Teacher Stories

Lori Caldeira, a middle school near Salinas, California describes an act of racism directed at an Asian school board member. She and a few colleagues facilitate an Equity Club where students can discuss issues of race, sexual orientation, and social injustice. Lori suggests students and the local community would benefit by actively recruiting for a more diverse teacher workforce at her school. Lori also shares stories about the teachers who had the greatest influence on her life.

Fred Shoemaker is considered one of America's best golf teachers, but in this provocative conversation about teaching, learning, and life you'll discover how his success has come by helping students discover their own capacities for performance and enjoyment and not by fixing what's wrong with their golf swings. 

Much of what Fred has learned can be applied to parenting, coaching, and classroom teaching at any level.

Four Black college students talk about their unique experiences in public schools, sharing stories about their teachers and professors, the curriculum they were exposed to, and the structural racism they periodically encountered along the way. They also suggest ways that schools can promote equity and anti-racism, by hiring and supporting teachers of color, for instance, and enabling new and veteran teachers to examine their own biases and to learn about culturally responsive pedagogy.

This episode of Teacher Stories features music by Black Artist KLM.

Rob McClurg, a wise and extraordinarily accomplished elementary school teacher, shares stories from his own classroom, the privilege of being an educator, and a few of the teachers who shaped his life. Rob describes his current work as a volunteer educator at the Monterey Bay Aquarium and at the Soledad State Prison.

Lisa Godwin waited 20 years before telling anyone about a traumatic childhood experience. She credits a first grade teacher and a guidance counselor for helping her cope and eventually overcome this painful episode in her life. Now, as North Carolina's Teacher of the Year, Lisa has found the courage to share her powerful story with educators and parents. She offers wise advice for teachers and for others who may have experienced similar trauma.

Before founding the Black Teacher Project, Dr. Micia Mosely taught high school history in San Francisco, California. As a beginning teacher, Micia worried that she was unable to fully connect with and help Belinda Bellinger, one of her students, who was struggling emotionally and academically.

Unbeknownst to Micia, Belinda graduates from high school, earns a bachelor's degree from Sarah Lawrence College in New York, and eventually becomes a middle school English teacher.

Decades after their first time together in high school, the two accidentally reunite in an educational workshop and a new personal and professional relationship is born. In this podcast episode, Micia and Belinda reflect on the paths that brought them back together and what it means now to collaborate as colleagues. They also share offer insights into the Black Lives Matter movement and its significance for the education community.

Dr. Sharon Tettegah, a Professor at the University of California at Santa Barbara, shares stories about her life and her most memorable teachers. Growing up in Wichita Falls, Texas (a completely segregated community) all of her teachers were Black. Here, she received an excellent education and was two grade levels ahead of her classmates when, as a fifth grader, she and her family moved to San Francisco. She soon moved across the Bay to Oakland and was fortunate to have had teachers who recognized her potential and desire to learn. But she also encountered racism at school in the form of low expectations and negative attributions. "Education," Dr. Tettegah discovered, was "about assimilating to whiteness." She sees the Black Lives Movement as an opportunity for educators to confront systemic racism, a process that begins by examining one's own biases.

Unsure what to do with his life, Josh Gaston decides to become a teacher of English -- first in Asia and then in other countries around the world. His stories are about navigating the striking, but sometimes subtle, differences in local teaching practices and cultural norms. In Korea, for instance, where students were accustomed to lectures, he had to figure out how to get students to work in small groups. In Uzbekistan, he wanted to give a voice to his female students, but his male students tended to dominate class discussions. He had to walk a fine line because his superiors warned him not to question local norms regarding gender.

Josh has no regrets about his career choice and encourages others to consider teaching abroad. But, he says, "Be prepared to have your world shaken a little."

An unexpected letter from one of her students reminds Tracy Barnett that her approach to teaching history, at least for this 8th grade student, has paid off. The student said she acquired a keen new interest in history and, just as importantly, came away from Ms. Barnett's class knowing that she cared about and believed in her students. "It's the most affirming thing I have ever heard!" Tracy exclaimed.

At age 14, Victor Rios' best friend is shot and killed. Afterwards, Victor thought, "I am going to end up dead like him or in prison for life." But Victor turns his life around after having a high school technology teacher named, Ms. Russ. He goes on to college, earns a Ph.D. in sociology, and becomes a professor at U.C. Santa Barbara.  

In this extended podcast episode, Dr. Rios reflects on his extraordinary life, the critical role teachers can play in students' lives, and the support teachers need to be successful, especially with students, like him, who grow up in poverty.   

Near the end of the interview, Victor also speaks about the Black Lives Matter movement and the opportunity it presents for educators to help students learn about this "cultural revolution."