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
AP U.S. government and politics teacher Shari Conditt poses for a photo in her classroom at Woodland High School on Aug. 27, 2024.
AP U.S. government and politics teacher Shari Conditt poses for a photo in her classroom at Woodland High School on Aug. 27, 2024.
Courtesy of Kyla Keefer
Social Studies In Their Own Words Teaching Presidential Elections Isn't Easy. How One Teacher Manages
Shari Conditt teaches her students about electoral processes through current events including presidential elections.
Ileana Najarro, August 28, 2024
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6 min read
In this March 8, 2017 photo, Logan Cole walks down a hallway decorated with signs supporting him and his school at West Liberty-Salem High School, in West Liberty, Ohio. Logan, who was shot twice by a fellow student at the high school on Jan. 20, was adjusting to his first full week back at school after spending 15 days in Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus fighting for his life and then eventually returning to school part-time.
In this March 8, 2017 photo, Logan Cole walks down a hallway decorated with signs supporting him and his school at West Liberty-Salem High School, in West Liberty, Ohio. Logan, who was shot twice by a fellow student at the high school on Jan. 20, was adjusting to his first full week back at school after spending 15 days in Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus fighting for his life and then eventually returning to school part-time.
Jonathan Quilter/The Columbus Dispatch via AP
School Climate & Safety In Their Own Words How a Principal Who Stopped a School Shooting Learned to Be Vulnerable
Principal Greg Johnson talks about how his life changed after a school shooting.
Olina Banerji, August 8, 2024
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6 min read
Colin Prater hits his tee shot on the 10th hole during a practice round for the U.S. Open golf tournament on June 12, 2024, in Pinehurst, N.C.
Colin Prater hits his tee shot on the 10th hole during a practice round for the U.S. Open golf tournament on June 12, 2024, in Pinehurst, N.C.
Frank Franklin II/AP
Teaching Profession In Their Own Words How This 'Goofy Science Teacher' Made It to the U.S. Open in Golf
High school science teacher and golf coach Colin Prater just played in one of the world's most prestigious golf tournaments.
Elizabeth Heubeck, July 9, 2024
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6 min read
Mitchell Rutherford, who taught biology at Sahuaro High School in Tucson, Ariz., left the profession due, in part, to students' cell phone usage. Here, pictured at Finger Rock Trailhead in Tucson on June 8, 2024.
Mitchell Rutherford, who taught biology at Sahuaro High School in Tucson, Ariz., left the profession due, in part, to students' cell phone usage. Here, pictured at Finger Rock Trailhead in Tucson on June 8, 2024.
Cassidy Araiza for Education Week
Teaching Profession In Their Own Words Cellphones Turned My Teaching Career From 'Awesome' to Exhausting
A former high school teacher shares how his students' increasing reliance on cellphones drove him out of the classroom.
Elizabeth Heubeck, June 10, 2024
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5 min read
Vector illustration of a woman sitting indian style with her arms spread wide and a rainbow above her head.
iStock/Getty
Student Well-Being In Their Own Words These Students Found Mental Health Support in After-School Programs. See How
3 students discuss how after-school programs benefit their well-being.
Lauraine Langreo, May 17, 2024
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6 min read
Alfred ”Shivy” Brooks II, left, and his father, Alfred Books Sr., chat together at Charles R. Drew High School in Riverdale, Ga., on Feb. 28, 2024.
Alfred ”Shivy” Brooks II, left, and his father, Alfred Books Sr. visit at Charles R. Drew High School in Riverdale, Ga., on Feb. 28, 2024.
Josiah Rundles for Education Week
Teaching Profession In Their Own Words He Comes From a Family of Teachers. Does He Want That for the Next Generation?
Alfred “Shivy” Brooks II, a high school economics and government teacher from a family of educators, talks about his profession.
Elizabeth Heubeck, March 7, 2024
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6 min read
Saxon Brown, a first-year teacher, leads his 9th grade honors English students through a lesson on To Kill A Mockingbird at Bel Air High School in Bel Air, Md., on Jan. 25, 2024.
Saxon Brown, a first-year teacher, leads his 9th grade honors English students through a lesson at Bel Air High School in Bel Air, Md., on Jan. 25, 2024.
Jaclyn Borowski/Education Week
Teaching Profession In Their Own Words 'Why Doesn't Everybody Want to Do This?': A New Teacher's Midyear Reflection
Twenty-two-year-old Saxon Brown talks honestly about the challenges and rewards he's encountered in his first year on the job.
Elizabeth Heubeck, January 26, 2024
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5 min read
102523 IMSE Reading BS
Adria Malcolm for Education Week
Education In Their Own Words The Stories That Stuck With Us, 2023 Edition
Our newsroom selected five stories as among the highlights of our work. Here's why.
Stephen Sawchuk, December 21, 2023
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4 min read
Retired teacher Ann Freemon is pictured in Everett, Wash., on November 24, 2023.
Retired teacher Ann Freemon is pictured in Everett, Wash., on November 24, 2023.
Chona Kasinger for Education Week
Curriculum In Their Own Words Why I Kept Teaching To Kill a Mockingbird When Others Wouldn't
A recently retired English teacher explains why she continued to teach the classic novel after it was challenged in her district.
Elizabeth Heubeck, November 27, 2023
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6 min read
EW Landon Callahan Thumbnail
Student Well-Being In Their Own Words LGBTQ+ Student Perspective: At School, ‘My Safety Didn’t Feel Like the Priority’
For Landon Callahan, mental health challenges and substance use became easier to manage once he came out as a transgender man.
Lauraine Langreo, October 16, 2023
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5 min read
EW Esmee Silverman Thumbnail
Student Well-Being In Their Own Words LGBTQ+ Student Perspective: ‘My School’s GSA Saved My Life’
Esmée Silverman came to the realization that they were transgender in high school, but thought about suicide constantly during their freshman year.
Lauraine Langreo, October 16, 2023
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3 min read
EW Imani Sims Thumbnail
Student Well-Being In Their Own Words LGBTQ+ Student Perspective: Mental Health Challenges ‘Come With the Territory’
Imani Sims says it's rare to come across fellow members of the LGBTQ+ community who do not have difficulties with their mental health.
Lauraine Langreo, October 16, 2023
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4 min read
Karen Lauritzen stands for a portrait on the Millikin University Campus in Decatur, Ill., on August 30, 2023. Idaho’s Teacher of the Year moved to Illinois for a new job due to right-wing harassment over her support of the LGBTQ+ community and Black Lives Matter.
Karen Lauritzen stands for a portrait on the Millikin University Campus in Decatur, Ill., on August 30, 2023. Laurizen, Idaho’s 2023 Teacher of the Year, moved to Illinois for a new job due to harassment over her support of the LGBTQ+ community and Black Lives Matter.
Neeta R. Satam for Education Week
Teaching Profession In Their Own Words 'I Was Not Done': How Politics Drove This Teacher of the Year Out of the Classroom
Karen Lauritzen was accused of being a pro-LGBTQ+ activist. The consequences derailed her career.
Madeline Will, August 31, 2023
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6 min read
Aaron Bishop as Tremor, mascot for the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, a single-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Aaron Bishop, dressed as the lime-green dinosaur on the right, poses during the national anthem for his summer job as Tremor, the mascot for the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, a single-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Courtesy of Pete Soto
Teaching Profession In Their Own Words What Does a Teacher Have in Common With a Baseball Mascot? It's All About Engagement
Aaron Bishop reflects on his decades of double duty as a teacher and a mascot in the minor leagues.
Elizabeth Heubeck, July 31, 2023
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5 min read
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