In this episode, Tricia speaks with Jan Cress Dondi about the years-long research journey behind her USA Today bestselling WWII book. What began with the discovery of hundreds of family letters became a much larger act of historical reconstruction, combining personal correspondence, military records, National Archives research, firsthand family memory, and deep attention to the emotional lives of the people who lived through war.

Jan shares how she pieced together the stories of two young airmen connected to the Ploesti campaign, one of the most dangerous Allied efforts to disrupt Nazi Germany's fuel supply. She explains how her background in legal research helped her organize evidence, verify details, and shape a true story with the pace and emotional pull of a novel. Along the way, she reflects on why letters mattered so deeply to servicemen, how small clues can open major research paths, and why war becomes too abstract when we lose sight of individual human lives.

This conversation is especially rich for educators, history lovers, family historians, and anyone interested in how primary sources can help us understand the past. As schools and communities prepare for the U.S. 250th, Jan's work offers a powerful reminder that history is not only found in textbooks. It can also live in letters, family stories, archives, unanswered questions, and the persistence to follow a clue wherever it leads.

In this episode:

Jan's discovery of 500–600 family letters and how they shaped the book

Why the Ploesti campaign mattered during WWII

How personal letters and official military records can work together

In this episode of Shifting Schools, Jeff and Tricia reflect on the 2025–2026 school year and what they are seeing as schools move into a more mature phase of AI work. The conversation moves beyond tools and prompt tips into the deeper questions now facing educators and school leaders: AI companions, student wellbeing, shadow AI use, schoolwide expectations, sustained professional learning, and the need to rethink pedagogy for a world shaped by information overload.

Jeff and Tricia discuss why AI support in schools can no longer be limited to one-off workshops. They share what they are hearing from school leaders, counselors, teachers, support staff, and districts that are beginning to ask for longer-term help. The episode also explores why honest, nonjudgmental conversations matter, especially when students and adults are already using AI in personal, social, and emotional ways.

00:00 — Opening reflection on the 2025–2026 school year
Jeff welcomes listeners and invites Tricia to reflect on the year in AI and schools.

00:37 — AI companions become a serious school conversation
Tricia shares why this was the year more school leaders became open to talking about AI companions.

02:39 — Companionship, loneliness, and parasocial relationships
Tricia connects AI companion use to broader human patterns of connection, including parasocial relationship theory.

04:54 — Why school counselors need to be part of the AI conversation
Jeff and Tricia discuss students turning to AI for advice and support, and how counselors can respond without dismissing students' experiences.

06:23 — Shadow AI use in schools
Jeff explains why schools need to name the AI use already happening among staff, students, and support teams.

08:58 — Honesty, openness, and nonjudgmental conversations
Tricia highlights what has not changed: the need for trust, honesty, and open dialogue.

09:18 — The "large breed puppy" problem
Tricia explains why waiting to address AI is risky, using the analogy of training a large dog while it is still small.

10:00 — From one-off PD to sustained AI support
Jeff describes a shift in what districts are asking for: longer-term cohorts, yearlong support, and multi-year planning.

11:49 — What can schools retire now?
Tricia and Jeff discuss the chance to move away from outdated practices and ask more complex questions.

12:57 — From information scarcity to information overload
Jeff argues that schools were built for a world where information was scarce, but students now need to be assessed on sense-making.

15:00 — New possibilities for learning
Tricia points to opportunities for students to tell familiar stories in new ways and work with more complex problems.

15:28 — Summer episodes and favorite replays
Jeff previews upcoming summer reflections and replays from the past year.

Looking for something thoughtful, funny, curious, and conversation-starting for Father's Day weekend? This episode may be just the thing.

We are welcoming back Brian Boone, a writer, researcher, and storyteller whose work reminds us that trivia is not really about random facts. It is about memory, meaning, surprise, and the pleasure of sharing something unexpected with someone else.

That makes this conversation especially fitting for Father's Day weekend. Trivia has a way of bringing people together across generations. It can turn into a car ride conversation, a dinner-table debate, a story you have heard before but somehow still want to hear again, or the kind of small shared fact that becomes part of a family's language.

In this episode, Brian talks about the research behind his work, the fandom that has gathered around it, and why his latest book could make a particularly good Father's Day gift for the dad, granddad, uncle, mentor, or curious person in your life who loves facts, stories, pop culture, puzzles, or simply knowing things no one else in the room knows.

This is a Father's Day weekend episode for anyone who has ever bonded over a weird fact, a favorite movie, a sports stat, a music memory, a book, a question, or the sentence: "Wait, did you know this?"

In this episode, we discuss:

Why trivia is not trivial
How curiosity becomes connection
Why odd facts often carry personal meaning
The research and storytelling behind Brian Boone's work
The fandom around his books and writing
Why trivia makes such a good Father's Day weekend gift
How shared knowledge can spark family stories, laughter, and conversation

Featured Guest:
Brian Boone, writer, researcher, and author

Check out his book:

https://bathroomreader.com/