“'I'm curious how I could have reached out to you better?'”
Antero Garcia talks to his former student Roger Alvarez who dropped out during his senior year of high school. Read more…
Recorded in Culver City, CA.
National Teachers Initiative
U.S. Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan (L), and StoryCorps Founder, Dave Isay (R) at the White House, September 2011 for the National Teachers Initiative launch.
The national teachers Initiative
StoryCorps, the national non-profit oral history project, launched
its National Teachers Initiative at the White House on Monday,
September 19, 2011.
The Initiative celebrates the brilliant and courageous work of at least 625 public school teachers across the country. By recording, sharing, and preserving their stories, we hope to call public attention to the invaluable contributions teachers have made to this nation, honor those who have embraced the profession as their calling, encourage teaching as a career choice, and unify the country behind its teachers—helping us all recognize that there is no more important or noble work than that of educating our nation’s children. The National Teachers Initiative will place special attention on the work of teachers striving to increase the number of students who graduate prepared for college and careers.
Listen to stories
“If just one of them gets through, they may save us all.”
John Hunter talks with two former students about what they learned playing the World Peace Game, which he created. Read more…
Recorded in Charlottesville, VA.
“At the time, I was tutoring at an after-school program...”
Ayodeji Ogunniyi remembers how the murder of his father led him to a new career. Read more…
Recorded in Chicago, IL.
“He said, 'You make sure you call that teacher.'”
Neurosurgeon Lee Buono and his eighth grade science teacher, Al Siedlecki, remember reconnecting after more than 15 years. Read more…
Recorded in Medford, NJ.
Nineteen-year-old Noe Rueda (R) talks to his high school economics teacher, Alex Fernandez (L), about growing up poor in Chicago. Read more…
Recorded in Madison, WI.
Major funding for the National Teachers Initiative is provided by:
With additional funding provided by:
The National Teachers Initiative is part of American Graduate, a public media initiative supported by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to help local communities across America address the dropout crisis.
