Eva Al Qallaf is an enthusiastic and dedicated educator of young children. She came to Kuwait in 1988 and, after beginning her family, found a passion for working in the education sector. Eva’s 20-year employment history includes teaching at some of…
Patty Marotte grew up in California and now resides in Kuwait with her husband, who she met while in college, and four children. She comes from a multicultural background from parents of mixed ethnicity and feels like she belongs to four cultures….
In this episode, Dr. Ilene shares her ups and downs and how sometimes she’s not ok. And when she’s not ok, how she reflects on her feelings and asks why she feels that way. That’s true self-care. She also shares some awesome moments from the past week…
Christa Campsall has vast K12 experience as a Classroom Teacher, Learning Integration Support Teacher in Special Education, and Teacher-Leader of School-based Teams. Christa currently enjoys engaging with educators in the global community as a…
This week’s episode continues Ilene’s December focus on self-belonging and my advocacy for starting in our classrooms and our homes with children. We shouldn’t have to wait until we are much older to find self-belonging. There are many ways to instill…
EduMatch blog post: Self-belonging for EducatorsÂ
SELF-discovery
OPPORTUNITY to grow
APPRECIATE yourself and make sure you’re hanging out with others who appreciate you without judgment
REACH out to ensure we leave our mark on the world with our…
In this week’s episode, I explain a bit about our Polyvagal Theory, our autonomic nervous system, and self-belonging. I share a personal story, discuss how important it is to understand our nervous system so we can have more control over how we react…
Steve Sostak, the co-founder of Inspire Citizens, centers all of his work on teacher creativity, student agency, and transformative learning. He aims to enable youth to develop more compassionate empathy; think critically about information and…
Haider Al Mosawi is a Kuwaiti educator, user experience designer, writer, and community builder. He is passionate about leading a full & fulfilling life, exploring our views in an open-minded way, and taking a non-coercive approach to productivity and…
Thank you for listening! Resources from today’s episode can be found on my website.Â
My new book, Journey to Belonging: Pathways to Well-Being is available at https://journeys2belonging.com/3C5Ojig
Noa Daniel’s BOBs
Twitter: @IleneWinokur
IG:…
As an explorer/adventurer, Kate Leeming has cycled a distance greater than twice around the world at the Equator. On August 16th, 2010 she became the first person to cycle an unbroken line from Africa’s most westerly to its most easterly points; from…
Evo Hannan is passionate about design and innovation in education. Innately driven by his desire to create positive change, Evo has utilised his 20 years of experience to channel into projects which have made an impact across the globe, including The…
Ken (He/Him/His) currently holds an M.A. in Education with a specialization in Educational Technology as well as New Media Design and Production. He has worked as an Educator for over 20 years and spent most of his classroom experience teaching…
Hailing from Nova Scotia, Canada, Michelle Macumber started her journey with Participate Learning (then called VIF) back in 1999 when she accepted a job as an ambassador teacher in Fayetteville, North Carolina (Cumberland County). Connected to…
Donna Guerin is the founder and executive director of Global Lighthouse Studios. She has been an educator for 22 years and involved in global education since 2015. She has also been an SDG ambassador. She loves to empower students to be a part of…
Anna Dyagileva is an MIEExpert, MIETrainer, MIEFellow, and Google certified. She is a Flipgrid, Wakelet & Buncee Ambassador who has a passion for #edtech and project-based learning. She started the #teachersloveEDU and #Engclubcom communities. …
This week’s episode is a response to a tweet from August 6 by Chris Quinn (@ChrisQuinn64). He posted a sketchnote by Sylvia Duckworth depicting a circle cut into 6 sections. Above the graphic: “Embracing the 6Cs of Education (supported by well-being)…
Ron NoberÂ
-Technology/STEAM teacherÂ
-Teach SDGs ambassadorÂ
-Very interested in design thinking, SDGs, and the intersection of technology and social goodÂ
-Co-host of Teachernerdz podcastÂ
-Advisor to school media club and co-founder of the…
In a recent article published by Edutopia, authors Nina Portugal and Malia Tayabas-Kim note, “the foundation of learning and growth is belonging, safety, and trust not just for our students, but for adults too.” On today’s episode, the host of…
How do we create successful learners if we ignore their strengths (assets) and focus on their deficits?
We often hear about people who either believe the glass is half empty or half full. Have you ever heard that the glass can be refilled? How does…
Naomi Toland is originally from Ireland but has traveled and taught away from her home in Derry for the past 10 Years. Naomi completed her degree at Northumbria University before moving to Hackney, London for her first teaching job. After 3 years…
Kevin Leichtman is the author of “The Perfect Ten” and co-author of “Teacher’s Guide to the Mental Edge.” He and his wife, Dr. Anala Leichtman, founded Team Leichtman Consulting – tlceducate.com, a company that provides PD, curriculum, coaching, and…
Alice Aspinall, B.Math(Hon), B.Ed, is a Portuguese-Canadian secondary mathematics educator in Ontario, Canada. She loves spending time with her husband and two children reading books, playing math games, and exploring the outdoors. Alice is a strong…
Lise Farquhar is a truly international teacher, having spent more than half of her life traveling and living across Canada and the globe. This experience has helped her discover the differences, but more importantly, the incredible similarities that…
Tia Luker-Putra has been living and working in China for the past seven years. Â She us a STEAM, Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), and diversity nut. She is married to her beautiful wife and has a 6 lb. puppy and an 18-pound cat. She loves to hike…
Chey Cheney Is a middle school teacher with 20 years of experience, originally from Ottawa, Ontario. He currently teaches Grade 8 in Toronto, Ontario and engages in coaching and leadership work with students in the school beyond instructional time….
Pawan (Pav) Wander is an elementary school teacher with 15 years of experience hailing from Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada. Currently, she is teaching a Grade 6/7 split class, integrated with the Home School Program. Pav gratefully teaches in the same…
After graduating as an Environmental Engineer, Saadia worked for the government to ensure compliance by landfills and power generation facilities. She took a pause to raise her family and volunteer for several non-profits, ultimately discovering…
Debbie Tannenbaum works as an Elementary School Technology Specialist in Fairfax County, VA. An educator with over twenty years of experience, Debbie Tannenbaum supports both staff and students to integrate technology tools into instruction through…
Douha Jemai has been a Tunisian computer science teacher for more than 14 years. She is a Microsoft Expert (MIEExpert), MIE Master Trainer, TeachSDGs Ambassador, and holds a  Masters degree in IT management.Â
Twitter: @ochifaysel
Facebook: Jemai Douha…
Genein Letford is an award-winning educator, best-selling author, and global speaker on ‘Intercultural Creativity™’. She is a leading voice on creating across cultural lines and she developed the 7 Gems of Intercultural Creativity framework for…
Tisha Poncio, M.S. Learning Technologies, is an energetic and enthusiastic learner, teacher, coach, and empowered educator. Tisha has served in education for the last 21 years. She has led students in the classroom teaching English, Web Design,…
George Couros is a worldwide leader in the area of innovative teaching, learning, and leading, and has a focus on innovation as a human endeavor. His belief that meaningful change happens when you first connect to people’s hearts, is modeled in his…
George Couros is a worldwide leader in the area of innovative teaching, learning, and leading, and has a focus on innovation as a human endeavor. His belief that meaningful change happens when you first connect to people’s hearts, is modeled in his…
Heidi Carr is the ultimate professional example for our teachers, families, students, and community. She is an elementary educator and leader with the Clark County School District which is the fifth-largest school district in the United States. Â She…
Kellie Bahri is an elementary teacher with a Master’s Degree in Curriculum and Instruction and Educational Leadership. She is passionate about supporting learning through establishing strong connections and creating learning spaces that promote equity…
Kellie Bahri is an elementary teacher with a Master’s Degree in Curriculum and Instruction and Educational Leadership. She is passionate about supporting learning through establishing strong connections and creating learning spaces that promote equity…
Sherry MacKay (MEd in TESOL) has extensive teacher training experience and 25 years of experience teaching adults. She is the co-founder of Glocally Connected non-profit that promotes community building in order to support refugees. More recently,…
Farah Bishara aka DJ Bonita loves music, especially hip hop, is a Kuwait-based DJ who also owns Vinyl Destination, a local record store. She started pursuing her passion for mixing hip-hop tracks for a living around in 2014 and has pushed boundaries…
Dana Fulwiler is an Alberta-based educator, consultant, and facilitator. She earned her Master of Applied Positive Psychology (MAPP) from the University of Pennsylvania, where she learned from leading wellbeing researchers and the field’s founder, Dr….
A former educator and Director of Innovation and Technology turned technology and mental health consultant, Mandy Froehlich’s passion lies in reinvigorating educators back into their profession and support in their pursuit of divergent teaching. She…
A former educator and Director of Innovation and Technology turned technology and mental health consultant, Mandy Froehlich’s passion lies in reinvigorating educators back into their profession and support in their pursuit of divergent teaching. She…
Nicole Biscotti wrote I Can Learn When I’m Moving: Going to School With ADHD along with her 10-year-old son, Jason. They share the unique perspectives of a child and a mother who is also a teacher. She has seen both personally and professionally how…
Tan Huynh is a career teacher specializing in language acquisition. Â He is currently a secondary social studies teacher at an international school in Bangkok. When he is not teaching and planning, Tan maintains a blog, a podcast, and facilities…
Tan Huynh is a career teacher specializing in language acquisition. Â He is currently a secondary social studies teacher at an international school in Bangkok. When he is not teaching and planning, Tan maintains a blog, a podcast, and facilities…
Stephen Hurley spent 30 years teaching in an Ontario school district and had roles of the classroom teacher and curriculum consultant. He spent three years as a teacher educator at OISE/UT. He loves conversations in education and is considered one of…
Dr. Michael Harvey is a New Zealand science educator based in Malaysia. He is a MIEExpert, Flipgrid Global ambassador, Wakelet Ambassador, Apple Teacher, SDG Ambassador, and Level 2 Google educator. Michael is the ISTE Global PLN event chair and…
Ramona has been teaching in southern Ontario for 26 years, starting her career teaching High School History and English. Â Early on she found that her passion was in Special Education and has spent the majority of her career in different roles within…
Valerie is an educator of 20 years and currently an administrator. She believes education is a lifelong journey that should create endless possibilities for youth. She is one of five educators who started the monthly #passthescopeedu PLN on Periscope…
Rachelle Dene Poth is an edtech consultant, presenter, attorney, author, and teacher. She teaches Spanish and STEAM Emerging Technology. She has a Juris Doctor degree & a Master’s in Instructional Technology. She is also past-president of the ISTE TEN…
Mark Otter is the CEO of Participate. He is a former educator passionate about community-based learning and digital badging. Mark gained experience and expertise as a global educator teaching secondary math and science in public schools in Nova…
Dr. Desiree Alexander is an award-winning, multi-degreed educator who has been in the educational field since 2002. She is the Founder CEO of Educator Alexander Consulting, LLC and the Regional Director of North Louisiana for the Associated…
For more about Dr. Ilene Winokur, resources about belonging, and links to her blog post and podcast episodes: https://journeys2belonging.webstarts.com
Gitanjali Rao: https://time.com/5916772/kid-of-the-year-2020
Buncee: https://www.buncee.com…
In this episode, Barbara and I reflect on the past year and discuss how we stay hopeful during difficult and unsettling times.Â
You can find out more about Barbara Bray here: https://barbarabray.net/about-2
Rethinking Learning toolkit:…
Justin Garcia (pronouns are they/them) currently teaches First Grade in Chiang Mai, Thailand. They have been teaching for nearly a decade, and have experience across four unique countries and educational settings. They are passionate about ELL best…
I have been teaching and mentoring Primary learners in several IB schools of Gurgaon, India for 14 years. I have worked in manifold capacities and roles as an IBPYP Practitioner. Currently, I facilitate English Support Lessons and assists ES students…
Kristina A. Holzweiss is a high school educational technology enrichment specialist on Long Island, New York. She shares ideas and resources about her school library and makerspaces on her website bunheadwithducttape.com. Kristina was named the School…
Melody McAllister is a wife, mother of five, educator, and author. She and her family relocated to Alaska from the Dallas area in 2019.  McAllister is 2017 Garland NAACP Educator of the Year and author of the I’m Sorry Story, a children’s book about…
Erika Sandstrom is a Digital Media Teacher for grades 6th-8th who is in her 30th year as an educator. Â She currently serves on the 21st Century District Team. as a Digital Learning Coach for 6-8 Â as well as a Mindfulness District Coordinator. Â Erika…
Matabishi Narukako John (Mata), is a refugee in Kakuma camp, originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo. Before fleeing his home in 2012, he earned a diploma in Business Administration. He was settled in Kakuma camp, Kenya the same year. Since…
Kitala Mupenge Fabrice was born in 1991 in a village called Kakulu, Democratic Republic of Congo, a war-torn area. He studied business administration in primary and secondary school., but fled his country due to insecurity and the fear of being…
Ebengo Honoré Alfani is the founder of African Initiative for Human Development( AIHD2) He earned a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations at the University of Lubumbashi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and a Certificate in Business and…
In this episode, I tell the story of how I met and became involved in supporting three special refugee educators in Kakuma settlement, Kenya, and preview the next three episodes. I’m excited for you to meet these amazing leaders, Mata, Honore, and…
Carrie Baughcum is a mother, wife, mismatch sock wearer, a self-described inspiration junkie, and most of all a believer that all children can learn, we just need to find out how. She is also a Special Education teacher with 22 years of experience….
Victoria Thompson is a STEM Integration Transformation Coach at TAF@Saghalie, a middle school located in Federal Way, WA. In her five years as an anti-racist educator, she began her journey teaching fifth and sixth grade math and science at Cane Bay…
Janique Caseley grew up in a small town called Truro and left at age 18 for university. She completed an undergraduate degree in sciences, intending to become first a marine biologist, then a school psychologist. I started my BEd to continue the…
Evan Whitehead has been an educator for more than 20 years spanning three decades. Â Over the course of his career, he has held the following positions: special education paraprofessional, special education high school teacher, Latino parent outreach…
Anna Marie Savino has always loved writing and sharing her passion for making meaningful connections between words and ideas. The two interests fused together in Sparrow’s Well, her first published book. In Sparrow’s Song, she shares single thoughts…
Justin Nolan is a teacher in Care and Treatment schools (mental health needs) including hospital, jail, homeless, teen parenting, addiction, crisis, mental illness. I am a father to two girls, the oldest adopted from a teen mom who struggled. In every…
Tim Needles is an artist, educator and author of STEAM Power: Infusing Art Into Your STEM Curriculum. He teaches art/media at Smithtown School District, is a TEDx Talk speaker, and his work has been featured on NPR, in the New York Times, Columbus…
Dr. Denise Furlong has been a teacher in New Jersey for over 20 years, spanning grades kindergarten to the university level. She is currently a EL/SIFE Coach for Freehold Borough Schools and an EduMentor for Rutgers University. She earned her Ed.D…
Rola Tibshirani is a middle school French immersion teacher with the Ottawa Catholic School Board. Passionate about students taking ownership of their learning by creating and innovating through tools and applying Integrative Thinking and Design…
In this episode, Ilene discusses why belonging is so important for students and offers some suggestions based on her experience and recent research for creating a sense of belonging in your classroom.
Research cited in this episode:…
Hedreich Nichols is an educator, equity advocate and retired musician helping to change the world one teacher, one student at a time. Writer and host of Small Bites, the YouTube series on #equity. Hedreich says, “How do you eat an elephant? One small…
Dene Gainey is a 15-year educator and lifelong learner from Orlando, FL with a bachelor of Science in Elementary Education K-6 and a Masters of Education in Instructional Technology. He is currently pursuing a doctorate degree in organizational…
How to be a “good ancestor” is something I had never really thought about. I knew I wanted to be sure to be remembered as someone who worked hard to create a community that prioritized compassion, understanding, empathy, and love. I also wanted to be…
My guest today is Tamara Letter. She is a passionate educator with 23 years of experience as an elementary teacher, differentiation specialist, technology integrator, and instructional coach. She holds a master’s degree in Educational Leadership and…
“Our classes must always be a place of refuge. No matter what is happening in that child’s life, they need to feel safe with us.”-Carol Salva
Carol Salva is an educational consultant with a background in ESL, literacy, Dual Language and Special…
Scott Nunes is a dynamic tech-infused instructor turned Edtech Coach, with a focus on PBL, Student Choice, and amplifying student and teacher voices. Scott earned Central California CUE’s Emerging Teacher of the Year Award in 2020. Scott has two…
Nejoud Al-Yagout (aka Nej) is a writer based in Kuwait. She is my first podcast guest from Kuwait and shares her story about her journey to find inner peace and spirituality on her way to feeling a sense of belonging. Â During our conversation, Nej…
Jennifer Casa-Todd is wife, mom, and a Teacher-Librarian, Â a former Literacy Consultant for the York Catholic District School Board, and the author of the book, Social LEADia published by DBC Inc Books. Jennifer is also a graduate of the MEd program…
Today’s guest is Dana Shuhaiber. Dana was born and raised in Kuwait and received her high school and bachelor degrees from academic institutions in Kuwait. She is married with two children and her passion while growing up was always to be a teacher….
Sarah Thomas, PhD is a Regional Technology Coordinator in a large district in Maryland, and the founder of EduMatch, a project that empowers educators to make global connections across common areas of interest. Â She has spoken and presented…
Barbara Bray is a creative learning strategist who has been on a journey to transform teaching and learning. Her story goes down multiple paths that helped her find what she is passionate about and been fighting for. Through her work as a teacher,…
Today’s guest is Malinda Hurt, a 7th grade English teacher in a small rural school district in northern Illinois. This is her sixth year teaching in the classroom. She has held many positions in education from staff to faculty. Malinda enjoys…
Buncee is one of my favorite apps, so when Francesca Arturi, accepted my invitation to be on my podcast, I was thrilled.
Francesca Arturi is a School Relationship Manager at Buncee. Throughout her time at Buncee, she has not only supported schools and…
My guest today is Elizabeth Merce and we are discussing belonging and “littles” as she likes to call children age 3-8 years old. Her advice is practical and easy to implement. Elizabeth has been involved in early childhood education for over 10 years….
Noa Daniel MEd, is a teacher, consultant, coach and Chief Building Officer at BOB. Noa is also a podcaster and a blogger. She hosts The Personal Playlist Podcast (#P3) and the weekly live OnEdMentors show on VoicEd Radio She blogs about her work in…
Join Melisa Hayes @hayes_melisa (Twitter) as she chats with me about her experience with inclusion and belonging in her classroom in Hilliard, Ohio. Â Melisa is an amazing educator who loves to share what she knows with other educators, so there are…
Join me, Dr. Ilene Winokur as I share my personal experiences of belonging. When we travel, we need to be open to experiencing life like the locals. Eating their food, learning about their history and culture, and appreciating similarities as well as…