The CharacterStrong Podcast

Erin McCarthy is the 2020 Wisconsin Teacher of the Year. She teaches 8th grade social studies at Greendale Middle School in Greendale, Wisconsin. In her eight years teaching she has collaborated to create a welcoming environment where students turn up the volume on the untold stories of history. She believes all students can be curious, self-directed activists and influencers and that we need to amplify the stories of educators who are grassroots change agents. After receiving her MA in Public History from Loyola University, Chicago, Erin managed museum education programs at several Chicago area museums. After moving to Milwaukee in 2009 she attained her teaching license from Alverno College and has been teaching since 2011.

Houston Kraft is a professional speaker, leadership consultant, and kindness advocate who speaks to middle schools, high schools, colleges, and businesses nationally. He has spoken at over 500 events and counting. Student Body President in High School, Class President at Bowdoin College, Leadership Camp Staff for 12 years in Washington - he is a lifelong learner of character, culture, kindness, and leadership.

Lindsay was a High School Social Studies Teacher for over 10 years. She passionately believes that building relationships with students is not only important to creating a strong classroom culture, but vital to student learning. She enjoys the behind the scenes work at CharacterStrong and focuses most of her time on the operations of the organization.

John Rodney graduated in 2004 from the University of Maine at Farmington with Bachelor of Science degrees in both English and Secondary Education. He began his career teaching at John Burroughs High School where he aided in the implementation of the College Preparatory English classes, working closely with Glendale Community College to ensure students were college ready in the area of English. For the past 9 years, John has been teaching at John Muir Middle School in Burbank, California as a 7th grade English teacher. For the past 4 years, he has also been the ASB/student leadership advisor. His philosophy for the classroom is one of inclusivity. While teaching the skills of reading, writing, punctuation and grammar, he strives to build empathy though the work the students do with their classmates and their interactions through the stories they read and the writing they produce.

Naudia Bosch is the Activities Coordinator, ASB Advisor, and Leadership teacher at North Creek High School (NCHS). She started out as a Special Education teacher in 2005 and in 2012 she had the opportunity to step into student leadership as a co-Activities Coordinator and ASB Advisor at Inglemoor High School. Once she dipped her toes into student leadership, there was no going back. She taught both ASB and Special Education up until this school year. In just their third year of being opened, NCHS has doubled their ASB student enrollment, and now Naudia teaches full-time ASB and Leadership classes. With her background in special education and also being an Air Force veteran, Naudia instills equity, inclusion, service, and sacrifice in every aspect of her teaching. She works diligently with her students to create an ASB program that has servant-leadership at the core, and strives to show all students, staff, and community members that step onto campus that they are valued, cared for and loved.

Brandee Collins is a fourth-grade teacher at Lloyd R. Ferguson Elementary in League City, Texas. She is a wife, a mother, a 25-year veteran teacher, and enjoys reading and staying active.

Kevin Ozar was born and raised in the city of Detroit, a place he deeply loves. He graduated with degrees in History, English and Education from the University of Dayton and has a Masters in Teaching and Learning from Marygrove College. He has been in education for the last 23 years, has taught every grade from 6-12 in content ranging from Drama, AP literature, US History and pretty much everything in between. He currently teaches 8th grade at Farmington STEAM Academy and is a trainer for the Boomerang Project, traveling around the hemisphere helping teachers and students improve the culture of their schools and foster youth leadership. He has spoken in front of more than 15,000 people, collects Air Jordans, and plays basketball despite being both old and slow. Sometimes he has a beard, sometimes he doesn't. He lives in Grosse Pointe, Michigan with his two daughters, his very patient wife, three cats and two fish.

John and Houston celebrate national #SELday! They talk about what SEL is, how CharacterStrong's work is advancing SEL in schools & communities, and Houston shares a story of a district that has creatively implemented the CharacterStrong Curriculum and the impact that it has had.

CharacterStrong Co-Founders John and Houston talk about the changes in our world these last few weeks and they share about some resources & practical tools that can provide hope & inspiration: Virtual Assemblies, the CharacterStrong Virtual Tool Kit, the Whole Child Virtual Summit, and the Kindness Journal.

Lindsey graduated from Stephen F. Austin State University in 2013 with a degree in history and secondary education. She has a master's degree in educational leadership and has been working in education for 8 years. She has taught 8th-grade U.S. History for the past 5 years at Mayde Creek Junior High. In 2015, Lindsey was awarded Campus Teacher of the Year. Just recently, she became a Social Studies Instructional Coach for Mayde Creek Junior High and Cardiff Junior High in Katy ISD. She is a proud wife and mother.