Everybody’s personal education journey is unique: the schools they went to, the teachers they had, the types of students they were and their challenges and triumphs.
The stories of how we learned, and how they shaped us, are often both interesting and instructive about the nature education. In this new series, called What’s Your Education Story?, Chalkbeat journalists ask the people we come across in our work to tell us about their education stories and how learning shaped who they are today.
The series launches with five stories over the next week. After that, new stories will appear on an occasional basis when we meet interesting people. We’ll archive these stories here as they appear:
- Megan Bouckley, a teacher at IPS School 44 who formerly taught preschool.
- Tersea Meredith, the president of the Indiana State Teachers Association.
- Kate Stout, an IPS special education teacher who overcame her own learning disability.
- Andrea Hunley, an IPS principal who was adopted after being a foster child.
- Andrew Pillow, a charter school teacher who was well prepared by a small magnet school.
- Shanae Staples, the founding principal of the proposed Kindezi Academy.
- Ahmed Young, the city of Indianapolis’ new education director.
- Tiffany Kyser, a graduate student in urban education at IUPUI
- Teresa James-Robinson, the principal of Simon Youth Academy.
- Shawnta Barnes, a literacy coach at School 63.
- Teruko Knight-Gavia, an administrative assistant at Indiana Math and Science Academy West (IMSA).
- Carlota Holder, a teacher at Enlace Academy.
- Crystal Anderson, a 2016 Excel Center graduate.
- Heather Brown, a 2016 Excel Center graduate.
- Daniel Allen, a special education teacher at Emma Donnan Middle School.
- Beth (Medawar) Sperry, a teacher at Global Prep Academy.
- Jennifer Davis, an IPS parent and mother of four who works as a nurse.
- Cameron Moore, a senior at Providence Cristo Rey High School.
- Brian Dinkins, the principal of Providence Cristo Rey High School.
- Keontashia Purifoy, a senior at Providence Cristo Rey High School.
- Arael Stigler, a fifth grader at Edison School for the Arts.
- Eric Best, an eighth grader at Edison School for the Arts.