"Internal motivation happens when three things are present: competence, autonomy, and relatedness." Jenn David-Lang, quoting Ryan and Deci's research, this week's episode. A Mastermind group checks all three at once. That's the whole reason it works.

What Motivates People to Learn? New series. Thoughtful Thursday. This week: motivation. Deci and Ryan's three factors (autonomy, relatedness, competence) map almost perfectly onto Daniel Pink's factors in his book Drive (autonomy, purpose, mastery).

How Can You Build Your Influence As a Leader? A teacher won't do what's being asked. The instinct is to have the principal force it. Jenn David-Lang says influence gets built long before that moment, through trust. Then she asks the real question: skill, or will?

Try it Tuesday Teacher Move: Keep Your Lesson Relevant Starting a new series. Try It Tuesday. One high-impact teacher move a week. This week: relevance. @ctovani.bsky.social's advice when a teacher couldn't explain why a lesson mattered? Google it. We did. The answers were right there.

"The smartest person in the room is the room." Jenn David-Lang, on this week's episode. The expertise is already there. The job is building a room where people trust each other enough to share it.

What Does Peer-Driven Leadership Look and Feel Like in Schools? Jenn David-Lang runs Mastermind groups capped at 15 people, meeting every other week for an hour. No pre-reading. They read together, then spend 15 minutes on one person's real problem.

What does "expert" mean? Mindful Monday 🌱 Sound on for this one. New school year, new questions. For teachers: What would "expert," not just "experienced," look like for me this year? For coaches: As a coach this year, how can I recognize and pollinate teachers’ expertise?

Three conversations this September on Schoolutions. 1️⃣A global peer-led leadership model. 2️⃣17 teachers on what it's like teaching through the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. 3️⃣And why mentoring, not isolation, is where the best teaching actually happens.

🦋1/2 Forever Getting Better: New Season of Schoolutions Season 6 releases on 9/14/26. This season builds toward my book, Forever Getting Better: 5 Essential Practices for Reclaiming Teacher Expertise, on track to be released by June 2027. @stenhousepub.bsky.social @kassiaowedekind.bsky.social

1/2 Last Writing Wednesday post for a while. Right now I'm going chapter by chapter through my book revisions, slow on purpose so the final version reads clean. I am hoping to have it in your hands by May or June next year. @stenhousepub.bsky.social @kassiaowedekind.bsky.social

Starting 9/14: • Mindful Monday: a nature clip with reflection prompt to anchor your week • Try it Tuesday: a teaching move for you • Wisdom Wednesday: guest tips from Schoolutions • Thoughtful Thursday: a nugget of research • Feedback Friday: how I'll apply a piece of feedback from the week

🧵1/2 Why Phonics Isn't the Whole Answer My episode with Paul Thomas just landed at #1 for the summer rerelease series. We discuss his book, How to End the Reading War and why the real fix starts outside the classroom. Less war. More listening and truly hearing each other.

1/2 My conversation with Professor John Hattie came while I was writing my book, Forever Getting Better, about the five essential practices expert teachers use every single day. Big takeaway: expert teachers are nosy. They chase the thinking behind the answer, not just the answer.

🧵1/2 Teachers, coaches, families, this one's for your next writing edit. Watch how often you use "I think" and "I believe" before an idea. Cut "our," "your," and "that" where you don't need them, and your writing tightens up fast. @kassiaowedekind.bsky.social @stenhousepub.bsky.social

1/2 Two years ago I saw Dr. Katy Anthes present the FORWARD Framework at @coloradoreading.bsky.social and knew I had to have her on the podcast. Her big idea: trade contempt and certainty for curiosity and complexity. That's how you get productive conflict instead of polarization.

🧵1/3 #4 in my summer rerelease countdown is my first ever episode. @ctovani.bsky.social and Sam Bennett join me to talk about spotting engaged students versus compliant ones, why relationships beat quick fixes with reluctant learners, and how workshop structure gives kids real choice and voice.

🧵1/2 Don't Let Fear Stop Your Progress Be brave. Do the hard thing. I finally asked people to endorse my book, and the yeses floored me. And the no reply? It’s not personal; everyone's busy. Send the message you're avoiding.

🧵1/2 Are We Ignoring What Students Are Actually Saying? #5 on my summer countdown. @corneliusminor.bsky.social and I talk about why behavior management systems fail kids. They treat symptoms instead of listening to what children are actually saying.

🧵1/2 Are You Quoting Too Much? A Simple Writing Tip… Quote, paraphrase, or summarize. I'm rereading my own writing this week using a 2006 book that still nails this decision. Emily Kissner's Summarizing, Paraphrasing, and Retelling. @stenhousepub.bsky.social @kassiaowedekind.bsky.social

1/2 #7 of the summer countdown just dropped. Penny Kittle joins me to talk micro mentor texts: short passages that teach craft without overwhelming your writers. We also discuss the power of daily low-stakes writing and why it brings the joy back.

How I’m heading into this new school year.

🧵1/2 #8 in my summer rerelease of the top 20 episodes from the past five seasons. My talk with Peter Liljedahl on Building Thinking Classrooms hit hard the first time and it hits just as hard now. Random groups. Thin-sliced tasks. Better questions.

🧵1/2 What I Learned When My Friend Read My Writing Aloud to Me I tell everyone to read their writing out loud. Turns out reading it yourself only gets you halfway. My friend Katie read my writing back to me and I heard exactly where it dragged. Happy Writing Wednesday.

🧵1/2 20 Years in Kindergarten Taught Me This About Joy #9 in my top 20 summer rerelease is with Greg Smedley-Warren from Kindergarten Smorgasbord. He breaks down how he turns scripted curriculum into playful learning, and why teacher judgment beats any program.

🧵1/2 How to Give Students Real Ownership in Class Rereleasing my top 20 episodes of Schoolutions this summer. #10 is my talk with Julie Wright and James Goldberg on giving students real time to think, why the "why" and "how" beat the "what," and how choice boards build ownership.

🧵1/2 We All Have Our Own Writing Process Some writers start with small stories and facts and work toward a big idea. Others start with the big idea and work backward to find support. Neither is wrong. Just different processes. @kassiaowedekind.bsky.social @stenhousepub.bsky.social

🧵1/2 Want a 4-Step Process for Teaching Words That Works? #11 of the summer series countdown is here. I sat down with @mollyness.bsky.social for a four-step process on teaching high-frequency words. She also gives the clearest explanation I've heard on high-frequency words vs sight words.

🧵1/3 Spent a week in Lubec, Maine revising my book with Georgia Heard and Ralph Fletcher. Biggest takeaways: every writer has their own process and feedback should come from curiosity, not a need to fix. Link to full newsletter: www.oliviawahl.com/campaigns/vi...

🧵1/2 #12 in my summer series countdown: Julie Wright on why RtI often labels kids instead of supporting them. She breaks down asset-based thinking and shows how to strengthen Tier 1 instruction so fewer students need intervention. One of my top 20 most-listened-to episodes this summer.

1/3 I'm at the Quoddy Writing Retreat in Lubec, Maine this week with @arrowpoint17.bsky.social and @georgiaheard.bsky.social, writing alongside incredible people. Ralph and Georgia offered us three prompts to use with our response groups...