This article appeared as "Teacher Voices" in the Winter 2023 issue of Independent School.
As Teacher Appreciation Week approached in May 2022, Jackie Scully was thinking about how, while such recognition was important, many teachers hardly felt valued. “I was hearing about all the teachers who were leaving the profession, and I wanted to find out what they were facing—and maybe come up with some ideas about how to fix things.”
Scully, an upper school history and psychology teacher at Moorestown Friends School (NJ), started a blog to write her own story, but soon she began to write about other teachers’ concerns—from inadequate pay to the lack of societal respect many teachers felt especially during the pandemic. Then, she decided she could reach even more educators and provide a space for them to share their own stories through a podcast—and The Teacher Story was born.
Over the course of 24 episodes, Scully has talked with colleagues close to home, and she’s used social media to make connections with educators in Africa, Malaysia, Vietnam, Britain, and other countries. She’s talked with guests about everything from teaching techniques and improving parent relationships to the consuming frustration of burnout. One educator on the podcast talked about leaving Taiwan as the threat to that country from China grew, going on to Poland just as the country welcomed thousands of students from imperiled Ukraine. They discussed the issues those systems faced in unusual, stressful circumstances.
Scully uses Zoom to record the conversations, which typically include the guest’s inspiration for getting into teaching, early experiences, the challenges of teaching during the pandemic, and ideas for educational reform. She then uses Logic Pro, an editing tool her husband uses in his music career, and a podcast hosting platform, to share episodes on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, Stitcher, and more.
Scully hopes to continue hosting the podcast at least through the end of the school year and is working with educators around the world to bring important conversations to the center, including on The Teacher Circle, a LinkedIn group she co-founded. “Teacher voices matter. I wanted to empower them.”
Learn more and listen to all the episodes here.
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