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 el ..read more

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 ..read more

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 approa ..read more

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 C ..read more

na'im madyun reads a short story about a second grader named Ellis and his 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 ..read more

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 ..read more

Guests representing diverse political perspectives find some common 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 civic, 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?   Guest ..read more

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 ..read more

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 gu ..read more

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 opinio ..read more