Make It Mindful: Insights for Global Learning

On this week's episode, host Seth Fleischauer interviews Preston Smith, CEO and co-founder of Rocketship Schools. The discussion revolves around Rocketship's -innovative, community-centered approach. Any Rocketship campus begins with an exploration of the school's families' and community's values. Preston describes how these diverse ideas are incorporated while scaling around a central model and how conscious parent engagement begins with meaningful relationships. We also examine Rocketship's introduction of digital citizenship in early elementary years. Tune in to discover how trust and mindfulness drive Rocketship's educational success.---Preston Smith co-founded Rocketship in 2006.  He has held numerous roles at Rocketship, including teacher, principal, Director of Schools, and Chief Achievement Officer. Preston has led Rocketship’s professional development, leadership development, integrated special education, and student and teacher recruitment. In 2013, he was named CEO. Prior to Rocketship, Preston was founder and Principal of L.U.C.H.A. Elementary School, part of the Alum Rock Unified School District in San Jose, CA. After its first three years of operation, L.U.C.H.A. was the fourth highest performing low-income elementary school in California. Preston began his career in education as a Teach for America Corps (TFA) member at Clyde Arbuckle Elementary School (CA). In 2003, Preston was named “Teacher of the Year” at Arbuckle and was also nominated as one of six finalists for TFA’s Sue Lehmann award, given to TFA corps members with the highest classroom academic gains in the nation. Preston is also an Aspen New Schools Fellow.Preston is a proud Rocketeer parent: Zeke and Phoenix are alumni of Rocketship Fuerza Community Prep. He earned his Master in Educational Leadership from San Jose State University and graduated from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a degree in Latin American Studies, Phi Beta Kappa.---Guest Links:Rocketship Schools - https://www.rocketshipschools.org/ Co-Host Links:Seth FleischauerFounder and President of Banyan Global LearningLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/seth-fleischauer/Website: https://banyangloballearning.com/Lauren PintoCofounder of Ambitious Ed, Educational Technology SpecialistLinked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-s-pinto/Website: https://www.ambitioused.com/Komal ShahSpeaker, Author, & EntrepreneurLinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/consultkomalWebsite: https://thekomalshah.comBook: https://www.amazon.com/Raise-Your-Hand-Consciousness-Education-ebook/dp/B09FNT6B45/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

Show Notes

On this week's episode, host Seth Fleischauer interviews Preston Smith, CEO and co-founder of Rocketship Schools. The discussion revolves around Rocketship's -innovative, community-centered approach. Any Rocketship campus begins with an exploration of the school's families' and community's values. Preston describes how these diverse ideas are incorporated while scaling around a central model and how conscious parent engagement begins with meaningful relationships. We also examine Rocketship's introduction of digital citizenship in early elementary years. Tune in to discover how trust and mindfulness drive Rocketship's educational success.

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Preston Smith co-founded Rocketship in 2006.  He has held numerous roles at Rocketship, including teacher, principal, Director of Schools, and Chief Achievement Officer. Preston has led Rocketship’s professional development, leadership development, integrated special education, and student and teacher recruitment. In 2013, he was named CEO. Prior to Rocketship, Preston was founder and Principal of L.U.C.H.A. Elementary School, part of the Alum Rock Unified School District in San Jose, CA. After its first three years of operation, L.U.C.H.A. was the fourth highest performing low-income elementary school in California. Preston began his career in education as a Teach for America Corps (TFA) member at Clyde Arbuckle Elementary School (CA). In 2003, Preston was named “Teacher of the Year” at Arbuckle and was also nominated as one of six finalists for TFA’s Sue Lehmann award, given to TFA corps members with the highest classroom academic gains in the nation. Preston is also an Aspen New Schools Fellow.

Preston is a proud Rocketeer parent: Zeke and Phoenix are alumni of Rocketship Fuerza Community Prep. He earned his Master in Educational Leadership from San Jose State University and graduated from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a degree in Latin American Studies, Phi Beta Kappa.


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Guest Links:
Rocketship Schools - https://www.rocketshipschools.org/


Co-Host Links:

Seth Fleischauer

Founder and President of Banyan Global Learning

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/seth-fleischauer/

Website: https://banyangloballearning.com/


Lauren Pinto

Cofounder of Ambitious Ed, Educational Technology Specialist

Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-s-pinto/

Website: https://www.ambitioused.com/


Komal Shah

Speaker, Author, & Entrepreneur

LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/consultkomal

Website: https://thekomalshah.com

Book: https://www.amazon.com/Raise-Your-Hand-Consciousness-Education-ebook/dp/B09FNT6B45/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

Creators and Guests

SF
Host
Seth Fleischauer

What is Make It Mindful: Insights for Global Learning?

Make It Mindful: Insights for Global Learning is a podcast for globally minded educators who want deep, long-form conversations about how teaching and learning are changing — and what to do about it.

Hosted by former classroom teacher and Banyan Global Learning founder Seth Fleischauer, the show explores how people, cultures, technologies, cognitive processes, and school systems shape what happens in classrooms around the world. Each long-form episode looks closely at the conditions that help students and educators thrive — from executive functioning and identity development to virtual learning, multilingual education, global competence, and the rise of AI.

Seth talks with teachers, researchers, psychologists, and school leaders who look closely at how students understand themselves, build relationships, and develop the capacities that underlie deep learning — skills like perspective-taking, communication, and global competence that are essential for navigating an interconnected world. These conversations surface the kinds of cross-cultural experiences and hard-to-measure abilities that shape real achievement. Together, they consider how to integrate new technologies in ways that strengthen—not replace—the human center of learning.

The result is a set of ideas, stories, and practical strategies educators can apply to help students succeed in a complex and fast-changing world.