On a new Teachers' Lounge podcast, ever curious what the school year is like for a teacher?
Over on our Teachers’ Lounge Radio Show, we have a segment called “Classroom Correspondent.” Every month, we talk with the same teacher and follow the ups and downs of the school year.
This year, our classroom correspondent was Caio Gomes. He's an English-as-a-second-language teacher at Clinton Rosette Middle School in DeKalb, Illinois.
He's had a fascinating journey into education. He and his family immigrated to the U.S. from Brazil a few years ago. He also has a lot of students who come from immigrant families.
It was a rollercoaster of a school year for him, and we covered it all: the personal and professional challenges as well as the shining moments of connection and learning that make it all worth it
At the end of the school year, all of our classroom correspondent segments get collected right here on the podcast. So, today, we’re going to experience Caio's entire 2025-26 school year from August to May.
Honestly, I can’t thank Caio enough for making the time to talk with me every month, and taking the time to be as thoughtful as he was about his work and his journey. I know it was quite a year for him, and so I hope that our conversations gave him a chance to reset and reflect a little bit. I hope it helped, really.
We'll have a new Classroom Correspondent for the next school year starting in August. If you want to listen to these segments in real time, month to month, you can hear it on our Teachers’ Lounge Radio show. It airs on WNIJ on the last Friday of every month at noon and the following Saturday morning at 6 a.m.
That is the exclusive home of our student and classroom correspondent segments all school year long, until it all gets collected here in June. So, if you want to hear the next season of Classroom Correspondent soon, keep up with the radio show in the fall -- otherwise you’ll have to wait another year!
SHOW NOTES
Educator featured on the show: Caio Gomes
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! Also, send us your topic recommendations: teacherslounge@niu.edu
