One student’s journey to reinvent themselves

Inside a story that inspired us in the new year [View this email online]( [NPR Education]( January 8, 2023 This week, we heard from one of our College Podcast Challenge winners on how she reinvented herself. Plus, an ask – for all of you! Are you a civics, government, social studies or ANY type of teacher that has used the multiple votes for a speaker of the house as a learning moment? We would LOVE to hear from you! If you could reach out to npred@npr.org, we would love to hear your story. --------------------------------------------------------------- Happy Sunday, Anil, the Ed desk’s intern, here! I, like I’m sure many of you, am trying to take the start of the new year to set some new goals for myself. In that light, I offer you a snippet of an inspirational [finalist from last year’s college podcast challenge]( that my colleague [Elissa Nadworny]( recently shared on [All Things Considered](. It’s the story of Joan Steidl, a student at Kent State University. Despite creating a lovely podcast, she admits she struggles with technology. “Why do I need to learn Windows 10 when Windows 95 has been working just fine?” she says. That may be, in part, because she is older than many of her peers. Joan is 65, but she is still finding ways to reinvent herself. That’s the story she tells in her podcast. Not only did she go back to school, but she started learning to do stand-up comedy and making friends who are decades younger. Joan Steidl Doing a new you can be insightful! For Steidl, walking into the classroom on the first day , with her flip phone, pencils, and spiral notebook, made her feel 18 again. It wasn’t until something came up in class that happened in the 1970s – and everyone turned to Steidl – that she was reminded of her age as she blurted out the answer. She and one of her Gen Z classmates, Maddy Haberberger, bonded over “not feeling grown up.” "I don't feel grown up at 21,” Haberberger says “So I think a big misconception is, like, older people thinking the younger people are at a better place or they're smarter, or the younger people thinking the older people are smarter or more experienced or more grown up.” Check out more of Joan Steidl’s journey in this [piece of her podcast]( - or the [full thing](. I highly recommend it! Speaking of podcasting, I also want to remind teachers, students, and parents that our school podcast challenge is now [open for entries]( Two categories: grades five through eight and 9 through 12. The college contest will open in the fall. That’s for anyone in college over the age of 18. — [Anil Oza]( Intern, NPR Ed [Read More]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Newsletter continues after sponsor message --------------------------------------------------------------- Now, let’s get into some news … Rick Singer, feeling the blues. Remember the 2019 “Varsity Blues” college admissions bribery scandal? Rich parents paid for backdoor deals; Singer masterminded fake photos and manipulated test taking. He got sentenced this week to 3 ½ years in prison and ordered to pay more than $19 million. [Read more and see who else paid in fines or prison time here](. —[Tovia Smith]( Correspondent, NPR and [Jaclyn Diaz]( Reporter, NPR Gen Z’s blue collar pipeline is cracking. Despite high demand for technical jobs – like plumbing, building, and electrical work – applications for those jobs have not kept up in Gen Z. [Read more here](. — [Mary Yang]( Intern, NPR Students with disabilities face setbacks. Schools in Oregon are back up and running close to pre-pandemic operations, but systems of special education are fraying as staff work on limited resources. [Read more here](. — [Elizabeth Miller]( Education Reporter, OPB And before you go, a snail for a smile… 🐌 Snails are so funny! After spending a couple of years doing research on snails, I definitely have a soft spot for them – and I absolutely adore the videos that the Carnegie Museum of Natural History makes with short jokes about snails. Please take a look [here]( [here]( and [here](. For much more from the museum – not just about snails – check out [their full TikTok page](. See you next week. --------------------------------------------------------------- Listen to your local NPR station. Visit NPR.org to find your local station stream. [Listen Live]( [Facebook]( [Instagram]( [Twitter]( What do you think of today's email? We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: [npred@npr.org](mailto:npred@npr.org?subject=Newsletter%20Feedback) Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! [They can sign up here.]( Looking for more great content? [Check out all of our newsletter offerings]( — including Music, Politics, Code Switch and more! You received this message because you're subscribed to Education emails. This email was sent by National Public Radio, Inc., 1111 North Capitol Street NE, Washington, DC 20002 [Unsubscribe]( | [Privacy Policy]( [NPR logo]