Talks with Teachers

Kathy Keyes taught English for 36 years—at a rural high school, at an urban university, and at a college preparatory Catholic high school. A graduate of Purdue and Indiana University, Kathy recently stepped out of the teaching profession for a “gap yea...

This fall, Erik begins his 26th year of teaching, most of them at Ferris High School in Spokane. He loves working with passionate, intelligent, and innovative colleagues who are committed to helping students each day.

Originally from Greenup, Kentucky – a small town in Appalachia – Brandon now lives in Cincinnati with Angela, his wife, and their 2 sons, Hilton (9) and Dorian (6).  After high school, he attended Ashland Community College as a nursing major before tra...

Roy F. Smith is the English Department Chair at Round Rock High School and teaches AP English Literature and Dual-Credit English.  Roy is an AP English Literature College Board Consultant. He is also a consultant for the National Math and Science Insti...

Donna Carpenter is committed to lifelong learning and student-centered teaching. She earned her Bachelors from Gettysburg College and her Masters from University of Pennsylvania. Following a successful career in publishing,

Elizabeth Matheny has taught for Maryland Public Schools for thirteen years. She currently teaches English 9 and AP Language and Composition. When she’s not teaching, she’s usually hiking or exploring independent bookstores with her husband and son.

  Megan is an English Teacher and Department Coordinator at Cuyahoga Heights High School. She has been teaching English language arts to high school students near Cleveland, Ohio since 2004, earning her master’s degree from Kent State University in 200...

Dave Stuart Jr. is a husband and dad who teaches high schoolers in a small town. He is animated by a simple belief: all students and teachers should flourish. Every article he write, every lesson he teaches,

Fifteen years ago, Alex Kajitani was a struggling new teacher in one of California’s poorest neighborhoods. He’d left a potentially lucrative career in restaurant management to pursue his teaching dream, and now his inner-city middle school students we...

Jim Burke is the author of numerous bestselling books, including the English Teacher’s Companion and What’s the Big Idea? The question he’s always tried to answer is “How can we teach our students better?” He seeks these answers daily through his work ...