S03E17 - Teach like a Rockstar, an Interview with Hal Bowman

We interview Hal Bowman, a social influencer and the author of Teach Like a Rockstar. He will speak at the Chattanooga National Forum to Advance Rural Education (NFARE) conference. In this episode, we discuss how teachers should take the perspective of a parent or grandparent in the education kids receive. Kids have access to knowledge of the internet in their pockets. Still, teachers serve an important role in navigating the information that may or may not be pertinent to the topic domains or in understanding the accuracy of the information content on the internet. Hal’s work addresses school culture and its importance in creating the most effective environment for student success and teacher retention. We discuss the importance of training for teachers and how longevity is no longer an option for training teachers. We discuss how teaching is an Emotionally challenging career. It appears that six years is the window for teachers to stay. The cohosts note that many of us are called to our careers, and the attrition rate is a problem for rural educators. We discuss the importance of loving the teaching process, not just the students. Teachers should be aware of the responsibilities of the job. We discussed the importance of having a high energy level when teaching. Hal shares that he attempts to model this high energy level. Hal says we must be emotionally invested in our teaching and curriculum to engage students in the course content. Hal shares that many incoming teachers are similar to those students, particularly with issues like block scheduling. We talked about the recruitment of teachers in rural schools. We note the challenges of finding housing, regional development, broadband, and commuting as challenges we must address. We note there are many benefits to teaching in rural environments. Hal talks about the importance of work in rural schools. This is a great episode. For more information, go to the following website. https://halbowman.com/