edutwentytwenty.com

Classroom walkthroughs should help leaders make better decisions about coaching and teacher support. But when the purpose is unclear, the data goes unused, or teachers never receive feedback, walkthroughs can quickly damage trust.

In this episode, Courtney and Shannon break down the biggest walkthrough mistakes and explain how leaders can make classroom observations more transparent and useful for everyone.

Timestamps
00:00 Why classroom walkthroughs matter
02:25 Red flag: No clear purpose
04:05 What leaders should look for
05:53 Red flag: Walkthroughs become compliance
07:08 How walkthrough data should drive support
10:05 Red flag: Teachers receive no feedback
11:45 Why face-to-face feedback matters

#ClassroomWalkthroughs #SchoolLeadership #InstructionalCoaching #TeacherSupport #Edu2020

https://www.edutwentytwenty.com

What happens when the leaders in the room are the ones making professional development harder?

In this After Hours episode, Courtney and Shannon unpack the leadership behaviors that can derail even great PD, from sitting on the sidelines to mixed messages between leaders, and what the best leaders do differently.

Timestamps

00:00 Welcome back to After Hours
02:08 Bad leadership behaviors in professional development
04:22 Leaders sitting on the sidelines during PD
05:59 When a district leader won't stop talking
09:17 When leadership isn't on the same page
14:04 How mixed messages impact teachers
15:08 What great leaders do differently

#ProfessionalDevelopment #SchoolLeadership #InstructionalCoaching #Education #Edu2020

https://www.edutwentytwenty.com

The first weeks of school can set the tone for your entire year. In this episode, Courtney Dumas and Shannon Streett share three simple strategies to improve classroom management, streamline parent communication, and get into your content faster, without adding more to your plate.

Chapters:
00:00 Why doing less leads to more
01:39 Teach these classroom routines first
05:35 The parent FAQ every teacher needs
10:23 Map your content before school starts
13:20 Free Classroom Parent FAQ Template
14:51 One final reminder before the school year begins

🎁 Free Resource: Classroom Parent FAQ Template: [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ByFzU7SF6C2w3IJNitV0J8lEfWHTWMNx/view?usp=sharing]

#BackToSchool #TeacherTips #ClassroomManagement #Edu2020

https://www.edutwentytwenty.com

Welcome to the Edu20/20 After Hours Podcast… and yes, we’re ending the season with state testing. Because what better way to wrap things up than revisiting one of the most stressful and chaotic times of the school year?

In this episode, we’re sharing real stories from state testing--the kind that sound made up until you’ve actually lived through it.

We’re talking:
• The rules, the pressure, and the “did I sign in blood?” meetings
• What classrooms actually look like during testing week
• The moments where everything goes sideways (and you can’t do anything about it)
• And how teachers somehow survive it every single year

If you’ve ever made it through testing season, you already know. And if you haven’t… buckle up. Source moments pulled straight from real classroom experiences.

Chapters:
0:00 Why state testing deserves its own episode
2:22 The rules, the pressure, and the setup
4:20 What testing week actually feels like
6:38 When things go wrong (and you’re stuck)
9:32 The story we will never forget
12:01 How teachers survive testing days
14:00 The moments you can’t control
15:34 Ending the year (and season) with perspective

https://www.edutwentytwenty.com

Welcome back to the Edu20/20 Podcast… and yes, this is the season finale.

We’re talking about that very specific time of year. Testing? Done. Kids? Done.
Teachers? Definitely DONE.

And somehow, you still have weeks left. This episode is all about what to do with that time-- keeping things meaningful without making it harder on yourself. We’re sharing what we’ve tried, what worked, what didn’t, and how to use this stretch of the year in a way that still feels worth it.

There’s a mix of ideas in here:
• Trying new strategies without the pressure
• Giving students more ownership and voice
• Creative ways to revisit content without it feeling repetitive
• Projects, reflection, and actually building humans (not just finishing standards)

Chapters:
0:00 Last episode energy (and why this time of year is weird)
2:23 What to do after testing ends
3:42 Using this time to try new strategies
5:42 Creative projects that still connect to content
7:30 Letting students give feedback (and actually listening)
10:34 Making review meaningful instead of busywork
13:46 Prioritizing what actually matters
15:07 Ending the year on a high note

https://www.edutwentytwenty.com

Welcome to the Edu20/20 After Hours Podcast… where we’re nearing the end of the season by going all the way back to the beginning.

In this episode, we’re talking about who we were before education-- the random jobs, weird experiences, and moments that somehow shaped how we show up in classrooms today.

From running errands for executives (yes, including private jets) to Walmart snack bars, call centers, and first-year teaching chaos, this one is a mix of “how did that happen?” and “okay wait, that actually tracks.”

It’s not deep or structured, but it does explain a lot.

Chapters:
0:00 Why we’re going back before teaching
1:24 Favorite teaching years (and why they mattered)
5:37 The jobs that came before the classroom
9:22 The most random job stories (private jets included)
12:46 First-year teaching chaos (and quick exits 😅)
16:44 Jobs we would never do again

#TeacherLife #Education #TeacherOriginStories

https://www.edutwentytwenty.com

Welcome back to the Edu20/20 Podcast… where we take the things we’ve all done in classrooms and actually look at whether they’re working.

This episode is all about study guides. We’ve all used them. We’ve all handed them out before a test. We’re talking through what’s actually happening when students “study” and why a lot of it doesn’t last.

This conversation gets into:
• What we’ve done (and seen) with study guides over time
• Why some approaches feel helpful in the moment but don’t stick
• What retrieval and repetition actually look like in real classrooms
• Simple ways to build stronger memory without adding more to your plate

Chapters:
0:00 Why we keep coming back to study guides
2:06 What we’ve seen (and done) in classrooms
4:32 What the research says about studying
6:29 A different way to approach review
9:27 Why students forget so quickly
11:25 Practical ways to build memory over time
13:12 What to watch for during review
15:31 A simple shift you can try

https://www.edutwentytwenty.com

Welcome to the Edu20/20 After Hours Podcast, where we’re not solving education today, we’re just trying to survive it. This episode is all about teacher life hacks.

We’re talking about:
• The tiny changes that save your sanity during the week
• How to create routines that work for your brain
• Why your people at work matter more than anything
• Systems, boundaries, and protecting your time
• And the things you do outside of school that keep you going

Chapters:
0:00 Why we’re talking survival, not strategy
1:41 The small habits that set your week up right
3:13 Managing stress (without losing your mind)
5:25 Finding your people (your real support system)
10:03 Systems that actually save you time
13:24 Boundaries, routines, and protecting your energy
15:03 Why perspective (and getting out) matters

https://www.edutwentytwenty.com

Welcome back to the Edu20/20 Podcast. This episode is all about success criteria and why it’s become one of the most misunderstood (and overcomplicated) things happening in classrooms right now.

After hundreds of classroom observations, we’ve seen it all:
• Success criteria turned into an agenda
• Success criteria that literally gives away the answer
• Success criteria used as a compliance checkbox
• And about five different definitions in the same building

So…what is it actually supposed to be?

We break down what works, what doesn’t, and how to use success criteria in a way that actually helps students instead of overwhelming teachers.

Chapters:
0:00 Why this topic is making us a little spicy
2:18 The biggest problem: no clear definition
5:08 Why success criteria can’t be one-size-fits-all
7:12 When it turns into compliance instead of support
10:02 What success criteria should actually be tied to
11:45 Using student work to build real clarity
14:20 What it looks like when it’s done well
15:44 The takeaway: don’t throw it out… fix it

https://www.edutwentytwenty.com