Welcome to the Teach in Ten Podcast, hosted by Cori Schwarzrock (A teacher and DL at Cary-Grove High School) and Steph Sukow (A teacher at CG). We are excited to share different strategies and best practices that are being used by teachers across D155 in ten minutes or less! Teach in Ten is all about celebrating great teaching and amplifying the voices of our amazing teachers in D155. Really, we are here to have a good conversation about good teaching. Thanks for listening!
S5, Ep04: Relationships First with Christian Spandiary
In this episode of Teach in Ten, we welcome Christian Sapndiary, a new special education teacher and basketball coach at Cary-Grove High School in District 155. Christian shares his experience joining the district, his goals for building a successful basketball program, and his approach to creating meaningful connections with students.
With nine years of teaching experience, Christian brings energy, enthusiasm, and student-centered practices to his new role. He discusses how building strong relationships helps students feel comfortable participating in class, sharing their ideas, and engaging in learning. He finds joy in building strong relationships with skills while teaching life skills that help students both in and out of the classroom.
Join us as we explore how relationships, community, and growth shape Christian's approach to teaching, coaching, and supporting student success. His enthusiasm and passion for empowering students are contagious!
25 Sept 2026
S5 Ep03: Teaching with Purpose with Linnea Diersen
In Season 5, Episode 3 of the Teach in Ten Podcast, we continue our focus on fresh voices by welcoming Linnea Dierson, a first-year English teacher at Crystal Lake Central. Linnea’s journey is especially meaningful because she’s already been a part of three of the four main buildings in D155.
A 2022 D155 graduate, Linnea knew from an early age that she wanted to teach. But it was her freshman English class that helped her discover a passion for helping students engage with complex texts, develop their voices, and become stronger writers. She carried that goal to Wheaton College and eventually returned to D155 to student teach at Cary-Grove before beginning her career at Central.
Now, Linnea is focused on becoming the kind of teacher who helps students feel confident sharing their ideas. She is experimenting with low-stakes participation, journaling, small-group conversations, and other ways to help students recognize that their voices belong in the classroom.
Most importantly, Linnea hopes students leave her classroom more confident in their ability to read, write, and express themselves. Her journey reflects an idea at the heart of D155: enter with promise and leave with purpose.
Linnea entered D155 as a student, discovered her purpose through the educators who taught her, and has now returned to help the next generation discover theirs. Tune in to hear her amazing story.
11 Sept 2026
S5, Ep 02: Leading and Connection with Dan Nicholas
Episode 2 of Season 5 of the Teach in Ten Podcast continues our focus on amplifying new voices and welcoming educators stepping into new roles. In this episode, we sit down with Dan Nicholas, the new principal of Cary-Grove High School, to learn about his journey to D155 and his hopes for the CG community.
Dan shares how his connection to District 155 began years ago at a professional learning conference at Prairie Ridge, an experience that left a lasting impression on him. Now, as both a D155 parent and principal, he is excited to become part of the strong sense of community he has already experienced at Cary-Grove.
Throughout our conversation, Dan emphasizes connection, student voice, and incremental growth. Rather than focusing on one big change, he hopes to build meaningful progress over time while creating a culture where students and staff feel heard, challenged, connected, and supported.
At its heart, this episode is about listening to the voices around us, building connections, and recognizing that small steps can lead to meaningful growth.
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Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
5 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
3 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 36 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
48
Social presence
0
YouTube
0
Engagement
60
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