Taylor Swift lost her masters. So, she re-records her entire catalog to take ownership back.
Netflix cancels your favorite show after one season.
Your district launches another "intuitive" platform that makes filing taxes look like a fun weekend activity.
Some things in life are just inevitable disappointments.
But Amber Shivers, our very own Instructional Manager at Subject, figured out why educational technology keeps flopping harder than a sub trying to get the TV to work: the people designing the experience have never lived through it themselves.
Her answer isn’t a new platform or policy—it’s three words that leadership hates to say out loud:
“I don’t know.”
Here’s what’s on the dashboard this week:
Today’s Deep Dive: This student-first flywheel to level-up your district
Reading Rainbow: Kids skip recess for coding and school because "vibes”
From Our Desk: How one school makes students excited about futures
Watch of the Week: Disney’s best Halloween movie, full stop
Show of Hands: Vote on classroom magic that wasn't scripted
Why Smart Leaders Admit They're Still Learning
This hard truth would make every district administrator sweat like it’s Back-to-School night:
Most educational leaders are making decisions about learning tools they've never actually tried to learn—as students.
Amber Shivers figured this out after watching superintendents roll out tech platforms like they're handing out participation trophies—confident, well-meaning, but completely disconnected from reality.
"Adults assume kids know how to use technology because they're on devices all the time," Amber explains. "They 100% do not know how to use technology."
The same goes for adults making decisions about tools they've never struggled with themselves.
Amber’s Answer: The Student-First Flywheel
Instead of faking expertise like everyone else, Amber built what she calls the "Student-First Flywheel,” a strategy that gets stronger every time you use it:
Experience Before Expectation: Leaders actually try what they're asking others to do. Full course, full struggle, full notes about every confusing moment. No cheating with executive summaries.
Assume Everyone Needs Help: Stop expecting natural tech wizards. Most people need guidance, and that's not a character flaw… it's being human.
Learn Together: Traditional leadership barks orders from the office. The flywheel learns alongside the team. "Having that person tag-team and collaborate is always a good position.”
Break It Down: Big changes get chopped into bite-sized pieces for everyone, not just students.
The magic happens when this flywheel starts spinning. Each breakthrough builds momentum for the next challenge because everyone's bought into learning together rather than faking perfection.
Case in point: Amber watched students who'd previously been held back grow multiple grade levels in reading, writing, and math once she started experiencing their struggles firsthand. Kids with learning disabilities showed dramatic improvement. English language learners became more confident speakers—all because their teacher stopped pretending to know everything and started figuring things out alongside them.
Now, it’s your turn to stop performing expertise and start building it together. (Unless you’re the kind of person who enjoys karaoke night where everyone pretends they can sing, but nobody knows the words.)
Read Amber’s playbook featuring the full blueprint for building your Student-First Flywheel and learn how to make "I don't know" your district's superpower. Check it out here →
Code Crushes: Elementary teachers are seeing kids beg to stay in for recess to finish coding challenges—proving CS integration isn't just another subject, it's academic rocket fuel. In a yacht somewhere, Bill Gates just got a chill down his spine.
Mental Health = Attendance Math: With chronic absenteeism still 50% higher than pre-pandemic, researchers found the strongest predictor isn't logistics… but how kids feel about showing up. Give it up for Gen Alpha, ”vibes” is a data point now.
AI Anxiety or Advantage? Harvard's teaching center confirms what teachers suspected: AI can boost learning, but only when it doesn't replace the thinking process entirely. Clippy walked so Claude could gaslight.
The New Skip Day: Students say they're missing school because "it's boring"—and researchers are split on whether education should compete with TikTok or teach kids that not everything needs to be entertainment. Yup, that’s right. Algebra lost the talent show to a guy eating drywall.
On the Subject #63 – Jamie Crandall from University High shares how his school helps students dream bigger and achieve more—because apparently some schools figured out how to make teenagers excited about their futures (and we want those secrets).
Game Plan for Success: Brandon Copeland on Financial Literacy - Join Brandon Copeland, former NFL player, University of Pennsylvania professor, and financial literacy advocate, as he dives into the importance of equipping students with financial knowledge.
Our pick of the week: Hocus Pocus
Why We’re Obsessed: We’re in full-on seasonal rewatch mode. The story of the Sanderson Sisters is a four-quadrant hit, by any definition. It brings on nostalgia for millennials, and kids are always excited by the undeniable charm of the setting and the witches. Having issues with your sibling is totally universal as well. But of course you would do anything to protect them.
Recommended lesson integration:
History of Witches: Play the scenes from Salem at the end of a lesson about witches and witch-hunting in the United States
Changing Social Mores: Give your students an assignment to present the changes to someone from the past who has traveled forward in time
Skepticism vs. Blind Belief: Compare and contrast Max’s original skepticism of the history of the Sanderson sisters versus the characters who believed in the legend from the beginning.
Villain Archetypes: Analyze how the Sanderson sisters are presented through dialogue, costume, and physical choices that makes them intimidating and scary.
Conflict in Families: Use the dynamic between Max and Dani, the Sanderson Sisters, and Thackery and Emily to describe how to resolve conflict with your siblings in a healthy way.
Last week’s question: What's one topic in education you want to hear more about?
Last week’s winning answer: Teacher spotlights and classroom case studies
Now on to this week’s question!
What was your favorite "teaching moment" that wasn't in the lesson plan?
Thank you for joining us for another edition of On The Subject. We’ll see you again in a week, with more stories from the hallways.
The Subject Team
Want to learn more about our curriculum offerings? Contact us today.
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