Mr. Demaio: How To Keep Kids Engaged In The Classroom... And On YouTube

Fanboy alert: Today's guest, Mr. Demaio, is the biggest celebrity in my household. He's a teacher in Union Beach New Jersey, and one of the most popular educators on YouTube.  Here's a link to his channel. He makes hilarious YouTube videos on topics such as the planets, black holes, Alexander Hamilton, snakes, earthquakes, the Titanic, multiplication tables and more. It's like if Khan Academy was funny, with weird puppets-- or as he noted, Mr. Rogers meets the Chapelle Show. While his videos are funny, their impact is no joke. Which is why he gets over 2 million views per month.  And if you type in "Mr." into YouTube, he's one of the first things that comes up. My wife and I first learned of Mr. Demaio when our four year-old son, Max, somehow stumbled upon him while scrolling through my wife's iPad. He'd start talking about Mr. Demaio and his puppets, Andy and Steve. More impressively, he'd start educating us about outer space. He was literally teaching us new things that he learned from Mr. Demaio's videos-- like the names of the dwarf planets, and how black holes work. Like most four year-olds, Max isn't that interested in Zoom school.  But he LOVES Mr. Demaio.  He's been learning a lot.  (His new real school teachers are very impressed!)  And he's been developing a great sense of humor too. Most importantly, what really comes through Mr. Demaio's videos is how much he truly cares for kids.  He wants them to feel nurtured and cared for.  He wants them to develop an interest in learning. With so many families trying to keep their kids engaged in "blended" or "virtual" learning, I thought it would be great to share some of Mr. Demaio's insights. Huge thanks to Mr. Demaio for taking the time to chat with us, and for all he's doing to educate, inspire and care for kids!