Summary Erin Bailey talks with Denine Torr of the Dollar General Literacy Foundation and Alicia Levi of Reading Is Fundamental about why literacy access is a community responsibility. They discuss the long partnership between Dollar General and RIF, the specific barriers facing rural communities, the importance of books in homes and schools, and the role of motivation, confidence, and practice in developing skilled readers. The conversation closes with practical ways listeners can support literacy through their time, talent, and treasure. Denine and Alicia share personal stories about the power of books, family reading, community programs, and the possibilities that open when children and adults have meaningful access to literacy. Chapters 0:00 — Welcome and introductions 1:01 — How reading shaped Alicia and Denine 5:37 — Why Dollar General made literacy a lasting commitment 7:39 — RIF and Dollar General’s long-term partnership 9:52 — Literacy access in rural communities 14:38 — Books, confidence, motivation, and practice 18:13 — Building literacy through community partnerships 24:22 — Remembering Dolly Parton’s literacy legacy 30:13 — Stories that show the power of books and family reading 36:20 — What listeners can do to support literacy 39:33 — What reading inspires Show Notes **Denine Torr** — Vice President of Corporate Social Responsibility and Philanthropy at Dollar General and Executive Director of the Dollar General Literacy Foundation. She leads philanthropic and social-responsibility efforts supporting communities nationwide and serves on several literacy and education boards. **Alicia Levi** — President and CEO of Reading Is Fundamental, the nation’s leading children’s literacy organization. She has expanded RIF’s reach through literacy programs, digital resources, partnerships, and professional learning. Reading Is Fundamental: https://www.rif.org/ Dollar General Literacy Foundation: https://www.dgliteracy.org/ This episode was produced for Reading Inspires.

Summary Gene Tavernetti examines the familiar explanation that school improvement is difficult because “it’s just the culture.” Drawing on work with schools across the United States and Canada, he argues that culture is not fixed atmosphere—it is the residue of daily decisions, habits, and follow-through. The practical path to change is to change what people do. Gene lays out a focused approach: choose one or two specific instructional practices, support them through consistent coaching, use common look-fors in leadership walkthroughs, and protect the commitments through follow-through. The goal is a shift from isolated classrooms to a shared identity around how “we teach here.” Chapters 0:00 — Welcome to Better Teaching 0:37 — Why “it’s just the culture” becomes an excuse 2:13 — Culture is built from daily decisions 3:08 — Change behavior before trying to change beliefs 4:12 — Make coaching and walkthroughs consistent 5:26 — From “I teach here” to “we teach here” 6:42 — Protect the culture you want through follow-through Show Notes Guest/host: Gene Tavernetti Gene’s professional site: tesscg.com Gene’s books include Teach Fast: Focus, Adaptable, Structured Teaching and Maximizing the Impact of Coaching Cycles. Better Teaching is part of the BE Podcast Network: bepodcastnetwork.com Production card: Basecamp

In this episode, Matthew sits down with Merissa Sadler-Holder, founder of Teaching with Machines and the person he credits as a catalyst in his career. They dig into what it really takes to bring AI into schools—from building student-facing AI literacy curricula to navigating the resistance, fear, and identity shifts educators face. Along the way, they explore AI as a mirror of what we value, why we're shifting from paying for time to paying for expertise, and how teachers with zero coding experience are building interactive games in minutes. It's a conversation about curiosity, change management, and why your expertise matters more now—not less. In this conversation: The critical distinction between AI literacy and AI fluency—and why students are skipping the foundation How Merissa co-designed an AI curriculum with students at an alternative ed school (and what happened when lessons completely flopped) A historical analogy that reframes the entire AI-and-creativity debate Why a consulting client pushed back on paying full price when AI made the work faster—and what that means for the future of your expertise Teachers vibe coding interactive games on day one with zero prior training A 45-minute parking lot conversation that reveals what AI resistance is really about Video Chapters: 0:00 — Introduction & Meeting Merissa 2:49 — Teaching with Machines Today 3:55 — AI Literacy vs. AI Fluency 6:17 — Social Media Lessons & Critical Thinking 9:41 — Building an AI Curriculum with Students 20:38 — AI, Art, and Creativity 27:06 — Paying for Expertise, Not Just Time 29:09 — Vibe Coding & Empowering Teachers 32:23 — Light Bulb Moments 39:11 — Navigating Change & Resisting Optimization 50:48 — Closing Thoughts & What's Next Connect with us:  Merissa Sadler-Holder (LinkedIn) Matthew Karabinos (LinkedIn) Teaching with Machines

Host Eric Makelky talks with Christine Braun, Chief Creative Officer at Cresconova, about the framework behind Cresconova Labs, the organization's new in-person innovation space. Christine shares her path from furniture designer to Harvard Makerspace director to leading Cresconova Labs, then unpacks the core teaching philosophy: starting with beautiful, open-ended questions, moving through systems thinking, and into design thinking. The conversation turns to AI in education, where Christine introduces a practical human-AI interaction process—question, frame, unpack, own—that helps students engage with AI critically rather than accepting outputs at face value. She offers guidance for both AI-fearful and AI-permissive parents, emphasizing that understanding how AI works (and its built-in biases) empowers families to use it thoughtfully. The episode closes with book recommendations and a preview of the next conversation on experiential learning and flexible thinking.

Are you paralyzed by stage fright when speaking, performing or competing? Meet Dr. David Lee Fish! David is a Performance Anxiety Expert who himself had his own challenges with stage fright since elementary school days. He works with professionals who are excellent at their jobs but fall short of their potential when they speak in front of others, whether in formal presentations, team meetings, online sessions, or job interviews.  His approach to performance anxiety has an unusual origin and has helped professionals reclaim the confidence that anxiety was suppressing.  David launched the revolutionary 5-Day Solution used by speakers, performers, and professionals in helping them manage performance anxiety and find confidence on stage. Listen as David shares a different, more effective approach in overcoming speaking and performance anxiety.  Key Takeaways: - the biggest misconception about stage fright - the role of the amygdala and threat detection  - why so many capable professionals doubt themselves  - why confidence does not solve the anxiety problem  - the counterintuitive solution vs universal advice  - how mindfulness kicks in when in high-stakes situations  - a different approach from general public speaking coaching  - why anyone can overcome stage fright and performance anxiety  - why you lose confidence despite being an expert  ...and so much more! Connect with David: Website: https://riseupeight.com Listen to the Podcast, subscribe, leave a rating and a review: Apple:  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-to-overcome-public-speaking-anxiety-w-dr-david-lee-fish/id1614151066?i=1000792031163 Spotify:  https://open.spotify.com/episode/6SMlrJTGr866RxqnNzvQsD?si=38mMkLd7SfeZqu-sgBNL_A https://open.spotify.com/episode/6SMlrJTGr866RxqnNzvQsD YouTube: https://youtu.be/J8D3pGqS5gg