The Revealing Reality Struggling Readers Face within the U.S. Education System

by Amanda | Mar 10, 2024 | Equity, Neurodiversity, New Style Blog Post, New Style Podcast, Reading, Reading Workshop, Secondary Teachers, Social Justice, Student Motivation, Support for Struggling Readers

Share Tweet Pin It 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...

Outsourcing Teacher Expertise to Canned Curriculum

by Amanda | Aug 19, 2023 | Equity, New Style Blog Post, New Style Podcast, Social Justice, Student Motivation, Teacher Shortage Crisis

Share Tweet Pin It In this podcast episode, Amanda and Trina discuss the use of canned curriculum in schools and its impact on teachers and the education system. They recognize canned curriculum is useful in certain contexts, such as for long term...

How to Increase Student Engagement with Equitable Teaching Practices

by Amanda | May 25, 2023 | Equity, Neurodiversity, New Style Blog Post, New Style Podcast, Secondary Teachers, Social Justice, Student Motivation, Support for Struggling Readers, Support for Struggling Writers

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...

We Need to Stop Shaming Kids (and Ourselves) for Screen Use, Here’s Why…

by Amanda | May 4, 2023 | Neurodiversity, New Style Blog Post, New Style Podcast, Secondary Teachers, Student Motivation, Technology

  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 neurodivergent individuals and others seeking community, and emphasizes the importance of cultivating a...

A New Way to Think about Apathetic, Unmotivated, and Defiant Students

by Amanda | May 3, 2023 | End of the Year, Management, New Style Blog Post, New Style Podcast, Student Motivation

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 as a parent of a neurodivergent child and suggests a collaborative approach that involves building...