In this challenging era of education, any opportunity should be taken to shed light on the positive side of classroom life.
Dr. Laurie Fiorenza, assistant superintendent of student learning at Oak Park and River Forest High School (OPRFHS) in Illinois, was recently recognized for using her podcast to highlight the great work of her district’s teachers with technology and learning. Innovative Leader Award for Innovative Superintendent during the recent Midwest Live Regional Summit.
Praise Podcast Is Music to a Teacher’s Ear
Podcasts abound on every topic imaginable, offering listeners a way to learn something new, connect with others, or discover unexpected joys that would otherwise go unnoticed. Fiorenza’s program does all three.
“Our professors told me they felt disconnected from professors in other departments, especially after the pandemic,” Fiorenza says. “I was thinking about ways to connect them without creating meetings or something that would take up their time and energy. I thought a podcast would allow teachers to just talk to me about the unique things they are doing in our building. “Then I could share the podcast with everyone, including members of our community.”
Fiorenza sent out an email request to staff, explaining the program and asking anyone who was doing really unique things to participate and share their stories with others. She soon had a solid list of volunteers.
“Teachers like to talk about their actions and how they impact children,” Fiorenza says. “I wanted to celebrate their passion, creativity and ingenuity.”
District Support Helps Positivity Podcast for Teachers
“The leaders I work with understand the importance of celebrating and honoring our teachers and staff who work directly with our students daily, supporting their learning and growth,” Fiorenza says.
Leaders were encouraging, however, Fiorenza still added a layer of review to ensure no school policies or boundaries were inadvertently crossed.
“After recording and preparing each podcast, I partner with the Director of Communications,” says Fiorenza. “She reviews and helps me publish the podcast on various social media platforms. “This additional person listening to the podcast is a means of ensuring there are no concerns or issues with the content.”
In a time when parents pore over online reviews and comments and shop around the district for the best fit for their families, such an organic and authentic representation of school offerings can be an impactful tool. Although this was not Fiorenza’s goal, she has noticed an increase relative to the school community as a whole.
“Parents always comment on how much they like learning about everything that happens in our district,” she says. “I think it helps parents confirm what the data, our website and community input indicate: OPRFHS is an exceptional school with dedicated, passionate and highly qualified educators.”
The nuts and bolts of creating a podcast
Once Fiorenza realized this would be an ongoing show, she needed an appropriate space to record.
“Oak Park and River Forest High School have a makerspace with a media room and a special sound booth,” he says. “We have dedicated resources to improving the makerspace, and specifically the media room, over the past few years. This included the purchase of higher quality recording equipment, microphones and even technology to support the production process from start to finish.”
The district included these items in the budget. As the space was designed for student use, investment in high quality equipment and technology was essential and it has since been well used and appreciated.
“Individuals, groups and classes use the studio daily to create podcasts, write and record music, and learn about audio and media technology,” he says.
Being seen and celebrated is a powerful antidote to some of the most challenging aspects of the current climate. The response from other teachers, parents and even students has been overwhelmingly positive.
“I think it’s imperative to showcase the work of our educators,” Fiorenza says. “This celebrates and honors their work and dedication and gives community members an inside look at all that public education has to offer our students. Hear it from a husky “It is not about self-promotion, but about seeing, hearing and valuing all teachers who make an impact.”
5 steps to create a school podcast
- Get ready for the podcast. Determine a quiet place to record. This will ensure that background noise is removed as much as possible. Find a person, preferably with audio experience, who can record the podcast so you can focus on the conversation with the staff member.
- Get your staff involved. Encourage those you know who are doing amazing things in the classroom.
- Set up 5 minute sessions. Identify three questions you want the participant to discuss during your conversation. Send the questions to the participant in advance so they can be prepared to talk to you.
- Record the discussion. Try recording audio-only interviews if participants are not comfortable with video.
- Celebrate on social media. Honor your amazing staff by sharing the podcast on social media platforms (Facebook, YouTube, etc.). Email internal employees to share the podcast and encourage others to participate.
