The Teach Different Podcast

Should you fear mistakes? We all know what it feels like to be afraid of doing something. We hesitate, delay and ultimately choose to do nothing and then devise elaborate justifications for our inaction. Fear overcomes our courage. Yet, we also know the feeling of making quick decisions that lead to embarrassing mistakes. In those cases, a little fear would have encouraged us to slow down and make better choices. Join Steve and Dan Fouts – founders of Teach Different and twin brothers with over 50 years of teaching experience – for a compelling conversation on decision-making, enriched by the Teach Different Method. Whether you are a teacher, school leader, or simply someone interested in experiencing the joy and fulfillment of challenging kids with big ideas, join our worldwide Community of Practice FREE for 30 days. Membership includes access to our robust library of resources, conversation plans, and lively discussions among teachers and faculty. Image source: Library of Congress

How do we know when cooperation is the best strategy for success? Working with other people is hard if you like to work fast. You have to slow down, compromise and wait for people to catch up to your pace. On class projects this can be a brutal experience. Going alone is so much faster and you're judged by your own efforts, not the efforts of others. Yet, cooperating with others brings a measure of success that is much grander than what could have ever been created alone. Join Steve and Dan Fouts – founders of Teach Different and twin brothers with over 50 years of teaching experience – along with United States educator Adina Goldstein from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, for a compelling conversation about cooperation, enriched by the Teach Different Method. Whether you are a teacher, school leader, or simply someone interested in experiencing the joy and fulfillment of challenging kids with big ideas, join our worldwide Community of Educators FREE for 30 days. Membership includes access to our robust library of resources, conversation plans, and lively discussions among teachers and faculty. Image source: Pixabay

Is it brave to do the right thing? Thinking about the right way to act requires patient and careful thought. Acting from a good conscience in this way conveys strength and confidence. But our conscience also makes us feel weak; oftentimes we don't know what the right choices are and so we are plagued by indecision and fear. Doing the right thing becomes a burden too great to bear and we turn to our instincts to bail us out. Morality requires bravery. Join Steve and Dan Fouts – founders of Teach Different and twin brothers with over 50 years of teaching experience – along with adjunct professor Cindy Zucker and education student Jenna Daube from Loyola University in Chicago, Illinois, for a compelling conversation about decision-making, enriched by the Teach Different Method. Whether you are a teacher, school leader, or simply someone interested in experiencing the joy and fulfillment of challenging kids with big ideas, join our worldwide Community of Practice FREE for 30 days. Membership includes access to our robust library of resources, conversation plans, and lively discussions among teachers and faculty. Image source: Pixabay

Should we look to the future or past for guidance? On some level, everybody is looking for a purpose in life. Finding that purpose starts with an understanding of who we really are. That's when confusion sets in. On the one hand, we have a history of past decisions that defines us. On the other, we have an unlived future where we place our hopes and dreams, and that defines us too. Join Steve and Dan Fouts – founders of Teach Different and twin brothers with over 50 years of teaching experience – for a compelling conversation on goal-setting, enriched by the Teach Different Method. Whether you are a teacher, school leader, or simply someone interested in experiencing the joy and fulfillment of challenging kids with big ideas, join our worldwide Community of Practice FREE for 30 days. Membership includes access to our robust library of resources, conversation plans, and lively discussions among teachers and faculty. Image source: Pixabay

Should we be a role model for others? When we are being watched by others, we are compelled to do the right thing and that benefits the world. Being a role model has inherent value, but it is a difficult job that comes with significant sacrifice. It means that sometimes we can't be ourselves and do what we really want. We must forgo our own needs to make other people happy. It's hard to know when being a role model is worth it. Join Steve and Dan Fouts – founders of Teach Different and twin brothers from the United States with over 50 years of teaching experience – for a compelling conversation about self-awareness, enriched by the Teach Different Method. Whether you are a teacher, school leader, or simply someone interested in experiencing the joy and fulfillment of challenging kids with big ideas, join our worldwide Community of Practice FREE for 30 days. Membership includes access to our robust library of resources, conversation plans, and lively discussions among teachers and faculty. Image source: Wikimedia

Should you always try to get what you want? Mind control is a form of self-discipline that is so difficult to master. In tense, stressful moments, our natural reaction is to use our mind actively to control the situation and many times that is exactly what we need. In other settings, if we slow our mind down, we can think more clearly and come up with solutions. A calm, patient mind has true power over the world. Exact knowledge on how and when to use our mind to achieve the goals we want is elusive. Join Steve and Dan Fouts for a conversation about self-discipline using the Teach Different 3-Step conversation method. Whether you are a teacher, school leader, or simply someone interested in experiencing the joy and fulfillment of challenging kids with big ideas, join our worldwide Community of Practice FREE for 30 days. Membership includes access to our robust library of resources, conversation plans, and lively discussions among teachers and faculty. Image source: Wikimedia | Tom@HK

Is love more powerful than hate? Love is a powerful force in the universe. That much is true. What's unclear is just how powerful love is and whether it can and should be used as a tool to combat hate. Some say hate must be met with more of the same and that confrontation is the onlly reliable strategy to change human behavior for the better. Others take the kinder, softer approach and let love do the job. Join Steve and Dan Fouts for a conversation about love using the Teach Different 3-Step conversation method. Whether you are a teacher, school leader, or simply someone interested in experiencing the joy and fulfillment of challenging kids with big ideas, join our worldwide Community of Practice FREE for 30 days. Membership includes access to our robust library of resources, conversation plans, and lively discussions among teachers and faculty. Image source: Library of Congress

How do you know when to adapt your goals? Rarely to we achieve our goals by following the exact path we set at the beginning. Instead, we experience twists and turns that we must learn to adapt along the way. These unexpected events inspire us to refocus and change our goals. Other times, however, we push through and continue along the path with the original goal firmly fixed in our mind. We maintain focus in the midst of uncertainty. Join Steve and Dan Fouts – founders of Teach Different and twin brothers with over 50 years of teaching experience – for a compelling conversation about goal-setting, enriched by the Teach Different Method. Whether you are a teacher, school leader, or simply someone interested in experiencing the joy and fulfillment of challenging kids with big ideas, join our worldwide Community of Practice FREE for 30 days. Membership includes access to our robust library of resources, conversation plans, and lively discussions among teachers and faculty. Image source: Picryl

What is the best way to respond to hard times? Tough times greet all of us in varying degrees. The challenge is how to figure out exactly how we should behave when those tough times arrive. One plan is to push through the difficulties and emerge stronger at the other end. That way, our pain can be short-lived. We can also stop the pain and change direction so that we can avoid the hardship and discover joy on the other side. Join Steve and Dan Fouts – founders of Teach Different and twin brothers with over 50 years of teaching experience –  for a compelling conversation about determination, enriched by the Teach Different Method. Whether you are a teacher, school leader, or simply someone interested in experiencing the joy and fulfillment of challenging kids with big ideas, join our worldwide Community of Practice FREE for 30 days. Membership includes access to our robust library of resources, conversation plans, and lively discussions among teachers and faculty.

How hard should we try to be accepted by others? Being excluded for unpopular opinions hurts. Being excluded because of race, gender, ethnicity or sexual orientation is devastating. Exclusion devalues our humanity, which can make us bitter, resentful and angry. At these unpleasant moments we face crucial moral decisions. We can walk away and create space to preserve our dignity or we can stubbornly assert ourselves to gain acceptance and respect. Each decision carries consequences felt throughout our lives. Join Steve and Dan Fouts – founders of Teach Different and twin brothers with over 50 years of teaching experience – for a compelling conversation about acceptance, enriched by the Teach Different Method. Whether you are a teacher, school leader, or simply someone interested in experiencing the joy and fulfillment of challenging kids with big ideas, join our worldwide Community of Practice FREE for 30 days. Membership includes access to our robust library of resources, conversation plans, and lively discussions among teachers and faculty. Image source: Wikipedia

How do we know which risks are worth taking? Everybody wants success, however it is defined. That is clear. The confusion comes when we think about the best way to go about getting success. Some people carry the logic that success will only come from taking risks and that if we don't learn to push our comfort zone, then we're destined never to achieve anything. Others conclude that by avoiding risks and taking the slow cautious approach, we can achieve great things over time. The challenge is how to blend these two approaches in a way that maximizes chances for success. Join Steve and Dan Fouts – founders of Teach Different and twin brothers with over 50 years of teaching experience – for a compelling conversation about risk, enriched by the Teach Different Method. Whether you are a teacher, school leader, or simply someone interested in experiencing the joy and fulfillment of challenging kids with big ideas, join our worldwide Community of Practice FREE for 30 days. Membership includes access to our robust library of resources, conversation plans, and lively discussions among teachers and faculty. Image source: Philosophers for Change | Creative Commons

How do we know if we should change our goals? Setting goals forces us to picture success before it happens. If we are able to create a picture of what success looks like, then we are more likely to achieve it. Seeing the end motivates the beginning of the journey. But it is often the case that journeys take unexpected turns and force us to redirect our plans towards goals different than what we had at the start. The challenge then becomes how to best change our goals along the way and pursue the proper end that reveals itself over time. Living life this way demands less clarity and more patience. Join Steve and Dan Fouts – founders of Teach Different and twin brothers with over 50 years of teaching experience – along with guests Jenna Daube, education student at Loyola University and Jameson Beckman, journalism student at Boston University, for a compelling conversation about goal-setting, enriched by the Teach Different Method. Whether you are a teacher, school leader, or simply someone interested in experiencing the joy and fulfillment of challenging kids with big ideas, join our worldwide Community of Practice FREE for 30 days. Membership includes access to our robust library of resources, conversation plans, and lively discussions among teachers and faculty. Image source: Flickr | ABRAS