Charles Kuner and André Pérez

00:02 My name is Charles cooner. My age is 77 today's date is May 21st, 2015 and I'm at the Chicago Cultural Center in Chicago, Illinois. My name is Andre Paras. I am in Chicago, Illinois at the cultural center and it is May 21st of 2015.

00:25 As I mentioned, my name is Charles cooner and life began for me on July 3rd. 1938 at Mount Sinai Hospital on Chicago's West Side. We lived at 1220 South Troy Street. When I was 2 or 3 years of age, I wondered away and ended up on nearby Ogden Avenue. Some concerned women gave me candy and try to call my fears, but when I saw my mother, I dropped the candy and ran into her loving arms my parents George Andros dope or and not highly educated instilled in me a respect for education for knowledge for the printed word. So we were not rich in terms of material things, but we were rich in terms of love as we were a close family.

01:12 I was an only child and my mother's father lived with us. My mother elected to be a stay-at-home mom while my father work primarily as a security guard during World War II e served as part of the auxiliary military police indeed my father received a certificate of accomplishment on July 25th, 1944 for completing a basic training course of 32 hours of special classes required by the Water Department.

01:42 As a military policeman, he works security at hallicrafters company and receives a certificate of meritorious conduct for his service from August 7th. 1943 to October 31st, 1944.

01:56 Unfortunately his last years were cruel unhappy the security guard position that gave him his identity. His self-esteem is important success in life was taken from him due to age and a physical disability that upset his walking and balance. He could not find any other security jobs. No one would hire him. He did not qualify for Social Security disability benefits at least according to the Social Security Administration each day during the last few years. My father died a little inside as he tried to find various ways to keep busy. It was painful for me for my mother and I to watch

02:41 When my father was working. My mother took care of me watched over me like a hawk in the late 1940s at Lawson Elementary School. I had an unbalanced sadistic teacher who specialized in using her long ruler on students when not banging their heads against the Blackboard many times. I was a recipient of her cruel corporal punishment. This sadistic teacher was eventually fired due to the efforts of my mother who are organized other mothers from that class and demanded accountability from the principal for that teachers actions.

03:19 But these unpleasant experience is exactly the price after when heated meeting with the principal. My mother was so distraught that she missed a step going down to school stairs and broke her leg.

03:32 As I stated earlier my parents instilled in me. I respect and love for education and knowledge with the little money. We had some would always be set aside to buy books in our home. There would always be books magazines and newspapers. This early Legacy of respect for Education was buttressed by teachers that I had at Austin Elementary School.

03:58 I which is now closed and has been closed for several years, but I'm glad to say that the library across the street that practically did practically that practically became my second home is still open.

04:12 But one teacher in particular at John Marshall High School influence my decision to pursue a teaching career in social studies. Her name was Harriet Sanders as a senior. I wasn't sure what what I wanted to do with my wife after leaving Marshall Marshall High School. This would be in February of 1957 when high schools had two graduations in a year when in February and when in June

04:39 Mrs. Sanders was aware of my uncertainties about what career to pursue. She insisted that I had the capacity the capability to become a good social studies teacher. It was her support and belief in me that finally led to the decision and determination to pursue and succeed as a secondary social studies teacher indeed. If not for her. I might have been drifting through life rather than doing something. I thoroughly loved and considered my life's work. Mrs. Sanders will always have my eternal gratitude respect and love.

05:18 It was also during this time that my father became unemployed for the reasons. I decided earlier. My mother hadn't work since she married. My father. I was lucky to have gotten a part time job at Allied radio, which was that 100 Northwestern. It's no longer there.

05:34 I and I got that job part-time job in my last semester at John Marshall High School. I wanted to go on the college to begin my undergraduate work in history with a minor in education. My parents may they rest in peace did not pressure me to find a job, even though they were not working. It may it may not have been practical but that's how they were. Luckily. I combine my job at Allied radio along with winning a National Defense Education Act grant that help get me through college and also at the same time allowed me to help out my parents as well. It wasn't easy.

06:16 I was taking 15 to 18 hours a semester at Roosevelt University while working close to 40 hours or more at Allied radio. The part-time job became more like a full-time job. Now. I got by with two to three hours of sleep each night along with the aid of nodose, which was a popular caffeine pill for students at that particular time.

06:42 The end result however was my achieving their ba in history and minor in education from Rosholt University followed later on by two masters at Northeastern, Illinois State University one and teaching and the other in urban sociology.

07:01 All that I have accomplished all that. I will still accomplish is due to my wonderful parents and mrs. Sanders and more recently to my wife Evelyn, which I will talk about later on.

07:15 But let me just stop at this point to say that I memorialize my parents in writing articles on them that was published by various sources when stars being the Chicago Sun-Times

07:31 In fact years ago, I received the card from a person living in LaGrange, Illinois, April 13th 1997. This is what he wrote in the card there mister kuhner on April 3rd at age 92. My mother died among her intimate personal items. I found a tattered yellow clipping from the May 9th. 1982 Mother's Day issue of the Chicago Sun-Times, which I had mailed to her and then promptly forgotten but obviously it was very meaningful to her. And so I would like to thank you for providing the words that I never could have written that gave my mother so much joy, I am forever grateful sincerely Charles V Shlesinger. I was very happy that I was able to provide that for him as well as for his mother because I know how we felt after losing his mother I could identify with him.

08:33 Well working at Allied radio. My supervisor was Alvin Lube off. We became Fast Friends In Deed our friendship lasted over 57 years until his death earlier this month.

08:47 We not only worked at Allied radio together. We both did our undergraduate work at Roosevelt University in history, and he started teaching two years before I did.

08:58 When I first started teaching and was having a hard time, he encouraged and supported me because I was ready to quit he saved me from weight from making what would have been a disastrous decision.

09:13 In fact Alvin was the older brother. I never had as I indicated earlier. I was an only child. I would go to him for advice Council support. We also had our street corner discussions and debates after work at Allied radio or at his home. In fact that went on literally until his death.

09:36 There's a void in my life as a result of his passing. I miss him and we'll never forget him.

09:44 I had been a CPS teacher Chicago public school teacher for 45 years 42 of those years were at Farragut High School, which is now Farragut Career Academy High School at 2345, South Christiana.

10:00 I started at Farragut in September of 1965 and retired as a full-time teacher from there in June of 2007.

10:11 Farragut is a typical big sprawling City School.

10:16 Despite farragut's many problems. I found students there with high aspirations sensitivity perseverance individuality intelligence and just plain guts striving for an education regardless of impossible personal environmental conditions. I'll talk about some of those environmental conditions later on.

10:41 Moreover my experiences at Farragut of taught me that every student weather black Hispanic Anglo can learn up to his or her capacity. There are only schools and teachers and parents who fail unfortunately to teach them.

11:01 And I have also discovered that the most effective and genuine learning is active not passive. Not just memorization not just passing standardized test.

11:14 It is a process of Discovery in which the student is the active agent of his own learning with the teacher serving as an aide a guide. How can the teacher accomplish this or How can any teacher accomplish this by inviting probing questions by encouraging inquiry by Leading discussions by bringing resource people from all walks of life into the classroom by giving examinations that require more than just check marks on printed forms.

11:48 What is Bindi and result of this type of teaching over 42 years for me personally students who think clearly critically and reflectively students will be able to pursue arguments. Defender point of you see other Alternatives and waiters Alternatives and lastly students who will achieve self fulfillment.

12:12 As a student of curriculum development. I helped at Farragut to establish courses and Afro-American history sociology psychology philosophy Career Development an introduction to the social sciences. And of course, I was also responsible for teaching the regular history courses that were already in the board of education curriculum.

12:37 I also began with the aid of to school social workers here tutoring Care Counseling and a workshop in values and human sexuality with social workers from The Institute for Juvenile Research in Chicago a workshop in positive assertiveness became a reality and 1975 1976. I initiated enrichment and early involving programs for 7th and 8th graders going to summer farragut's feeder schools. We had begun a current version of that program in 1983 and 1984 with an emphasis on Career awareness.

13:15 I also felt an exchange of ideas. Among Educators is very important. Not only among my colleagues at Farragut but even be on Farragut High School.

13:28 Accordingly I have shared my rich experiences methodologies and Innovative programs in the social studies social sciences field via articles in professional journals, and at professional conferences presentations were made at the American Association of psychiatric services for children on the peer group counseling program and at the National Council for the social studies on the career development program local newspapers magazines and radio stations have also done stories on our programs over the years the Sun-Times ran stories, and the Tribune is well on peer counseling and career development.

14:11 Clark Weber of w i n d radio back in 1979 interviewed me about the peer counseling program. I also answered questions from listeners will call into the show as an outstanding teacher from District in Burney California from wclr FM interviewed me in December of 1983 for an educational documentary The Station was doing at the time when I taught sociology are used a great deal of lawyer to Acacia in the classroom this led to a telephone interview with a writer from update magazine. The magazine is published by the American Bar Association. The writer wanted to know how I've used lawn the classroom. I was one of several teachers was used as a resource for the two-part article periodically. I have written columns for the personal view sections of both to send X and Tribune The Columns have dealt with issues of Education civil rights and personal experiences and in the fall,

15:11 1983-84 I was a recipient of a dose who Excel educational award. This was sponsored by the State Board of Illinois State Board of Education and a certificate of achievement from Richard J. Martwick County Superintendent of Schools.

15:29 I've also been fortunate in winning out of rewards and personal recognition, but the focus here now, I would like to I would like it to be on the students themselves again because of time restraints. I want to concentrate on certain curricular and extracurricular activities that we had done from the classes that we were teaching and in some of these I collaborated with another teacher Matthew cats who was not only history teacher. He taught la clases de coco study forget to be a team with me and he's now practicing law full-time. Yes Offices here in the city of Chicago as well as in Mexico where they speak Spanish like it like a native-born there would

16:23 So, in fact, the first example I want to go into is the Farragut debate team. He and I called coach to Farragut debate team during the the five years of our participation from 1998 to 2002. We went to City championship in our first year by defeating Whitney Young and the finals many of our individual Debaters over the five years when honors of one sort or another

16:53 When did Bader was reluctant to participate because he had a stuttering problem?

16:58 Both cats and I Prevail on him to stay and join the debating despite the stuttering. He worked hard at it. He control this stuttering and became one of our best debaters.

17:13 We also had a second debater a second example of a student a debater who overcame a personal obstacle. She was a young lady who didn't have a lot of self-confidence in it herself. She was very shy because of her lack of confidence and again mister cats and I worked very hard with her to the point where she learned how to debate before a large crowd and again did very well.

17:47 I'd like to stop here and point out a letter. I mentioned Alvin Lube off at the beginning how much of a personal friend and help he was to me he at one time was also the director of clinical experiences at the Paul University and he also taught education classes as well. And from time to time he when he would invite me to come down and talk with his education students and students who were going to go into teaching.

18:28 This one particular time. I'm mister cats and I brought some of our Debaters 5 to he has education class. We made our presentation. We interacted with the students and turn out to be highly successful. He elected to write a letter to ardenne principal at the school. Mr. Edward Guerra. And this is what he wrote dear. Mr. Guerra on February 9th 2000. We had the opportunity to listen to the Farragut high school debate team the five students accompanied by Charles Conner and Matthew Katz gave us our wonderful demonstration of the positive results of quality schooling. Each student was prepared informed and dynamic my graduate classes and I felt an energy of success from their substantive presentations the Farragut Community can surely be proud of the students and their mentors sincerely Alvin Lube off.

19:28 Director of clinical experiences and he sent a copy of the letter to me and went to Matthew to madcatz as well.

19:37 So here was a case where from our combining of law classes and history classes. We were able to use the bait to help our students hone their skills in Reading communicating writing using logic and reasoning doing research and deed on thinking on their feet.

20:05 Because many of them had to do during the course of the debate these where the skills of course that were being emphasized by the Chicago public schools and the board of education at that particular time. So we were able to find an instrument. So to speak that we use in teaching our classes that the students became very interested in and we're eager to participate in that helped them. How is Shand work and improve on those skills?

20:42 Now it's second example with would be the lower classes during my last.

20:51 Four and a half years or so before I retired. I was also teaching law classes at this time. Mr. Katz had been left to practice law full-time after going to law school at night and you may wonder I'm not a lawyer and you may wonder why is it that I was teaching a lock class. Well part of my certificate was in political science and US government and if you had a certificate in those areas were qualified to teach walk. So that's why I was doing it at any rate. I use the law my lock my students and myself.

21:30 Help to establish and run a legal clinic at Farragut for other Farragut students and their parents living in the community. As I said the clinic ran for about four and a half years. We're talking about for school years and maybe about three Summers. Unfortunately when I retired in 2007, no one else wanted to run the clinic. I'm probably the reason for that was I had all of my plat. I was carrying a full program at all my prices in the morning plus a division or in some schools. They would call an advisory.

22:12 That of course I was getting paid for and the reason why I had them all in the morning is so my afternoons with the free. So the lawyers who would be scheduled to come on that particular day and meet with clients that we're coming from North and South Lawndale and interpreters if necessary, I would be able to coordinate all of that for that. I wasn't getting paid I was doing this because it was something that I wanted to do. So it was two responsibilities once I was getting paid for and when did I wasn't so this may be a reason why other teachers were reluctant to take it up when I left so it's closed when I left unfortunately.

22:57 But I want to say that during the little more than four years. We helped a lot of people who would never have gone downtown to see a lawyer. They would have been intimidated by those highfalutin Law Offices Downtown there or they were too poor to do so or because of language barriers are the Wimpy an interpreter there from a lot of things they felt more comfortable and being able to go to their local school and having interpreters if needed not all of the clients were Hispanic there were African American clients as well, but it it felt more natural for them and for them to go there then to go downstairs to go downtown and talk to some strangers down there.

23:46 I went again. I went to give a a a a personal example here of of one case where this Clinic really helped out. Someone who needed the help. I had a young lady in one of my classes who was the victim of a drive-by shooting.

24:03 As result of her injuries, she dragged her legs when she walked to some extent her cognitive abilities were also affected her mother did not know the process to get her daughter on permanent disability from Social Security. We had a lawyer who specializes in physical disability cases, the girl went in met the lawyer of the girl and her mother when she met the lawyer and when I saw her later, that is the student she had a great big smile on her face the lawyer explain the process to her mother that her mother would have to go through to get the disability now rather than their mother having to worry about coping economically. She was able to get some financial help for her daughter's disability.

24:55 Start example.

24:58 When teaching the Holocaust unit in my history classes, I would always bring in Holocaust Survivors one year this particular Survivor brother husband with with her and she was recounting her story to the class or husband who was sitting in a corner there by the window began to cry and I could see the tears running down his cheeks.

25:25 After her presentation, there was a moving and stimulating question and answer session that went on between her and the students when the current session ended one of the students went up to her and they hugged each other for close to a minute. Neither one wanting to let go

25:47 It should be noted that I would also take classes to the US Holocaust museum in Washington DC. This was part of what was called. I think it's there still in existence was called to close the program which sponsored those trips to Washington DC not only to the Holocaust Museum, but the other places as well.

26:08 No, another example geographically Farragut is near little village and Pilsen.

26:14 In the early 2000s, there were notorious called plants there that was polluting the air and causing extreme rates of asthma among its inhabitants many of them being my students as well.

26:28 My students worked with other students from Benito Benito Juarez High School and Francis Parker High School in Lincoln Park as well as a little village environmental justice organization to protest this pollution from the coal plant coal plants that work with that was going on in Little Village and Pilsen.

26:51 On Earth Day of 2000 to the students and their teachers including my students and of course myself, and by the way Mister cats and some of his students as well as classes stage the human chain starting your Crawford at 31st and Central Park Crawford of his were they called plants were located at 31st and Central Park and stretching down Kedzie to Cermak and toward Pilsen and the loop.

27:23 Vista Place on Monday April 22nd at 4 p.m. In the afternoon after school was over after regular school is over at 4 p.m. 2002.

27:34 My classes were also involved in marches to protest for more parks and sports centers in Little Village La villita the primarily Hispanic group living there would be mexican-americans the March began at Saint Agnes at 2643 South Central Park and went to 3000 South Albany. I'm happy to say that though. It took a while for it to happen. The air pollution problems are being cleared up and there will be new parks in Little Village. These are just some sign examples of many more. I could give

28:11 Those 42 years of students applying what they learned in the classroom not only to their own personalized.

28:22 Tuner outside lies into the lives of their families, but also to the lives of others as well. I believe very much very much in the great educational philosopher John Dewey who believed the best type of education is learning by doing.

28:42 In other words if my students can take the concrete and Abstract Concepts and ideas and philosophies that I'm teaching in the classroom and they could apply that to their own lives to better themselves. The better their families the better their communities to better the city and the state that they live in and indeed the country then they have really learned.

29:12 This is far far much better than being able to pass.

29:17 Questions

29:19 To be able to pass questions on standardized tests this to me is the real learning.

29:27 And would be proved to me that my students have understood what it is. I was trying to get across to them in that classroom to empower them to make them better to make that they help them gain. The type of power that education can give them in order to protect themselves and not let other people walk all over them or take advantage of them either of them or their families.

29:54 Since my retirement in June of 2007 I haven't been idle I have acted as a part-time substitute teacher at the University of Chicago lab school for the last eight years as well as had Francis Parker High School because of the fact that both of those schools emphasize Community activism and they follow the they doing philosophy of learning-by-doing and Advance is Parker. It's not just two weeks by Colonel Francis Parker in which the school is named after also believe that that type of education is the best type of education.

30:30 I've also supervise student teachers as they go through their mentorship in the Chicago public schools and

30:39 And has worked as an election judge in past elections. I also completed a four-year certificate program in the liberal arts at the University of Chicago. I believe very much and staying busy and being productive.

30:55 77 is just a number. It doesn't mean I have to act like I'm 77 years of age.

31:01 I believe as I said before, I believe in staying busy and being productive. I still have goals and contributions that I wish to accomplish and that probably will be true until that final day comes

31:16 For most of all I hate that I want to talk about my wife now that I mentioned earlier for most of my life. I was married literally literally to my teaching and education that ended in 1997. When at the age of 59 my first marriage, I married my beloved Evelyn. She's from the Philippines Manila specifically, she's worked as a nurse ever since you arrived in the United States in 1995 for the last 13 years. She's been a gastroenterology nurse and it's working at the Highland Park Hospital in Highland Park, Illinois. Besides her to nursing degrees. She recently passed her test for certification. So she's also a certified nurse.

32:02 Now, how did I get to know her? This is the backstory my mother in her last years was bedridden at home cuz I refuse to put her in a nursing home suffering from diabetes Parkinson's disease and dementia. I needed a dangerous for my mother while I was teaching at Farragut Evelyn was assigned as the dangers. I was impressed by the tender loving care. She gave to my mother she was impressed by my concerns for her especially during the cold Winters when she wasn't used to considering that you grew up in the Philippines one thing led to another and we fell in love at first. I resisted her feelings for me because there were so many differences between us there were differences of Age religion culture interest. Evelyn assured me those differences could be worked out that if we really loved each other we can overcome those differences work them out.

33:01 I'm glad I listened to her for a could have been another disastrous decision disastrous decision. Like the one I cited earlier when I was thinking of leaving teaching until Alvin thankfully talk me out of it Evelyn and I have been married for almost 18 years. She is in Richton expanded my life experiences. I've eaten foods that in the past. I would not even think of eating we've traveled extensively within the United States as well as abroad going to Israel France England. I went with Evelyn back to the Philippines to visit with her parents and relatives.

33:37 I've met many of her friends learning in the process different cultures and Customs during the. From 1997 to 2007. She supported my teaching efforts despite the fact that nights and weekends were taken up with debate tournaments educational conferences marking papers and doing lesson plans Evelyn has encouraged and push me to write a book about my life experiences and or tell my story is I'm doing this afternoon and we have compromised and learn to respect those differences mentioned earlier because love deduct conquer out if two people really work hard at those relationships.

34:19 That make a marriage happy and successful in some I have a zest for life because of Evelyn if I would have made the wrong decision at the very beginning in 1997. My life would have been bearing emotionally intellectually and experientially. I hate to think where I would be now if I had decided to leave teaching in the early 1960s or not, Mary Evelyn in 1997.