Word: school
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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Yates teaches in the same third-floor classroom where he once studied geometry. He was raised a short bike ride from the school, graduating in 1985. He moved to Colorado and Texas but returned after marrying, so that he could raise his two children in Webster's small-town atmosphere--and see his students at the pizza parlor or the Krispy Kreme. He doesn't mind when they stop by his house, or hide outside his back door to blast him with water balloons. "I would never teach in a school where I didn't live," he says...
...start of every school year, he gives students a letter in which he tells them that he wants to help them excel, but that the real work is up to them. When he talks about his teaching philosophy, he turns serious. "It's not about the answers you get; it's about the questions you ask," says Yates. "I want them to be curious...
...after nearly a decade of teaching, Yates is worried about going stale. Before school started, he trashed much of the material he had gathered over the years. He makes himself do the same homework he assigns his students. At least two or three times a semester, he invites his astronomy classes to watch meteor showers, or to count planets or, like tonight, to see the moon rise...
...first time he invited the kids to a vacant field, the police showed up to investigate; Yates had forgotten to tell them that he'd be there. Now he limits his excursions to school-district property. Not all the nearly 60 kids here are his students. His outings are not only fun; they are an excuse to stay out late. (Those in his classes must bring written permission from their parents to get the extra-credit points.) Nicole Lopez, a 16-year-old junior who has Yates for fifth period, listens to his every word. "He does what no other...
...ball straight into the fencing. "I'm tired of crying," she mutters. "I'm sick of going to funerals. I'm sick of having to cope with everything and see my friends in pain." Her Webster Groves Stateswomen are preparing for a 4:15 game against Kirkwood High School. Only death keeps getting...