Teachers' Lounge

Teachers' Lounge

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 teacherslounge@niu.edu

Episodes

How an NIU music educator teaches music like a language | Teachers' Lounge Podcast

November 21, 2025 • 54 mins
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 through positive encouragement.
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A Crystal Lake teacher's adventure across Illinois | Teachers' Lounge podcast

November 7, 2025 • 58 mins
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

October 31, 2025 • 39 mins
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

October 17, 2025 • 65 mins
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

October 3, 2025 • 68 mins
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 the beauty. But if you learn that language, then all of a sudden you know what the song is about. You understand the subtext. So, we can ...
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A Waubonsee psychology professor on stress, first impressions, and finding your passion | Teachers' Lounge Podcast

September 19, 2025 • 50 mins
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

September 5, 2025 • 55 mins
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

August 29, 2025 • 56 mins
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

August 15, 2025 • 63 mins
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 previous career in actual magic. It's on a new Teachers' Lounge podcast.
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A DeKalb teacher helping other international educators get to the US | Teachers' Lounge Podcast

August 1, 2025 • 58 mins
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

July 18, 2025 • 55 mins
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

July 4, 2025 • 62 mins
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

June 20, 2025 • 41 mins
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

June 6, 2025 • 59 mins
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

May 30, 2025 • 57 mins
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 which they may have seen in a movie or something," she said. "It's nerve-racking."Hear that conversation and much more...
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A Marengo music teacher spreads his love of music beyond school band | Teachers' Lounge Podcast

May 16, 2025 • 50 mins
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

May 2, 2025 • 42 mins
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

April 18, 2025 • 52 mins
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

April 4, 2025 • 57 mins
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 meaningful mental health support to students in need.
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A Morris teacher who came home to continue the legacy of the teachers who inspired her | Teachers' Lounge Podcast

March 21, 2025 • 48 mins
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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