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 Elaine Hirschenberger. In 1975, Elaine co-founded Womanspace in Rockford. She recently retired from her role as Executive Director.
Elaine has led a fascinating life. She’s a Catholic nun with the School Sisters of St. Francis. She was a classroom teacher. And she’s devoted the last 50 years of her life to building a space where women can feel comfortable exploring their creativity and spirituality
We talked about why she and her co-founder Dorothy Bock started Womanspace, the early years when they were meeting in a little apartment they were also living in, and how it grew over the decades.
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.
This month, we talked about a lot. His students just started a unit on the Holocaust, which is even more powerful since he has refugee students in his class. We also explored how he tries to stay motivated and stay hopeful even through the doldrums of the school year.
And finally, we meet our brand-new student correspondents for this spring: students from the Whiteside Area Career Center's CEO program, who are starting their own businesses!
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.
