Episodes by Category

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Magic 17

Seventeen minutes is the average amount of time where most students can stay focused. How does your instruction reflect this reality with something interactive or engaging along the way no matter the age?

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Managing Blurts

Student communication and behavior has changed so much a new term has evolved. How are we adapting as we continuously model and teach effective communication skills across grade levels and topics?

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Pre-school Prognosticators

Pre-school teachers bring a special creativity that every grade level can learn from in regard to engaging classrooms with multi-sensory approaches. Give yourself permission to be playful!

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1st Year Teachers

Year 1 is memorable for all sorts of reasons for new teachers. Parent engagement, lesson plans, classroom management, and everything in between creates both good and bad memories for the ages!

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100th Day Celebrations

Embracing the unique and fun aspects of the time tested opportunity to celebrate school year progress!

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Creating a Healthy Data Culture

Many teachers are intuitive by nature, but sometimes our greatest skill can be our biggest blindspot. Leaning into data can be the perfect compliment to help our students excel.

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Accommodating Positive Behaviors

When done well, sharing tips and hints about students from teacher to teacher as they move from grade to grade can be a game changer for helping students succeed and thrive.

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The Joy of Animals

There is a new openness to animals engaging and expanding the learning experience with their general presence as an interventionist or as an actual part of the lesson.

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Dance the Night Away

80’s, 90’s and now. How relationships and culture changed as seen through school dances and social events.

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Emergency 101: Language Arts Subs

Teachers don’t get days off, but emergencies still happen and it pays to be prepared with timeless tools and exercises. Specific to Language Arts class, hear more about writing prompts, journaling and fun, Mad Lib type grammar exercises.

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Emergency 101: Math Subs

Teachers don’t get days off, but emergencies still happen and it pays to be prepared with timeless tools and exercises. Specific to math class, hear more about fun thinking plans surrounding daily life with fresh tools like www.whenmathhappens.com.

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A Day in the Life: Teacher Interviews

The magic sauce of any school culture is based on connections with parents. Hear ideas for making schools a place of comfort and support for parents as well as a great new idea for honoring moms on Mother’s Day.

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A Day in the Life: Teacher Interviews

The teachers lounge is a place to celebrate each other and build a culture of camaraderie among teacher peers at the school.

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A Day in the Life: Teacher Interviews

Character development is a priority for every school at every grade. Hear a creative, expandable solution for focusing it through a Catholic lens so it has a lifelong, faith-filled impact: Saints in the Making!

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A Day in the Life: Teacher Interviews

Shifting from education to application to keep students engaged between spring break and the end of the school year. Make learning about the student while helping them find God everywhere and in everything.

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A Day in the Life: Teacher Interviews

Drama, drama, drama. Harnessing and inspiring student energy and passion through theatre and the arts in elementary school.

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A Day in the Life

High energy, “teacher on the street” conversations with engaging practitioners on the exhibit floor of NCEA 2023. Hear from a principal about school culture and one teacher’s creative teaching techniques around film and literature.

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Conference Connections

How to make the most of speakers, workshops and conferences. Best strategies for maximizing the learning and camaraderie at teacher gatherings.

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Saving the Environment

Space matters when it comes to learning. It can be fun to create the ultimate Pinterest worthy classroom, but magic happens when the environment is perfectly suited to the topic you are teaching.

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Sage on the Stage

It can be scary to give up control in the classroom, but we also know the ideal teaching methodology is giving students the opportunity to teach themselves and each other.

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Running to Community

The pressures of school sports can be legendary, especially with the rise in club sports and specialization, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Building community while maintaining reasonable priorities can be the new normal.

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Feeding the Fish

Conversation and participation can be a challenge for any classroom, but Ashley Schoeller uses the concept of a fishbowl to create robust, yet controlled interaction and engagement.

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Voice and Choice

When given the chance, students can thrive when allowed to participate in their learning environment. What if you challenged your class to “Choose a seat where you can learn best today.”

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Describe and Guess

Show and tell takes on a new spin with fellow student trying to guess the special item using their inquiry skills.

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Robust Cross Curricular Learning Techniques

Catholic Teachers’ Lounge hosts Jill Annable and Colleen McCoy-Cejka welcome curriculum expert and Mr. Roger’s protégé, Joellyn Cicciarelli, to the lounge for a special deep dive discussion. Mixed with personal stories, practical examples and plenty of empathy for teachers navigating current challenges, the three experts provide creative solutions for...

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We are an Easter People

Keeping the focus on Easter Joy during the busy, hectic and anxiety driven whirlwind countdown toward the end of the school year.

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Artistic Expression

Art can transform student understanding and appreciation of not just faith, but a multitude of topics, including science, history and reason.

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Sister Act

Experiences with nuns can run the gamut between eccentric, interesting and demanding, but their dedication and faith is always unmatched. What has been your experience with sisters?

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Passion for Palms

Traditions of the church can bring structure and comfort throughout the year. This is especially true for Palm Sunday and Holy Week.

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Public Displays

Catholic schools uniquely provide opportunities for public engagement, whether it is participation at Mass, presentations in class, or even activities in front of the whole school for various functions.

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Opposites Attract

By design, it can be helpful to embrace our differences as teammates as well as teachers to play to our strengths across curriculum and grades.

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Reward System

Reinforcing good behavior is the key to child development. Explore the long term impact of currency or other rewards on motivating students.

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Lessons Learned

The pandemic forced us to rethink the process of teaching and we have a great opportunity to continue experimenting with new models. What needs to be hands on and what doesn’t?

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Welcome Wagon

How does your school culture reflect radical welcoming? Do you have an official onboarding plan? Are students and families welcomed naturally by all?

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Portfolio Precision

Testing for student progress can take many forms, but a great tool for assessing skill development over the course of the year is portfolio assessments. Learn how to make the transition.

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Rocket Science

Rocket science development is driven by failure — but our culture says perfection is a must. Science teacher Isaac Forquor exemplifies training students on the benefits of effort over perfection.

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Fearless Inclusion

Fear of doing it wrong gets in the way of effective inclusion efforts for neurodivergent students. How to embrace the beauty of belonging for all kids.

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Grading Discipline

What is the academic impact of students’ choices and behavior? Is the class grade measuring knowledge or the students’ ability to follow directions, or both? If not in the grade, how do we measure behavior?

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Disciplined Discipline

Discipline is a necessary part of every teacher’s classroom experience, but there are ways to ease the process — even when parents and administration need to get involved.

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Schoolhouse Rock

Replicate these memorable Saturday morning teaching tools through song in your classroom. Let it trigger memories, discussion and conversation across a variety of topics and ages.

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Poetry in Motion

Helping learners of all ages remember the key points of content across science, history and theology, can be enhanced with a fun and interesting experiment in poetry.

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Leadership Lookout

Academic leadership comes in many forms and from many different sources. How do the new realities of Catholic education impact the next generation of leadership?

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Ideation Creation

Books and movies change lives by introducing new ideas, expanding knowledge, and creating empathy for others. Hear more about how one teacher creates a fun book tasting event for her students.

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Failure IS an Option

Ideas flow on helping teachers help their students to hold themselves accountable through empowerment, accompaniment, and the patience to let them learn through their mistakes.

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Cursive as Art or Antiquity?

Controversy and conversation revolves around the topic of teaching students cursive. Join the discussion as we explore the positives and negatives and what’s unique about Catholic school’s approach.

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Ash Wednesday Social Stories

Ash Wednesday can be an overwhelming day for kids as well as adults when considering the full scope and meaning. Help ease students of all ages and backgrounds into the day by using social stories to set expectations and open their minds for real understanding and transformation.

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Fat Tuesday

Any change of season brings an opportunity for learning and growth and the beginning of Lent is no exception. Fat Tuesday can be a great day for celebration and preparation leveraging traditions from all backgrounds.

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Project Runway

Danielle Iannelli brings out the funk and fun of grammar with an annual Adjective Fashion Show starring her 4th graders who create their own vivid description of their fashionista creations. Grammar doesn’t have to be dry and boring and language, activities and creative writing brings it to life.

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Fidget Widgets

Navigating best practices for helping kids concentrate in the classroom is a tough assignment. The development of new fidget tools often blur the lines of what is a toy and what is a tool. Hear more about the fidget rules that can guide the way.

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Generational Pen Pals

Go beyond classroom learning with connections across generations as noted by principal Adrianne Van Norman and her Grandbuddy Pen pals for grades 4-6. This concept can extend from Kindergarten through high school as both students and grandparents enjoy the sharing of wisdom, time and experience.

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Meeting Students Where They Are

Leaning on multiple intelligence research, Karl Sieglaff creates lesson plans to engage his students using visual, tactile, naturalist, interpersonal, and intrapersonal tactics — breaking the model of teaching to our own learning styles or teaching as we were taught.

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Digital Dilemma Part II

Where does the love of reading come from and how is it impacted by technology and the lack of physical books in schools and classrooms? When reading to learn, how to balance simple Google searches with in-depth primary sources?

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Digital Dilemma

Exploring brain research in the area of consuming and retaining content digitally vs. in print. What is the best way to engage and connect with content while still embracing the reality and convenience of technology? The Catholic Teachers’ Lounge podcast is sponsored by Loyola Press. Visit us at www.loyolapress.com.

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Celebrating Faculty, Staff, and Volunteers

The lounge is ground zero of school culture. We discussed keeping the lounge a place of culture in accord with Catholic virtue and acknowledged the times we’ve experience the lounge to be a negative space in the school. We encouraged all to “be the light” in the teachers’ lounge...

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Celebrating Vocations

Prayerful discernment is at the core of any vocation assessment process — religious or otherwise — as we embrace the fact each of us is uniquely unrepeatable in the eyes of God.

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Celebrating the Nation

What happens in a classroom doesn’t have to stay in the classroom. Local, state and national funding, policy making, and research depends on awareness of teacher, student and classroom activity. Invite your representatives for a visit and conversation.

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Celebrating Your Students

Classroom management tips are as much about maximizing learning time as it is about controlling behaviors, and purposeful call back techniques can reinforce your underlying goals.

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Celebrating Your Community

Whether it’s Catholic Schools week or not, extend the reach of students and school with creative community service projects and the natural conversation connections that come with them.

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From Classroom to Home

It’s empowering to know when classroom experiences get replicated at home, especially when related to faith. Classroom prayer tables are a great example of an idea that finds its way to students’ homes — in bedrooms, living rooms or any special place for kids and parents to grow in...

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Station Rotation

While the benefits of learning through rotating stations in the classroom can be exponential, getting the students to perfectly implement the necessary coreographed movements can be a signifcant challenge. Learn from the experts on managing transitions with clues and cues. The Catholic Teachers’ Lounge podcast is sponsored by Loyola Press. Visit...

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Worship Fusion

Catholic worship can come in many shapes and sizes — especially across age groups of school kids. Teacher Michelle Hurley worked with her pastor to creatively approach adoration with her littles by fusing praise and worship music with the Real Presence. The Catholic Teachers’ Lounge podcast is sponsored by Loyola Press....

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Data Driven Scheduling

School routines can support student development across grade levels when the right data is available and schedule blocks align. Notre Dame academy in Park Hills, KY created a universal remediation schedule for all students to improve their math skills. The Catholic Teachers’ Lounge podcast is sponsored by Loyola Press. Visit us...

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Faith-based Connections

Catholic schools are unique in their ability to build common connections through faith. Traditions and prayer experiences allow students (and teachers!) to share in vulnerability, hope and values, bringing everyone together in our faith routines. The Catholic Teachers’ Lounge podcast is sponsored by Loyola Press. Visit us at www.loyolapress.com.

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Finding and Being an Influencer

Teachers spend all day every day mentoring and supporting students, but what about your needs? Whether or not a formal mentoring process exists at your school, there are many ways to find — and be — people of influence. The Catholic Teachers’ Lounge podcast is sponsored by Loyola Press. Visit us...

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School Garden

Innovative electives, such as gardening class, bring a skillset to students through curriculum they wouldn’t otherwise experience. Shout out to school leaders who let teachers take on these creative ideas. The Catholic Teachers’ Lounge podcast is sponsored by Loyola Press. Visit us at www.loyolapress.com.

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Community Collaboration

Especially in rural areas, everyone wins with collaboration and conversations across the community and other schools to celebrate everything from the holidays to service to inclusion. The Catholic Teachers’ Lounge podcast is sponsored by Loyola Press. Visit us at www.loyolapress.com.

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Community Learning

Creating an environment where learning across topics and skill levels happens best is like leading an exercise class. Denisse McKinley masterfully manipulates location, focus and engagement in a way that facilitates whole class instruction. The Catholic Teachers’ Lounge podcast is sponsored by Loyola Press. Visit us at www.loyolapress.com.

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Saint Madness

Mark Ninmer shares the growing interest in his 8th grade class’ popular YouTube saint competion using the bracket format of March Madness. It brings fun and creativity to a new level. The Catholic Teachers’ Lounge podcast is sponsored by Loyola Press. Visit us at www.loyolapress.com.

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Common Ground

As Catholic schools celebrate the inclusion of more non-Catholics, are we focused on teaching our reality or learning more of theirs? Jennifer Ferrand finds value in everyone learning about each other. The Catholic Teachers’ Lounge podcast is sponsored by Loyola Press. Visit us at www.loyolapress.com.

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Brain Space

Teachers aren’t the only ones who need dedicated time to refuel and engage our imagination. Ashley Ezell reminds us that students of all ages can benefit from brain bins and dream labs to explore new possibilities. The Catholic Teachers’ Lounge podcast is sponsored by Loyola Press. Visit us at www.loyolapress.com.

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Christmas Countdown

Surviving the last week before Christmas break while making plans for rest, relaxation and rehab during the much-appreciated time away. Merry Christmas!! The Catholic Teachers’ Lounge podcast is sponsored by Loyola Press. Visit us at www.loyolapress.com.

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Family and Tradition

Principal Camile DeLano uses the Jesse tree to engage her students in a personal connection to our faith history and tradition. Our Catholic lineage reminds us that we all come from somewhere and we are all going somewhere. The Catholic Teachers’ Lounge podcast is sponsored by Loyola Press. Visit us at www.loyolapress.com.

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Feasting on the Saints

Understanding the stories of our faith community is a key aspect of connection and inclusion. Saints can be the catalyst for a new and deeper awareness and amazement. Hear how Joe Marble brings Our Lady of Guadalupe to life on her feast day. The Catholic Teachers’ Lounge podcast is sponsored by...

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Feast of the Immaculate Conception

Initiate a fun and faithful journey to Christmas using Mary and Joseph as the creative centerpiece that your students won’t soon forget! The Catholic Teachers’ Lounge podcast is sponsored by Loyola Press. Visit us at www.loyolapress.com.

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Orchestrated Learning

Customize your classroom environment with deliberate learning structures that keep kids moving and thinking like a well trained orchestra — thanks to Rachel Gavin’s experience. The Catholic Teachers’ Lounge podcast is sponsored by Loyola Press. Visit us at www.loyolapress.com.

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Self Advocates

Speaking up for one’s needs is a critical lifeskill. Explore ways to help our most vulnerable students turn their challenges into strengths with examples from Jennifer Kohl. The Catholic Teachers’ Lounge podcast is sponsored by Loyola Press. Visit us at www.loyolapress.com.

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Ripple Effect

Catholic Teachers Lounge ideas are making their way into new classrooms as concepts are shared and multiplied. Check out some of the fun success stories from early sharing. The Catholic Teachers’ Lounge podcast is sponsored by Loyola Press. Visit us at www.loyolapress.com.

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Common Language

Leveraging the concepts of Universal Design in test design, homework assignments and general classroom communication. The Catholic Teachers’ Lounge podcast is sponsored by Loyola Press. Visit us at www.loyolapress.com.

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Shepherding Young Perspectives

Advent is the perfect season to wax nostalgia in the classroom while embracing the simple, guiding themes of new life and family love. What are you favorite books and memories? The Catholic Teachers’ Lounge podcast is sponsored by Loyola Press. Visit us at www.loyolapress.com.

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Small Wins

Teaching is rewarding, but comes with plenty of frustrations. Embracing the every day little things can bring much needed bursts of joy and gratitude. The Catholic Teachers’ Lounge podcast is sponsored by Loyola Press. Visit us at www.loyolapress.com.

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Making a list, checking it twice

Collaboration and cooperation is key to success in every school environment. Who deserves a special thank you in this season of gratitude? The Catholic Teachers’ Lounge podcast is sponsored by Loyola Press. Visit us at www.loyolapress.com.

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Cultivating Fruits of Faith

Faith development is never a linear experience. Art, Spanish and religion teacher Kim Paton prompted creative and innovative thoughts with her unique art challenge to students: What if the Holy Spirit was a fruit farmer? The Catholic Teachers’ Lounge podcast is sponsored by Loyola Press. Visit us at www.loyolapress.com.

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So You used to Be a Rock Star?

Everyone’s past feeds their present and Karen Poulos leveraged her previous experiences as a personal trainer to inspire new ideas as a middle school religion teacher. How does your past inform your present? The Catholic Teachers’ Lounge podcast is sponsored by Loyola Press. Visit us at www.loyolapress.com.

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Partnering with Parents

Nothing is more stressful than the potential wildcard moments of parent/ teacher conferences. But led by advice from principal Jim White, Jill and Colleen explore ways to build new bridges with parents. The Catholic Teachers’ Lounge podcast is sponsored by Loyola Press. Visit us at www.loyolapress.com.

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Wealth, Pleasure, Power, Honor

Don Zengel challenges his confirmation class around these concepts with a simple, but universal teaching methodology that inspires conversation, introspection and deep thought. The Catholic Teachers’ Lounge podcast is sponsored by Loyola Press. Visit us at www.loyolapress.com.

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Don’t Smile Until Christmas

What is the magic mix of baring your soul to be relatable for your students and keeping a distance as you maintain classroom control? Are you a free range teacher or a master of control? The Catholic Teachers’ Lounge podcast is sponsored by Loyola Press. Visit us at www.loyolapress.com.

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Maximizing Manipulatives

Everyone has a memory of a favorite teacher who made it fun to learn — Thanks to the suggestion of Andrea Bergener, we can all be that teacher with the aid of creative manipulatives across any age or subject. The Catholic Teachers’ Lounge podcast is sponsored by Loyola Press. Visit us...

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Playful Patterns

The creativity and fun of theme days doesn’t have to end with annual Catholic Schools week or hiomecoming. Mary Peach uses a daily theme to keep her classroom motivated and engaged as she kicks off each day of the week. The Catholic Teachers’ Lounge podcast is sponsored by Loyola Press. Visit...

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Troublemaker Triumph

A deeper dive into the power of vulnerability and personal failure stories to bridge faith connections. Hear from Nicole Rewerts from Mobile, AL. The Catholic Teachers’ Lounge podcast is sponsored by Loyola Press. Visit us at www.loyolapress.com.

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Spooktacular Saints and Souls

Explore a wide range of tips and tricks for classroom specific or school wide acknowledgment of Halloween and/or All Souls Day — all with a sense of purpose that matches the culture of your environment. The Catholic Teachers’ Lounge podcast is sponsored by Loyola Press. Visit us at www.loyolapress.com.

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Cultivating the Talent Tree

God grants every person a unique set of gifts and talents. How do we create space in our curriculum for all of those gifts to bloom fully? Hear more from the experience of CEO turned teacher, Jake Luhn, as Jill and Colleen break down training and teaching options. The Catholic...

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Mix & Match

Break up routines and expectations with small group instruction and team building exercises across interests and grades. Teacher Elaine Wagner instigates many new and different learning outcomes with a unique approach to teams. The Catholic Teachers’ Lounge podcast is sponsored by Loyola Press. Visit us at www.loyolapress.com.

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Leap of Faith

It’s scary to lead controversial topics with no clear answers, but hear how it can lead to robust student engagement at all levels with additional research, thought and ideas. Sr. Elizabeth challenges her students with mysteries of the faith. The Catholic Teachers’ Lounge podcast is sponsored by Loyola Press. Visit us...

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What does reading stamina have to do with Adoration?

Connect the dots with prayer and practice across all subject matters while experiencing personal growth as well. Find out how Hilary Russell does it at Saint Mary’s Catholic School in Woodstock, Illinois. The Catholic Teachers’ Lounge podcast is sponsored by Loyola Press. Visit us at www.loyolapress.com.

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One Big Life

As teachers, we can hyper focus on the act of teaching, but for the young people in our classrooms, learning is just one aspect of their complicated lives. Starting with Sue Alper’s experience, let’s talk about the transformative impact on kids when we make room for the Holy Spirit...

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The Power of Story Telling

What do movies, books and the Bible have in common and how can we learn our faith through contemporary stories? Hear how 5th grade teacher Jill Embry from Griffith, IN learns something new every year from her students’ observations. The Catholic Teachers’ Lounge podcast is sponsored by Loyola Press....

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Hashtag Homily

Creating lasting connections with how God speaks to us at Mass while helping students engage with their peers. Learn from teacher Jaymie Perry how her students apply what they hear and learn. The Catholic Teachers’ Lounge podcast is sponsored by Loyola Press. Visit us at www.loyolapress.com.

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Co-Teaching Rocks

Open the door to faith through arts and sciences while expanding personal horizons by partnering with a cross curriculum co-teacher. Learn from Theology teacher Charles Miller’s experience in Collegeville, MN. The Catholic Teachers’ Lounge podcast is sponsored by Loyola Press. Visit us at www.loyolapress.com

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Super Friends, Partners, and Buddies, Oh My!

Creating community with deliberate modeling across grades builds trust, faith and family. Explore how fourth grade teacher, Noel Aquirre from Saint Mary’s Catholic School in Griffith, Indiana creates this reality. The Catholic Teachers’ Lounge podcast is sponsored by Loyola Press. Visit us at www.loyolapress.com

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Everything I do is because of Reading

Books change lives. No matter the grade, the title or the student, great stories inspire discussion and inspiration. Christy Wissman’s power of suggestion taps into the reading passions of Jill and Colleen for a robust discussion of possibilities. The Catholic Teachers’ Lounge podcast is sponsored by Loyola Press. Visit us at www.loyolapress.com

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Prayer Prompts

Building community by applying English writing prompts to prayer experiences. Listen to the stories of transformation teacher Jennifer Liniewski witnessed from student led prayer. The Catholic Teachers’ Lounge podcast is sponsored by Loyola Press. Visit us at www.loyolapress.com.

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