Teachers

2023 Illinois Teacher of the Year Briana Morales was in seventh grade when she had a teacher who changed her life: by instilling a love of writing, a sense of hope — and inspiring her to become a teacher herself.

Mike Steep and Matt Wall discuss the origins of DadBod and why seeing former students at their shows isn’t as awkward as one might think.

Illinois school leaders reported the biggest obstacle to pursuing a teaching career was the cost of a college degree, followed by low pay and benefits.

“Prosocial” lessons are emphasizing empathy for thousands of students.

At Ritenour High School, a program is encouraging former students to return as teachers.

A 2016 Missouri law allows school districts to punish teachers for breaking employment contracts.

Missouri pays its teachers some of the lowest salaries in the nation, and many educators are leaving the profession.

Three openly transgender educators in the school district say discrimination has forced them out of their jobs.

Briana Morales, currently doctorate student at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign and a high school teacher in East St. Louis, is Illinois' 2023 Teacher of the Year.

A nonbinary student teacher was told by an employee of the Fort Osage District that using gender-neutral pronouns was “too personal” and “too political.” Now, Olivia Jackson alleges that the school district discriminated by refusing to hire them because of their gender identity.