Mr. Funky Teacher embodies the essence of inspiration in the educational realm, fostering a culture of creativity and empowerment among both students and educators. In this inaugural episode of the Be a Funky Teacher podcast, I embark on a journey southward to attend the prestigious National Network of State Teacher of the Year Conference in Orlando, Florida. This gathering promises to be a confluence of passionate educators, where we will explore innovative pedagogical approaches and share our collective experiences. My objective is to uplift and celebrate the commendable efforts of teachers, as we collectively strive to ignite greatness in our students. As we navigate the complexities of education, this podcast aims to serve as a beacon of positivity and collaboration, inviting all educators to join in the pursuit of excellence.

The central theme of this inaugural episode revolves around the concept of empowerment in education, epitomized by the persona of Mr. Funky Teacher, who serves as an exemplar for educators seeking to inspire greatness in their students. As I embark on a journey to a significant national conference for educators, I convey my enthusiasm for the opportunities this event presents, including the chance to present and collaborate with esteemed colleagues in the field. The conference, aptly themed "Ignite Magic," promises to be a forum for exchanging innovative pedagogical ideas and fostering a community rooted in mutual respect and shared passion for teaching. I emphasize the importance of celebrating what is commendable within the education system rather than dwelling on its deficiencies, aiming to uplift both educators and students alike. Ultimately, this podcast endeavors to cultivate an environment where we collectively strive to enhance our educational practices, thereby impacting the lives of young individuals positively.

Welcome to the Be a Funky Teacher Podcast! In this very first episode, veteran educator and presenter Nicholas Kleve—aka Mr. Funky Teacher—kicks off his motivational podcast for teachers while driving to Omaha to catch a flight to the 2025 NNSTOY Conference in Orlando, Florida.

This episode is all about beginnings—launching a podcast for teacher leadership, setting the stage for authentic teaching conversations, and sharing real stories that uplift and empower educators. Whether you’re a new teacher, a seasoned pro, or someone seeking professional development with heart, this show is for you.

Nicholas talks about what it means to teach with passion, connect through purpose, and lead with heart. It’s time to energize classrooms, celebrate growth, and become the educator your students will never forget.

🎙️ Be bold. Be real. Be funky.

Takeaways:

• The podcast introduces Mr. Funky Teacher as an inspirational figure who fosters creativity and positivity among educators.
• Listeners are invited to embrace the journey of teaching and personal growth through educational experiences and conferences.
• The host expresses enthusiasm for attending the National Teacher of the Year Conference, emphasizing the importance of community in education.
• The dialogue highlights the necessity of uplifting educators and celebrating the positive impact they have on students' lives.
• Mr. Funky Teacher aims to inspire greatness in young individuals, which is a fundamental goal of all dedicated educators.
• The podcast encourages collaboration and sharing of knowledge among educators to enhance their teaching practices and benefit their communities.

Links referenced in this episode:

• beafunkyteacher.com

Companies mentioned in this episode:

• beafunkyteacher.com
• National Network of State Teacher of the Year Conference
• Disney yacht resort

The inaugural episode of the Be a Funky Teacher podcast serves as a profound introduction to the host's educational philosophy and aspirations. The speaker, who identifies as Mr. Funky Teacher, articulates a vision that transcends traditional teaching methods in favor of a more dynamic and engaging approach. He emphasizes the significance of creativity and hard work in the educational sphere, presenting these as essential tools for both educators and students alike. With an evident passion for teaching, the host aspires to cultivate an environment that fosters kindness and strong relationships, underlining that a successful teacher is one who inspires greatness not only in their students but also in their fellow educators. The episode encapsulates the essence of what it means to be a ‘funky teacher,’ suggesting that this approach is not merely about fun, but about empowering individuals to realize their fullest potential through innovative pedagogical strategies and community support.

As the podcast unfolds, listeners are invited into the host's personal journey as he travels to a significant national conference for educators. This journey symbolizes not just a physical relocation but also an exploration of professional development and community engagement within the educational landscape. The host's excitement is palpable as he prepares to attend the National Network of State Teacher of the Year Conference in Orlando, Florida, with the theme ‘Ignite Magic.’ Here, he anticipates not only presenting his insights on becoming a funky teacher but also connecting with other passionate educators. This aspect of the episode underscores the importance of collaboration and shared experiences in the teaching profession, reinforcing the idea that education is a collective endeavor aimed at inspiring young minds.

The episode concludes with a call to action for educators everywhere to embrace their inner ‘funkiness’ and strive to make a positive impact in their classrooms. The host's infectious enthusiasm and commitment to uplifting the educational community resonate throughout the discourse, leaving listeners with a sense of hope and motivation. Through this introductory episode, it becomes clear that the Be a Funky Teacher podcast is dedicated to celebrating the joys of teaching while addressing the challenges educators face in a constructive and empowering manner. Ultimately, it aspires to create a supportive community that prioritizes the growth and development of both teachers and students in the ever-evolving landscape of education.

Takeaways:

• The podcast introduces Mr. Funky Teacher, who embodies creativity and inspiration in teaching.
• Listeners are encouraged to embrace a positive perspective on education and uplift one another.
• Mr. Funky Teacher aims to inspire greatness in students through engaging teaching methodologies.
• The conference provides a platform for educators to share innovative ideas and collaborate effectively.

Links referenced in this episode:

• beafunkyteacher.com

Companies mentioned in this episode:

• beafunkyteacher.com
• National Network of State Teacher of the Year
• Disney Yacht Resort

Yeah, he's Mr. Funky.

He's Mr. Funky Teacher.

Mr. Funky Teacher inspires greatness, makes you feel good.

Like your favorite playlist.

Keeping that fresh and funky.

Yes, he does.

He got some funky cool ideas to share for all you teachers.

He can empower others, students and teachers.

It's all about hard work and creativity.

He brings out the kindness in everyone.

He's got the passion to teach.

You hear it when he speaks.

He knows how to build strong relationships.

If you're seeking the best, funkiest, he is it.

He will empower you to improve.

You'll be helping others and loving it too.

He's Mr. Funky Teacher.

Yeah, he's Mr. Funky Teacher.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

This is Mr. Funky Teacher with beafunkyteacher.com I'm coming to you with the very first episode of Be a Funky Teacher podcast.

I am on my way south.

I got in my car this morning and headed south.

Now I do have two hands on the steering wheel.

Hands free.

Recording this podcast, kicking off this summer's journey of podcasting and heading to a very big conference down south.

Now I'm not driving all the way down to Florida.

I am dry on my way.

I'm in the Midwest driving down to Omaha, Nebraska where then I will jump on an airplane, then head land after a few hours in St. Louis.

St. Louis, Missouri.

From there I will then go down to Orlando, Florida.

So it's.

It's two planes to get me down to Orlando, where sunny Orlando, where I will be going to a national network of state Teacher of the year national conference.

That's right.

Their theme is Ignite Magic.

How exciting is that?

It's at a Disney yacht resort that we're at down in Florida.

I am just so excited to be heading south.

I am so excited to be.

To.

Have an opportunity to go to this conference.

I'm excited to be kicking off this podcast.

There's just a lot of things I'm excited about and so I just wanted to take some time here to just kind of bring this together.

What am I doing here?

I'm traveling south to this big national conference for educators and kicking off a podcast.

You got it.

That's right.

I'm so excited.

Now.

It'S fitting that I'm kicking off this podcast because on my way to my own little journey here, heading south because I adventure.

I love going on journeys and having experiences and why not kick off this big podcast with while on a journey myself and on an experience super Excited here.

Now if you're tuning in, you might be saying, well, what's this conference all about?

Well, I have an opportunity to visit this conference.

It's super exciting because I get to, I'm having an opportunity, very, very blessed to have an opportunity to present twice at this conference down in Orlando, presenting about how every educator can be a funky teacher.

I have a solo presentation that I'm going to be presenting and then I am also presenting with a fellowship that I'm part of.

I am part of a fellowship.

It's a national civics fellowship that I am part of that I will talk about in future podcasts where there's a group of us fellows that are gonna be doing a presentation as well and sharing some of the work that we've been doing.

And in fact, this fellowship is one of the big reasons making it possible for me to attend this conference in the first place.

Super excited to be traveling.

I've never been to this national conference.

I've wanted to go.

I had an opportunity to go to this conferen back, it was in Minneapolis, I think it was when during the COVID year and then it ended up going digital and I could not end up going to it just because of, you know, the circumstances around Covid and it took me away from it for a few years.

Now I am back, huge opportunity to go.

Not only am I do I have the opportunity to present to different times, but I also have an opportunity to meet truly some of the best educators in the country.

That's right.

It is, it is so exciting.

I looked at, there's this app that we're looking at that I'm part of that's kind of, it's a conference app and looking at some of the people who are attending the conference and a lot of different individuals, top notch educators, highly regarded and highly respected educators on the national platform who are going to be here, excited to meet a lot of them, talk with them, learn from them as well.

I'm excited to go to other individuals presentations and hear from them, get to talk to some of them in person.

I've been on some fellowships with some of these people who are going to be presenting and attending this conference and I get to connect with many of them.

It's just a great opportunity.

As someone who loves education, hey y', all, I love education.

I cannot stress that enough how much I love, I love teaching, I love everything around education, I love talking about education.

And so what a great opportunity to be surrounded by like minded individuals who are extremely passionate about teaching.

Extremely passionate about learning and growing their own pedagogy around education.

And I mean we can learn and grow together and then take back our knowledge back to our own states, our own communities, our own school districts, our own schools and take that learning right back into it.

So huge opportunity to learn and grow.

And this is the National Network of State Teacher of the Year Conference.

You don't have to be a State Teacher of the Year or National Teacher of the Year or runner up to attend.

This conference is actually open to anybody to attend and to be a part of.

And I know there's some attendees who are attending who may not have received the Teacher of the Year recognition, but yet still are still fired up and still top notch teachers nonetheless and just super excited to be there.

I know just looking at this app where people are talking and just a lot of people are super excited, excited to be going there and I want to encourage you all as I'm kicking off this Be a Funky Teacher podcast.

This is about community.

This is about learning from one another.

I'm not getting on this podcast here to complain or to bad mouth all of the what's wrong with education?

We know there's a lot of things that are wrong with education, but you know, that's not constructive.

Just to focus on what's wrong.

I want to focus on what's right and I want to try to uplift educators, celebrate education, celebrate students, celebrate teachers, celebrate all the good that there is in education and all the good that teachers are doing to help inspire greatness in young people.

That's what this is all about.

My goal with this podcast truly is to inspire greatness in young people.

I think that's any great teacher's goal is to truly impact the world through impacting young people.

Give young people a better start in this life.

And so that's what this podcast is all about.

If so if you're listening to it, that's what this is all about here.

Now I will do some more recordings as as the next couple of days go on.

Today the conference kicks off.

So like I said, it's, it is, it is a 2am hour right now as I'm driving on the interstate here and the conference kicks off today down in Orlando, you know, and I'm gonna try to, I'm gonna try to get some more, more recordings done here.

I' I'm this may be essentially as once I get going with this podcast, it might be like a weekly podcast or a bi weekly?

I'm not sure yet.

It's.

I'm going to kind of explore that and see.

See what, what might work and, and what, what it.

What people are receptive to the educators out there.

But for the, for right now though, I'm going to kick off with multiple podcasts as this conference starts kicking off.

Here it is.

I am less than 12 hours from this conference kick.

Something I have to confess here is I was so excited about this conference.

I didn't sleep much last night.

I think I slept like maybe a half hour hour total.

And now I'm running an adrenaline because I'm so excited for this conference.

And if you're attending this conference, I bet you're feeling that adrenaline rush too and just excited to get there and be surrounded by other passionate educators too.

Just fired up and exc.

To be talking about education and learning about education as well.

You know, it doesn't get much better than that.

So if you're listening to this and you're attending this conference as well, you know, I look forward.

I hope I get an opportunity to meet you.

I do.

You know, and if you're listening to this podcast and you're not attending this conference, maybe it's a conference that you'll want to look at in the future.

I'm not getting some sort of kickback or royalties for promoting this conference.

It's just I like to promote and talk about things that I think are cool and I haven't even been to this conference yet and I already can feel the energy and excitement and know it is going to be a top notch conference.

So looking forward to it.

And so, with that being said, I'm going to bring this, the first podcast episode, to a close.

And I want you to remember to be a funky teacher and inspire greatness in young people.

Thank you.

Bye now.

Monkey teacher.

Yeah, he's Mr.

Bulky Teacher.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.