Our Classroom

Episode 175 | Are We Creating Readers or Just Providing Books?

Rethinking Age-Appropriate Texts, Representation, and Reading Environments Having books available to children is important. But is access alone enough to cultivate a lov

Episode 174 | When History Refuses to Be Silent

What responsibility do educators have to preserve history, tell the truth, and help young people understand the world they've inherited? After spending two weeks in the

Episode 173 | The Books We Love Arent Always the Books They Need w/ Laura Jiménez, PhD

What happens when a book we loved as children isn't necessarily the book our students need today? In this episode of Our Classroom, Roberto Germán sits down with Dr. Lau

Episode 172 | Are We Preparing Students for Life After K-12?

What does it actually mean for a student to be “prepared”? A diploma? Good grades? College acceptance? In this episode of Our Classroom, Roberto Germán sits down with e

Episode 171 | When a Student Is Failing, What Are We Really Measuring?

A student is struggling. Assignments are missing. Grades are dropping. Eventually, everyone realizes there’s a problem. But what does a failing grade actually tell us?

Episode 170 | Before You Call a Student Disengaged

A student puts their head down. Another stops completing assignments. Someone else seems completely checked out. It's easy to call these students "disengaged." But what

Episode 169 | Curiosity, Trust, and the Children in Our Classrooms w/ Inbal Alon

What happens when a child keeps asking, “Why?” In this episode of Our Classroom, Roberto Germán sits down with librarian and children’s author Inbal Alon to discuss her

Episode 168 | The Archaeology of Self: Why Better Teaching Begins Within w/ Dr. Yolanda Sealy-Ruiz

What if the most important work we do as educators isn't lesson planning, it's self-reflection? In this episode of Our Classroom, Roberto Germán sits down with educator,

Episode 167 | Are We Preparing Students for Answers or Questions?

Artificial intelligence has changed the way we access information, but it hasn't changed the importance of curiosity. In this solo episode of Our Classroom, Roberto Germ

Episode 166 | The Questions That Shape a School Year

The beginning of a school year is filled with anticipation. Teachers organize classrooms, prepare lesson plans, establish routines, and think through every detail of the

Episode 165 | The Stories Only Your Students Can Tell

Every day, teachers ask students to write. But how often do we ask them to write the stories that only they can tell? In this solo episode of Our Classroom, Roberto Ger

Episode 164 | Before We Teach, We Should Learn

 As educators, we often focus on what we're going to teach. But what if the most important part of teaching happens before we ever step into the classroom? In this solo

Episode 163 | The Power of Translanguaging in Early Learning w/ Elise Genao

What if multilingualism isn't something to overcome—but one of a child's greatest strengths? In this episode of Our Classroom, Roberto Germán sits down with educator, sc

Episode 162 | Teaching Children to Honor Others Without Losing Themselves w/ Caitlin Roeder

How do we teach children to respect others without teaching them to ignore themselves? In this episode of Our Classroom, Roberto Germán sits down with children's author

Episode 161 | From Compliance to Belonging w/ Suzanne Adinolfi

Every lesson teaches something. The question is: What are students learning beyond the standards? In this episode of Our Classroom, Lorena Germán sits down with educato

Episode 160 | Belonging Doesn't Just Happen w/ Jalpa Vaidya Patel

What if some of the most important lessons about belonging happen outside the classroom? In this episode of Our Classroom, Roberto Germán sits down with educator, school

Episode 159 | What Happens When a School Actually Commits to This Work w/ Lucy Canzoneri-Golden

What does meaningful school change actually look like? In this episode of Our Classroom, Roberto Germán sits down with Dr. Lucy Canzoneri-Golden, Co-Founder and Co-Direc

Episode 158 | The Power of Picture Books in Student Identity w/ Sarah Cordova

What if picture books were some of the most powerful tools available to educators—not just for teaching reading, but for helping students understand themselves? In this

Episode 157 | Where Are the Libraries?

Libraries shouldn't be a luxury. In this episode of Our Classroom, Roberto Germán reflects on a social media post from an educator who challenged the reality that many s

Episode 156 | From Invisible to Valuable: Teaching Students from Refugee Backgrounds w/ Dr. Yacoub Aljaffery

What happens when schools see refugee students through a lens of deficit instead of possibility? In this episode of Our Classroom, Roberto Germán sits down with Dr. Yaco