Hello everyone! We all know that teachers are leaving the classroom in droves. There is a teacher shortage (or more accurately, a shortage of people who want to work in an underpaid and under-appreciated profession).

But, not everyone leaving the classroom is doing so because they are unhappy. Many—including myself—have stepped out because of the LOVE we feel for the class, and the passion we have to help as many people as we can in schools.

Jennifer Buchholz (also known as @skatingthroughliteracy on Instagram), is a literacy consultant and instructional coach who left the class she loved to serve classes elsewhere. Not only is she spreading great literacy knowledge on social media, but she is also open about her story and why she changed her role this year.

Whether you are thinking about leaving, want to know there are people still enjoying the work they do, or want a different perspective on why a teacher would choose a different role, this episode is for you!

If you want more great literacy focused content, check out our sister show, Craft & Draft and our upcoming training on January 7th, 2023.

This episode is sponsored by Heinemann—the leading publisher of professional books and resources for educators—and their professional book, Textured Teaching: A Framework for Culturally Sustaining Practices by Lorena Escoto Germán.

With Culturally Sustaining Practice as its foundation, Textured Teaching helps secondary teachers stop wondering and guessing how to implement teaching and learning that leads to social justice. Lorena Germán shares her framework for creating a classroom environment that is highly rigorous and engaging, and that reflects the core traits of Textured Teaching: student-driven and community-centered, interdisciplinary, experiential, and flexible. The actionable strategies Lorena uses to bring Textured Teaching values to life illuminate what is possible when we welcome all types of texts, all types of voices, and all forms of expression into the classroom.

Learn more about how to become a culturally sustaining educator. Visit Heinemann.com to download a sample from Textured Teaching.