Teaching (full episode)

State of the Human

Teaching seems pretty straightforward: one person knows something better than someone else and teaches it to them. But there’s something important that happens to the teacher themselves. In this episode, a 3-year-old teaches his parents what he’s made of, a student defies expectations and becomes a teacher himself, teachers are surprised to learn what makes them tick, prehistoric people have to teach one of life’s hardest lessons (hint: there are llamas involved), a professor regrets a missed opportunity, and the cover of a Ghanaian newspaper does a whole lot of teaching. This week, we’re exploring how teaching shapes the teacher. Host: Kate Nelson and Hadley Reid Producers: Kate Nelson, Hadley Reid, Christy Hartman with help from Jake Warga, Will Rogers, Nina Foushee, Claire Schoen, Natacha Ruck, Joshua Hoyt, and Jonah Willihnganz Featuring: Chris Andrews, Andrew Nelson, Gabe Lomeli, Madonna Riesenmy, John Kleiman, John Rick, Linda Paulson, and Emily Polk. Music used during transitions: Nick Jaina, Podington Bear, Broke for Free, Alex Fitch, Gillicuddy Image via Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/gracewong/141384577 Story 1: Training Wheels Description: When Kate’s parents set out to teach her and her brother how to ride bikes, they expected to take it step by step, using every precaution: helmets, kneepads, training wheels. What they didn’t expect was a lesson of their own. Producer: Kate Nelson Featuring: Chris Andrews and Andrew Nelson Music: Podington Bear (Ice Cream Sandwich, Bit Rio); Alex Fitch Story 2: See Me After Class Description: Gabriel Lomeli didn’t look like your typical A+ student. Problem was, he was getting A+’s. In this story, we follow Gabe as he reconciles others’ expectations with his own ambitions and achievements. Producer: Eileen Williams and Emmerich Anklam Featuring: Gabriel Francisco Lomeli, Junior Sounds: 76288__timbre__dramatic-violin-stab-long-decay Music: Kai Engel; Broke for Free (Golden Hour, Heart Ache, Something Old, And And, Something Elated) Story 3: The Power of Teaching Description: Professor Madonna Riesenmy was curious about what motivates teachers and decided to investigate. But other teachers weren’t too happy to hear about her findings. To be honest, we’re not quite sure how we feel about them, either. Producer: Emma Heath with help from Christy Hartman and Hadley Reid Featuring: Jonathan Kleiman, Madonna Riesenmy Music: Podington Bear (Caravan, Jettisoned), The Losers Story 4: Expulsion of the Yearlings Description: Stanford Anthropologist John Rick takes us to the highlands of Peru to discuss the impact of teaching at it’s most fundamental level. Producer: Jacob Wolf with help from Hadley Reid Featuring: John Rick Sounds: blouhond, 15050_Francois, kurono01, damiananache, felix.blume, JohnsonBrandEditing, sardan1972 Music: Original Scoring by Christina Galisatus Story 5: Tales from the RF Apartment Description: Linda Paulson is a Stanford faculty member who lives with eighty-eight teenagers in a freshman dorm. A late night knock at her door takes on new meaning years later. Producer: Vanna Tran with help from Kate Nelson Featuring: Linda Paulson Music: Alex Fitch (We Call this Home, Secret Place); Chris Zabriskie (Cylinder Six, It’s Always Too Late to Start Over); Broke for Free (Love is Not) Story 6: Just a Little Bit of Sweat Description: Emily Polk went to Buduburam refugee camp to teach journalism. But one newspaper photo ended up teaching the most memorable lesson of all. Producer: Hadley Reid Featuring: Emily Polk Music: Gillicuddy (Fudge, A Garden and a Rose ) Martin R, Original music by Man of Suit (Breathing Rhythm, Diagnosis)