The Phenomenal Student

12/23/2025

Phenomenal Conversation W/Mr. Short: Dr. Stephanie Stollar Consulting

In this conversation, I sit down with Dr. Stephanie Stollar to discuss her journey into education and leadership, her early career experiences, and the work that led her to become a national voice in Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS).

We dive deeply into:

The 3 tiers of instruction and what each tier is truly designed to do

Why Tier 1 instruction is the foundation of the entire system

Common misunderstandings schools have about MTSS

How systems, data, and instruction must align for MTSS to work

Practical advice for teachers and leaders implementing MTSS in real classrooms

Dr. Stollar also shares insights from her book, MTSS Essentials, which provides a clear, actionable framework for building MTSS systems that are effective, sustainable, and student-centered.

📘 Learn more about her book here:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1681253470

This conversation is a must-listen for teachers, instructional coaches, campus leaders, and district administrators looking to move beyond compliance and toward impact-driven MTSS implementation.

12/09/2025

I had the privilege of sitting down with Shannon Anderson—award-winning children’s author, nationally recognized educator, and creative force behind some of today’s most uplifting classroom reads.

We explored her newest works, including:

📘 I Love Blueberries!
🧡 B Is for Belonging
🏡 Do-It-Yourself Dollhouse
🕊️ The expanding Scooter the Word Bird series

Our conversation dug into the heart of what kids need most right now: belonging, confidence-building, growth mindset, and strong communication skills.

We even took a deep dive into a shared passion of ours—how underperforming G/T students are often misunderstood, overlooked, and how educators can better nurture their brilliance.

Shannon brought warmth, clarity, and practical wisdom to every moment of the interview.

Be Phenomenal,
Mr. Short

12/09/2025

Phenomenal Spotlight W/Mr. Short: Shannon Anderson

I had the privilege of sitting down with Shannon Anderson—award-winning children’s author, nationally recognized educator, and creative force behind some of today’s most uplifting classroom reads.

We explored her newest works, including:

📘 I Love Blueberries!
🧡 B Is for Belonging
🏡 Do-It-Yourself Dollhouse
🕊️ The expanding Scooter the Word Bird series

Our conversation dug into the heart of what kids need most right now: belonging, confidence-building, growth mindset, and strong communication skills.

We even took a deep dive into a shared passion of ours—how underperforming G/T students are often misunderstood, overlooked, and how educators can better nurture their brilliance.

Shannon brought warmth, clarity, and practical wisdom to every moment of the interview.

Be Phenomenal,
Mr. Short

12/06/2025

The Switch Room’s Workspace Manager sent us out right today! 🔥🧹
Everything organized, materials prepped, stations tight — leadership on full display.
Love seeing students take pride in the way our space runs.
Be Phenomenal,
Mr. Short

12/03/2025

Connected Skills Series(Part 1): Context Clues

What Are Context Clues? Context clues are the words, phrases, or sentences around an unfamiliar word that help readers figure out its meaning. Connected Skills There are several skills that depend on students first mastering context clues. When students can unlock word meaning, they can think more deeply and respond more accurately across the entire ELA spectrum. 🧠 Character Skills…...

What Are Context Clues? Context clues are the words, phrases, or sentences around an unfamiliar word that help readers figure out its meaning. Connected Skills There are several skills that depend …

12/02/2025

🎙️ Phenomenal Conversations w/ Mr. Short: Sean Morrisey

In this episode, I sit down with literacy expert Sean Morrisey to talk about his journey into teaching, the current landscape of education, and—of course—his deep passion for vocabulary instruction.

Insightful, practical, and energizing.
You don’t want to miss this one.

Be Phenomenal,
Mr. Short 🌟

11/28/2025

Explicit ELA: Discussing Language

What Is Explicit ELA? Explicit ELA is a structured, mastery-based approach to reading and writing instruction. It focuses on teaching skills directly and intentionally—moving from word-level, to sentence-level, to paragraph and text-level tasks so students clearly see how everything connects. The framework blends: Explicit writing and reading instruction Engaging Routines High-Rigor Instruction R.I.P.E. (my ECR writing structure) Students learn not only…...

What Is Explicit ELA? Explicit ELA is a structured, mastery-based approach to reading and writing instruction. It focuses on teaching skills directly and intentionally—moving from word-level, to se…

11/26/2025

Explicit ELA: A Model for Revising and Editing Mastery

What is Bloom’s Taxonomy? Bloom’s Taxonomy is a framework for classifying educational objectives, originally developed by Benjamin Bloom and his colleagues in 1956. It includes six levels of thinking: knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, evaluation, and creation (though I personally prefer the term synthesis). Many of the skills students learn are grounded in this rigor matrix and serve as a guide for instructional decision-making....

What is Bloom’s Taxonomy? Bloom’s Taxonomy is a framework for classifying educational objectives, originally developed by Benjamin Bloom and his colleagues in 1956. It includes six levels of thinki…

11/25/2025

🔥 Phenomenal Engagement: Clocked It (Part 2) ⏰📚

Part 2 of Clocked It brought ALL the energy! My students went head-to-head in a spirited battle of quotes. They…

👥 Picked Teams
🔄 Went back and forth with their answers
⏱️ Had an Overtime round
🍦 Earned Ice Cream for their effort and mastery

The competition was fun, loud, and full of learning — the perfect combo.

👉 Educators: How do you get students excited to discuss quotes and text evidence?

Be Phenomenal,
Mr. Short 🌟

11/19/2025

✍️ Phenomenal Instruction: Discussing Language (Part 2) 🎤📚✨

In this clip, you’ll see the collaborative side of our Figurative Language lesson — both classes rotating through stations 🔄, discussing meanings 💬, and sharing their interpretations of:

🌟 Figurative Language
🗣️ “Bet”
💧 “Drip”
⚠️ “Quit While You’re Ahead”
🙅‍♀️ “It’s Not Giving”
😎 “Swag”

Students explored the academic definitions behind everyday expressions, building comprehension, vocabulary, and confidence. 🧠💡

👉 Educators: What do you think of this lesson? How do you teach Figurative Language & colloquialisms in your classroom?

Be Phenomenal,
Mr. Short 🌟

11/06/2025

🔥 Phenomenal Engagement: Heat Check (Part 2) 🎭

Last week, my students crushed acting out vocab words — so we ran it back for Round 2! 💪
This time, the challenge leveled up with homophones, meaning they had to know both meaning + spelling! 🧠✨

👉 Educators: Do you think my student was ready for the heat? 🔥
(📸 Permission obtained for student appearance on social media.)

Be Phenomenal,
Mr. Short 🌟

10/31/2025

🎙️ TPR Podcast: 1st Full Episode 🔥

Last week, my young content creators dropped their first full episode after a few mini ones! 🎧

They shared advice on making good choices, interviewed a classmate, and even explained the meaning of 6’7!!! 😂

Tune in to hear what’s happening inside The Phenomenal Room! 🙌

Be Phenomenal,
Mr. Short 🌟