My story is about a classroom teacher: Sara Yerry. New York City is a place for sports and culture and Ms. Yerry has persuaded cultural and sports institutions to share spaces with children who could not afford these resources. Ms. Yerry has also been involved in attempting to provide a measure of safety for children who are at risk.

The classroom of bi-lingual kindergarten children can be a place of profound stress for some students. Her connections with families has continued over time and she has struggled to help parents to trust that new experiences would in fact enrich their children and their families as well.

We've made wonderful billboards and ads about the role of teachers and how they may change the lives of students, we've also become a society which indirectly sanctions blaming teachers and other public sector workers for economic ills. Sara Yerry is a good teacher, she is also a great builder of children's possibilities. This is my story, I am proud of Sara Yerry and feel we once sang of heroic deeds. This is such a soul.

(Sara Yerry is a member of the United Federation of Teachers, her story was submitted by Lally Salz)