Journeys of Teaching

This week, we will explore the journey of Ms. Courtney Stepp, a kindergarten teacher at Benson Hill Elementary in Renton, Washington. Courtney holds a master's degree from Seattle Pacific University.

On this episode, we will explore how Courtney designed and implemented instruction with her kindergarten students about the violence at the U.S. Capitol that occurred on January 6, 2021.

Follow Courtney on Twitter @MsCStepp

Dr. Aaron R. Gierhart is an Assistant Professor of Elementary Education at Columbus State University in Columbus, Georgia, and previously taught in the Illinois public schools for 11 years. You can follow him on Twitter and Instagram @aaronrgierhart

Email: [email protected]

Podcast Socials: Facebook & Instagram @JourneysOfTeaching & Twitter @JourneysTeach

Thank you to Mitch Furr for the podcast theme music and Adam Gierhart for the logo artwork.

This week, we will explore the journey of Ms. Courtney Stepp, a kindergarten teacher at Benson Hill Elementary in Renton, Washington. Courtney holds a master's degree from Seattle Pacific University.

On this episode, we will hear Courtney's stories about observing racism at a young age and how those experiences inform her ongoing self-education and analysis that fuel her current critical teaching approaches.

Follow Courtney on Twitter @MsCStepp

Dr. Aaron R. Gierhart is an Assistant Professor of Elementary Education at Columbus State University in Columbus, Georgia, and previously taught in the Illinois public schools for 11 years. You can follow him on Twitter and Instagram @aaronrgierhart

Email: [email protected]

Podcast Socials: Facebook & Instagram @JourneysOfTeaching & Twitter @JourneysTeach

Thank you to Mitch Furr for the podcast theme music and Adam Gierhart for the logo artwork.

This week, we will explore the journey of Dehanza Rogers, who is a filmmaker as well as the Director of Production and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Film and Media at Emory University in Atlanta, GA. Daye previously taught at Cornell University and holds MFAs in Production/Directing and Cinematography from UCLA.

On this episode, we will round out Daye's narrative as it stands now with a conversation about her trauma-informed pedagogy and flexible teaching approaches during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Follow Daye on Twitter @dayerogers

Dr. Aaron R. Gierhart is an Assistant Professor of Elementary Education at Columbus State University in Columbus, Georgia, and previously taught in the Illinois public schools for 11 years. You can follow him on Twitter and Instagram @aaronrgierhart

Email: [email protected]

Podcast Socials: Facebook & Instagram @JourneysOfTeaching & Twitter @JourneysTeach

Thank you to Mitch Furr for the podcast theme music and Adam Gierhart for the logo artwork.

This week, we will explore the journey of Dehanza Rogers, who is a filmmaker as well as the Director of Production and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Film and Media at Emory University in Atlanta, GA. Daye previously taught at Cornell University and holds MFAs in Production/Directing and Cinematography from UCLA.

On this episode, we will learn about how Daye is editing her current work to make meaningful impacts on viewers through reflection and workshopping as well as the workshop process she facilitates in her courses, taking up a growth mindset approach to mistakes her students make in this craft.

Follow Daye on Twitter @dayerogers

Dr. Aaron R. Gierhart is an Assistant Professor of Elementary Education at Columbus State University in Columbus, Georgia, and previously taught in the Illinois public schools for 11 years. You can follow him on Twitter and Instagram @aaronrgierhart

Email: [email protected]

Podcast Socials: Facebook & Instagram @JourneysOfTeaching & Twitter @JourneysTeach

Thank you to Mitch Furr for the podcast theme music and Adam Gierhart for the logo artwork.

This week, we will explore the journey of Dehanza Rogers, who is a filmmaker as well as the Director of Production and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Film and Media at Emory University in Atlanta, GA. Daye previously taught at Cornell University and holds MFAs in Production/Directing and Cinematography from UCLA.

On this episode, we will go back to Daye's entry into filmmaking and how her identity as a filmmaker and sociocultural background has informed her teaching.

Follow Daye on Twitter @dayerogers

Dr. Aaron R. Gierhart is an Assistant Professor of Elementary Education at Columbus State University in Columbus, Georgia, and previously taught in the Illinois public schools for 11 years. You can follow him on Twitter and Instagram @aaronrgierhart  

Email: [email protected] 

Podcast Socials: Facebook & Instagram @JourneysOfTeaching & Twitter @JourneysTeach  

Thank you to Mitch Furr for the podcast theme music and Adam Gierhart for the logo artwork.

This week, we will explore the journey of Dr. Donna Jagielski, the Director of STEAM Makerspace Programs with the Boys and Girls Clubs of America of Greater Scottsdale in Scottsdale, Arizona. Donna has worked in the education sector in many capacities as a dance instructor, technology integration and STEM/STEAM specialist, and administrator and holds a doctoral degree in Leadership and Innovation from Arizona State University.

On this episode, we round out Donna's narrative as it stands now with a conversation about her high regard for the equitable participation of all learners in STEM and STEAM educational experiences. For Donna, this all started back in Illinois when she owned her own dance business and strived to make dance accessible to all learners.

Follow Donna on Twitter @puffkee

This week, we will explore the journey of Dr. Donna Jagielski, the Director of STEAM Makerspace Programs with the Boys and Girls Clubs of America of Greater Scottsdale in Scottsdale, Arizona. Donna has worked in the education sector in many capacities as a dance instructor, technology integration and STEM/STEAM specialist, and administrator and holds a doctoral degree in Leadership and Innovation from Arizona State University.

On this episode, Donna shares stories about her career as a professional dancer and dance instructor and how this work led her towards STEM/STEAM education. While it may not seem like a traditional path or an obvious connection to STEM and STEAM education, Donna's dance career and the way she approached how she designed learning experiences for her students was very holistic and integrated in the spirit of STEAM.

Follow Donna on Twitter @puffkee

This week, we will explore the journey of Dr. Donna Jagielski, the Director of STEAM Makerspace Programs with the Boys and Girls Clubs of America of Greater Scottsdale in Scottsdale, Arizona. Donna has worked in the education sector in many capacities as a dance instructor, technology integration and STEM/STEAM specialist, and administrator and holds a doctoral degree in Leadership and Innovation from Arizona State University.

On this episode, we will fast forward to how Donna came to her current position with and how that decision was informed by her past experiences in the public school setting. Donna's stories of frustration with the bureaucracy and red tape of schools and districts highlight how enacting real time innovations challenging and elusive.

Follow Donna on Twitter @puffkee

This week, we will explore the journey of Emily Telford, a biology science teacher at University High School, a lab school affiliated with Illinois State University in Normal, Illinois. She also serves as an Assistant Instructional Professor at Illinois State. She has been a professional educator since 2011 and holds a master's degree in STEM Education and Teacher Leadership with a concentration in Educational Technology from Illinois State. 

On this episode, we round out Emily's narrative as it stands now with a conversation about her teaching in past year or so during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Follow Emily on Twitter @emsandy

This week, we will explore the journey of Emily Telford, a biology science teacher at University High School, a lab school affiliated with Illinois State University in Normal, Illinois. She also serves as an Assistant Instructional Professor at Illinois State. She has been a professional educator since 2011 and holds a master's degree in STEM Education and Teacher Leadership with a concentration in Educational Technology from Illinois State.

On this episode, we discuss Emily's epiphany moment in a graduate course assignment about gaming and gamification. She connected this critical point of her journey of teaching to how she approaches standards-based grading as a classroom teacher and leader in her school district in Normal, Illinois

Follow Emily on Twitter @emsandy