Special Episode: Kauai High School Students Ruminate on the Meaning of Love

Today I am going to share with you a special something, a very short special something. One of my former podcast guests, Jonathan Medeiros (NBCT, Kauai High School) reached out to me to see if I might join his high school students who were using podcasts as a way to demonstrate their learning in a language arts class. I was only too happy to say yes. That virtual session, last spring, 2023, was marvelous. I shared the story behind my show and they shared the projects they were working on and how a podcast could be a way to demonstrate their knowledge and skill development in the language arts. Later, Jonathan sent me their finished podcasts, which I listened to and provided written feedback on. Jonathan and I decided it would be way cool if I had my editor, the very talented Evan Kurohara, work his magic and turn one of these student podcasts into a special episode. So what is the context behind the short, student-generated episode you are about to hear? Jonathon writes: In my language arts classes, I often ask students to put texts in conversation with each other, to notice when one text might be commenting on, criticizing, responding to, or expanding on another. As students begin to understand, notice, and appreciate that conversations are taking place all around us, across borders and time, we practice joining these conversations as well. This past school year, one way we tried to do this was by creating podcasts. Students had very few guidelines for this project but were trying to sharpen their abilities to develop and communicate insights. They had to think about audience and purpose; they needed to consider the wider conversations they might be joining through their podcasts. The group featured here envisioned a series of conversations around “big” topics. In this episode, they take a closer look at how social media influences our perceptions of love and what impacts our parents have on our ‘love lives.’ In this conversation, students take you on a journey through what they think it means to be in....love. So, listeners, here are Jonathon Medeiros’s students reflecting on the nature and meaning of love. Enjoy.