At the end of a very difficult year I went into this conversation with TCDSB Director of Education Brendan Browne looking for something: I was looking for the heart in what he would say. I knew there would be limits to how much I could ask my b

A Year of Grief and a Year of Joy with my Wife, Amy Del Monte

May 25th, 2021 40m 13s

In this week's conversation, my wife Amy and I sit down to discuss what was an extraordinary year. We hope that our story might help other parents and teachers process theirs.We reflect on the joys of the year-- our neighbourhood coming back t

How Marriage Shapes Our Teaching with Educators and Spouses Dan and Rachel Vigliatore

May 11th, 2021 58m 2s

If you're a teacher who is a parent or a spouse, this is a wonderful conversation for you!Today's guests are Dan and Rachel Vigliatore, a wholehearted husband and wife who both teach in the Toronto Catholic District School Board. Dan is an elem

Building to Last with Educator, Champion and Advocate Skye Bowen

Apr 27th, 2021 52m 36s

In this week’s conversation I’m talking to one of the most wholehearted educators I’ve ever met: Skye Bowen. Skye is an activist, a community builder, a champion, and is working actively to dismantle systems that oppress racialized students. Th

Empowering Students to Tell Their Stories with Best Selling Author Jael Richardson

Apr 6th, 2021 59m 18s

How often do we let our students (and our own children) just tell their story? That is the question I'm discussing today with Jael Richardson, author and Executive Director for The Festival of Literary Diversity. So often as teachers and paren

Celebrating a Changing School Board with TCDSB Superintendent of Education Kimberly Dixon

Mar 30th, 2021 43m 5s

When I first reached out to Kimberly Dixon, Superintendent in the Toronto Catholic DSB, I was hoping we would talk about intersectionality for much of the conversation. I assumed that because Kimberly is only the second black, female superinten

What's in Your Heart of Hearts? with Vice-Principal and Documentary Filmmaker Anthony Perrotta

Mar 16th, 2021 58m 19s

Today's episode is the story of one teacher's journey to allyship.We speak with Anthony Perrotta, a Vice Principal and a documentary filmmaker. Like many first or second generation European immigrants, Anthony grew up up in a white, suburban

Dear White Teachers: No One Said it Would Easy with Asante Haughton

Mar 2nd, 2021 48m 27s

Today's episode is all about how hard it is to build anti-racist classroom. It's not just hard for our racialized students, but it's also hard for white teachers (myself included) doing the hard work of examining whatever biases we hold.But we

This is a Love Story with Teacher, Author and Advocate Penny Kittle

Feb 16th, 2021 54m 29s

"This is a love story" are the first words of Penny Kittle's book, Book Love. They are words that may change how you see the students you teach. No one has been more influential on my classroom than Penny and I was so honoured that she was wi

SPECIAL Episode: An Anthology of Occasional Poetry from a Wonderful Class of Students

Feb 4th, 2021 46m 58s

In this episode, my students from this quadmester will share their own, occasional poems with you. This has been a wonderful group of teenagers and I have loved learning and growing with them. I want to especially thank them for their bravery a

Moving from Shame to Love with Psychotherapist Kristen Hodges

Feb 2nd, 2021 48m 2s

This week's conversation is meant to help teachers-- particularly white teachers-- move from feelings of shame that immobilize us to connecting with healthy guilt that can guide us forward. Guilt moves us to anti-racism work and that work is f

WHY ARE YOU IN EDUCATION?? with TDSB Principal, Anti-Racism and Anti-Oppression Disrupter, Salima Kassam

Jan 26th, 2021 44m 16s

This question-- WHY ARE YOU IN EDUCATION??-- frames our conversation today. If you stop to think about that, what would you say?My guest, Salima Kassam is a principal with the Toronto District School Board and has given her life to the work of

Restoring a Broken System with TCDSB Human Rights and Equity Advisor Lavinia Latham

Jan 19th, 2021 57m 33s

The second episode in our Anti-Racism series made me nervous.Lavinia is the most lovely person, but her role as Humanity Equity Advisor at the Toronto Catholic District School Board is to look at problems in the education system...and advise th

Having Brave Conversations about Race, Equity and White Fragility with Superintendent Derek Chen

Jan 12th, 2021 38m 33s

In this conversation, we speak with TCDSB Superintendent of Equity, Diversity, Indigenous Education and Community Relations, Derek Chen. Superintendent Chen speaks about the importance of being brave enough to have courageous conversations abou

SPECIAL New Year's Episode: Daring Greatly in 2021 with Chey Cheney and Pav Wander

Jan 1st, 2021 44m 12s

Welcome to 2021, a year that has so much potential for teaching! We launch Season 2 through a wonderful conversation with Chey Cheney and Pav Wander, two Toronto teachers and hosts of The Staffroom Podcast who are just crushing it. Both Chey an

Finding the Kin in Kindness with Katie Akelaitis

Dec 22nd, 2020 29m 47s

In our Christmas Special, we talk about seeing differently, through the eyes of kindness. In this episode, mom, daughter and Vice Principal Katie Akelaitis speaks about how her father taught her to treat others as "kin," as if they were her own

When Families Teach Together with John, Nic and Lukas Notten

Dec 15th, 2020 35m 33s

This episode shows that strong teaching has all the same attributes as strong families: an emphasis on following your passions, finding ways to serve others, collaborating together and, most importantly, a cohesion between what happens in the c

Full Props to Hermione: Discussing Women in Leadership with WCDSB Director of Education Loretta Notten

Dec 8th, 2020 35m 15s

This episode is framed around a question: How has being female prevented you from bringing your whole self to the classroom? It's an important conversation, and one that I am grateful to share a part. In this episode, we speak to Loretta Notte

Unleashing Our Teachers to Follow Their Passions with Anthony De Sa

Dec 1st, 2020 34m 28s

Going off the beaten path, challenging formal education practices, and untethering teachers to bring their own passions to the classroom are all the topics that we discuss with our guest, teaching legend and critically acclaimed writer, Anthony

Embracing Vulnerability in the Classroom with Barb Russell

Nov 24th, 2020 32m 38s

Vulnerability, making mistakes and accepting ourselves exactly as we are are all topics that we discuss today with our guest and award-winning teacher, Barb Russell. 10 years as an emergency room Nurse followed by 25 years in the classroom has

Humanity at the Highest with TCDSB Director of Education Brendan Browne

Nov 17th, 2020 34m 1s

At the very highest level of an education system are people, and people, no matter their titles are human. In this episode, we speak to Brendan Browne, father, son, husband...and Director of Education for one of the largest school boards in Can

The Sacredness of the Classroom with Don Walker

Nov 10th, 2020 37m 40s

Courage, authenticity, gratitude and the sacredness of the classroom experience are all topics that we discuss today with our guest and teaching legend, Don Walker. After retiring from 30 years of classroom teaching and administration, Don’s in

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Introducing Wholehearted Teaching (Episode 1)

Nov 1st, 2020 6m 25s

Welcome to my new bi-weekly podcast: Wholehearted Teaching!If there is one idea that drives this podcast, it’s this: there is no separation between who we are when we're inside the classroom and when we're outside of it. Listen to our first ev

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