Recently I talked to a friend who is building a community college course from scratch. She told me she had just added a public radio story to her course materials, and asked me to pass along her gratitude for the depth and quality of the piece to the producer. That evening I was sitting in a lecture here at MSU (for me, one of the great joys of being located on a college campus), and the professor cued up a video from a local public television station to help the students see the concept she was teaching in action. 

Seeing public media content show up in classrooms like this is both completely routine and also a bit of a thrill. For the most part, we produce and deliver programs to homes, devices, and classrooms and don’t hear back from the audience. That’s okay; it’s the nature of mass communication. But hearing the excitement of a teacher who found the perfect tool to illustrate the dire need in her field, or witnessing a student move from theoretical understanding to practical application? That’s pure joy for me.

As I’m soaking in that joy, I always wish I could share it with you. I hope you know that your support of OPT creates these moments of education – from the preschooler practicing counting with Curious George, to the college student seeing their future profession come alive in the classroom, to the retiree exploring artificial intelligence with NOVA. Thank you for giving us all the gift of lifelong learning. 

Rachel Knight
General Manager