33 episodes

A podcast about educators who are teaching during a global pandemic hosted by Evelyn Lauer, a high school English/media teacher with 20 years experience. It doesn’t matter what format we’ve been forced to teach in – remote, hybrid, or in-person wearing masks – we’re all struggling and we’ve all lost a piece of our identity. Lauer converses with teachers in different situations from different states with different rules in place to see how education has been flipped on its head for better or worse. What can we learn from this moment in time? What can we say we miss? What needs to change? And what do we now know to never take for granted? Lauer is currently teaching freshman English, digital storytelling, and film--all remotely via Zoom and Canvas. Her work has been published in The Huffington Post, Education Week, The English Journal, Sentence, and elsewhere. She served as the PR/Publications director for the Journalism Education Association for six years and is currently serving that organization as a mentor teacher. BTB was recently highlighted in the New York Times Education Briefing. You can follow her on Twitter @evelynalauer.

Beyond the Bell Evelyn Lauer

    • Education
    • 5.0 • 7 Ratings

A podcast about educators who are teaching during a global pandemic hosted by Evelyn Lauer, a high school English/media teacher with 20 years experience. It doesn’t matter what format we’ve been forced to teach in – remote, hybrid, or in-person wearing masks – we’re all struggling and we’ve all lost a piece of our identity. Lauer converses with teachers in different situations from different states with different rules in place to see how education has been flipped on its head for better or worse. What can we learn from this moment in time? What can we say we miss? What needs to change? And what do we now know to never take for granted? Lauer is currently teaching freshman English, digital storytelling, and film--all remotely via Zoom and Canvas. Her work has been published in The Huffington Post, Education Week, The English Journal, Sentence, and elsewhere. She served as the PR/Publications director for the Journalism Education Association for six years and is currently serving that organization as a mentor teacher. BTB was recently highlighted in the New York Times Education Briefing. You can follow her on Twitter @evelynalauer.

    Kaine Osburn

    Kaine Osburn

    K-8 superintendent Kaine Osburn and host Evelyn Lauer discuss the decisions schools must make while the pandemic continues and Omicron spreads. Lauer describes her own experience with Covid-19.

    Osburn is an educational leader who believes equity is the real engine for growth in student achievement and innovation in learning. He has broad and deep experience as a high school English teacher, union leader, principal, and district leader. He currently leads Avoca District 37, a high performing K-8 district in the near north suburbs of Chicago, which sends students to New Trier High School. 

    As a superintendent, previously he led large-scale community engagement and strategic planning, a successful $78M bond referendum, installation of a new staff training center through an innovative community partnership, and he developed powerful relationships with civic and business leaders on behalf of students. As a Deputy Superintendent and a Principal, he engaged in multiple sectors across larger and smaller school districts -- from operations, to curriculum and instruction, to finance, human resources, and community relations. He also has experience working directly with elementary and secondary families, teachers, principals, and community leaders. 

    Follow Kaine on Twitter @AvocaOsburn
    Follow Evelyn on Twitter @evelynalauer

    • 46 min
    Doug Robertson

    Doug Robertson

    Fifth-grade educator Doug Robertson and host Evelyn Lauer discuss the challenges of in-person/full-capacity school during the pandemic and his decision to take a medical leave from his classroom.

    Robertson is currently a 5th grade teacher just outside of Portland, Oregon. He is in his16th  year of teaching overall, and in that time he has also taught in California and Hawaii OR. On the side, he is also an author, having published four books so far, three of which are education focused [He's the Weird Teacher, THE Teaching Text (You're Welcome), and A Classroom of One] and one novel (The Unforgiving Road). He is also a husband and has three children. He plays bass and rides a motorcycle. 

    You can find Doug on Twitter at @TheWeirdTeacher and also on Instagram at the same. 

    Follow host, Evelyn Lauer, on Twitter or Instagram, @evelynalauer.

    • 59 min
    Julie Rowse

    Julie Rowse

    Media educator Julie Rowse and host Evelyn Lauer discuss the challenges of beginning the school year during the Delta variant, especially with a inconsistency in the rules and guidelines at different schools in different states.

    Rowse is a recovering Air Force Brat currently living in Bellevue, Nebraska. She holds a B.S. in Secondary Education from the University of Nebraska-Omaha and an M.A. in Popular Culture from Bowling Green State University. Julie teaches Journalism and Popular Culture at a suburban high school, where she is also the principal pianist for the school musical every year. She is the host and producer of the Teachers Talking TV podcast. When she isn't teaching or writing, she's watching a movie, college sports, or reading a book. But there's also a good chance she's napping. Follow her @msrowse on Twitter, @jlrowse on Instagram, or at julierowse.com. 

    Follow host, Evelyn Lauer, on Twitter or Instagram, @evelynalauer.

    • 46 min
    Season 4 Intro

    Season 4 Intro

    Host Evelyn Lauer introduces the fourth season of Beyond the Bell, a podcast about teaching during the pandemic. On BTB, Lauer, a 21-year educator interviews other teachers about their experiences.

    Please follow her on Twitter @evelynalauer. 

    • 3 min
    Season 3 Finale

    Season 3 Finale

    Host Evelyn Lauer looks back on the challenges of the 2020-2021 school year and looks ahead to the future of education post pandemic. 

    To contact Evelyn, please email her at evelau@d219.org, or DM her on Twitter @evelynalauer.

    • 6 min
    Brent Crouse

    Brent Crouse

    Assistant director of elementary and middle school literacy Brent Crouse and host Evelyn Lauer discuss engagement strategies, culturally responsive teaching, and the outlook for the 2021-2022 academic year.

    Crouse began his career as a non-traditional Teach For America corps member in 2010, at the age of 32. After acceptance into the program, he moved from Portland, OR to Philadelphia, where he taught for his  first four years as an Upper Elementary School ELA teacher at LEAP Academy Charter School in Camden, NJ. Seeking a change, he transitioned to Philadelphia, where he was hired by Mastery Charter Schools, teaching at their Mann Elementary Campus for five years as the 5th and 6th grade writing teacher. He left the classroom in June, 2019, and joined the Mastery Academic Team as an Assistant Director of Elementary and Middle School Literacy. Hoping to use his classroom experience to help teachers better help their students, he has spent the past two years dividing his time between teacher coaching, managing curriculum and resources, and designing and facilitating professional development for 3rd through 8th grade ELA teachers across Philadelphia and Camden.

    Follow host Evelyn Lauer on Twitter @evelynalauer.

    • 24 min

Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5
7 Ratings

7 Ratings

GritizenCitizen ,

Like a virtual high-five

Working remotely often feels lonely. It’s good to know I’m not alone.

jaywill ,

Much-needed

I just listened to the podcast with the student-teacher Sarah. As an experienced teacher, I didn’t realize how much I needed to hear her story to make me reflect differently on my teaching practice at this time as well as helping me feel connected to educators in a different way. I’ve also realized that we educators need to rally around each other and especially around new teachers at this time to help keep them in education.

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