In this episode, host Erin Bailey talks with New York Times bestselling author and illustrator Nick Bruel, creator of the Bad Kitty series. Nick shares his path from bookseller at Books of Wonder to published author, his creative process using pen, pencil, and watercolor, and how early reading experiences—from Go, Dog, Go to the obscure Fat Cat—shaped his career. The conversation explores his intentional approach to reaching reluctant readers through illustrated chapter books with built-in nonfiction sections, the importance of libraries as spaces of choice, and visual literacy in graphic storytelling. Nick's advice for parents: read what your kids are reading. His inspiration? Reading fuels writing—analyzing what works (and what doesn't) in every book makes you a better creator.About Nick:Nicholas Tung Ming Bruel is an American author and illustrator of children’s books, most notably the Bad Kitty series. The first book in the series, Bad Kitty, is an alphabet-themed picture book, and expanded series includes both picture books and chapter books, as well as a guide to drawing comics. His books have been New York Times bestsellers.Books:Bad Kitty Goes to the Beach: Bad Kitty Goes to the BeachWater resistant markers: Ohuhu Alcohol Markers Brush Tip -Double Tipped Art Marker Set for Artist Adults Coloring Illustration -48 Colors -Brush & Fine -Honolulu B -Refillable : TargetComic Book webinar: Webinar: Kapow! Building Writers Through Comics | RIF.orgHunger Games by Suzanne Collins: Amazon.com: The Hunger Games (Book 1): 9780439023528: Collins, Suzanne: BooksGregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins: Gregor the Overlander Collection: Books 1-5 (The Underland Chronicles) - Kindle edition by Collins, Suzanne. Children Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.

In this bonus episode, Bryan chats with Anya Evmenova, the UDL‑Con 2025 David Rose Research Award winner, about her work advancing Universal Design for Learning through research and practice. Anya shares how her research connects to real learning experiences, why accessibility and evidence matter in everyday design decisions, and what it means to be recognized with the David Rose Research Award. Along the way, they reflect on lessons from the field and where UDL‑aligned research and innovation are headed next. TranscriptResources:UDL Awards WEGO technology-based writing intervention package Kellar Institute for Human disAbilities UDL Reporting Criteria Assistive Technology Outcomes & Benefits 

Does leadership ever feel heavy or off even when everything looks fine on the surface? In this episode of The Principal’s Handbook, we talk about the quiet, confusing season when you’re doing well as a principal on paper but internally something doesn’t feel right. Not burnout. Not failure. Just a lingering sense that leadership feels heavier than it should.You’ll learn why this feeling isn’t a skill gap or a motivation problem and why consuming more strategies often doesn’t help. I break down four common gaps that create this disconnect the belief gap, boundary gap, alignment gap, and season gap and help you identify which one might be underneath your experience.If you’ve ever thought, I should feel more fulfilled than this, this episode will help you slow down, look beneath the surface, and gain clarity about what’s really going on so you can lead with more confidence, alignment, and self trust.Get the free guide for principals, When Leadership Feels Off.Schedule a free coaching consultation here.

In this episode, Priten speaks with Brian Tash, an elementary school teacher with nearly 30 years of experience who has witnessed the complete arc of education technology—from Scantrons to Google Classroom to AI. Brian shares how he balances technology integration with preserving fundamental skills like reading stamina and handwriting. The conversation covers his transparent approach to using AI for faster student feedback, why he's concerned about declining empathy and attention spans post-COVID, how he teaches prompt engineering to third and fourth graders, and his hope that educators will become more mindful about why they're using technology rather than just adopting everything new. He argues that personal connection, problem-solving, and collaboration are what students need most—and those can't come from a screen.Key Takeaways:Follow the 80-20 rule with AI. AI gets you 80% of the way—the other 20% is you adding your own elements. This applies to teachers giving feedback and students creating work.Transparency builds trust. When students understand why you're using AI for feedback, they embrace it. Brian's study found 90% of students were in favor once they understood the reasoning.Technology can't replace human connection. Students need to learn how to talk to each other, problem-solve collaboratively, and develop empathy—skills that don't come from screens.Stamina is the real crisis. Post-COVID students struggle to push through hard things. The growth mindset isn't there. Writing a paragraph makes their hands hurt.Teach prompting, not just usage. Focus on prompt engineering—how to get what you want from AI. Experiment with students: change the words, add details, see what happens.Standards-based grading may help. With clear standards, teachers can focus instruction, use AI to target specific skills, and have more time for the human elements once mastery is achieved.

About Our GuestsDr. Brandon Ferderer is Head of Programming at Shared Studios and honors faculty at Arizona State University. A writer, performer, storyteller, and expert facilitator, Brandon holds a doctorate in intercultural communications from Arizona State University. His work spans private, education, and nonprofit sectors, harnessing communication technology to bridge cultural divides through dynamic educational and arts programs. His academic and creative works have been featured in Critical Studies in Media Communication and The Seventh Wave, and he has performed at the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, Phoenix Art Museum, the Moth Main Stage, and the Dixon Theater in New York City.Ross Phillips is a social studies teacher at Winnacunnet High School in Hampton, New Hampshire. Holding a master's degree in education from the University of New Hampshire, Ross is passionate about bringing the world into his classroom through live virtual connections. An avid world traveler who has explored Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Egypt, Italy, Iceland, and beyond, Ross uses real-world application to ignite students' curiosity for non-Western history, law, and geography.What Is Shared Studios?Shared Studios is best known for its immersive portals — repurposed shipping containers equipped with audiovisual technology that place users in a full-body, face-to-face conversation with someone in a similar container in one of 20–25 countries around the world. But at its core, Shared Studios is a network of people: trained facilitators and community members around the globe — from community activists to UN officials — brought together to create meaningful educational connections. Programming can be delivered through the immersive portal environment or via video conferencing.Key Topics DiscussedWhy immersive portals go beyond video conferencing Brandon explains that 65–75% of a message's meaning is communicated nonverbally. While video conferencing restored face-to-face visibility, it also introduced "Zoom fatigue" — the tendency to monitor how we appear to be connecting rather than actually connecting. The portal creates full-body presence and a sense of accountability to your conversational partner, which is essential for building genuine empathy.The origin story of Shared Studios Founder Amar Bakshi originally built the portal concept to help his grandmother feel connected to her native Pakistan — imagining her sharing a chai in a café. The first portals debuted at a New York art gallery and in Tehran, Iran, where the profound emotional responses (women dancing freely behind closed doors, a young man coming out) revealed the technology's transformative potential.How Ross uses the portal at Winnacunnet High School Ross has built years of relationships with curators in Mexico City, Kigali, and other sites. Students recognize facilitators by name, ask about their lives, and engage in deeply personal conversations — including discussions about the Rwandan genocide with survivors and their families, a topic directly tied to New Hampshire's state curriculum standards.The role of the facilitator On-site facilitators like Ross help students acclimate to the unique, distraction-free environment of the portal. The shared studios curators on the other end are trained to handle sensitive or culturally awkward moments as teachable opportunities rather than offenses — creating a space where students can "trip up" and grow.Reaching reluctant learners Rather than leading with heavy topics, Brandon and Ross recommend starting with common ground — video games, food, music, daily life. A memorable example: skeptical Arizona State students connected with young men in Herat, Afghanistan over football and video games, and ended up in a 45-minute conversation about U.S.-Afghan relations.Preparing students for cross-cultural conversations Shared Studios uses "shared understandings" drawn from the Mejlis style of dialogue — an approach rooted in Arab cultures emphasizing equity in speaking time, active listening, and respectful engagement. Brandon also discusses the importance of teaching students the difference between cultural relativism and universalism before entering conversations.Why distance learning matters Both guests emphasize that the problems facing the next generation — climate change, refugee crises, global poverty, genocide — are deeply interconnected and cannot be solved by any one nation or culture. Distance learning, especially in immersive forms, is how we build the global citizens equipped to meet those challenges together.Quotable Moments"Video conferencing has been really great for connecting us. It has not been so good at creating connection between us." — Dr. Brandon Ferderer"I've never walked away from a connection being like, 'Well, that didn't go well.' There's always a nugget." — Ross Phillips"We have to find ways to put young people into conversation with people who are different than them... distance learning is the way that we do that." — Dr. Brandon FerdererResources & LinksShared StudiosWinnacunnet High SchoolFind all episode links and visuals at cilc.org/podcastHost links:Discover more virtual learning opportunities at CILC.org with hosts Tami Moehring and Allyson Mitchell.Seth Fleischauer’s Banyan Global Learning combines live virtual field trips with international student collaborations for a unique K12 global learning experience. See https://banyangloballearning.com/global-learning-live/Enjoyed this episode? Tell a friend, follow the podcast, and leave us a review! Editing by Lucas Salazar.