This is Jennifer Gonzalez welcoming you to episode 57 of the Cult of Pedagogy Podcast.

In this episode, I talk with Mark Barnes about nine simple solutions for common teaching

problems.

About two years ago, I was talking with my friend Mark Barnes about how to eliminate

meetings in school.

Both of us are former teachers who now spend all of our time helping teachers with their

work, so we get kind of obsessed with these things.

We both remembered the agony of sitting through meetings during our teaching years and how

for a time-strap teacher, long mandatory meetings can be soul-crushing.

But we were pretty sure we had figured out how to wipe out almost all meetings completely.

To understand this story, you need to know how we were talking to each other.

We were using one of my favorite apps, Voxer, which is a walkie-talkie app for smartphones

that allows you to have asynchronous conversations.

A synchronous meaning you don't have to be on the phone at the same time.

Voxer basically stacks voice messages one on top of the other in a private chat room,

and you can listen whenever you have time.

I know I've talked about it before.

I try to get everyone I know to use it, and I can't imagine how I would get anything

done without it.

I have long conversations with people over the course of many days.

I squeeze it in while I'm driving, doing household chores.

You can have one-on-one conversations or group discussions.

...