Interviews with educators, changemakers, and advocates to inspire you as the 2024-2025 school year kicks off!

Back to School 2024-2025

Imagine a classroom in which students greet their teacher at the door, enter the room, grab a mat, and take a seat in a circle on the floor, then engage in a warm-up that involves clapping or jumping or stretching – every day, in every class period. Aleta speaks with Chiara Monitcelli, an Italian language teacher, about her approach to teaching -- sans desks and chairs. 

Read the latest issue:

Resources

How Vigorous is My Heart:https://inspiredteaching.org/how-vigorous-is-my-heart/?mc_cid=c209cb4e96&mc_eid=UNIQID

Hands and Feet Stories: https://inspiredteaching.org/hands-and-feet-stories/?mc_cid=c209cb4e96&mc_eid=UNIQID

Make Way for the Monarchs: https://inspiredteaching.org/make-way-for-the-monarchs/?mc_cid=c209cb4e96&mc_eid=UNIQID

May 16, 2022: The Desk is a Barrier

As we look toward summertime, with the opportunities it offers to reflect on our practice, how might we see our students differently - as dancers, mathematicians, historians - and most importantly, as essential parts of our learning community? 

This Week's Issue:https://inspiredteaching.org/essential-community-members

Resources

Dance Clips: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTsy16DQvik&mc_cid=86429b65ab&mc_eid=UNIQID

Speak Truth Fellowship:https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScw1zx_xYsn3mdvel01E_ktCLkvRP0HPxH4lUX9WIrYsWeCqw/viewform?usp=sf_link&mc_cid=86429b65ab&mc_eid=UNIQID

Inspired Teaching Institutes: https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/inspired-teaching-institutes-94779

Butterfly Garden: https://inspiredteaching.org/make-way-for-the-monarchs/?mc_cid=86429b65ab&mc_eid=UNIQID

June 13, 2022: Essential Community Members

This week, guest host Jenna Fournel speaks with Lacey Hunter. Lacey is a PreK3 teacher at Inspired Teaching Demonstration School in Washington, DC. She shares with Jenna her approach to classroom interactions, which means using open-ended questions and helping students learn how to think, not what to think. 

Read this issue here: https://inspiredteaching.org/colorful-language-hooray-for-monday/

Resources:
Why I Don't Ask My Students Their Favorite Color: https://inspiredteaching.org/why-dont-i-ask-whats-your-favorite-color/?mc_cid=dbd5e36e7c&mc_eid=UNIQID

Rotten Pumpkin video: https://vimeo.com/760835567

October 17, 2022: Colorful Language with Lacey Hunter

In this week's episode, Jenna Fournel (Director of Teaching and Learning) speaks with Kulsum Omer. Kulsum is a long-time teacher who shares her insights into the power of observation in the classroom. 

Resources: https://inspiredteaching.org/observing-instrinsic-joy/
Written version: https://inspiredteaching.org/observing-instrinsic-joy/

21 Ways to End School Days: https://inspiredteaching.org/inspired-teaching-institute/21-ways-end-school-days/ 

November ONLINE Inspired Teaching Institute: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/meeting-the-social-and-emotional-need-for-mutual-respect-online-tickets-394056663087?aff=odeimcmailchimp&mc_eid=UNIQID&mc_cid=e31f75b407
November IN PERSON Inspired Teaching Institute: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/meeting-the-social-and-emotional-need-for-mutual-respect-in-person-tickets-394057846627?aff=odeimcmailchimp&mc_eid=UNIQID&mc_cid=e31f75b407

October 24, 2022: Observing Intrinsic Joy

This week, Jenna speaks with Hakim Johnson. Hakim is principal at Inspired Teaching Demonstration Charter School in Washington, DC and shares with us his insights into the power and importance of feedback.

Written version: https://inspiredteaching.org/grades-dont-provide-much-feedback/

Resources:

5 Closing Activities for Student Feedback: https://inspiredteaching.org/5-closing-activities-to-give-you-feedback-on-your-lesson/

Finding the Zone of Proximal Development: https://inspiredteaching.org/finding-the-zone-of-proximal-development/

Say "Yet" More: https://www.instigatorofthought.org/sayyet

October 31, 2022: Grades Don't Provide Much Feedback

On Thursday, January 26th, Center for Inspired Teaching will host a special, online, Speak Truth event. Speak Truth is a student-led series of respectful conversations, themed around both current events and larger social issues. Student-facilitators work with teachers to prepare, and then each Speak Truth session is run for and by students. Adults are welcome to attend - to observe, listen, and learn.

Thursday evening’s event is titled “Talking Across Dividing Lines,” It will be an opportunity to understand how and why to engage with people whose experiences, perspectives, and opinions differ from our own. It will feature a wonderful guest speaker, Helanius J. Wilkins. Helanius is a performance artist, choreographer, and changemaker whose own work is dedicated to bridging the differences that separate us.

Inspired Teaching’s Director of Teaching and Learning, Jenna Fournel, interviewed Helanius for more insight into his story, his art, and his passion for curiosity. We hope you find his thoughts as joyful to listen to as we did!

Speak Truth: Talking Across Dividing Lines registration: https://forms.gle/aPAHP1cC2B5L8yjy7

More information on Helanius J. Wilkins and his work: https://www.helaniusj.com/

January 26, 2023: Curiosity is Everything

Don't shy away from discussing the day's big--and maybe controversial--moments with your students.

Subscribe to the Hooray For Monday newsletter for weekly resources and information on upcoming Inspired Teaching events and programming: https://inspiredteaching.org/subscribe-hooray-for-monday/

September 8, 2025: We Need to Have Tough Conversations

There are no easy answers to the question of if, when, and how to use AI platforms in the classroom. But Inspired Teachers don’t expect easy answers; instead we engage our curiosity and ask good questions.

Subscribe to the Hooray For Monday newsletter for weekly resources and information about upcoming Inspired Teaching programs and events: https://inspiredteaching.org/subscribe-hooray-for-monday/

Join the Inspired Teaching Curiosity Challenge: https://inspiredteaching.org/curiosity-challenge-2025/

September 15, 2025: AI: Curiosity Killer or Fuel for Learning?

It's our responsibility—to our students and ourselves—to be the drivers, not the passengers, of educational innovation.

September 22, 2025: To AI or Not to AI? These are the Questions

Every teacher CAN have the agency to take the reins of what’s happening in their schools.

Subscribe to the Hooray For Monday newsletter to receive weekly resources and updates on Inspired Teaching programming and events: https://inspiredteaching.org/subscribe-hooray-for-monday/

September 29, 2025: Everyday Advocacy

Listen to this week's podcast episode to learn how to use the Everyday Advocacy framework in the face of book bans and censorship.

Subscribe to the Hooray For Monday newsletter for weekly resources and updates on Inspired Teaching programming and events: https://inspiredteaching.org/subscribe-hooray-for-monday/

October 6, 2025: It's Banned Books Week

Over more than 260 issues of Hooray For Monday, Inspired Teaching has featured the voices of leading activists, educators, and changemakers. Revisit those conversations in the Action & Advocacy playlist today: https://soundcloud.com/inspiredteaching/sets/action-advocacy/s-fAXv2NEd0Gu?si=7182f89e945849b2ba7941b06af5cba2&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing 

October 13, 2025: Inspiration to Action

Revisit Inspired Teaching's October 2024 conversation with Rebecca Winthrop, author of The Disengaged Teen, to understand how young people engage--and how to support them in doing so authentically. 

October 20, 2025: (From the Archives) What Does Engagement Look Like?

Jenna and Aleta discuss cultural traditions around, personal experiences with, and classroom approaches to navigating death and loss. 

Subscribe to the Hooray For Monday newsletter to receive weekly resources and updates on Inspired Teaching programming and events: https://inspiredteaching.org/subscribe-hooray-for-monday/

October 27, 2025: Dia de Los Muertos: A Beautiful Way to Talk with Kids About Death

Cosby Hunt, Inspired Teaching's Director of Instructional Design and a long-time history teacher in Washington, DC, speaks with Jenna Fournel about teaching history in this city, at this moment in time. He shares his advice for centering student voice and experience.

Sign up for the Hooray For Monday newsletter to receive weekly resources and updates on Inspired Teaching programming and events: https://inspiredteaching.org/subscribe-hooray-for-monday/

Mentioned in this episode: 

Mikva Challenge: https://mikvachallenge.org/
Speak Truth: https://inspiredteaching.org/youth/speak-truth/
Looping: https://inspiredteaching.org/looping/

November 3, 2025: Teaching in this Moment

Hooray for Monday is an award-winning collection of resources from Center for Inspired Teaching, shared at the start of every week. These resources feature questions, ideas, reflections, and actions we can all take to remodel the school experience for students. Hooray for Monday challenges teachers to hone their skills as Instigators of Thought©, includes instructional ideas from our #Inspired2Learn collection, and provides links to other useful tools and opportunities.

About Us
Creating radical change in the school experience — away from compliance and toward authentic engagement. Center for Inspired Teaching envisions a future in which every person is prepared to thrive in and contribute to our complex and rapidly changing world, through an education that teaches students how to think, not what to think.

January 26, 2023: Curiosity is Everything

InspiredTeaching

Related tracks