In Their Own Words

Hear an individual at the center of a story describe their experience, in their own words, as told to Education Week
Marlena Young-Jones, an ESL teacher at West Elementary in Russellville, Ala., works with students on Dec. 9, 2022. The Russellville City School District has worked to meet the needs of an influx of Hispanic students over the last few years through a number of methods, including hiring nearly a dozen new bilingual aides.
Marlena Young-Jones, an ESL teacher at West Elementary in Russellville, Ala., works with a class of students late last year. The district's investment in professional development and supports for English learners sends a strong signal about their importance, she says.
Tamika Moore for Education Week
English-Language Learners In Their Own Words What's The Right Mindset for Teaching English Learners? A Teacher Explains
Teachers need the right dispositions to help English learners—but district leaders set the stage.
Ileana Najarro, January 30, 2023
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4 min read
The Russellville City School District has worked to meet the needs of an influx of Hispanic students over the last few years through a number of methods, including hiring nearly a dozen new bilingual aides. Elizabeth Alonzo, pictured here before a class at West Elementary in Russellville, Ala., on Dec. 9, 2022, is one of the bilingual aides.
To meet the needs of a growing English learner population, Russellville City Schools has hired 10 new bilingual aides, including Elizabeth Alonzo, pictured here before a class at West Elementary on Dec. 9, 2022.
Tamika Moore for Education Week
English-Language Learners In Their Own Words A Bilingual Aide Explains the Value of Representation for English Learners
Elizabeth Alonzo now provides the support she didn't get in school: Someone who speaks and values her first language.
Ileana Najarro, January 30, 2023
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3 min read
Photo of teacher in front o blackboard.
iStock / Getty Images Plus
Teaching Profession In Their Own Words An Award-Winning Teacher in India Deplores the Lack of Respect for American Teachers
Former Fulbright Scholar Ranjitsinh Disale has called on American policymakers to pass a resolution declaring support for the teaching profession.
Madeline Will, January 4, 2023
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5 min read
Kladys Castellón prays during a vigil for the victims of a mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, on Tuesday, May 24, 2022.
Kladys Castellón prays during a vigil for the victims of a mass shooting at Robb Elementary School.
Billy Calzada/The San Antonio Express-News via AP
Education In Their Own Words Withstanding Trauma, Leading With Honesty, and More: The Education Stories That Stuck With Us
Our journalists highlight why stories on the impact of trauma on schooling and the fallout of the political discourse on race matter to the field.
Stephen Sawchuk, December 21, 2022
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4 min read
Crystal Curtis and her son, Jordan Curtis, outside their home in Plano, Texas. Crystal, a healthcare professional whose son attends school in Plano talks about the challenges of ensuring quality schooling, her discomfort with the state and district’s rollback of mandatory masking, and the complications of raising a Black child in a suburban district as policies shift.
Crystal Curtis and her son, Jordan Curtis, outside their home in Plano, Texas. Crystal, a healthcare professional whose son attends school in Plano talks about the challenges of ensuring quality schooling, her discomfort with the state and district’s rollback of mandatory masking, and the complications of raising a Black child in a suburban district as policies shift.
Allison V. Smith for Education Week
Education In Their Own Words Masking, Miscarriages, and Mental Health: The Education Stories That Stuck With Us
Our reporters share the stories they wrote that rose above the fray—and why.
Stephen Sawchuk, December 21, 2022
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5 min read
Betsy Peterson, a former K-5 technology teacher who was forced to retire early due to symptoms of long Covid, pictured in her home in Maynard, Mass., on November 21, 2022.
Betsy Peterson, a former K-5 technology teacher in Massachusetts, has been struggling with bureaucratic hurdles and debilitating symptom since contracting COVID at the start of the year.
Angela Rowlings for Education Week
Teaching Profession In Their Own Words 'I Just Want to Get Better': A Teacher With Long COVID Retires Earlier Than She'd Hoped
A former Massachusetts teacher shares how long COVID damaged her cognitive abilities and accelerated her retirement.
Mark Lieberman, November 22, 2022
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5 min read
Black mother, dressed in military attire, writing with her son
iStock/Getty Images Plus
Student Achievement In Their Own Words Students in Military Schools Lead the Nation on NAEP Scores. One Teacher Explains Why
Reading and math scores for Department of Defense students ranged from 15 to 23 points higher than corresponding national average scores.
Madeline Will, November 22, 2022
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4 min read
Cheerful young ethnic, elementary school teacher gives a high five to a student before class.
SDI Productions/E+/Getty
Teaching Profession In Their Own Words From Hospice Work to 1st Grade: One Teacher's Career-Changing Journey
A 1st grade teacher in Tennessee shares her journey into the classroom through an apprenticeship model, and the joys and challenges so far.
Madeline Will, November 3, 2022
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6 min read
American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten prepares to cross the border into Ukraine on Oct. 10.
Randi Weingarten visited Ukraine on Oct. 10—the day Russian missiles slammed into Lviv, Kyiv, and other cities.
Courtesy of AFT
International In Their Own Words What a Teachers' Union Leader Saw in Ukraine
American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten was in the country just after widespread air strikes from Russia.
Madeline Will, October 12, 2022
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4 min read
Long Lake Superintendent Noelle Short in front of Long Lake Central School in Long Lake, N.Y., on Sept. 1, 2022.
Noelle Short is the superintendent of a single-school district in upstate New York with fewer than 100 students.
Heather Ainsworth for Education Week
Education Funding In Their Own Words This Superintendent's Tiny, Rural District Got No COVID Aid. Here's Why That Hurts
The aid formula left Long Lake, N.Y., out of the mix. The superintendent worries that could happen for other kinds of aid in the future.
Mark Lieberman, September 6, 2022
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3 min read
Maria Castanon Hernandez poses for a portrait at her home in Uvalde, Texas, on July 20, 2022.
Maria Castañon Hernandez, who attended Robb Elementary School and later became and teacher and counselor in the Uvalde school district, at her home in Uvalde, Texas.
Jordan Vonderhaar for Education Week
Equity & Diversity In Their Own Words 'We've Come a Long, Long Way': A Former Uvalde Educator Reflects on the Town's History
As the Uvalde, Texas, community considers the future of the school, Maria Castañon Hernandez reflects on how it's changed.
Ileana Najarro, August 18, 2022
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3 min read
Amber Estis, principal of The Shepard School of Ohio, poses for a portrait at her school in Columbus, Ohio on July 11, 2022. Estis, who has her concealed carry permit and believes in the right to have weapons, is opposed to educators carrying firearms in school settings.
Amber Estis is the principal of The Shepard School by Eagle Community Schools in Columbus, Ohio. Estis, who has a permit to carry a concealed weapon after receiving hours of training, is opposed to educators carrying firearms in schools.
Andrew Spear for Education Week
School Climate & Safety In Their Own Words Why This Principal Won't Carry a Gun in School, Even Though She Could
She's got a permit to carry a concealed weapon, but opposes arming teachers.
Catherine Gewertz, July 12, 2022
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3 min read
Araceli Alarcon and Nathanael Severn, seniors at San Luis Obispo High School, pictured in downtown San Luis Obispo, Calif., on June 7, 2022.
Araceli Alarcon and Nathanael Severn, seniors at San Luis Obispo High School, in San Luis Obispo, Calif., will be the first in their families to attend college. While the pandemic complicated their plans, both teenagers persisted in their path to start college this fall.
Morgan Lieberman for Education Week
College & Workforce Readiness In Their Own Words Stories of Tenacity: 3 First-Generation College-Bound Students Keep Their Dreams on Track
The pandemic upended college plans for more than a million young people, but not these seniors.
Catherine Gewertz, June 9, 2022
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6 min read
Montgomery County teacher and Kentucky Teacher of the Year, Willie Carver, in downtown Mt. Sterling, Ky., on May 11, 2022.
Willie Carver is the 2022 Kentucky Teacher of the Year and teaches high school English and French in the Montgomery County, Ky., public schools.
Arden Barnes for Education Week
Teaching Profession In Their Own Words 'I'm Afraid to Return to the Classroom': A Gay Teacher of the Year Speaks Out
Willie Carver, Jr., the 2022 Kentucky Teacher of the Year, is questioning his future as a teacher given recent anti-LGBTQ legislative efforts.
Madeline Will, May 12, 2022
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8 min read
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