In “Listen to the Truth They Bring,” Lori Wojtowicz connects with former students to discuss their fight for equity
After dedicating 35 years to teaching AP English and African American Literature at Huron High School, Lori Wojtowicz has embarked on a journey to address persistent issues in education.
Wojtowicz, who retired in 2012 and now lives in White Lake about an hour north of Ann Arbor, says that three critical issues in education remained unchanged: the predominance of white educators like herself, increasingly diverse classrooms, and the persistent achievement gap between white students and students of color.

“I have studied many esteemed educators, but equity remains elusive,” she says. “So over the last two years, I have sought a new source of knowledge—my old, former students from Huron High. I reconnected and interviewed 22 of them. They range in age from their 30s to 50s. Many have children of their own. Some even have grandchildren. Their voices are captured in my new book Listen to the Truth They Bring.
Wojtowicz says she’s proud of these former students and is particularly impressed with the current principal of Huron High School, Ché Carter, who is one of the leading voices in the book.
What inspired you to reconnect with your former students and write this book?
I have been an educator for a long time—35 years in the classroom and now working as an educational facilitator with teachers across the country. In all this time, three issues have remained constant. First, the majority of educators in America are white. I am one of them. Second, classrooms across the country grow more diverse. And third, the achievement gap between white students and those of color is very much alive, continuing to perpetuate inequity in our country.
I have learned so much from esteemed experts and colleagues, but inequity remains. So, I decided to investigate a new source of knowledge: my former students. They are the experts of lived experience, now adults and raising children and grandchildren of their own. I wondered what insights they could offer me, my fellow educators, and even citizens. And so, I began trying to reconnect and interview them. I did so with 22 former students.
How has your work as a national educational facilitator influenced your approach to writing this book?
My work across the country confirms that the same issues that plague education in Ann Arbor are shared. There is much work to be done.

How did your 35 years of teaching at Huron High School shape your perspective on equity in education? And how has your understanding of educational equity evolved since you began your teaching career?
When I began teaching in 1977, I believed in education, in its power to transform lives, and the lives of all students regardless of race or economic background. But the years have worn down my confidence. It took me many years of teaching before I began to question Huron High School, the diverse school I was so proud to be a part of. I learned diversity doesn’t necessarily mean inclusion. I also began to question what role I played in educational inequities.
Can you share a particularly eye-opening insight from one of your interviews with a former student?
There are so many. For one, Nkrumah Steward spoke about the importance of learning one’s true history. As he said, “History empowered me to learn that I had a choice in all of this. I had a choice. History gave me my destiny back to me. It was in my hands.”
Or Bonnifer Ballard who spoke about privilege and responsibility, telling me, “It’s important to remember that privilege is not just white. If you are in a position where you can affect change, you have power. You have privilege, and with that comes an obligation to lift up other people. We all have a part to play to make this world better.”
What most impressed you about what Huron Principal Che´ Carter had to say?
There is not one specific thing about Che´that impressed me. It is the totality of who he is. I remember him as a teenager: brash, bold, and with a light in his eyes that assured you of his intelligence. He is the fulfillment of this young man now. He is a force for good, believing in each student’s potential and worth.
In what ways do you think the voices of former students can contribute to the ongoing conversation about equity in classrooms?
Listen to their stories. They offer glimpses into their realities, realities many white educators have not lived. Their words breathe life and validity into statistics we often read dispassionately. They speak directly about what they needed in the classrooms of the past and what they wish for their children now.
Based on your research and interviews, what do you believe are the most pressing equity issues in today’s classrooms?
I will quote Nkrumah Steward, one of the former students, who said, “What is the greatest racist act? Teachers’ lack of expectations. I needed teachers who believed in me more that I believed in myself. When you don’t feel valued, you don’t push yourself.”
Most educators believe they have high expectations for all students, but they must be willing to examine themselves. It is not easy. My first book “Crossing the Hall: Exposing an American Divide” was my own attempt to understand the issues of race and inequity in my own classroom, my country, and most significantly in myself.
What surprised you most about the perspectives shared by your former students?
Their honesty, willingness to participate, their desire to be heard and contribute to the fight for equity. They have blown me away and taught me so much, just as they did years ago in the classroom.
What actionable steps would you recommend to educators who want to create more equitable classrooms based on the insights from your book?
Be willing to have the “hard conversations” as one former student phrased it, the hard conversations with yourself to ask what role you may be playing, even with good intentions, in the achievement gap. As white educators, we must be willing to continuously ask ourselves how we can serve all students with dignity, with high expectations, and a willingness to learn from our students. If we say we believe in equity and inclusion, we must ask ourselves what evidence we see in our classrooms to support this. Above all, we must learn to listen.
What would that evidence in the classroom look like?
When it comes to evidence, I can think of a few things:|
1. Whose voice is heard most in your classroom? Is it yours or the students?
2. How much power do your students have in setting classroom norms?
3. Does your curriculum try to highlight the diversity of your students?
4. Ask your students specific questions about if they feel valued and seen. Ask them how to make this better. This can be in written evaluations or personal interviews.
5. Dr. Williams, a previous principal of Huron, used to ask teachers if they really believed all students can learn. He wanted us to examine where our unintended bias might be and how it might be manifested in classrooms.
6. Examine who sits in each classroom. When I taught, the higher-level courses were mostly composed of white and Asian students. The regular and low-level courses were mostly students of color. If this is still true, then Huron has diversity but not inclusion.
What is your greatest fear for this book?
I have two. First, this book is only intended to provoke honest reflection and conversation. It does not offer a new theory to be studied, but rather encourages the reader to question and consider perspectives they may not hold. Agreeing or disagreeing with the material is not the focus. Second, that “Listen to the Truth They Bring” is not about teachers saving students. Teachers do not save students. They save themselves every day in classrooms across America with their inordinate strength and courage. This book is about what teachers could learn from students if we learned to listen. I wish I’d listened better. My generous students, colleagues, and friends are determined to give me credit—and it is appreciated, but please don’t forget the focus of this book: the former students, their voices, their power.
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