At Seattle’s Meany Middle School, Yani Robinson sees hope and an idealistic outlook among students that he recognizes from his own experiences at that age. He recalls an eighth-grade teacher who allowed him and his classmates to protest the Iraq War or call the White House during class.
“He just gave us the tools to think beyond what we saw, and he gave us tools to process the unhappiness you sometimes feel when you start realizing things in the real world,” Robinson said. “I think that really changed something for me.”
