Front of the Class

Send us Fan Mail Linda “Wally” Wallenberg has spent more than 50 years helping students discover the joy of learning. As the 2025 Minnesota Teacher of the Year, she teaches English at Eden Prairie High School, where she blends literature, movement, and pop culture to create memorable classroom experiences. In this special topical episode, Wallenberg shares how she has adapted to decades of change while keeping humanity and hope at the heart of her career. From using technology as a part...

Send us Fan Mail Frannie Tunseth is the 2026 North Dakota Teacher of the Year and a math and reading interventionist serving grades 4-8 in a small rural community. With experience as a kindergarten, first-grade, and fourth-grade teacher — and even as an elementary school principal — she has a unique perspective on what students need to succeed, especially those who arrive in her classroom feeling discouraged or behind. In this episode, Tunseth shares how she helps students reignite thei...

Send us Fan Mail Ali Snabon-Jun, the 2026 Nevada State Teacher of the Year, has spent 20 years teaching music in the Clark County School District in Las Vegas. From opening new schools to re-establishing elementary music programs from the ground up, she has created classrooms and choirs defined by joy and the belief that every student can rise to meet high expectations. In this episode, Snabon-Jun shares how she builds trust with administrators to teach creatively, why she leads with en...

Send us Fan Mail Before becoming a teacher, Linda Alvarez built a successful career in the corporate sector — honing leadership, communication, and problem-solving skills that would later define her approach to education. Now the 2026 Vermont Teacher of the Year, she reflects on how her journey into teaching reveals the value of bringing real-world experience into the classroom. In this special topical episode, Alvarez explores the power of transferable skills and how career changers ca...

Send us Fan Mail As the 2026 New Hampshire Teacher of the Year, Megan Philbrook focuses on filling her classroom with curiosity and creativity for the fifth through eighth grade social studies students in her rural community. In this episode, Philbrook shares how she brings history to life through immersive lessons, why students love her simulations, and the importance of listening and emotional engagement. From reenacting the stock market crash to debating the Articles of Confederation...

Send us Fan Mail Tammy Irminger has spent 20 years in education, from teaching third, fourth, and sixth grade to serving as a librarian at MacArthur Elementary School on the Fort Leavenworth military base. With a passion for literacy and creating meaningful connections with students, she’s built a career centered on helping every child feel seen, supported, and inspired to learn. In this episode, Tammy shares how she builds strong relationships in a school community where students often...

Send us Fan Mail Rachel J. is a first-grade teacher in an urban Iowa district, where more than half of her students are learning English as a second language. She has established a classroom environment grounded in warmth, teamwork, and high expectations — and achieved remarkable results. In just one year, her students’ reading proficiency rose from about 50% in the fall to nearly 90% by the end of the spring semester. In this episode, Rachel shares how she helps young learners build co...

Send us Fan Mail From growing up dreaming of space exploration to building a 10-year teaching career across two continents, Kyle Letot’s journey is one of resilience, discovery, and purpose. Now teaching English conversation at a foreign language high school in South Korea, Kyle reflects on how her early experiences in U.S. classrooms and her transition abroad have shaped her approach to education as well as what she’s learned about helping students thrive in high-pressure environments. ...