This week on Teachers’ Lounge, Evelyn Cassano!! She’s an Adult Education instructor at Waubonsee Community College. She teaches students of all ages -- 17 through 70 years old --about everything from digital literacy to English Language learning!
Her students come to learn for a wide range of reasons and bring a range of life experiences to the classroom. It makes for a special learning environment. And it’s not just Spanish speakers learning English. Last year, students speaking 45 different languages came into their English language courses.
“Last spring, I had a student from Ukraine. I was doing my homework. I was watching YouTube videos. I study and I want to learn even just how to say ‘Hello, how are you?’ in their language just to help make them feel comfortable,” she said.
It helps that Evelyn also has a unique education journey of her own. She’s been a community college student, a transfer student, a grad student, and an adult learner coming back to education later in life.
We hear about that journey, embracing her students’ experiences and culture and so much more on this episode.
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 please subscribe to our Teachers' Lounge newsletter right here where you can stay up to speed on the show and share stories you think we should cover!
Also, Teachers’ Lounge is on the radio! Catch the show as an hour-long radio program every month LIVE on 89-5 FM and streaming at WNIJ.org. We have multiple guests, stories, and exclusive segments. Tune in on the last Friday of the month at noon for future episodes. Our next episode airs on Friday, September 29th at noon and then the next day, September 30th at 6 a.m.
SHOW NOTES
Educator in this episode:
Evelyn Cassano
Stories featured in this episode:
How truancy lands some Illinois students in court
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
