Leah Juelke, 2018 North Dakota State Teacher of the Year, works with EL English and Speech in Fargo, North Dakota. She has helped children under her care tell their stories and have a voice for their experiences. Recently, some of her students help shape state policy towards refugees by telling their stories. Hear the brave, heartbreaking and heart making words of Leah Juelke and her students as we continue to celebrate why we #LoveTeaching this week. www.coolcatteacher.com/e627  Today’s sponsor: Advancement Courses. Choose from over 240 online graduate-level PD courses in 19 subject areas that are self-paced with up to six months to complete. Go to advancementcourses.com/coolcat and save 20% off each course by using the code COOL20. That’s just $120 per graduate credit hour or $160 for 50 clock hours. You can also receive graduate credit through CAEP and regionally accredited university partners for continuing education requirements. Never stop learning! Leah Juelke - Bio as Submitted Leah Juelke is the 2018 North Dakota Teacher of the year. She served as a medic in the Army, has taught overseas and has traveled to 27 different countries. She currently works as a high school EL English & Speech Communications teacher in Fargo, North Dakota. Leah is the president of the Dakota TESOL Organization and a founding member of the North Dakota State Teacher of the Year State Chapter and Teacher Cabinet. As a social justice advocate, Leah has worked to spread cultural awareness within her school, community and across the United States. Through her Journey to America and Green Card Voices Projects, she has helped amplify her refugee and immigrant students' voices and give them a platform to be heard so that they can work to spread cultural acceptance. She has successfully created a school environment of inclusion and has opened her doors to facilitate collaboration within the community. She has speakers, community members and university students in her class daily, working with her high school students. She strives to create active learning experiences for her students and strongly believes in 'a classroom without borders'. In addition to being a teacher and case manager, she is also an award-winning debate and student congress coach. Leah has presented at conferences around the region and continues to inspire teachers, pre-service teachers and students with her energetic personality and extensive knowledge of strategies for diverse learners. Leah's list of accolades include: ​❖ 2020 NEA Foundation Global Learning Fellow Award ❖ 2020 Global Teacher Prize Winner Nominee ❖ 2019 NEA Foundation Award for Teaching Excellence California Casualty Award ❖ 2019 Horace Mann Award for Teaching Excellence ❖ 2019 NEA Benefits Award Finalist ❖ NASDTEC 2019 Forward Fund Award ❖ North Dakota State University Horizon Alumni Award 2019 ​❖ 2019 National Sanford Teacher Award ❖ North Dakota Teacher of the Year 2018 ❖ National Teacher of the Year Nominee 2018 ❖ Education First Global Teacher Fellowship- Berlin 2018 ❖ Fargo Public Schools Teacher of the Year 2017 ❖ Comm. Speech & Theater Association of North Dakota Debate Coach of the Year 2017 ❖ CSTAND Outstanding Teacher of the Year 2017 Blog: https://ellfargosouth.weebly.com/about-ms-juelke.html Twitter: @NDTOY2018 Disclosure of Material Connection: This is a “sponsored podcast episode.” The company who sponsored it compensated me via cash payment, gift, or something else of value to include a reference to their product. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I believe will be good for my readers and are from companies I can recommend. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."