In case you didn’t know, our podcast Teachers’ Lounge is also on the radio! We’ve got all the interviews with Illinois teachers and education stories you love -- along with exclusive segments -- in a monthly, hour-long show on WNIJ.
On this episode, it’s my conversation with Joey Brewer! He's the new Dean of Students at the Spoon River Valley School District. Brewer has spent the past two decades teaching history and social studies at rural schools in western Illinois -- the region of the state often known as "Forgottonia."
Inspired by that, he started “The Forgottonia Project” -- a student-led local history initiative. They organize oral histories, discuss local literature, pursue local journalism, pen social commentaries, produce podcast interviews, and loads more.
We also sit down with Dr. Lisa Fozio-Thielk. She’s a psychology professor at Waubonsee Community College who recently won the college’s outstanding faculty award.
We had a great conversation about how her experience in the field working at a psychiatric hospital informs her current work in the classroom.
We also talk about why she walks into her Psychology 100 classes every fall a little but mean to show students how misguided their first impressions often are.
She tells us about teaching students how to destress, why she loves the unique social and academic environment of a community college, and much more.
We also have a "classroom correspondent" on the show. They're the teacher we interview every month of the school year on the radio show to trace a school year in their life.
This year, our correspondent is Caio Gomes! He teaches English as a Second Language at Clinton Rosette Middle School in DeKalb.
Also, we have student correspondents on Teachers' Lounge. It’s where we follow a group of students in a club or activity. This fall, our student correspondents are actual correspondents. They are the reporters and editors at the Kaneland Krier, the award-winning student-run newsmagazine at Kaneland High School.
If you’ve never listened 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. Every educator we have on Teachers’ Lounge, 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 show!
Don’t worry – the podcast hasn’t gone anywhere. You can still catch episodes every other Friday on WNIJ.org or wherever you get podcasts.
