Bridgeport Schools

Over the last couple of weeks, I've been assigned to photograph in two Bridgeport CT public schools. There, I could see the impact an educator can have on students, and how much of the real work of building society happens within schoolhouse walls.

Those who know Bridgeport, Connecticut's largest city, know Bridgeport's challenges. Those who know Bridgeport public schools know those challenges are met on a very tight budget.

The first school I visited was Hall school. That day, they were being presented with a prestigious award for academic achievement. The principal sets the tone in this building -- one of respect, love of learning, and neighborliness. While she'll be the first to tell you the school's success is a team effort -- and it is -- it's also a testament to the impact of an individual.

Here are the Hall school students and their principal:

A week or so later, the newspaper was invited to Bassick High School, where a science teacher from India was just finishing a three-year teaching assignment. He said it was quite an adjustment -- when he teaches in India, the schools are better equipped and staff lab assistants handle duties he's been asked to do in Bridgeport. But he said he enjoyed his stay immensely, and, judging by the rapport he has with his class, his students will miss him dearly.

The day I visited, he was guiding his class -- mostly juniors and seniors -- in a physics lab involving sound waves. Here he is with his students:

From grade school to high school, these Bridgeport students are reaping the benefits of learning with professionals who love their jobs.