This is the Transform Your Teaching Podcast. The Transform Your Teaching Podcast is a service of the Center for Teaching and Learning at Cedarville University in Cedarville, Ohio.
Ryan:Hello, and welcome to the Transform Your Teaching Podcast. Today, we have a bit of a reversal of roles. I'm joined by Doctor. Jared Piles. My name's Ryan Lyming, and we get the chance to go behind the scenes with doctor Rob McDowell.
Ryan:We're very excited about this episode, particularly because Rob's our boss. And as our boss, we get to ask him some fun questions.
Jared:And he said before we started recording, so there's anything is on the table.
Ryan:And then he said Jacob can edit whatever I tell him to edit. We have
Rob:to be That
Ryan:is correct. Have to be
Rob:the benefit of being a boss.
Ryan:That. That's right. Yeah. Well, let's start with just talking about your enjoyment or lack thereof of doing the Transform Your Teaching show.
Rob:My enjoyment or lack thereof?
Ryan:You've said you've said on the show a few times how you're surprised by how well or how much you've enjoyed this, how well it's gone. So maybe reflect a little bit
Rob:on that. Probably because I don't like hearing my own voice.
Ryan:Well, most of us don't.
Jared:Most of us don't want don't like hearing his voice?
Ryan:No. Our own our
Jared:own voice. Okay.
Rob:Oh, yeah. Think he was saying that too.
Jared:Yeah. Okay.
Rob:Anyway, no. I just I don't know. It's not my personality per se. I have no problems doing it. But if you ask me, like, what's my favorite thing to do?
Rob:Would not be produce a podcast. So I'm very thankful to do it, though. I it's grown me, I believe. It's broadened my perspectives. I have a lot more respect for the work that audio talent goes through
Jared:Yeah.
Rob:And those who record it. Yeah. Because you you just hear things when I was growing up, you'd hear things on the radio, and you didn't realize everything that went into making it sound really good.
Jared:Mhmm.
Rob:And so we're definitely blessed, and I think that's probably the biggest thing that I've enjoyed is the the group. All of all y'alls. All y'alls.
Jared:All y'alls.
Rob:Yeah. Yeah. Mister l, Jacob, Brian, you, Lauren, obviously, Jared. So did that answer your
Ryan:question? I think you did. Yeah. That's that's some good reflection on kind of how you felt about the show. Obviously, we've been doing it for some time now.
Ryan:So even your thoughts about it from when we started to partway through to now, I think have changed a lot.
Rob:Yeah. I mean, most certainly. I see it as a service. And so the reason I do it is not for personal building
Jared:Mhmm.
Rob:Or career building or name building. It's to have conversations that are helpful.
Ryan:Mhmm.
Rob:Right? And I found that extremely helpful. For me, personally. I mean, just hearing others and then being able to reflect back on it, hear those episodes because I do listen to them. Like, I go back and I listen to them.
Rob:My wife listens to every single one, and we have conversations about it. And those have been very fruitful, and I've been very thankful for that. So, yeah, thank you to all of you who've made this possible because I know given the work that goes into this, I wouldn't do it myself. So
Jared:this is a a spoke in the wheel of your development of educators and their your serving of educators. What other spokes do you really enjoy outside of, let's say, this podcast?
Rob:Other spokes. Having conversations, I really enjoy that when when folks are problem solving, you know, educational problem solving, trying to get to the root cause of maybe issues that that faculty are facing. Anything that helps build effectiveness, help someone become more effective as a teacher, I enjoy that. I enjoy watching and serving others and watching them grow. It's a privilege to do that.
Rob:It's a privilege to to be able to, like, serve you all, serve my team. I'm doing what the Lord has me doing, and hopefully, you know, I can benefit others in that. And so I do enjoy doing that. I also enjoy new things, new challenges, just because of who I am. I love learning.
Rob:I love learning stuff. And I love synthesizing it with other things, especially things that I found to be shown themselves to be true. So where technology and theology interact or where I can have those conversations, I really enjoy that as well. Or teaching and learning and theology. So the application, ethics.
Rob:It's kinda where my dissertation was really at. You know, we call them spiritual disciplines, but really it's it's it's, you know, ethical behavior that is you know, discipline is something that you just continually do. Right? It's a habit. So forming those habits, I like trying to form habits in myself that are beneficial.
Rob:Getting rid of the old, putting on the new.
Ryan:Well, something I think you uncovered in there is that you're an avid reader. Know, Jared and I, I think, would affirm how many times we hear about you reading a new book, whether it was a book that's just new to you or newly released. We're even gonna get the chance to hear from Jared and Rob about some book reviews that they'll be doing here on the show this year. But one thing that, you know, in our offices, we always can be sure of is that Rob's learning. Always learning.
Ryan:That goal to be a lifelong learner is something I'd say that you've challenged me with, which I'm very grateful for. It's helped me grow as an individual, as a man, as a follower of Christ. So what are you reading right now? And how's it changing you, benefiting you, benefiting our department, benefiting the show?
Rob:Oh, wow.
Ryan:That's a lot.
Rob:Yeah. So I just finished up Ryan Holiday's Discipline is Destiny. I also finished self coaching because I'm interested in coaching. I've been through coaching networks. I see relationship building and education.
Rob:A nexus of education and technology for me is relationship. So anything that helps build relationships between people, I find is more effective and it seems to fit more with the idea of making disciples.
Ryan:Yep. And servant teaching.
Rob:Yes. And servant teaching, which obviously I'm I love that because I think that's what Jesus teaches us, and and I think that's what the New Testament teaches
Jared:us Mhmm.
Rob:Most certainly. So those are the two that I've finished, at least this year anyway. Mhmm. I finished those two up January. Previous to that, Toyota's the Toyota Way, we read that.
Rob:You and I read that.
Ryan:Well, I yeah. I read a companion piece to that about the Okay. The The Corolla. Yeah.
Rob:I read that.
Jared:Companion piece.
Rob:I read that and something Gimba. Yes. I read those two.
Ryan:Yeah.
Rob:I usually get somewhere in the neighborhood of about a hundred books a year, and I usually listen to them. That's why I like my drive. Because I always listen to books at two times speed at least, because I'm on an auditory learner. And I got a twenty minute drive between here and the house, and so
Ryan:The best is when we're going to Skyline in in Xenia, and we hop in the car. Sounds like
Jared:the micro machine's coming.
Rob:And I just have to hit I forgot. I have to hit the power button so you guys aren't Yeah.
Ryan:And I think, how does his brain do that? Yeah. Because my brain doesn't do that. It just I mean, maybe I could train it. Can probably.
Jared:You can ramp up the Yeah. You can ramp
Ryan:up 1.1, one point two. Yeah. Yeah. You'd be surprised. Okay.
Rob:Alright. Yeah. Because a lot of the stuff in the book is just kinda wasteful, to be honest. Most books are because publishers look at the thickness of the book based on sales. Like, they wanna know where it's gonna fit, and so we get a certain word count and that's what they're gonna put out there.
Rob:I appreciate those that stay smaller and succinct. That way I can just get to what their ideas are and how they support those ideas. Mhmm. And then I can go, you know, look that up and verify it. I'm usually checking out sources.
Rob:It's kinda what I like about Ryan Holiday. I mean, you know, he's a stoic and he has a lot. He reads an awful lot. You know, am I a stoic? There are definitely pieces that I probably adhere to in terms of just redeeming them.
Rob:But I think, ultimately, you know, being a servant means I need to know. I need to be aware. And when I say aware, not of the news so much. I don't really spend a whole lot of time on the news.
Jared:We had an election recently. I don't if you saw it. Yeah. I know. Okay.
Jared:Alright. Just checking.
Rob:And my not knowing didn't change the outcome. Fair.
Jared:Fair point.
Rob:It's true.
Jared:I just wanna, like, keep you informed a little bit.
Rob:Right. And and I and I am. It's snow. I get informed by by so many others. Right?
Rob:I can't help it. Yeah. Right? I hear and so then I pay attention to that. At least I I know who the next president's going to be and that he's going to be inaugurated on Martin Luther King Day, which is January 20.
Jared:Yes. We also have work off that day.
Rob:Yeah. Yep. And we get work off that day. So now you're getting a little bit of a glimpse into how my brain works.
Jared:So let's let's maybe explore a different part of your brain. Okay. Outside of work, I know you like to cook. I know you like to video game in some some aspects. You're not maybe as old as others.
Rob:Occasionally have a Lego. Occasionally.
Jared:What what usually happens when you go home from work?
Rob:I'll say hello to my wife, give her a kiss.
Jared:That's probably a good thing. Yeah. Cute.
Rob:Yep. Ask her how her day was. She'll tell me. We'll have start working on dinner if you know, I'll try to help out with that. We now have my mother-in-law with us, so, you know, I say hello to her as well and see how she's doing.
Rob:If any of the others are in the house, if any of the kids, you know, obviously, Talk to them. I may go and watch some mindless show,
Ryan:like, well, I'll how it's made.
Rob:I'll I'll watch some of those.
Ryan:Canadian show,
Jared:how it's made. Mhmm.
Rob:Yeah. Yeah. Mhmm. Because those can you can go to sleep to those. And that's usually what happens is I'll just turn something on so that I can take a nap.
Rob:Yeah. And I'll nap for a few minutes until dinner's ready, and then I'll get up, do dinner, and handle any family business that we need.
Ryan:But it also it also feeds your desire to learn as well, the how it's made.
Rob:Yes. It it it scratches an itch. I need something new and fresh. Mhmm. Yeah.
Rob:Or sometimes it's just like most recently in terms of gaming, it's like I have to the only way I can shut my mind off is either if I'm sleeping or I find something to put it on pause. Otherwise, I need something like video games or some some sort of mindless thing that will occupy my mind enough. So most recently, it's been a grass cutting game.
Ryan:Really?
Jared:I've seen that.
Ryan:No way.
Rob:Oh, it's it's pattern? Mhmm. So I can just do the pattern.
Jared:Like a puzzle
Ryan:kinda game?
Rob:No. No. Literally. Simulator? Yeah.
Rob:It's just a grass cutting simulator.
Ryan:Oh, Like oh, like farming Yeah.
Rob:You're just cutting the grass.
Jared:You just You pick your you pick your mower. Right? Pick your mower. No way.
Rob:Predict the level. Flick flick.
Jared:And just Mhmm. Yeah.
Rob:Yep. I tried
Jared:it.
Rob:It literally is just cutting grass.
Ryan:That would be pretty like what's the word?
Rob:Mind numbing. Therapeutic.
Ryan:Therapeutic. Yeah. Mind numbing.
Rob:Yeah. It is a way to disconnect. Otherwise, I have to be physically doing something to disconnect. So that's why sports was sports or music when I was growing up. One of those two.
Rob:Because otherwise I get bored really fast. Wow. And so, yeah, do that. And then if I've got the honey do list, then it's, you know, do those things, things that need to be fixed or take care of the dogs. Yeah.
Rob:That's my day after I go home. Yeah. I I head to bed somewhere around eight to 08:30.
Jared:And sleep at 08:30? You're like, you're out?
Rob:Sometimes, but usually it's like 09:00. Nine, nine And
Ryan:you wake up early?
Rob:I wake up anywhere between 04:30 and five every morning. Yep. On purpose.
Ryan:This is a real thing you do.
Rob:Well, I really can't you'll notice, like, once you get your body into a rhythm of doing something, it doesn't like getting out of it the older you get. And it will it will just you will just wake up even if I find myself now if I wait and like I go to bed at ten or 10:30, I still wake up at blessed 04:30
Ryan:in the Okay. Fair enough.
Rob:So now it's an issue of I know I need at least seven hours of sleep and, you know, to be refreshed and be able to to move. I'm most active mentally between the hours of 04:30. I mean, when I wake up, I'm ready to go. Like, I'm a morning person for sure. My brain wakes up, it's like, let's go.
Rob:Usually start, you know, winding down somewhere around four ish, four o'clock in terms of output Mhmm. Ability to really handle anything new.
Jared:When does the coffee come into play during that?
Rob:Coffee, I have coffee around 06:30 in the morning. Okay. And I have
Jared:one cup one cup a
Rob:day? I had two today. Did you do two? I had two before 02:00 because you told me that I needed to try that.
Jared:You're right. Yeah. You're blaming me for that.
Rob:No. I'm just I'm just saying you asked. You said you should try this, and I said I will. And so when I say I'll do something, I try to do it.
Ryan:That was from Idaho. Right? Yeah.
Jared:The Idaho
Rob:The Idaho Set espresso.
Ryan:I have not tried it yet.
Rob:It's good. It's pretty good.
Jared:Have it as an espresso.
Ryan:Yeah. I probably could. We were, We typically record 2PM eastern. I can drink coffee at, like, 06:00 and I'll still be I'll still be okay.
Jared:No. Can't. No. You're not okay. I used be that way.
Rob:You think you are, but you're
Ryan:I think I'm okay.
Rob:You think you're okay.
Ryan:I feel okay.
Jared:Your body's affected in different ways for that.
Rob:The older you get, the worse it'll get.
Ryan:Wellness is
Rob:You'll feel it more.
Ryan:This is the most discouraging part of this show.
Jared:I did notice that I think when I was hired, you know, I I came in with a level of coffee expectations. Snobbery. Yeah. No? Expectations.
Rob:Yes. Yes.
Jared:But I think you had that as well, and I think you and I have grown our department as far as coffeedom goes.
Rob:Mhmm. Correct.
Jared:Where if you even think about making an auto drip in our office, there's you will
Rob:be There's something wrong with you. You're you're castigated.
Ryan:Shunned. Yes.
Jared:And then we have someone in our department that is on the Third Floor of another building because they drink Maxwell House, and we're like, you can't come over here. I believe I believe that's why they're over there. Right?
Rob:Okay. They can't come down until he starts drinking properly.
Jared:Yeah. So but I I do wanna ask you. This is one of my favorite stories that we talked about Please. On an episode that never aired because it was our pilot our pre pilot pilot. Okay.
Jared:And I want you to tell us the story of going to out the West Coast and having Stumptown coffee. Tell us that story.
Rob:That was
Jared:one of my favorites.
Rob:So up until 2014, I was an avid will not drink coffee person.
Jared:Yep. Me too.
Rob:So so my parents drank coffee religiously at the Maxwell House in the metal container in the freezer. Every morning I woke up to the smell of coffee. My parents had to have it. And if we went somewhere to eat, they always had coffee. Even in the evening, they were drinking coffee.
Rob:So, I mean, I grew up with coffee. Yeah. I remember tasting it and I thought this is awful. And if you've tasted Maxwell House, and I apologize to anyone I'm offending, but for me personally, it was swill, you know. Brown water.
Rob:It was brown water and I I could see why so many people would put so much cream and sugar in it to not let it taste that bad. Yep. And so I don't know. Somewhere along the line, I think it was some folks that I worked with at CIU, that's Columbia International University, who were coffee drinkers. And they told me, you know, no, you gotta try this and this.
Rob:And, you know, have you ever had an espresso? I'm like, no. I'm like, we should try that. Well, I I switched jobs and we were going out west and I was told, you know, that Portland was the place for coffee.
Ryan:A lot of good spots.
Rob:And so long story short, get my family there. I'd already made a decision. I was gonna try something new. So I'm always trying new things, and and you know me well enough by now to know when I try something new, I tend to go into it. Full bore.
Rob:Full bore.
Jared:Whole hog. Hog. Full send.
Rob:Yep. And so that's what I I was like, I wasn't gonna treat coffee any differently. So instead of just going to stump town with my family, I'm like, we're going to stump town. They're like, what? My kids drank coffee.
Rob:Some of them drank coffee, but at that point, I was not drinking coffee.
Ryan:Are you my real dad?
Rob:My wife drank coffee, but I didn't. And I'm like, we're going to Stumptown. And my family's like, yeah. Okay. You know?
Rob:So we go to Stump Town, and instead of just getting coffee like a normal person, I I walk up to the coffee bar because it was a Yeah. It was a bar. Mhmm. They didn't drink any there was no alcohol, but it was all coffee, and they had this nitro. Oh, yeah.
Rob:Cold brew. Cold brew stuff on tap. Right? And it actually had this foaming head Mhmm. And they put it in a pint jar, you know, and here I think I'm being cool.
Rob:Right? Well So
Ryan:I mean, that's fair.
Rob:I'm gonna show my kids, you know, we're gonna
Ryan:drink coffee. Dad.
Rob:Look at what dad's doing now, y'all.
Ryan:You think I'm stubborn? Look at
Jared:West Coast dad.
Rob:Just to show you. Just to show you.
Ryan:Oregon dad. Oregon dad.
Rob:I can change. Yeah. So, you know, the guy behind the counter is like, have you ever had it? And I was like, no. Matter of fact, sir, I've never had coffee.
Rob:He, you know, he's like, are you sure you want this is pretty strong stuff. And, like, is it the strongest you've got? He's like, yes. I'm like, well, then I'm a man. I can take Right?
Ryan:Yes. So
Rob:I get this big mug of, you know, nitro coffee and it's got this big thick foamy head on it. And I sit there and the kids got cappuccinos, frappuccinos
Jared:Fruit fruit drinks. How dare they?
Rob:My wife's drinking a normal coffee with cream and sugar in it, I think. And and so I sit down. We sit down, not at tables, right, because they've got bench seating and Sure. Bespoke with little coffee tables, and we all sit around and Mhmm. You know, look sophisticated.
Rob:I don't know if I had a beanie cap on
Jared:or not. Were there burlap sacks on the wall so they have
Rob:Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Okay. You know, were the origins.
Rob:Yeah.
Jared:Yeah. Sure. The most beautiful bags. Oh, yeah.
Rob:So we're in stump town. I'm thinking to myself, I'm I'm handling this Oregon thing pretty well. Mhmm. I'm getting into this culture. I can understand it.
Ryan:Cultured.
Rob:So I I start drinking this thing. Was, okay. This isn't bad. Pretty strong. You know, I drink about half of it, you know, so I'd guzzle it.
Rob:I'm not just sipping it. I'm guzzling it. And I get to the about the halfway mark, and I said, I think I think I can't I think I can't drink anymore. And and so my wife says I kinda turned green. And the kids were watching me, I said, I think we need to go now.
Rob:And so we get up, we walk out, and I lost my stump town. Right there.
Jared:In the mulch there in the grass?
Rob:Right right around the corner, on the back corner of stump town. I didn't even make it to the parking lot. I just lost my Stump Town.
Jared:Now for my own visual, I need to finish this story. I've always wondered about this. Were you wearing the shorts and flip flop or the sandals combo that you normally do, or was it too cold for that at this point? Is this jeans weather?
Rob:I was wearing jeans. Yeah. I wasn't in Okay.
Jared:Okay. I I I have to finish the visual because, like, in my brain, there's just Yeah. Nothing. I'm like, okay. I need to finish this off.
Rob:No. I was trying to be cool. I had a cool t shirt on. Yeah.
Jared:That's cool.
Rob:And and jeans.
Jared:What happened with the rest of the coffee?
Rob:Well, I left it in yeah.
Ryan:Left it in there. I'm yeah. I'm curious about the half outside. Right? That's right.
Rob:And I left the other outside. Not even in the parking lot.
Ryan:Yeah. I'm curious about the barista. If he was, you know, feedback there, like
Jared:If he if he had a camera feed and was looking, it goes, yeah.
Ryan:There it goes. I knew it. I I told him it was strong.
Rob:Yeah. So yeah. I learned I learned my lesson there. I learned my lesson.
Ryan:But it turned into a love for the finer things when it comes to coffee.
Rob:Oh, yeah. I I was like, well, if you're gonna drink this stuff and and I did I did start liking coffee at that point. I think I, you know, I got so busy, though, and the family, we were I think we actually had a Keurig at the time. Yeah. I think that's what we were using.
Rob:Yeah. Mhmm. Contra bad. You know, because when you've got kids in there in high school and elementary school, middle you know, elementary, middle, and high school, we were we were just going. Mhmm.
Rob:My wife was teaching, and we get up in the morning, get everybody up and moving. You just you know, I get it. It's something you gotta do quick. Right? You Yep.
Rob:Throw it in there. Boom. I
Jared:had a cure when I started teaching. Wow.
Rob:So there is a certain sense in which it's much faster even though it's not good for you. Yeah. But since then, we've we've dialed it up a little bit.
Jared:Have you had nitro cold brew since? I have. Okay.
Rob:Yeah. Alright.
Ryan:And I tolerance was higher.
Rob:Yeah. And I take it I take it a lot slower.
Ryan:Yeah. Not a gulp gulp gulp.
Rob:And and it's something you probably want water with. Right. Yes. Very, very strong. Especially if you find yourself on the skinnier side
Jared:of things. Don't sell the big ones. Usually, they only sell
Rob:Yeah.
Jared:Like a small or eight ounce. Right? Six ounce.
Rob:Yep. Yeah. And it was a big one. Mhmm. Yeah.
Ryan:Well, much like, you know, one's philosophy of teaching, so too can your philosophy of coffee change over time. I think that's the message to us all. Yeah. Can go from That's
Jared:the message of this episode. Yeah. You
Ryan:can go from
Rob:Losing your stump town to
Ryan:Loving loving whatever it is that Jared brought in today.
Jared:Hey. You guys have that civet coffee in there
Rob:right now.
Jared:That stuff's just That's true.
Ryan:Yeah. For I mean, for the for the sake of our listeners, I'll spare or spare them.
Jared:Just Google it.
Ryan:That's a conversation. Kopi Luwak. Kopi Luwak. If you're curious. Yeah.
Ryan:Is it's horrible. Jared refuses to drink it.
Jared:I will not.
Rob:I thought it was pretty decent.
Ryan:I enjoyed it. I mean, it's it's it's unique to say
Jared:the least. Listener, they're so wrong. No. It's terrible. It's terrible.
Jared:It's the worst thing ever created.
Rob:It is the worst. It is the Alright,
Ryan:well. Well, we've enjoyed getting a chance to share with our listeners what it's like to get to interact with you on a regular basis. This is just a little peek, obviously, behind the scenes. We do these episodes just to kind of get a little bit of, you know, we're real people, and so I think for many of our listeners it'll be beneficial to hear a little bit of your interests and also more importantly the things you're thinking through in terms of education, trying to be innovative and benefit our listeners. I just want to say thanks, and thanks to our listeners.
Ryan:Thanks for listening today. This has been the Transform Your Teaching podcast. Remember, like and subscribe on your favorite podcast platform. Please also connect with us on LinkedIn. Also, free to send us an email if you have any questions or comments or even ideas for the show.
Ryan:CTLpodcast@cedarville.edu. You can also read our blog. It's found at cedarville.edu/focusblog. Thanks for listening.