Professor Lucan Way explained that his book Revolution of Dictatorship has roots in the influence of his early teachers. In particular, his 8th-grade English teacher, Brian Bond, encouraged him to explore his own interests, which led...

Dr. Girija Kaimal, professor and chair of the Creative Arts Therapies department at Drexel University, emphasizes the importance of creative expression as a natural human capacity. She recalls how a single discouraging comment can...

Dr. Girija Kaimal, professor and chair of the Creative Arts Therapies department, reflects on the fundamental role of creativity in human life. She explains that unlike most species, humans possess imagination—the ability to create,...

Dr. Gladys Labas reflects on the powerful impact of one of her high school teachers, Mr. Moe from Central High School in Connecticut. As an English language learner at a time when there were no bilingual or ESL programs, she was placed...

Dr. Gladys Labas reflects on her groundbreaking career in education, beginning as a bilingual elementary teacher in New Britain and Meriden, Connecticut, and rising to become the first Latina woman to lead an urban high school in the...

Dr. Miguel Cardona, former U.S. Secretary of Education and now president of Cardona Solutions, emphasizes the urgent need to defend and invest in public education at a time when it is under threat. Speaking from his childhood classroom...

Dr. Miguel Cardona reflects on the life-changing impact of teachers, emphasizing how educators shape not only individual students but entire families. He recalls three influential teachers in his own journey: Gary O'Neal, his...

Dr. Miguel Cardona, the 12th U.S. Secretary of Education, explains the federal government's critical yet limited role in education. Drawing from his experience as a teacher, district leader, state commissioner, and federal official, he...

Dr. Miguel Cardona was the 12th US Secretary of Education. In this video he discusses the benefits of speaking more than one language. "I know as a Puerto Rican, as someone who learned Spanish before English ... Remember, being bilingual...

Lori Shorr reflects on the lasting impact of her junior year English teacher, Mr. Monk, at Bethel Park High School. As a first-generation college student from Pittsburgh, she had never read Shakespeare before taking his course. Mr. Monk...

Steve Parks reflects on his experience as a first-generation college student, describing how fear of being wrong kept him silent in class. That changed in graduate school when he studied with the renowned professor Gayatri Spivak. After...

Steve Parks, professor of English at the University of Virginia and director of the Democratic Futures Project, believes education should serve two key purposes: teaching academic content and preparing students to...

In this heartfelt reflection, Serbian activist Srdja Popovic shares how mentorship and a lifelong commitment to learning shaped his life. He credits several key figures—including political mentor Zoran Đinđić, musical inspirations Milan...

Srdja Popovic, born in 1973 in Belgrade (then Yugoslavia), is a prominent activist best known for helping lead the student movement that overthrew Serbian dictator Slobodan Milošević in 2000. Since then, he has dedicated his life to...

NYU historian Nicole Eustace reflects on the pivotal role teachers played in shaping her passion for history. She describes how, in 10th grade, an English teacher recognized her interest in history and encouraged her to write a...

In her book Covered with Night: A Story of Murder and Indigenous Justice in Early America, NYU historian Nicole Eustace tells the story of a 1722 murder of a Seneca man, Sawanteni, by two colonial fur traders, the Cartlidge brothers,...

Marci Shore, a historian specializing in Eastern European intellectual history and 20th-century totalitarianism, teaches at the Munk School at the University of Toronto as of July 2025. Drawing on her deep knowledge of Nazism and...

Marci Shore reflects on her experience attending a large, underfunded public high school in Allentown, Pennsylvania, where most teachers were disengaged, but a few stood out for their dedication. She highlights the profound impact of...

Peter Coyote explains his approach to effective, nonviolent protest, which he developed while teaching a class at Harvard called The Theater of Protest. Frustrated that many protests were misrepresented in political attack ads, he...

Peter Coyote reflects on three primary mentors who shaped his life. The first was Sue Howard-Nelson, a young African-American woman who cared for him after his mother’s breakdown. Growing up in a wealthy but emotionally silent household,...

Carl Hart, a professor of psychology and psychiatry at Columbia University, studies how drugs affect the brain and behavior. His research focuses on debunking common myths about drugs, such as the false belief that substances like crack...

Carl Hart reflects on the impact of one of his most important teachers, Rob Hakan, whom he met as an undergraduate at the University of North Carolina in Wilmington. Hakan told Hart that there was still a place in the world for people...

Steve Parks, a professor of English at the University of Virginia and director of the Democratic Futures Project, reflects on his 30-year mission to use education as a tool for strengthening democracy. He believes the classroom has a...

Lori Shorr, a professor of urban education and policy at Temple University and former Chief Education Officer for Philadelphia, shares how her experience shaped a unique course she co-teaches called School and Community Partnerships. The...