Spotlight 4 Success

Send us Fan Mail A lot of people say they “ended up” in education, but Breanne Smith can trace it back to something more specific: a childhood surrounded by schools, a teacher who changed her life, and a gift for connecting with kids that never let go. We’re recording at Summer GALE in Jekyll Island, Georgia, and Breanne Smith joins us as the assistant principal of Danielsville Elementary in Madison County to talk about why she came to GAEL, what she hopes to keep learning as a leader, and how t

Send us Fan Mail Screens are convenient. They are also easy to skim, easy to distract us, and increasingly easy to “complete” with AI without truly learning. That’s why we wanted a straight, practical conversation about what actually helps students remember, practice, and improve. Think Factory Podcast sits down with Devin Pintozi, Chief Operating Officer of American Book Company in Woodstock, Georgia, to talk about the real-world case for printed books in K-12 education, test prep, and cur...

Send us Fan Mail A lot of kids don’t hate writing, they hate the feeling of being judged while they’re trying to think. From the Summer GALE conference on Jekyll Island, Georgia, we sit down with Matthew from Read Write Create to talk about a more human way to teach creative writing, one that starts with imagination and ends with stronger writing skills. Website: spotlight4success.com

Send us Fan Mail Science gets a lot easier to love when it feels like it belongs to your life. From the floor of the Summer Gale Conference in Jekyll Island, Georgia, we sit down with Erika James from Style Education to talk about a practical challenge schools face every year: how do you choose a middle school science curriculum that truly fits your state, your standards, and your students? Website: spotlight4success.com

Send us Fan Mail A new school year doesn’t just need fresh energy; it needs better systems. From the GAEL conference in Jekyll Island, Georgia, we sit down with Brooks Robinson from Sumter County Schools to talk about what it really takes to support students consistently, not just when a problem becomes impossible to ignore. Website: spotlight4success.com

Send us Fan Mail Two schools in one building. Over 700 students. Around 100 adults to support and coach. That’s not a leadership thought experiment, that’s a normal day for Hollie Walters, principal of Dooly K-8 Academy in rural Dooly County, Georgia. We sit down with Hollie for a grounded conversation about what school leadership really looks like when the work is big, the community is tight-knit, and every decision ripples through an entire district. Website: spotlight4success.com