Privacy Policy - Teach Different

Effective date: 9/1/17

Last updated: 5/13/26

Your privacy is critically important to us.

It is Teach Different’s policy to respect your privacy regarding any information we may collect while operating our website, programs, and services. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, who we share it with, and the choices you have.

This Privacy Policy applies to teachdifferent.com, our Mighty Networks community, registration platforms (such as LiveStorm), email communications, surveys, recorded training sessions, and any other Teach Different program or service that links to this policy (collectively, the “Services”).

This Privacy Policy, together with the Terms and Conditions posted on our Website, sets forth the general rules and policies governing your use of our Services. Depending on your activities, you may be required to agree to additional terms.

1. Who we are

Teach Different (“Teach Different,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) is an educator training and certification organization. We deliver professional learning programs, including the Teach Different Method Training (TDMT) and certification pathway, in partnership with institutions such as the Illinois Institute of Independent Colleges and Universities (IIICU) and the Democracy School Network.

Contact for privacy questions:

Email: support@teachdifferent.com

Phone: 800-897-6720

22 Fox Mill Lane

Springfield, Il 62712

2. Information we collect

We collect the following categories of information:

Information you provide directly

Name, email address, school or organization, role, and grade level or subject area when you register for a training, sign up for the Professional Learning Community, or join the certification program
Username and email address when you sign up for a blog account or leave a comment on teachdifferent.com
Survey and assessment responses (including impact survey data collected across cohorts)
Content you submit during sessions, in chat, in breakouts, in the Mighty Networks community, or in follow-up communications
Payment and financial information when you purchase services or products (processed by Stripe, our third-party payment processor; we do not store full card numbers)

Information collected automatically

Non-personally-identifying information that web browsers and servers typically make available, such as browser type, language preference, referring site, and the date and time of each request
Internet Protocol (IP) addresses for logged-in users and for users leaving comments on teachdifferent.com blog posts
Website usage data via Google Analytics 4 (GA4), including pages viewed, referral source, device type, and approximate location
Advertising and attribution data via Google Ads and similar platforms
Email engagement data (opens, clicks, unsubscribes)
Cookies and similar tracking technologies (see Section 8)

Recordings

Audio, video, and chat from live training sessions, where applicable and with notice at registration

Information from third parties

Registration and participation data from partner organizations and platforms (e.g., LiveStorm, Mighty Networks, Google Workspace)

3. How we use your information

We use the information we collect to:

Deliver training sessions, the Professional Learning Community, and the certification pathway
Communicate with you about programs, schedules, resources, and updates
Issue certificates, CPDUs, and honoraria
Process transactions when you purchase services or products
Train other educators using session recordings and materials, where consent has been obtained
Conduct impact research and reporting, including aggregated and anonymized analysis across cohorts
Coordinate with project partners (including IIICU and the Democracy School Network) for joint programs
Better understand how visitors use our website and improve our Services
Send marketing communications about Teach Different programs (you may unsubscribe at any time)
Comply with legal obligations and enforce our terms

From time to time, we may release non-personally-identifying information in the aggregate — for example, by publishing a report on trends in website usage or program impact.

We do not sell your personal information.

4. How we share your information

We share personal information only in the following circumstances:

With project partners. When you participate in a partnered program such as TDMT, we share relevant registration and participation data with our partners (currently the Illinois Institute of Independent Colleges and Universities and the Democracy School Network) for program coordination and impact reporting.

With service providers. We use trusted vendors to operate the Services, including:

LiveStorm (event registration and webinar hosting)
Mighty Networks (community platform)
Google Workspace, Google Analytics, and Google Ads
WordPress and associated plugins (teachdifferent.com)
com (email marketing platform)
Stripe (payment processing)

These providers are authorized to use your information only as needed to provide services to us.

For recordings and educator training. Where you have agreed at registration, we may use session recordings — including your name, voice, image, and contributions — to train other educators within the TDMT Professional Learning Community and certificate program, and, with your additional permission, in public-facing materials.

For legal reasons. We may disclose information if required by law, subpoena, or to protect the rights, safety, or property of Teach Different, our users, or others. We disclose logged-in user and commenter IP addresses only under these same circumstances.

In a business transition. If Teach Different is involved in a merger, acquisition, or asset transfer, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction, subject to this policy.

5. Session recordings and likeness

Live training sessions may be recorded. We disclose this at registration and at the start of each session. Depending on the permissions you grant:

We may use recordings for internal educator training within the TDMT Professional Learning Community and certificate program.
With your additional permission, we may use clips, quotes, screenshots, or stills — including your name, voice, image, and likeness — in public-facing materials such as marketing, social media, websites, case studies, and impact reports.

You may attend with your camera off and participate by audio or chat. You may withdraw consent for future use of your likeness or attributed content at any time by contacting us (see Section 12). We cannot recall materials already distributed.

6. Student information

Teach Different’s programs are designed for educators, not students. We ask participants not to share personally identifiable information about their students (names, images, or identifying details) during sessions or in submitted materials. If student information is inadvertently shared, we will work in good faith to remove or anonymize it.

We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us so we can delete it.

7. How long we keep your information

We retain personal information for as long as necessary to deliver our Services, meet legal and reporting obligations, and support impact research. Typical retention periods:

Registration and participation records: 7 years
Email marketing lists: until you unsubscribe
Session recordings: 7 years, subject to consent
Survey and impact data: retained in aggregated/anonymized form indefinitely; identifiable form for 5 years
Financial records: as required by applicable tax and accounting law

[Note for review: confirm specific retention periods with legal counsel and partners.]

8. Cookies, advertising, and tracking

Cookies. To enrich your online experience, Teach Different uses cookies, similar technologies, and services provided by others to display personalized content, appropriate advertising, and store your preferences. A cookie is a string of information that a website stores on a visitor’s computer and that the visitor’s browser provides to the website each time the visitor returns. We use cookies to identify and track visitors, their usage of teachdifferent.com, and their site preferences.

Visitors who do not wish to have cookies placed on their computers should set their browsers to refuse cookies before using our Services. Certain features may not function properly without cookies. By continuing to navigate our website without changing your cookie settings, you acknowledge and agree to our use of cookies.

Categories of cookies we use:

Strictly necessary cookies required for the site to function
Analytics cookies (Google Analytics 4)
Advertising cookies (Google Ads and similar platforms)

Google Ads remarketing. Teachdifferent.com uses Google Ads remarketing to advertise on third-party websites (including Google) to previous visitors. This may include advertising to visitors who haven’t completed an action on our site — for example, using the contact form to make an inquiry. Ads may appear on Google search results pages or on sites in the Google Display Network. Third-party vendors, including Google, use cookies to serve ads based on past visits.

You can set preferences for how Google advertises to you on the Google Ad Preferences page, and you can opt out of interest-based advertising entirely through your cookie settings or with a browser plugin.

Third-party advertising. Ads appearing on our website may be delivered by advertising partners that set their own cookies. This Privacy Policy covers Teach Different’s use of cookies and does not cover the use of cookies by third-party advertisers. Any data collected by third parties is used in accordance with their own privacy policies.

9. Links to external sites

Our Services may contain links to external sites that we do not operate. If you click a third-party link, you will be directed to that third party’s site. We strongly encourage you to review the privacy policy and terms of every site you visit. We have no control over, and assume no responsibility for, the content, privacy policies, or practices of any third-party sites, products, or services.

10. Security

The security of your personal information is important to us. We use reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect your information. However, no method of transmission over the Internet, or method of electronic storage, is 100% secure. While we strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect your information, we cannot guarantee its absolute security.

11. Your rights and choices

Depending on where you live, you may have the following rights with respect to your personal information:

Access the information we hold about you
Correct inaccurate information
Request deletion of your information
Object to or restrict certain uses
Withdraw consent (including for use of session recordings and likeness)
Receive a copy of your information in a portable format
Opt out of marketing emails at any time (use the unsubscribe link or contact us)

To exercise these rights, contact us at support@teachdifferent.com. We will respond within the timeframes required by applicable law.

California, Colorado, Connecticut, Virginia, and other state residents. You have additional rights under your state’s privacy law, including the right to opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information. Teach Different does not sell personal information.

EU, UK, and EEA residents. Where applicable, our lawful bases for processing include consent, contract performance, legitimate interests, and legal obligation.

Visitors can always refuse to supply personally identifiable information, with the caveat that doing so may prevent participation in certain Services.

12. Contact us

Questions, requests, or concerns about this policy or our privacy practices:

Teach Different