Finding Calm Amongst the Chaos of Life: The Breath as Your Anchor
Amanda returns after a long hiatus, excited to start a new season focused on mindfulness, neurodiversity, equity, and student engagement. In this special episode,...
A Mother’s Day Meditation
Close your eyes, dear mother, and allow the world to soften around you. Breathe in deeply, inviting calm into your space, and exhale slowly, releasing the weight of...
Navigating Adult ADHD: A Personal and Professional Journey
Show Notes In this episode of "Empower Students Now," host Amanda interviews Vanessa Jones, an English teacher, writer, and voice actor who has recently authored a...
The Revealing Reality Struggling Readers Face within the U.S. Education System
In this episode of Empower Students Now, host Amanda interviews her sister Shelly Gonsalves, who opens up about her lifelong struggle with reading and learning...
I Found Out I Have ADHD at Age 40
In this episode of the Empower Students Now podcast, host Amanda Werner shares her personal journey of discovering that she has ADHD and the importance of teachers...
Essential Takeaways from Reading Reconsidered by Doug Lemov
Do you want to teach your students how to read more effectively and prepare them for college and life? In this podcast episode, Amanda discusses the book "Reading...
Essential Takeaways from The Anti-Racist Writing Workshop by Felicia Rose Chavez
Are you an English teacher looking to create an anti-racist writing workshop that prioritizes student voices and celebrates diversity? Look no further than "The...
Essential Takeaways from Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain by Zaretta Hammond
In this episode of the Empower Students Now podcast, host Amanda shares her summer plans and introduces a series of episodes where she provides overviews of eight books...
How to Increase Student Engagement with Equitable Teaching Practices
In this episode of the Empower Students Now podcast, Amanda introduces her new course, The Empowered English Classroom, which aims to increase student engagement...
We Need to Stop Shaming Kids (and Ourselves) for Screen Use, Here’s Why…
In this podcast episode, Amanda discusses the negative impact of shaming kids and ourselves for screen use. She argues that screens can have benefits for...
A New Way to Think about Apathetic, Unmotivated, and Defiant Students
In this episode of the Empower Students Now podcast, Amanda discusses how to handle apathetic and defiant students in the classroom. She shares her personal experience...
Dropping the Suitcases of Regret and Worry: A Guided Meditation for Teachers at the End of a School Year
Welcome back. I am thrilled to tell you that I am enrolled currently in a two year mindfulness and meditation teacher program. And the teachers are just very, very well...
Easy to Plan End of Year Writing Projects Your Students Will Love
Are you looking for fun and engaging writing projects for your students at the end of the school year? Look no further! In this episode, I share five writing projects...
8 Highly Engaging (and Controversial) Argumentative Mentor Texts for Middle and High School
This article includes links to 8 mentor texts to use for teaching argumentative writing. It also includes discussion questions and reflection prompts.
Are You Blindly Following Rules?
Every child grows up following rules. They follow the rules of their parents, they follow the rules of their teachers, They follow their friends, and there's a reason...