22. Inspiring Bill Strickland

Back in the 1960s, Bill Strickland was a listless teenager but life as he knew it was about to change forever.

One afternoon, while skipping class, something caught his eye - the door to one of the art rooms was ajar and he could hear the whirring of a potters wheel. Stopping a moment to take a look, Bill beheld a sight that would change the course of his life. At the wheel was a ceramics teacher, Mr Frank Ross, spinning a lump of clay into a beautiful bowl. He was witnessing a profound metaphor - he could make his life into something beautiful as Mr Ross made bowls from clay.

Mr Ross had lit a fuse within Bill. He went onto university and eventually set up the Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild, an afterschool arts programme in his neighbourhood of North Side, Pittsburgh. The programme is designed to intercept the often difficult lives of teenagers in the area, to put them on a path toward a positive future with the help of inspirational teachers.

And it works. Thousands of kids come through the programme each year and Bill’s work has been recognised by the White House, among others.

Matthew Syed explores how teachers have the power to transform the world, one student at a time. It’s a big responsibility taken seriously by the likes of history teacher Shalina Patel. Shalina goes beyond the textbooks to engage her students.

Professor Sarah-Jayne Blakemore explains why adolescence is such a formative time in terms of brain development and suggests we reconsider the way we talk about and teach teenagers.

Presenter: Matthew Syed Producer: Claire Crofton Series Editor: Katherine Godfrey Music, Sound Design & Mix: Rob Speight Theme music by Ioana Selaru A Novel production for BBC Radio 4