In this urgent and heartfelt episode, recorded on Sunday, January 25th, Amanda offers raw and real advice for teachers dealing with a recent tragedy involving the death of ICU nurse Alex Preti by federal agents. Acknowledging the emotional burden and chaos, Amanda...
In this episode, part two of an eight-part series, Amanda discusses her journey through the Mindfulness and Meditation Teacher Certification Program (MMTCP) and the profound lessons she learned. She emphasizes the importance of self-compassion, especially for women,...
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 difficulties. Shelly recounts her early educational challenges, the lack of support she faced, and the...
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 Reconsidered" by Doug Lemov, which provides a wealth of information on how to improve students' reading...
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 Antiracist Writing Workshop" by Felicia Rose Chavez. In this episode, Amanda provides a detailed review and...
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 on educational equity and social justice that she read in 2021. She also offers a toolkit for...
In this episode of the Empower Students Now podcast, Amanda introduces her new course, The Empowered English Classroom, which aims to increase student engagement through equitable teaching practices. Amanda discusses the Empowered English Classroom Framework, which...
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 for that. We all want to be accepted. We all want to be loved. We want to be good. We want to be seen...
The neurodiversity movement is happening right now. It’s exciting, invigorating, and gaining more and more momentum every day. But, what is the neurodiversity movement? Why do students need to know about it? How can we introduce students to the complex and sometimes...
In January of 2022 I wrote a blog post about my identity crisis as an educator and teacher-author. I wrote about how I needed to go back to all the lessons and units I’ve ever written and look at them from an equity lens. I went on a quest to read all the social...