On our show today, Jared Ploger! He wears a lot of different hats in education. First and foremost, he’s a social studies teacher at Bolingbrook High School. He’s also the president of his local teachers’ union and an elected member of the District 308 school board in Oswego.
So, on top of his day-to-day work in the classroom, he’s also in leadership positions at two of the 10 biggest school districts in the state of Illinois.
It’s a lot, and Jared takes the time to break down what his union work looks like, how he advocates for his fellow teachers and for state legislation that might be able to help them. We also go behind the scenes of working on a school board at a large district: the responsibility of being transparent and having an open relationship with the public, especially at a time when board meetings have been very contentious at times over the past few years.
We also talk about how much he misses coaching middle school basketball, what got him interested in pursuing a career in education in the first place, and so much more.
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, November 29th at noon and the next day, November 30th at 6 a.m.
SHOW NOTES
Educator in this episode:
Jared Ploger
Stories in this episode:
'This is home': The final days of NIU's Lorado Taft Field Campus
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 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!
