Summer Series Top Ten Episodes: Pay It Forward - Joe Cuddemi

Joe Cuddemi’s mother never went to college, but she instilled in him the value of education. Raised in an Irish Catholic family in Boston, the path was clear. “I grew up in an era when I could be a doctor, a lawyer or a priest,” he says.

In high school he had a German teacher who changed his understanding of the role educators can play in the lives of their students. “I remember her asking me how I felt,” he said, “No one had ever asked me that question quite that way before.” She knew what it meant to engage students in the classroom. To give them a sense belonging and purpose.

Joe talks about the importance of finding mentors to help guide you. About the importance of staying humble, maintaining a learners mind and giving to others what was given to you. Teaching, after all, is about paying it forward.

As you listen to this conversation, ask yourself

• Who are the people who inspire me?
• How can I use the lessons I learn from them to be my best self?
• Where can I use my unique talents to provide inspiration to others?

To learn more about Robert Maggio, the composer of "Where Love is Love," our theme music, please check out his website.

To learn more about Suzanne, visit her website.

To learn more about the inspiration for this podcast, please check out Suzanne's memoir, Estrellas - Moments of Illumination Along El Camino de Santiago

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