On a new Teachers’ Lounge, Dr. Kathleen “Kadi” Billman. This is an episode unlike we’ve ever had. We’re diving into some heavy, emotional topics today. Until her retirement during the pandemic, Dr. Billman was a professor of pastoral ministry, pastoral theology and director of the Master of Divinity program at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago. Billman also taught a class called “Caring for the dying and bereaved."
“The students did a lot of things. They were asked to write their own eulogy. They were asked to write a letter to loved ones, of what they would most want their closest loved ones to know," she said.
We had such a good conversation, but the themes are really weighty, so we decided to divide it into two smaller parts. Again, we talk about death, loss, and grief, so if that’s not something you want to hear about, that’s totally fine, but just a content warning.
If you’ve never listened before, our show is based on an idea -- we’ve all had teachers in our lives who shaped who we are. And we want to hear about the teachers who inspired you or deserve a spotlight in your community. Every educator we have on this podcast, whether teacher, coach, counselor or professor, is nominated by our listeners.
So, tell us about the person who comes to your mind. Shoot us an email and nominate an educator at teacherslounge@niu.edu and they could be on the podcast! And subscribe to our newsletter to keep up to speed on everything to do with the show.
Also, Teachers’ Lounge is now on the radio! The podcast won’t change one bit, but you can now catch the show as an hour-long radio program every month on WNIJ. We’ll have multiple guests, stories, and new segments to hear. Our next episode airs on Friday, March 25 at 11 a.m. on 89-5 FM and right here WNIJ.org. Tune in the last Friday of the month at the same time for future episodes.
SHOW NOTES
Educator(s) in this episode:
Kadi Billman
Stories in this episode:
A major shortage of substitute teachers has some districts training new subs in 1 day
Schools try to fix unfair student discipline policies during a "mental health crisis"
Music: Our show's theme music is from the northern Illinois-based band "Kindoves" and their songs "Popn," "Origins" and "Quiche." You can find more of their music on their Soundcloud page. You can also listen to the episode of WNIJ's own Sessions from Studio A where they were featured.
Teachers! People who know teachers! People with stories about teachers! Send us an email and be part of the show! Also, send us your topic recommendations: teacherslounge@niu.edu
