#85 Behind-the-Scenes with a Modern Teacher | Zack Sleep

Imagine the people who have most influenced your life. I speculate that at least one teacher should be on that list. Teachers are so important in our lives and their teachings go beyond the subject of the class they teach. They can be role models. They can teach us how to think. They can bring out our best. And so much more. Yet, on average, we take classes from teachers, and we move on without really knowing who they are, or how hard they’ve worked. What compels a person to teach? What’s it like to be in front of the class? And what has it been like to teach during COVID? These, and many other questions, are answered by my guest, Fifth Grade Teacher, Mr. Zack Sleep. Mr. Sleep earned his master’s degree in education at the University of Pennsylvania, and he has brought his passion for teaching to Vietnam, Northern Philadelphia, and where he now teaches in Silicon Valley. He also created an after-school program called The Young Detectives, an immersive mystery-solving experience in which children employ the cognitive processes of learning to crack codes, assessing alibis, and synthesizing evidence. I have witnessed Mr. Sleep’s brilliance in real time. I am a fan of his work, and you will hear why I positively had to interview him. So, listen in as Mr. Sleep and I talk about the behind-the-scenes world of the modern teacher.