Inspiring Teachers: The Honored Podcast

Devon Houghton, a 4th-grade teacher at Beatrice H Wood Elementary School in Plainville, MA is the recipient of our January 2026 Honored National Teaching Award. She was nominated for this award by the parents of her student, Sammy. Joining Mrs. Houghton in this episode are Sammy and Sammy's mom, Erin.   You'll hear about: - Mrs. Houghton's journey to becoming a teacher. - The impact Mrs. Houghton has had on Sammy and her family. - Mrs. Houghton's dedication to building strong relationships with her students.  - Mrs. Houghton's passion for creating a safe, fun, and growth-oriented environment for her students. - How Mrs. Houghton supported Sammy when she was experiencing bullying.    You'll also hear from Angel Wunderlich, the Senior Regional Partnerships Manager at TEACH.org Minnesota. She shares about a teacher who left an incredible impact on their journey in our segment "Teachers Who Inspired". With a deep background in education and community development, Angela leads statewide efforts to diversify the teaching workforce and remove barriers to entry for aspiring educators. Angela brings years of experience in inclusion strategy, program leadership, and cross-sector collaboration to this mission. Before joining TeachMN, Angela taught high school Spanish at the Neighborhood House Charter School in Dorchester, MA, and served as the Director of Community Development and Inclusion for the YMCA of the North.   Links Mentioned: - Read more about Devon Houghton's story: https://www.honored.org/honoree/devon-houghton - Nominate a teacher for our Honored National Teaching Award: https://www.honored.org/nominate/ - Read the incredible nomination for Devon Houghton: https://www.honored.org/nominees/devon-houghton/ - Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/honored/ - Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@honoredteachers - Follow us on X: https://x.com/honored/ - Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Honored.org/ - Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/honored.org   Episode Music Credits: - Music by DanaMusic: https://pixabay.com/users/danamusic-31920663/ - Music by AudioCoffee: https://www.audiocoffee.net/  

Lynn Darby, high school History teacher and Founder of the Teacher's Lounge, joins us for a spotlight podcast episode. Lynn Darby was born and raised in South Central Pennsylvania. Coming from a small but tight-knit family, Lynn had the opportunity to watch both his mom and uncle serve as educators from a young age. This, along with a strong intrinsic desire to make a positive impact in the world, inspired Lynn to pursue a career in education. Graduating from Temple University in Fall '21 and Relay Grad School of Education in Spring '24, Lynn currently works as a high school history teacher at MacArthur High School, Washington, DC's first new public high school in over 30 years. In his free time, Lynn enjoys watching Steelers football, cooking, working out, and spending time with friends.   You'll hear about: - Lynn's journey to becoming a teacher. - The Teacher's Lounge's initiatives to provide networking and fellowship opportunities for educators in DC. - The importance of diversity and representation in the education field. - How cultivating positive student relationships improves student outcomes.   Links Mentioned: - Learn more about the Teacher's Lounge: https://www.instagram.com/teacherslounge.dc/ - Listen to the Teacher's Lounge podcast: https://lellisdllc.podbean.com/ - Listen to the Modern Classrooms Project Podcast: https://www.modernclassrooms.org/podcasts  - Nominate a teacher for our Honored National Teaching Award: https://www.honored.org/nominate/ - Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/honored/ - Follow us on Twitter: https://x.com/honored/ - Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Honored.org/ - Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/honored.org - Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@honoredteachers - Read the episode transcript: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1UomhrxPKnL4Evljp5DIjQu9LaeJaBBh9JTIOiVPjAw8/edit?usp=sharing   Episode Music Credits: - Music by DanaMusic: https://pixabay.com/users/danamusic-31920663/ - Music by AudioCoffee: https://www.audiocoffee.net/  

Luis Durán, a 6th-8th-grade Special Education cluster class teacher at Talcott Fine Arts & Museum Academy in Chicago, Illinois is the recipient of our December 2025 Honored National Teaching Award. He was nominated for this award by his student, Kenny, and Kenny’s mother, Kimberlee. Joining Luis in this episode are Kenny and Kimbelee.   You'll hear about: - Luis Durán's journey to becoming a teacher. - The impact Luis has had on Kenny and his family. - Luis's dedication to creating an inclusive and encouraging environment for his students. - Luis's passion for making learning fun and interactive.   You'll also hear from award-winning journalist Walter Ray Watson, Jr. He shares about a teacher who left an incredible impact on their journey in our segment "Teachers Who Inspired". He has produced and reported news stories, features, and specials for more than three decades with NPR. He launched NPR’s Code Switch podcast that explores race, identity, and culture. Walter previously produced the weekend broadcasts of NPR’s All Things Considered.  He is the recipient of a Peabody Award and several Salute to Excellence Awards from the National Association of Black Journalists, most recently, for a feature co-reported with correspondent Debbie Elliott in 2024, among other honors. He began his career writing about arts and culture for The New Pittsburgh Courier in Pennsylvania. Walter earned his Bachelor of Arts in English writing from the University of Pittsburgh and was a 2008 Nieman Fellow at Harvard University.   Links Mentioned: - Read more about Luis Durán's story: https://www.honored.org/honoree/luis-duran - Nominate a teacher for our Honored National Teaching Award: https://www.honored.org/nominate/ - Read the incredible nomination for Luis Durán: https://www.honored.org/nominees/luis-duran/  - Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/honored/ - Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@honoredteachers - Follow us on X: https://x.com/honored/ - Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Honored.org/ - Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/honored.org   Episode Music Credits: - Music by DanaMusic: https://pixabay.com/users/danamusic-31920663/ - Music by AudioCoffee: https://www.audiocoffee.net/  

Kareem Farah, CEO and Co-Founder of the Modern Classrooms Project, joins us for an organizational spotlight podcast episode. Kareem began his career as a high school math teacher in Hawaii and Washington, DC. Instead of using a traditional lecture model, Kareem taught mathematics through a blended model where students accessed content through his self-made videos. In 2018, he received the DC Public Schools Award for Classroom Innovation and was featured in Edutopia and CBS News for his work. In an effort to scale his classroom model, Kareem co-founded the Modern Classrooms Project. Under his leadership, the Modern Classrooms Project equips teachers to redesign their classrooms with blended, self-paced, mastery-based practices that personalize learning and strengthen student engagement, while preserving the human connection at the heart of great teaching. Kareem is also a member of Honored’s Board of Directors.   You'll hear about: - The Modern Classrooms Project's mission and initiatives. - The impact of self-paced learning on student success, teacher burnout, and teacher retention. - The incredible work the Modern Classroom Project is doing in supporting teachers who want to move beyond the traditional teaching method. - The Modern Classrooms Project's amazing success with its instructional model.    Links Mentioned: - Learn more about the Modern Classrooms Project: https://www.modernclassrooms.org/ - Follow the Modern Classrooms Project on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/modernclassproj/  - Listen to the Modern Classrooms Project Podcast: https://www.modernclassrooms.org/podcasts  - Nominate a teacher for our Honored National Teaching Award: https://www.honored.org/nominate/ - Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/honored/ - Follow us on Twitter: https://x.com/honored/ - Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Honored.org/ - Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/honored.org - Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@honoredteachers - Read the episode transcript: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1e03-Y0nZ-malKQzJfUDH-JKXB6uN1UibZ9QLCI_9_V0/edit?usp=sharing   Episode Music Credits: - Music by DanaMusic: https://pixabay.com/users/danamusic-31920663/ - Music by AudioCoffee: https://www.audiocoffee.net/  

Hui Couch, a 9th-grade Algebra teacher at Newcomer Academy in Louisville, Kentucky, is the recipient of our November 2025 Honored National Teaching Award. She was nominated for this award by the Modern Classrooms Project, a nonprofit organization that equips teachers to redesign their classrooms with blended, self-paced, mastery-based practices that personalize learning and strengthen student engagement. To help share the impact of Hui’s teaching, we are joined today by three of her students, Juan, Obama, and Kelia.   You'll hear about: - Hui Couch's journey to becoming a teacher. - The impact Hui has had on her students. - How Hui utilizes the Modern Classrooms Project method to teach her Algebra class with nine home languages. - Hui's dedication to equipping her students with lifelong skills such as empathy, independence, and resiliency.   You'll also hear from Kareem Farah, the CEO and Co-Founder of the Modern Classrooms Project, as he shares about a teacher who left an incredible impact on their journey in our segment "Teachers Who Inspired". Kareem began his career as a high school math teacher in Hawaii and Washington, DC. Instead of using a traditional lecture model, Kareem taught mathematics through a blended model where students accessed content through his self-made videos. In 2018, he received the DC Public Schools Award for Classroom Innovation and was featured in Edutopia and CBS News for his work. In an effort to scale his classroom model, Kareem co-founded the Modern Classrooms Project. As CEO, he has led the organization to become a nationally recognized leader in instructional innovation, training, and supporting over 20,000 educators across diverse schools and districts.   Links Mentioned: - Read more about Hui Couch's story: https://www.honored.org/honoree/hui-couch - Nominate a teacher for our Honored National Teaching Award: https://www.honored.org/nominate/ - Learn more about the Modern Classrooms Project: https://www.modernclassrooms.org/ - Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/honored/ - Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@honoredteachers - Follow us on X: https://x.com/honored/ - Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Honored.org/ - Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/honored.org   Episode Music Credits: - Music by DanaMusic: https://pixabay.com/users/danamusic-31920663/ - Music by AudioCoffee: https://www.audiocoffee.net/