On a new Teachers' Lounge podcast, Northern Illinois University Distinguished Teaching Professor, Gulsat Aygen. Dr. Aygen is a renowned linguistics teacher, author, and translator.
She has had an absolutely remarkable life from growing up in Turkey, spending time as a political prisoner in the 1980s, coming to the United States to study and teach at Harvard, and now at NIU.
“How did I end up being more human than I ever was, despite all the torture and dehumanizing circumstances I was in?” she said. “I always think about this.”
We had a long, wonderful conversation about her life and the ultimate goal of education. So, we’re presenting it in two parts so we can bring you as much as possible.
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!
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