National Teachers Initiative
The National Teachers Initiative is a project of StoryCorps, the American oral history project. Each month this school year, "Weekend Edition Sunday" will celebrate stories of public school teachers across the country.
Anthony Gonzales graduated on Tuesday from Learning Works charter school in Pasadena, Calif.
Former Dropouts Push Others To Reach Finish Line
()Learning Works charter school in California takes an unorthodox approach to getting young people to graduate. Students who had previously dropped out get mentors who help with everything from getting to class on time to staying up late studying. Now, some of those who graduated are helping others.
A Vietnam Vet Teaches More Than The Alphabet()
February 26, 2012 Ron Cushman's journey to teaching started when he was severely wounded in the Vietnam War. Having a hook for a hand made him nervous around students until he found a way to make his injury a part of the lesson.
Dropout Has Thanks, Not Blame, For Teacher()
January 29, 2012 Roger Alvarez dropped out of high school despite the efforts of his English teacher, Antero Garcia. "You were determined to help me, but what was I willing to give? I could have actually tried," Alvarez says.
Peace Game Puts 'Weight Of The World' On Students()
December 25, 2011 Teacher John Hunter invented the World Peace Game to get his elementary students to think about major world issues. He also wanted to teach them compassion and kindness. At least two of his former students are on the path he helped to pave.
Teacher Pushed Struggling Student To Honors()
November 27, 2011 When Meliza Arellano started seventh grade, she was below grade level in both math and reading. She was put in Sarah Benko's class to help students like her get up to speed. That was the year Arellano became a serious student.
From Pre-Med To Teacher: A New Kind Of Healing()
October 30, 2011 Ayodeji Ogunniyi's family came to the U.S. from Nigeria in 1990. His father worked as a cab driver in Chicago, and he always wanted his son to become a doctor. But while Ogunniyi was studying pre-med in college, his father was murdered on the job. At that point, he says, his life changed course.
Neurosurgeon Gives Thanks To His Science Teacher()
September 25, 2011 As a middle-school student in the '80s, Lee Buono stayed after school one day to remove the brain and spinal cord from a frog. He did such a good job that his science teacher told him he might be a neurosurgeon someday. That's exactly what Buono did.
Life Lessons Learned: The National Teachers Initiative()
September 25, 2011 StoryCorps is honing in on lessons about learning with a new project for the academic year called the National Teachers Initiative. It'll feature conversations with teachers across the country — teachers talking to each other, students interviewing the teachers who changed their lives, and more.
