The Broken Copier

What should reading look like in our classrooms?

01 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

There’s a lot of conversation about which books students should be reading these days and how many—but too little, perhaps, about how to make thei...

A No-Zeroes Grading Policy That...Works?

18 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Many teachers and educators have strong feelings about “no-zeroes” or minimum grading policies. Quite often of late, strong negative feelings.A fe...

What should homework look like in 2026?

04 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Surveys show students increasingly turning to AI as a tool for their school work. Teachers who want to limit AI usage during instructional time still ...

On Giving Teachers Enough Time

21 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

After a couple quieter months, we are back and rolling with The Broken Copier. Today’s Unjammed episode is built around a simple-if-implausible idea...

Two Teachers Talking About Reading

17 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The conversation about reading across education has taken a front-and-center position in many places, so it felt like the right time to have a convers...

On The Broken Copier

31 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Given that we are at the finish line of a very-busy 2025 with The Broken Copier, the goal of this short episode is first and foremost to express grati...

What Should "Support" Look Like?

12 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It is a very easy word to say in education, right? Full-stop: everyone wants to be supported and everyone wants to be supportive. However, making that...

How to Make Reading Meaningful for Students

28 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Broken Copier began a little over three years ago with a very simple idea: we wanted to uplift the type of conversations that happen so often betw...

What Has This School Year Taught Us?

26 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Over time, school years can fold into each other, in a way, with each eventually becoming indistinguishable from the next. This is why the goal of thi...

Finding Meaning in Teaching

14 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

“What happened to helping them interrogate what it means to be human?”In his book Teaching without Teaching, Scott F. Parker makes a case for re-c...

A Better AI Conversation

31 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

There is a lot of conversation happening in education around the topic of AI—but is it the right conversation? Recently Stephen Fitzpatrick wrote a ...

On Empty Desks

29 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This is the third episode of our new Unjammed series, with a topic that a lot of teachers still are struggling with in their classrooms: chronic stude...

On Losing Patience

15 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

For our second episode of our new Unjammed series, the focus is on a pattern Marcus was noticing in his own responses in the classroom this school yea...

On Challenging Students

08 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

After over twenty Kicking The Copier episodes that focused on specific teaching strategies and mindsets, we’re going to make a slight pivot this sch...

The Heaviness of Teaching

26 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This is a conversation between two teachers who noticed the same thing early into this school year: it feels heavier than usual.After Adrian Neibauer ...

A Better, More-Authentic Assessment

12 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

With the school year underway, the word “assessment” is front-and-center in many classrooms—so what can we do as teachers to shift our thinking ...

Where Learning Can Take Place

29 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In his newly-released book Learning Environment, Jared Fox writes, “I found that incorporating my passion for the natural world into the classroom w...

The Value of a 6-Week Check-in

22 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

With a new school year just getting underway for some and about to begin for others, it is a time of hoping and imagining for what the classroom can b...

The Art of Classroom Conversation

15 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this current moment, there are perhaps few things more valuable for students than the ability to confidently and skillfully navigate conversations....

What I'm Doing With AI (I Think)

08 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this Kicking The Copier episode, Marcus shares his current thinking and plans for AI as a teacher heading into this new school year with six things...

Better Discussions in the Classroom

01 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Almost every teacher wants their classroom to be a place where discussion amongst students thrives. Yet the reality is, unfortunately, that classrooms...

Taught For America, Pt. 2

25 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In the previous episode, Jim and Marcus shared about their own experiences with Teach For America—both their motivation for entering into teaching t...

Taught For America, Pt. 1

21 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Jim’s back! And he wasted no time in recording a two-part episode that has been on the docket for some time: a conversation about Jim and Marcus’s...

What a School Can Be

18 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What can a school be? This is a question that today’s guest Carla Meyrink has had to consider constantly since co-founding The Community For Learnin...

Let's Talk About Grading

11 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Last month Tyler Rablin wrote a blog post with a quite-lengthy title: “The Bandaids and Backflips of Surface-level Equitable Grading Practices That ...

Adrian and Marcus: Talking Teaching

10 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

With the help of several really thoughtful questions from listener and readers—including some from those about to go into the classroom for the firs...

What Middle School Can Be

04 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A lot of education conversations focus on what is happening in elementary schools and high schools, along with whatever is driving discourse in higher...

The Classroom As It Is

27 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Larry Ferlazzo has been a leading voice in education for quite some time. With a weekly advice column for Education Week, 13 different books on educat...

AI in the Classroom

20 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

There is a ton of conversation out there about AI in education right now—but too often, very little of that conversation centers the exploration and...

KTC #20: Trust Me—Choose Transparency

25 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

For our 20th (!!!) Kicking The Copier episode, the focus is very much singular: the importance of being transparent as a teacher, particularly in your...

Being a Teacher

05 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Teacher Appreciation Week 2025 is here! With that in mind, we wanted to have a conversation around what exactly it means to be a teacher in this momen...

Let's Talk About Testing

24 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Recently, Adrian Neibauer wrote a reflective piece about his experience with standardized testing that began with these words: I’m a hypocrite.In to...

KTC #19: Pause and Take a Classroom Pulse Check

18 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

After opening with a note of gratitude for our listeners and readers, today’s Kicking The Copier shares a simple, powerful strategy you can use at a...

To Teach in This Moment

04 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In January 2021, Nick Covington was a social studies teacher in Iowa fully-immersed in his classroom and students. Successful, purposeful, and thrivin...

KTC #18: Add This Question to the End of Your Next Assignment

21 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The little solutions in the classroom can often create big impacts for the classroom—and today’s Kicking The Copier is very much one of those exam...

"Is 100% Engagement a Myth?" with Adrian Neibauer

05 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The idea of “100% engagement” is a loaded one in education, particularly when it comes to the expectations and implications for the classroom. Adr...

When a School District Intentionally Leans Into AI

25 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Today’s conversation is with Courtney Eddleman and Don Sturm, two educators who have been an integral part of an ongoing, district-wide partnership ...

Writing in this AI Era with John Warner

18 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Today’s conversation features John Warner, author of the new book More Than Words: How to Think About Writing in the Age of AI—a book that explore...

KTC #17: Have Every Student Share a One-Word Answer

11 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Sometimes our Kicking The Copier episodes are more teacher-centered in terms of habits and strategies—but today is very much the opposite: a specifi...

KTC #16: Find Your Ritual

28 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

For our 16th Kicking The Copier episode—our continuing series focused on specific mindsets and strategies that can be helpful for teachers and educa...

"Becoming an Everyday Changemaker" with Alex Shevrin Venet and Adrian Neibauer

05 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

After their months-long, slow-read journey through Becoming an Everyday Changemaker, Adrian Neibauer joined Marcus in this episode to talk with the au...

"Being a Part of Their Village" with Jireh Keys

28 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

For the last Broken Copier episode of 2024, Marcus was able to speak with Jireh Keys, an early-career elementary school teacher in Fordyce, Arkansas—...

More Like ChatGPA

17 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Marcus and Jim sit down to talk (again) about AI, since it looks like it’s not going away. Jim shares what he’s doing with AI in his planning and ...

KTC #15: Write Down One Win Each Day

27 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This 15th Kicking The Copier episode is a simple one: a single daily habit—one that takes less than a minute before you head home for the day—that...

The election and the classroom

19 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Pretty simple summary here: like many teachers and educators out there, we have a lot of thoughts about the election and what it means for our classro...

We've been reading that students aren't reading anymore?

01 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Marcus and Jim are back to talk about reading—more specifically, the broader discourse in education that students aren’t reading nearly as much as...

KTC #14: Teaching Through an Election

19 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In our 14th Kicking The Copier episode, Marcus reflects on what he is keeping in mind as a teacher over this final stretch of election season, sharing...

Return of the Education Buzzword Hot Seat

28 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The hot seat is back for today’s episode, but this time Jim is the one asking Marcus for his immediate thoughts on a handful of education “buzzwor...

"Falling in Love with Teaching—Again" with Adrian Neibauer

12 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

After a great conversation at the beginning of summer about what the 5th grade classroom is like, Adrian Neibauer was generous enough to return to the...

We want teaching to be sustainable. (The question: how?)

07 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Big news: Jim’s back! In this episode, Jim catches up with Marcus and fills him in on how the first few weeks have gone—which, in turn, gives Marc...

KTC #13: "Before You Give Feedback, Think of an Umbrella"

24 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In the 13th Kicking The Copier episode, Marcus shares how the umbrella works as a perfect analogy for him in thinking about the “bigger picture” o...

"How Are Cell Phone Bans Going?" with Paige Tutt

10 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Most of us educators have thought a lot about school cell phone policies in recent years, but very few of us have experienced them in different contex...

"Better Teacher PD?" with Trevor Aleo

04 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Given that summer is coming to a close for many teachers out there—or, for a handful, already has!—we decided to focus on that “thing” that we...

"How Educators Should Be Thinking About AI" with Marc Watkins

27 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Another guest interview today on The Broken Copier: Marc Watkins, professor at the University of Mississippi, Director of the Mississippi AI Institute...

"Is Assessment a Learning Experience For Your Students?" with Dr. Julie Arnold

20 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We’re excited to continue our shift on The Broken Copier with more conversations with more listeners today, as Dr. Julie Arnold joins the podcast to...

KTC #12: Differentiation Needs To Start With Conversations

01 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It’s summer and a time for rest and restoration for teachers, so Marcus figured, why not talk about something that riles pretty much every teacher u...

"What the 5th Grade Classroom Feels Like" with Adrian Neibauer

15 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Marcus finally gets a chance to talk with Adrian Neibauer, a 5th grade teacher who just finished his 21st year of teaching and also happens to be the ...

KTC #11: Take The Time To Laminate Your Wins

18 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It’s been awhile, but our series of “Kicking the Copier” episodes is back—and this one is about a strategy, literally but also figuratively, t...

Cyndi Mahne

06 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Jim sits down with Cyndi Mahne, a veteran teacher and instructional coach from St. Louis. They talk about her experiences moving around different scho...

What did I miss yesterday?

01 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Recent reporting from the New York Times details how school absences have “exploded” in just about every school district. On this episode, Marcus ...

KTC #10: This Is When You Lean Into Classroom Community

17 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The tenth episode of “Kicking the Copier” is all about how we as teachers tend to respond to “bad vibes” in our classroom (this time of year e...

You want to do what with my gradebook?

28 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Lots of schools are trying out different approaches to grading, often met with mixed emotions from teachers. Mastery-based and minimum grading policie...

KTC #9: Don’t Forget How Often You’ve Been Wrong

20 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The ninth episode of “Kicking the Copier”—and the first of 2024!—is centered around the value of reflecting on our own past “mistakes” as ...

We're Done Talking About Break

07 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to 2024! As many of us are in a moment of reflection & adjustment, we were finally able to sit down & reconnect for this latest episode. We co...

KTC #8: Do You Know How Your Students See Themselves As Learners?

10 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The eighth episode of “Kicking the Copier” begins with a question: as a teacher, do you understand how your students see themselves as learners in...

KTC #7: Don’t Underestimate a Good Classroom

26 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This seventh episode of “Kicking the Copier” is very simple: a reflection and reminder about the value of a good classroom—how it can feel too o...

KTC #6: Thoughts on Saying "No" as a Teacher

05 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This sixth episode of “Kicking the Copier” is a reflection on how teachers so often are asked to do things beyond the basic responsibilities of th...

How should we talk about college?

19 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

It’s time to write recommendation letters again, which any teacher of seniors will tell you is the spookiest part of the entire season. As our stude...

KTC #5: Accountability Without Late Penalties?

01 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this fifth episode of “Kicking the Copier,” Marcus responds to one of our own reader’s questions about how to build a culture of accountabili...

KTC #4: Just Write Them a Note

24 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this fourth episode of “Kicking the Copier,” our series of shorter solo episodes, Marcus reflects on how he has reacted in the past when a stud...

Welcome Back!

04 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Jim already had his first day of school, and Marcus is about to start. Whether you’ve got your Q1 seating charts locked in, or are just starting to ...

Kicking the Copier #3: How to Return Feedback to Students

28 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this third episode of “Kicking the Copier,” our series of shorter solo episodes, Marcus reflects on how shifting the way teachers return our fe...

Kicking the Copier #2: Two Simple Questions For Every Teacher, Every Day

08 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This is the second episode “Kicking the Copier”: a series of shorter solo episodes where we offer not a solution necessarily but rather an idea fo...

"Reporting" on the Teacher-Blaming "Report"

26 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This past week a report from the Center for Reinventing Public Education received a lot of coverage—including as fuel for a WSJ editorial—and then...

Kicking the Copier #1: Don't Try to Catch Your Students Cheating

12 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This is the first episode “Kicking the Copier”: a series of shorter solo episodes where we offer not a solution necessarily but rather an idea for...

The Dog Days Aren't Over

05 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The dog days are in full swing, and we wish all the teachers out there a wonderful, restful, well-earned July. In this episode, Marcus and Jim connect...

To Pause for a Poem with Purpose

29 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Brett Vogelsinger joins the podcast to talk about his new book, Poetry Pauses: Teaching with Poems to Elevate Student Writing in All ...

How to end a school year?

20 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A conversation between Jim and Marcus about how their classrooms came to a close to finish the school year as well as some “teacher takeaways” fro...

Did you know about Sijo?

29 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Jim welcomes back Elizabeth Jorgensen with Dr. Lucy Park for a conversation about teaching Sijo–a traditional Korean poetry form. Similar to Haiku, ...

Much Ado About Grading

31 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We’ve finally made time in between walking the dogs, cooking, parenting, attempting to work out every once in a while, and our wildly easy teaching ...

What's the point of grading?

24 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

What’s the best way to grade student work? This is one of those questions that seems like it should have an obvious answer, but once you do a little...

What counts as work?

15 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We’re getting into the swing of things now, as most of us have started a new semester. Marcus and Jim check back with each other about writing instr...

Gwen Won Gold

05 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Gwen Jorgensen became the first American to win a gold medal in the triathlon at the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics. Her mother, Nancy, and sister, Liz, wro...

Did everyone post their grades?

24 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

It’s a new year, and for many of us, Q3 is either starting or has already started. Marcus and Jim are excited to get back to recording after holiday...

iEssay

14 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A new AI writing tool, ChatGPT, has K12 teachers and college professors alike scratching their heads and revisiting a fundamental question: Why do we...

Hey, Siri - Can you do my homework?

21 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

How will AI writing tools impact education? When is writing original? How should teachers incorporate–or avoid–what seems to be an inevitable push...

The 2022 Worst Buzzwords Draft

04 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

How many new buzzwords have you had to memorize in the past few years? How many times have you had to… um… tweak… a lesson plan to ensure that i...

"But they let me do it!"

28 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

How many students are allowed out of the classroom? What happens when you only let one student out at a time, but another teacher lets two? Should the...

When should students fail?

11 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Who is responsible when students fail? If students aren’t meeting the bar for learning, what should the response be from the teacher? What is the ap...

I Pledge Allegiance to The Beatles

06 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Jim has had students for just over a week, and Marcus is getting ready to go back. They debrief how the first few days of school have been, talk about...

If it flies, it spies. With jeans!

28 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

As another first day of school approaches, Marcus puts Jim on the spot with a new game: Wise or Unwise. Marcus shares some common advice that we’ve ...

Mx. Gradess

15 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Jim is able to sit down with one of his old friends from the St. Lawrence University admissions office, Mx. Sam Gradess. Sam has worked in education a...

Fine, we'll talk about the test.

29 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It seems like every summer, teachers have to go through the same song and dance routine around standardized testing, what the numbers actually mean, a...

Episode 20: You Don't Even Need a Degree

19 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to The Broken Copier, a conversation about teaching.Marcus and Jim are excited to get back into recording after taking some time to redesign a...

Episode 19: Maybe You Should Be a Teacher?

15 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

During teacher appreciation week, Jim published this essay called "Build the Compound." Marcus points out that compounds aren't exactly where young, i...

Episode 18: Late Penalties Are Lame

09 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

After a long hiatus from recording, Marcus and Jim are finally able to sit down and check in about how the school year is starting to wind down. They ...

Episode 17: Dad Science

23 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Mr. P is back! After strenuous negotiation with our record label, Brandon was granted paternity leave from the pod to help care for his new baby girl!...

Episode 16: Quitting Teaching

06 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Marcus & Jim sit down to talk about The Great Education Resignation. Teachers are quitting mid year, creating viral social media content about how...

Episode 15: Mr. Maffey

25 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

After a short brush with viral Twitter fame, Jim heard from all kinds of different people. One of them was Joseph Maffey, who didn't email about the i...

Episode 14: Politics in the Classroom

23 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

As many state legislatures are drafting and passing legislation aimed at requiring teachers to be more transparent about their curriculum, especially ...