Teachers in America

Latest Episodes:

Displaced Katrina Student Comes Home to Teach with Chris Dier May 04, 2020

Show notes

Meet Chris Dier, a teacher of World History and AP Human Geography at Chalmette High School in St. Bernard’s Parish, Louisiana. A Louisiana native, Chris was uprooted by Hurricane Katrina in his senior year of high school, but eventually returned to earn two Master’s degrees from the University of New Orleans. Now working in the same high school where his mother taught before him, Chris’s focus is to provide an equitable and multicultural education for all. He has been featured in The New York Times, and more recently in The Washington Postfor "An Open Letter to High School Seniors." Chris is the 2020 Louisiana Teacher of the Year and author of the book The 1868 St. Bernard Parish Massacre: Blood in the Cane Fields. You can learn more on his website, or follow him on Twitter @chrisdier.
Teachers in America profiles K–12 teachers across the country. Hear firsthand from the people who are shaping young lives in the classroom every day. If you or someone you know would be a good candidate for Teachers in America, please email us at shaped@hmhco.com.
See behind-the-scenes footage on our YouTube channel:
https://youtu.be/JUK3OvgxIdI
During this time, HMH is supporting educators and parents with free learning resources for students. You can visit hmhco.com/learningsupport for more information.

Noelle Morris: Host of Teachers in America Mar 24, 2020

Show notes

Teachers in America profiles K–12 teachers across the country. Hear firsthand from the people who are shaping young lives in the classroom every day.
In today's episode, you'll learn more about our host, Noelle Morris. In addition to being our host, Noelle is the Director of Content and Programming at HMH, a former teacher, and forever friend of teachers. Her career in teaching and education consulting spans more than two decades; she started as a middle school language arts and science teacher and was then asked by the administration to become involved with the Orange County Literacy Project. She has since contributed to the development of HMH’s READ 180 and other intervention programs as a senior editor, and has written several nonfiction books as well as other educational materials for professional learning. Noelle received her bachelor’s degree in English from Florida State University.
Read more on HMH's Shaped blog: https://www.hmhco.com/blog/meet-noelle-morris-host-of-hmh-learning-moments-teachers-in-america-podcast

Becoming a History Teacher with Debra Reynolds Mar 10, 2020

Show notes

Meet Ms. Debra Reynolds, a 7th grade World History teacher at Wicomico Middle School, part of Wicomico County Public Schools in Maryland. A passionate history buff, she's known for a long time that she wanted to become a history teacher in her hometown of Salisbury and is now finishing her third year teaching. As a second-year teacher, she was recognized by her county with the first-ever Rising Star Award. And she's also an avid skydiver, antique collector, and self-described "crazy cat lady." Debra uses social media and rapping to connect with her students and teach them elements of world history—you can follow her on TikTok or YouTube @rappingreynoldswm.
Teachers in America profiles K–12 teachers across the country. Hear firsthand from the people who are shaping young lives in the classroom every day.

Read more on HMH's Shaped blog, including a full transcript and background on this episode: https://www.hmhco.com/blog/podcast-hmh-learning-moments-teachers-in-america-debra-reynolds-salisbury-md
See behind-the-scenes photos on HMH's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCR5sQc4fIs3sfxMYfj942ag

Wearing the Kindness Cape with Julia Allan Feb 11, 2020

Show notes

Meet Julia Allan, a Kindergarten teacher at Northfield Elementary School, part of Howard County Public Schools in Maryland. When she turned 30, Julia decided to quit her job in the hospitality industry to become a teacher—and now, she teaches in the very same classroom where she attended Kindergarten in 1986. In this episode, Julia talks with Noelle about social-emotional learning, equity in education, the stress of getting students to their bus, inflation with the tooth fairy, and much more.
Teachers in America profiles K–12 teachers across the country. Hear firsthand from the people who are shaping young lives in the classroom every day.

Read more on Shaped, including a full transcript and background on this episode: https://www.hmhco.com/blog/podcast-hmh-learning-moments-teachers-in-america-julia-allan-ellicott-city-md
See behind-the-scenes photos on our YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/I2sGkn3_n1E

Words from a Teacher Influencer with LaQuisha Hall Jan 21, 2020

Show notes

Meet LaQuisha Hall, a 17-year teaching veteran who currently teaches English Language Arts at Carver Vocational-Technical High School in Baltimore City Public Schools. In 2018, she was the Teacher of the Year for Baltimore. She is also the founder of the girls’ mentoring program Queendom T.E.A., the Baltimore branch of Project LIT, and the SheRose Awards which honors the unsung “sheroses” of sexual assault and domestic violence. LaQuisha is an outspoken survivor of childhood sexual abuse and is now passionate about supporting young women who are survivors and preventing further abuse from happening. You can follow her on Twitter or Instagram @MrsHallScholars.
Teachers in America profiles K–12 teachers across the country. Hear firsthand from the people who are shaping young lives in the classroom every day.

Read more on Shaped, including a full transcript and background on this episode: https://www.hmhco.com/blog/hmh-learning-moments-teachers-in-america-laquisha-hall-baltimore-md
See behind-the-scenes photos on our YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/K_r3B4zoE5I
TW: This episode of Teachers in America includes mention of suicide and sexual assault. If you or someone you know needs help today, support is available from the Crisis Text Line and the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.

2019 National Teacher of the Year Rodney Robinson Aug 28, 2019

Show notes

Rodney Robinson is the 2019 National Teacher of the Year and Virginia Teacher of the Year. He is a teaching veteran with nearly two decades of experience. In 2015, in an effort to better understand the school-to-prison pipeline, Rodney started teaching social studies at the Virgie Binford Education Center, a school inside the Richmond Juvenile Detention Center. Now, he uses the knowledge he has gained from his students to develop alternative programs to prevent students from entering the school-to-prison pipeline.

Rodney earned a Bachelor of arts in history from Virginia State University and a master’s in educational administration and supervision from Virginia Commonwealth University. He has been published three times by Yale University and has received numerous awards for his accomplishments in and out of the classroom. He has worked with Pulitzer Award winning author James Foreman Jr. on developing curriculum units on race, class, and punishment as a part of the Yale Teacher’s Institute.

The Teachers in America series profiles K–12 teachers across the country. Hear firsthand from the people who are shaping young lives in the classroom every day.
Today’s episode was recorded via phone.
Read more on Shaped, including a full transcript and research for this episode: https://www.hmhco.com/blog/hmh-learning-moments-teachers-in-america-rodney-robinson-ntoy-2019-richmond-va

Looping with a Classroom Family with Tracy Childers Aug 20, 2019

Show notes

Tracy Childers is a science teacher at Foothills Community School, a STEM magnet school, which is part of McDowell County Schools in North Carolina. After graduating from college, Tracy spent the next 30 years in supervision and management in the textile industry. He decided to pursue teaching to honor the memory of his two daughters, Casey and Courtney, after they passed away in an automobile accident in December 2002. In the 16 years he has been working as an educator, Tracy has been a middle school science and math teacher for 6th, 7th, and 8th grade. His current school, Foothills Community School, is a Project Based Learning (PBL) school with mixed-grade classrooms.
The Teachers in America series profiles K–12 teachers across the country. Hear firsthand from the people who are shaping young lives in the classroom every day. This episode was originally recorded at the 2019 Model Schools Conference.

Becoming a Better Learner with Monica Fitzgerald Aug 06, 2019

Show notes

Monica Fitzgerald teaches reading to vulnerable 7th graders in Syracuse, New York. She has taught in the North Syracuse Central School District for 24 years and has experience working as a classroom teacher for grades K–3, a Reading Recovery Teacher, a Reading Teacher for grades K–7, and a Literacy Coordinator. Monica received her bachelor’s in Inclusive Elementary/Special Education from Syracuse University, and master’s in Reading from SUNY Oswego. Currently, she is working on her second master’s degree in Instructional Design, Development & Evaluation at Syracuse University. Prior to becoming a teacher, she worked as a weather specialist in the United States Air Force. In her spare time, Monica enjoys reading, golfing, and traveling, and she volunteers for Make a Wish, American Cancer Society, and Honor Flight Syracuse.
The Teachers in America series profiles K–12 teachers across the country. Hear firsthand from the people who are shaping young lives in the classroom every day. This episode was originally recorded at the 2019 Model Schools Conference.

SEL in the Face of Natural Disaster with Garrett Jackson Jul 23, 2019

Show notes

Many teachers talk about the isolation of teaching. But what if you really were truly isolated? Today’s guest, Garrett Jackson, is a special education teacher in Saipan, the largest of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), a U.S. commonwealth about 130 miles from Guam—geographically isolated in the western Pacific. And in October 2018 the islands were hit by Typhoon Yutu, which devastated their community.
Before moving to Saipan with his wife and son, Garrett taught high school history and government in Lawton, Oklahoma. He recently received his Master’s in Autism and Developmental Disabilities from the University of Texas of the Permian Basin. In his spare time, Garrett enjoys playing with his son, traveling, hunting, fishing, and amateur radio.
The Teachers in America series profiles K–12 teachers across the country. Hear firsthand from the people who are shaping young lives in the classroom every day. This episode was originally recorded at the 2019 Model Schools Conference.
Read more: https://www.hmhco.com/blog/hmh-learning-moments-teachers-in-america-garrett-jackson-saipan-cnmi

Budget Cuts, Burnout & Self-Care with Georgette McClain Jul 09, 2019

Show notes

Georgette McClain is a Life Sciences teacher at Blanchester High School in Blanchester, Ohio, where she has taught for twelve years. Georgette holds her bachelor’s degree from Wilmington College in Wilmington, Ohio, where she studied Biology and Secondary Education, and earned her master’s degree in Teacher Leadership from Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio. In 2015, Georgette added a Principal license to her teaching certification. She was a panelist at SXSW EDU 2019 in Austin, Texas, in a session with other teachers featured on Teachers in America, and moderated by our host, Rose Else-Mitchell. Outside of the classroom, Georgette is a voracious reader and enjoys birdwatching, camping, and traveling.
The Teachers in America series profiles K–12 teachers across the country. Hear firsthand from the people who are shaping young lives in the classroom every day.

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected