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.
What Teachers Have to Say
Wicked Hydra: The EduProtocol That Puts Questions First
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
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 school social studies teacher from Texas, we learn how Wicked Hydra shifts the responsibility for inquiry from teacher to student. Rather than delivering a single, predetermined answer, this protocol creates a question-only mind map where every query opens up new rabbit trails of inspiration and exploration.
Courtney explains how Wicked Hydra encourages students to move from surface-level questions to deeper, more insightful inquiries. Even when the first attempts are rough, practice transforms these initial queries into rich discussions that empower learners to build their own “question bank” and reclaim the wonder of curiosity.
This approach not only nurtures independent thought but also aligns with educational philosophies from leaders like John Hattie, emphasizing visible learning and the critical role of student voice.
- Wicked Hydra empowers students to generate and refine their own questions.
- It transforms simple observations into deep, layered inquiry.
- The protocol challenges the habit of accepting one fixed answer.
- It nurtures a rich, active questioning culture across all grade levels.
- It encourages learners to explore multiple rabbit trails of thought.
- This strategy aligns with educational theories that value student voice and visible learning.
"Wicked Hydra: The Protocol That Puts Questions First"
"Reclaiming curiosity, one question at a time."
"Transforming surface queries into deep inquiry."
Resources:
Check out The EduProtocols Field Guide: ELA Edition for more innovative strategies like Wicked Hydra.
Get Involved:
Have you tried using Wicked Hydra or a similar inquiry tool in your classroom? How do you foster a culture of deep questioning among your students? Share your story or ask your questions by leaving us a voice message on SpeakPipe. Your insights might be featured in a future episode!
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a five‑star review—it helps us reach more educators and keeps the conversation going.
Keep questioning, keep exploring, and keep teaching!
Got a question? We'd love to answer it! Leave us a voicemail on SpeakPipe: https://www.speakpipe.com/whatteachershavetosay
Want more EduProtocols from Jake? Check out his book at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and more.
Podcasts we love
Check out these other fine podcasts recommended by us, not an algorithm.
My EdTech Life
My EdTech Life
Rebel Teacher Alliance
Rebel Teacher Alliance
Deep Questions with Cal Newport
Cal Newport
