The Out of the Trenches Podcast

Bryan Zwemke is an Assistant Superintendent of Learning and Innovation in Illinois with 23 years of experience teaching and leading in rural, suburban, and urban settings focused on student achievement and student engagement. His priorities focus on the core strategies of a guaranteed and viable curriculum, mental health, equity and access for all students, supporting quality teams, and personalized learning for students. Bryan completed his doctoral program for Educational Leadership at Aurora University defending his dissertation Building Social Capital Through Social Media and is serving as an adjunct professor at Aurora University. As a veteran administrator, Bryan has developed a passion for the necessary change toward future ready education - an ecosystem dedicated to student growth, collaborative spaces and practices, and research supported techniques to long term success. Further, Bryan is a co-facilitator for the Mastermind and sometimes blog contributor for Teach Better Team.

Find Bryan online on Twitter @bryanzwenke, Linkedin

Carly Spina has 15 years of experience in Multilingual Education, including her service as an EL teacher, a third-grade bilingual classroom teacher, and a district-wide Multilingual Instructional Coach. She is currently a multilingual education specialist at the Illinois Resource Center, providing professional learning opportunities and technical assistance support to educators and leaders across the state and beyond. Spina enjoys connecting with other educators and leaders across the country and beyond and is an active member of the multilingual education professional learning community. Her first book, Moving Beyond for Multilingual Learners, was published in November 2021 by EduMatch Publishing and is available on Amazon.

Find Carly online at: https://movingbeyondformls.blogspot.com which has links & different tools people can use/templates. Twitter @MrsSpinasClass

Cathy Jean-François, an educator with the NYC Department of Education, has a BA in Creative Writing and Literature from Hofstra University and a Master’s Degree in Education from St. John’s University. When she is not working on lesson plans and grading assignments for her 7th grade and high school students, she is either writing a new post for her blog, Cathy’s Cross: A Depressive’s Positive Perspective or sending out query letters for her completed novel, The Box, for which she used her own personal experience with depression and anxiety to develop the inner conflict for her main character.

Find Cathy online: Facebook: Cathy Jean-Francois | Facebook (mostly on) Instagram: Cathy Marie (@cathy_marie1) Marie-Catheline Jean-Francois | LinkedIn http://cathyscross.wordpress.com

Aaron Else has been a principal since 2014, AP since 2008. Also, he works as an Adjunct Prof at U of N Texas. He is an enthusiastic optimist entering his 23rd year in education. During his time in education, he has taught 1st, 2nd, and 5th grades. He is principal at Hosp Elementary in Frisco ISD. Aaron is married to Heather, and they have five kids combined and two dogs. He loves to read, work out, and watch sports. Twitter @principalelse & LinkedIn.

As a highly regarded urban educator in New Jersey for over twenty years, Principal Baruti Kafele distinguished himself as a master teacher and a transformational school leader. As an elementary school teacher he was a New Jersey State Teacher of the Year finalist, and a recipient of the New Jersey Education Association Award of Excellence. As a middle and high school principal, Principal Kafele led the turnaround of four different New Jersey urban schools.

One of the most sought-after school leadership and classroom equity presenters in America, Principal Kafele is impacting America’s schools! He has delivered over two thousand conference and program keynotes and professional development workshops. Principal Kafele is the leading authority for providing effective classroom and school leadership strategies toward closing what he coined, the "Attitude Gap.” He has authored twelve books, including his seven ASCD best sellers - Motivating Black Males to Achieve in School & in Life, Closing the Attitude Gap, Is My School a Better School BECAUSE I Lead It?, The Teacher 50, The Principal 50, The Assistant Principal 50 and his newest release, The Equity & Social Justice Education 50.

Principal Kafele is also the creator and host of the popular Virtual Assistant Principal Leadership Academy, streamed live every Saturday morning on his Virtual AP Leadership Academy YouTube channel and his other social media platforms at 10:55 EST.

Find Principal Kafele online: www.principalkafele.com @principlalkafele on FB & LinkedIn &Twitter. IG: @millionmileman

Vernon Wright (@TheWrightLeader, TheWrightLeader.com, ZeroApologyZone.com Founder) is a speaker, author, consultant, and leader. He has over 18 years of experience in education working in large, urban school districts and has previously served in the roles of teacher, teacher leader, campus leadership team member, and district-level support. Vernon has shared his experiences as a speaker numerous times over the years at the campus, district, regional, state levels, and beyond garnering acclaim and accolades from recognized industry leaders and colleagues. Vernon has brought his unique style and combination of insight, storytelling, experience, humor, authenticity, and epiphanies to audiences for years. Vernon has an established presence on social media (@TheWrightLeader across all platforms), and he unabashedly stands as a voice for the people with zero apologies (ZeroApologyZone.com).

You can connect with Vernon’s previous speaking and podcast appearances at TheWrightLeader.com. He is committed to a life of inspiring and elevating others.

Brian Faulkner is the principal of Kaneland Harter Middle School in Kaneland C.U.S.D. 302. He says "My focus has been simple from the very start of my career; give students what they need in order to be successful. I fully embrace teacher leadership and a shared leadership philosophy and look for creative ways our staff can collaborate, share, observe one-another, and continuously improve their craft. Saying I love what I do is an understatement. I'm on a mission to make a difference in the lives of each member of our learning community.”

Find Brian online: #kanelandpride & @brianfaulkner44 on Twitter

Ashley Hubner is an Instructional Coach and Curriculum Specialist who has served in many roles in education from elementary school teacher to Curriculum Lead. Her degrees include a Bachelor's in Elementary Education, a Master's in Curriculum and Instruction, and Principal Certification. She served 13 years in the public school system, then transitioned into an educational consultant role where she has worked with curriculum companies to build quality educational experiences for students and with school districts to build instructional capacity among staff.

Find Ashley online by visiting her website: https://coachingaccess.net/

Social Media: FB Business Page https://www.facebook.com/coaching.access FB Private Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/confe... Insta https://www.instagram.com/coaching_ac... Twitter https://twitter.com/coaching_access Linked In https://www.linkedin.com/in/accesscoach/

Mrs. Brandi Kelly has been in the field of education for over 20 years. She has recently assumed the role of Superintendent at Mt. Olive CUSD #5 in Mt. Olive, IL. Mrs. Kelly has served as a Principal previously, over a 10 year period, in three districts: Ramsey School District (Pre-K-8), Mt. Zion School District (Pre-K-1), and Sangamon Valley Middle School (6-8). Prior to going into administration, Mrs. Kelly was a school social worker/counselor for Effingham Unit #40 in Effingham, IL.

Mrs. Kelly's goal is to build teacher and student capacity by providing tools and strategies that empower and inspire others toward greatness! As a life long learner, Mrs. Kelly believes that everyone can learn and has the potential for greatness. Relationships are incredibly important to the learning process. It is necessary for educators to invest time in students to build relationships in an effort to maximize their influence and impact. Education is a powerful tool for empowering others to realize their full potential!

Find Mrs. Kelly online: @jbmrkelly Twitter, LinkedIn, FB for Mt. Olive School District

Robert Dunlop is a middle school teacher and technology & assessment consultant. His experiences in the classroom and throughout his district have given him a deep insight into the importance of teacher happiness. He credits working with thousands of educators as paramount to his research for this book. Robert's teaching journey has been one of peaks and valleys. His work in schools and his role in creating the Terry Fox Lesson Plans for educators around the world, led to him being honored with the Prime Minister's Award for Teaching Excellence. Although Robert has enjoyed many peaks throughout his career, he credits his valleys for his greatest learning. The message he shares in this book, online and through his speaking comes from his passion to reconnect to his love of teaching. Robert looks forward to inspiring many more educators to find Happiness in Education. Lives in St. Catherines, ON.

Follow Rob on Twitter @robdunlopedu & on LinkedIn Visit his website: www.motivatedu.com He has a staff wellness section with media staff can use for meetings.