Podcast

Our Vision

Our goal at The Teacher Fellows Podcast is to empower teacher leaders and other stakeholders who are committed to improving and elevating public education. We are here to inform teacher leaders about current issues in education and connect them with leading voices in our field. Teachers want to be involved in the broader education conversation, and we are here to help!

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Meet the Team

Our show is produced by Kayla Towner and is hosted by Lauren Merkley and Ryan Rarick.

Producer

Kayla Towner

Kayla Towner is the Utah’s Online School Library (UOSL) Product Manager and a Teacher Fellow for Hope Street Group. She’s passionate about learning that focuses on student agency and encourages educators to expand their comfort zone. Before her work at UEN, Kayla was an elementary school teacher in Utah (Davis) and South Korea.

Host

Ryan Rarick

Ryan Rarick is an Education Pathway teacher at Career Tech High School in Washington County School District. In addition to co-hosting the Teacher Fellows podcast, Ryan is also currently a PhD candidate and a 2023 Honors in Education Award recipient from Utah Business magazine.

Host

Lauren Merkley

Lauren Merkley is a high school English teacher and the 2020 Utah Teacher of the Year. She taught AP English, English 11, and Creative Writing at Cottonwood High School in Granite District to juniors and seniors and is currently leading fundraising and partnerships for The Utah Teacher Fellows and co-hosting The Teacher Fellows podcast.