Speaking

JMbullpenJohn Meehan (@MeehanEDU) is an English teacher, instructional coach and the co-founder of EMC² Learning. His first book, EDrenaline Rush, was published in June of 2019 by Dave Burgess Consulting, and offers a game-changing look at student engagement strategies inspired by theme parks, mud runs, and escape rooms. His second book, Fully Engaged, was published in August of 2021 and is dedicated to a closer look at ways that educators can make use of playful pedagogy in classrooms to achieve real results.

John began his teaching career in 2010 as a career switcher through The New Teacher Project after spending five years working in social media and event marketing. He is a 2017 ASCD Emerging Leader and an alumnus of the 2016-2018 Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Teacher Advisory Council. In 2016, he was named one of Arlington, Virginia’s “40 Under 40” by the Leadership Center for Excellence. In March of 2019, he created the #EggDashChallenge – a classroom activity that became a viral video, racking up 75K+ views in less than one month’s time, and spawning hundreds of classroom videos in 40 US states, 6 Canadian provinces, and 8 countries. He is a past presenter at educational conferences throughout the United States, including the annual conference for National Catholic Education Association, ASCD Empower, and the Play Like a Champion Today: Character Education Through Sports conference at the University of Notre Dame. He’s an avid runner who’s completed more than three dozen marathons, half marathons, long-distance road relays, mud runs, and obstacle course races. 

SpeakingNice Things People Are Saying About John’s Presentations

“This session blew my mind!! Everything about it was great – amazing ideas that I am 100% going to work to implement in my building. Thank you for sharing your story and your work!”

– VASCD Annual Conference Concurrent Session Attendee

“John makes learning meaningful because he knows his audience, does not lose sight of his purpose, and isn’t too caught up in the game to build relationships.”

– KTI 2019 Keynote Session Attendee

“This is one of the most useful and hands-on trainings I’ve ever had, and also the most fun. Thank you!!”

– 2019 Summer Sandbox Two-Day Conference Attendee

“John is a dynamic presenter! I could really sense his passion for making learning fun.”

– 2018 VASCD Shenandoah University Full-Day Session Attendee

“He encourages you to step out of your comfort zone, so that you can begin to create an environment that dreams are made of. He offers tools and support to help you on your journey. He gives you what you need to get the results you want. He shows you how to make the impossible…possible. Hands down, John Meehan’s the real deal.”

– Tara Brown, EDrenaline Rush book review (Goodreads)

“Some educators worry that you lose content at the cost of engagement and fun but John demonstrates how this is not so, that your class can be an amazing engaging class full of rigor and learning.”

– Jessica Buckle, EDrenaline Rush book review (Amazon)

Thanks for dropping in! Happy to talk further and see how we can continue to change the game together. If you’re interested in bringing me in for an event in your school or district — or if you’d like to set up an online meeting with me and your team for a possible remote training event — kindly fill out the form below and I’ll get right back to you.

 

Past Presentation Highlights
VASCD Annual Conference, Williamsburg, December 2015
Play Like a Champion Today, University of Notre Dame, June 2016
National Catholic Education Association Annual Conference, San Diego, April 2016
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Teacher Advisory Council, Seattle, December 2016
National Catholic Education Association Annual Conference, St. Louis, April 2017
VASCD Annual Conference, Williamsburg, December 2017
National Catholic Education Association Annual Conference, Cincinnati, April 2018
VASCD Full Day Gamification Training, Shenandoah University, October 2018
VASCD Annual Conference, Williamsburg, December 2018
Fauquier County (Va.) Public Schools Full Day Gamification Training, March 2018
ASCD Empower19, Chicago, March 2019
National Catholic Education Association Annual Conference, Chicago, April 2019
Summit for Transformative Learning, St. Louis, June 2019
Keystone Technology Innovators, Keynote Presenter, Shippensburg University, July 2019
Ingenuity Initiative Kickoff, Keynote Presenter, Watkins Glen NY, August 2019
Gamicon 2019, Keynote Presenter, New Orleans, September 2019
Tidewater Catholic High Schools, Keynote Presenter, Virginia Beach, October 2019
The Mustard Seed Project, Chicago, October 2019
Insight Manville, Manville, NJ, October 2019
Teach Better Conference, Cuyahoga Falls, OH, November 2019
Future of Education Technology Conference, Miami, January 2020
Game-Based Learning Summit, Keynote Presenter, Baltimore, February 2020
Council for Exceptional Children 2020 Conference, Portland Oregon, February 2020
Microsoft CUE Global Ed Tech Academy (Virtual), Summer 2020
Great Plains Summit Keynote Presenter (Virtual), Nebraska, July 2020
VASCD Annual Conference, Williamsburg, December 2020
Texas Region 12 TransformED Conference Two Day Facilitator and Keynote, Waco, June 2021
Keystone Technology Innovators, Keynote Presenter, Shippensburg University, July 2021
PCTELA Keynote Presenter, Harrisburg, PA, October 2021
Arkansas ASCD Full Day Drive In PD Facilitator, Little Rock October 2021
TCCA Conference Keynote Presenter, Houston October 2021
VASCD Annual Conference, Williamsburg, December 2021
Future of Education Technology Conference, Featured Presenter, Orlando, January 2022
Illinois ROE 53 Summer Sandbox Two Day PD Facilitator and Keynote, Peoria, July 2022
Bentonville School District, Full Day PD Facilitator and Keynote, Bentonville, AR, 2022