PODCAST · education
Teachers' Lounge
by Northern Public Radio
Host Peter Medlin connects with teachers, students and leaders in education as they discuss the biggest issues impacting classrooms.We want to hear your experiences as an educator. Send us a note to [email protected]
Episodes
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A Seneca science teacher on the school field trip that changed her life | Teachers' Lounge Podcast
A Seneca science teacher talks about a fateful school field trip, Oreo experiments, and why she doesn't want to teach anyone but middle schoolers.
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Rockford's new Youth Community News Initiative wants to give students a voice | Teachers' Lounge Podcast
On a new Teachers' Lounge, why a group of Rockford students are starting their own community news service:"Yes, they wanted to write. Yes, they wanted to use some skill sets they had. But then the next statement would be, 'I'm here because youth need a voice. Youth need a voice, and we don't have...
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She's a superintendent. He's a college president. We talk with an Illinois education power couple. | Teachers' Lounge Podcast
On Teachers' Louge, we’ve got an education power couple: Kelly Mandrell is the Superintendent of the Polo Community School District here in northern Illinois, and her husband, Jon Mandrell, is the new president of Sauk Valley Community College.
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Meet the first-year Rockford teacher we'll interview every month this school year | Teachers' Lounge Podcast
This school year, our teacher correspondent is Kelcey Dodd. She’s a kindergarten teacher at Spring Creek Elementary in Rockford. Kelcey's in her first-year as a teacher, so we’re going to be checking in on her every month as she figures things out.
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A Chicago teacher talks about the hidden cost, literally, of teaching | Teachers' Lounge Podcast
Picture Chicago in the dead of winter. It's a cold morning, still dark as students walk the icy sidewalks to school. On the far south side of the city, Dawes Elementary School teacher Anne Shippy watches her middle school students walk in without hats and without gloves. They often don't have...
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A recently-retired DeKalb teacher's love letter to Kindergarten | Teachers' Lounge Podcast
At the end of this past school year, Tracy found herself strutting down the hallway, wearing a sash and a crown, as kids held up homemade signs and mobbed her with hugs.She was retiring after 30 years as an elementary school teacher in her hometown of DeKalb.
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Composing the Climate & Teaching Music | Teachers' Lounge CLASSIC
We’re revisiting our lovely 2024 conversation with Cacie Miller! She's a music instructor at College DuPage, director of music at United Lutheran Church in Oak Park, and creator of the musical project 'Composing the Climate.'
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Two Illinois teachers recruiting the next generation of educators | Teachers' Lounge Podcast
You might think you want to be a teacher until you come face to face with 30 kids."There's nothing worse than getting to your junior year of college, being placed in your first observation, and going, 'I hate second graders.'"We talk with the teachers who lead the Southern Illinois Future…
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We interviewed students every month as they started their own small businesses | Teachers' Lounge Podcast
Every year, we bring you our classroom correspondents. They’re a group of students in a club or activity whom we interview every month through their season or semester!Over the years, we've featured an upstart esports team, a speech club, a school play and, this past fall, a student newspaper.…
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A school year in the life of a teacher, 2025-26
Ever curious what the school year is like for a teacher? We interviewed DeKalb middle school English as a Second Language teacher Caio Gomes every month to track a school year in his life. Follow his journey on a new Teachers' Lounge podcast!
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An Illinois special education educator who teaches because of his experience as a special education student | Teachers' Lounge Podcast
On a new podcast, we talk with one of the few special education teachers who were special education students themselves. Hear a young Illinois educator’s unique path into the classroom!
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Exploring the underlying purpose of education | Teachers' Lounge Classic
We're revisiting our 2024 conversation with Joseph Flynn. He's an associate professor of curriculum and instruction at Northern Illinois University. He's also the university’s executive director of equity and inclusion.
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The Illinois professor teaching the next generation of journalists | Teachers' Lounge Podcast
What’s it like teaching the next generation of journalists? WNIJ education reporter Peter Medlin sat down with Jason, a former-reporter and current director of the Public Affairs Reporting program at the University of Illinois Springfield.
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The Highland Community College biology teachers uniting Women+ in Science | Teachers' Lounge Podcast
Women in science often don't get the credit they deserve for their work. A Highland Community College club unites women across the sciences to talk about the opportunities and real challenges they face.
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An Illinois Valley teacher making college accessible for all | Teachers' Lounge Podcast
Tina Hardy is the coordinator for the Center of Accessibility and Neurodiversity at Illinois Valley Community College.Basically, it’s her job to make college accessible for students who need extra accommodations. What does that look like? And how different are special education laws between high...
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An NIU professor helped urban & suburban students team up to confront education inequality | Teachers’ Lounge podcast
Two high schools, 25 minutes apart. One wealthy and in the suburbs. One in the city, lower-income. NIU professor Cynthia Taines' project brought together students from both schools to see educational inequality for themselves and fight for change. She's the author of The Metropolitan Community:...
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A Waubonsee professor brings her experience as an immigrant business owner to the classroom | Teachers' Lounge Podcast
On a new Teachers' Lounge, Waubonsee professor Dr. Nour Al-Nabir brings her real experience as an immigrant business owner into the classroom.Her students just won a national entrepreneurship completion. That and more on a brand-new episode!
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An Illinois civics teacher showing her students how to take action | Teachers' Lounge Podcast
In a civics teacher's “Taking Action” class, students fight for change, whether it’s fixing potholes or school lunches. What does it mean to actively DO social studies? I’s on a new Teachers' Lounge.
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The co-founder of Rockford's Womanspace on her half-century quest to create a comfortable and creative place for women | Teachers' Lounge Podcast
The co-founder of Rockford’s Womanspace on her half-century quest to create a comfortable and creative place for women..
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A Morris teacher who's not afraid to set a standard of excellence | Teachers' Lounge Podcast
On a new Teachers' Lounge podcast, we talk with a Morris teacher who’s not afraid to hold his students to a standard of excellence.“I tell the kids, if you come in and you work for me, I will jump over the moon for you.”What it means to go above and beyond for kids.
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The top Illinois education issues to watch in 2026 | Teachers' Lounge Podcast
There have been so many massive education stories over the past year from the dismantling of the Department of Education to childcare funding freezes.On a new Teachers’ Lounge podcast, we try to help you make sense of it and give you a roadmap to following education in 2026.
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Meet the student-reporters from Kaneland High School's student-run magazine 'The Kaneland Krier'
Every semester, we feature a new group of "student correspondents." They're students in a club, sport, or activity. We interview them every month and bring you their journey. This fall, we highlighted the reporters and editors at Kaneland High School's student-run magazine "The Kaneland Krier" as...
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Some of our best education stories of 2025 | Teachers' Lounge Podcast
Before we get too far into 2026, let's take one more look back at some of our best education stories we reported in 2025.
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Some of our favorite conversations of 2025 | Teachers' Lounge Podcast
On a new Teachers' Lounge, we're revisiting a few of our favorite education conversations of 2025 as we finish up the year.
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An Ottawa teacher helping her special ed students transition to college | Teachers' Lounge Podcast
On a new Teachers’ Lounge Podcast, an Ottawa High School special education teacher helping her students transition to college…from knowing their rights to picking their classes.
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How an NIU music educator teaches music like a language | Teachers' Lounge Podcast
On Teachers’ Lounge, it's Ann Montzka Smelser.She's the Director of the Suzuki Strings Program at Northern Illinois University.Ann’s a practitioner of what’s called “the Suzuki method of music learning.” It’s based on the idea that music talent isn’t inherent, it’s something that’s nurtured…
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A Crystal Lake teacher's adventure across Illinois | Teachers' Lounge podcast
On a new Teachers' Lounge, Bob Chikos! He’s a special education teacher at Crystal Lake Central High School.He's involved in education policy at the state level, working on reports about the teacher pipeline and school psychologist shortages.Bob also recently took a fascinating trip around Illinois
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The Four Freedoms and Beyond | Teachers' Lounge Classic
We're revisiting our 2022 chat with Princeton middle school social studies teacher David Gray.He and his students worked on a project called “The Four Freedoms & Beyond," based on President Franklin Roosevelt’s 1941 State of the Union speech just before the U.S. entered World War II.
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An Illinois superintendent says public education is a gift not to take for granted | Teachers' Lounge Podcast
A fateful trip to Haiti showed Vienna superintendent Joshua Stafford why public education is a gift. We also talked about the history of education in America, standardized testing, school safety, and his recent journey to Singapore through the Fulbright program.
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An NIU STEM educator explains why so many students misunderstand what science is | Teachers' Lounge Podcast
An Northern Illinois University physics educator knows that all it takes for kids to get excited about science is their natural curiosity about the world around them.“I've compared it to to listening to a song in a language you don't understand. You can you can hear the melody. You can appreciate...
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A Waubonsee psychology professor on stress, first impressions, and finding your passion | Teachers' Lounge Podcast
On a new Teachers' Lounge, a psychology professor who comes into class every year a little mean to show students how often their first impressions are wrong. We also talk about giving her students tools to de-stress and her own journey into the classroom.
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'The Forgottonia Project' student-led local history initiative asks rural students to get curious | Teachers' Lounge Podcast
Joey Brewer has spent the past two decades teaching history and social studies at rural schools in western Illinois -- the region of the state often known as Forgottonia.
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Human rights, Holocaust education & the spark behind LIGHT | Teachers' Lounge CLASSIC
This week on Teachers' Lounge, we're revisiting our 2022 conversation with the founder of the LIGHT education initiative. It's a project to empower students to become human rights leaders in their community.
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Stillman Valley teacher shows the magic of music | Teachers' Lounge Podcast
John Gelasi knows school band can be really meaningful…“Kids tell me, 'the only reason I was able to get up and go to school this morning is because I knew I had band today,'" he said. The award-winning northern Illinois music educator on everything from the magic of learning an instrument to his...
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A DeKalb teacher helping other international educators get to the US | Teachers' Lounge Podcast
We talk with a DeKalb teacher from Brazil about helping other international teachers come to the US. We’ll learn about his own journey and much more on new Teachers’ Lounge podcast.
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A Rockford STEM teacher takes flight | Teachers' Lounge Podcast
On a new Teachers' Lounge, a Rockford teacher taking STEM education to new heights…literally. We’ve got airplanes, solar backpacks, medical detectives and more…it’s on a high-flying new Teachers’ Lounge podcast, now!
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'Your Words are Fire' is a new book by two Illinois teachers on why culturally-responsive teaching works
On a new Teachers' Lounge, two local teachers wrote a new book called “Your Words Are Fire” on how culturally-responsive teaching helps kids learn. What it means to be culturally-responsive and what it’s like releasing their book in the Trump era. Learn about all of that and much more...
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We interviewed the same Rockford elementary schoolers every month of the school year | Teachers' Lounge Podcast
On a new Teachers' Lounge, we interviewed a group of Rockford elementary school students every month of the school year this year. And, this spring, we featured students from the Somonauk, Sandwich, & Leland FFA organization!
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A school year in the life of a teacher, 2024-25
Ever curious what the school year is like for a teacher? We interviewed DeKalb 5th grader teacher Dominique Yackley every month to track a school year in her life. Follow her journey on a new Teachers' Lounge podcast!
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Teacher burnout, representation, and a journey from Chicago to Shanghai | Teachers' Lounge CLASSIC
On a classic Teachers’ Lounge episode, it’s a unique burden and responsibility to be the only Black teacher at your school.“I take it so seriously, because a lot of times this is a child's first interaction with an African American person, or at least a positive role model, unlike a stereotype...
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A Marengo music teacher spreads his love of music beyond school band | Teachers' Lounge Podcast
On a new Teachers’ Lounge podcast, a Marengo music teacher breaks down the barrier between students who love music and students who typically join a school band.
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Teaching students high-level music with the Rockford Symphony Youth Orchestra | Teachers' Lounge Podcast
On a new Teachers’ Lounge podcast, a music teacher with the Rockford Symphony Youth Orchestra tells us how students have fun while playing really high-level music.
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A fable to help students plan for an uncertain future | Teachers' Lounge Podcast
How can students be expected to make hard decisions about their future when the world feels like it’s changing faster than ever? A book -- written as a fable -- designed to help students plan their life. It’s on a new Teachers' Lounge podcast.
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The Art of School Counseling | Teachers' Lounge Podcast
On a new episode, it's our chat with Chris Mrofcza. He's a counselor at Hiawatha High School. We had a great conversation about the unique role school counselors play. He helps students consider their future, what career they want to pursue or classes they should take, and also provides…
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A Morris teacher who came home to continue the legacy of the teachers who inspired her | Teachers' Lounge Podcast
Andrea Gustafson! She’s an English teacher, speech team coach, and head of the drama department at Morris Community High School.Morris is her hometown, so it’s been really meaningful to build a career at the same school she went to and continue the legacy of the teachers who inspired her.
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Microwaved rubies and can races: an Aurora educator teaches physics by playing | Teachers' Lounge Podcast
On a brand-new Teachers' Lounge, Julie is a physics teacher who encourages her students to learn through play. Sometimes that looks like rolling food cans down the hallway and sometimes that looks like her students growing synthetic rubies in a microwave!
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The Jazz Problem: how schools fueled the first modern moral panic | Teachers' Lounge Podcast
On a brand-new Teachers' Lounge Podcast, we’re talking about America’s first school culture war: JAZZ!"Jazz was seen as more of a lifestyle, and so if you are interested in jazz, you were, as critics believed, also interested in drinking, in smoking, some degree of sexual activity. The belief was...
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What's the purpose of social studies? | Teachers' Lounge Podcast
What’s the point of social studies?"Some students will go on and be doctors and some will be lawyers and some will be blue collar workers, but all of them are members of society," said Teresa Kruger. "The whole point of social studies, to me, is to prepare you to be that really active,...
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The education issues we're watching in 2025 | Teachers' Lounge Podcast
NIU's Jason Klein joins the show to dive into some of the most important education issues of 2025
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Meet the students behind Hinckley-Big Rock's first theater production in a decade | Teachers' Lounge Podcast
A group of northern Illinois students put on their school’s first ever theatre production this fall. Hear the full journey from auditions through opening night. It’s on a new Teachers' Lounge, out now on WNIJ.org or wherever you get podcasts.
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Host Peter Medlin connects with teachers, students and leaders in education as they discuss the biggest issues impacting classrooms.We want to hear your experiences as an educator. Send us a note to [email protected]
HOSTED BY
Northern Public Radio
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Teachers' Lounge have?
Teachers' Lounge currently has 199 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Teachers' Lounge about?
Host Peter Medlin connects with teachers, students and leaders in education as they discuss the biggest issues impacting classrooms.We want to hear your experiences as an educator. Send us a note to [email protected]
How often does Teachers' Lounge release new episodes?
Teachers' Lounge publishes regularly with 199 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to Teachers' Lounge?
You can listen to Teachers' Lounge on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Teachers' Lounge?
Teachers' Lounge is created and hosted by Northern Public Radio.
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