In this episode of Teach in Ten, Steph sits down with Kristin Mayes, a social science teacher and literacy coach at Crystal Lake Central High School, to discuss literacy not as an add-on but as a gateway to deeper learning.

Kristin reflects on how confronting literacy as a barrier profoundly shaped her instructional approach. Working with her students, she quickly recognized how literacy challenges could limit access to content, and that realization became a driving force in how she designs her classroom today. Rather than lowering standards, she embeds meaningful literacy strategies directly into her social science curriculum, ensuring students engage with rigorous content while building essential skills.

A central theme of the conversation is innovation driven by curiosity. Kristin explains that perspective-shifting teaching doesn’t start with flashy tools. It starts with asking better questions. How do we help students access complex texts? How do we maintain high expectations while providing support?

She also highlights the power of desirable difficulties, intentionally designing learning experiences that challenge students in productive ways. By normalizing struggle and emphasizing daily practice, Kristin helps students see that they are capable of doing hard things. Growth becomes something students take pride in, not something they fear.

Hosts: Cori & Steph

Guest: Kristen Gioe – Teacher, Literacy Coach, and Advocate at Haber Oaks

In this episode, Cori and Steph sit down with Kristen Gioe, a passionate educator whose work centers on literacy, access, and meeting students exactly where they are. Kristen shares her journey from special education teacher to literacy specialist and coach, and how those experiences shaped her belief that every student deserves instruction tailored to their needs.

Kristen talks about what innovation looks like in a setting like Haber Oaks, where flexibility, empathy, and responsiveness matter just as much as strategy. She highlights how research-based practices such as retrieval practice, quick checks, and low-stakes assessments have transformed her classroom, making learning feel achievable rather than overwhelming. These small, intentional moves help all students engage, regardless of reading level or learning profile.

She also shares powerful examples of connecting students to authentic literacy experiences, including ongoing collaboration with author Ellen Hopkins, which gives students a rare opportunity to interact directly with the voices behind the books they read.

Throughout the conversation, Kristen emphasizes that innovation isn’t about flashy tools or perfect lessons. It’s about care, connection, and motivation. Whether it’s ensuring students have what they need to learn, adapting instruction on the fly, or building trust through relationships, her work reminds us that meaningful innovation often starts with compassion.

Hosts: Cori & Steph

Guest: Hannah Martin, Cary-Grove High School Social Science Teacher & ML Leader

In this episode of Teach in 10, Cori and Steph sit down with Hannah Martin to explore what innovation looks like when it’s rooted in accessibility, student voice, and belonging. Hannah shares her journey into teaching, the educators who inspired her, and how her work with multilingual learners has reshaped her instructional approach.

The conversation highlights practical, classroom-ready innovations—especially how Hannah uses tools like Snorkel and Notebook LM to reduce language barriers, provide meaningful feedback, and empower students to demonstrate learning in multiple ways. Rather than innovation for innovation’s sake, Hannah emphasizes intentional shifts that meet students where they are and support them as they take academic risks in a supportive environment.

Listeners will also hear how innovation connects to real-world skills like communication, collaboration, and a growth mindset, as well as the importance of explicitly teaching social-emotional skills alongside content. This episode is a great reminder that some of the most powerful innovation happens when teachers focus on relationships, equity, and giving every student a voice.

In this episode of Teach in Ten, we sit down with Michelle Roberts, a hearing itinerant and adaptive PE teacher who reminds us that innovation doesn’t always start with a big idea; it often starts with a problem that needs solving.

Michelle talks about her work in hearing itinerant services and adaptive physical education, and how those roles pushed her to rethink what access and inclusion really look like in PE. When traditional equipment didn’t work for students in wheelchairs, especially for activities like soccer, she didn’t stop at “this won’t work.” Instead, she figured out how to make it work. She shares how she adapted materials, modified gameplay, and tested ideas until students could fully participate.

We also get into the real-life challenges of innovation: not enough time, limited space, and the constant balancing act teachers face every day. Michelle is honest about how hard innovation can be, but she also shares why it’s worth it, because when barriers are removed, student confidence, engagement, and growth skyrocket.

Kerri Faraj – Dual Credit Spanish Teacher at Cary-Grove High School

In this lighthearted and joyful episode, Steph and Todd sit down with Kerri Faraj, a Dual Credit Spanish teacher whose path to teaching is anything but ordinary. Kerri shares how her love of Gloria Estefan, Spanish soap operas, and music in general pulled her into the world of language and culture and eventually into the classroom.

Kerri talks about the excitement of designing a brand-new course at Cary-Grove: Conversational Spanish. She walks listeners through how she’s reimagining what a language class can look like by focusing on real-world communication, authentic resources, and activities that help students feel confident using Spanish in everyday situations.

She also shares practical ideas and inspiration from music and pop culture to creative speaking routines that make the course both accessible and fun for learners at all levels.

Throughout the conversation, Kerri reminds us that innovation in world languages doesn’t always require big changes; sometimes it’s simply about creating spaces where students feel free to explore, speak, and connect.

Hosts: Steph & Todd

Guest: Jason Bott – Athletic Director at Crystal Lake South High School

In this episode, Steph and Todd sit down with Jason Bott, the athletic director at Crystal Lake South, to talk about what innovation looks like through the lens of leadership, athletics, and community. For Jason, innovation starts with a fresh mindset—approaching every year as a new opportunity to grow, adapt, and improve.

He shares how his focus on “innovation with purpose” shapes programs that support leadership development for both students and coaches. Jason highlights the school’s Student-Athlete Leadership Group, open to all student-athletes and focused on building confidence, character, and mental performance. He also explains how the coaches-only Lunch and Learn sessions create space for ongoing professional growth, collaboration, and reflective practice among the coaching staff.

Jason also discusses the Coaches CLT and the MVP process (Mission, Vision, and Core Principles), which guide athletic programs toward a shared purpose. That work extends to families, too, through parent training sessions designed to align values and strengthen South athletics' overall culture.

At its core, Jason’s message is simple: innovation isn’t just about doing something new. It’s about staying adaptable, intentional, and connected to the people you lead.

Hosts: Steph & Todd

Guest: Cara Neff – Math Teacher and Head Flag Football Coach at Cary-Grove High School. In this episode, Steph and Todd talk with Cara Neff, a math teacher and coach who brings creativity and purpose to everything she builds, whether it’s a new geometry lesson, a construction project, or a first-year athletic program.

Cara shares how innovation shows up in her teaching as applied creativity, finding hands-on, meaningful ways to connect math to the real world. Her geometry-in-construction classes look different every year because the projects change each year. Students design, problem-solve, and collaborate as they turn math concepts into something tangible, learning that formulas and framing have more in common than they think.

As the head coach of Cary-Grove’s new flag football program, Cara also reflects on what it’s like to start from scratch, creating new traditions, building a culture, and learning alongside her athletes.

Throughout the conversation, Cara emphasizes that innovation doesn’t always come from fixing what’s broken; it often comes from asking, “What could be even better?” Whether she’s in the classroom or on the field, she’s constantly reimagining what learning, teamwork, and growth can look like

Guest: Anne Santucci – Social Science teacher at Crystal Lake South and Cary-Grove High School, Dual Credit U.S. History instructor at MCC, and head girls’ soccer coach at Cary-Grove

In this episode, Steph and Todd chat with Anne Santucci, a teacher who knows that innovation doesn’t always mean doing something brand new; it can also mean looking at what’s already working and finding fresh ways to make it even better.

Anne shares stories from her classroom and coaching experiences, from a well-worn globe that sparks rich conversations about global change to using AI tools that invite students to think differently. She also talks about how inviting community members and local leaders into her classes helps students see real-world connections to what they’re learning.

Throughout the conversation, Anne reflects on what it means to grow as an educator after 24 years in the classroom. She models what she hopes her students will learn: that trying new things, being open about what doesn’t work, and staying curious are all part of genuine innovation.