Top of the Class
by Emily Pottinger and Dr. Meredith Critchfield
This podcast was developed by educators for educators of all kinds, so whether you’re an undergraduate student studying to become a teacher, maybe you’re a paraprofessional, a classroom teacher, a master’s student, or an administrator, you are welcome here and we hope you’ll join us each month.
Episodes
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Top of the Class Episode 63 – Executive Presence – Emily & Meredith
Welcome to today’s episode! We’re diving into a topic that goes beyond lesson plans and teaching strategies—executive presence in education. Often associated with corporate leadership, executive presence is just as critical in the world of teaching. It’s about how we carry ourselves, communicate,...
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Top of the Class Episode 62 – Working with Different Personalities – Dr. Alicia Kozimor
In today’s episode, we’re delving into the art and science of working with personalities and appreciation language. What better a topic to be released during this Valentine's Day week. As educators, we interact with diverse personalities daily—students, colleagues, administrators, and parents....
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Top of the Class Episode 61 – What is Teacher Licensure? – Dr. Jeremy Hayden
Well, we know that we have taken a little bit of a hiatus on Top of the Class these past few months. Life has been nothing short of a whirlwind, but we have missed you all and are so excited to jump right in. Today we are chatting about the ever-glamorous topic of educator certification. Whether...
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Top of the Class Episode 60- Financial Literacy for Educators- Part II -Monica Martinez
So, we are back with Part II of our financial literacy conversation with our expert, Monica Martinez! We are here to chat about what financial literacy is and why it is important for us as educators. Again, we want to remind all you listeners that we are not professional financial advisors and…
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Top of the Class Episode 59- Financial Literacy for Educators- Part I -Monica Martinez
This is part one of a 2-part special! Today we bring to you a conversation that is not always an easy one to dig into, but one that is so important to discuss as educators. We are bringing to you an expert to help us chat and learn a bit more about financial literacy as educators. Before we learn...
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SPECIAL 75th Recording: Top of the Class Extra Credit- Why We Love Teachers with Emily & Meredith
Special 75th Recording: This is a very special launch for a very special profession and we couldn't think of a better episode than this one! We have officially released 75 recordings here on Top of the Class. And, in this brand new year, we want to dedicate it all to our amazing profession and…
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Top of the Class Episode 58- Character Education: Shared Leadership/The Practical Wisdom Framework with Emily Farkas & Dr. Ashley Betkowski
We are excited to wrap up our special 4-part series on Character Education today. If you missed the first 3 episodes in this series, be sure to go back to hear all of the wonderful wisdom. As we enter episode 4 in this series, we are going to be chatting specifically about shared leadership and…
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Top of the Class Episode 57-Character Education: The Caught, Taught, Sought Model with Emily Farkas & Dr. Ashley Betkowski
Welcome back! We are so excited to dive into the 3rd of a special 4 part series all about Character Education. If you didn’t catch our first 2 episodes in the series, be sure to take a listen. Today we have a catchy model that we are going to dig into, the “Caught, Taught, and Sought Model”. I am...
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Top of the Class Episode 56- Character Education: Actionable Steps with Emily Farkas & Dr. Ashley Betkowski
We are here with the 2nd episode in our special 4-part series on Character Educaiton! If you missed the 1st episode in the series, be sure to take a peek! Today we are chatting about some actionable steps. We all love some marching orders as educators! Resource Links: Our Framework for Purposeful...
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Top of the Class Episode 55- Character Education: Where to Begin & Defining Core Values with Emily Farkas & Dr. Ashley Betkowski
We are here to dive into a really important series on Top of the Class. We are about to jump into a special 4-part series around Character Education. We are here to build upon our previous episode where we had the opportunity to start chatting about this topic. So, in this series, we will have…
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Top of the Class Episode 54-Alternative Pathways to Educator Licensure-Dr. Carol Lippert and Carolyn Mann
We wanted to bring to you all a topic that has been on our minds for some time now. We have been in countless meetings, sessions, and conversations all about the teacher pipeline or educator pipeline and how we can help to fill the need out there. We know the need is great and we have had the...
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Top of the Class Episode 53-Why We Appreciate Being an Educator with Julianne Bridwell & Ryan Reid
Recently, we celebrated a VERY important week. As the academic school year winds down each year, we have Teacher Appreciation Week. While we celebrate teachers and educators EVERY single day, this is a week where we pay extra special attention to our educators. To our listeners out there…
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Top of the Class Episode 52-Servant Leadership-Part 4 with Nicholas Johnson
We are back with the 4th and FINAL episode in our special 4-part series on servant leadership. This topic has been rich with good reminders, tips, and ideas on how we can best serve our fellow colleagues, our students, our student’s families, and the community around us. We are so excited to wrap...
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Top of the Class Episode 51-Servant Leadership-Part 3-with Melissa Woodward
We are back…for part 3 of a very special FOUR-part series all on servant leadership. We know that it might not be a term used at all places of work, but our roles as educators really do embody a lot of those characteristics that are found in servant leadership. So, we thought it was such a worthy...
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Top of the Class Episode 50-Servant Leadership-Part 2-with Emily Hollendoner
Well, we are back for another wonderful episode. This is Part II of our Servant Leadership Series. If you missed Part I, we chatted with an alum who went a bit viral on our COE Instagram page for her role in “Life of a First Year Teacher: Life of Shay!” and learned SO much! Feel free to take a...
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Top of the Class Extra Credit-Why We LOVE GCU with Emily & Meredith
With today being Valentine's Day, we thought that this was the perfect day to share the LOVE. In this Extra Credit episode, Emily and Meredith dive into why they love GCU and a little bit about their own history and journey. With over TWO decades between them at GCU, there is a lot of love to go...
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Top of the Class Episode 49-Servant Leadership-Part I-with Shay Quitno
Today, we have a fun episode that is actually part of a FOUR-part series! For the next few episodes, we are going to be talking all about servant leadership. As classroom teachers and school leaders, we’re not just leaders, but we’re servant leaders who provide emotional and academic support,...
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Top of the Class Episode 48-Bringing Character Ed to Classrooms with Emily Farkas
We are beyond thrilled about today’s episode. This has been a topic that is very important to us here at GCU and in the College of Education, but also personally important to us at Top of the Class. We know that there are SO many challenging things that our students experience in life. The world…
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Top of the Class Episode 47-Back-to-School Basics with Dr. Victor Diaz
We are so excited right now. As we record this episode, we have been bombarded with all of the back-to-school media, commercials, pictures on social media, etc. And, we know that so many of you are preparing to return to your classrooms and many of you may already have a classroom full of…
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Top of the Class Episode 46-Students with Exceptionalities & Online/Hybrid Environments with Dusty Sanchez and Julie Blair
Today, we are going to talk about a really special topic. We wanted to discuss those online and hybrid environments, specifically how we can best support our students with exceptionalities. We have brought in two amazing experts in this area today, Dusty Sanchez and Julie Blair, to help us all...
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Top of the Class Episode 45-Educator Vocal Health with Dr. Rachel Velarde
Today we have a really interesting topic that is new to us on Top of the Class. We are so lucky to know experts in the field who bring a wide variety of experiences to Top of the Class. We are so excited to learn something new today. We all can attest that we do a lot of talking as teachers, so...
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Top of the Class Episode 44-Professional Ethics with Dr. Troy Hutchings
Today we come to you all with a very timely discussion. We are here to chat about ethics and our professional practice as educators. Many of us likely have an understanding of the Model Code of Ethics for Educators and for our GCU students and grads, you may remember our Professional…
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Extra Credit: Alternative Pathways to Teaching with Lindy Gaudiano
Today we are going to chat a bit about some of the challenges that we are faced with today in the field of education. As many of us know, there is a need to help get more certified teachers in the classroom. So, we wanted to talk a little bit about what that might look like. How can we help…
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Top of the Class Episode 43-Setting Appropriate Boundaries with Meredith and Emily
Today’s episode comes to us after discussions with many of you on what parts of being an educator challenge and mystify you the most. For many of you, this is how to appropriately, kindly, and ethically set boundaries with all the different stakeholders we encounter from parents to students to...
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Extra Credit Episode: Tips to Running a Successful Virtual Meeting with Tiffany Newell
Many of us are hosting and running virtual meetings these days, so we thought we’d bring in an amazing expert, Tiffany Newell, who can teach us all the tricks to make the meetings run smoothly and make sure they are as informative and engaging as possible. This short and sweet extra credit…
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Top of the Class Episode 42-Creating the Ultimate Teacher Capsule Wardrobe with Dr. Brandon Juarez
The world and the field of education are going through some transformation right now. We cover lots of serious topics on this show, but we wanted to dabble in something a bit lighter. So, we have added Part 2 to our Creating the Ultimate Teacher Wardrobe mini-series. I don’t know about you, but…
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Top of the Class Episode 41-Our Field of Education Today
We know that there are so many changes that we are seeing in the field of education right now...some from needs found from the pandemic. In this episode, Emily and Meredith chat about this timely topic including discussion on what our "new normal" might look like and some lessons we have learned…
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Top of the Class Episode 40-GCU and COE Updates with Emily and Meredith
This is a fun little episode with Meredith and Emily as they share some updates in the College of Education and with Grand Canyon University. They will chat about new roles, exciting vision, social media, and more! Hop on and learn about what's new with this dynamic duo.
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Top of the Class Episode 39-Culturally Responsive Teaching with Justin Campbell
Today we come to you all with a very important discussion and topic. We are here to chat about culturally responsive teaching. Now, as teachers, we know just how important this is. It is important to talk about, but it is also essential that we continue to reflect and grow in our practice as...
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Top of the Class Episode 38-Part 2: Our Students’ Health in Trying Times with Dr. Stephanie Nilsen and Dr. Crystal McCabe
This is Part 2 of our episode on supporting our students’ mental health during trying times, so if you haven’t had the chance, be sure to check out Part 1 of this fabulous episode. We have had many requests from you all on how to support our students’ mental health during crisis points. We need...
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Top of the Class Episode 38-Part 1: Our Students’ Health in Trying Times with Dr. Stephanie Nilsen and Dr. Crystal McCabe
SPECIAL RELAUNCH EPISODE: After a few months, Top of the Class is back! We’ve had many requests lately from you, our listeners, on how to support our students’ mental health during trying times. We know that mental health is a national crisis, one that often becomes really apparent when students...
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Top of the Class Episode 37: Creating the Ultimate Teacher Capsule Wardrobe with Meredith and Emily
There’s so much going on these days, especially in the field of education. To add to the mix of the MANY things teachers think about, many of us are left wondering what to wear. Also, it’s fun to think about something lighthearted like fashion. With all the seriousness in the world, why not…
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Top of the Class Episode 36: It Starts With You: Self-Care and Compassion Satisfaction in Teaching: Jamie Valderrama
In this episode, we wanted to continue conversations that we have started to have in our past episodes. We have touched a bit on the wide range of expectations that teachers tackle day in and day out, as well as how we need to practice mindfulness and take care of ourselves physically, mentally,...
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Top of the Class Episode 35-Teacher of the Year and National Board Certified Teacher: Dr. Beth Maloney
We are so excited to kick off this new year with such an amazing episode! We love bringing to you, our listeners, all the best and brightest in the field of education. It’s our mission really here on Top of the Class and today is no different as we welcome a very special guest to the show.…
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Top of the Class Episode 34-Faith in the Public School System with Dr. Paul Danuser
As we are in the thick of the holiday season, this is a very timely and perhaps much needed conversation. In this episode, we are going to chat about a topic of conversation that often comes up in our GCU classes. Faith in the classroom. We have a lot of faculty, alumni, and teacher candidates in...
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Top of the Class Episode 33- Addressing the Biggest Challenges Facing Education with Nathan Hollis II
We polled you all on Twitter and Google Forms and many of you all reported back that you wanted to know more about how to become a teacher advocate. A lot of us are so passionate about issues that impact education, but we don’t know how to go beyond our classroom or school to make a difference in...
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Top of the Class-Extra Credit-Three Trending Tech Tools in Education: Amanda Errington
As K-12 education has shifted towards virtual learning, we want to make sure we’re on the cutting edge of the latest and greatest tech tools. In this Extra Credit episode, we’re going to dive into the three trending tech tools in education with a fantastic expert teacher and faculty member…
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Top of the Class Episode 32-Being a Teacher Advocate: 2019 Arizona Teacher of the Year-Kareem Neal
Wow! In this episode, we have such a special treat for you all! We are beyond thrilled and a little star-struck to welcome the 2019 Arizona Teacher of the Year, Kareem Neal. He is here to answer some of our burning questions and share a bit about his journey in education...and what a journey that...
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Top of the Class-Extra Credit-Teaching in COVID-19: Virtual and Hybrid Learning Tips with Emily & Meredith
We know this is a wild and unprecedented time for all you educators out there, and we just want you to know that while we don’t know what the right answer is in all this, we stand with you and support you. We know you’re doing the best you can to make it work for students. We also know all you...
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Top of the Class Episode 31: Save the Drama…. For the Classroom with Michael Kary
We just can't help ourselves with a "punny" title! We know that times are so very different than when we first recorded this episode. However, we think it is so relevant because we want to give these creative outlets to our students even if our classes look a bit different this year. In this...
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Top of the Class Episode 30-Teaching and Serving Indigenous Populations: 2020 Arizona Teacher of the Year- Lynette Stant
In honor of all of our wonderful educators planning for back to school, some of which are already back in action this week, we wanted to take a moment to celebrate you all! A huge shout-out goes out to teachers everywhere, but we are especially sending love to our Arizona teachers, we wanted to...
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Top of the Class Episode 29- Balancing Teaching and Family with Andrea Hogan
Are you working and parenting from home right now? Today's episode is a special one because it likely speaks to so many of us right now during these challenging times. Our guest today, Andrea Hogan, is a super mom, super psychology professor, super doctoral student, super wife, and a dear friend....
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Top of the Class Episode 28- #MathStrong with Katy Long
In this episode, we are getting out of our own personal comfort zones and we’re talking MATH! These two language arts/literacy buff co-hosts are diving deep into the world of math education with one of our favorite math education experts, Assistant Professor, Katy Long. One of our favorite parts…
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Top of the Class Episode 27-Mental Health and Self-Care for Teachers with Kathy Britton
First, we want to just send all of our teachers a HUGE shout-out out there for the wonderful work that has been accomplished during the COVID-19 situation. Also, huge kudos to all of the parents who have now become teachers over these last months. We hope this episode can help provide some…
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Top of the Class-Extra Credit-Keeping it Clean: Fighting Germs and Illness in the Classroom
At Top of the Class, we are constantly working to bring you all practical tips that can be useful in your everyday. We know that many of us are experiencing some stress, and some may be downright scared and what is happening today. That being said, we wanted to put together some very practical…
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Top of the Class Episode 26-Putting First Things First: Early Childhood Development (Part 2)
So, we are back to finish our conversation in this special two part episode, talking all about little humans and early childhood development. This episode is vital to us as teachers, but also moms of two feisty toddlers! We are so grateful to have an amazing advocate for early childhood…
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Top of the Class Episode 25-Putting First Things First: Early Childhood Development (Part 1)
In this special two part episode, we’re focusing on the little humans. It’s all about early childhood development. This episode means so much to us as teachers and long-time educators but also as parents of toddlers who are right in the middle of this all-important development phrase of their…
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Top of the Class-Extra Credit-Check Yourself!: A Quick Guide to Healthy, Professional Communication
In today’s short and sweet extra credit episode, Meredith and Emily share some strategies to make sure your professional relationships in and outside of the classroom are healthy and fruitful. In other words, when a conflict is brewing, how can we check ourselves before we wreck ourselves? So,...
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Top of the Class-Extra Credit-Nailing the Teacher Interview
Top of the Class is here with a special guest co-host today! This Extra Credit episode features Meredith and, special guest, Katie Sprute! Katie is no stranger to Top of the Class. You can recognize her voice from past episodes, like Episode 6 and 22. Today, Katie and Meredith are here to give…
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Top of the Class Episode 24- Keeping Things Civil in a Sometimes Uncivil World with Joshua Danaher and Dr. Matt Nolen
Happy New Year from Top of the Class! Can you believe it is 2020? This is the perfect episode to kick of a new year. Today’s episode is all about keeping the peace! In today’s social and political climate, it can be tough to maintain civility when it feels like harsh words are being tossed about...
About this show
This podcast was developed by educators for educators of all kinds, so whether you’re an undergraduate student studying to become a teacher, maybe you’re a paraprofessional, a classroom teacher, a master’s student, or an administrator, you are welcome here and we hope you’ll join us each month.
Hosted by
Emily Pottinger and Dr. Meredith Critchfield