Teacher Stories

What if just 6 hours could transform how students see each other—and themselves? In this powerful episode, we take you inside Breaking Down the Walls, a high school workshop where simple conversations evolve into moments of deep vulnerability, empathy, and connection. At a Northern California high school, students move from awkward introductions to sharing personal stories of loneliness, bullying, and resilience. Through activities like “Cross the Line,” they discover something many didn’t expect: they are not alone. Walls built by fear, stereotypes, and silence begin to fall. This episode, featuring voices from students, educators, and a social-emotional learning expert, reveals why connection is essential for learning—and how schools can foster it. The result? A powerful reminder that when students feel seen and understood, everything changes—relationships, school culture, and, for many, a renewed eagerness to learn.

What happens when a shy, young girl who hated being called on in class grows up to become a teacher—and then writes a children's book that helps kids face their fears? This episode of Teacher Stories features Christine Devane, a former educator who transformed her childhood struggles with shyness into a powerful tool for connecting with students and young readers. You'll hear how Christine's own experience with shyness led her to give students choices and help them find their voice. You’ll hear how an 8-year-old reader immediately related Christine's book to her own experiences at a waterpark and arts camp. Whether you're a parent, educator, or simply someone who believes in the power of storytelling, this conversation will remind you how the right book at the right moment can help children—and adults— gain important insights about themselves and the world around them. Plus, you'll get a simple suggestion at the end to reconnect with a childhood book that made a difference in your own life.

In this episode, host Ken Futernick sits down with Bruce Wasser, a former history teacher whose life story is as inspiring as his teaching career. Bruce shares his poignant journey from being a conscientious objector during the Vietnam War to becoming a beloved educator who had a profound impact on his students. Listen as Bruce recounts the pivotal moments that shaped his life, including the influence of his high school basketball coach and the challenges he faced in standing up for his beliefs. The episode also features Julia Damer, a former student of Bruce's, who shares her experiences in his classroom and the lasting impact he had on her life. The conversation highlights the reciprocal influence between teachers and students, as well as the enduring power of education to inspire change. The conversation also raises an important question about the kind of influence one would want teachers to have on their students. Bruce says, “I am in the business [of teaching] so I can help young men and women become proud, strong citizens, loving their country when it's right and earnestly trying to change it when it's wrong.” Might such an approach to teaching lead to indoctrination? Do we want history teachers taking on such a role, or should they stick to historical facts? “If that's indoctrination,” Bruce says, “I'll plead guilty to it, but I don't think you can teach any subject blandly or without any kind of conviction.” Later, Bruce explains that he wants his students to find their voice, to stand up for principle, whether or not it aligns with their teachers’ or classmates’ perspectives. “I would always try to find my way to stand next to the minority opinion, always stand close to that man or woman who's standing up and arguing for principle, and I would tell 'em you might be one person facing a hurricane, but you've got to have strong roots. You have to have the courage of your convictions. These are your friends. Don't worry about being in the minority.” Discover how Bruce's experiences as a young man shaped his teaching philosophy and the lasting legacy he left in the classroom. This episode is a testament to the power of education and the importance of nurturing young minds to challenge the status quo and strive for a better world.

Eric Hall, an award-winning elementary school teacher from Northern Michigan, shares a touching story about a fishing trip he took in the dark of night with one of his students. “That night,” he writes, “we didn't catch a single smelt, but we caught something better, a connection. And honestly, I'd wear that ridiculous headlamp again in a heartbeat, just maybe not next weekend." “Jerky, Headlamps, and One Loyal Teacher” is a story that reminds us of the importance of building connections with students and being present for them, even in unconventional or unexpected situations. In his conversation with host Ken Futernick, Mr. Hall says he encourages his students to take risks, step out of their comfort zones, and not be afraid of failure. He says cultivating curiosity and a willingness to try new things is crucial for students to become engaged and successful learners. Eric Hall and his students have been featured on several national outlets, including The Ellen DeGeneres Show. While the accolades are nice, Eric will tell you his greatest rewards come in the form of high-fives in the hallway, students who finally “get it,” and the joy of watching kids realize they are capable of more than they imagined.

“You can take all of my belongings. You can make me carry my life in a trash bag. I can be homeless. You can even take my family from me if that's what you must do, but you can't take Monica from Monica.” Those are the words of Monica Juliana, a high school student from West Virginia who endured an especially challenging upbringing, the kind that would have prevented most children from succeeding in school. “A lot of my childhood was bouncing around, living in cars, panhandling for money while my dad was in jail. We lived in a U-Haul for a little bit. I would say I was a backwards child. I mean, I didn't speak for the first couple of years of my life,” Monica recalled. But a veteran math teacher named Susan McMichael took notice of an intriguing new 8th-grade student at her middle school. “Even though it was less than a minute encounter with Monica, the way she held herself, the way she walked across the room, I felt something special there,” Susan said. Soon, she would take Monica in as a foster child and eventually adopt her. “I always worked especially hard with the girls,” Susan said. She would tell them, “You are important, but you need an education to get you through life.” Noting that many girls don’t want to appear smarter than their male counterparts, Susan would say, “‘You're just as good as the boys. Don't dumb down'…I challenged them to be shining…I always looked toward those girls who had that special quality.” When asked if she worried about being smarter than the boys, Monica replied, “Oh, I don't mind at all. I take quite a lot of pleasure in it, actually.” Monica didn’t just excel in math, but in all of her subjects. With unwavering support from Susan and an insatiable desire to learn, Monica exceeded most everyone’s academic expectations. Except perhaps her own and Susan’s. She was named valedictorian of her graduating class of 2025 and received a full-ride scholarship to Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., where she will major in Government and minor in Economics. “My identity very early on just happened to be with learning,” Monica said. “I was curious, sometimes too curious. People would be like, ‘Monica, shut up. You're asking too many questions.’ I loved to read…that, very early on, was something that was really special. It was really my way of escaping, my way of preserving who I was and asserting myself in the world.” The world is lucky to have Monica. The world is also lucky to have teachers like Susan McMichael.

This story starts with a bag of shoes that helped a school community heal after the tragic deaths of two students. That story blossomed into a unique project called the “Shoe Club” that fosters empathy and breaks barriers in a Michigan middle school. The founder of the club and guest on this episode is Matt Hamilton, a 2025 Horace Mann and NEA Award-winning teacher from East Jordan Public Schools in Michigan. The Club has gotten national attention with inscribed shoe donations from the likes of Jane Goodall, Michael Jordan, moon-walking astronaut Chalie Duke, Dolly Parton, and a Nobel Peace Prize recipient. Hear about the unique requirements for joining the Shoe Club, which now include reading the book Value Up, co-authored by Hamilton. Students also donate one of their own shoes with a meaningful inscription. Matt explains how the club evolved to include community service and the creation of dream boards, all designed to empower students with a sense of purpose. Joining Matt are two student Club members from East Jordan: Hannah Wyman, an eighth-grader active in theater, and Rylan McVannel, an eleventh-grader with a passion for disc golf. Both are integral to the Shoe Club's story and offer firsthand perspectives on its significance within their school community. A central theme of the conversation is the concept of students wearing "masks" and the pain that can lie hidden beneath the surface. Matt, Hannah, and Rylan discuss the Shoe Club's role in encouraging students to see beyond these facades and creating a safe space for understanding and connection. They share powerful insights into how the club promotes listening, appreciating diverse perspectives, and bridging the powerful forces that often divide students. For educators intrigued by the Shoe Club, Matt generously offers guidance on how educators and students elsewhere can start something similar in their own schools. This episode is a testament to the power of a teacher's vision and the remarkable capacity of students to create positive change. Through the simple yet profound act of sharing stories and "walking in each other's shoes," the Shoe Club in East Jordan is a powerful antidote to division and a beacon of hope for building more empathetic and connected school communities.

Meet Adrian Maclin, the Tennessee high school music teacher honored as Music Educator of the Year at the 2025 Grammys. In this episode, you’ll hear the extraordinary music from his students that earned him this prestigious award. Co-hosted by arts education advocate Emili Danz, this episode explores Adrian's inspiring journey, his unique approach to building a thriving "choir family," and the profound impact he has on his students' lives. You’ll learn how Adrian fosters a caring and creative environment where students flourish, both musically and personally. You’ll also hear Adrian describe his methods for connecting with students, empowering student leadership, and tapping into the emotional core of the words they sing. Hear touching reflections from one of Adrian's students who attests to his dedication. Beyond the music, Adrian shares moving stories of individual students, illustrating his commitment to nurturing their full potential and helping them become the "best version" of themselves. For aspiring educators, Adrian offers heartfelt advice, highlighting the challenges and immense joys of the profession. He encourages future teachers to discover their "why" and to focus on the lasting impact they can have on young lives. This inspiring episode of Teacher Stories reminds us of the transformative power of dedicated educators.

This teacher story is about two high school students who learned life-changing lessons, not in a classroom with four walls, desks, and chairs, but in a much bigger classroom - the Alaska wilderness. Keisha Orozco and Chris Flores spent three weeks hiking and kayaking with other students as part of STEP, a college-access and leadership program for low-income students in Arizona. Also joining this conversation is Tracy Baynes, the founder of the STEP program, which she started in 2004 after working as an oceanographer and instructor for Outward Bound and the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS). Chris, Keisha, and their fellow students had experienced guides, but they served periodically as leaders during these expeditions. This story is a reminder that deep, transformative learning can happen in the absence of teachers standing up in front of a class explaining subjects to their students. It can happen away from school, without one’s electronic devices, when students have an opportunity to work together and figure things out on their own. Chris said that he had never internalized a lesson his mother had impressed upon him - that he is his best advocate. “Being able to trust myself…that I know myself best to make those decisions and that I will make sure I will take myself wherever I need to go…That was the biggest takeaway I had from the Alaska expedition. You need to trust yourself because any risk or danger that you have in urban Arizona is amplified exponentially in Alaska.” For Keisha — who described the experience as “brutal, but in a good way” — one of the most rewarding parts of the trip, something she attributes to being disconnected from technology, was the connections she made with other students. “I couldn't imagine not talking to them if I were glued to my phone.” A key lesson Keisha learned from this experience was confidence. “Beforehand, I was not super timid, but I would be really hesitant with myself. I didn't really think that what I had to say would make a big contribution…Now, I am definitely not afraid to make decisions, big or small,” she said. Episode notes at www.teacherstories.org include links to the STEP program, Outward Bound, and the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS).

Author Bob Katz shares the extraordinary story of a gifted 4th-grade teacher named Elaine Moore, the central character of his book Elaine’s Circle: A Teacher, a Student, a Classroom, and One Unforgettable Year. One reviewer writes, “There are books that you read that stay with you all your life—Elaine’s Circle will be one of them.” If you’d like a chance to receive a free, signed copy of Elaine’s Circle, go to www.teacherstories.org. In this episode, Katz explains how Moore managed to rally her class, her school, and the whole community around Seamus Farrell, one of her students who developed a terminal illness. We also get a glimpse of Elaine’s unique perspectives on teaching and education. “Elaine's abiding theory of education,” Katz says, “is that the classroom is a community…Caring about classmates and belonging to the group was precisely the behavior Elaine had been cultivating beyond the math, the reading, the science, the grammar. Elaine wanted her students to experience the sharing, and the intimacy, and the trust that can develop in a group. She wanted them to understand that the learning they struggled so hard to achieve had a purpose, and the purpose was to help not just themselves but also others.” In his book, Katz writes, “Elaine had no burning maestro's desire to launch a prodigy or cultivate a superstar who, years hence, in accepting the Nobel or Pulitzer or Oscar, would remember to thank her for all she had done. Her objective was more modest and more real. ‘We teach,’ explained [fellow teacher] Joan Johnson, speaking of Elaine and herself and others, ‘to create these kids who can go on and do life better.’” We also learn from Katz a bit of the book’s back story—how he came to learn about Elaine Moore, why she was initially reluctant to share her story, and what became of Elaine and the student after his book was published. Bob Katz’s story is one for the ages—a poignant reminder of what quality education looks like and the debt of gratitude we owe to teachers like Elaine Moore, who prepare students for life.

Clarence Page has been writing for the Chicago Tribune for over 50 years and has been the recipient of numerous journalism awards. Now a columnist, he says his job is to explain, not just report the news. "Our own country is more complicated for the average person, and that's probably because communication is so much better. You learn about so many different crises going on here and there with a level of immediacy and contact that we didn't have before. So I feel like my mission is more important now than it ever was." It's quite possible that Page would have devoted his career to something else, perhaps being an astrophysicist, if he had not been inspired by his high school journalism teacher, Mary Kindell. "I learned everything from her...People ask, where did you learn journalism? I said, well, mainly [writing for] my high school newspaper," Page says. So confident was Mrs. Kindell that Page would be a successful writer, she left a note in his high school yearbook asking that he remember her when he won his first Pulitzer Prize. But Page had another influential teacher in his life - his grandmother. Reflecting on the divisive nature of today's political climate, Page said, "My grandmother always said that, remember wherever you go, your people enter with you...In other words, you're representing, whenever people look at you, you're representing black folk one way or the other...either positively or negatively. You represent your people and you put that knowledge in my head and other folks' heads. But she also taught me not to be resentful about things that don't go your way because you're going to get a lot farther with a happy attitude than you will with a bitter and depressed one. Those little non-academic, but very real life lessons were what she was really good for. I carry that with me today."

This story is about a high school teacher's extraordinary efforts to support her students and her belief that relationships must come first. It's about a parent who takes the time to acknowledge this teacher's commitment to her son. And it's a story about mental heath and the struggles so many young people face today – struggles that affect their schoolwork, their relationships with friends and family, and the quality of their own lives. In the 10 years leading up to the pandemic, feelings of persistent sadness and hopelessness—as well as suicidal thoughts and behaviors—increased by about 40% among young people, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System. The pandemic, of course, only made thing worse. During the pandemic, 29% of U.S. high school students had a parent or caregiver who lost their job, 55% were emotionally abused by a parent or caregiver, and 11% were physically abused, according to the CDC. Numerous other factors like online shaming and bullying have also contributed to the crisis. The good news is that there are steps schools can take to help address the problem. One, they can increase the number of professionals who are trained to recognize and treat students suffering from mental health issues. Too many schools across the country have virtually none of these professionals. Another step is for schools to incorporate social and emotional learning programs at all levels of the system – the kind of programs that can dramatically reduce bullying for instance. Unfortunately widespread efforts to promote these programs have been thwarted because social emotional learning programs have become a new target in the culture wars in education. But if parents are able to cut through the noise they will see the true, sometimes life-saving, benefits of these programs for their children.

As the 2023 Grammy Award-winning Music Educator of the Year, Pamela Dawson has made it her mission to harness the power of music to connect students with diverse backgrounds and skill levels. With over 27 years of experience in teaching, Dawson has learned to create a safe and nurturing environment for her students, fostering a strong sense of community and belonging. "I think the most important thing is relationships...The students have to buy into you before you can give them anything," Dawson says. "My goal has never been to make performers. It's to change lives." Dawson's innovative approach focuses on kinesthetic learning, a deep understanding of lyrics, and cultivating the relationship between music and the human experience. In this episode, you will: 1) Discover the impact of music education for learning, connections with stories, and personal growth; 2) hear from two of Dawson's former students; and, 3) enjoy listening to the powerful and soulful singing of her student choirs.

America’s culture wars are driving great teachers out of the classroom, exacerbating a shortage that has reached critical levels in most states. The story of Willie Carver, an extraordinary English and French high school teacher from Kentucky, is especially tragic. He was selected as the state’s teacher of the year in 2022 and honored recently with 49 other outstanding teachers at the White House. He was beloved by his students and colleagues. But Carver was also an openly gay teacher and the recent hostility toward LGBTQ educators and students simply became too much for him. In this episode Carver explains why he made the painful decision to leave the classroom. Three of his student also describe what it was like having him as their teacher.

na'im madyun reads a short story about a second grader named Ellis and her friend Coolidge, who prayed that their 3rd grade teacher WOULDN'T be the aging Mrs. Nimble. The prayer wasn't answered, but by the end of the year, with Mrs. Nimble as their teacher, they offered another prayer -- that she wouldn't retire. It's an ode to teachers, madyun says--one that provides insight into the journey that led him to become a teacher himself.

Julie Hasson and Ken Futernick discuss some of the powerful lessons learned from the teacher stories she writes about in her new book, Safe, Seen, and Stretched - the Remarkable Ways Teachers Shape Students' Lives. Julie shares an inspiring story about her own teacher, Mrs. Russell, who, Julie says, laid the foundation for everything she has achieved. Julie also tells the story of an engineering student who recalled what it was like when he and his elementary school classmates first got a chance to play volleyball with the "big kids." They'd hit the ball so hard and it got so rough that eventually the younger ones quit playing. But a teacher noticed what was happening and, "in all his genius," suggested a different way to play the game. He challenging them to hit the ball back and forth at least twenty times. To meet the challenge, the students taught one another how to keep the ball in the air, and from then on, at every recess, they all played a new version of volleyball -- the "the infinite game," they called it. It was here, as a young elementary student, that this engineering student first learned the power of collaboration, a practice he says is serving him well as an aspiring scientist.

Guests representing diverse political perspectives find some common ground on these controversial questions: - What does high-quality history and civics education look like in a democratic society? - What should teachers, particularly those who teach history and civics, be teaching our children? - Do new state laws, like HB3979 in Texas and SB623 in Tennessee, that restrict what teachers can talk about with their students strengthen or weaken our democracy? - Should students learn about civics by solving real problems and working with government representatives? Guests include: - Ace Parsi, Director of Outreach and Engagement for Educating for American Democracy - Amber Northern, Senior Vice President for Research at the Thomas B. Fordham Institute - Danny Diaz, Director of UCLA's History-Geography Project and a former high school history teacher

Is it appropriate – even a good thing in this time of intense political division -- for social studies teachers to bring politics, current events, and highly controversial issues into the classroom? Diana Hess is a former social studies teacher, now Dean of the College of Education at the University of Wisconsin, and a nationally recognized expert on civic education. Drawing upon extensive research on classroom practices, she argues that in a democratic society these topics must be part of the curriculum and that teachers can (and most often do) discuss them without being partisan.

A junior high school teacher, her school principal, and a teacher educator weigh in on critical questions about history and civics education in the era of fake news, social media, and heightened political pressure. -What does high-quality history and civics education for younger students look like and how can it help protect our democracy? - Why should teachers promote civic mindedness and not just facts about how government works? - Should all of American history be taught, including systemic racism and other anti-democratic structures? - Should teachers attempt to make students feel guilt or discomfort about America's past? - Can history about current events and controversial topics be taught in a non-partisan manner? - How can school administrators support teachers who teach the whole American story? Guests include: - Tracy Barnett, History Teacher, Hopkins Jr. High School, Fremont, California - Corey Brown, Principal, Hopkins Jr. High School, Fremont, California - Dr. Jennifer Hauver, Associate Professor of Education, Randolph-Macon College, Ashland, Virginia

The explosion of fake news, "hoaxes," and social media make it increasingly difficult for students to tell the difference between fact and fiction. And today's students, like the rest of us, can easily fall victim to "motivated reasoning" -- the tendency to believe what they want to believe, not what the evidence points to. The educators in this episode discuss the challenges this poses for educators and for our democracy. They also recommend pedagogical strategies that invite students to share their views, without recrimination, about controversial topics and that help students develop opinions based on reasons and evidence. Panelists include: * Wayne Journell, Associate Professor of Secondary Social Studies Education, University of North Carolina, Greensboro * Jennifer Hauver, Associate Professor of Education, Randolph-Macon College, Ashland, Virginia * Victor Rios, Professor of Sociology, University of California, Santa Barbara

Panelists on this episode argue that inadequate and inequitable funding of our public schools pose a dire threat to American democracy. That's because students in under-resourced schools, those who tend to be poor and people of color, are less able to participate in the democratic process. Panelist Derek Black, author of Schoolhouse Burning: Public Education and The Assault on American Democracy, claims the assault by those who want to dismantle public education is not intended merely to maintain the status quo, but "to make the status quo even less equitable than it already is." Panelists offers their unique perspectives on the problem and the steps school districts, states, and the federal government can take to solve it. The full panel includes: * Derek Black, Professor of Law, University of South Carolina School of Law * Preston Green, Professor of Educational Leadership and Law, University of Connecticut * Joshua Starr, Chief Executive Officer, PDK International * Sanaa Kahloon, Student, Harvard University

Geoff Prentiss attributes much of his success as an architect to his "enigmatic" college professor of design, Leslie Laskey, with whom he stayed connected for nearly 50 years. "Frightening" is how Prentiss described his first class with Laskey, but he was intimidating because "he wanted you to be open to things you didn't know." "He was a great teacher," Prentiss says, "because he focused on the the big picture, which is about awareness and perception and moving the creative ball forward...and you and how well you were doing it." Laskey died two months before this recording at the age of 99. Reflecting on the loss, Prentiss says, "His presence, that teacher, that person who was so strong and manipulative in his own way, charming, caring in how own way, he'll never go away...The important think is, 'How do I carry that forward in my life?'"

In June 2021, Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed a bill (HB 3979) that restricts what teachers can do in public school classrooms. Teachers can no longer be required to participate in training about race or sex stereotyping. Teachers can longer promote the idea that racism or sexism in America is, or has ever been, systemic. It requires teachers who discuss current events to “explore the topic from contending perspectives without giving deference to any one perspective.” It prohibits schools from giving academic credit for student’s “political activism, lobbying, or efforts to persuade members of the legislature or executive branch at the federal, state, or local level to take specific actions by direct communication.” These guests join host Ken Futernick in a conversation about the effects this law (and similar ones in other states) will have on student learning and democracy: Superintendent Michael Hinojosa, Superintendent, Dallas Independent School District Mary Gonzalez, Representative of the Texas State Legislature, representing House District 12 Lakeisha Patterson, 3rd grade teacher, Deepwater Elementary School near Houston

Three civic education experts -- Joseph Kahne, Alejandra Frausto, and Eve Vankley express their concerns about the current state of American democracy and explain how real-world civic engagement in schools prepares young people, regardless of their political orientation, to work together in finding the common good and to participate meaningfully in democratic life. They also address efforts by some public officials to limit civic engagement and recommend ways that educators and policy makers can strengthen and expand civics engagement in our schools. Additional resources for educators are available at www.ed4democracy.org.

This episode is part of our series on what schools can do to help save our democracy. Guests include Dr. Marvin W. Berkowitz, McDonnell Professor of Character Education at the Center for Character Education and Citizenship at the University of Missouri at St. Louis; and Dr. Kashina Bell, Deputy Superintendent for the School District of University City in St. Louis, Missouri. Both talk about character education -- what it looks like, how it's done, and why it's vital to our democracy. "I think the concept of the common good as a concept is an endangered species in democracies," Dr. Berkowitz says. "Every educator affects kids' character. And we want them to do it intentionally and positively and effectively...There is no moral future without moral children and there's no democratic future without democratic children. Education is a critical piece of that." Speaking about her former role as a school principal, Dr. Bell says, "I inherited a school that was really forgotten about...The teachers didn't want to be there. The kids didn't want to be there...We began the process of bringing our system back to health...We began establishing some values...We rooted ourselves in a common language to define our collective and individual responsibility to one another as well as to the community." In addition to boosting academic achievement, Bell says, "...our kids were no longer running away from the school. They really wanted to be in school and they began to thrive."

Bruce Stewart is a life-long educator who dedicated his career to social justice and high-quality education for all. As a history teacher and guidance counselor at Walter Hines Page Senior High School in Greensboro, North Carolina, he led the effort to desegregate the school 1963. Stewart became a Quaker educator and later served as Head of School at Sidwell Friends School in Washington, D.C. from 1998 to 2009. In this episode, Jennifer Futernick, a former student of Stewart, surprises Bruce with a tribute to the profound impact he had on her life and countless others.

David Berliner, one of this country's preeminent education scholars, tells the story of a teacher named Jennifer, whose classroom he visited many years ago. "I like visiting classrooms," Berliner says, "in part because they are so difficult to understand. It is an enormous intellectual challenge to make sense of teachers and students with curriculum materials in a classroom setting...[Observing teachers] is a bit like trying to study what comes out the end of a funnel–without much confidence that you know all about what went into the funnel. It’s hard to figure out the ingredients—the stuff that makes a classroom hum or fail." The day Berliner observed Jennifer, he became frustrated with her treatment of a student, but he ended up giving her a hug after realizing he had jumped to the wrong conclusions. After speaking with Jennifer, he said, "I learned a lesson about the importance of understanding the intentions, thoughts, feelings, and beliefs of the persons you intend to study...A lack of understanding, or a misunderstanding of another person’s intentions, can lead a social scientist to make dangerously flawed inferences about that person’s behavior." Important lessons for anyone (e.g., policy makers, coaches, administrators, parents) who want to understand what goes on in classrooms and the choices teachers make to help their students learn.

Peter Boykin, a history teacher in Detroit, Michigan, recounts the amazing story of his great-great grandfather named Johnson Chestnut Whittaker who was born into slavery in 1858 and was the subject of a book and TV movie titled, Assault at West Point. Whittaker would later become a teacher and a principal, which inspired Boykin to become an educator himself over a century later. Takia Maxxwell, one of Boykin's former students, also pays tribute to her former teacher, describing the impact he's had on her life. This story begins over 150 years ago (and perhaps well before that) and reminds us that Johnson Whittaker's impact (like so many teachers) lives on for generations.

Three of America's finest teachers -- Justin Johnson from Illinois, Eric Hale from Texas, and Juliana Urtubey from Nevada -- were selected to represent their respective states as Teachers of the Year, in part because of their extraordinary influence as teacher leaders. Each one is also a policy fellow for Teach Plus, an organization that empowers teachers to take on leadership roles with education policy and practice. Teach Plus President and CEO, Roberto Rodriguez, also joins the conversation about teacher leadership and how it strengthens school systems and improves outcomes for students. Each teacher also offers a recommendation on what can be done to ensure that schools systems, like the ones they work in, have the capacity to provide equitable, high quality education to all students.

Dino Luna was about to become a pilot but switched careers after accidentally falling in love with teaching. Now a veteran educator, Luna reflects on what it takes to be of service to his colleagues as an instructional coach. He also shares a touching story about a former 5th grade student who took time, years later, to tell him about the profound effect he had on her life. Turns out it was just a few kind words of encouragement. "You never know what simple thing you will do that will have a profound impact," Luna says.

Malik Boykin (aka Malik Starx) is an accomplished musician and a professor of psychology at Brown University where he teaches a course on stigma and prejudice. Boykin shares two transformational teacher stories--the first from second grade when he was sent to the principal's office for raising questions about Christopher Columbus. His second story is about Dr. Jaia John, his social psychology professor at Howard University who carved out time at the start each class for students to share a poem, a personal story, or even a musical performance that had some relation to the course content. Inspired by Dr. John, Boykin became a social psychologist and, like John, encourages his students to share something personal at the start of his classes. One of his students, Gabrielle Tanksley, describes what it's like to be one of Boykin's students, and she reads an extraordinary poem she shared recently in class. Starx wrote and performed "Dancing for Freedom," the soundtrack played in this Teacher Story episode. At the end, he describes the inspiration for the song.

When 4th grade teacher Miriam Marecek turned down the lights and lit the reading candle, magic happened. Pediatrician and journalist Perri Klass describes what it was like being one of Ms. Marecek's students and the impact it's had on her life and professional career. Now, as national medical director for Reach Out and Read, Dr. Klass, promotes reading aloud, together, starting at birth. In this episode she says, "If children grow up in literacy, rich environments, if there's a lot of back and forth...they will, by the time they come to school, understand how books work. They will understand how print works. They will understand all kinds of things about stories and sequence that will help tremendously with learning to read. This is about growing up, enjoying the back and forth around early literacy in books with the other people in your family." Learn more about Dr. Klass and her book, A Good Time to Be Born, at www.perriklass.com.

Like most Americans, these three veteran teachers were horrified as they learned about the insurrection at the nation's Capitol on January 6th, 2021. But each of them had to decide how to address this highly controversial topic with their students. What's the proper role for a teacher with an event like this? What if some students' parents or the students themselves supported the insurrection? Is there any way to talk about this and other controversial topics with very young students? Listen in as each teacher reflects on these and several other challenging questions.

Until one of his former students, Daniel Osorio, nominated him as Teacher of the Year, Marty Brandt considered himself "just another guy" -- a high school English teacher who would never become the educator he hoped he would become when he entered the profession. Daniel recounts the time when Mr. Brandt had asked his students to write their own ending -- any ending they wanted -- to The Great Gatsby. "I had never been engaged like that before," Daniel says. "It was really the catalyst to feeling like...man...I could really do this if I wanted to." Daniel says he uses much of what he learned from Mr. Brandt in his own work now as a professional filmmaker and even as a mentor to a group of East San Jose rap artists. "I have become their Marty Brand," helping them to grow as artists and as people. After Daniels's nomination and the subsequent award Mr. Brandt received as one of California's best teachers, he realized that he was more than "just a guy." That realization gave him the freedom to become intensely curious about what it means to be a successful English teacher how he could learn to become an even better one himself. Mr. Brandt reflects on how he teaches students to write now and how his approach has evolved over nearly three decades as an English teacher. "My approach to writing instruction has become one of encouraging development as opposed to what I used to do which as noting errors," Brandt says.

After practicing law for several years, Sean Bui, the son of Vietnamese and Filipino immigrants, suddenly realized that he didn't love his job. What he really wanted to be was a teacher and to make a difference in young people's lives. But this career shift presented a daunting challenge. Growing up, Mr. Bui's parents and grandparents had only endorsed three career paths -- medicine, engineering, and law. And now, after successfully following one of them, he wanted to quit to become a teacher. Telling them about his decision was "one of the scariest conversations I've had in my life," Mr. Bui said. But to his surprise, they and his wife (also a teacher) wholeheartedly supported his decision. Several years later, as a teacher of business law and English Language Development (ELD) in a Bay Area high school, Mr. Bui is recognized as one of California's teachers of the year. Three of Mr. Bui's students share appreciations in this episode, making it clear why he deserved this award.

As a high school student, Don Dumas didn't feel he mattered because the curriculum was disconnected from his experience. "I was kicking and screaming on my way toward graduation," he said. But Joyce Suber, a Black high school English teacher, took notice, introduced him to books like The Autobiography of Malcolm X and Manchild in the Promised Land, and urged him, Dumas says, to use his experience "for your own elevation and your own self-realization for who you are and who you want to be." Now, as I high school teacher himself, he was recently recognized as one of five teachers of the year among 40,000 educators in San Diego County. Dumas says he tries to emulate what he learned from Ms. Suber--most importantly her belief in all of her students. "She never gave up on us," Dumas, said, despite frequent suspensions, expulsions, and run-ins with the law. "She never let us believe we couldn't achieve more than what our circumstances dictated."

Eleven year-old Kaia Bali recently launched her own podcast called, "Through a Gen-Z's Eyes," because she is worried the current state of politics and our country's future. In this episode of Teacher Stories, Kaia talks about being a podcast host, her favorite episodes, and the one (surprising!) person she'd most like to interview. Also joining us is Sam Mahr, Kaia's sixth grade teacher who's supported her podcasting efforts and was Kaia's first podcast guest. "You won't meet too many students like Kaia," Mr. Mahr says. "She's an amazing young kid, extremely smart, extremely hard-working, and very mature for her age...It's not often you see someone as young as Kaia curious about politics and social justice." Kaia and Mr. Mahr share their views on how politics and other controversial topics should be treated in the classroom.

After 22 years as a public school teacher, Tom Courtney finally hits his stride after discovering the virtues of the authentic connections he has created with his 5th grade students' families. Mr. Courtney, also known as "The Minister of Fun," conducts home visits and and holds monthly student and family get-togethers like star night, ice-skating night, opera night, and library night. Mr. Courtney, joined by his student teacher, Rachel Petrivelli, say the benefits of family connections are invaluable. One of the them is that "we don't have classroom management issues," Courtney says. They get strong support from parents because they, like their students, implicitly know that their teachers care about them. Sadly, the 2020 pandemic forced Mr. Courtney's district to conduct all classes remotely via Zoom. It has also temporarily eliminated home visits and all of the after-school events Mr. Courtney would have had with his students and their families. But Mr. Courtney and Ms. Petrivelli came up with an creative solution to the problem -- at least for one special night. Tune in to hear their amazing story.

Chris Hasegawa, a highly accomplished teacher educator, describes what great science teachers do to help students understand and love this subject. "You have to make yourself a little bit vulnerable," he says, and to elicit joy in what you're doing. The art of teaching is being able to teach people that don't learn the way that you learn and who may not enjoy school the way you did. Chris also shares stories about three teachers who made a difference in his life. One of his best teachers was a former student who had been addicted to drugs and later thanked Chris for not giving up on him. "When you work with teachers Mr. Has, can you tell them to continue to be flipped off," which is what this student had wanted to do when Chris pestered him about his drug problem. "Continue to express to those kids that they really are worth your trouble and convince them that they really do have a problem and they need to get help," the student said.

Fred Shoemaker is considered one of America's best golf teachers, but in this provocative conversation about teaching, learning, and life you'll discover how his success has come by helping students discover their own capacities for performance and enjoyment and not by fixing what's wrong with their golf swings. Much of what Fred has learned can be applied to parenting, coaching, and classroom teaching at any level.

Four Black college students talk about their unique experiences in public schools, sharing stories about their teachers and professors, the curriculum they were exposed to, and the structural racism they periodically encountered along the way. They also suggest ways that schools can promote equity and anti-racism, by hiring and supporting teachers of color, for instance, and enabling new and veteran teachers to examine their own biases and to learn about culturally responsive pedagogy. This episode of Teacher Stories features music by Black Artist KLM.

Rob McClurg, a wise and extraordinarily accomplished elementary school teacher, shares stories from his own classroom, the privilege of being an educator, and a few of the teachers who shaped his life. Rob describes his current work as a volunteer educator at the Monterey Bay Aquarium and at the Soledad State Prison.

Lisa Godwin waited 20 years before telling anyone about a traumatic childhood experience. She credits a first grade teacher and a guidance counselor for helping her cope and eventually overcome this painful episode in her life. Now, as North Carolina's Teacher of the Year, Lisa has found the courage to share her powerful story with educators and parents. She offers wise advice for teachers and for others who may have experienced similar trauma.

Before founding the Black Teacher Project, Dr. Micia Mosely taught high school history in San Francisco, California. As a beginning teacher, Micia worried that she was unable to fully connect with and help Belinda Bellinger, one of her students, who was struggling emotionally and academically. Unbeknownst to Micia, Belinda graduates from high school, earns a bachelor's degree from Sarah Lawrence College in New York, and eventually becomes a middle school English teacher. Decades after their first time together in high school, the two accidentally reunite in an educational workshop and a new personal and professional relationship is born. In this podcast episode, Micia and Belinda reflect on the paths that brought them back together and what it means now to collaborate as colleagues. They also share offer insights into the Black Lives Matter movement and its significance for the education community.

Dr. Sharon Tettegah, a Professor at the University of California at Santa Barbara, shares stories about her life and her most memorable teachers. Growing up in Wichita Falls, Texas (a completely segregated community) all of her teachers were Black. Here, she received an excellent education and was two grade levels ahead of her classmates when, as a fifth grader, she and her family moved to San Francisco. She soon moved across the Bay to Oakland and was fortunate to have had teachers who recognized her potential and desire to learn. But she also encountered racism at school in the form of low expectations and negative attributions. "Education," Dr. Tettegah discovered, was "about assimilating to whiteness." She sees the Black Lives Movement as an opportunity for educators to confront systemic racism, a process that begins by examining one's own biases.

Unsure what to do with his life, Josh Gaston decides to become a teacher of English -- first in Asia and then in other countries around the world. His stories are about navigating the striking, but sometimes subtle, differences in local teaching practices and cultural norms. In Korea, for instance, where students were accustomed to lectures, he had to figure out how to get students to work in small groups. In Uzbekistan, he wanted to give a voice to his female students, but his male students tended to dominate class discussions. He had to walk a fine line because his superiors warned him not to question local norms regarding gender. Josh has no regrets about his career choice and encourages others to consider teaching abroad. But, he says, "Be prepared to have your world shaken a little."

An unexpected letter from one of her students reminds Tracy Barnett that her approach to teaching history, at least for this 8th grade student, has paid off. The student said she acquired a keen new interest in history and, just as importantly, came away from Ms. Barnett's class knowing that she cared about and believed in her students. "It's the most affirming thing I have ever heard!" Tracy exclaimed.

At age 14, Victor Rios' best friend is shot and killed. Afterwards, Victor thought, "I am going to end up dead like him or in prison for life." But Victor turns his life around after having a high school technology teacher named, Ms. Russ. He goes on to college, earns a Ph.D. in sociology, and becomes a professor at U.C. Santa Barbara. In this extended podcast episode, Dr. Rios reflects on his extraordinary life, the critical role teachers can play in students' lives, and the support teachers need to be successful, especially with students, like him, who grow up in poverty. Near the end of the interview, Victor also speaks about the Black Lives Matter movement and the opportunity it presents for educators to help students learn about this "cultural revolution."

When Kathryn Isaacs was in 8th grade she proudly read an essay aloud in class, comparing her very demanding teacher, Mr. Del Rossi, to the Wizard of Oz. At the end of her essay, she describes him as "merely a language teacher" and learns a painful, but important, lesson about the ways people often talk about teachers. To discover the ultimate irony of the story, find out what Kathryn does now for a living. Kathryn also reflects on the uncertain future posed by the pandemic and on the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement.

Jason DiGioia, an English teacher in Denver, Colorado recalls two teachers who contributed to his love for writing and literature. Following in their professional footsteps, Jason explains how he encourages his own students to discover life lessons in the books they read. Because of the pandemic, Jason and his colleagues are learning to cope with the sudden closure of their school, and the effect it's having on the social and emotional well-being of his students and colleagues. He also shares a chilling story about how, in the midst of the current protests over racism and social injustice, his school became the victim of a chilling act of hate.

When COVID-19 hit the state of New York, many teachers, including Ms. Jackie Rooney, a high school social studies teacher, were suddenly separated from their students before they had a chance to say goodbye. Despite the heartbreak, Ms. Rooney found a way to reconnect to her class. In this podcast episode, she shares a heartwarming letter of apology and reads some of her students' responses. But the pandemic isn't the only crisis affecting her work as a teacher. In the wake of the killing of George Floyd, a Black man in Minnesota, she shares her thoughts about how educators can confront racism and police brutality with their students.