Jessie Slayback and Vicky Forsman are the co-founders of REALM Since launching in 2010, REALM has been pioneering an innovative educational model. They have gone through many transitions and impacted over 3,482 lives. Currently, REALM serves 150 students, ages 5 to 15, with plans to expand.

In this episode, we discuss the challenges and successes of building REALM, including financial struggles and the importance of love and resilience. We also talk about REALM's approach emphasizing choice-based learning, social-emotional development, and adapting to students' unique needs. They also brought up their desire aim to help other educators create similar schools, focusing on scalability and individualized education.

For all links and resources mentioned in this episode, head to the show notes: https://www.educatorforever.com/episode126.

Howard Gardner is the Hobbs research professor of cognition and education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. He is a leading thinker on Education and Human Development, and has studied and written extensively about intelligence, creativity, leadership and professional ethics. A two volume of Howard's work was published in 2024 by teachers college press, the Essential Howard Gardner On Education and the Essential Howard Gardner On Mind.

During our discussion, Howard discussed his work on synthesizing information from various fields to create practical applications for parents and educators. We dove into his past projects, such as his books and Project Zero. We also reflected on the changes in K-12 and higher education. and the role of AI in the future of education. It was an honor to talk Howard and I think you’ll really enjoy our conversation.

For all links and resources mentioned in this episode, head to the show notes: https://www.educatorforever.com/episode125.

Emily Odeo-Sutton started selling on Etsy in January of 2023 and now has over 27,000 sales between her two shops. Former educator turned entrepreneur, she loves supporting new Etsy sellers on their journey to passive income with both print on demand and digital products.

For this episode, Emily gives some great advice to listeners who are thinking about selling products on Etsy. Best of all, she points out what skills educators can transfer from the classroom to the Etsy store. There’s also some notable tips about advertising. Bust out a pen and paper — you’re going to end up taking notes!

For all links and resources mentioned in this episode, head to the show notes: https://www.educatorforever.com/episode124.

Rae Hughart is an innovative educator, speaker, and advocate for teacher wellness and professional growth. As the founder of Teachers Deserve It, she is on a mission to empower educators with sustainable strategies that enhance student success while prioritizing teacher well-being. With a background in classroom teaching, curriculum design, and leadership, Rae specializes in helping educators reclaim their time, build strong professional networks, and implement creative, effective teaching strategies.

Rae and I discussed importance of sustainable teaching practices and wellness, which is the focus of Teachers Deserve It’s mission. She also reveals that making time to enjoy something as simple as a drink with friends has a bigger impact on a teacher’s work than what’s seen on the surface. You’ll come away from this one prioritizing your happiness because you’ll know it’s best for everyone if you’re happy.

For all links and resources mentioned in this episode, head to the show notes: https://www.educatorforever.com/episode123.

Katherine Hamilton is the Vice President of Programs at Ensemble Learning, where she oversees the development, implementation, and evaluation of all programmatic activities. With nearly 15 years of experience in the K-12 education space, Katherine specializes in effective teaching and learning, instructional leadership, overarching strategy to ensure equity for all student groups.

In this episode, Katherine told me about her journey from being a math teacher in L.A. to instructional coaching and how to best serve multilingual learners. She also shares some great insight on why teachers should consider different career paths.

For all links and resources mentioned in this episode, head to the show notes: https://www.educatorforever.com/episode122.

Nathaniel Turner is a TED speaker, author, lawyer, financial advisor, and a college and career readiness Alchemist. He is also the survivor of eight adverse childhood experiences and his challenges led him on a powerful road of self discovery, providing him the tools to show parents how to rise above childhood trials, tribulations and low societal expectations to help any child realize their hopes and dreams. Nathaniel does so by sharing The Life Template, a backwards design process that enabled him to raise a multilingual son who left the country at the age of 16 to pursue his dream of playing professional soccer.

Nathaniel talked to me about his life and his son’s success — he went on to earn a a Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University — and dove further into his life template. Surprise! A part of it requires parents and teachers working together.

For all links and resources mentioned in this episode, head to the show notes: https://www.educatorforever.com/episode121.

Kathleen deLaski is the founder and board chair of the Education Design Lab, which works with colleges, states, and employers to design shorter, more targeted forms of higher education. The Lab has pioneered the "micro-pathway" model with community colleges and leads work across the ecosystem to help employers look beyond college degrees to validate skills. Kathleen also founded or co-founded four non profits, some of which serve the K-12 education ecosystem. Before entering the field of education, she worked for several years as a journalist and later became the first woman to serve as spokesperson for the Pentagon.

In this episode, I talk to deLAski about her new book, “Who Needs College Anymore?” and what she’s learned about how students feel about higher education. She identifies four categories of people who need college degrees and four who don't, advocating for micro-pathways and apprenticeships. She also discussed the evolving landscape of higher education and the importance of exposing students to various career pathways.

For all links and resources mentioned in this episode, head to the show notes: https://www.educatorforever.com/episode120.

Jesse Hartman is the co-owner of Hartman Tutoring and has over 20 years of tutoring experience. Since he started tutoring back as a student at Emory University, he has prepared students for nearly every standardized test and tutored them in every subject available.

In tis episode, we discuss how Jesse sees himself as an “academic guide,” how he teaches his students learning tools that go beyond the test, and how he incorporates what he learned as a rapper into his work.

For all links and resources mentioned in this episode, head to the show notes: https://www.educatorforever.com/episode119.