“You don’t have an indefinite amount of time to get to people when you get to people. You gotta lay your hands on your people the minute they reach out to you.”
Ericka Mingo
When Ericka Mingo went from teaching high school to teaching adults at National Louis University, she thought her new students would need less from her. She realized every student, regardless of age, needs to know their teachers are there for them.
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“I just remember sitting there just thinking, ‘Wow, I never knew that about her.’ … Thinking back now, I almost feel guilty for not saying, 'Hey, what's wrong?'”
Fernando Campos
Evanston High School Spanish teacher Fernando Campos never understood why a star student gave up on four-year college. Later, he learned she had a secret — one that forced him to rethink his relationship with her and the assumptions he makes about all his students.
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"Parents get so heartbroken because they can't help their children the way they want to help them. … [But] it’s not just about the academics.”
Elvalisa Guzman
Sixth-grade teacher Elvalisa Guzman often sees parents fade into the background at her Chicago public school of mostly Mexican immigrants. They often assume they can’t do much to help academically. But through one quiet student, Guzman comes to appreciate the unseen power of unconditional parental love.
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“(He) was actively avoiding me and then actively avoiding school. … I questioned everything I was as a teacher … absolutely everything.”
Lisa Ehrlich
A Chicago student makes a tearful confession to his theater teacher, Lisa Ehrlich. He then disappears, leading to a series of events that would change not only their relationship, but both their lives.
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What My Students Taught Me was produced by WBEZ in partnership with the Teacher Project at Columbia University Journalism School.
Credits:
Kate McGee covers education for WBEZ. Follow her on Twitter at @WBEZeducation and @McGeeReports.
Mike Elsen-Rooney is a reporter with the Teacher Project at Columbia University Journalism School, an education journalism reporting fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @MichaelElsenRoo.
Sarah Karp covers education for WBEZ. Follow her on Twitter at @WBEZeducation and @sskedreporter.
Sarah Carr is the editor of the Teacher Project, an education journalism reporting fellowship at Columbia University Journalism School, and the author of Hope Against Hope, about the New Orleans schools post-Hurricane Katrina. Follow her on Twitter @sarah_e_carr.