Welcome to the Podcast
Empower Students Now
The Art of Empowering Students: An Interview with Jen Chieco
In this episode, Amanda welcomes Jen Chieco, a former teacher who transitioned into becoming a life coach who specializes in empowering teens. They...
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...
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,...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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,...
The Absolute Best Way to Start an Argumentative Writing Unit
Over the years I've learned that the first lesson of an argumentative writing unit is key to the success of the entire unit. The first lesson needs...
8 Outstanding Videos to Spark Discussion about Neurodiversity with Students
The neurodiversity movement is happening right now. It’s exciting, invigorating, and gaining more and more momentum every day. But, what is the...
The Story of a Teacher Author’s Identity Crisis Part II + Why I’m Changing the Name of My Podcast
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...
11 Ways Chat GPT Can Help You Teach Argumentative Writing
Amanda Write Now · 66. 11 Ways ChatGPT Can Help You Teach Argumentative WritingIt's about time for teachers to start their opinion, persuasive, or...
How to Talk to Students about Chat GPT and Increase Academic Honesty Too
The best way to handle new technology being introduced to the education world is to investigate the tools for ourselves, with an open mind, rather...
My Best Ideas to Prevent Cheating with Chat GPT + How to Handle Plagiarism Suspects
Now that students have easy access to artificial intelligence chatbots like Chat GPT, teachers are pondering how to prevent students from using...
7 Ways Chat GPT Will Impact Education Positively (2023)
In the last few weeks I've been playing with, talking to teacher friends, reading articles, and thinking about one thing... Chat GPT. I learned...
28 Essential Strategies to Support Struggling Writers in the Secondary Classroom
Every classroom has struggling writers. There are many reasons young writers struggle during our writing units. They may feel overwhelmed, be...