Stories-To-Live-By with Catherine Manfra
In this special series of Classroom Caffeine in collaboration with the Stories-To-Live-By Collective, we talk with a group of K–12 teachers from across the state of Florida and former teachers now in higher education who are working together to explore how literacy teaching can respond to the climate crisis.
In this episode, Catherine Manfra talks to us about her passion for supporting students to understand the environmental impact of their everyday choices.
Catherine is a Florida native. Born in Hialeah, a suburb of Miami with a predominantly Hispanic community, she now lives in the Kendall area just south of Miami. She has seen Miami Dade County continue to expand westward since her childhood, including encroachment on the Florida Everglades. The Florida Everglades are ecologically significant in their role as a subtropical wilderness, a habitat for many threatened and endangered species, and a provider of flood control, water filtration, and freshwater supply for millions of people. After teaching all levels of high school English in public schools in Miami Dade County for 22 years, Catherine now teaches at Palmer Trinity School, an independent private school. Additionally, Catherine is a part of the Junior League of Miami, a women's group that serves and focuses on women's and children's issues in the community from education to safety. She became a part of the STLB project by answering an initial online survey of teachers that incorporate environmental topics into their curriculum.
To cite this episode: Persohn, L. (Host). (2025, Oct 14). Stories-To-Live-By with Catherine Manfra. (Season 6, No. 4) [Audio podcast episode]. In Classroom Caffeine Podcast series. https://www.classroomcaffeine.com/guests. DOI: 10.5240/33A8-951D-21CD-B5CE-9F8A-B