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PODCAST · education

Schoolish

by Mike Yates

Schoolish (Formerly the School Sucks Podcast) is a podcast that seeks to push thinking about what is possible when we have hard conversations about education. Here we tell stories, interrogate data, have conversations, and celebrate innovation. Mike Yates is the host. He is an educator, entrepreneur, public speaker, and a member of the Reinvention Lab at Teach for America.

Publisher-supplied feed metadata · PodParley refreshed Apr 16, 2026 · Source feed

Episodes

  1. 054: Annnnd We're Back...Again

    I heard from a lot of you that we should be back...so we are! Less frequent but more in-depth episodes. Cataloging my thoughts on the future of learning and saying the things that no one else will.

  2. 052: Everything Right and Wrong With Homeschooling!

    What's with homeschooling? Should you get into it? Should you leave it alone? How should you approach it? Mike and Brett get into it ALL on the podcast this week!

  3. I have some explaining to do...

    If you read the latest edition of Schoolish: The Newsletter then you might have thought we were getting rid of this podcast...but...we are still here.

  4. 051: Why YOU need to be a storyteller w/ Andy Boenau

    We talking all about the importance of storytelling in the lives of students, parents, educators...well basically everyone! Andy and I had such a great conversation on this! Cannot wait for you to tune in! To learn more about Andy check out his website: https://andyboenau.com Grab a free book…

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  5. 050: Chickens and Snakes: Why you should get rid of GT programs

    What do you think of when you hear GT classes? When I was growing up I remember being brought into a drab, tan-colored room and taking a test to get into the GT program. The test had patterns of shapes and logic puzzles and word problems. At a young age, I remember thinking, "What does this have…

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  6. 049: Yes, Your Private School Actually Sucks Too

    There are some pretty common misconceptions about private schools in the United States. Many think they are well funded, rigorous, better staffed, better trained, and all-around better than public schools. That couldn't be more untrue. Welcome to the next exhibit of the #case4reinvention where we...

  7. 048: Yes, You Actually Can Teach Your Kids

    If all the pieces were in place would you homeschool your kids? For the first time in a looooong time parents are taking a hard look at their kids' school. COVID and Distance Learning have exposed our traditional school system in a way that we really haven't seen before. Because of this...

  8. 047: What is School For?

    All too often in education reinvention circles, we are asking difficult questions about school. One that we never seem to ask is "what is school for?" I did that with my Linkedin Audience and want to invite you into that conversation. If you want to catch the replay catch it here!

  9. 046: Ask Me Anything Vol. 1 on Linkdedin Live

    We got into a TON of dope topics about education! AMA's and Linkedin Lives happen on my linkedin profile every Thursday at 4:00pm CT. Enjoy!

  10. 045: Changing the Face of Entrepreneurship in Education

    Mike and Morgan Williams, both staff of the Reinvention Lab at Teach for America, sit down to talk about what the Reinvention Lab is doing to serve Social Entrepreneurs who are working to build the #futureoflearning. How are we doing that you ask? Well Morgan has lead the development of the...

  11. 044: The Teacher Problem in Schools

    Point blank we have a teacher problem in schools and that is that we can't keep them! Why? Let's talk about it!

  12. 043: Ridin with LOOP w/ Carey Anne Nadeau

    Carey Anne Nadeau is an MIT-trained entrepreneur, focused on modernizing the measurement of risk. Formerly a Researcher at the Brookings Institution and Urban Institute, Carey Anne went on to found Loop, an auto insurance MGA that uses AI to provide a fair price to all. Find more about Loop HERE.

  13. 042: Outlier w/ Brett Roer & Daniela Pico

    Brett Roer serves as Outlier.org’s High School Strategic Partnerships Lead after 16 years of empowering high school students in Brooklyn, Queens, and The Bronx. Throughout his career, Brett’s mission has been to equip high school students with the foundational academic skills needed to graduate...

  14. Be back soon

    We’re on break this month! Be back in August

  15. 041: The world's best access to opportunity w/ Sophie Hoffman

    Sophie is an investor at GSV Ventures, a multi-stage venture capital firm that specializes in education and workforce technology. She focuses on sourcing and conducting diligence on investment opportunities, covering early childhood and K12 EdTech companies across the US, Europe, Southeast Asia,...

  16. 040: The Story of Jermain Allen

    Jermain stopped by the podcast and was interviewed last week! Check out the full interview on episode 39! This is Jermain's school story! Bio: Jermain Allen is an experienced instructional designer with the unique ability to break down complex technical concepts into digestible knowledge for...

  17. 039: Building a Digital First Mentality w/ Jermain Allen

    Jermain Allen is an experienced instructional designer with the unique ability to break down complex technical concepts into digestible knowledge for audiences without technical backgrounds. Jermain leveraged his "technical translator" abilities to educate distributors, salespeople, internal…

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  18. 038: LIVE with Tech Spark Canada!

    I went Live with Tamar Huggins and Timothy Jones from Tech Spark Canada! Check it out.

  19. 037: I am Hip Hop w/ Timothy Jones

    After a 22-year career developing and implementing programs for middle and high school youth, Tim Jones launched Techniques4Learning LLC. Techniques4Learning is a company that pulls on the practices of youth development, hip-hop pedagogy, and various student-centered learning frameworks to train...

  20. 036: Just one Spark w/ Tamar Huggins Grant

    Tamar Huggins Grant is a multi-award-winning tech entrepreneur, author, and education trailblazer whose impact is featured exclusively on Blavity, BET, Black Enterprise, CBC, CP24, The Toronto Star, National Post, Globe and Mail, and Canadian Living to name a few. As a student, her life was…

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  21. 035: Making Good Trouble w/ Tamar Huggins Grant & Timothy Jones

    Tamar Huggins Grant is the Founder and CEO of Tech Spark Canada. Timothy Jones creates curriculum for Tech Spark and is the Chief Visionary Officer at Hip Hop Ed. Tech Spark is Canada’s first tech and design school committed to empowering children of color, girls, women, and teachers through...

  22. 034: Ready Learner 1 w/ Jesse Lubinsky

    Jesse is currently the Chief Learning Officer for Ready Learner One LLC. He is an education technologist, teacher, certified school administrator, and doctoral student based out of Westchester County in New York. Prior to entering the learning space, he was a technology consultant for Fortune 500...

  23. 033: STOP steering Black kids away from the arts w/ Andre and Mahoganëë Amigér

    Andre and Mahoganëë Amigér stopped by the podcast to talk about the alternatives to steering Black kids away from the arts. Their work with Responsible Artistry is remarkable and notable. Check out the conversation.

  24. 032: Unprofessional Development w/ Mealy and Tudisco

    Mealy and Tudisco are both educators in the Charlotte, NC area. They are the hosts of the Unprofessional Development Podcast as well! They are both HILARIOUS hosts who realized that the best professional development they got as teachers were in these informal conversations in the teacher's lounge...

  25. 031: Teaching to the Test w/ Ben Byrum

    Ben grew up in a small town very similar to the movie Varsity Blues. His experience with school had a lot to do with wanting to learn but being taught to take a test well. He turned that into a successful career publishing and writing having work featured in the Houston Chronicle and Stand Firm...

  26. Now Recording from DFW

    I moved! I left the city I love so much, Austin, TX, and moved to my wife's hometown, Dallas! While I am sad to leave Austin I cannot wait for the adventure Dallas holds. Because I am moving, the show is going to skip this week. I'll be back next week with some amazing content! See you then!

  27. 030: How to use School w/ Nikhil Vimal

    Nikhil Vimal is Head of Operations at ChatMode, which is a Microsoft partner. He is a startup advisor, an esports team owner, and a writer with work featured in places like Linkedin News, Business Insider, and VentureBeat. Nikhil's remarkable success seems to have boiled down to the way he built...

  28. 029: Nothing in life is a straight line anymore w/ Gaby Van Horn

    Gaby Van Horn is an educator, business English coach, podcast host, and e-learning specialist. She stopped by the Schoolish pod to tell me about her experience in k12 schooling. Connect with Gaby via Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gaby-van-horn-clever-hybrids/ Check out her podcast:...

  29. 028: School Sucks!

    I had a listener suggest that I share my TEDx talk audio on the show. Sooooo I am doing just that. Here is a TEDx Talk I did about a year ago called School Sucks!

  30. 027: It all comes down to passion w/ Aidan from Learnlife

    Closing out my series talking to learners from Learnlife (https://learnlife.com/), a learning center in Barcelona, Spain, I've got Aidan sharing his story about school on the show. He couldn't escape talking about his passions during the episode which makes me really excited! Passion can be a...

  31. 026: #FORBESUS w/ Tim Salau

    Tim's life purpose, his why, is to strengthen the bonds people share through compassionate action. Tim "Mr. Future of Work" Salau, is the CEO, Co-Founder, and Executive Chairman of Guide, the experience group and collective that owns Big Black Tea, a direct-to-consumer tea brand and our keystone...

  32. 025: Being Black in Education w/ Elizabeth Leiba & Danielle Shelton

    I had the chance a few weeks ago to jump on Linkedin Live with Danielle Shelton and Elizabeth Leiba to talk about issues associated with being Black in education. We talked about being Black students, HBCUs vs. PWIs, mentorship, the future of learning, and more! Elizabeth Leiba is an educator, a...

  33. 024: Building an Anti-Racist Future of Education w/ Shauna Smith

    This one is a straight-up conversation! I have the chance to sit down and talk with Shauna Smith about what she is doing in her local school district to create an anti-racist curriculum. In other words, she is trying to create an anti-racist future of education for all kids. Check out our...

  34. 023: Rite of Passage w/ Sofia from Learnlife

    Sofia is a 13-year-old student from an AMAZING learning center in Barcelona, Spain called Learnlife. In this episode, she shares with me her thoughts on school, education in general and tells us why her experience at Learnlife has been so special. Learn more about Learnlife here:...

  35. 022: That's just not me w/ Gerard Almenara Hernandez

    Gerard, a learner at Learnlife actually traveled the world looking for the right model of school for him. At each stop, it seemed that he kept having to say, "it's just not for me." Until he found Learnlife, an innovative learning center in Barcelona, Spain. A place that would challenge Gerard,...

  36. 021: Representation Matters w/ Benita Gordon

    Representation in school matters so much! For me, this was one of the most important things growing up. I didn't always see myself or my people in the school system but when I did, it stuck. Benita, the Global Education Concierge tells us how she knows that representation in school matters. Find...

  37. 020: School is a Dirty Word: A conversation with folks from LearnLife

    When asked, "Who or what is LearnLife?" This is what they might say: We are a group of changemakers united by our passion to create a new lifelong learning paradigm. We envision that collaborative learning communities will become the problem-solving champions in a world where agility, creativity,...

  38. 019: Fighting the new white nationalism...a plea

    I was hit hard when those white supremacists stormed the White House this week. I had so many emotions. I knew I couldn't just release a normal episode. So...here is my plea to the education community. I referenced this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWdqlHTEnmk I referenced the book The...

  39. BONUS- A Personal Branding Community Just for Educators

    We've been on break for the holidays...but we're back (glad you're here). In 2021, I am building a personal branding community to go alongside this podcast. So if you're an educator looking to build a personal brand please consider joining the community. All you have to do is head over to apple...

  40. 018: Creating with a cause w/ Jeffrey Henderson

    I used to be a hypebeast. Then I got into smaller, dope sneaker brands that tell stories and support good things. That is when I found NinetyNine Products, a small sneaker brand housed under a creative agency called AndThem. The agency and the sneaker brand are founded by Jeffrey Henderson after...

  41. 017: The Casio Watch Hustle w/ John Marty

    John Marty is the Co-Founder of Project 1B, a nonprofit that seeks to help 1 billion people around the world find their purpose and passion. John was named a Linkedin Top Voice for 2019 and is also one of the top 20 YouTube Channels for job seekers. There is no one better at helping people land...

  42. 016: Welcome to Schoolish, A new experience

    Welcome to Schoolish. This podcast used to be called School Sucks! We have rebranded and changed this podcast to capture more creative content! This episode is a new segment I've created called School Story. School Stories are audio bites from people capturing their experience with school. The…

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  43. Things are changing around here

    We are taking a break for the Holidays! Happy Holidays to you and your family! When we return in December, we will have a new name and a new brand!

  44. 015: Things I want to so more of in Education w/ Jaysin Spradley

    The School Sucks Podcast is a place where we have tough conversations in order to rethink and reinvent education so that no student has to say the words "School Sucks" ever again. In this episode, Jaysin Spradley and I dive into thoughts I have about education.

  45. 014: Calling Teachers by Their First Name???

    The School Sucks Podcast is a place where we have tough conversations in order to rethink and reinvent education so that no student has to say the words "School Sucks" ever again. In this episode, we dive into the question: Should students be on a first name basis with their teachers? Check out…

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  46. Thank you for listening

    With everything happening in the world sometimes it’s good to take a moment to pause. No new episode this week. We are taking a collective breather. See you on the next one!

  47. 013: Walking the Hallways of Life w/ Peter Hostrawser

    The School Sucks Podcast is a place where we have tough conversations about school in order to rethink and reinvent education. Our goal is that no student ever has to say "school sucks" ever again. In this episode, I had a chance to chat with Peter Hostrawser of HallPass Education and the Disrupt...

  48. 012: Communicating Across Differences w/ Jennifer Richmond

    The School Sucks Podcast is a place where we have tough conversations about school in order to rethink and reinvent education. Our goal is that no student ever has to say "school sucks" ever again. In this episode, I had a chance to chat with Jennifer Richmond. Jennifer Richmond is an…

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  49. 011: Building Equity in Schools w/ Jordyn Hawkins-Rippie

    The School Sucks Podcast is a place where we have tough conversations about school in order to rethink and reinvent education. Our goal is that no student ever has to say "school sucks" ever again. In this episode, I had a chance to chat with Jordyn Hawkins-Rippie. Jordyn's Bio: I am a Market...

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ABOUT THIS SHOW

Schoolish (Formerly the School Sucks Podcast) is a podcast that seeks to push thinking about what is possible when we have hard conversations about education. Here we tell stories, interrogate data, have conversations, and celebrate innovation. Mike Yates is the host. He is an educator, entrepreneur, public speaker, and a member of the Reinvention Lab at Teach for America.

HOSTED BY

Mike Yates

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Frequently Asked Questions

How many episodes does Schoolish have?

Schoolish currently has 61 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.

What is Schoolish about?

Schoolish (Formerly the School Sucks Podcast) is a podcast that seeks to push thinking about what is possible when we have hard conversations about education. Here we tell stories, interrogate data, have conversations, and celebrate innovation. Mike Yates is the host. He is an educator,...

How often does Schoolish release new episodes?

Schoolish has 61 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.

Where can I listen to Schoolish?

You can listen to Schoolish on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.

Who hosts Schoolish?

Schoolish is created and hosted by Mike Yates.
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