The Love To Learn Podcast: Recent Episodes
Laura Kelly
At the Love to Learn Podcast you'll hear from teachers in the trenches, instructional coaches, administrators and movers and shakers in the field of education. There might just be a surprise or two thrown into the mix as well! This is the place to come for real stories from real people who are on the front lines of education and who are trying to make a positive difference in the lives of students. Be sure to tune in because every day is a great day to learn something new!
In this episode, I talk with Sarah Mlnarik, a media specialist at Lewis & Clark Middle School in Bellevue, NE. Sarah started her career as an educator as a high school history teacher before switching gears and embracing her love of books as an elementary (and now middle school) librarian. Sarah is married and is mama to two young daughters. By her own admission, Sarah refers to herself and the girls as the "three crazy cat ladies". In addition to cats and reading, Sarah loves spending time with her family and learning new things. Sarah and I had a great conversation about setting the stage for creativity, true collaborative learning, the positive impact of makerspaces on students and our mutual love of learning.
Evan Gammon is a first year 6-12 grade vocal music teacher in Underwood, Iowa. He graduated from the University of Northern Iowa in May 2017. In this episode, we visit about Evan's first weeks of his first year of teaching, discuss the importance of a good mentorship program, reflect on some of the challenges facing public educators today, and talk about a few things Evan has learned recently and something he hopes to learn soon. You are sure to enjoy hearing Evan's enthusiasm about his students and his chosen career. When he's not busy at work, Evan enjoys traveling, cooking, baking and spending time with friends and family.
Nate Steele is currently in the last semester of his teacher training program at UNO (University of Nebraska @ Omaha) in Omaha, Nebraska. He is completing his degree in secondary education with a language arts endorsement. Nate will student teach next semester and will graduate from UNO in May 2018. In this episode, Nate and I discuss his path to choosing to become a teacher, his classroom experiences so far, his thoughts on the challenges of public education, and why he is passionate about the field of education. In addition to going to school, Nate is in the Army Reserve and works in educational programming at the Omaha Children's Museum. In his spare time, Nate enjoys theater and singing, reading and writing, running and playing video games. Nate is currently writing lesson plans which involve students in writing their own video game story. Nate's future students will surely benefit from his creativity and passion. I look forward to interviewing Nate during his semester of student teaching.
This episode features an interview with Katie Pilcher. Katie is starting her fourth year as the International Baccalaureate Coordinator and Instructional Coach at Park Avenue Elementary School in Des Moines, Iowa. Prior to her current role, Katie taught one year of third grade and eight years of second grade at Greenwood Elementary, also in Des Moines. Katie has a Bachelor's degree in French Literature and Global Studies and a Master's degree in Elementary Education. Katie has also served as a program director for a refugee outreach service for adults and stayed home with her sons for seven years. Katie is married to Timm, who is also an International Baccalaureate Coordinator and Instructional Coach at the middle school level. Timm and Katie have two sons. In her spare time, Katie enjoys tae kwon do and is going back to school for her administration certification.