In episode 152 of the Leader of Learning Podcast, Dr. Dan Kreiness (@dr_kreiness) interviews Jed Dearybury (@mrdearybury), an educator, former GQ Magazine Male Leader of the Year, the first ever Milken Fellow for the state of South Carolina, and author of books such as “The Playful Classroom: The Power of Play for All Ages,” co-written with Dr. Julie P. Jones, “Courageous Classroom,” and “The Playful Life: The Power of Play in Our Everyday.” In the episode, Jed discusses ways to bring playfulness into teaching and learning, how to advocate for LGBTQ+ community in education, and ideas for how to stay trauma-informed as an educator.

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About Jed Dearybury

Jed Dearybury began his education career in 2001. During his 13 year early childhood classroom tenure, Jed received numerous awards. He was featured in GQ Magazine as Male Leader of the Year, met President Obama as the South Carolina honoree of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Math and Science Teaching, and was named as a top 5 finalist for South Carolina Teacher of the Year because of his passion, love, and success in education. He was also the first ever Milken Fellow for the state of South Carolina.

Since leaving the 2nd grade classroom in 2015 he has been leading professional development across the country, as well as training the next generation of educators through his work and teaching in Higher Ed, teaching children’s lit, creativity and play for Early Childhood, and Fine Arts in the Elementary Classroom. In August 2019, he started his own education consulting business, mrdearybury.com LLC, where he is the Director of Creativity and Innovation.

He published his first book,The Playful Classroom: The Power of Play for All Ages, co-written with Dr. Julie P. Jones, in June of 2020, thus adding author and illustrator to his list of educational credits. His second book, Courageous Classroom, released in July 2021. Book number three, The Playful Life: The Power of Play in Our Everyday, was released in October 2022.