E115:Kurt Russell, 2022 National Teacher of the Year discusses teaching, impact of educators & teaching/raising critical thinking in schools

Quote: “History is nothing but stories.”

Summary
On today’s episode of Spanning The Need, Anthony Spano is joined by Kurt Russell, the 2022 National Teacher of the Year. Kurt is a 25-year veteran of the classroom, currently teaching history at Oberlin High School in Oberlin, Ohio, where he was born and raised. Today, Kurt discusses his teaching career, the impact of the pandemic on the education sector and how he teaches history in a different light to his students.

Kurts begins by discussing his journey thus far as a teacher. He gives details surrounding his award as the 2022 National Teacher of the Year. Kurt dives into details on how COVID continues to influence the education sector, affecting teachers and students. The episode ends as Kurt discusses how he raises his students to be critical thinkers.

Tune in to the show now to explore:
-Kurt’s journey in his teaching career
-How Kurt won the National Teacher of the Year and his experience thus far
-The impact of COVID on teachers and students
-Kurt’s methods in the classroom in teaching history
-A fun Q&A session where Kurt answers random questions about his professional and personal life

Timestamps:

[00:10] Introduction to Kurt Russell
[00:44] Kurt’s reaction to winning the National Teacher of the Year
[02:54] How Kurt got into teaching
[06:05] The impact of COVID on teaching
[07:55] COVID presented the inequalities found in virtual learning
[09:12] Recruiting and retaining teachers after the impact of COVID
[10:51] Helping students
[12:25] Navigating the evolution in the education sector
[17:24] Teaching reconstruction from different standpoints
[20:58] Raising critical thinkers out of students
[23:38] Fun rapid-fire questions directed at Kurt

Relevant links:
Connect with Anthony:
Listen to more episodes: http://spanningtheneed.com
https://www.facebook.com/SpanningtheNeed/
https://www.instagram.com/spanningtheneed/

Connect with Kurt:
https://twitter.com/kurtsenior_

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