Teacher Feature March 2025: Julie Knutson
Julie Knutson (she/her/hers) is a classroom educator with a keen interest in human rights and sustainability education. She teaches at Springside Chestnut Hill Academy (SCH) in Philadelphia, where she is part of the school’s Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership faculty. In this role, she collaborates with a team of innovative educators to equip students with the skills and mindset needed for future success. Julie infuses the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into courses such as 6th grade Social Entrepreneurship, 8th grade Digital Publishing, and 10th grade Social Impact. She also co-facilitates SCH Middle School’s Eco Club. A 2024-25 Fulbright Teachers for Global Classrooms Fellow to Morocco, Julie previously served as a Global Schools Advocate (GSA) with the UN’s Sustainable Development Solutions Network.
Discover Julie’s favorite tools, pro tips, and noteworthy inspirations—like the unique experience of the National Dog Show’s youth handler competition—in the Q&A below.
What’s your favorite StoryMaker lesson(s)? My favorite StoryMaker lesson is What Makes a Good Interview? I am floored by the conversations and dialogue that this lesson fosters; the core prompts for guided practice are incredible for building understanding, perspective-taking, and communication skills between peers.
What’s a media-making tool or resource you can’t live without? My 8th-grade students manage to collectively design, write, and edit an incredible digital magazine—complete with interactive features—in Canva. I’m forever indebted to the platform for its user-friendliness.
What’s your advice for teachers and educators just getting started on StoryMaker? Sharing stories is an act of trust: it’s a privilege for people to let you in on their perspective. Remind your students to never take this for granted, and to always honor the people who give them their time.
You’re great at connecting students with real-world media experiences. Can you share ways you’ve connected with your local station (WHYY), the benefits of that connection, and your experience connecting with SRL alumni?
Through SRL, I’ve connected with both my local PBS affiliate—WHYY—and with SRL alumni like the awesome and talented storyteller, Ethan Rodriguez. These contacts have benefitted not just me and my students, but other faculty in my school community who’ve been able to attend at-station events and symposia. I’m constantly struck by the openness and collaborativeness of the StoryMaker/SRL team; their willingness to share their professional expertise and build media-savvy educators and young reporters is truly beyond compare!
Links to student work: My 8th graders’ magazine showcasing their projects from our Digital Publishing class.
What’s a dream story you’d like to report on or a person you’d like to interview? Every year, my family goes to the National Dog Show in Oaks, PA—at this point, it’s a bona fide tradition. There’s a youth handler competition attendant to the main show, and I’d LOVE to report on the kids and canines who participate: What’s the entry point into this world? How do kids and pups get paired? How do you most effectively, and non-verbally communicate in a high-intensity situation without language? And, more broadly: What makes for a successful partnership?
As a dog parent and reporter, I feel like I—and the world!—have a lot to learn from these kids.
What are you currently listening to? “People on Sunday” by Domenique Dumont – the best for productivity and “Do Nows”
You can reach out to Julie directly to learn more about how she’s adapted StoryMaker into her classes. Email her at: jknutson@sch.org, connect with her on LinkedIn here, and scope her website here: Julie Knutson