A PE Teacher Who Teaches So Much More Than Sports
What if you discovered that something you said to a student—something you barely remembered—had changed the course of that student's life? F...
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Teacher Stories
TeacherStories.org celebrates teachers and the important role they play in our lives and communities. Do you have a teacher story that you would like to share?
Episodes
20 of 73 episodes
Above & Beyond Honoree Mike Tinoco on Love, Learning, and Belonging
What happens when a teacher refuses to define students by their shortcomings? In this first episode of Teacher Stories' new partnership with...
From Strangers to Connection: A Day That Changes Everything (Ep. 51)
What if just 6 hours could transform how students see each other—and themselves? In this powerful episode, we take you inside Breaking Down...
From Shy Student to Children's Author: How One Teacher's Story Inspired 'Elephant Beach'
What happens when a shy, young girl who hated being called on in class grows up to become a teacher—and then writes a children's book that h...
Bending the Moral Arc: How One Teacher's Conscience Changed Lives
In this episode, host Ken Futernick sits down with Bruce Wasser, a former history teacher whose life story is as inspiring as his teaching c...
Controlled Chaos: How One Award-Winning Teacher Connects With Students Before Teaching the Curriculum
Eric Hall, an award-winning elementary school teacher from Northern Michigan, shares a touching story about a fishing trip he took in the da...
“You Can’t Take Monica from Monica”
“You can take all of my belongings. You can make me carry my life in a trash bag. I can be homeless. You can even take my family from me if...
The Shoe Club: Walking Towards Empathy and Connection in a Michigan School
This story starts with a bag of shoes that helped a school community heal after the tragic deaths of two students. That story blossomed into...
From Classroom to Grammy Stage - Adrian Maclin’s Teacher Story
Meet Adrian Maclin, the Tennessee high school music teacher honored as Music Educator of the Year at the 2025 Grammys. In this episode, you’...
What Students Learn Thousands of Miles from Home in the Alaska Wilderness
This teacher story is about two high school students who learned life-changing lessons, not in a classroom with four walls, desks, and chair...
A Teacher Story For the Ages - “Elaine’s Circle”
Author Bob Katz shares the extraordinary story of a gifted 4th-grade teacher named Elaine Moore, the central character of his book Elaine’s...
Acclaimed Journalist Might Not Be Writing Were It Not For This Teacher (actually two teachers)
Clarence Page has been writing for the Chicago Tribune for over 50 years and has been the recipient of numerous journalism awards. Now a col...
Relationships First: How One Teacher Becomes a Lifeline for a Student's Mental Health
This story is about a high school teacher's extraordinary efforts to support her students and her belief that relationships must come first....
A Conversation with Pamela Dawson - 2023 Music Educator of the Year
As the 2023 Grammy Award-winning Music Educator of the Year, Pamela Dawson has made it her mission to harness the power of music to connect...
High School Teacher of the Year Willie Carver Quits - Another Casualty of the Culture Wars
America’s culture wars are driving great teachers out of the classroom, exacerbating a shortage that has reached critical levels in most sta...
na'im madyun's "ode to teachers"
na'im madyun reads a short story about a second grader named Ellis and her friend Coolidge, who prayed that their 3rd grade teacher WOULDN'T...
Powerful Lessons from Julie Hasson's Collection of Teacher Stories
Julie Hasson and Ken Futernick discuss some of the powerful lessons learned from the teacher stories she writes about in her new book, Safe,...
History Education, Civics, and Student Advocacy - Seeking Common Ground
Guests representing diverse political perspectives find some common ground on these controversial questions: - What does high-quality histor...
To Protect Democracy Keep Controversies, Current Events, and Politics in the Classroom
Is it appropriate – even a good thing in this time of intense political division -- for social studies teachers to bring politics, current e...
Honest History And Civicmindedness For Younger Learners
A junior high school teacher, her school principal, and a teacher educator weigh in on critical questions about history and civics education...