A Son, A Dad, And A Treasured Friend
When the Perez family gathers this weekend in Los Angeles to mark Father's Day, the man who'll be the center of attention is the patriarch Samuel. Samuel and his wife made sure that all eleven of their...
View ArticleThe Cost of College
When the writer Andrew Ferguson started looking into college for his son, he discovered that other parents had spent years putting together "brag sheets," listing anything that might impress someone in...
View ArticleI Robot
Thousands of high school students are tuning up their robots for the U.S. First Robotics Competition this weekend. We'll talk with three students at a regional competition. Eszter Offertaler is from...
View ArticleNext Chapter: Joyce Irvine
Teachers and principals are also feeling the effects of a budget pinch. We first spoke with Joyce Irvine back in September. She was the principal who had to give up her job under new federal...
View ArticleTeaching Secrets
Before Frank McCourt became famous as the author of "Angela's Ashes" and "'Tis," he was for 30 years a high school English teacher in New York. His book about that experience is "Teacher Man." Also in...
View ArticleEducating Rodrigo
Rodrigo Ximeno and his mother Marianela Manana moved to the US from Uruguay for work and an education. To their surprise, Rodrigo didn't fit in with other Latino kids. Soon he dropped out of school,...
View ArticleCollege Plus One
Delsie Bailey became pregnant with her daughter Faith while she was in high school. She's now a rising college junior, raising her daughter with her parents and committed to making sure that other high...
View ArticleThe Madness In His Method
Rafe Esquith is a 5th grade teacher from Hobart Elementary School in Los Angeles. He is, quite possibly, the "it" teacher of the moment, with interviews ranging from USA Today to The Today Show, in...
View ArticleSpelling Bee Champ
Jesus Lara entered his very first spelling bee last year because his best friend Sam told him it would be fun. This year, 13-year-old Jesus won his school spelling bee, then the regional event, and...
View ArticleThe Blue Tarp School
Felipe Quiroz Gonzales grew up in the smoldering trash piles of Tijuana, Mexico. In the mornings, Felipe walked an hour to sit on a blue tarp draped over piles of trash and learn English. David Lynch...
View ArticleInside The Madrasa
Ebrahim Moosa was educated in a madrasa, and has spent the past year visiting madrasas around the world. He feels that the word "madrasa" has become demonized in the west, yet he admits that the world...
View ArticleSchool? Not.
Valerie Fitzenreiter's daughter Laurie never spent a day of of her childhood in a traditional classroom. When she was pregnant with Laurie, Valerie read a book called "Summerhill," about a progressive...
View ArticleUnschooling Revisited
In February, Dick talked with Valerie Fitzenreiter about educating her daughter, Laurie Chancey, at home. Valerie allowed Laurie to study whatever and whenever she wanted. Laurie is now pursuing a PhD...
View ArticleJohn School
Norma Hotaling was a prostitute and drug addict for a decade before she turned her life around. Then, with the help of a cop who had arrested her numerous times, she began what she calls a "John...
View ArticleThe Dream Of A College Degree
Today, Dick Gordon talks to "Irving." Irving is an undocumented immigrant: he was born in Mexico, and came to the U.S. when he was in 4th grade. He had been struggling for a way to afford college - but...
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