For this episode, you’ll hear from two educators on Ocracoke Island. Leslie Cole is the principal of Ocracoke School and Jeannie Owens is the only 5th grade teacher. Owens was also recently named the Burroughs Wellcome Fund Northeast Regional Teacher of the Year for 2020. We talked about resiliency in community and how their school has adapted from several challenges this year, from Hurricane Dorian to COVID-19.

For our last episode, you’ll hear from Freebird McKinney. This was a special episode for me, because McKinney was my teacher when I was in high school nearly a decade ago. We talked about how teaching helped him self-actualize and the power of building relationships in the classroom. For those of you who have heard Freebird refer to ‘the Shire,’ you’ll hear where that phrase came from and what it means to him. Most importantly, I got to thank him for the profound impact he had on my life as his former student.

For this episode, you’ll hear from David Colwell who is retiring this summer after 40 years in education. Colwell was a high school social studies teacher for 20 years before serving as an assistant principal and a principal in Caldwell County. He’s retiring this year as principal of Hibriten High. Listen in to hear all about his education journey and the lessons he's learned along the way.

For episode three, you'll hear from Emily Golightly. She is an ESL teacher in Carteret county, where she also grew up years ago. Golightly shares what it was like to return to her alma mater as a teacher, and the unique experience of being an english as a second language teacher.

For this episode, you’ll hear from Tatum Weaver. Weaver is a high school social studies teacher in Fayetteville, North Carolina. We talked all about her journey to becoming a teacher, what she wishes more people knew about educators, and her dream for education in the state of North Carolina.

For our first episode, you’ll hear from Darryl Bradshaw. Bradshaw teaches in Durham County and is a part of the non-profit Profound Gentlemen – an organization that engages current and aspiring male educators of color. He shares about his journey from finance to the classroom, his dream for education in North Carolina, and why self care is critical for teachers and something he is still learning.

For this episode, you’ll hear from Audrey Jaeger — executive director of the Belk Center for Community College Leadership and Research at NC State University. She covers the mission of the center, its impact, and their biggest opportunity to amplify all 58 community colleges in the next few years. Jaeger was also recently awarded the NC State University’s 2020 Alumni Association Outstanding Research Award.

In this episode, I sat down with Jeff Cox, president of Wilkes Community College. We talked about how the college has transitioned to remote learning and Merlefest -- the annual music festival held on the college’s campus and a major economic driver for their community . The festival was cancelled this year because of COVID-19, for the first time since it began more than 30 years ago. "We're rebuilding and looking ahead,” he said

In this episode, I talked to Steven Gupton who is a student-turned-teacher at Louisburg High School in Franklin County and an active paramedic. Gupton shares his rural community’s challenges with access to broadband and WiFi and how he is maintaining hope during this time for his students, his patients, and himself.

In this episode, I caught up with Myra Morgan, a teacher at McDowell High School for over 20 years and her daughter Taylor, senior and student body president at McDowell High. . We heard what it’s like moving your classroom to your living room, and the feelings that come up with handling so much uncertainty during the last year of high school.

A note from Alli: We are still learning how to operate remote, just like everyone else. The software we use to record calls had a bit of blip this week and caused some clicking in part of the interview. Please bear with us as we learn how to navigate these challenges and get you the best quality audio possible.