Rachel joins Teachers' Lounge after a busy few months between getting a Master’s Degree, securing her first full-time teaching job, and finishing up student teaching AT HER OLD HIGH SCHOOL!

Hear a year in the life of a teacher, in real-time

Our classroom correspondent tells the story of his school year – a year in the life of a teacher -- the ups and downs, holidays, tests, all of it. It's a month-by-month trip through the 2021-22 school year.

"When I started teaching, as a teacher, you were extremely isolated. You were closed in this room with them. In my second year of teaching, I had 50 3rd graders!"

Two students from very different points in their education tell tales of pandemic learning & we're joined by the Illinois Teacher of the Year!

Destiny Hudson was in 5th grade when COVID-19 shut down schools back in 2020. Now, she’s finishing up 7th Grade. Devin Snow was a sophomore when it all went down and now he’s graduating high school. They’ve both been through this weird learning experience, but at very different points in their education journey.

The 2022 Illinois Teacher of the Year joins Teachers' Lounge to talk about what it means to her, being a small-town educator, teaching new languages, and much more!

From grief to music, educators nominated by our WNIJ audience share their stories and wisdom on a new Teachers' Lounge Radio Show.

We revisit our conversation with the teacher, author and creator of the class-sourced novel: Jay Rehak!

University of Illinois music professor Lamont Holden AKA producer TheLetterLBeats talks about crafting the school's new fight song and forging new traditions.