Ian V. Rowe | The Question He Asked at Twelve

Ian V. Rowe | The Question He Asked at Twelve

From The Person Who Believed In Me with David Begnaud by Do Good Crew

July 6, 2026 · 1h 22m · Episode 20

About this episode

Ian V. Rowe shares his personal journey and the impact of a teacher who believed in him.

Before Ian Rowe became a visionary educator, senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, founder of Vertex Partnership Academy, and author of the book Agency, he was a 12 year old kid from Queens standing in his family's living room, crying and pleading with his Jamaican immigrant parents to let him stay at a junior high school that was about to become all black after white families fled to a newly created annex. Then Linda Talish, his sixth grade teacher at PS 156 in Laurelton, Queens, gave him something he didn't even know he needed: the courage to challenge his parents for the very first time. In this deeply personal and unguarded conversation, one of education's most influential and controversial voices sits down with David Begnaud to share the story of the woman who believed in him when he was just beginning to believe in himself. Ian opens up about meeting Ms. Talish in sixth grade, a Jewish teacher who talked about her heritage with a certain reverence and pride, even in the midst of racial tension that was tearing apart their small middle class Queens neighborhood. He shares what it was like growing up as the son of parents who came to the United States in 1968…

People in this episode

Host: David Begnaud

Guest: Ian V. Rowe

Topics covered

  • education
  • immigration
  • personal growth
  • racial identity
  • teacher influence

Keywords

  • education
  • immigration
  • personal story
  • teacher influence
  • racial tension

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: American Enterprise Institute, Vertex Partnership Academy

Books & works: Agency

Places: Queens, United States

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