ITP - 125: Teachers Talking to Teachers (Inside the Staff Room Podcast)

Greg:
Welcome to another episode of the International Teacher Podcast. This is Greg the single guy and as always on my side here is Kent the cat guy. How you doing, Kent?

Cat Guy:
Hey, yeah, major announcement for the ITP crowd. Greg is now the single bot and I'm now the cat bot. We've replaced us with AI not only because it's cheaper, but also it's funnier. The fandom has a lot to look forward to.

Greg:
That was a real low bar we set, but AI even 10 years ago could have accomplished that. Alright, enough with all the jokes, Kent. This is a serious show. We have with us two guests. This is Jacob and Aimée and they are here with us. They have their own podcast. It's called the International Teacher Staff Room. And I love it. It's a younger show than ours, but they have an excellent audience already.

Greg:
I want to say hello to Aimée. How are you?

Aimée Skidmore:
I'm great, thanks for having me on.

Greg:
And Jacob, welcome to the show.

Jacob:
Hello, thanks for having us.

Greg:
I'd like to open this up with an elevator pitch. Aimée, could you start with how you got into education and where you are now?

Aimée Skidmore:
Sure. I'm a teacher of 29 years now. Classroom teacher—language and literature, media, communications—and I'm also a teaching and learning coach. I dabble in a lot of different things.

Currently, I’m coaching at my school and teaching at an international school here in Switzerland. I also run TeachSpark, where I help teachers increase student engagement and build student ownership in their classrooms.

I started in public school in DC, Maryland, then moved to Switzerland and have been in international education ever since. I’ve done leadership roles, department head, classroom teaching, support, professional development—I’ve done it all.

As long as I’m making a difference in the lives of young people, I’m very happy.

Greg:
Thank you. Being in Switzerland, it’s tough to leave. Jacob, tell us about your journey.

Jacob:
It’s hard to summarize, but I’ll try. I won a sweepstakes in the early 2000s and got a free plane ticket to Hong Kong. I went, and it felt like I was on a different planet.

When I came back, I knew I wanted more of that. After graduating with my teaching degree, I didn’t have a job. Then one day I told my parents I had a job in China and was leaving in a month.

It wasn’t an international school, but they paid for the flight and gave a living wage. I met my wife there. We moved back to Minnesota, worked in public schools, then moved to the UK, and eventually to Switzerland where I now work as head of educational technology.

Greg:
That’s incredible. Let’s talk about your podcast.

Aimée Skidmore:
We came together through collaboration at school—projects, tech integration, professional development. We worked well together and became thought partners.

Jacob:
The podcast came from seeing a gap between people working directly with students and those working outside the classroom. I wanted to bridge that gap.

We use letters from teachers to ground conversations in real classroom experiences. That keeps it practical.

Greg:
And for listeners, each episode is based on letters from teachers around the world, which you respond to anonymously.

Jacob:
Yes, but getting letters isn’t easy. You have to ask repeatedly. Teachers are busy, and sometimes the topics are personal.

Cat Guy:
Have you ever received something too serious to air?

Jacob:
No, but some are difficult. For example, whether to stay or leave a school—that’s a big decision.

Aimée Skidmore:
We try to support without directing. People need to make their own decisions.

Greg:
That disclaimer you use works really well.

Aimée Skidmore:
Thank you. We want to give teachers a voice. They don’t always have platforms to share their experiences.

Greg:
Do you get follow-ups from people?

Jacob:
Sometimes. Often they say the advice confirmed what they already thought.

Greg:
That shows how universal these issues are.

Cat Guy:
What topics do you want more of?

Aimée Skidmore:
Everything. Especially school culture, teacher voice, and challenges outside the classroom.

Jacob:
We’ll take anything. And we bring in guests with expertise to add perspective.

Greg:
That’s what makes your show strong.

Aimée Skidmore:
We also let guests help shape the theme by gathering letters from their network.

Greg:
That’s a great model.

Greg:
Let’s try a live example. Aimée, do you have a scenario?

Aimée Skidmore:
Yes. We’re seeing reductions in hours due to global funding cuts. How do we support colleagues facing that?

Cat Guy:
Acknowledge emotions first. Then help people focus on what they’ve gained from the experience.

Greg:
Be a sounding board. Listen. Don’t spread rumors.

Jacob:
And leaders should be clear about decisions. Uncertainty creates worse speculation.

Aimée Skidmore:
Clear is kind. Communication matters.

Greg:
That was a great example of your show.

Cat Guy:
Before we wrap, tell us how people can send letters.

Aimée Skidmore:
LinkedIn is best. There’s a form in our posts and show notes.

Jacob:
It’s anonymous. You can include your email or not.

Greg:
Perfect. Now final questions.

Greg:
Aimée, do you have a police story?

Aimée Skidmore:
Yes. I waved at a border guard once crossing into Switzerland. He took it very seriously and pulled me over, lecturing me about respecting borders. I was terrified.

Now every time I cross, I stare straight ahead and don’t move.

Jacob:
Cycling across the border is easier—you rarely get stopped.

Greg:
Kent, next question.

Cat Guy:
What are three items you always bring when moving?

Aimée Skidmore:
American deodorant, my devices, and my books.

Greg:
Perfect.

Jacob:
I just had to ask you because that's my absolute favorite because it's like—

Cat Guy:
Local deodorant, that's exactly right.

You try to tell that story to someone back home, they're like, forget it, I'm done.

Jacob:
What? Exactly.

Whereas every international teacher is like, what are you talking about? From which country are you getting this deodorant?

Cat Guy:
What store is that? Can I buy that?

Greg:
They're all taking notes though.

Cat Guy:
Jacob, could you bring— I love that.

Aimée Skidmore:
Yeah, can we get that on Amazon? Where do I get it? If you're going to Switzerland, can you bring some back for me?

Jacob:
Man, okay.

Greg:
That's what I say to all my friends that go back. If I haven't been to Switzerland in a while, I send somebody with that specifically to bring back.

Jacob:
Anyone?

Cat Guy:
Greg’s like give me this, this, and this. I'm like, I'm not kidding you, those things—

Greg:
What about Jacob? What do you have for three?

Jacob:
I'm not going to smuggle white powder over borders for you. I'm going to have to explain that it's deodorant.

Greg:
I've got more stories about that for you.

Cat Guy:
It's a package! Don’t ask any questions about it!

Greg:
It's roll-up deodorant.

Jacob:
I was gonna— yeah, like so many of Aimée's ideas, I was gonna steal it. I'm gonna steal it. I'm gonna say deodorant because I do ask my mom to bring over— not antiperspirant, the opposite. I don’t like antiperspirant. Cut this. Cut me talking about deodorant. All you need to know is I have to have import deodorant.

Cat Guy:
Oklahoma!

Jacob:
So that, I'm gonna steal that one. It was such a good one.

My other one is my bicycle that's traveled with me everywhere. And then I don’t have much, but every winter I wear the same jumper—not a Christmas jumper, just a normal green one. I wear it every day between when school breaks up and New Year's. So that would travel with me wherever I go.

Greg:
Aimée knows this. You're the first Minnesotan I’ve heard say jumper. So this is truly an international podcast.

Aimée Skidmore:
That’s because he’s British.

Jacob:
I'm British. If anybody—

Greg:
Thanks for joining us.

Jacob:
Thanks for having us.

Aimée Skidmore:
Thank you.

Greg:
That’s a wrap.

[End of transcript]