Stories From Educators

Educators share experiences and innovations.
Practicing Awareness: A Living Memorial to Four Slain Kent State Students

In the spring of 2013, Kent State Professor Karen Cunningham used the YES! Magazine article "What Can Change When We Learn to See Each Other," to challenge students to practice empathy and compassion in their everyday lives, and then write about their experiences. The results, for both Professor Cunningham and her students, were life-changing. This is Karen’s story.

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Art for the Sky

The Nazca Lines of Peru inspired Oregon artist Daniel Dancer to invite an entire elementary school of students to be the beads on the headband of a 25-acre Indian head. The result was stunning and life changing. This is Daniel’s story.

  Aletha Fields literally meets her students where they are—even under her desk—for eyeball-to-eyeball talks.
And the Next Day, I Teach

What calls high school English teacher Aletha Fields to teach each and every day? Her faith, her commitment to take care of herself, and the love and appreciation from her students. This is Aletha’s story.

Gia's students do a lot of virtual traveling. Today they are in Tanzania and looking at the path they are taking around the world.
Free to Be Me

At "free schools," kids decide what they want to learn. Teacher Gia Rae Winsryg-Ulmer honors their right to be themselves and the independent-thinking people they are meant to be. This is Gia's Story.

Kayakers on the Ghost River near Memphis, Tenn. observe how the river filters contaminants and survives flooding.
How Does Nature Do That?

Former park ranger-turned-professor Margo Farnsworth believes that biomimicry is one of the most important new tools for sustainability. It gets her students outside and unleashes their scientific and entrepreneurial minds. This is Margo's story.

Four generations prune and restore their family orchard in First Mesa, AZ.
Permaculture Helps Us Remember Who We Are

Lilian Hill has a vision that the next generation of Hopi People will be healthy and return to the land. Through Hopi Tutskwa Permaculture, she reconnects all ages to traditional farming and ecological wisdom. This is Lilian’s story.

Those pearly white teeth are courtesy of the Teen Health Center, where dental services include dental exams, x-rays, fillings, and extractions.
Putting Teen Health First

Social worker Judy Pruim takes you behind the scenes at Muskegon High's Teen Health Center at —a place where students feel safe, and their success and well being are supported. This is Judy's story.

Southwest Charter School sits in a natural-urban environment. High-rise condos tower over you, yet the Willamette River is just blocks away.
Go Local! Learning In and Outside the Classroom

Sarah Anderson’s philosophy of happy, healthy, and democratic communities unexpectedly led her to place-based education and the students of Southwest Charter School in Portland, Oregon. This is Sarah’s story.

The Explorations Ropes Course challenges elementary and middle school students to use creative thinking and physical endurance.
Changing the Course of Dyslexia

Is it our civic responsibility to help students with language-based learning disabilities discover how they can learn? Landmark School headmaster Bob Broudo passionately believes so. This is Bob’s story.

Social Equality Educators (SEE) participating in Occupy Seattle.
My Greatest Teaching Moment

Seattle high school history teacher Jesse Hagopian's greatest teaching moment came after he was arrested at the state capitol—and his students made their own history. This is Jesse’s story.