Podcast
Spotlight 4 Success
Hosted by American Book Company · EN
We're shining a light on education success stories and talking about current trends and topics of importance to the education community. Join us in conversation!
54episodes
Episodes
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Phonics You Can Hold
Apr 700:04:18Tap to summarizeSend us Fan MailA lot of reading struggles aren’t about effort, they’re about abstraction. When phonics rules live only on a worksheet or a whiteboard, many kids never get a concrete “click” moment. From the NCRA conference in North Carolina, we sit down with Meagan Beam, founder of Otter Reading, to talk about a hands-on reading tool she built for the exact problems she kept seeing in her own classroom.Website: spotlight4success.com
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Why Kids Need Stories About Depression
Apr 600:04:25Tap to summarizeSend us Fan MailStories can change a kid’s life when they finally feel recognized on the page. From the NCRA conference in North Carolina, we sit down with middle grade author Bobbie Pyron to talk about why fiction isn’t “extra” in literacy work, it’s a direct path to empathy, compassion, and deeper reading engagement for young people. If you care about children’s literature, school libraries, or helping students connect with books again, this conversation lands right where the work gets real. Website: spotlight4success.com
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An Authentic 1950 Charlotte Story
Apr 600:08:10Tap to summarizeSend us Fan MailA blue-and-white teacup doesn’t sound like a doorway into history, until you hear what it unlocks in Half Truths. Recording live from the NCRA conference in North Carolina, we sit down with author Carol Baldwin to talk about her debut young adult historical novel set in Charlotte in 1950, a city shaped by segregation and the unspoken rules of the Jim Crow South.Website: spotlight4success.com
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A Ghost Town Mystery And A Robot Tutor
Apr 200:06:26Tap to summarizeSend us Fan MailAI is everywhere in students’ lives, but what if we used it to push them outside instead of pulling them deeper into screens? From the floor of NCRA in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, we sit down with author Jo Watson Hackl to talk about a surprisingly grounded approach to AI in education: using technology responsibly to strengthen student engagement, spark curiosity, and support reading and writing through real-world observation of nature.Website: spotlight4success.com
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Literacy For A Reimagined World
Apr 200:04:24Tap to summarizeSend us Fan MailLiteracy is getting rewritten in real time and educators don’t have the option to sit it out. From NCRA in Winston-Salem, we sit down with Hiller Spires, Professor at NC State University and NCRA president-elect, to talk about what comes next for literacy instruction as technology accelerates and classrooms adapt on the fly.Website: spotlight4success.com
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Dandelion Magic And The Power Of Words
Apr 100:04:01Tap to summarizeSend us Fan MailA dandelion wish sounds small until it spins into a full-blown adventure. From the NCRA floor in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, we sit down with children’s author Darren Farrell to hear how Dandelion Magic turns a simple idea into a story kids want to follow all the way home.Website: spotlight4success.com
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A Twitter Pitch Turns Into A Book Deal
Apr 100:08:47Tap to summarizeSend us Fan MailA children’s picture book can start in a surprising place: a string quartet performing a concert for plants. From the NCRA conference in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, we sit down with Tonnye Fletcher, a veteran educator who spent 17 years in second grade before making a big career shift into the K to 2 music room, and that pivot becomes the spark for a deeper conversation about creative risk and staying open to change.Website: spotlight4success.com
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I Bought $1,800 In Books And Panicked
Mar 3100:12:40Tap to summarizeSend us Fan MailRecording live from NCRA in North Carolina, we talk with Gina Mays, the owner of Gigi’s bookstore, about what happens when a lifelong educator decides she’s not done serving schools, she’s just changing tools. After 32 years as a teacher and administrator, Gina retires, buys $1,800 worth of books, drives to a conference stressed out of her mind, and discovers a real need for an independent bookseller who understands teachers, students, and school ordering.Spotlight 4 Success: spotlight4success.com
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Fifth Grade Lightbulbs
Mar 3000:05:12Tap to summarizeSend us Fan MailA single “oh!” from a student can change everything, and it’s the feeling that keeps many of us teaching. From the NCRA Conference in North Carolina, we sit down with Grace, a fifth grade teacher who traces her path back to one vivid moment helping a child finally understand. She shares why she thought she’d teach younger students, how internships surprised her, and what makes fifth grade the perfect mix of joy, curiosity, and just enough sass to keep learning fun and honest. Website: spotlight4success.com
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ABC Testimonial | Grace Moser | NCRA 2026
Mar 3000:01:40Tap to summarizeSend us Fan MailGrace Moser shares how using ABC materials has impacted her classroom.
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