In this episode of Leading from the Classroom, 2018 Washington, DC Teacher of the Year Paul Howard talks about the myth of the “perfect teacher,” and why it’s critical for teachers to give themselves room to be “not okay.”

In this episode of Leading from the Classroom, 2018 Rhode Island Teacher of the Year Kristin Hayes-Leite shares the story of how she went from thinking about “I and me” to instead thinking about “us and we.”

In this episode of Leading from the Classroom, 2018 Delaware Teacher of the Year Jinni Forcucci talks to us about her students who learned to use their voices to speak up about school shootings—and the challenging consequences they faced for taking a stand.

In this episode of Leading from the Classroom, 2018 Colorado Teacher of the Year Christina Randle tells us about one of the most important things a teacher needs to make change happen: optimism.

In this episode of Leading from the Classroom, 2018 Alaska Teacher of the Year Ben Walker talks about why he believes both parents and educators need to take action instead of waiting to be asked to get involved.

In this episode of Leading from the Classroom, 2018 New Hampshire Teacher of the Year Heidi Crumrine tells us why it’s so important for teachers to believe in their students—and how one student taught her a lesson about the power of language.

In this episode of Leading from the Classroom, 2018 Hawaii Teacher of the Year Vanessa Ching discusses compassion—and how one student turned a painful event into an inspiring school-wide and award-winning movement.

In this episode of Leading from the Classroom, 2018 Arizona Teacher of the Year Josh Meibos tells us about his mission to bring recess back—and why he believes recess is a critical component of social development.

In this episode of Leading from the Classroom, 2018 New York Teacher of the Year Christopher Albrecht tells us about how he found a new way to engage his students with history: by building bridges with other cultures. 

In this episode of Leading from the Classroom, 2018 Wisconsin Teacher of the Year Matthew Miller shares why he believes the key to helping students succeed is by teaching them to lead.