Welcome to aka Teacher

Hello teachers! Welcome to a brand new blog space created entirely for (and with) you!

The PBS Wisconsin Education team is in contact with so many amazing educators. The empathy, curiosity, innovation, and creativity that we witness in you inspires us daily. The lengths that you go to to ensure your students can thrive… it goes so far beyond what non-educators might perceive as the tasks of a teacher. Teachers do so much more than provide instruction in academic content.

This reality really hit home one day for one of our Education Producers, Ryan Hendricks. Ryan’s spouse is an educator, and one afternoon at their kitchen table she shared a comic with him that featured a figure labeled “Teacher” struggling to hold an overflowing pile of words including “confidant” and “nose wiper” and “tech expert”… a seemingly endless list of duties and responsibilities that go far beyond what one might think of when they picture an educator. Through the comic and the conversation that followed, Ryan found himself struck with an awakening—seeing with fresh eyes the scope, scale and challenges that are part of this demanding profession—and he wanted to find a way to let others hear your voices. The idea for aka Teacher was born.

On this blog, you’ll find short videos featuring Wisconsin educators who share their experiences and insights about those aspects of teaching that might not have been outlined in a course or training along with tips and strategies that they feel help to best support learners. You’ll read posts written by teachers, for teachers, that will inspire you and offer practical guidance you can use today.

Thank you for being a mentor, entertainer, confidant, tech expert, fundraiser, advocate, disciplinarian, referee, tutor, nose wiper…aka Teacher.

This is your space, so please email us to tell us about a topic you want us to tackle or a colleague whose work should be shared.

After you’ve read and watched, check in with each other to discuss these posts, topics, or anything else in our educator only Facebook group.