Relentlessness in Education | Mike Felton, Mike Marrone, & Mike Gonzalez & Sunil Gunderia
In the newsletter this week: Two episodes, four voices, Banned Books, and Names.
🎙️ This Week on the Podcast: Mike Felton, Mike Marrone, & Mike Gonzalez & Sunil Gunderia
🎙️ Episode 13, Lessons in Leadership
Three dynamic leaders—Mike Felton from rural Maine, Michael Marrone from urban Philadelphia, and Mike Gonzalez from South Texas—come together in this episode to share how their unique backgrounds and communities have shaped their passion for education. United by the Yass Prize, which celebrates sustainable and transformational education, each “Mike” describes how hands-on, career-connected learning starting as early as kindergarten can be a game-changer for students and communities alike. Their stories range from first graders building toolboxes with local tradespeople, to high schoolers in tough neighborhoods gaining real workforce skills, to entire regions collaborating to break down barriers between academic and vocational pathways.
Listeners will be inspired by how these leaders tackle real-world challenges—like the opioid crisis, economic uncertainty, and generational poverty—by deeply connecting schools to their communities and local industries. They emphasize that innovation is most powerful when rooted in local history and relationships, and that every child deserves both dignity and options, whether their path leads to college, a trade, or both. Their collaborative approach, fueled by mutual respect and constant learning from one another, demonstrates how sharing ideas across very different settings can spark fresh solutions and renewed hope for public education.
The episode closes with heartfelt advice for new teachers: be consistent, trauma-informed, and deeply invested in your students and community. The Mikes’ humility and commitment shine through as they credit their teams and communities for every success, reminding us that great education is always a collective effort. Tune in for a conversation that’s equal parts practical, visionary, and full of heart—perfect for anyone who believes schools can be the engine of community renewal and student opportunity.
📖 Key Quote: I learned that in a small place you can do really big things. Mike Felton
🎙️ Episode 14, Scaling EdTech
Sunil Gunderia’s story is a testament to the power of curiosity, resilience, and systems thinking in leadership. As a first-generation immigrant from India, Sunil’s journey began with humble roots and a practical start in accounting, but his drive to solve problems and create impact led him from the world of finance to global strategy roles at Disney, where he helped launch new technology platforms across continents. What sets Sunil apart is his ability to blend analytical rigor with creative vision—he’s as comfortable building teams of PhDs in cognitive science and game-based learning as he is navigating policy conversations with state legislators.
Sunil’s approach to educational innovation is deeply research-driven and grounded in empathy. He emphasizes the importance of understanding not just what works, but why it works, and he’s passionate about measuring real impact not just through efficacy studies, but by helping students see themselves as capable learners. He’s also a champion for equity, advocating for solutions that reach all students, including multilingual learners, and for public infrastructure that ensures technology benefits everyone, regardless of background.
Beyond his executive role, Sunil’s commitment to systems change extends to his board work with organizations like InnovateEDU, where he helps bridge industry, policy, and school leaders to tackle the toughest challenges in education. He encourages others entering the field to start with the outcomes they want to achieve, co-design solutions with those they serve, and let curiosity and empathy guide their work. Sunil’s humility, optimism, and relentless pursuit of meaningful change make him a standout leader in education today.
📖 Key Quote: Just because something's a problem now does not mean you can't unstick that problem, and that you can make it better.
📚 What I’m Reading
Books should be read, not banned.
I might have missed Teach the Truth Day of Action on June 7 but as this article makes clear, the fight against book bans is not a one-day event. It’s a year-round responsibility.
Some of my favorite books—from my own childhood and from my classroom—regularly appear on banned or challenged lists in various states. These are the very stories that shaped how I see the world, and they’ve done the same for so many of my students.
As the article highlights, book bans threaten the integrity of public education. They don’t just restrict content they dictate whose stories get told, and whose don’t.
So in honor of a national day that deserves year-round attention, here are twenty of my personal favorite banned kids books:
For Kids:
And Tango Makes Three by Peter Parnell & Justin Richardson
The Family Book by Todd Parr
Julián Is a Mermaid by Jessica Love
When Aidan Became a Brother by Kyle Lukoff
Draw Me a Star by Eric Carle
I Am Every Good Thing by Derrick Barnes and Gordon C. James
All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson
Looking for Alaska by John Green
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
Drama by Raina Telgemeier
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
Something Happened in Our Town by Marianne Celano, Marietta Collins, Ann Hazzard
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret by Blume, Judy
The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros
Hair Love by Matthew A. Cherry
Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan
All Boys Aren't Blue: A Memoir-Manifesto by George M. Johnson
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
If you’re curious, you can read it here.
💭 What I’m Thinking About
Something happened at my son's kindergarten moving-up ceremony this week that I haven’t been able to stop thinking about.
On Wednesday, three of the five kindergarten classes held a sweet celebration to mark the end of the school year. The kids sang songs, beamed with pride, and waved at their families as they prepared to move on to first grade.
At the end of the ceremony, the assistant principal read the names of each child in the class. As their names were called, the students stood to be recognized. But when the little girl sitting next to my son heard her name, she stayed seated.
At first, everyone assumed she was just shy. But then her eyes filled with tears. She began to cry and she didn’t stop.
Eventually, her teacher realized what had happened: when her name was read, it had been mispronounced.
The teacher quickly moved behind the stage to speak with the assistant principal. A few moments later, the correct pronunciation of the girl’s name rang out over the microphone. She stood and waved, still visibly upset but also proud, and seen.
This ceremony wasn’t the school’s first rodeo. Our district is large and diverse which is part of what makes our community beautiful. It’s also what makes name pronunciation a responsibility, not a detail.
What I hope happened behind the scenes is that educators did their best to prepare. That phonetic spellings were available. That names were rehearsed with care. But I don’t know. What I do know is that the outcome left a young girl in tears at her own graduation.
Names matter. They are central to identity. And mispronouncing a child’s name in a moment meant to honor them sends the exact wrong message.
I’m proud of this little girl for staying seated. For knowing her name is worth saying right. And for showing the rest of us how much work we still have to do.