Live in the Lab Schools

We wrap season one with honest end-of-year reflections, from what we wish we knew in August to the surprises that changed our classrooms and our tech plans. We share what we are building over the summer and end with a short, joyful conversation with two preschoolers about what makes school feel special. • noticing how the building changes when a grade level leaves • taking a breath and letting go of what we cannot control • practicing saying no and pacing big projects across the year • the unexpected shift to MacBook Neos for incoming freshmen • how classroom furniture and space can affect engagement • summer plans including an Apple Learning Coach certificate and tech help videos • redesigning transition meetings using SEL data and early benchmark data • inviting listener suggestions for topics, programs, and guests Reach out on social media. We’d love to hear what people want to hear!Send us Fan Mail

We sit down with three faculty members for a teacher lounge chat as May winds down, reflecting on how this year shaped us and what we want to carry into summer. We talk candidly about growth, solidarity, burnout, and the student moments that remind us why we do the work. • one-word reflections on the year and how AI pressures real classroom change • trying new projects, scrapping old favorites, and learning in public • the student moments that stay with us long after finals week • what we would fix next time, including attention, workload, and saying no • the unseen parts of teaching, from guilt to constant hat-switching • why we keep coming back, including the lab school ripple effect Connect with us on Facebook or Instagram at Live in the Lab Schools.Send us Fan Mail

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We talk with three new hires about what their first year at the Lab Schools feels like, from the surprises to the support that makes the work sustainable. We share the student moments that stick, the mentoring lessons we are still learning, and the advice we would give anyone joining our schools next year. • Choosing one word to describe the year and what it reveals about school culture • Learning what to ask for, what students need, and using the freedom to try new ideas • Adjusting to mentoring clinical students and giving meaningful feedback • Noticing how involved students are across activities, clubs, and sports • Favorite student moments from forest school Fridays to a Hamilton watch party • Advice for new hires about confidence, collaboration, and rolling with the flow • And lots of shout-outs to colleagues who made the year better!Send us Fan Mail

We dig into what AI is actually solving in schools and why “just because you can” is a bad rule for classroom tech. We share real classroom moments, practical guardrails, and the skills students need so AI supports learning instead of replacing thinking. • AI as a tool that reveals weak assessments rather than “creating” cheating • research projects and why Copilot is not a source • credible sources, verification, and the problem of fake citations • Magic School sandboxes that ease cognitive load without giving answers • transparency and academic integrity when teachers and students use AI • banning AI versus the calculator comparison and why outright bans fail • student privacy, contracts, and deliberate rollout over rushing adoption • AI literacy as critical media literacy including bias awareness and emotional manipulation • real workflow example using multiple AI tools• guardrails as shared values and consistent expectations across teachers Reach out, message us on the Facebook, the Instagram, shoot us an email. We love the fan-mail and thought about next season's topics! [Transparency Note: This full episode description was created via CoHost AI through Buzzsprout, proofread by a human]Send us Fan Mail

No Bells And A Bagpiper Walk Into School... start of a funny joke or something else?On this Episode, we dig into the traditions and everyday quirks that define our Lab Schools culture, from no bells and open campus to the big community events that create core memories. We also wrestle with what should evolve, what we miss, and how to honor tradition without blocking innovation or equity.• why daily systems like no bells shape student independence • how lunch schedules and building constraints change adult and student life • open campus as a privilege tied to safety, behavior, and academics • Metcalf signature experiences like Move In, outdoor ed, the musical, and the circus • U-High traditions like the Greek Olympics, Mr U High, and Class Night • traditions we miss, including more cross-building community time • reclaiming leadership in education technology, one-to-one devices, and AI readiness • alignment and equity questions in the Metcalf to U-High transition • healthy friction when traditions turn into rigid scripts If you think there’s something we need to feature next season, when we hit the ground running in August, tell us. We want to know.Send us Fan Mail

Welcome back from Spring Break!In this episode, we sit down with our HILIA leaders to explain how a regional team supports students who are deaf, hard of hearing, blind, or have low vision across multiple of school districts, including within the lab schools.What does itinerant teaching look like across a 4,000 square mile region? Tune in to hear more!Send us Fan Mail

We the Metcalf Team’s FETC takeaways , focusing on tools that serve pedagogy, not hype. From Apps to Hardware, to walks in the woods - there’s a tech tool for anything and everything. But knowing which to use is the question. In this episode:• why a cross‑disciplinary team attended FETC• balancing early childhood play with responsible technology• concrete upgrades for multi‑display teaching• turning on built‑in accessibility for inclusion• student‑led showcases for authentic family engagement• art, STEAM, and keeping process at the center• teaching AI concepts without more screen time• choosing iPads when creation and capture matter• visual note‑taking to boost retention• building tool selection processes and pilot teams• cataloging current tools and revisiting evolved platforms• team learning as accountability and momentumSend us Fan Mail

We talk with ROE 17’s Molly Allen about how regional services support lab schools, alternative programs, and teacher pipelines while keeping student voice and literacy at the center. We map the real challenges of AI, phones, and shortages to practical steps that help schools move forward with hope.Send us Fan Mail

BONUS EPISODEWe sit down with Dr. Brian Zugelder, Dean of the College of Education at Illinois State University, to unpack a nontraditional journey that now fuels a bold vision for the university’s lab schools. We dig into the educator continuum—recruitment, preparation, induction, leadership, and retention—and why keeping great people in the profession requires real pathways and support. From clinical practice to statewide partnerships, he explains how ISU can model promising practices and help shape policy rather than wait for mandates.Enjoy the episode? Subscribe, share it with a colleague, and leave a quick review to help more educators find the show.Send us Fan Mail

What happens when a high school runs inside a major university—and doesn’t even own many of its athletic facilities? We invited U‑High’s principal Andrea Markert, assistant principal Brian Rohman, and athletic and activities director Steve Evans to share how they lead a K–12 lab school that answers to ISU policies while serving students, families, teachers, and pre‑service educators.If you care about how schools innovate under real constraints, this conversation will give you a front-row seat to the tradeoffs, the wins, and the big vision. Subscribe, share with a colleague, and leave a review with your answer to this question: if resources were no object, what would you build first for students?Send us Fan Mail

What happens when a small K–8 school serves kids, teachers, and a university all at once? We invited Metcalf’s principal, assistant principal, and dean to pull back the curtain on lab school life: the fast pivots, the extra hats, and the reason everyone still calls it home. We talk about the power of a zone-defense leadership model where roles overlap on purpose and coverage never breaks. That structure fuels an open-door culture: tough conversations stay collaborative, visibility stays high, and support reaches the right person fast. Enjoy the episode? Follow the show, share it with a colleague, and leave a quick review to help more educators find these stories.Send us Fan Mail

Hard to believe we are already looking ahead to next school year. For families considering the lab schools, we have administrators from both buildings on this week's podcast to talk about the process. Andy and Ben have Andrea Markert and Dr. Carmen Bergmann to hear about the admissions processes, applications, and what our schools look for in an incoming class. For more information about us we also have Prospective Student Open Houses:-  UHigh: January 28, 2026 at 6pm. Find out more at https://uhigh.illinoisstate.edu/.-  Metcalf: Find out more at https://metcalf.illinoisstate.edu/.Send us Fan Mail

'Tis the Season! This week we get to vent a little and talk about some of the "Positive Frustrations" about being a teacher, being a teacher in this day and age, and finally just being a teacher. We love our work; let the airing of the grievances commence!Send us Fan Mail

This week on the show: you'll get to meet one of our former interns, Ricky King! He has gone on to do great things in his career, teaching locally in McLean County Unit District 5. Since Mr. Goveia also did the internship, it felt appropriate to check the pulse of our teacher preparation pillar of our mission. We discuss how the internship/student teaching works at UHigh, how were Mr. King's final months (just a little bit) weird due to a thing called COVID-19, and what has he gone on to do since graduation as an ELS teacher.Send us Fan Mail

Dr. Anthony Jones joins us on this episode to talk about his role as director of the lab schools. Here we do a deeper dive into how we operate, how our mission plays out in practice, funding, and what rules we even have to follow. Are we a district? A public school? What even are we?!Send us Fan Mail

What's a lab school? We have one of those? And so many more questions about the P-12 University Lab Schools we hope to address in this series. Hello there! We are Andy Goveia and Ben Webb, teachers at the Illinois State University Laboratory Schools. Join us as we share what it is like work at University High School and Thomas Metcalf School. We will explore innovation, pedagogy, best practice, and so much more. Send us Fan Mail