Teach in Ten
S5 Ep03: Teaching with Purpose with Linnea Diersen
In Season 5, Episode 3 of the Teach in Ten Podcast , we continue our focus on fresh voices by welcoming Linnea Dierson, a first-year English teacher at Crystal Lake Central. Linnea’s journey is especially meaningful because she’s already been a part of three of the four main buildings in D155. A 2022 D155 graduate, Linnea knew from an early age that she wanted to teach. But it was her freshman English class that helped her discover a passion for helping students engage with complex texts, develop their voices, and become stronger writers. She carried that goal to Wheaton College and eventually returned to D155 to student teach at Cary-Grove before beginning her career at Central. Now, Linnea is focused on becoming the kind of teacher who helps students feel confident sharing their ideas. She is experimenting with low-stakes participation, journaling, small-group conversations, and other ways to help students recognize that their voices belong in the classroom. Most importantly, Linnea hopes students leave her classroom more confident in their ability to read, write, and express themselves. Her journey reflects an idea at the heart of D155: enter with promise and leave with purpose. Linnea entered D155 as a student, discovered her purpose through the educators who taught her, and has now returned to help the next generation discover theirs. Tune in to hear her amazing story.
