Our grade school teachers play a big role in our life. Some of them are real difference makers. 

I remember entering junior high with very little interest in English or history. A couple of teachers really changed that for me. Those influences have shaped a large part of who I am, how I think, and who I choose to be today. 

In this episode, I sit down with Vaughn, a junior high science teacher and we discuss the challenges of being a grade school teacher today. He tells me what motivated him to become a teacher. We touch on topics like classroom management, control over the curriculum, and learning how to teach people in some of their most volatile, yet formative years. 

Along the way we also talk about professional development, staying motivating everyday, every month, year after year, and how he knows whether or not he has made a difference to the kids he teaches.