EP335 How teacher language shapes us—and teaches kids to find their wisest self (with Lily Howard Scott)
Angela Watson's Truth for Teachers
Angela Watson
4.8 • 1.3K Ratings
🗓️ 5 October 2025
⏱️ 61 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
"Giving kids, and yourself, language to wrap around the idea that we have an inner leader (our kindest, best self) is transformative."
Join me as I talk with Lily Howard Scott, a NYC-based parent, educator, and author, who shares insights from her book The Words That Shape Us: The Science-Based Power of Teacher Language.
We're exploring how our internal self-talk shapes our perceptions of students and ourselves, and how intentional language can transform classroom culture. Lily shares practical strategies for helping students of all ages:
- Notice and separate from their thoughts and feelings ("feelings as visitors")
- Understand they are always good inside, even when they make a bad choice
- Access their wisest self to respond thoughtfully instead of reacting automatically
Lily also introduces tools like "outer shells and inner swirls" to help students notice assumptions and guide interactions in more mindful, empowering ways.
Whether you're looking to improve classroom culture, support student self-reflection, or strengthen your own teacher mindset, this episode offers actionable strategies and inspiring reminders about the words we choose and the impact they have.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Welcome to Episode 335 of Angela Watson's Truth for Teachers. |
| 0:08.0 | I'm your host, Angela Watson, and I'm here to speak encouragement into the hearts of educators |
| 0:13.0 | and get you informed and energized for the week ahead. |
| 0:17.0 | Today I'm talking with Lily Howard Scott about the power of teacher language and self-talk. |
| 0:23.7 | Visit truthforteachers.com for an easy-to-read, easy-to-share version of this podcast episode. |
| 0:31.9 | Today's episode is brought to you in part by ListenWise, providing short, high-quality, age-appropriate podcasts for |
| 0:40.1 | grades 2 to 12. Save time with pre-made lessons designed to build students' background knowledge |
| 0:46.0 | and academic vocabulary. Keep students on grade level with scaffolding and differentiation. |
| 0:52.4 | Use ListenWise's ELD Lesson library for WIDA and State ELD Standards Aligned podcast and video lessons, |
| 1:01.0 | built for English learners, from emergent to reclassification. |
| 1:06.0 | ListenWise gives you comprehension tools like quizzes, interactive transcripts, graphic organizers, |
| 1:13.0 | and a text to speech toolbar with translations in over 15 languages. |
| 1:18.7 | Start a free trial today at listenwise.com. |
| 1:24.3 | This episode is also brought to you by a podcast that I think more educators and families really need to hear. |
| 1:31.1 | It's called Opportunity Gap, and it's one of those shows that fills in the missing pieces that we don't always get from formal professional development or teacher prep. |
| 1:41.0 | The host, Julian Savadra, is an assistant principal in Philadelphia with nearly 20 years |
| 1:47.0 | in public schools. He brings both lived experience and a deep sense of empathy to every conversation, |
| 1:54.2 | whether it's with child psychologists, parents, or educators in the field. You'll find episodes on |
| 1:59.6 | everything from the gaps in federal funding for |
| 2:02.0 | special ed to how dyslexia often gets missed in students of color. It's a great resource for |
| 2:08.1 | teachers and also one you can recommend to families. To listen, just search Opportunity Gap in your |
| 2:14.3 | podcast app. That's Opportunity Gap. My guest today is Lily Howard Scott. She is |
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