What does it mean to lead effectively when there are no simple solutions?

In this guest episode of the Time for Teachership Podcast, host Lindsay Lyons sits down with educator, anthropologist, researcher, and author Dr. Annalies Corbin to explore the concept of wicked problems and what educational leaders can learn from them. Together, they discuss how schools can foster agency, resilience, cultural responsiveness, and meaningful learning experiences while navigating increasingly complex educational challenges.

Drawing from decades of research and practice, Dr. Corbin shares actionable strategies for helping students and educators move beyond compliance toward curiosity, problem-solving, and authentic engagement.

• What wicked problems are and why education itself can be considered a wicked problem
• The difference between technical solutions and complex adaptive challenges
• How leaders can foster resilience and agency in students and staff
• Why student voice and co-design matter in learning environments
• The importance of culturally responsive and learner-centered education
• Practical ways educators can begin transforming traditional classrooms
• The five foundational elements of sustainable educational innovation

Get Your Episode Freebie & More Resources On My Website: https://www.lindsaybethlyons.com/blog/266

Connect with guest Dr. Annalies Corbin

• Website: https://www.pastfoundation.org/annalies-corbin

In this solo episode of the Time for Teachership Podcast, host Lindsay Lyons explores several influential change leadership theories and examines how they can strengthen staff discourse, shared decision-making, and transformational school improvement. Drawing from her doctoral research in leadership and change, as well as her experience supporting turnaround schools, Lindsay shares practical frameworks that educational leaders can use to foster equity, inclusion, collaboration, and meaningful dialogue.

This episode connects leadership theory to the everyday reality of school improvement efforts, showing how discourse serves as the bridge between vision and action.

• How leadership theories can inform school change initiatives
• Why staff discourse is essential for successful implementation
• The relationship between leadership, power, and organizational culture
• How to build collaborative structures that support equitable decision-making
• Strategies for fostering trust, inclusion, and collective leadership
• Practical ways to improve dialogue, discussion, and decision-making processes

Get Your Episode Freebie & More Resources On My Website: https://www.lindsaybethlyons.com/blog/265

In this powerful episode of Time for Teachership, Lindsay Lyons speaks with Dr. Aditya Nagrath, founder of Elephant Learning, about transforming how we teach and experience mathematics. Together, they challenge the traditional view of math as memorization and computation and reframe it as a language for solving real-world problems.

From addressing math anxiety to bridging learning gaps for older students, this conversation explores how conceptual understanding, student confidence, and meaningful application can radically shift math education for learners of all ages.

If you've ever wondered how to support students who feel "behind" in math—or how to make math more joyful, relevant, and accessible—this episode is for you.

• Why math should be taught as a tool for solving real-world problems
• The difference between procedural fluency vs. conceptual understanding
• How math anxiety is reinforced—and how to reduce it
• Why students often already have math background knowledge (they just don't recognize it)
• The role of language and labeling in math learning
• How AI is changing the way we think about mathematical thinking and problem-solving
• Supporting older students who have gaps in foundational math skills
• Why silence in math learning increases anxiety—and how conversation changes everything
• Practical ways families and educators can reinforce math learning at home and in the classroom

Get Your Episode Freebie & More Resources On My Website: https://www.lindsaybethlyons.com/blog/264

Connect with guest Dr. Aditya Nagrath

• Elephant Learning (Parents): https://elephantlearning.com
• Elephant Learning (Schools): https://schools.elephantlearning.com

In this powerful episode of the Time for Teachership podcast, Lindsay Lyons talks with Dr. Darla Bishop, educator, public health advocate, and author, about how families and schools can partner together to build financially confident kids from preschool through adolescence.

Dr. Bishop shares why children are the carriers of social change, how everyday errands can become rich financial literacy lessons, and what teachers and families can do right now to start conversations about money that build independence, responsibility, and community-mindedness.

You'll walk away with:

• Practical scripts for handling "Can I have this?" moments at the store
• A developmental roadmap for teaching money from pre-K to high school
• Ways teachers can invite families into math and money learning
• A powerful reflection exercise to examine your own "money rules"
• A surprising statistic about teachers and long-term wealth

This episode is a must-listen for educators, parents, and anyone who wants to raise kids who understand money, make thoughtful choices, and feel empowered—not stressed—about finances.

• Why kids can drive generational change in financial habits
• How to turn everyday shopping trips into money lessons
• The difference between saying "We can't afford that" vs. teaching price awareness
• How financial literacy supports independence and decision-making
• Simple ways teachers can partner with families around money conversations
• Why handling real coins and cash still matters for learning
• How financial lessons evolve from early childhood through teen years
• The hidden financial advantage many teachers have
• A reflection activity to uncover your personal money mindset

Get Your Episode Freebie & More Resources On My Website: https://www.lindsaybethlyons.com/blog/263

Connect with guest Dr. Darla Bishop

• Website: https://darlabishop.com

In this episode of the Time for Teachership Podcast, Lindsay Lyons talks with Christina Hidek, founder of PTO Answers and author of The Principal's Parent Group Playbook, about how schools are overlooking one of their greatest assets: parent groups.

Christina shares why PTOs and PTAs are often misunderstood, under-leveraged, and poorly supported—and how school leaders and teachers can transform family engagement by building true partnerships with parent organizations. If you've ever felt frustrated by family involvement, struggled to connect with your PTO, or wondered how to move beyond fundraisers and carnival themes, this episode is your roadmap to a healthier, more impactful school-family collaboration.

You'll walk away with practical strategies for shared goal setting, communication, leadership mindset shifts, and ways to align parent groups with your school's strategic plan.

• Why parent groups are the "third pillar" of school leadership
• The mindset shifts families and educators both need
• The difference between a PTO and a PTA (and why it matters)
• How to align PTO work with your school's strategic plan
• Why many parent groups struggle with institutional knowledge loss
• What principals and teachers can do to cultivate healthy partnerships
• How PTOs can go far beyond parties, fundraisers, and event planning
• Real examples of PTOs funding meaningful school initiatives like STEM programs
• Practical next steps for parents, teachers, and school leaders

Get Your Episode Freebie & More Resources On My Website: https://www.lindsaybethlyons.com/blog/262

Connect with guest Christina Hidek

• Website: https://ptoanswers.com/

In this episode of the Time for Teachership Podcast, host Lindsay Lyons welcomes picture book author and illustrator Molly Arbuthnott for a rich conversation about why picture books are not the "bottom rung" of reading—but the top.

This episode is part of a special mini-series for educators and families focused on how to support children's reading lives. Molly shares how picture books create space for deep thinking, emotional conversations, imagination, and student voice—without the pressure of "right answers."

If you read with children at home or in the classroom, this episode will completely reframe how you think about picture books.

• Children should not have books "dumbed down" for them
• Picture books can gently explore hard topics like death, accidents, grief, and resilience
• There are no wrong answers when discussing a picture book
• Art and story create safe practice for sharing different interpretations
• Kids should be "gatekeepers" in choosing what they read
• Animals as characters create freedom for interpretation beyond identity or politics
• Picture books are powerful entry points into discussions about climate change, community, resilience, and belonging
• Reading should stay joyful and imaginative—for adults and children

Get Your Episode Freebie & More Resources On My Website: https://www.lindsaybethlyons.com/blog/261

Connect with guest Molly Arbuthnott

• Website: https://www.marbuthnottbooks.com

In this powerful episode of the Time for Teachership Podcast, host Lindsay Lyons sits down with therapeutic school principal and psychologist Doug Bolton to explore a timely question:

What if our definition of success in schools is actually harming kids, families, and educators?

Doug shares research-backed insights on the youth mental health crisis, the unintended consequences of achievement-driven schooling, and the essential role of belonging, emotional regulation, and relationships in building true resilience.

If you're an educator, school leader, or parent feeling the pressure of grades, test scores, and constant busyness, this episode offers a hopeful, practical reframe.

• Why today's students (and teachers and parents) are more stressed than ever
• How test-score culture has reshaped education since No Child Left Behind
• The myth of "high-achieving schools" and selective colleges as predictors of life success
• The research behind belonging and relationships as the foundation of resilience
• The Circle of Courage framework: Belonging, Mastery, Independence, Generosity
• Bruce Perry's "Regulate, Relate, Reason" model for classrooms and homes
• Why "misbehavior" is often stress behavior
• The importance of building in daily pause and ponder time for nervous system recovery
• Practical first steps families and teachers can take immediately

Get Your Episode Freebie & More Resources On My Website: https://www.lindsaybethlyons.com/blog/260

Connect with guest Doug Bolton

• Website: drdougbolton.com

Most schools are collaborating.

But very few are collaborating in a way that systematically elevates instruction for every teacher and every student.

In this episode, guest Kurtis Hewson breaks down the Collaborative Team Meeting (CTM)—a deceptively simple structure that becomes the engine of a school's entire support system. You'll learn how CTMs sit inside a larger four-layer collaboration model, why focusing on "yellow" students (not red) is a game-changer, and how a tight, repeatable meeting structure builds collective efficacy, distributive coaching, and real instructional growth.

If you've ever felt like your school is "playing whack-a-mole" with student needs or drowning in meetings about individual students, this episode offers a practical, proven alternative.

• The four layers of collaboration every school needs
• Why adding one meeting can actually reduce meetings overall
• The critical mindset shift: tier the supports, not the kids
• Why CTMs focus on yellow students (and how that prevents future red)
• The pre-work, norms, roles, and timing that make CTMs effective
• How celebrations turn into organic strategy sharing
• The Key Issue protocol that keeps conversations about practice, not personalities
• How CTMs create distributive coaching across a staff
• The biggest mistake schools make when trying to collaborate

• 00:00 Why CTMs are different from typical collaboration
• 02:30 The four layers of collaboration explained
• 06:45 Kurtis's "every child deserves a team" vision
• 09:00 Three mindset shifts schools must make
• 14:00 What happens before a CTM starts (pre-work & norms)
• 18:00 Why celebrations matter more than you think
• 20:30 The Key Issue protocol explained
• 24:30 How teachers commit to trying new strategies
• 26:30 Distributive coaching and capacity building
• 29:30 The biggest challenge: sticking to the structure
• 33:30 The free CTM Starter Kit and new book announcement

Get Your Episode Freebie & More Resources On My Website: https://www.lindsaybethlyons.com/blog/259

Connect with guest Kurtis Hewson

• Website: jigsawlearning.ca