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
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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Teaching In Their Own Words Feeling Discouraged? 10 Moments of Joy From Educators
Funny, tender, and inspiring moments that keep teachers and principals going.
Catherine Gewertz, March 17, 2022
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9 min read
Dr. Uché Blackstock, a parent and physician, in her New York City home. Dr. Blackstock has concerns about the safety of her children as mask mandates are relaxed in schools during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dr. Uché Blackstock, a parent and physician, in her New York City home. Dr. Blackstock has concerns about the safety of her children as mask mandates are relaxed in schools during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Jackie Molloy for Education Week
Families & the Community In Their Own Words 'Every Parent Should Be Able to Feel This Way': How Black School Leaders Build Trust With Families
As pandemic protections loosen, a New York mother and physician says her children's principals are exemplars for keeping students safe.
Catherine Gewertz, March 8, 2022
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5 min read
Sofia 3
Sofia Mendoza, a senior at Hilliard Davidson High School, in Hilliard, Ohio, has been trained to notice early signs of mental health struggles in her peers and channel them to adults who can help.
Courtesy of Sofia Mendoza
Student Well-Being In Their Own Words Peer Help for Mental Health: 'We Learn the Red Flags to Watch For'
A member of a specially trained group of students discusses finding help for peers struggling with mental health issues.
Catherine Gewertz, March 1, 2022
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4 min read
Crystal Curtis and her son, Jordan Curtis, outside their home in Plano, Texas.
Crystal Curtis and her son, Jordan Curtis, stand outside their home in Plano, Texas. Curtis talks about the challenges of ensuring quality schooling and her discomfort with the state and district’s rollback of mandatory masking.
Allison V. Smith for Education Week
School Climate & Safety In Their Own Words 'COVID Is Not Over Us': As Pandemic Lingers, a Texas Mother's Dismay Deepens
A mother describes her frustrations over masking policies, staffing shortages, and the quality of education her honor roll son has received.
Stephen Sawchuk, February 25, 2022
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7 min read
Pioneer Valley Regional School District Interim Superintendent Patricia Kinsella in the hallway at Pioneer Valley Regional School in Northfield, Mass., on January 14, 2022.
Pioneer Valley Regional School District Interim Superintendent Patricia Kinsella in the hallway at Pioneer Valley Regional School in Northfield, Mass., on January 14, 2022.
Angela Rowlings for Education Week
School & District Management In Their Own Words 'You Shouldn't Be Alone': A Superintendent Scrambles to Find Masks After the State Falls Short
The superintendent of a rural district spends hours scrolling online mask vendors after the state sent defective masks to schools.
Mark Lieberman, February 1, 2022
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5 min read
Craig McVay, superintendent of El Reno Public Schools in El Reno, Okla., pictured on Jan. 27, 2022.
Craig McVay, superintendent of El Reno Public Schools in El Reno, Okla., pictured on Jan. 27, 2022.
Brett Deering for Education Week
School & District Management In Their Own Words Awake at 2 A.M., Agonizing Over Life-and-Death Decisions: A Superintendent's Story
Daily, high-stakes judgment calls on COVID weigh heavy on a superintendent's mind.
Catherine Gewertz, January 31, 2022
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4 min read
Northwest High School sophomore Emily Downs, 15, takes out the trash at Valley Middle School in House Springs, Mo., on Dec. 14, 2021. As staff shortages impact school districts across the country, Northwest School District, outside of St. Louis, hired its own students to fill some of their vacancies.
Emily Downs, 15, takes out the trash at Valley Middle School in House Springs, Mo., in her second week on the job as a part-time custodian. Downs, a sophomore, is one of several students the Northwest School District has hired to fill critical vacancies.
Whitney Curtis for Education Week
School & District Management In Their Own Words 'Kind of Surreal': A Student Cleans Floors at Her Old Middle School
A high school sophomore works as a part-time custodian, part of her district's unusual effort to fill critical staff positions.
Catherine Gewertz, December 16, 2021
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3 min read
Principal Janet Huger-Johnson at East New York Elementary School of Excellence in Brooklyn, New York on Sept. 8. 2021.
Principal Janet Huger-Johnson at East New York Elementary School of Excellence in the Brooklyn borough of New York.
Jackie Molloy for Education Week
Teaching In Their Own Words 'Chaos in the Adult World': A New York Principal Tells Her Story of Being a Teacher on 9/11
Janet Huger-Johnson was a 5th grade teacher in New York City on Sept. 11, 2001. Here's her story.
Ileana Najarro, September 9, 2021
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5 min read
Davis Eidahl, a science teacher at Pekin High School in Packwood, Iowa, says he doesn't want to get the COVID-19 vaccine. He thinks social distancing and occasional masking will be sufficient to keep himself and others safe.
Davis Eidahl, a science teacher at Pekin High School in Packwood, Iowa, says he doesn't want to get the COVID-19 vaccine. He thinks social distancing and occasional masking will be sufficient to keep himself and others safe.
Rachel Mummey for Education Week
Teaching Profession In Their Own Words Why This Science Teacher Doesn't Want the COVID Vaccine
Contrary to public health guidance, Davis Eidahl, an Iowa high school teacher, has no plans to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
Catherine Gewertz, August 17, 2021
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4 min read
Dallas Independent School District Superintendent Dr. Michael Hinojosa announces that masks will be required at all Dallas ISD schools at DISD headquarters in Dallas, Monday, August 9, 2021.
Dallas Independent School District Superintendent Michael Hinojosa announces that masks will be required at all district schools earlier this week in Dallas.
Brandon Wade/The Dallas Morning News via AP
School & District Management In Their Own Words Defiant Superintendent: 'How Can I Follow a Law I Believe Endangers My Students?'
A superintendent explains why he required masks in school despite a statewide ban on such policies.
Stephen Sawchuk, August 12, 2021
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4 min read
Chad Russell, Flower Mound High School Principal, in his office at the school in Flower Mound, Texas, on June 2, 2021. Russell contracted COVID-19 in December of 2020 and is still recovering after a six-week stay in the hospital, which included time on a ventilator.
High school principal Chad Russell said he survived a "close-to-death" experience with his COVID-19 illness that kept him hospitalized far from home for weeks, including 12 days on a ventilator.
Laura Buckman for Education Week
School & District Management In Their Own Words A Principal’s Battle With COVID-19
Chad Russell, principal of a Texas high school, spent three months battling coronavirus before returning to his campus this spring.
Catherine Gewertz, June 3, 2021
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5 min read
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