Category: Stories

I first learned about the Holocaust when I was 14. My overwhelming response was relief: relief that I was not German. How, I wondered, could any German cope with knowing … Read More

Anyone who observed my kindergarten report card conference would never have expected me to become a teacher myself someday. As Ms. Campbell, my teacher, handed my mom my report card, … Read More

Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up. It knows it must outrun the fastest lion, or it will be killed. Every morning a lion wakes up. It knows it … Read More

“Teachers make no money.” “Don’t you know teachers are quitting their jobs?” “Are you sure you want to be a teacher?” These are some things I hear when I tell … Read More

I’m a high school sophomore. The transition back to in-person schooling has been harder than I expected. Before March 2020, everything was normal: I was in eighth grade at Columbia … Read More

Growing up in the Bronx, books provided an escape for Fatuma Hydara, who, as the eldest daughter in a Muslim family of West African immigrants, shouldered many household responsibilities. Because … Read More

“Do you know you have to come back here because they are banning Muslims?” my uncle, calling from Bangladesh, told me, his voice scared. It was 2017, and he had … Read More

I grew up in South Georgia in a town so small that my acceptance to the University of Georgia was worthy of an article in a local newspaper. In my … Read More

He was an active participant in class, had an infectious smile, and loved football. Some of his peers considered him a brother. One by one, students and staff spoke in … Read More