The Stuff I Learned About Learning: A TCEA Podcast

Guest: Dr. Brian Brown, Chief Information Officer, Texas Wesleyan University Dr. Brian Brown, Chief Information Officer at Texas Wesleyan University and a former decade-long TCEA board member and past president, joins to reflect on a career spanning classroom teaching, K-12 tech leadership, and higher ed. Brian shares hard-won lessons on why tech departments should empower rather than gatekeep, why he refused to block student access to tools like AI in a high-need district, and how TCEA's board

Guest: Ali Worsham, Instructional Coach, Pine Tree ISD Ali Worsham, an instructional coach at Pine Tree ISD, opens up about being the kid nobody wanted on their roster, and how that experience shapes the way she coaches teachers and champions struggling students today. From secondary English classrooms to elementary literacy coaching, Ali shares what it means to close learning gaps, build kids' belief in themselves, and lead with high expectations. She and the hosts talk candidly about introver

Guest: Rachael Welsh, Librarian, Pearland ISD Rachael Welsh, a school librarian at Pearland ISD, shares her winding path from wanting to be a veterinarian to finding her true calling among the stacks. She talks candidly about the misconceptions people have about librarians, the "refresh and recharge" corner she's built for kids who need a quiet moment, and why she pushes back on the idea that "kids don't read anymore." Rachael also opens up about book advocacy, curating difficult topics with ca

Guest: Debbie Tannenbaum, Elementary Educator at Fairfax County Public Schools, and Elementary EdTech Coach Debbie Tannenbaum, an elementary ed tech coach in Virginia, joins to talk about "screen value, not screen time." Debbie traces her path from French teacher to connected educator, shares the framework behind her "Five C's" of meaningful tech use, and explains how AI helped her team build richer, more inclusive morning meetings for students with autism. She also opens up about her "word of

Guest: Mary Eldredge, Early Childhood Librarian, Arlington ISD Mary Eldredge, an early childhood librarian at Arlington ISD, talks about her journey from teaching early childhood special education to running one of the most joyful library programs around. She shares how her ECSE background shapes her inclusive approach to storytime, why play is the foundation of real learning, and the magic of a makerspace where teachers are the ones asking questions. Mary also opens up about the "1,000 Books B

Guest: Scott Laleman,Technology Director, Medina Valley ISD Scott Laleman, Technology Director at Medina Valley ISD, joins the show to talk about a career built on a willingness to break things and fix them. From five networked classroom computers in 1997 to overseeing construction on a rapidly growing district's tenth and eleventh campuses, Scott shares how an elementary ed background became an unlikely path to CTO life. He digs into the hidden complexity of building "smart" schools, his distr