Welcome to an almost new school year from your pals at Her Voice at the Table! Kate, Megan, and Caitlin recently got together to discuss something on many teacher minds as the summer winds down - ChatGPT. How will this new technology change the way we teach? Should we believe the doom and gloom articles that this "will end high school English" and is the perfect way to cheat? Or are there more positive ways to approach this tool? We obviously don't have all, or really any, of the answers, but if you want to know how some teachers are thinking about this tool (and some surprisingly optimistic takes on this!), you will enjoy this episode. And don't worry - this is just the beginning of an ongoing conversation about tech, writing, and student well-being. Thank you for taking the time to join us and we're excited you're here as a new school year begins!

Kate Schenck's post over on the blog that inspired this conversation: In Your Own Words: ChatGPT and Other Intelligences

Welcome to our second episode in the series, "The State of the Union on Adolescent Girls." The question today - how can teachers get kids to love English? And more broadly, how can we help students on their journey to being lifelong readers and writers? To reflect on this, Megan Griffin and Caitlin Rathe sat down and chatted with our Her Voice at the Table Intern, high school senior Phoebe, to learn about life in high school English classrooms and what she hopes comes next. The conversation ranges from a discussion of the role of Classics in the English classroom to the state of the humanities today. And Phoebe leaves us with reasons to hope for the future!

NYTimes Op-ed referenced in our conversation

Phoebe's Blog Post - ⁠The Exceptional Hero's Journey: What My Bookshelf Has Taught Me About Classic Literature

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Hello Her Voicers! This episode marks the first in a series where we'll be hearing directly from students how they are doing - both academically and socially. We're calling this "The State of the Union on Adolescent Girls." This exploration is inspired by our work as educators at an all girls high school, especially in light of a recent CDC study uncovering increased sadness and violence in teenage girls' lives.

In this episode, our wonderful HVATT intern Grace sat down with Kate and Caitlin to talk about the challenges high school girls face in balancing who they are with how they want to be perceived. Finding an identity, and knowing yourself, has only become more complicated with the omnipresence of social media. For example - did you know you're not supposed to outfit repeat on social media? Not me! Get ready to learn about digital dos and other faux pas, as well as the ways Grace and other young women are seeing a way out and beyond the constructs of a curated life.

We hope this conversation provides insight into the landscape facing adolescent girls, and also leaves you hopeful for the future.

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On today's episode, Caitlin Rathe interviews Kate Schenck and two current seniors- Margaret and Reagan - on their undying love of rom-coms. We put to bed the idea that rom-coms are less than "real" literature. Margaret and Reagan share the ways reading for fun has benefitted their well-being, inside and outside of school. And can you imagine what your high school experience might have been like had you read "fun" books as part of class? All this and more awaits in this very fun chat!

Rom-com bibliographyTessa Bailey - in general, here's a list of her workDiana Gabaldon - The Outlander SeriesAli Hazelwood - The Love Hypothesis

Links to blog posts

Kate Schenck - Rom-Coms and Book Nerds: A Love Story

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So, what's a ritual? And how can you start one? As the Her Voice Team were stuck at home for a few days (thanks to another Dallas ice storm), we had plenty of time to chat with our own Megan Griffin about her recent post over on the blog "The Sacred Rituals of Reading and Writing in Community." 

Hi friends! Welp, we recorded this episode a week ago but due to the insanity of the holidays it is coming out Christmas eve. Are you curious what all the ladies of Her Voice at the Table want to read over the holidays and what is at the top of our gift lists? Well, take a listen! And for the full story - take a peek at our gift guide blog post. Wishing you all a very merry holiday season, and here's to 2023 ahead! 

Hello and welcome to ALMOST THANKSGIVING! Can you believe how fast this holiday season has come up? Neither could we when we recorded this episode last week. This episode brings you a conversation with Jessica Bailey, Kate Schenck, and their friend and colleague Liesl Mayerson. In Liesl's recent post over on the Her Voice blog - "Finding Her Place at the Table" - she lets readers into the classroom with her Seniors in Foodie Literature. We were delighted to have her on the show to talk about this class, books that really resonate with students (and their moms!), and ways that we all have a relationship with food. This includes a debate on regional stuffings, turkey vs. tofurkey, and more hot cultural topics. From our table to yours, wishing you a very happy Thanksgiving!

Meet Kate, Megan, and Jessica as they introduce you to the mission of Her Voice at the Table and what you can expect to hear on future episodes.