The week's good news: November 19, 2020

It wasn't all bad!

A classroom.
(Image credit: iStockphoto)

1. Woman reunites with 1st grade teacher who taught her to speak English 40 years ago

Ana Reyes couldn't remember her first grade teacher's name, but she never forgot her kindness. Reyes, 46, immigrated to Louisville, Kentucky, after living in Spain and Uruguay. Her teacher, Pat Harkleroad, noticed Reyes was struggling due to the language barrier, and immediately set up one-on-one English lessons. "I've thought about that countless times over the years," Reyes told People, adding, "I know I was incredibly lucky." Reyes recently asked the Kentucky Department of Education for help tracking down Harkleroad, and on Friday, after both tested negative for COVID-19, they reconnected. "Being able to say thank you to someone who changed my life felt so meaningful and uplifting," Reyes told People. Reyes graduated from Harvard Law and earned a master's in international public policy from Johns Hopkins University. Now an attorney, Reyes told People she was inspired by Harkleroad to help others, and represents refugees, pro bono.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.