On this very special episode I got the opportunity to talk with a former student of mine - Mychael!

Not only is Mychael a former student, a recent high school graduate, but he also achieved the very prestigious Eagle with the Boy Scouts!

We sit down and discuss a wide variety of topics; everything from whether AP courses truly prepare you for college, to how I got him to make a youtube channel based on his daily dad jokes (which were really good by the way)

* His thoughts on how schools limit and diminish creativity for their students!
* The importance of allowing kids the ability to figure things out first hand, through experience!
* We discuss his theory on how the educational system "codes" students; what that means how how he feels it happens.
* Why he thinks inspiring teachers to help their students think on their own is important.
* The importance of teachers being themselves (and the impact that makes upon our kids development)

"On a scale of 1 - 10 how influential are teachers in the lives of high school kids"
"12"

* His advice to teachers who feel like they aren't making an impact.

"Some kids see their teachers more than their own parents"

* Yes, kids believe adults, and the reason WHY!
* Why there are some kids who come to school to AVOID a terrible situation at home!
* The absolute importance of teachers being themselves and how that impacts their students learning!

"Being able to have teachers that are comfortable and, like, confident in expressing who they are, will show students that they can also be confident and comfortable with who they are"

 

"Some teachers either don't know or are to scared to build that relationship with students, and the easiest way to tackle it is start simply; how was your day?"

 

"I think that some kids are taught that it's not okay to be happy"

 

This conversation blew my mind

 

I can't thank Mychael enough for this truly insightful conversation; I learned so much from this conversation! As one of my former students, not only did he bring incredible value to my classroom, but listening to him and his perspective can give you direct access to what works and what doesn't work for your students! 

Thank you so much Mychael!