Angela Watson's Truth for Teachers Angela Watson

Here’s an innovative way to get student buy-in for your cell phone policy, reduce distractions, and maximize class time.
Today you’re going to hear from Ashly Hilst, a secondary teacher at North Clackamas Christian School in Oregon City, Oregon. Ashly has taught high school English for 7 years in both public and private schools. 
For the 2024 Summit for the 40 Hour Teacher Workweek, Ashly unveiled her innovative approach to managing cell phone use in the classroom, and it was so impactful I wanted to make sure more teachers had a chance to hear about it.
Her method focuses on conveying the message that "phones don't make good moments, people do," drawing from personal experiences to connect with students. 
In this episode, you’ll learn from Ashly how to establish clear expectations and consequences for phone use while allowing flexibility and gentle reminders. 
Discover for yourself how Ashly's approach reduces stress levels and enhances the teaching experience by promoting responsible phone habits in the classroom.
Get the transcript + free copy of Ashly’s slideshow here:  https://truthforteachers.com/truth-for-teachers-podcast/how-to-get-true-student-buy-in-for-your-no-cellphone-policy/

It seems like every tech tool we use has now integrated generative artificial intelligence. Open a Google Doc, you’re prompted to use Gemini to help you write. Read a post on Facebook, Meta prompts you to “ask anything” via their AI. It’s powering our phones and our email, and the customer support chatbots on nearly every website when shopping online and even with utility companies.
AI is everywhere, and it’s designed to help save everyone time. So, why not let it help you in your role as a teacher, too?
I talked at length in episode 304 about the pros, cons, and drawbacks of AI, so if you’re worried about AI, please make sure you listen to that episode for the context. 
In this episode, though, I want to show you possibilities. That’s my job. Your job is to decide what’s right for you and your classroom.
So let’s talk about possibilities. 
Listen in for 5 easy ways I see currently for AI as a tool to automate teachers’ workloads:
Differentiation Assessment Writing Tedious tasks Creative expression And if you’d like to stay up-to-date on all the latest with artificial intelligence, check out the new 40 Hour AI membership.
Get the shareable article/transcript for this episode here.

Get an early bird discount by July 1st when you join the 40 Hour Teacher Workweek Full Year program! The full transcript of this announcement is below.
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Hey there, it’s Angela, I just wanted to release a quick announcement letting you know that our 40 Hour Workweek programs are now open for early bird access for the 2024-2025 school year!
 
I’m going to share the updates first for those who are already familiar with 40 Hour or have enrolled in the past. If you’re brand new and have no idea what 40 Hour is, keep listening to the end, and I’ll fill you in.
 
We’re releasing a brand new membership called 40 Hour AI, which is designed to help you integrate artificial intelligence tools into your workflows to make teaching more effective and efficient. 
 
It’s for folks who are worried about the ethics of generative AI and don’t want to just dive in and hope everything works out. 
 
And it’s for folks who have tried GPT, but felt like they had to rework the output so much they might as well have written from scratch. (I get that–if you don’t know how to use AI well, it can actually take more time than writing something yourself.)
 
It’s also designed for teachers who like using AI but feel overwhelmed with all the possibilities. I get emails from all the Ai tools designed for educators and it feels like they release 10 new features every single week. If you’re working full-time in the classroom, there’s no possible way to keep up with all of that on top of everything else. 
 
The curation piece is where I come in. It’s my job to shorten that steep learning curve, so AI can become like your own personal teaching assistant right away.


40 Hour AI is a brand new (and ever-growing) collection of video trainings to help you feel confident about using artificial intelligence to streamline your workload in an ethical, responsible way:
 
✅ Watch the on-demand trainings that show you only what you NEED to know to trim hours off your workweek. The foundational videos have no fluff or filler, and will help you quickly learn the basics of AI, an overview of the free AI tools available to teachers, and the ethical considerations.
✅ Learn to incorporate AI into your existing work habits so it's your go-to tool instead of an afterthought (without having to completely change systems that already work well for you).
✅ Utilize the ever-growing collection of 5 minute timesaver how-to’s anytime you feel stuck on how to complete a teaching task with AI. You'll know exactly which AI tool to use and how to get the results you want. The downloadable prompt resources will help you phrase your request for great AI output on rubrics, SMART goals, lesson plan ideas, text differentiation, and more.
✅ Discover new AI tools and uses that have been vetted by knowledgeable educators so you don’t have to spend hours on trial-and-error. You won't have to look anywhere else to feel up-to-date: new video trainings are added on a monthly basis so you always have the most recent information. I’m creating some of these myself, and others will be shared with you directly from our 40 Hour graduates who are current classroom teachers. They’ll show you exactly how they’re using AI everyday to save time. 
✅ Use the private discussion community to stay updated even if you don’t have time to watch training videos. It’s held within the membership site (not on social media), and you can stay in the loop and ask questions there anytime.
 
As always with my resources, the goal is to help you avoid overwhelm and cut through the noise.
 
You don't need to know EVERYTHING that's possible with AI up front. (Who has time for that?) 
 
You just need the MOST impactful ways to streamline your teaching workload now, and a way to quickly get answers when you need help with a task.
 
A free year’s unlimited access pass to 40 Hour AI is included when you enroll in the 40 Hour Full yea

We know there’s potential…but let’s talk about the larger implications for the profession.
In this episode, I’m sharing how AI has already transformed the way many teachers work, and exploring the ethics, best practices, and future trends for AI in schools.
Listen in to hear:
What surprised me in a survey about schools' AI policies 3 principles that guide my approach to AI Why educators MUST shape the direction of AI (and not leave this to tech companies) My favorite ways to use AI to streamline teaching tasks, including differentiation and assessment When you might want to use ChatGPT in place of a search engine My recommendations for the best free AI tools for teachers 3 crucial mindsets to develop as you plan how to incorporate AI in your work Let's explore the big picture overview of AI’s impact, its strengths and weaknesses as a tool for teachers, and specific ways fellow educators have used it to reduce their workload responsibly.
Get the shareable article/transcript for this episode here.
Learn about 40 Hour AI here.

As an educator who's lived and taught in both the US and Denmark, Pernille’s story is a revealing look into two vastly different education systems. Let's unpack her journey and what it tells us about work-life balance, societal values, and teaching philosophies.
You’ll hear:
Why Pernille’s family moved to Wisconsin from Denmark when she was a teenager, how she became a teacher in the U.S., and why she and her American husband made the decision in 2022 to move with their four children to Denmark The cultural differences Pernille has noticed living in Denmark, particularly in relation to families, children, work, and school How the Danish school system is set up, including how students are not formally taught to read until the equivalent of 2nd grade in the U.S, and how high school (as Americans understand it) ends around age 15 so students can focus on career training What the school day looks like for Pernille, who is looping with her students through multiple grade levels, including how much instructional vs planning time she has and why Danish teachers are not permitted to work more than 40 hours a week The aspects of the Danish approach to work/life balance that U.S. educators might replicate to make teaching more effective, efficient, and enjoyable She shares, "In Denmark, being a teacher is about nurturing well-being first—both for students and educators. It's about giving your best within working hours and then fully embracing life at home."
“And, education here isn’t just academics; it’s learning through play, community building, and practical skills that prepare children for real-world challenges from an early age."
I’m always curious about what it’s like to teach in different countries, and if you feel the same, I think you’ll find this informal conversation is a fascinating deep dive into values, priorities, and what it means for kids and teachers to co-thrive.
Click here to read the transcript and participate in the discussion.

As the school year comes to a close, we’re taking a step back from practical strategies, and looking at the big picture of K-12 education. Until summer, there’s not a lot of time or mental bandwidth to consider questions like, “What are the larger factors impacting our work? How are other schools handling these challenges? How do we proactively prepare for what’s next and create a vision for where we’re heading, instead of just trying to put out fires all the time?”
In an era of student disengagement and teacher disillusionment, it’s crucial for us to envision a better way of doing school and collectively work to make that vision a reality.
So, in this episode, I’m sharing the statistics around teacher vacancies, student enrollment declines, and budget forecasts, along with the implications for schools.
I’ll then analyze the trends and focuses that we’ll be seeing more of in education in the coming years. Topics covered include:
Artificial Intelligence Student safety and mental health Rationalizing and consolidating curriculum Hybrid learning and multi-classroom models The 4-day school week Vocational-technical training and non-college prep Microschools and “schools within a school” You’ll be invited to reflect on what else might be possible for schools and use your expertise as a teacher to help shape the future of education. Together, we can change the narrative around the profession and find the overlap between what’s best for teachers and what’s best for kids.
Read the blog post for this article here.