Second Look Education

second look education
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Second Look Education is a practitioner-scholar podcast hosted by experienced educators. Each episode begins with real moments from classrooms, teacher preparation, policy, and professional life — the moments that make us pause and take a second look. From there, we engage in shared inquiry, examining development, relationships, professional judgment, and the systems shaping teaching and learning. Thoughtful, evidence-informed, and grounded in practice, this podcast resists oversimplification and centers the conditions that make good teaching possible.

  1. 1d ago

    The Teacher Is Part of the System

    What happens when we recognize that teachers aren't simplyobserving children's environments—they're part of them? Building on Episode 19, When the Framework Becomes theLens, Candace shares her experience entering an unfamiliar school community as a principal. That experience opens a conversation about how our backgrounds, expectations, relationships, and professional training shape what we notice about children and families. We explore Walter Gilliam's implicit-bias research,Bronfenbrenner's bioecological model, and funds of knowledge. We also discuss how assessments, school routines, and data systems can direct educators' attention—and why even a sympathetic explanation of a family's circumstances is still an assumption unless we've actually asked. Drawing on our work preparing teachers, we considerIllinois' Culturally Responsive Teaching and Leading Standards, the importance of learning from families, and why recognizing bias isn't the same as changingpractice. This isn't about placing all responsibility on individualteachers. It's about understanding what we bring into the classroom, what the system asks us to see, and what we can change together. In This Episode Entering a new school community and building trust Implicit bias and what educators notice Teachers as part of children's ecological systems How school measures shape interpretations Funds of knowledge and teacher preparation Moving from reflection to changes in practice Related Second Look Episodes: Episode 19 — When the Framework Becomes the Lenshttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/second-look-education/id1879331024 The Teachers We Learn to Behttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-teachers-we-learn-to-be/id1879331024?i=1000786191456 When Behavior Charts Work, What Actually Changed?https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/when-behavior-charts-work-what-actually-changed/id1879331024?i=1000793814273 Research & Resources: Gilliam et al. (2016) — Implicit Bias in PreschoolSettingshttps://news.yale.edu/2016/09/27/implicit-bias-may-help-explain-high-preschool-expulsion-rates-black-children Bronfenbrenner & Morris — Bioecological Modelhttps://doi.org/10.1002/9780470147658.chpsy0114 Moll et al. (1992) — Funds of Knowledgehttps://doi.org/10.1080/00405849209543534 Illinois Culturally Responsive Teaching and LeadingStandardshttps://www.isbe.net/Pages/Culturally-Responsive-Teaching-Leading-Standards.aspx Project Implicithttps://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/ What might change if we considered our own role in thepicture? 🎙️ Subscribe to Second Look Education for conversations connecting educational research, professional experience, and everyday practice. #SecondLookEducation #TeacherEducation #EducationLeadership

  2. Oct 22

    When the Framework Becomes the Lens

    Candace begins with a problem she has been running into in her own research: the pressure to turn complex ideas intoa framework that tells people what to do. Frameworks can be useful. They give educators language, organize information, and help us know where to look. But what happens when a framework intended to help us understand children startsexplaining them instead? In this episode, Amy and Candace examine the difference between using context as information and using context as aconclusion. They revisit Ruby Payne’s A Framework for Understanding Poverty, a model both encountered earlier in their careers, and consider why its explanations once felt useful—and why some of its assumptions look very different now. They also consider frameworks educators still use today, including MTSS and growth mindset, to ask how even useful ideas can become labels. The conversation returns to a simple distinction: what we observe is not the same as the story we attach to it. Aframework can help us ask better questions. The challenge is noticing when it has started answering them for us. Key Question When does a framework help us understand a child—and when does it start supplying the story about that child? Topics Discussed Why educators are drawn to frameworks when the work itself is complex NAEYC’s three core considerations: commonality, individuality, and contextThe difference between understanding context and using context to explain a childRevisiting Ruby Payne’s A Framework for Understanding PovertyDeficit thinking and assumptions about children and families experiencing povertyHow useful frameworks such as MTSS or growth mindset can become labelsThe difference between observation, inference, and predictionWhy frameworks should generate questions rather than predetermined answersPractitioner & Teaching Perspectives NAEYC — Developmentally Appropriate Practice Position StatementNAEYC identifies three core considerations for educators’ decision-making: commonality, individuality, and context. The episode uses these as an example of a framework that asks educators to hold multiple kinds of information about children at the same time. NAEYC: Developmentally Appropriate Practice Ruby K. Payne — A Framework for Understanding PovertyThe episode revisits this framework as an example of a widely adopted professional-development model that offered educators explanations for differences associated with economic class. Amy and Candace discuss both its earlier appeal and the assumptions they now question. A Framework for Understanding Poverty — aha! Process overview Research Sources Referenced in the Episode Gorski, P. C. (2008). “Peddling Poverty for Profit: Elements of Oppression in Ruby Payne’s Framework.” Equity & Excellence in Education, 41(1), 130–148.Gorski examines the “culture of poverty” assumptions within Payne’s framework and situates them within broader critiques of deficit-oriented approaches to poverty and education. Taylor& Francis OnlineFoundational Research & Further Reading Bomer, R., Dworin, J. E., May, L., & Semingson, P. (2008). “Miseducating Teachers about the Poor: A Critical Analysis of Ruby Payne’s Claims about Poverty.” Teachers College Record, 110(12), 2497–2531.The authors compared claims made in Payne’s professional-development materials with existing research on low-income individuals and families and identified substantial concerns about deficit framing and unsupported generalizations. Read the article information Try This After Listening Parents:Ask your child: What is something adults sometimes assume about kids before asking them? Teachers:Choose one framework you use regularly and ask: What does this help me notice—and what might it make easier for me to assume? Follow us on Instagram, Facebook & TikTok:@secondlookeducationListen on Spotify & Apple Podcasts | Watch on YouTube @secondlookeducation

  3. Oct 8

    When Behavior Charts Work, What Actually Changed?

    A child moves their clip down. The talking stops.So…did the behavior system work?In this episode of Second Look Education, Amy and Candace take a closer look at behavior charts and the larger systems schools use to manage, monitor, and respond to student behavior.Starting with a clip chart Amy encountered during a recent kindergarten classroom visit, we explore a deceptively simple question: When a behavior system “works,” what actually changed?We talk about the difference between getting compliance in the moment and helping children develop self-control and self-regulation over time. We also examine what happens when behavioral feedback becomes public, how children may begin to understand themselves through labels like “good kid” or “bad kid,” and why understanding behavior does not mean eliminating consequences or accountability.The conversation moves beyond clip charts to restorative practices, PBIS, individual behavior reports, family-school connections, and student self-monitoring. Throughout, we come back to the complexity teachers face: classrooms have to function in real time, children need opportunities to learn behavioral skills, and schools have to create conditions that make thoughtful responses possible.In this episode, we consider:- What a behavior chart actually tells us when a child's behavior changes- Compliance, self-control, and self-regulation- Public versus private behavioral feedback- Shame, guilt, comparison, and children's developing sense of identity- Behavior as communication and the role of functional behavior assessment- Accountability, consequences, and restorative practices- PBIS and the challenge of moving from external rewards toward internal regulation- Daily and weekly behavior reports- The role of family reinforcement and communication- Student self-monitoring—and the difference between monitoring adult expectations and developing one's own meaningful goals- What teachers need from schools in order to respond to behavior thoughtfullyThere isn't a simple “behavior charts are good” or “behavior charts are bad” answer here. Our goal is to look more closely at what different systems are designed to accomplish, what children may actually be learning from them, and what happens when the same behavioral difficulty keeps occurring.Our question to leave you with: When a behavior system works, what actually changed?Readings & Resources DiscussedAugustine, C. H., et al. (2018). Can Restorative Practices Improve School Climate and Curb Suspensions? RAND Corporation.https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR2840.htmlCompise, K. D. (2019). Student Perceptions of the Clip Chart Management System. Doctoral dissertation, University of the Pacific. https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/uop_etds/3625/Riden, B. S., Taylor, J. C., Lee, D. L., & Scheeler, M. C. (2018). _A Synthesis of the Daily Behavior Report Card Literature from 2007 to 2017. https://doi.org/10.58729/2167-3454.1062Jurbergs, N., Palcic, J. L., & Kelley, M. L. (2010). _Daily Behavior Report Cards with and without Home-Based Consequences. https://doi.org/10.1080/07317107.2010.500501Smith, T. E., Thompson, A. M., & Maynard, B. R. (2022). _Self-Management Interventions for Reducing Challenging Behaviors Among School-Age Students: A Systematic Review. https://doi.org/10.1002/cl2.1223Brené Brown — work on shame, guilt, comparison, and worth https://brenebrown.com/articles/2015/07/27/the-most-dangerous-stories-we-make-up/Baltimore Ravens — _Mini Mic: What Color Were You on the Elementary School Behavior Chart?https://www.baltimoreravens.com/video/mini-mic-what-elementary-school-behavior-chartIf this conversation gave you something to think about, subscribe to Second Look Education and join us for the next one.

  4. Sep 24

    When Did We Decide We Were Too Old to Play?

    Amy begins with a memory from her first years of teaching, when she wanted to join in during school assemblies but often held back. Candace connects that hesitation to her own experience of avoiding something after embarrassment, then trying again years later. From there, they explore how play changes as we move through adolescence and adulthood. The conversation looks at competence, comparison, evaluation, vulnerability, relationships, and the growing awareness of how we are perceived by others. Amy and Candace also consider the many forms adult play can take and why we often feel pressure to make play useful, productive, or justified. The episode returns to a quieter idea: we may not outgrow play at all. The conditions around us can shape where it still feels available. Key Question: What makes play harder to enter as we get older? Topics Discussed: How play changes from childhood into adolescence and adulthood Identity development, peers, belonging, and social evaluation Beginnerhood and the discomfort of being seen doing something badly How evaluation and performance pressure can change an experience The many forms adult play can take Trust, relationships, and Stuart Brown’s idea of “play signals” Why adults often feel the need to justify play through productivity or outcomes Noticing the conditions that make play easier—or harder—to enter Readings & Resources Mentioned Practitioner & Teaching Perspectives National Institute for Play — Resources on play across the lifespan and the work of Stuart Brown. https://nifplay.org/ Research Sources Mentioned in the Episode National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (2019). The Promise of Adolescence: Realizing Opportunity for All Youth. https://www.nationalacademies.org/read/25388/chapter/1 Venticinque, J. S., McMillan, S. J., & Guyer, A. E. (2024). “Expanding understanding of adolescent neural sensitivity to peers: Using social information processing theory to generate new lines of research.” Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, 67. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1878929324000562?via%3Dihub Layland, E. K., Hill, B. J., & Nelson, L. J. (2018). “Freedom to explore the self: How emerging adults use leisure to develop identity.” The Journal of Positive Psychology, 13(1), 78–91. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17439760.2017.1374440 Foundational Research & Further Reading Brené Brown — Daring Greatly https://brenebrown.com/book/daring-greatly/ Stuart Brown with Christopher Vaughan — Play: How It Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/303738/play-by-stuart-brown/ Brian Sutton-Smith — The Ambiguity of Play https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctv1q16s5b Peter Gray — “The Playful Mind Is a Creative Mind” https://petergray.substack.com/p/33-the-playful-mind-is-a-creative Related Second Look episode: Does Play Still Count as Learning?Episode 16 begins this two-part conversation by looking at what children learn through play and what happens when schools struggle to make room for it. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/does-play-still-count-as-learning/id1879331024?i=1000788806312 Try this after Listening: Parents:Ask your child or teenager: What is something you would try if you knew no one was judging you? Teachers:Notice a moment when you or your students hesitate to try something new. What about the setting, relationships, or expectations might be shaping that hesitation? We don’t outgrow play. As we become more aware of how we’re seen, competence, self-consciousness, and relationships shape where play still feels available. Follow us on Instagram: @secondlookeducationListen on Spotify & Apple Podcasts | Watch on YouTube @secondlookeducation

  5. Sep 10

    Does Play Still Count as Learning?

    Candace begins with something she keeps hearing from preservice teachers: they know play matters, but once they enter classrooms, they struggle to find room for it. In this episode, we look at what children are actually doing when they play—imagining, negotiating, moving, problem-solving, communicating, taking risks, and adjusting to other people. We also distinguish between free play, guided play, and direct instruction and consider the role adults have in creating the conditions for meaningful play. But knowing what children need and having the conditions to provide it are not the same thing. Research from New Hampshire kindergarten classrooms shows that teachers can strongly value play while still facing pressure from academic benchmarks and limited planning time. So the question becomes larger than how to fit more play into the day: What gets protected when time gets tight, and what does that tell us about what schools consider learning? Key Question What do we protect when time gets tight—and what does that tell us about what we consider learning? Topics Discussed What children learn through play Free play, guided play, and direct instruction Agency, imagination, movement, and social learning Play as learning—not separate from it Teacher knowledge versus classroom conditions What schools measure and protect Play beyond early childhood Readings & Resources Mentioned National Association for the Education of Young Children — Developmentally Appropriate Practicehttps://www.naeyc.org/resources/position-statements/dap/definition Related Second Look episode: When Learning Has to Leave a Trace https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/when-learning-has-to-leave-a-trace/id1879331024?i=1000751712332 Related Second Look episode: The Teachers We Learn to Be https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-teachers-we-learn-to-be/id1879331024?i=1000786191456 Braham et al. (2026), Institute of Education Sciences — play-based learning in New Hampshire kindergarten classrooms Bassok, Latham, & Rorem (2016), “Is Kindergarten the New First Grade?” Stuart Brown — Play https://www.porchlightbooks.com/products/play-stuart-brown-9781583333785 Peter Gray — Free to Learn https://letgrow.org/book/free-to-learn/ Try This After Listening Parents:What kind of play does your child wish they had more time for? Teachers:When time gets tight, what do you protect? Follow us on Instagram: @secondlookeducationListen on Spotify & Apple Podcasts | Watch on YouTube @secondlookeducation

  6. Aug 27

    The Teachers We Learn to Be

    It started with a familiar August scene: teachers returningto their classrooms before their contract days begin, getting rooms ready before students arrive. But the more we looked at that behavior, the less interested we became in whether teachers should come in early—and the more interested we became in the expectations underneath it. In this episode, we ask how educators learn what being“ready,” committed, caring, or professional is supposed to look like when no one necessarily teaches those expectations directly. Drawing on Judith Warren Little’s research on teachers’ professional relationships and Edgar Schein’swork on organizational culture, we examine how everyday interactions, visible practices, shared values, and underlying assumptions can shape what begins to feel normal within a profession. We also consider what happens when extraeffort becomes recognizable as evidence of commitment—and when personal choices quietly become professional standards. The goal isn’t to decide which expectations teachers shouldkeep or reject. It is to notice how they formed, what we have learned to believe they mean, and whether we still choose them deliberately. Key Question How do professional cultures shape what becomes normal? Topics Discussed How teachers develop a picture of what it means to be “ready” What educators learn from colleagues through everyday interactions and visible pieces of practice The limits of what we can actually see about another teacher’s work Edgar Schein’s three levels of organizational culture: artifacts, espoused beliefs and values, and basicunderlying assumptions How visible preparation can become associated with care, commitment, and professional worth What happens when repeated “extra” effort begins to feel like part of the expectation Learning anxiety, psychological safety, and why stepping outside a professional norm can feel difficult Separating what we personally value from the standards we use to interpret other teachers’ work Readings & Resources Mentioned in this Episode Practitioner & Teaching Perspectives Harry K. Wong & Rosemary T. Wong — The First Days of Schoolhttps://www.effectiveteaching.com/store/products/books/the-first-days-of-school-5th-edition Research Sources Referenced in the Episode Judith Warren Little — “The Persistence of Privacy: Autonomy and Initiative in Teachers’ Professional Relations” (1990)https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ412496 Edgar H. Schein — Organizational Culture and Leadershiphttps://www.oreilly.com/library/view/organizational-culture-and/9780470190609/ Diane L. Coutu with Edgar H. Schein — “TheAnxiety of Learning” (2002)https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11894378/ Foundational Research & Further Reading Dan C. Lortie — Schoolteacher: A Sociological Studyhttps://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/S/bo3645184.html Judith Warren Little — “Norms of Collegiality and Experimentation: Workplace Conditions of School Success” (1982) https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.3102/00028312019003325 Ilana Seidel Horn & Judith Warren Little —“Attending to Problems of Practice: Routines and Resources for Professional Learning in Teachers’ Workplace Interactions”https://doi.org/10.3102/0002831209345158 Try This After Listening Parents:Ask your child: What does a “good teacher” look like to you? What makes you think that? Teachers:Think of one practice that feels completely normal in teaching. When did you start believing that was part of being a good teacher? Follow us on Instagram: @secondlookeducationListen on Spotify & Apple Podcasts | Watch on YouTube @secondlookeducation

  7. Aug 13

    When Teacher Me Wakes Up: Why Going Back Begins Before School Starts

    Have you ever been walking through Target, turned the corner, and suddenly felt like summer was over? For many educators, the back-to-school season doesn't begin with the first contract day. It begins with a feeling. A display of notebooks. A classroom supply aisle. The first district email. A recurring dream that you're somehow unprepared. In this episode, Candace shares a familiar moment that many teachers experience but rarely talk about: the moment "Teacher Me" begins waking up before "Summer Me" is ready to let go. Together, Candace and Amy explore why our brains begin preparing long before the school year officially starts, why even exciting transitions can feel emotionally heavy, and how the stories we carry from previous school years shape the way we anticipate the next one. Instead of asking how to eliminate the back-to-school nerves, they invite listeners to ask a different question: What might those feelings be trying to tell us? Key Question What happens when "Teacher Me" begins waking up before summer is over? Topics Discussed Why simple cues—like school supplies—can trigger surprisingly strong emotions. How our brains begin preparing for future demands before they arrive. Why positive transitions can still leave us emotionally exhausted. The stories teachers carry from one school year into the next. What it means when "Teacher Me" begins showing up before summer is over. How curiosity can replace guilt during seasonal transitions. Readings & Resources MentionedPractitioner & Teaching Perspectives William Bridges Associates Managing Transitions: Making the Most of Changehttps://wmbridges.com/Susan David Emotional Agilityhttps://www.susandavid.com/ Research Sources Referenced in the Episode Lisa Feldman Barrett How Emotions Are Made: The Secret Life of the Brain (2017) Official Website: https://lisafeldmanbarrett.com/ Book: https://www.hmhbooks.com/shop/books/How-Emotions-Are-Made/9780544133310 Richard Lazarus & Susan Folkman Stress, Appraisal, and Coping(1984) https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-1-4419-1005-9 William Bridges Managing Transitions: Making the Most of Change https://wmbridges.com/ Nancy Schlossberg Transition Theory (The Four S's) https://transitionsthroughlife.com/the-4-s-system/ Dan McAdams The Stories We Live By Faculty Profile: https://psychology.northwestern.edu/people/faculty/core/profiles/dan-mcadams.html Book: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-stories-we-live-by-9781462547739 Daniel Gilbert Stumbling on Happiness Faculty Profile: https://psychology.fas.harvard.edu/people/daniel-gilbert Book: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/293263/stumbling-on-happiness-by-daniel-gilbert/ Hazel Markus & Paula Nurius "Possible Selves" (1986) APA Record: https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1986-21948-001 Foundational Research & Further Reading Barrett, L. F. (2017). How Emotions Are Made: The Secret Life of the Brain. Lazarus, R. S., & Folkman, S. (1984). Stress, Appraisal, and Coping. Bridges, W. Managing Transitions: Making the Most of Change. Schlossberg, N. K. Counseling Adults in Transition.https://www.springerpub.com/counseling-adults-in-transition-9780826135261.html McAdams, D. P. The Stories We Live By. Gilbert, D. Stumbling on Happiness. Markus, H., & Nurius, P. (1986). "Possible Selves." Try This After ListeningParents:Ask your child what tells them a new school year is beginning. Listen for the emotions underneath the answer—not just the events. Teachers:The next time you notice "Teacher Me" beginning to show up, pause and ask: What am I feeling right now? What story has my brain already started writing about this year? What assumptions am I making that haven't happened yet? Which version of myself is already beginning to wake up? Approach your answers with curiosity instead of judgment. Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok: @secondlookeducationListen on Spotify & Apple Podcasts | Watch on YouTube @secondlookeducation

  8. Jul 30

    When Does Commitment Become Compulsion? | A Conversation with Dr. Matthew Cooney

    What happens when the very behaviors that earn us praise are also the ones quietly causing harm? In this episode, Amy and Candace sit down with Dr. Matthew Cooney to explore the connections between achievement, addiction, identity, and the cultures we create in education. Matt shares his personal recovery journey and how it reshaped not only his life, but also his research on recovery support in higher education. Together, they examine why educators often celebrate overwork, why productivity becomes tied to self-worth, and how institutions can better support the people within them. Rather than focusing only on addiction, this conversation asks broader questions about the systems that reward exhaustion, the stories we tell about commitment, and the communities we need to sustain meaningful work Key Question: What happens when the very behaviors that earn us praise are also the ones quietly causing harm? Topics Discussed: Achievement, perfectionism, and identity Recovery and redefining success Productivity, validation, and educator culture Why asking for help can feel so difficult Community as a foundation for healingBuilding healthier cultures in educationReadings & Resources Mentioned bell hooks. Teaching to Transgress: Education as the Practice of Freedom (1994) https://academictrap.files.wordpress.com/2015/03/bell-hooks-teaching-to-transgress.pdf  Parker J. Palmer. The Courage to Teach: Exploring the Inner Landscape of a Teacher's Life (1998) https://people.wou.edu/~girodm/library/palmer.pdf  David Carr. The Night of the Gun (2008) https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Night-of-the-Gun/David-Carr/9781416541530  Foundational Research & Further Reading Victoria F. Burns' research on recovery-supportive campuses: https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Victoria+Burns+recovery+higher+education  Support Resources If today's conversation brought up difficult emotions or concerns for you or someone you care about, please know that support is available. Recovery is possible, and reaching out is a sign of strength. 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline Call or text 988 https://988lifeline.org SAMHSA National Helpline 1-800-662-HELP (4357) https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline Alcoholics Anonymous https://www.aa.org Narcotics Anonymous https://na.org SMART Recovery https://smartrecovery.org Al-Anon Family Groups https://al-anon.org Nar-Anon Family Groups https://www.nar-anon.org For Educators Many schools, districts, colleges, and universities also offer confidential support through Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs), counseling services, wellness initiatives, and mental health benefits. If you're struggling, consider reaching out to learn what resources are available through your employer. Try This After Listening Parents: Talk with your children about how they define success. Is it based on what they accomplish, or who they are becoming? Teachers: Reflect on one area where you've equated exhaustion with commitment. What might it look like to measure success differently this year? Follow us on Instagram: @secondlookeducation Listen on Spotify & Apple Podcasts | Watch on YouTube @secondlookeducation

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Second Look Education is a practitioner-scholar podcast hosted by experienced educators. Each episode begins with real moments from classrooms, teacher preparation, policy, and professional life — the moments that make us pause and take a second look. From there, we engage in shared inquiry, examining development, relationships, professional judgment, and the systems shaping teaching and learning. Thoughtful, evidence-informed, and grounded in practice, this podcast resists oversimplification and centers the conditions that make good teaching possible.

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  • Creator
    second look education
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    20
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © second look education
  • Show Website
    Second Look Education