Teacher Talking Time: Daily Summaries Delivered

Why Launching a Business is Scarier Than Skydiving - Martina Monreal

"It’s 5,000 metres high, and I promise you: it is much scarier to launch a business than it is to jump out of a plane. When you launch, you are open to being judged, and you can fail, but that 80% fear is exactly what drives you to succeed." We chat with Smart Cookie co-founder Martina Montreal. Martina is a language educator and the co-founder of SmartCookie. Since 2016, she has taught over 1,000 students, using that experience to go all-in on building a "second brain" that eliminates administrative chaos for teachers. Martina advocates for the power of patience and taking professional leaps, even when launching a business feels scary. In this episode, we chat about: The power of "nàixīn" [耐心]: why patience is the most demanding requirement for both language learning and business. Overcoming the cost of inaction: how saying "yes" to an unplanned Spanish class changed Martina’s entire career. How a background in abstract logic fueled the creation of a "second brain" for teachers, Why Smart Cookie focuses on eliminating administrative fat rather than overcomplicating with features. Why true professional strength is built through failure, not playing it safe. Why rest is not a luxury: the role trashy television plays in entrepreneurship. *Prefer video? Watch the episode on YouTube. FOR MORE FROM MARTINA MONREAL: 1. Connect on LinkedIn 2. Visit her website 3. Check out Smart Cookie OUR PARTNER: COMMUNICATING FOR IMPACT The Creative House for Leading Educators & Experts. Amplify your work with high-end video and podcasts that get results. Create impactful videos and podcasts with their programmes and done-for-you production services. Start your series here. SUPPORT US: 🫶 Integrate your brand with our podcast in an effort to improve language education. ⭐ Leave a review where you listen. WORK WITH US: 1. Book a free 1:1 chat with us to strategize your teaching business. 2. Learn how to monetize your teaching skills with TAP. 3. Our CPD Courses. THE THRIVING TEACHERPRENEUR Get inspired to start and grow your own education business. Weekly insights, stories, and reflections on education entrepreneurship. Subscribe on Substack here.

The Assessment Trap: The Radical Assessment Shift That Actually Creates Fluency - Charline Rouffet

"If you only have this theory, you will never be able to swim. You need some water to experience it. Don't be afraid to start with a speaking exam in the first year. If we change the way we assess, we can change the way we teach." We sit down with the amazing Charline Rouffet. Charline is a foreign language teacher educator and PhD candidate at Utrecht University, specializing in task-oriented language learning. Her research explores how communicative, classroom-based assessments can transform pedagogical approaches and bridge the gap between theory and classroom practice. In this episode, we chat about: Why young teachers struggle to implement communicative methods within a rigid, grammar-obsessed system. How the constant threat of testing shapes every move a student makes and every lesson a teacher plans. Why adding unknown elements to assessments is the only way to mimic real-life communication. Starting with the learning goals to ensure your teaching and testing are actually on the same page. How an obsession with accuracy and "memorizing verbs" is killing student motivation and closing down university programs. Why joy and personal connection is the only thing AI can't recreate in the language learning process. *Prefer video? Watch the episode on YouTube. FOR MORE FROM CHARLINE ROUFFET 1. Connect on LinkedIn 2. Visit her website OUR PARTNER: FLUENTIZE Want to teach your best lessons — without all the prep? Fluentize turns real-world videos into interactive ESL lessons for teens and adults. Explore 650+ ready-to-teach lessons designed to engage your students, simplify lesson planning, and save you hours of preparation. Start for free here. SUPPORT US: 🫶 Integrate your brand with our podcast in an effort to improve language education. ⭐ Leave a review where you listen. WORK WITH US: 1. CPD & Teaching Resources 2. Book a free 1:1 chat with us to strategize your teaching business. 3. Monetize your teaching skills THE THRIVING TEACHERPRENEUR Get inspired to start and grow your own education business. Weekly insights, stories, and reflections on education entrepreneurship. Subscribe on Substack here.

1.5 Million YouTube Subscribers Later: The Truth About Money - Jennifer Lebedev

The End of Traditional ELT: Why Teachers Must Unlearn Everything - Evan Frendo

The Imposter Syndrome Trap: The Psychological Reason You’re Not Charging What You’re Worth [and how to fix it] - Catherine Angus

You Can't NOT Teach Grammar (And Why We’re Doing It Wrong) - Caitlyn Pineault

"Designing curriculum around proficiency goals for your program is a way of making them a positive, empowering tool instead of something that's punitive" - Caitlyn Pineault. Caitlyn teaches undergraduate second language acquisition courses at Georgetown University with a dedication to connecting research and practice for language teachers. Her work can be found in the Modern Language Journal and the Foreign Language Annals. She is also the co-founder of the recurring column “Collective Wisdom: Teacher and Researchers in Dialogue” in The Language Educator. In this episode, we chat about: Bridging Research and Classroom Practice The Role of Feedback in Language Learning Student's Frustration with Language Learning Challenges in Changing Teaching Practices The Role of Rubrics in Reflecting Teacher Values Assessment and Its Impact on Language Programs Implementing TBLT in Different Educational Contexts The Future of Language Education and Teacher Mindset *Prefer video? Watch the episode on YouTube. FOR MORE FROM CAITLYN PINEAULT: 1. Connect on LinkedIn 2. Visit her website 3. Collective Wisdom: Teacher and Researchers in Dialogue” OUR PARTNER: WE ARE ENGLISH TEACHERS Are you struggling to find students as a teacher entrepreneur? Join the Elevate community via the We Are English Teachers community and gain visibility through their network of learners looking for a teacher. We Are English Teachers: https://weareenglishteachers.com/ SUPPORT US: 🫶 Integrate your brand with our podcast in an effort to improve language education. ⭐ Leave a review where you listen. WORK WITH US: 1. Book a free 1:1 chat with us to strategize your teaching business. 2. Learn how to monetize your teaching skills with TAP 3. Download our free guides for teacherpreneurs. THE THRIVING TEACHERPRENEUR Get inspired to start and grow your own education business. Weekly insights, stories, and reflections on education entrepreneurship. Subscribe on Substack here.

Don't go Viral: The real keys to creating IMPACTFUL content - Laura Wilkes

"You don't have to feel confident to be great at what you do." We talk with Laura Wilkes, founder of Communicating for Impact, about content creation, putting yourself out there, and what it really takes to build a full-service production house. Laura has 15 years of experience in education leadership and media production for global education brands. She started Communicating for Impact after seeing how high-quality, strategic media can accelerate growth for experts and mission-driven organizations. In this episode, we chat about: passions vs businesses going from reluctant leader to confident director the role of authenticity and creativity in content creation Laura launching her own creative production house how to stand out in saturated markets understanding buyer psychology the mechanisms needed to take the entrepreneurial leap *Prefer video? Watch the episode on YouTube. FOR MORE FROM LAURA WILKES: 1. Connect on LinkedIn 2. Check out Communicating for Impact 3. Follow her YouTube channel SUPPORT US: 🫶 Integrate your brand with our podcast in an effort to improve language education. ⭐ Leave a review where you listen. WORK WITH US: 1. Book a free 1:1 chat with us to strategize your teaching business. 2. Learn how to monetize your teaching skills with TAP 3. Download our free guides for teacherpreneurs. THE THRIVING TEACHERPRENEUR Get inspired to start and grow your own education business. Weekly insights, stories, and reflections on education entrepreneurship. Subscribe on Substack here.

There's a problem with the word "INCLUSION." We should use THIS instead - Ben Goldstein

Want to monetize your skills as a teacher? Book a free 1:1 with us to see if we can help. "You can be included and still not feel that you belong" - Ben Goldstein. We sit down with Ben to talk inclusion in ELT - and what that actually means (and what it doesn't). Ben is a writer, teacher trainer and conference speaker. He taught materials writing for many years on the online MATESOL program of the New School in New York. He has published two methodology handbooks for teachers: Working with Images and Language Learning with Digital Video. 30 Ideas on Inclusion in ELT, a pocket handbook for teachers has also just been published by Cambridge. In this episode, Ben discusses: defining inclusion in education challenges and misconceptions of inclusive teaching belonging vs inclusion why "inclusion" isn't the best word to use how being critical of inclusivity is alright holistic strategies for teachers to use engagement, representation, and action in UDL FOR MORE FROM BEN GOLDSTEIN: 1. Connect on LinkedIn 2. Ben's book "30 Ideas on Inclusion." 3. Visit his website bengoldstein.es OUR PARTNER: WE ARE ENGLISH TEACHERS Are you struggling to find students as a teacher entrepreneur? Join the Elevate community via the We Are English Teachers community and gain visibility through their network of learners looking for a teacher. We Are English Teachers: https://weareenglishteachers.com/ Thank you for listening. Your support has been overwhelming and we couldn't do what we do without you. Collaborate with us: Want to integrate your brand with our podcast in an effort to improve language education? Reach out here: info@learnyourenglish.com RESOURCES TO HELP YOU: 1. Connect with us on our Substack. 2. Book a free 1:1 chat with us to strategize your teaching business. 3. Follow the LYE YouTube Channel 4. Learn how to monetize your teaching skills with TAP 5. Download our free guides for teacherpreneurs.