No Name Paper: A Teacher Podcast

Meghan Wells

A podcast exploring practical strategies, leadership, technology integration, and real-world insights for educators.

  1. Oct 29

    Season 2, Episode 43: Out of the Trenches with Dr. Dana Goodier

    When you're in the middle of a hard chapter, someone else's "I've been there" can mean more than another list of things to try. Dr. Dana Goodier is an educator, AP, consultant, host of the Out of the Trenches podcast (430+ episodes!), and author of Out of the Trenches: Stories of Resilient Educators. She's taught world languages at the high school level, guided tourists off cruise ships in Norway, worked in elementary and middle school leadership, and spent six years creating a space where educators can share the stories that never make the professional bio. This week we talk about trench stories, what keeps educators going, why "it's all about the kids" might need a rethink, and what's actually different about the kids walking through classroom doors right now. In this episode: How Dana went from Norwegian tour guide to French teacher to AP — and why the doctorate she almost finished in Canada led to a different one 14 years later What the Out of the Trenches podcast is and why she started it The most powerful trench story she's ever interviewed — Malina Valentine, a principal who returned to her school after losing all four limbs to sepsis What connecting with a student who doesn't want to connect actually looks like Why elementary kids wear their feelings on their sleeve and high schoolers just skip class What the current crop of elementary students experienced during Covid — and why the old models aren't working The difference between kids who are undiagnosed vs. diagnosed and what schools are being asked to absorb Why telling teachers they need to be resilient might be hurting recruitment Plus: We play Keep It, Fix It, or Fire It — Dana weighs in on inspirational quotes at the bottom of emails announcing more work, "we've always done it this way," staff meeting icebreakers, calling teachers resilient, surprise classroom observations, "remember your why," the teacher who asks a question with 30 seconds left in the meeting, and teacher-led PD days. Connect with Dr. Dana Goodier: Website: danagoodier.com Socials: @danagoodier or @outoftrenches_pc Podcast: Out of the Trenches — available wherever you listen and on YouTube Book: Out of the Trenches: Stories of Resilient Educators on Amazon Available for speaking, consulting, and virtual presentations Resources Mentioned: Out of the Trenches: Stories of Resilient Educators by Dr. Dana Goodier The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt Better Leaders Better Schools podcast with Danny Bauer AMLE, ACTFL, Learning Forward, TCEA conferences Know an educator with a trench story worth sharing? Send them this episode. Subscribe, leave a review, and keep going.

    Season 2, Episode 43: Out of the Trenches with Dr. Dana Goodier

  2. Oct 23

    Season 2, Episode 42: Becoming the Bison with Kim Gameroz

    Ever read an email from your principal and immediately start drafting your defense in your head — before you even know what it says? Kim Gameroz is the founder of Teaching Inside Out and Celebrate Good Times, author of Becoming the Bison, and the creator of the BISON framework — a classroom culture and teacher wellbeing system that's grown into consulting companies, a foundation, retreats, events, and a coaching community teachers pay out of pocket to be part of because it's that good. She went from professional dancer to first-grade teacher to building an education ecosystem that helps teachers feel genuinely seen, heard, and supported. This week we talk about catching the spiral before it catches you, what to do when your kids have lagging skills nobody prepared you for, and why the bison — not the cow — is exactly the right metaphor for heading into the storm. In this episode: How Kim went from psych degree to professional dancer to first-grade teacher — and ended up somewhere she never planned What the BISON framework actually is: Be Intentional So Others Notice Teflon responses — what they are, why you need them, and how to use them when your principal gets under your skin The social-emotional chain reaction and why it applies to kindergarteners and teenagers equally Why teachers get stuck in reaction mode instead of front-loading the skills kids are actually missing The dress rehearsal technique for transitions — how a fifth-grade class went from chaos to 7 seconds flat What's different about kids' brains right now — and why it traces back to the fire truck Why "no one is going to change your classroom except for you" is the only Post-it that matters Boundaries, not walls — and why harmony beats balance every time Plus: We play Celebrate or See You Later — Kim weighs in on mandatory staff icebreakers, the teacher group chat, "we are a family at work," jeans passes, eating lunch alone in your classroom, matching teacher shirts, and replying to school email on Sunday. Connect with Kim: Instagram: @kimgameroz Website: kimgameroz.com Teaching Inside Out (school support) and Celebrate Good Times (individual teacher coaching) Free Zoom session on transitions — https://selebrategoodtimes.myflodesk.com/jtxrq1oa6y?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAcGRvZgRzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAwyNTYyODEwNDA1NTgAAacJ5hQnXa-vvlR_bv2Kc7px46MR9c5W5F9JJ8ffc6OklF6k2cjE94-Ls0C2Hw_aem_a-3K_TC3oZgss0TmY9j_Wg Resources Mentioned: Becoming the Bison by Kim Gameroz The BISON Framework The Social-Emotional Chain Reaction The Dress Rehearsal executive functioning strategy VIBE Edu Podcast and VIBE Edu Foundation If this one made you think about what you can actually control, share it with a teacher who needs to hear it. Subscribe, leave a review, and keep going.

    Season 2, Episode 42: Becoming the Bison with Kim Gameroz

  3. Oct 16

    Season 2, Episode 41: Getting Curious About Behavior with Shannon Fisher

    Season 2, Episode 41: Getting Curious About Behavior with Shannon Fisher What if the thing you've been trying to fix in your classroom isn't actually the problem? Shannon Fisher is a dually licensed general and special education teacher with 25 years in early childhood education — preschool through second grade — and a certified trauma and resilience trainer. She's the educator behind The Purposeful Classroom, where she focuses on accessible materials, intentional lessons, relationships, regulation, and building learning environments that give every student a way in. This week we get into what trauma-informed teaching actually looks like (hint: it's not Kumbaya), what's changed about the kids walking through classroom doors right now, and how 25 years of teaching can completely rewire the way you think about behavior. In this episode: Shannon's winding path from Las Vegas to northwest Ohio to preschool special ed — and why the career she planned looked nothing like the one she got Why she pursued her trauma and resilience certification before it was a buzzword — and what two foster kids in her afternoon class had to do with it The pendulum swing from "all behavior is a choice" to sensory regulation — and why she's now landing somewhere in the middle The 90-second neuroscience rule for emotions and how she uses it with her students and her own kids at home What trauma-informed teaching is NOT — and why boundaries are actually loving What's different about the kids coming in this year: kids who don't know how to play, can't identify colors, and have never had to wait their turn Why she sends video newsletters home instead of written ones — and the parent feedback that followed Teaching kids "how to human" as an instructional goal Plus: We play Purposeful or Pointless — Shannon weighs in on Pinterest-perfect classroom decor, behavior clip charts, assigned seats, making kids share, prize boxes, flexible seating, mandatory morning meeting participation, and ClassDojo points. Connect with Shannon: Instagram: @thepurposefulclassroom That's the best place to find her — everything else links from there Resources Mentioned: Star Commonwealth trauma and resilience certification (Michigan) Mel Robbins' Let Them theory and the 90-second emotion rule Rita Pierson's TED Talk: Nobody learns from someone they don't like If this one hit home, share it with a teacher who's been reacting when they could be getting curious. Subscribe, leave a review, and reach out — Shannon and Meghan both mean it.

    Season 2, Episode 41: Getting Curious About Behavior with Shannon Fisher

  4. Oct 9

    Season 2, Episode 40 (Replay): Measuring With Love with Manny Curiel

    Season 2, Episode 40 (Replay): Measuring With Love with Manny Curiel This week we're bringing back one of our favorite conversations — because some episodes deserve a second listen. What if the most important thing you measure in a classroom has nothing to do with data? Manny Curiel is EdPuzzle's global community person, a former classroom teacher, and the human behind the phrase measuring with love — the idea that real teaching impact lives in relationships, trust, and the look in a kid's eyes, not a spreadsheet. He came to education by way of culinary school, learned English by making connections between sounds and words, and built his entire teaching philosophy around one simple belief: when you take care of the heart, the brain does the rest. This episode is full of real talk about what it actually means to connect with students, use technology with purpose, and keep joy at the center of everything. In this episode: How Manny went from culinary school to first-grade classroom — and why a girl's shining eyes changed his life What "measuring with love" actually means and why he had to explain it to his boss using the analogy of buying a house Why whole group instruction needs to stop — and how EdPuzzle gave him analytics that changed the way he pulled small groups The Braveheart moment before state testing that got his third graders ready to go Why emotions must come before academics — and the first-grade breathing video he built into EdPuzzle for students having hard days What the edtech space is getting wrong (hint: it's not about the flashiest new app) Disco balls, fog machines, and classroom dance parties as serious instructional strategy Plus: We play Data or Love — Manny weighs in on chaotic but engaged lessons, high test scores with low student connection, perfect lesson plans with no interaction, teachers who know every student's story, and classrooms that feel safe vs. ones that just look perfect. Connect with Manny: Instagram: @ManniDiscotheque Find him at edtech conferences — he's the one at the booth doing something silly Resources Mentioned: EdPuzzle Flipgrid (RIP — but it shaped everything) Rita Pierson's TED Talk: Nobody learns from someone they don't like Vygotsky's zone of proximal development Matt Miller and Jake Miller on purposeful edtech use If this one hit differently the second time, share it with a teacher who needs to hear that what they're doing matters — even when the data doesn't show it. Subscribe and leave a review.

    Season 2, Episode 40 (Replay): Measuring With Love with Manny Curiel

  5. Oct 2

    Season 2, Episode 39: Imparting Joy in Education with Jill Dubois

    Season 2, Episode 39: Imparting Joy in Education with Jill Dubois What does it look like to reinvent your career without losing the parts of yourself that matter most? Jill Dubois spent 22 years in elementary classrooms before stepping into what she calls her "Act Two" — and she hasn't slowed down since. Now a professional learning specialist with Forward Edge, author, illustrator, artist, and the creator behind Imparted Joy, Jill brings warmth, creativity, and genuine human connection to everything she does. This summer she attended the Google Innovator Academy in Atlanta and came home and immediately started building GEG Tampa to connect educators across the Tampa Bay area and beyond. This week we talk about joy, AI, career reinvention, and what happens when you stop waiting for permission to do the things that light you up. In this episode: How Jill went from volunteering at her son's school to 22 years in the classroom — and why homeschooling him through middle and high school changed the way she taught everyone else What Imparted Joy is, where it came from, and why it still drives everything she does Her "Act Two" — how she landed at Forward Edge, became a Google Certified Trainer, and then applied to the Google Innovator Academy What AI actually looks like in professional learning right now — the good, the messy, and the teachers who accidentally submitted their entire AI prompt instead of their reflection Why AI is your passenger, not your driver How joy shows up in professional development — and why setting boundaries is part of it Colored pencils, crocheting, unfinished projects, and why none of that matters as long as you're doing something for yourself Plus: We play Sparks Joy or Hard Pass — Jill weighs in on laminators, conference swag, QR codes, Bitmoji classrooms, Canva, paper planners, Chrome extensions, educator conference selfies, Google Forms for everything, mandatory icebreakers, Teachers Pay Teachers, badges and micro-credentials, the Google waffle, Sunday night lesson planning, and "remember your why." Connect with Jill: Website: impartedjoy.com LinkedIn: Jill Dubois Find her — she's everywhere, but LinkedIn is home base right now If this episode gave you a little spark, share it with someone who needs a reminder that Act Two is allowed to look completely different. Subscribe and leave a review.

    Season 2, Episode 39: Imparting Joy in Education with Jill Dubois

  6. Sep 25

    Season 2, Episode 38: Saying Yes to the World with Cheryl Graff

    Season 2, Episode 38: Saying Yes to the World with Cheryl Graff What happens when you stop waiting until you feel completely ready and just go for it? Cheryl Graff is back on No Name Paper — and she has had a year. From a remote boarding school in the Peruvian Andes as a Fulbright Teachers for Global Classrooms fellow, to bonding with educators from South Africa and Korea at a Google Innovator Academy in Atlanta, Cheryl has spent the last year saying yes to experiences that most teachers only dream about. And she brought every single lesson back to her students. This week we talk about what it actually looks like to step so far outside your comfort zone that you need altitude medicine, a headlamp, and a crash course in hiking gear — and come home a better teacher for it. In this episode: What the Fulbright Teachers for Global Classrooms program actually is, how it works, and how to apply Life at a competitive Peruvian government boarding school in the Andes — where kids get two 20-minute breaks a day and treated Cheryl like a celebrity What Cheryl's host teacher Ellie taught her about resourcefulness, community, and what great teaching looks like without "fancy schmancy" resources What she brought back to her Chicago classroom — including walk-up songs, dance, and a Peruvian fried rice recipe that disappeared in two minutes at the teacher barbecue The Google Innovator Academy — the community, the moonshot ideas, and the app she built with a colleague right after Why this summer convinced her that before curriculum comes pride, ownership, and helping kids believe in themselves Plus: We play Innovate It, Import It, or Ignore It — Cheryl weighs in on AI writing feedback, one-to-one devices, student cell phones as instructional tools, virtual field trips, and giving teachers dedicated time to create during the school day. What's next for Cheryl: Volunteering in northern Israel over winter break — helping rebuild homes and reconnect with former host teachers A new Life Skills class focused on nutrition, mindful eating, and community health A Culture Club taking Chicago students to explore their own city — the Obama Center, the Chicago Marathon, Hyde Park, and beyond Connect with Cheryl: Instagram: @msgraff (search Graff's Room) LinkedIn: Cheryl Graff Fulbright capstone website linked in her Instagram bio — highly recommend checking it out Resources Mentioned: Fulbright Teachers for Global Classrooms Program (U.S. State Department / IREX) Google Innovator Academy Order Up AI — app built with Google Play Labs Sora (mentioned in passing) The importance of getting out of your own school community — even without leaving your classroom Know a teacher who needs a push to say yes to something big? Send them this episode. Subscribe, leave a review, and keep learning.

    Season 2, Episode 38: Saying Yes to the World with Cheryl Graff

  7. Sep 18

    S2E37: Season 2, Episode 37: Why Schools Still Need Librarians with Kayla McNaughton

    S2E37: Season 2, Episode 37: Why Schools Still Need Librarians with Kayla McNaughton When was the last time you walked into a school library? If you're picturing a quiet room full of books and someone shushing kids, Kayla McNaughton is here to tell you that library doesn't exist anymore — and honestly, good riddance. Kayla is a middle school librarian and the educator behind Simply Library on Instagram. She spent a decade in elementary libraries before making the move to secondary, and she's built a space where students actually want to show up — not because they have to, but because something there connects with them. This week we talk about what a modern school library actually looks like, why the librarian role is so much more than books, and what happens when you give kids the freedom to explore what they're actually interested in. In this episode: How Kayla accidentally stumbled into library science — and why it turned out to be the perfect fit The difference between elementary and secondary library work (and why middle school won her over) How she built genuine student connection through a career interest project — including one student who wanted to be a race car driver Makerspaces, 3D printers, hydro towers, Uno, and collaborative coloring sheets — what's actually in her library How she used Sora reading challenges to dramatically increase student engagement with reading Why she pushes into classrooms instead of waiting for them to come to her Her bi-weekly school newsletter and why she refuses to teach her AP how to make it Plus: We play Check It Out, Return It, or Renew It — Kayla weighs in on reading logs, 20-minutes-a-night requirements, graphic novels and manga, reading level restrictions, and book talks. Connect with Kayla: Instagram: @simply_library DMs are open — real responses, no bots Resources Mentioned: Sora by OverDrive Dog Man, Wimpy Kid (yes, they count) The Bad Case of Stripes If this episode resonated with you, share it with a librarian who needs to hear it — or a teacher who's never really thought about what their school librarian actually does. Subscribe and leave a review.

    S2E37: Season 2, Episode 37: Why Schools Still Need Librarians with Kayla McNaughton

  8. Sep 11

    S: 2, Ep: 36: Recognizing the Leader within with Lauren Kaufman

    Do we actually give teachers the space and authority to lead — or have we just given them something else to be responsible for? This week, Lauren Kaufman joins the No Name Paper podcast to talk about what it really looks like to recognize the leader already inside the building. Lauren is a district leader on Long Island, NY with 21 years of experience across nearly every role in education — classroom teacher, reading specialist, instructional coach, assistant principal, and now district leader. She's also the author of The Leader Inside: Stories of Mentorship to Inspire the Leader Within. We get into literacy, professional learning, mentorship, and what it means to lead with a coaching mindset. In this episode: Why Lauren never leaves her office without a book — and how it gets her into classrooms What it actually looks like to lead teacher professional development with teachers, not at them The shift from balanced literacy to the science of reading — and what really changed in practice The Big Six skills and why they don't stop mattering in secondary classrooms What the pilot process for adopting a new evidence-based literacy resource really involves Why the instructional coaching role was the most eye-opening of Lauren's career What two decades in education taught her about relationships, legacy, and showing up for kids Plus: We play Lead It, Coach It, or Get Out of the Way — Lauren weighs in on veteran teachers trying new approaches, classroom management unraveling, teachers who won't use the district resource, and more. Then it's a rapid-fire round of PD or Please Don't covering mandatory icebreakers, full-day keynotes, book studies, instructional rounds, PLCs, and Google forms. Connect with Lauren Kaufman: 🌐 laurenmkaufman.com LinkedIn & social media: search Lauren Kaufman Books & Resources Mentioned: The Leader Inside: Stories of Mentorship to Inspire the Leader Within — Lauren Kaufman Shifting the Balance The Scarborough Reading Rope Structured Literacy / Science of Reading

    S: 2, Ep: 36: Recognizing the Leader within with Lauren Kaufman
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A podcast exploring practical strategies, leadership, technology integration, and real-world insights for educators.

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