Recording from Beautiful Marietta, Georgia

Everyone has a podcast these days. But besides the Think Inclusive Podcast, there is one more you should check out.

Mar 12, 2021

[Image] Tim, wearing an Atlanta Braves shirt and cap, sitting at his desk recording an episode of the Think Inclusive podcast; his bedroom is in the background

“Recording from my dining room in beautiful Marietta, Georgia, you are listening to the Think Inclusive Podcast.”

This is how I started my first published episode of the podcast in late 2012. My guest was Nicole Eredics, an education blogger and the Inclusive Class Podcast co-host on Blog Talk Radio.

If you are interested, you can listen to our conversation here.

Using Garageband, a Logitech Headset, and a Skype account, I transformed my dining room into my own studio, all while my kids were asleep in their beds.

I remember telling some of my guests that at any moment, I could be summoned upstairs because of a nightmare or someone needing a drink of water. And to my surprise, everyone was extremely gracious.

What unfolded over the next eight years, chronicled in digital form, were people trying to answer the question, why haven’t we make more progress with inclusion? And what does inclusive education mean in my context?

This is great, Tim, but why should I care about this?

I’ll tell you. Since becoming the Director of Communications for MCIE, I’ve had the pleasure of consistently producing episodes of the Think Inclusive Podcast, and I want to acknowledge a couple of things. First, how extraordinary is it for me to do this for part of my job (it really is a dream come true). And second, big props to all the scrappy podcasters (especially educators) who spend their free time planning, scheduling, recording, editing, and promoting their shows that they pour their heart into.

One such podcast that I want to highlight is the Beyond the Curriculum Podcast.

I first heard of the podcast when a fellow inclusionist-Facebook-friend posted that they were a guest on Beyond the Curriculum talking about inclusion and project based learning.

Intriguing right?

To my delight, it was part of a whole inclusion series! I wanted to tell the Weeklyish readers about this because this is one of the first times I have seen an education podcast (that doesn’t specialize in inclusive education) cover inclusion in an authentic way. According to their own description, Beyond the Curriculum is a podcast “devoted to progressive education” which covers a wide range of topics, but this season they are “looking at inclusion and how creating more inclusive environments provides spaces where all learners can thrive.” Wow!

And a shout-out to Kristen for killing it on her interview!

[GIF] Abby Wambach Mic Drop (U.S. Soccer Federation)

Check out this topic/guest lineup.

What is Inclusion? Amy Campbell (WA Teacher of the Year)

Inclusive Communities: Karen Krejcha (Autism Empowerment)

Inclusive Classrooms: Kimberly Eckert (LA Teacher of the Year)

Inclusive Schools: Kristen Uliasz (Inclusion Specialist at Divinci Charter Academy)

Inclusive Design: Dr. Jan Wilson (University of Tulsa)

I believe there are still more episodes coming out for this season, so take some time to check it out.

Who’s On Deck?

Speaking of podcasts. We have some exciting guests I’d like to highlight.

If you don’t already follow the Think Inclusive Podcast, there are several places to listen. You can always listen on Spotify.

If you are not a podcast player type of listener, you can visit Anchor.fm and listen directly from the podcast page.

Now about those guests.

[image] a picture of a whiteboard with written text which reads: podcast; 3/18 Kohn, 4/15 Kurth, Bonus/Gross-Brundrett

Next week (3/18), we will be publishing our interview with Alfie Kohn, a prolific speaker and author of books on the topic of human behavior, education, and parenting, notably Punished by Rewards.

Additionally, we interviewed Jenny Kurth (author, professor, and researcher from the University of Kansas) about preparing for and implementing inclusive education with participation plans. Dr. Kurth’s interview is slated for 4/15.

We have one more episode (with Megan Gross and Nancy Brundrett) that we have decided to publish a little earlier than we planned, so there will be two episodes in April. Megan and Nancy tag-team support for the Poway Unified School District in California as they implement inclusive practices. They told me how some of their schools are completely dismantling program classrooms for students with intellectual disabilities. Exciting stuff!

If you want to get early access to unedited interviews, become a Patron of the Think Inclusive Podcast for as little as $3 per month.

BECOME A PATRON!

Stay tuned y’all. Great conversations ahead.

Tim

Disabled Writers Campaign

[GIF] an illustrated animation of a smiling person with long hair tied in a ponytail, typing on their computer with the text TAPPITY; a steaming coffee mug with a smiling face sits on the desk

YAY!

We raised nearly $300 to pay disabled writers for their time and words on Think Inclusive. But I bet we could do even better. Please donate today to help us fulfill our mission to amplify disabled voices to the world to show that inclusion always works.

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