Latest Hsmatterspod Podcast Episodes
The Dedicated Officer?
High School Matters - October 17, 2023 18:57 - 59 minutes ★★★★★ - 183 ratingsAaron Bours thrived in high school and got the most out of each day there. After graduating, he wanted to be more than just a college student, so he dropped out of college to join the Israeli Defense Force. This experience changed his life. After settling into a successful and stable career, he ...
The Kid Who Got Expelled?
High School Matters - June 25, 2022 00:22 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 183 ratingsAfter recording this emotional and revealing conversation, my guest asked me to protect his identity so his name will not be used. My guest entered Great Neck North High School as a 10th grader after being kicked out of a Yeshiva. His risky behavior got him kicked out of GNNHS also, this time f...
The Girl Who Found Herself?
High School Matters - June 04, 2022 15:45 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 183 ratingsAdriana Phillips went through high school on a mission: to find herself. She often felt like her personality had two sides, but she never quite understood why. She looked like she might be a popular cheerleader or prom queen, but instead she was a studious actress. Adriana was driven by this amb...
The 2 Voices?
High School Matters - May 28, 2022 13:24 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 183 ratingsLeila and Julia Eshaghpour are identical twins. They were both in my AP Chemistry class together back in 2016. They are hilarious, self-reflective, genuine, and unique young women. We talk about what each of their lives has been like growing up with a mirror image of herself. We dive into topics ...
The Class President?
High School Matters - May 21, 2022 17:24 - 56 minutes ★★★★★ - 183 ratingsBenny Laitman started high school as a self-described lanky, nerdy kid. He decided to run for class president in his freshman year and wound up winning. We discuss all of the events that took place because of that victory and how his life has been different ever since. We also discuss how his in...
The Survivor?
High School Matters - May 14, 2022 12:20 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 183 ratingsShayna Domnitch went through high school with relative ease. She was a sweet, pretty, popular, and confident girl back then. She got positive attention from guys and had a lot of close friends, many of whom she is still close with today. Shayna eventually had to face her biggest challenge when s...
The Quiet Kid?
High School Matters - May 07, 2022 19:00 - 52 minutes ★★★★★ - 183 ratingsDavid Niknam was one of the quietest guys I ever had in any of my classes. Even though I had him for 2 years in a row, I never really got to know him. I did many things to try and get him out of his shell: calling on him often, engaging him in discussion, and even offering him extra credit to ge...
The Funny Earthling?
High School Matters - April 30, 2022 04:00 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 183 ratingsJen Doppelt (@JenExotic) is one of the funniest people I know. Back in high school she pushed the envelope with hilarious and often outrageous comments that got a reaction out of both peers and teachers. It turns out that Jen actually used her humor as a bodyguard, protecting her from stuff she...
The Guy in Protection Mode?
High School Matters - April 24, 2022 01:45 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 183 ratingsJoe Stern went through high school in “protective mode”. As a Russian kid speaking English as his second language, he was bullied at an early age. As much as he really wanted to fit in and bond with his classmates, he never felt quite comfortable, dealing with a lot of anxiety and adopting some e...
The Girl in the Background?
High School Matters - April 17, 2022 01:30 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 183 ratingsEmily Eyerman never felt important back in her high school days (2002-2006). She had a complicated life at home, so she got used to hiding in the background to protect herself. Ironically she always craved to be seen, which led her to some pretty risky behavior as a teen. Emily is a therapist ...
The Guy Who Sought Discomfort?
High School Matters - April 10, 2022 04:00 - 54 minutes ★★★★★ - 183 ratingsWon Jung moved to New York City from South Korea when he was only 4 years old. When he was in 4th grade, his parents moved him again, this time to Great Neck, to give him all the opportunities a wealthy community gives its students. While Won Jung’s transition was a little rocky, he became acclim...
The Teacher Who Inspired the Student?
High School Matters - June 27, 2021 04:00 - 57 minutes ★★★★★ - 183 ratingsSteve Amara is the reason I am a chemistry teacher. As part of his 40-year teaching career, where he inspired many students along the way, Mr. Amara was MY honors chemistry teacher back in 1992. In this enlightening and nostalgic conversation, we share not only our views on how to be a teacher a...
The Student Who Inspired The Teacher?
High School Matters - June 20, 2021 04:00 - 57 minutes ★★★★★ - 183 ratingsJosh Kam is one of the reasons ‘High School Matters’ exists. Josh was in my AP Chemistry class during his junior year of high school back in 2007. That year was the onset of a student-teacher relationship that was more of a friendship than anything else. Josh has asked me for guidance during var...
The Girl In Chaos?
High School Matters - June 13, 2021 04:00 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 183 ratingsJen Halper went through high school and the majority of her childhood in chaos. Jen was with me in Chemistry during her junior year back in 2005. To describe her chaos in a few sentences of text would minimize the significance of her experiences. The main takeaway is that Jen is living proof tha...
The Girl Who Couldn't Leave Home?
High School Matters - May 30, 2021 06:11 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 183 ratingsLauren Nassimi (Lauren Yaghoubi) is a member of the Mashadi community, perhaps the most conservative subculture among the handful of Persian communities in New York. Lauren was a student in my Biology class back in 2002 as a high school freshman. We talk very openly about how growing up as a fem...
The Guy Who Couldn't Drink?
High School Matters - May 23, 2021 16:12 - 57 minutes ★★★★★ - 183 ratingsJosh Kadden went through high school with a lot of privilege, but that doesn’t mean his experience came without challenges. Josh was in my chemistry class back in 2008 as a sophomore. While our conversation focuses on many of the issues Josh faced, most importantly it highlights how his attitude...
The Quirky Influencer?
High School Matters - May 16, 2021 21:18 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 183 ratingsLisa Hayim was one of the most popular girls in high school and now has more Instagram followers than almost all of my students combined! Lisa was in my Biology class back in 2002 as a freshman in high school. She is now a very successful nutritionist and social media influencer, after years o...
The Girl Who Walks In Her Dreams?
High School Matters - May 09, 2021 23:53 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 183 ratingsKyra Benton went through high school in a wheel chair and on a life-supporting ventilator. Kyra was in my Biology class back in 2012. Our conversation touched upon so many themes, like the power of friendship, the concept of death, not wanting to be treated differently, and so much more. While K...
The Guy Who Ran the School?
High School Matters - May 08, 2021 22:00 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 183 ratingsDavid Nowinsky walked through the halls of his High School like he owned the place. David was a student in my Chemistry class back in 2008 while he was a Junior. We talk very openly about how situations in his life lead to the way he acted in high school both towards his friends and towards auth...
The Girl Behind the Piano?
High School Matters - April 26, 2021 04:00 - 57 minutes ★★★★★ - 183 ratingsJee Min Lee started High School in America as a 10th grader after leaving her home in South Korea to pursue a career as a concert pianist. She was my student that year in my Honors Chemistry class, and more. We talk deeply about how her experience as a high school student had a profound impact...
The Homecoming King?
High School Matters - April 19, 2021 04:00 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 183 ratingsJoshua Cox was one of only a handful of African American students back in High School. He was a student in my Biology class as a freshman and was a member of the graduating class of 2006, for which I was the class advisor. We talk very openly about how this experience not only impacted his life...
The SAT Cheater?
High School Matters - April 09, 2021 20:22 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 183 ratingsSam Eshaghoff is notorious in the SAT world, as he was arrested and charged for cheating on the SATs. Sam was my student back in 2007 while he was at Great Neck North High School. In our conversation, 10 years after he graduated High School, we talk about who he was before, during and after hi...
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