Today on the show: we’re revisiting a Teachers’ Lounge classic. It’s our chat from 2020 with Chicago Public Schools teacher Jay Rehak.
He and his students at Whitney Young High School have written over a dozen books together. Jay pioneered the idea of “class-sourced novels” where he writes books with his students. The first one was published in 2014 called "30 Days to Empathy." We talked about why empathy is his life’s mission, his other books, and much more!
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, April 29 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:
Jay Rehak
Stories in this episode:
'Don't stop now': The new Illinois budget's impact on higher-ed & college students
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
