Schurtz and Ties: A podcast about education and culture

Schurtz&Ties

Inspired by the classroom, Kasey Schurtz and Brian T. Miller wrestle with how to become better teachers, leaders, and people. Schurtz and Ties is sponsored by PeerDrivePD.com and is a proud member of the TeachBetter Podcast Network. You can find out more about Brian and Kasey, discover resources, and enjoy more content on their website, SchurtzandTies.com.

  1. May 31

    Episode 141: Hunting in a Farmer’s World with John Dini

    In Episode 141, Kasey and Brian sit down with John Dini, author of Hunting in a Farmer’s World, for a conversation about entrepreneurs, systems, leadership, education, and the students who do not always fit neatly into the routines of school. Together, they explore the difference between “hunters” and “farmers,” what happens when visionary people are placed inside highly managed systems, and how this applies to business owners, school leaders, teachers, and students. The conversation moves from entrepreneurship and exit planning to classroom routines, student autonomy, leadership vision, and the challenge of handing something you care deeply about over to someone else. This episode is about seeing people more clearly, leading with vision, and making space for the students and adults who may not be broken, but may simply be wired to hunt in a farmer’s world. Listen and learn more at http://www.schurtzandties.com Hashtags:#SchurtzAndTies#EducationLeadership#StudentEngagement#LeadershipDevelopment

    47 min

  2. May 26

    🎙️ Episode 140: Casey Watts on Clarity, Complexity, and the Work That Actually Moves Us Forward

    Why do smart leaders make things more complicated than they need to be? In Episode 140, Kasey and Brian sit down with Casey Watts, author of The Craft of Clarity, for a conversation about leadership, initiative fatigue, and the kind of clarity that goes beyond simply communicating more. Casey reminds us that hard work cannot overcome a lack of clarity. Sometimes the work that creates the most clarity is slower, more reflective, and more uncomfortable than simply adding another program, person, meeting, or initiative. The conversation explores why leaders often solve the wrong problem, why “simple” does not mean “easy,” and why action is sometimes what helps us gain the clarity we keep waiting for. A few big ideas from the episode: ✅ We often complicate problems because we are replicating systems we grew up in.✅ Hard work matters, but it cannot replace clarity.✅ Leaders sometimes “idolize clarity” and wait too long to act.✅ Simple solutions often require deeper thinking, not less thinking.✅ Staff ownership begins by asking better questions and listening without defending.✅ Before launching the next thing, leaders should ask: Do we have to? And yes, there were technical difficulties. A frozen screen. A disappearing guest. Possibly a blown transformer. Maybe someone owes someone coffee. But somehow, the chaos made the clarity even better. This one is for teachers, leaders, instructional coaches, and anyone trying to make meaningful work feel less like “one more thing” and more like the right next thing. #SchurtzAndTies #Episode140 #CaseyWatts #TheCraftOfClarity #EducationalLeadership #InstructionalLeadership #SchoolLeadership #TeacherLeadership #ClarityInEducation #PLC #InstructionalCoaching #LeadershipDevelopment #SchoolImprovement #TeacherClarity #EducationPodcast #EduPodcast #LeadWithClarity #LessButBetter #NotMoreWorkMoreIntentionalWork

    25 min

  3. May 10

    Episode 139: Celebrity Principal or Real Principal with Jedd Hefer

    What happens when educational leadership starts looking more like social media performance than authentic service?In this episode of the Schurtz & Ties podcast, Kasey Schurtz and Brian T. Miller are joined once again by educator and consultant Jed Hafer for a candid, funny, and deeply honest conversation about the rise of the “celebrity principal.” Together, they wrestle with an important question:When does sharing great school leadership become more about the leader than the students?The conversation dives into:Greeting students at the doorFilming school interactions for social mediaRemoving students from classroomsDelayed Learning Opportunities (DLOs)Instructional leadership vs. performative leadershipWhy behavior should be taught like academicsThe danger of “easy answers” in school disciplineAuthenticity, vulnerability, and ego in leadershipWhy professional development still mattersThis episode is equal parts reflective, practical, and entertaining, with plenty of moments that educators will immediately recognize from their own schools.Whether you are a principal, teacher, instructional coach, or simply passionate about education, this conversation challenges us to think carefully about what truly helps students and staff grow.🎙️ Schurtz & Ties Podcastwww.schurtzandties.com📚 Learn more about behavior and instructional systems athttps://www.behavioralleadership.com/#education #schoolleadership #principal #teachers #behavior #classroommanagement #instructionalleadership #educationpodcast #edchat #teacherlife #schoolculture #leadership #DLO #studentbehavior #professionaldevelopment #SchurtzAndTies #ErvinEducation

    45 min

  4. May 1

    Episode 138: Cordelia Fine on Gender, Schools, and the Stories We Tell About Boys and Girls

    Psychologist, researcher, and author known for her work on gender, social norms, and the myths that shape how we understand boys, girls, men, and women. In this conversation, Cordelia Fine joins Schurtz & Ties for a careful discussion about gender in schools, the assumptions educators make about boys and girls, and why treating students as individuals matters more than leaning on stereotypes. The conversation moves through classroom expectations, masculinity, boys and purpose, gender roles, economic shifts, and the tension between equality, identity, and opportunity. Rather than offering simple answers, this episode explores why some of education’s hardest questions often live in the gray. 🎙 Schurtz & Ties Podcast Follow the show for more conversations about education, culture, and learning. #SchurtzAndTies #EducationPodcast #CordeliaFine #SchoolCulture #TeachingAndLearning #EducationConversation Website: http://www.schurtzandties.com

    43 min

  5. Apr 7

    Episode 137: Alfie Kohn on Compliance, Control, and What Schools Reward

    Show Notes Educator, author, and speaker known for challenging traditional thinking about motivation, rewards, punishment, homework, grading, and the role of power in schools. In this conversation, Alfie Kohn pushes on some of education’s most familiar assumptions: why control often replaces trust, how compliance can diminish curiosity, why democratic classrooms matter, and what it means for educators to serve as a buffer between students and harmful systems. The discussion moves through parenting, classroom decision-making, school leadership, and the tension between doing what is expected and doing what is right for kids. Website: Alfie Kohn https://www.alfiekohn.org Listen to More Episodes 🎙 Schurtz & Ties Podcast Connect With Us Follow the show for more conversations about education, culture, and learning. #SchurtzAndTies #EducationPodcast #AlfieKohn #Motivation #ClassroomCulture #SchoolLeadership #Curiosity #TeachingAndLearning

    39 min

  6. Mar 30

    Episode 136: Why Humans Took 300,000 Years to Invent the Toilet with Adam Mastroianni

    In this episode, we sit down with psychologist and writer Adam Mastroianni to explore why so much of what feels obviously true about people often turns out to be wrong. We talk about why people across generations believe society is in moral decline, even when evidence suggests otherwise, why schools often rely on interventions that sound right but fail in practice, and how human beings are wired to notice the negative more than the good. Adam shares why psychology still behaves more like an adolescent science than a settled one, why many educational instincts deserve more skepticism, and why students may be learning far more from what adults quietly model than from what adults intentionally teach. The conversation moves from awkward social experiments to school culture, from vandalized bathrooms to the scientific method, and eventually to a bigger question: why did it take humans so long to discover so many things we now cannot imagine living without? This is a conversation about human behavior, uncertainty, education, and the danger of mistaking confidence for understanding. Adam Mastroianni Psychologist, writer, and researcher exploring how humans think, why we misread the world around us, and how many of our strongest intuitions fail when tested. Website: https://www.experimental-history.com/ Listen to More Episodes 🎙 Schurtz & Ties Podcast https://www.schurtzandties.com Connect With Us Follow the show for more conversations about education, culture, psychology, and learning. #SchurtzAndTies #EducationPodcast #Psychology #HumanBehavior #ExperimentalHistory #SchoolCulture #TeachingAndLearning #EducationalLeadership

    54 min
  7. Schurtz & Ties Presents: Behavioral Leadership with Tony DeRose | Guest Appearance on Collab Lab Live

    Mar 18

    Schurtz & Ties Presents: Behavioral Leadership with Tony DeRose | Guest Appearance on Collab Lab Live

    What happens when behavioral leadership is not treated as a program, but as part of a school’s culture? In this special Schurtz & Ties Presents conversation, Kasey Schurtz joins Tony DeRose on Collab Lab Live for a deep discussion about what behavioral leadership looks like inside a junior high school, why secondary educators sometimes hesitate to embrace it, and why simple practices like noticing often do the heaviest instructional lifting. Built around ideas from Ervin Educational Consulting, this conversation also points listeners toward the broader work behind Behavioral Leadership. https://www.behavioralleadership.com/ Kasey shares his journey from teaching in Ohio, serving in a bilingual school in Chile, working in an alternative school in Wyoming, and now leading instructional work in a junior high where teachers are turning behavioral leadership into shared staff practice. The conversation explores how noticing creates clarity, how clear expectations protect relationships, and why the best classrooms often look like students taking ownership while teachers are free to teach. Also in this episode: Why substitute teachers need behavioral leadership language too How schools can build culture through simple shared practices Why secondary teachers often resist behavior systems and why they may already need exactly this work How clarity and relationship-building happen through noticing Why teaching behavior protects teachers from becoming therapists, enforcers, and constant correctors How strong classroom culture gives students ownership of space, routines, and expectations A strong discussion for anyone thinking about behavior, instruction, culture, and what it means to let teachers teach. 🎧 Schurtz & TiesEducation. Culture. Thoughtful conversations that stay with you. 🌐 schurtzandties.com

    38 min

  8. Mar 9

    Episode 135: The Literacy Knowledge Teachers Need with Mary Jo Fresch

    In Episode 140 of Schurtz & Ties, we welcome back literacy expert Mary Jo Fresch to talk about what teachers really need to understand about reading, vocabulary, and language. Mary Jo has spent decades helping educators make sense of the English language and build the background knowledge needed to confidently teach literacy. In this conversation, we explore the realities of the Science of Reading, the role of phonics across all subjects, and how teachers in any content area can support students as readers and writers. We also dive into how vocabulary, word origins, and language structures help students move from simply memorizing information to actually building memories and understanding that last. Along the way we talk about: • Why every teacher is a teacher of reading • How understanding word structure and etymology strengthens vocabulary instruction • The difference between memorizing words and building memories with language • Why nonfiction text structure matters for student comprehension • How administrators can better support literacy instruction in their schools • Whether texting, emojis, and digital communication are changing how students read and write Mary Jo also shares practical strategies teachers can use immediately to help students break down complex words, understand content-area vocabulary, and become more confident readers. This episode is packed with insights for teachers, school leaders, and anyone interested in how students learn to read, write, and understand language. Guest Mary Jo Fresch Literacy educator, author, and speaker focused on helping teachers build deep knowledge of the English language and effective literacy instruction. Website: https://maryjofresch.com Listen to More Episodes 🎙 Schurtz & Ties Podcast https://www.schurtzandties.com Connect With Us Follow the show for more conversations about education, culture, and learning. #SchurtzAndTies #EducationPodcast #Literacy #ScienceOfReading #TeacherLearning #ReadingInstruction #TeacherDevelopment #PodcastForTeachers

    55 min
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Trailer

4.9
out of 5
18 Ratings

About

Inspired by the classroom, Kasey Schurtz and Brian T. Miller wrestle with how to become better teachers, leaders, and people. Schurtz and Ties is sponsored by PeerDrivePD.com and is a proud member of the TeachBetter Podcast Network. You can find out more about Brian and Kasey, discover resources, and enjoy more content on their website, SchurtzandTies.com.

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