Good day, CharterFolk.
I hope your last full week before the holidays is shaping up well. Today, Andy and I are happy to bring you our last WonkyFolk episode of the year, one we’re calling sorta holiday-themed.
It’s partly because Andy went all-in with a Christmas sweater and a Wonderful Life background, while my sweater and elf-on-a-shelf were sorta lame.
Or maybe it’s because Andy was definitely more festive in his assessment of progress this year, while I was sorta grinchy.
Whatever the reason, we had fun recording the episode, and we hope you’ll enjoy giving it a listen.
Here is a link to the podcast and a transcript of the conversation.
You can also access the discussion here on Youtube.
We’re also available on Spotify, iTunes, or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts. An archive of all past recordings is available on our website here.
In less than an hour, we cover a lot of topics, including the many missed opportunities we had to make progress on policy matters. That led to a broader discussion about the value of policy changes related to the science of reading, cell phones, and accountability systems. When Andy pushed me to focus on some things I was thankful for, I cited the incredible CharterFolk Chats that Brandon Brown and Howard Fuller offered this year. We also riffed on Rick Hess’s recent piece about unpopular truths in public education that few people want to say. We wrapped up by remembering to be thankful for the great feedback we received from WonkyFolk guests and listeners this year.
It was a great year, and we’re already putting together exciting plans for 2026. Thanks to all of you who have made our first three years of WonkyFolk so much fun. Much, much more to come!
Notes.