Brave New Teaching: A Podcast for High School and Middle School Teachers

If you’ve ever hit May and thought, “Wait... what even happened this school year?” this team meeting is for you. I’m walking you through a simple but powerful reflection process to help you look back on your curriculum, classroom systems, and personal boundaries before summer. Together, we’ll identify what worked, what drained your energy, what needs to change, and what’s worth tackling now, over break, or next school year!
Resources:
BNT University
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Related Episodes:
Episode 208, Living with ADHD: Amanda’s Journey to Diagnosis
Episode 296, Planning the End of the Year in ELA  - BNT Team Meeting
Episode 295, 3 Hills to Die On - BNT Team Meeting
✨ SHOW NOTES: https://www.bravenewteaching.com/home/episode297
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You might want your planner, a highlighter, and maybe your teacher bestie for this one, because we're not limping our way to summer...we’re finishing strong! In this team meeting episode, I’m walking you through exactly how I plan the end of the school year, starting with real instructional days, mapping out the non-negotiable musts, and then making space for the wants. I’m also sharing a surprisingly simple Canva hack, celebrating new books from T.J. Klune and Ruta Sepetys, and giving you some of my favorite end-of-year ideas!
Resources:
BNT University
We Burned So Bright, by T.J. Klune
A Fortune of Sand, by Ruta Sepetys
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Related Episodes:
Episode 10, To Make This Year End Count
Episode 152, Giving a Voice to the Voiceless: An Interview With Ruta Sepetys (Part 1)
Episode 153, Giving a Voice to the Voiceless: An Interview With Ruta Sepetys (Part 2)
Episode 269, TJ Klune: A Conversation about The House in the Cerulean Sea
✨ SHOW NOTES: https://www.bravenewteaching.com/home/episode296
"Send us a message - please include your contact information so we can chat soon!"
Head to bravenewteaching.com/waitlist to become a beta tester for BNT University!
Support the show
📚 BNT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT & RESOURCES 👩‍💻
Join Happy Hour!
Curriculum Rehab
Down with the Reading Quiz
Shop the BNT Resource Library
Connect with us on Instagram @bravenewteaching
Subscribe to our YouTube Channel

Feeling a little feisty about classroom norms? Amanda here, flying solo this week to share three teaching hills I’ll gladly die on, from why reading Shakespeare cover to cover needs a rethink, to celebrating meaningful student milestones, to why vertical curriculum alignment matters more than ever. It’s honest, thought-provoking, and all in the name of better teaching!
Resources:
BNT University
Watch BNT episodes on YouTube!
Shop Our Faves.
Related Episodes: 
Episode 283, Resistant Readers Need The Four Reading Realms: A Walkthrough - BNT Team Meeting
Episode 290, The World is on Fire! What Can We Actually Control Right Now? - BNT Team Meeting
Episode 294, Why Students Struggle to Follow Through (And What We’re Doing About It) - BNT Team Meeting
✨ SHOW NOTES: https://www.bravenewteaching.com/home/episode295
"Send us a message - please include your contact information so we can chat soon!"
Head to bravenewteaching.com/waitlist to become a beta tester for BNT University!
Support the show
📚 BNT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT & RESOURCES 👩‍💻
Join Happy Hour!
Curriculum Rehab
Down with the Reading Quiz
Shop the BNT Resource Library
Connect with us on Instagram @bravenewteaching
Subscribe to our YouTube Channel

The end of April always feels like everything is happening at once. I’m in the middle of dress rehearsals for Guys and Dolls, and with multiple performances stacked back-to-back, I found myself thinking a lot about what it actually takes to pull something like this off with 80+ students. Somewhere between cue lines and costume changes, I started noticing a bigger pattern I couldn’t ignore: the way students are approaching work, responsibility, and attention to detail feels very different than it used to. In this episode, I share what I’ve been noticing in both academics and rehearsals, how shifts like constant reminders and more flexible policies are shaping student ownership, and what I’m rethinking about how we help students actually build follow-through and accountability in real time.
Resources:
NEW: Watch BNT episodes on YouTube!
Shop Our Faves.
Related Episodes: 
Episode 290, The World is on Fire! What Can We Actually Control Right Now? - BNT Team Meeting
Episode 291, The 7 Stages of Grief When You Hear “Robot Teachers Are Coming” (Because WHAT?!)
Episode 292, Low and No-Prep Activities to Have in Your Pocket for Whenever You Need Them
✨ SHOW NOTES: https://www.bravenewteaching.com/home/episode294
"Send us a message - please include your contact information so we can chat soon!"
Head to bravenewteaching.com/waitlist to become a beta tester for BNT University!
Support the show
📚 BNT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT & RESOURCES 👩‍💻
Join Happy Hour!
Curriculum Rehab
Down with the Reading Quiz
Shop the BNT Resource Library
Connect with us on Instagram @bravenewteaching
Subscribe to our YouTube Channel

If the end of the school year feels like everything is speeding up while your energy is running low, you are absolutely not alone in that. I’m in it right now with state testing, post–spring break exhaustion, musical rehearsals ramping up, and students just trying to make it to summer. Instead of pushing through at full speed, I’m leaning into a very intentional mindset for these final eight weeks: make it through, on purpose. 
That means being honest about what’s realistic so both my students and I have space to do meaningful work without constant overwhelm. In my English classes, that looks like state testing, a tutorial-style presentation project, a Great Gatsby unit tied to the American Dream, and an adjusted pacing plan that moves presentations earlier so students can actually succeed. For finals, I’m ending with a prepared Socratic seminar instead of a heavy exam, closing the year with conversation and thinking instead of chaos!
Resources:
Marie’s American Media Unit?
Become a beta tester for BNT University!
NEW: Watch BNT episodes on YouTube.
Shop Our Faves.
✨ SHOW NOTES: https://www.bravenewteaching.com/home/episode293
"Send us a message - please include your contact information so we can chat soon!"
Head to bravenewteaching.com/waitlist to become a beta tester for BNT University!
Support the show
📚 BNT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT & RESOURCES 👩‍💻
Join Happy Hour!
Curriculum Rehab
Down with the Reading Quiz
Shop the BNT Resource Library
Connect with us on Instagram @bravenewteaching
Subscribe to our YouTube Channel