Teacher Burnout, Resilience, and Sustainable Impact with Julie Schmidt Hasson

What does it really take to make an impact as a teacher—and keep going long enough for it to matter?

In this episode, Meghan sits down with Dr. Julie Schmidt Hasson, professor, former teacher and principal, and researcher focused on teacher impact, resilience, and sustainability in education.

Julie shares insights from her research—including over 600 personal stories about teachers who made a lasting difference—and what those stories reveal about what truly matters in the classroom.

From feeling safe, seen, and stretched to the reality of burnout and system pressures, this conversation explores how teachers can sustain their impact without losing themselves in the process.

• What makes teachers memorable and impactful long-term
• The three themes that showed up across 600+ stories:
• Why burnout is both an individual AND systemic issue
• The role of teacher mindset, habits, and relationships in resilience
• How loss of autonomy contributes to burnout
• Why asking “what’s the point?” matters more than we think
• The connection between teacher engagement and student engagement
• Practical “in-the-moment” tools to reset during the school day
• Leadership’s role in creating sustainable environments for teachers

Julie shares three quick strategies teachers can use in real time:

• 📷 The Camera → Zoom in or out to shift perspective
• 🔦 The Flashlight → Redirect your attention intentionally
• 🫧 The Bubble → Stay present without absorbing negative energy

You can make a powerful impact as a teacher—but without intentional systems and support, that impact can come at a personal cost.

Julie breaks down real teacher habits:

• Working every weekend → ❌ Not sustainable
• Clear priorities → ✅ Sustainable
• Saying yes to everything → ❌ Not sustainable
• Taking a real lunch break → ✅ Sustainable
• Adding initiatives without removing others → ❌ Not sustainable

• “We can impact lives and still have a life.”
• “Drowning people cannot help other drowning people.”
• “If we don’t know the point, burnout follows.”

• Website: teacherrecharge.com
• Free Resource: 25 Stress Reset Tools for Educators
• Programs: Schoolwide Recharge Program

No Name Paper: A Teacher Podcast
Where teaching is more than one size fits all.

✨ In This Episode, We Discuss:🧠 The Reset Toolkit (Classroom-Ready)💡 Key Takeaway🎲 Featured Segment: Sustainable or Not?🔥 Mic Drop Moments🔗 Connect with Julie Schmidt Hasson🎙️ About the Podcast

What if behavior isn’t something to manage—but something to understand?

In this episode, Meghan sits down with Debbie Leonard and Marcey Aronson, two educators who have spent their careers in the classrooms most people tend to avoid—alternative settings, severe behavior programs, and working with students navigating trauma and instability.

Together, they developed the BrainZones Framework, a neuroscience-based approach that helps teachers interpret behavior as a signal rather than a discipline problem.

From their early days teaching in high-intensity environments to building a system that actually works in real classrooms, this conversation is packed with practical strategies, honest stories, and a refreshing shift in how we think about student behavior.

• How BrainZones started in some of the most challenging classrooms imaginable
• Why behavior should be seen as a signal—not defiance
• The connection between brain states, attention, and learning
• How teacher energy and student behavior are deeply connected
• Why “what’s my goal?” is the most important question in the moment
• The five BrainZones and how they impact classroom behavior
• How to shift an entire class back into a learning-ready state
• The importance of relationships before redirection
• Why traditional discipline approaches often escalate situations
• Practical strategies teachers can use immediately

Students (and adults) move through different brain states throughout the day:

• 🟢 Green → Social, engaged, ready to learn
• 🔵 Blue → Calm, reflective, internal thinking
• 🟡 Yellow → Processing, independent work
• 🟠 Orange → Stress, pressure, heightened emotion
• 🔴 Red → Survival mode (fight, flight, freeze)

👉 The goal isn’t to eliminate these states—it’s to recognize and respond appropriately.

“When you change how you respond, you change the entire environment.”

Debbie and Marcey break down real classroom scenarios and show how to shift from reacting to behavior → to responding to what’s underneath it.

• Kids aren’t trying to make your job harder
• They’re responding to their environment and internal state
• And teachers? We’re part of that environment

• Email: team@brainzones.org
• Email: marcey@brainzones.org
• Email: debbie@brainzones.org

Professional development and support available for schools and districts.

No Name Paper: A Teacher Podcast
Where teaching is more than one size fits all.

✨ In This Episode, We Discuss:🧠 The BrainZones Breakdown💡 Key Takeaway🎲 Featured Segment: Behavior or Signal?⚡ Real Classroom Truth🔗 Connect with BrainZones🎙️ About the Podcast

Episode 215: Clarity, Leadership, and Building Aligned Teams with Casey Watts

What if the problem isn’t your team… but the clarity they’re working with?

In this episode, Meghan sits down with Casey Watts, speaker, author, and leadership coach, to unpack what it really means to lead with clarity in schools.

With over 20 years in education, Casey developed the Clarity Cycle Framework to help leaders bridge the gap between intention and implementation—because too often, leaders believe they’ve communicated clearly while teachers feel completely in the dark.

This conversation gets real about leadership, communication breakdowns, and how clarity—not more initiatives—is the key to effective schools.

• What “clarity precedes capacity” actually means in real schools
• Why teams can feel aligned… but still be completely disconnected
• The disconnect between leader perception vs. teacher reality
• How unclear expectations create frustration on both sides
• The difference between communication and true clarity
• Why jargon like “fidelity” and “Tier 1” can create confusion
• The importance of defining success clearly for staff
• How to build dream teams on purpose—not by accident
• Why collaboration ≠ just sharing resources
• The balance between accountability and micromanagement

“Clarity isn’t just what you say—it’s whether people fully understand their role in the bigger picture.”

Casey breaks down real leadership scenarios and calls them out:

• “You know what to do” → Chaos
• Clear, shared team goals → Clarity
• Meetings with no outcome → Chaos
• Revisiting purpose before new work → Clarity

Start tomorrow by asking one simple question:

👉 “In what ways have I been unclear?”

If you could remove one thing from schools tomorrow?

👉 Meetings with no purpose

• Website: catchingupwithcasey.com
• LinkedIn: Catching Up with Casey
• Podcast: Catching Up with Casey (rebranding to Clear is the New Confident)

No Name Paper: A Teacher Podcast
Where teaching is more than one size fits all.

✨ In This Episode, We Discuss:💡 Key Takeaway🎲 Featured Segment: Clarity or Chaos⚡ Practical Move for Leaders🔥 Mic Drop Moment🔗 Connect with Casey Watts🎙️ About the Podcast

Episode 214: AI, Balance, and Rethinking Tech in the Classroom with Kasey Bell

What happens when one of the biggest voices in edtech starts asking harder questions about… edtech?

In this episode, Meghan sits down with Kasey Bell, educator, author, and founder of Shake Up Learning, to talk about the evolving role of technology in the classroom—and why balance matters more now than ever.

From her early days as a middle school teacher to becoming a leader in instructional technology, Kasey shares how her work has shifted from simply integrating tools to helping teachers save time, think critically, and protect what matters most for students.

This conversation dives into AI, classroom tech, student well-being, and the growing tension between innovation and responsibility.

• The real story behind Shake Up Learning and how it grew from one blog post
• Why technology should support teaching—not dominate it
• The biggest misconception about classroom tech: you don’t have to use it for everything
• How AI is transforming teacher workflows—and saving serious time
• Why Kasey is cautious about student use of AI tools (for now)
• The impact of social media and device-based childhoods on student behavior
• What teachers are seeing: “These kids are different”
• The need to bring back face-to-face communication and human interaction
• Why creativity may matter more than ever in an AI-driven world

“Just because it’s new doesn’t mean we should immediately embrace it—especially when it comes to kids.”

• Must-try tool: Claude
• Stop doing: Grading everything
• Start doing: Learning AI
• Myth to bust: Every student doing the same thing at the same time

This episode pushes us to rethink:

• Are we using tech because it’s effective—or because it’s there?
• Are we preparing students for the future—or overwhelming them in the present?
• Are we protecting kids online the same way we protect them offline?

• Website: Shake Up Learning
• Podcast: The Shake Up Learning Show
• Focus: Practical, time-saving tech strategies for teachers

No Name Paper: A Teacher Podcast
Where teaching is more than one size fits all.

✨ In This Episode, We Discuss:💡 Key Takeaway⚡ Rapid Fire Highlights🧠 What This Episode Challenges🔗 Connect with Kasey Bell🎙️ About the Podcast

Episode 213: Encouragement, Self-Regulation, and Community Care with Brad Hughes

What if the role of a school leader wasn’t just to manage—but to encourage, connect, and uplift?

In this episode, Meghan sits down with veteran educator and school leader Brad Hughes, who brings over 30 years of experience in education—and a whole lot of heart—to the conversation. Known as a “Chief Encouragement Officer,” Brad shares what it looks like to lead with presence, empathy, and intentional positivity in today’s school environments.

From his work in self-regulation to his shift from “self-care” to community care, this episode is a powerful reminder that supporting students starts with supporting the people around them.

• What it means to lead as a Chief Encouragement Officer
• How staying solution-focused can shift school culture
• The impact of self-regulation on both students and educators
• Why behavior should be understood as communication—not defiance
• Moving from educator self-care to community care
• The importance of being present, visible, and human as a school leader
• How connection—not control—is the foundation of effective leadership

“When we reduce stress in our environments… we reveal capacity that was always there.”

Brad challenges us to rethink leadership—not as authority, but as availability.

Whether it’s supporting a teacher in overwhelm, responding to a frustrated parent, or helping a student regulate after a meltdown, his approach stays the same:
➡️ Lead with empathy
➡️ Stay curious
➡️ Be a thought partner

Brad takes on real-world school scenarios and shares his “good news, bad news” leadership responses—from overwhelmed teachers to escalated students—offering practical, compassionate strategies leaders can use immediately.

Brad shares how his school is building a culture of kindness—where students don’t just learn empathy, they live it. From comforting peers to stepping into leadership roles, students are showing what it means to be part of a true community.

• Instagram: @_brad_hughes
• Small Business: nowitspersonal.ca

No Name Paper: A Teacher Podcast
Where teaching is more than one size fits all.

✨ In This Episode, We Discuss:💡 A Key Takeaway🎯 The Leadership Lens🎲 Featured Segment: Principal’s Office🌱 What Gives Him Hope🔗 Connect with Brad Hughes🎙️ About the Podcast

What does it really mean for every student to feel like they belong?

In this episode, Meghan sits down with educator, author, and advocate Melisa Hayes to talk about building inclusive classrooms that go far beyond surface-level strategies. With over 25 years in education—and a deeply personal journey as a mother of a daughter with Down syndrome—Melisa shares what inclusion looks like when it’s done with intention, empathy, and heart.

Her book, ABS Ability: Brave, Beautiful, Smart, was inspired by her daughter Abby and the real experiences their family has navigated in schools. Together, they unpack the importance of creating spaces where students aren’t just present—but truly valued.

This conversation is honest, heartfelt, and a powerful reminder that belonging is the foundation of learning.

• Why classroom culture starts on day one with safety, love, and connection
• How to create a “family atmosphere” that encourages risk-taking and growth
• A look inside Melisa’s engaging classroom practices (including her student-favorite vet clinic transformation)
• The story behind ABS Ability and why representation matters for all learners
• The importance of shifting from “disability” to “different ability”
• Real talk about parenting, advocacy, and raising a child with special needs
• Why students need more empathy, patience, and grace—now more than ever

“The sky’s the limit… it just might look a little different and take a little longer.”

If this conversation resonated with you, you can grab ABS Ability: Brave, Beautiful, Smart here:
👉 https://bookshop.org/a/112254/9798892693172

Your purchase supports both the podcast and independent bookstores.

Want more books like this?
Check out our curated shop on Bookshop.org:
👉 https://bookshop.org/shop/nonamepaper

We feature titles connected to our conversations—real classroom work, real growth, and real thinking.

• Facebook: Melisa Sisson-Hayes
• Instagram: @melisa.6782
• X (Twitter): @MrsHayesFAM

✨ In This Episode, We Discuss:💛 A Moment That Sticks📚 Grab Melisa’s Book🛍️ Support the Podcast🔗 Connect with Melisa Hayes

What if education didn’t have to feel so heavy all the time?

In this episode, Meghan sits down with David Mettler, founder of the Swing Set Institute, to explore what happens when we bring whimsy back into a system that often forgets joy. From his early experiences with transformative education in Nicaragua to his work supporting educators through burnout and mental wellness, David shares a perspective that feels both grounding and refreshingly different.

Together, they unpack what it means to lead with “realness and ridiculousness”—and why both might be essential for sustaining educators and reimagining schools.

You’ll also hear:

• Why education is one of the most transformative forces in the world

• The story behind the Swing Set Institute and what it represents

• How childhood experiences (like swings!) still shape how we learn and lead

• A powerful reframing of failure through the idea of an “anti-resume”

• Why teacher wellness needs more than surface-level solutions

• A fun (and honest) round of “Swing It or Scrap It”

If you’ve ever felt like education has become too serious—or too overwhelming—this conversation is a reminder that joy, imagination, and humanity still belong in our classrooms.

🎙️ Listen in for a conversation that might just help you breathe a little deeper and think a little differently.

• Website: Swing Set Institute

• Email: davemettler@gmail.com

“Education is the path of liberation… it gives people the ability to create their own lives.”

🔗 Connect with David💭 Favorite Quote from the Episode

TLDR:

• Open Educational Resources

• OER

• Teacher resources

• Curriculum

• Higher education / K-12

This week on The No Name Paper, Meghan sits down with Meghan Zara, an OER librarian at the University of Texas at Arlington whose career path has moved through K–12 classrooms, district digital learning leadership, and now into higher education.

If you’ve ever wondered what Open Educational Resources (OER) actually are—and why they matter for teachers, students, and access to education—this episode breaks it down.

Meghan shares her journey from middle school English teacher to digital learning specialist to librarian working in open education. Along the way, the conversation explores:

• What OER (Open Educational Resources) actually are
• Why openly licensed curriculum can remove barriers for students
• What K–12 and higher education often misunderstand about each other
• Why “catching students up” after COVID might be the wrong goal
• The importance of digital literacy vs. assuming students are “digital natives”
• Building systems that actually care about people

The conversation also includes a round of Sustainable or Stressful, where Meghan weighs in on things like rewriting curriculum every summer, trying new tech tools every week, grading everything, and the sustainability of late-night Pinterest lesson redesigns.

If you're interested in open education, teacher sustainability, or rethinking how we design learning, this episode offers practical insight and thoughtful perspective.

Hi Meghan, absolutely. Here are my top three places to find free, openly licensed teaching and learning materials (OER):

Pressbooks Directory
https://pressbooks.directory/
A large catalog of open textbooks and OER created in Pressbooks across many disciplines. Great for finding remixable books and course-ready content.

OER Commons
https://www.oercommons.org/
One of the largest OER repositories. Helpful filters for subject, education level, standards, and licensing/reuse permissions.

MERLOT II
https://www.merlot.org/merlot/index.htm
A long-running repository with a wide range of disciplines and material types (not just textbooks), plus peer reviews for many items.

More options:
You can also explore the “Where to Find OER” page from the UTA OER Subject Guide:
https://libguides.uta.edu/utaoer/findoer

Website
https://meghanzara.com

LinkedIn
Search Meghan Zara

Email
meghan.zara@uta.edu

Where to Find OER (Open Educational Resources)Connect with Meghan Zara