Despite this, teachers and staff still expect the best of their students because some of them know well what their students deal with at home. During our three days with EPIC, Dean of Students Danny Rivera sat down with his coworker, Andre Golston, to talk about the obstacles he faced growing up in Chicago.

Danny Rivera (r) tells his coworker, Andre Golston (l), about the obstacles he faced while growing up in Chicago, Illinois.

Danny’s family suffered from dysfunctional behavior exacerbated by alcoholism, drug abuse, and gang activity. Many times there was little or no food in the house, and Danny often missed school. Because of his behavior, Danny’s family kicked him out of the house when he was very young, and with no place to go, he joined a local gang. In his interview, he told Andre that “there are a lot of reasons why kids join gangs, but my reason is that I needed to survive. I needed a roof over my head and a meal everyday. They provided that for me. They did more for me than my family.” However, in exchange for meals and housing, Danny was beholden to the gang and asked to do whatever they needed him to.

For many years, Danny believed that gang life was the only option for him until a high school teacher posed a question to him. As Danny remembers, “He told me ‘You’re not going to make it in life, doing what you’re doing. I know you’re involved with street gangs. Why don’t you join my gang?’” The ‘gang’ to which the teacher referred was the United States Army. With his teacher’s help, Danny was able to join the military and slowly cut his ties with gang activity.

It has been ten years since that teacher pulled Danny aside and presented him with an alternative future. Now, Danny spends his days providing choices for the students at EPIC Academy, so they can make the most of their educations and lives.

We had the pleasure of spending one day at Shearwater High School, an alternative school that helps students attain their high school diplomas and prepares them for college. Walking through the hallways of Shearwater, you are greeted with hand-painted signs of uplifting messages, like “Life is what you make it.” It is a place where young people who have faced serious obstacles in their education come for a second chance.

Ladarrius Williams has been a student at Shearwater since the school opened in 2010. Ladarrius lives in an area of St. Louis where economic challenges have led to a rise in drugs, violence, and gang activity. “It is very hard because you have a lot of violence. I’ve been shot at, stabbed,” Ladarrius says. ” I went to jail for a long time, and it makes me feel bad because I have a little brother who sees everything I’m doing, and I have to set an example and show him that school is a better route to go than being out on the streets and doing nothing with your life.”

To set a better example, Ladarrius enrolled at Shearwater, where instead of grades, students receive Levels of Acquisition (LOAs). Before a student can move to the next topic or level, they must demonstrate a thorough understanding of the subject matter he or she has been taught. For many students, the challenges that Shearwater presents are grueling, but Ladarrius has made the commitment to complete his education regardless of the difficulty. “What motivates me to stay is that I felt like the streets were not for me anymore. [Shearwater] keeps me out of trouble. I’m here to do my work and get ready for college.” While Ladarrius’ neighborhood has not changed, his school environment is filled with tough, but caring teachers and staff who want to see him succeed and make the life that he wants.

To kick off their talk, George asked Arelys why she became a teacher.  She smiled coyly at her former teacher and said, “I’ve always loved school supplies.”

But of course, there is more to the story than that.

Walt Disney Magnet School teachers Arelys Villeda (l) and George Drase (r).

Arelys grew up in Chicago, the child of a single-mother who did not speak English and worked as a domestic. At nine years old, she was responsible for writing checks to pay the bills, often standing in as a translator when her mother conducted business. Arelys recalls, “It was like I had another job in addition to school.”

Given Arelys’ socio-economic status, many assumed she would become a teen mother and drop out of school. However, Arelys refused to be discounted, and she thanked George for some sage advice he once gave her: “In eighth grade, you passed out a math test, and you knelt down next to me and said, ‘Don’t ever let anybody tell you that you are not intelligent, especially a man.’ And those words stuck with me for the rest of my life because so many people in the world will try to bring you down. It was a formidable moment in my life.”

Arelys didn’t only complete high school; she also went on to graduate from Stanford University. Besides her love of school supplies, Arelys decided to become a teacher to help young people who are currently growing up in situations like her own. As she told George, “I think I have a deeper impact because these kids can relate to me and see me and think, she did it.”

We heard from a variety of community activists, family members, and friends who talked about how their lives changed after 9/11 and how they worked to build bridges in their communities in the 10 years since the event. The slideshow includes photos of StoryCorps participants and the Arab American National Museum, where they shared their stories.

Two of our participants were Victor Begg and his partner in activism, Salam Al-Marayati. Salam and Victor met years ago through their work to build Muslim community, interfaith, and civic organizations across the United States. They invited a young Muslim community leader to listen to their conversation to acquaint him with the history of Muslim leadership in the United States.

Victor and Salam recalled the discrimination and isolation they faced before 9/11, as they tried to incorporate Muslim voices into public life, and reflected on how 9/11 changed their experiences of being Muslim in America. Salam and Victor good-naturedly debated how Muslims might be able to weave their grassroots networks into a national voice. After their interview, they rejoined friends, colleagues, and supporters of their organizations who had gathered outside the recording space to continue their conversation.

While there are no easy solutions for the discrimination and fear experienced in Victor and Salam’s community, StoryCorps is proud to help start the conversation and include these voices in our national archive.

This blog post was co-written with Door-to-Door Facilitator Mariel Gruszko.

D.C. Public school teacher Lisa Jones and her student, Louis Wingfield, III

Lisa arrived at StoryCorps with one of her former 4th-grade students, Louis Wingfield, III. Louis began the conversation describing what he was like before entering Lisa’s class. “I would describe myself as shy,” he said. “I was just waiting for a teacher that was really good. I was waiting for a chance to express myself as the real me.”

As it turned out, Lisa was the teacher Louis had been waiting for. When Lisa discovered that Louis had an uncanny ability to dance like Michael Jackson, she hinted that he should perform his moves at the school-wide assembly. “There were a lot of kids sitting there,” Louis remembered. “I got up on the stage and I looked, and I thought ‘This isn’t that bad.’ You told me ‘Don’t be nervous or afraid because you are doing what you like and you do it well.’”

Because of Lisa’s guiding hand, Louis is now a rising 6th grader with aspirations in law or medicine. He is no longer reticent to share himself with those around him. Through our National Teacher’s Initiative, StoryCorps hopes to record more stories like the one shared by Louis and Lisa and the positive effect teachers have on their students throughout the country.

Check our website this Fall for information about the official launch of the National Teacher’s Initiative.

Kathleen Hannan (L) and Cheryl D. Tigue (R)

Kathleen earned her graduate degree in Public Health and in 1979 and began working for Hennepin County Adult Corrections’ female division. At the time, there were about forty female residents. Her first day on the job, Kathleen remembers, “I was so excited to have a job. I felt like I belonged there.”

After seven years in the women’s section of the campus, Kathleen was picked to be one of the first female officers to integrate the men’s section of the correctional facility. At first, Kathleen was hesitant. She would be leaving the familiar surroundings of forty women to work in a section with four hundred men. “I wasn’t naive enough to think that the male officers would think ‘Oh great, the women are here.’” However, when Kathleen walked into the men’s section, she realized that she and the male officers were not so different; many were even helpful in her transition.

After thirty years on the job, Kathleen has returned to the women’s section of the Hennepin County Adult Corrections Facility campus. When asked why she dedicates her life to this work, Kathleen feels privileged to know and serve the women she does:

It’s hard to describe for a non-corrections person why working in a jail would be at all rewarding and I think it’s because of the privilege of meeting the women who come through our doors. They all have a story and we are privileged to be allowed to know their stories. We learn everything about a resident. I think it was important to not have that “us” and “them” but to say that I identify with them as women.

Thank you to Kathleen, Cheryl, and the Hennepin County residents and library staff who helped make our time in Minnesota so pleasant.

Like many of our participants, kindergarten teacher Mariam Martinez remembered when she first developed an interest in science. During a third grade field trip to the Museum of Natural History in New York City, a museum docent talked with the children about the Eskimo people and asked the class to look for an element missing from the Eskimos’ jackets. Mariam told her friend Sara of her classmates’ reactions to the observations she shared with the docent. “Everybody looked at me like how did you know that. And I thought, my observations are good. So, that was my initial interest in science, making observations.”

As a kindergarten teacher in Albuquerque, Mariam helps her students make their own scientific observations. Sometimes the students visit Explora where they can touch the exhibits, play with the parts and learn about the science that surrounds us all.

Melba Harris (l) and her friend, Gina

We recorded stories from residents of diverse backgrounds who utilize the library’s resources in a variety of ways. When Melba Harris was laid off from her job as a medical technologist, she had the opposite reaction of most people. As Melba remembers, “Being laid off was one of the best things that happened in my life. In being laid off, I learned who I am. And who I am is being resilient to what life brings me and being happy [with] whatever life gives me because this is the only life that you have.”

With more free time, Melba headed to the library to see what they offered. She began taking computer courses to learn the newest software. She also took a few classes that focused on job searches, which is where she met Gina, who had once been in the same position as Melba. With Gina’s guidance, Melba improved her resume and learned how to effectively present herself to employers.

Before long, Melba was offered another medical technologist position, but this time, she was equipped with a wealth of job-market knowledge for which she credits the West Bloomfield Township Library. When asked about her advice to those who have lost their jobs, Melba says, “Being laid off is not the end of the world. It is a new start in your life.”

Get to know more West Bloomfield storytellers!  Click through the slideshow below.

The staff and volunteers at Conner Prairie work hard to make sure their presentation of 1836 America is historically accurate. Besides raising livestock, creating tools in the blacksmith shop, and running the general store, volunteers also make their own clothing in the style of the early pioneers.

Conner Prairie has dedicated a weaving studio to the creation of garments for the museum interpreters. This is where StoryCorps participant Sue Payne spends the majority of her time. In her interview with youth volunteer Sarah Fraser, Sue describes how she developed an interest in spinning and weaving. Upon visiting Conner Prairie for the first time, Sue fell in love with the grounds and continued to visit. “When I was twelve or thirteen, a couple of ladies would come into the loom house, and I’d come sit on the floor cross-legged and watch them. And I started bugging them, ‘Show me. Show me. I wanna know how to do this.’ There was no program back then and I would sneak in and practice. I’ve said that in a previous life, I wasn’t Cleopatra; I was her slave and I did her spinning.” Today, besides running the weaving studio and textile program, Sue teaches spinning and weaving to several groups of youth volunteers, many of whom have won awards for their hand-spun woven garments.

To learn more about this ancient art form, visit The Joy of Handspinning, an educational website that offers free videos and tutorials.

During World War II, the United States government removed thousands of Japanese families from their homes in California, Washington, Oregon and several other states and sent them to internment camps for the duration of the war. Allowed to take only minimal possessions, families were sent as far away as Minnesota and Arkansas. Many families never returned to their original homes. Determined to preserve this little known history, a group of grassroots activists started the Japanese American National Museum in 1985.

Over the last twenty-six years, the museum has evolved to not only includes stories and exhibitions of the Issei and Nisei (the first and second generation of Japanese Americans, respectively), but also works to create bridges with diverse communities in an effort to tell the full American story. It was a privilege to record the stories of staff and volunteers who breathe life into the museum’s mission everyday.

After the break, read about how the museum became one couple’s matchmaker.

Masako Murakami (L) and Richard Murakami (R)

Over ten years ago, Richard Murakami retired and found himself with a lot of time on his hands. Aware of the history of the Japanese Americans because of his own family’s time spent in an internment camp, Richard decided to volunteer as a museum docent giving tours to visitors and school groups. It was at the museum that he met Masako. When it became apparent that they were both jazz aficionados, Masako invited Richard to a three-day jazz festival and their relationship developed from there.

However, Richard remembers that he had to meet the expectations of Masako’s longtime friends before they could get married. “When I went up there with the girlfriends, I told them. I said, ‘I know that I have to go through the gauntlet.’ We got to know each other pretty well. I felt comfortable there. It wasn’t like meeting someone for the first time. They were all very nice. For me it was a very enjoyable evening.” Richard passed the test and the couple have been married for fourteen years and continue to volunteer their time to the museum, passing along the story of Japanese Americans to a new generation.