What Teachers Have to Say
What Teachers Have to Say is a podcast about teaching, AI in education, instructional practice, and teacher identity. Hosted by Jacob Carr and Nathan Collins, it centers real classroom experience, system pressures, and how AI is reshaping learning.
No performative edu‑influencer culture. No toxic positivity. Just honest conversations about what’s actually happening in schools.
What This Podcast Covers
- AI in education and classroom use
- Teaching strategies and instructional design (EduProtocols)
- Teacher burnout and system design
- Student skill development and transfer
- EdTech tools and practical workflows
Who This Podcast Is For
- K–12 teachers
- Instructional coaches and leaders
- Pre‑service teachers
- Educators exploring AI and EdTech
- Anyone tired of surface‑level PD
Who We Are
Jacob (Jake) Carr
EdTech Coach for a County Office of Education, author, and speaker on AI in education. 15+ years across K–12 (grades 1–12) in diverse settings. Brings a philosophical lens, connects classroom practice to systems, and pushes conversations deeper before landing on something usable.
Nathan Collins
High school English teacher, dual‑enrollment instructor, and Personalized Learning Teacher in a rural hybrid model. Grounds the show in current classroom reality, student data, and practical constraints. A measured counterbalance to big ideas.
What We Explore
AI in Education — A structural shift, not a novelty. Learning, assessment, and independence in an AI‑rich world.
Burnout as a System Problem — Not a personal failure. We name the incentives that reward unsustainable work.
Instructional Routines That Work — Repeatable structures that lower planning load and raise thinking, repetition, and collaboration.
Skills That Transfer — Thinking, communication, adaptability. Not just content.
The Format
Long‑Form — Monthly flagship episodes with deep dives, interviews, and debates.
Short‑Form — Field notes, solo reflections, headlines, and listener voicemails between major episodes.
Your Voice Matters
Leave a SpeakPipe voicemail with a question, win, or rant. We feature listener voices in episodes.
Beyond the Podcast
The companion newsletter goes deeper: AI in education, teaching strategies, and teacher identity. Free, weekly, and practical.
FAQ
What is it about? Teaching, AI in education, and real classroom conditions.
Who hosts it? Jacob Carr and Nathan Collins.
Is it AI‑focused? Yes, always tied to real practice.
How often? Monthly flagship + shorter episodes between.
Where to listen? Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all major platforms.
Subscribe and Follow
- Apple Podcasts
- Spotify
- Newsletter
Stay curious. Keep thinking. Keep showing up.
Episodes
37 episodes
Make America AI Ready: The Stove Isn't Going to Blow Up
The federal government recently launched an AI literacy program delivered entirely by text message. Jake has completed the first five days, and also looked into a network of teachers, HR professionals, and writers and to ask what they thought. ...
Scaffolds Were Always Meant to Come Down
Jake and Nathan just got back from their third Stanford AI + Education Summit — The AI Inflection Point: What, How, and Why We Learn — and a week later, they still can't stop talking about it. In this episode they dig into the tension ...
Who Protects the Teacher?
When something lands the right way in a classroom, it doesn’t just teach—it transforms. But in today’s climate, that transformation can come at a cost.In this episode, Jake shares a personal story he's never fully told publicly—about the...
The Ship of ChatGPTseus: Identity, Authorship, and the Soul of Learning
When the tools, tasks, and teaching all start to change—at what point do we stop and ask: Is this still education?In this mini episode, Jake Carr dives into the ancient thought experiment known as the Ship of Theseus to u...
From Tijuana to Top of the Class: A Fifth Grader’s AI Story
A brand-new student walks into a San Diego classroom—fresh across the border, speaking only Spanish. No prep. No warning. Just dropped off mid-morning with a “good luck.”What happened next? It’s the kind of story that reminds us why AI, ...
AI is Swimming Across Education’s Moats — Are We Ready for What Comes Next?
AI isn’t storming the gates of education — it’s swimming quietly across the moat.In this episode of What Teachers Have to Say, Jake unpacks how the traditional moats that once protected education — conten...
EduProtocols Triple-Play: 3 Spins on a Classroom Classic to Defeat AI Anxiety
In this episode, Jake Carr discusses the impact of artificial intelligence on education and how a shift from control to connection can enhance teaching using a recent article by Carlo Iacono. He introduces the EduProtocols Triple Play, which in...
How Schools Should Be Using AI (But Most Aren’t)
In this conversation, Jake, and guest call-in Maria, cover the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in education, focusing on how it can enhance teaching and learning. He explores the distinction between automation and augmentation, prac...
Coding Without Screens? How Sphero Indi is Transforming Early STEM & Literacy
How do you teach computational thinking to kids without screens? In this episode, recorded live atTCEA in Austin, Texas, I sit down withNik from Sphero to talk aboutIndi, the screen-free coding...
How Do You Solve A Problem Like Procrastination? Deliberate Play & Harmonious Passion!
Jake & Nathan explore two ways to motivate students toward better learning habits by valuing their learning process, not just the products of their learning, and connecting their skills to real world applications. Your teacher besties retur...
Wicked Hydra: The EduProtocol That Puts Questions First
In this episode Jake explores Wicked Hydra, a dynamic EduProtocol from The EduProtocols Field Guide: ELA Edition, that transforms classroom inquiry by putting questions first. In conversation with Courtney, a passionate middle s...
Check the Weirdness: Teaching AI Literacy with Matt Miller
Jake and Matt Miller from Ditch That Textbook dive into the power of AI’s imperfections as a teaching tool. They explore how the quirks and mistakes in AI-generated content, like extra fingers or misshapen images, can sharpen students’...
Breaking the Cycle: Cruel Optimism in Teaching with Hans Tullman
Can you be excellent at your job without letting it consume your life? The education system thrives on unpaid teacher labor, but at what cost?In this episode, we discuss cruel optimism—the idea that if teachers just wor...
Back in Action! AI Tools to Beat Burnout & Have More Fun in the Classroom
We’re back! Our real-talk educator dynamic duo, Jake & Nathan are back in action: complete with career and life updates and a return to form discussing real life uses of AI tools to beat burnout and have more fun in your classroom tomorrow!...
56 Skills for the Future: EduProtocol-ing the McKinsey & Company Report
Are we really preparing students for their future? Educators are tasked to teach state standards, but are we also teaching the skills that students really need to be successful in the “real world”? State standards and standardized tests often t...
In the Small Places with Dr. Fred Mednick: Stories From a Teacher Changemaker
Happy Teacher Appreciation Week! Move into the weekend with an incredible, inspiring, hope-filled conversation about the immense cultural value teachers have as problem solvers and keepers of democratic ideals. Don't wait for acts of Congre...
CODE.org's Mission with Pat Yongpradit: Computer Science For All Students
Pat Yongpradit is a nationally recognized computer science education advocate and thought leader working at the policy level to make sure ALL students have the opportunity to learn computer science. You can't talk CS in education without ta...
It's Not One More Thing! Computer Science For All Educators with BCOE
Jake & Nathan are joined by Tracey Allen, Janet Brownell, and Anna Johnson from the Butte County Office of Education to talk about the future of Computer Science in schools. BCOE has been innovating in the sphere of EdTech integration in No...
What Do We Really Want from AI? Stanford HAI's AI+Education Summit (2024)
If you want to be on the bleeding edge of current AI+Education discourse, this episode is for you!Jake & Nathan break down
The 7 Circles of Procrastination: Challenging the Stereotype of the Lazy Student
Current research on the psychology of procrastination tells us it’s A LOT more complex than just "laziness" ... Leveraging the work of psychologist, author, and fellow podcaster Dr. Adam Grant, from his recent appearance on
Their Future, Not Our Past: BRAVING the Way for Future-Focused Education
Jake just returned from a whirlwind professional development tour, dropping the mic at a keynote in LA, and facilitating his first AI-in-education training in New York. It’s time for a What Teachers Have to Say debrief and special announcement!...
The Classroom Closet: When Teachers Can’t Be Themselves
Respectfully borrowing a term from LGBTQ+ culture, the classroom is often a closet for teachers, who do not feel safe to share much (if any) of their authentic human selves in their teaching without facing unjust disciplinary action or communit...
All About That Baseline with Josh Kuersten: 3 Behavior Strategies Every Teacher Should Know
Josh Kuersten is a celebrated behaviorist and self-described "dimensional traveler" who is widely respected for his hands-on approach—training teachers how to work with the toughest, most intense students. In a post-Covid world, teach...
A Teacher's Guide to the AI Galaxy: Artificial Intelligence Tools for Teachers
Jake & Nathan return to where it all started, and provide a much-needed update, we're talking artificial intelligence in education! We start by checking in on the state of artificial intelligence in education, talk a little educational ...
