This reading is available as a PDF or link above.

A teacher might start by sharing the excerpt below and asking students what they think the secret might be. Can they predict what the story is about?

John Corcoran grew up in New Mexico in the US during the 1940s and 50s. One of six siblings, he graduated from high school, went on to university, and became a teacher in the 1960s – a job he held for 17 years. But, as he explains here, he hid an extraordinary secret.

How might you use this text with your students?