SPECIAL RELAUNCH EPISODE: After a few months, Top of the Class is back! We’ve had many requests lately from you, our listeners, on how to support our students’ mental health during trying times. We know that mental health is a national crisis, one that often becomes really apparent when students are trying to learn or engage with their peers. We also know that these really tough times only make the conversation about our students’ mental health that much more important. So, we decided to break d...
Aug 02, 2021•34 min
There’s so much going on these days, especially in the field of education. To add to the mix of the MANY things teachers think about, many of us are left wondering what to wear. Also, it’s fun to think about something lighthearted like fashion. With all the seriousness in the world, why not dabble in something fun? We are asked so many questions about teaching, but we have to admit, this is one of the most frequently asked questions. So, in this episode, we’re going to talk about tips, how to bu...
Mar 01, 2021•35 min
In this episode, we wanted to continue conversations that we have started to have in our past episodes. We have touched a bit on the wide range of expectations that teachers tackle day in and day out, as well as how we need to practice mindfulness and take care of ourselves physically, mentally, and spiritually to ensure we are the best teachers we can be for our students. But, we heard a new term that really rang true for us, compassion fatigue. We are very excited to learn from our guest and e...
Feb 01, 2021•40 min
We are so excited to kick off this new year with such an amazing episode! We love bringing to you, our listeners, all the best and brightest in the field of education. It’s our mission really here on Top of the Class and today is no different as we welcome a very special guest to the show. Today’s guest comes with tons of knowledge and experience in so many areas of education. Dr. Beth Maloney was the 2014 Arizona Teacher of the Year. She currently serves as president of the AZ state chapter of ...
Jan 04, 2021•28 min
As we are in the thick of the holiday season, this is a very timely and perhaps much needed conversation. In this episode, we are going to chat about a topic of conversation that often comes up in our GCU classes. Faith in the classroom. We have a lot of faculty, alumni, and teacher candidates in our programs who struggle with the balance between having a faith-based worldview and the expectations for teaching in public schools. We thought we’d bring in a pro on this topic to sort it all out. We...
Dec 07, 2020•20 min
We polled you all on Twitter and Google Forms and many of you all reported back that you wanted to know more about how to become a teacher advocate. A lot of us are so passionate about issues that impact education, but we don’t know how to go beyond our classroom or school to make a difference in the field. We have a guest here today to help us with just that, Mr. Nathan Hollis II. He comes to us with so much experience and a broad background in education and teacher advocacy! Let's take a liste...
Nov 02, 2020•24 min
As K-12 education has shifted towards virtual learning, we want to make sure we’re on the cutting edge of the latest and greatest tech tools. In this Extra Credit episode, we’re going to dive into the three trending tech tools in education with a fantastic expert teacher and faculty member, Amanda Errington. She is extremely creative and we hope you enjoy this episode as much as we did!
Oct 19, 2020•25 min
Wow! In this episode, we have such a special treat for you all! We are beyond thrilled and a little star-struck to welcome the 2019 Arizona Teacher of the Year, Kareem Neal. He is here to answer some of our burning questions and share a bit about his journey in education...and what a journey that is! Join us and take a listen to his beyond inspiring work in the field of education and his journey as the 2019 Arizona Teacher of the Year! Also, Meredith and I LOVE your feedback, so tweet us any tho...
Oct 05, 2020•38 min
We know this is a wild and unprecedented time for all you educators out there, and we just want you to know that while we don’t know what the right answer is in all this, we stand with you and support you. We know you’re doing the best you can to make it work for students. We also know all you parents out there are doing your best too to advocate for your kiddos. At Top of the Class, we are constantly working to bring you all practical tips that can be useful in your everyday. We’re hoping that ...
Sep 22, 2020•25 min
We just can't help ourselves with a "punny" title! We know that times are so very different than when we first recorded this episode. However, we think it is so relevant because we want to give these creative outlets to our students even if our classes look a bit different this year. In this episode, we are going to let our artistic flags fly high and talk all about bringing creativity into the classroom through the dramatic arts. We welcome such a special guest and expert, Michael Kary. Michael...
Sep 08, 2020•44 min
In honor of all of our wonderful educators planning for back to school, some of which are already back in action this week, we wanted to take a moment to celebrate you all! A huge shout-out goes out to teachers everywhere, but we are especially sending love to our Arizona teachers, we wanted to share this fabulous session we did just before COVID-19 changed all of our lives. In this episode, we are so excited to welcome the most recent 2020 Arizona Teacher of the Year, Lynette Stant. She brings ...
Aug 07, 2020•24 min
Are you working and parenting from home right now? Today's episode is a special one because it likely speaks to so many of us right now during these challenging times. Our guest today, Andrea Hogan, is a super mom, super psychology professor, super doctoral student, super wife, and a dear friend. Like so many of us, she’s currently juggling being a mom, a wife, teaching, and going to school herself! So, she’s learned a lot of tricks to multitask and keep her kiddos fulfilled and learning, while ...
Jul 15, 2020•30 min
In this episode, we are getting out of our own personal comfort zones and we’re talking MATH! These two language arts/literacy buff co-hosts are diving deep into the world of math education with one of our favorite math education experts, Assistant Professor, Katy Long. One of our favorite parts of hosting this show is that we get to really extend our knowledge base. There’s SO much to know about the field of education and being a good teacher, so we love that we’re going to learn more about all...
Jun 15, 2020•33 min
First, we want to just send all of our teachers a HUGE shout-out out there for the wonderful work that has been accomplished during the COVID-19 situation. Also, huge kudos to all of the parents who have now become teachers over these last months. We hope this episode can help provide some healthy reminders during tough times. In this episode, we want to explore a topic that many teachers are confronted with and that’s teachers’ mental health and self-care. Because we’re in these positions where...
May 18, 2020•30 min
At Top of the Class, we are constantly working to bring you all practical tips that can be useful in your everyday. We know that many of us are experiencing some stress, and some may be downright scared and what is happening today. That being said, we wanted to put together some very practical tips and tricks that we have picked up over the years as teachers, and moms of little ones. We are sending our thoughts and prayers to all of our listeners, fellow teachers, folks in healthcare, and everyo...
Mar 26, 2020•14 min
So, we are back to finish our conversation in this special two part episode, talking all about little humans and early childhood development. This episode is vital to us as teachers, but also moms of two feisty toddlers! We are so grateful to have an amazing advocate for early childhood education, Amy Corriveau from First Things First. If you did not catch part one of this episode, First Things First is one of Arizona’s most critical partners in creating a family-centered, comprehensive, collabo...
Mar 09, 2020•28 min
In this special two part episode, we’re focusing on the little humans. It’s all about early childhood development. This episode means so much to us as teachers and long-time educators but also as parents of toddlers who are right in the middle of this all-important development phrase of their life. We are beyond excited to welcome one of the best and brightest long-time advocates for early childhood education, Amy Corriveau. She joins us from First Things First. Many of you are familiar with FTF...
Mar 02, 2020•22 min
In today’s short and sweet extra credit episode, Meredith and Emily share some strategies to make sure your professional relationships in and outside of the classroom are healthy and fruitful. In other words, when a conflict is brewing, how can we check ourselves before we wreck ourselves? So, let's jump right in! Don't forget, we LOVE your feedback, so tweet us any thoughts or ideas on Twitter @GCU_TOTC. GO LOPES! Also, if you know of anyone who might like this podcast, be sure to spread the wo...
Jan 20, 2020•17 min
Top of the Class is here with a special guest co-host today! This Extra Credit episode features Meredith and, special guest, Katie Sprute! Katie is no stranger to Top of the Class. You can recognize her voice from past episodes, like Episode 6 and 22. Today, Katie and Meredith are here to give you all a crash course in nailing the teacher interview. So, come and take a listen to to all the fabulous tidbits and advice on how to interview like a pro. As always, we LOVE your feedback, so tweet us a...
Jan 06, 2020•25 min
Happy New Year from Top of the Class! Can you believe it is 2020? This is the perfect episode to kick of a new year. Today’s episode is all about keeping the peace! In today’s social and political climate, it can be tough to maintain civility when it feels like harsh words are being tossed about everywhere we look. So, we thought we’d bring in two experts, Joshua Danaher and Dr. Matt Nolen, who can help us navigate these murky waters and figure out how to maintain civility, whether at school or ...
Jan 02, 2020•48 min
This is Part II in our Autism Awareness series. Please be sure to check out Part I from earlier this month! Our episode today is all about serving our students with autism. As diagnoses of autism continue to rise, we want to make sure that we, as teachers, are on the cutting-edge with the best practices and methods for supporting these students. So, we have brought in another amazing educator and expert, Virginia Murray, to help us chat about this important topic and help us help YOU all in the ...
Dec 17, 2019•27 min
Today’s episode is one that we know weighs on many educators’ hearts and is a topic you all, our listeners, have asked us to explore. How do help students who’ve faced trauma in their lives? We are really looking forward to chatting with our two guests today. We know that trauma can be a very triggering subject for some of us, so we are going to do our best to handle this conversation with all the sensitivity it deserves and we have no doubt that our incredibly informed guests with a wealth of k...
Dec 02, 2019•45 min
Today’s episode is a special one. Today we are going to chat about autism awareness and we feel really honored to have our guest in the studio, Dr. Christopher J. Smith, who has decades of experience researching, evaluating, and supporting students with autism spectrum disorder, or ASD. This is such an informative and powerful episode, so we hope this conversation helps to spread the word on such an important topic like ASD.
Nov 20, 2019•42 min
This is Part II of our STEM series! Be sure to check out Part I, Dissecting STEM. In this episode, we are getting the scoop on trends in the field of STEM, Science-Technology-Engineering-and Math. As STEM continues to become a major player in our schools, we want to make sure we’re on the cutting edge of all the latest developments in the field. And, bonus...We’ve chatted about with our special guests here on the podcast before, Cori Arraza, GCU Director of K12 STEM Outreach at GCU, and Marni La...
Nov 04, 2019•27 min
In this episode, we are taking a deeper dive into STEM education. We want to break down S, T, E, and M to get a closer look into what it looks like in the classroom and how we can make it work for us. This is a topic that we both find super interesting because it’s not in our wheelhouse. We have plenty of expertise in education, but STEM is definitely not in our comfort zone, but we’re super intrigued by it and know that it is an essential area in the field for so many reasons! So, we brought ba...
Oct 07, 2019•37 min
In this Extra Credit episode, we share six teacher websites that we just can’t do without. We rely on these websites every day to help find ways to better reach certain students or just to generally grow in our knowledge of the field. If you’re not growing, you’re dying. There’s no neutral for educators, as Dean of the College of Ed Dr. LaPrade likes to say. We just feel like there’s so much to know about being a great teacher, and we have these websites to thank for helping us get one step clos...
Oct 01, 2019•17 min
In this Extra Credit episode, we share what it takes to build a classroom based on love. We both really feel that the world needs a lot more love and empathy right now and a lot less combativeness and discord. Love isn’t always the easy route either. Kumbaya doesn’t come easy. It takes time, a lot of energy, and a stick-tuitiveness that other approaches don’t require. But, a classroom founded on love really is more fulfilling for the teacher and students, it’s a safer space for students who may ...
Oct 01, 2019•14 min
Today’s episode is one we have been waiting for! It is our big cross-over event! When we began this crazy podcasting journey, we were not 100% sure as to where we needed to start. Meredith and I did endless research...and Google searching. However, our biggest help was to actually talk things out with fellow podcasters. That is when we were able to connect with today’s guests. Today’s guests come to us as experts in teaching and learning, and happen to host another fabulous GCU podcast. This pod...
Sep 03, 2019•31 min
Today’s episode is a FUN one. Not only because Meredith and I like to have a good time on this show, and in life in general, but also because our topic today is all about fun. There’s something really special when a teacher knows the content but has also figured out how to deliver the content in a way that makes students want to be there and eager to learn. Meredith and I both know there is so much power in having laughter in our classrooms. So, today, our guests our going to help us learn all a...
Aug 07, 2019•35 min
In this episode, we are going to chat about gifted learners. Gifted learners are a special population in our schools representing about 10% of our brightest students. Giftedness can show up for children in a few different ways. It can be like intellectual, creative, artistic, leadership oriented, or in a specific academic areas like the language arts, mathematics, or science. So, we just really want to know more. To help us with this, we’ve invited one of the most esteemed educators in the entir...
Jul 15, 2019•30 min
