StoryCorps Chicago: ‘When The Brakes Got Slammed’ On Her First Year Of Teaching

By Bill Healy
Alexia Dukes and Maria Rivera take a selfie
Alexia Dukes and Maria Rivera teach at the same high school in Gary, Ind. Courtesy of Alexia Dukes
Alexia Dukes and Maria Rivera take a selfie
Alexia Dukes and Maria Rivera teach at the same high school in Gary, Ind. Courtesy of Alexia Dukes

StoryCorps Chicago: ‘When The Brakes Got Slammed’ On Her First Year Of Teaching

By Bill Healy
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This week on StoryCorps, we hear from two high school English teachers in Gary, Ind.

Maria Rivera has been teaching for 15 years. Last year, she took a first-year teacher named Alexia Dukes under her wing. They recently connected for a remote conversation in which both teachers say it was a shock when classes went online due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But each also faced their own unique challenges.

This interview was facilitated by StoryCorps Chicago’s Mary Bess Ser.

Bill Healy produces StoryCorps Chicago for WBEZ and teaches journalism at Northwestern University. Follow him @chicagoan.