Laurie and Matt Save the World

Teacher Saves World is a new podcast from wife-husband team Laurie and Matt Jones. Its goal is “education for teachers and parents that are trying to save the world, one teenager at a time,” with episodes that explore issues such as the most important year of high school and top concerns for hybrid classrooms. Both Joneses are 20-year educators and members of Tulare Joint Union High School Teachers Association. Find it at teachersavesworld.com/podcast.

High School Hero’s Journey

Matt Jones has also written a new book, Trajectory: The 10 Challenges of High School That Shape a Teenager’s Future, which details how high school is an intentionally designed Hero’s Journey that all teenagers go through, with 10 challenges aimed at developing vital aspects of their character before they head out into the wilderness of adulthood. He decodes the playbook used by the most successful students, and gives parents and teachers proven, field-tested strategies to help their emerging adults step up and grow up. On Amazon.

Critical Thinking About Movies

Prolific author and Burbank Teachers Association member Mike Kimmel has published a new book, Six Critical Essays on Film: A College Guide for Film Appreciation. Intended to help high school, college and adult school learners, it grew out of Kimmel seeing technically oriented students struggle with essay writing. He breaks down popular movies into their component parts so students can hone critical thinking skills to approach films in the same way they evaluate similar processes in the hard sciences, economics, finance or engineering. On Amazon.