Back in School, Back in New Orleans

Fresh Air | By Terry Gross

Published March 15, 2006 at 11:06 AM CST

When Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast, it also disrupted the education of thousands of students. While many schools remain closed, Benjamin Franklin High School is one of the few operating charter schools in New Orleans.

Teachers Colleen Fiegel and Cathy Hightower have persevered, along with their students, through evacuating, returning, and picking up the pieces of their lives. Fiegel teaches biology and Hightower and Hightower teaches AP English at Benjamin Franklin High School.

Tags

Fresh Air

Terry Gross

Combine an intelligent interviewer with a roster of guests that, according to the Chicago Tribune, would be prized by any talk-show host, and you're bound to get an interesting conversation. Fresh Air interviews, though, are in a category by themselves, distinguished by the unique approach of host and executive producer Terry Gross. "A remarkable blend of empathy and warmth, genuine curiosity and sharp intelligence," says the San Francisco Chronicle.

See stories by Terry Gross