Natalie Lopez, Executive Editor @nlopezcourant
Since the school’s release due to the current COVID19 pandemic, students have been left with days facing a screen, instead of the front of a classroom. While being in such a stressful time of uncertainty, one teacher is battling against the current situation in order to lift spirits in the form of a daily podcast included with interviews and a theme song.
History teacher Michael Joshi released his first episode of his podcast, The Joshicast, on March 17, just five days after the school announced the switch to e-learning. Since then, it has gained popularity among staff and students, and has grown to over 22 episodes.
Mr. Joshi has been a long time fan of podcasts, and with recent developments he saw it as the perfect time to start his own, “I have been listening to podcasts since they first came out. I have a couple of shows that I have listened to for over 10 years now on a weekly basis,” Mr. Joshi said. “Some of my favorite episodes though are when the hosts interview their close friends or family members. I originally bought a microphone to do family history recordings but never got around to do it, so the shutdown gave me the opportunity I’d been waiting for.”
Mr. Joshi sought to create a classroom-like atmosphere, “Just like class, I wanted to create something that could be either enjoyable as a snapshot of government or teaching but its even better when its a jumping off point for conversations outside of class,” Mr. Joshi said. “The biggest compliment I can get as a government teacher is when parents mention students asking them about current events or other opinions. My biggest hope is the podcast can continue to be that jumping off point for topics that students are interested in investigating on their own.”
From Connecticut State Senator Will Haskell to friend Mikey Needleman, Mr. Joshi has a plethora of interviews with a variety of people giving their accounts of how it’s like living during these current times along with building upon what his classes are learning day-to-day.
Overtime the production process as changed as the Joshicast gained popularity. “Originally it was just texting friends, but as I’ve expanded beyond the social studies department I’ve been emailing more people to line it up. I’m interviewing a law professor and a state senator so those have been a couple of weeks in the making,” Mr. Joshi said.
Students have taken quickly to the podcast, and spend their time out of school listening, “I think it’s funny to listen to joshi talk about the election. Also, I just like hearing Joshi talk about all the things we’d normally get to talk about in class because I miss class so much,” senior Kristen Raffaele said.
During this time, students and staff are missing the school’s atmosphere while in quarantine, “I love the classroom more than anything in the world and it’s so hard to recreate this while we are out. I thought zoom calls would, but its not the same and its hard to have a schedule that works with everyone,” Mr. Joshi said.
Especially for seniors, there is a possibility that students will not be able to say goodbye to their teachers, “I miss my teachers more than anything. I’ll never be in a classroom with those same teachers again, and that’s definitely been the hardest thing about not being in school,” Kristen said. “I think I have had the best teachers that are at this school over my four years, and I just hope I get to see them before I graduate!”
Although seniors might have already had their last day of school, Mr. Joshi says there is an important lesson to take from this current situation, “While my heart breaks for seniors, I hope other grades see this as a lesson in not taking senior year for granted. So many seniors are toast by second semester and I don’t blame them,” Mr. Joshi said. “But, they are a little too quick to put high school behind them. My best memories are from my senior year and I think a little bit more investment instead of senioritis students would get out everything that is special about senior year.”
Mr. Joshi set out to raise spirits through the Joshicast, “It helps lift our spirits because not only is Joshi saying positive things about COVID, but it’s just nice to hear familiar voices. Obviously Joshi, but also Joshi had Mr. Willett on and I personally loved that because I miss my counselor. It’s nice to know everyone is happy and well” Kristen said.
Initially, Mr. Joshi didn’t expect the true impact the podcast would have on his students, “I love the reaction to the podcast but it honestly was a project for me. It kept me busy, taught me something new, and helped me keep in contact with friends and family for the first part of the shutdown,” Mr. Joshi said. “Now I’m able to expand to talk to people I don’t know as well and learn a tremendous amount. So even if no one listened but my mom, it would have been worth my time.”
Moving onward into the unknown, Mr. Joshi seeks to improve the podcast and expand, “ I want to talk to more teachers around the country to try and get a sense of how education looks for them to constantly challenge myself and allow students to hear how things operate outside of New Canaan and Fairfield County,” Mr. Joshi said. “I want to reach for bigger guests, like former White House officials, members of Congress, other professionals. I’ve thought of doing career weeks and talking to different people in government like FBI, CIA, Secret Service, Ambassadors, legislative staffers, etc.”
