Call and Response: What Teachers Wish You Knew
We asked you: What do you wish people knew about being a teacher?
Fall 2025
Kaleidoscope: Educator Voices & Perspectives
Teachers’ stories, whether about the state of education, our classrooms, or ourselves, are powerful tools for conveying knowledge.
From the Editors’ Desk
Stories Shape Us
In the Fall 2025 issue of Kaleidoscope, we explore how stories shape our classrooms, our students, and ourselves.
In This Issue
Hierarchy of Teacher Needs
In a twist on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, Matthew Dudak and Justin Ragland provide a framework for teachers’ needs and the support required to engage in meaningful professional growth and improvement.
Being “That” Teacher: How I Learned to Build Mutually Respectful Relationships
Many of us had a teacher in school who made the effort to connect with us. Kasey reflects on what it’s like to be in the teacher’s role.
Now On Teacher Voice: StorySlam
What is StorySlam? Learn how this Knowles tradition started and its impact on the community.
Poetry Corner: On Intergenerational Queer Joy
We know that representation matters, but what does it actually look like for teachers and students with marginalized identities?
Teaching Multilingual Learners
How can we best serve multilingual students in the classroom?
Benefits of Classroom Pets in Secondary Education
Kelly Gregor tracks how classroom pets affect her students’ behavior and attitudes.
I Will Teach You How to Pet the Bumblebees
Carl Armstrong tells the history of students restoring prairie land at his suburban Chicago high school and reflects on their accomplishments.
Issue Editors:
About Kaleidoscope
Kaleidoscope strives to provide readers and writers a public space for discourse and dialogue about the knowledge and expertise of teachers and the complexity of our profession. We believe that teachers are well-positioned to improve education in their classrooms and beyond, and we know the power that storytelling and knowledge sharing can hold in the process of transforming educational outcomes for students.
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