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The Four Freedoms and Beyond | Teachers' Lounge Podcast

David Gray
Peter Medlin
David Gray

On a new Teachers’ Lounge, David Gray! He’s a social studies teacher at Logan Jr. High in Princeton, Illinois.

He and his students have been doing a project called “The Four Freedoms & Beyond.” It’s based on President Franklin Roosevelt’s 1941 State of the Union speech just before the U.S. entered World War II.

Roosevelt laid out the country’s stance -- highlighted by the four freedoms -- which are Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Worship, Freedom from Want, and Freedom from Fear.

Gray’s students illustrated their interpretations of the freedoms, they had discussions about them, and even some community events in Princeton earlier this year. He says, in the classroom, it was especially fascinating to hear how his students felt we’ve lived up to the ideals expressed in those freedoms.

If you’ve never listened to Teachers’ Lounge 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 newsletterto 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, November 25th at 11 a.m. on 89-5 FM and right here WNIJ.org. Tune in on the last Friday of the month at the same time for future episodes.

SHOW NOTES

Educator(s) in this episode:

David Gray

Stories in this episode:

Test scores are still down from the pandemic. Can high-impact tutoring help Illinois students bounce back?

'Adult Education' enrollment more than doubled at Waubonsee Community College. What is it and why is demand so high?

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

Peter joins WNIJ as a graduate of North Central College. He is a native of Sandwich, Illinois.