Washington Post education reporter Laura Meckler takes listeners behind the reporting for her story “The test of their lives,” in which she spent months watching a public-school teacher and his students confront the challenges of life without a classroom.

Behind the story: ‘The test of their lives’

Engaging stories, important issues, new perspectives. All Told is about people -- about the struggles and triumphs of those living inside some of the biggest issues facing our country, about those whose stories rarely get told, and about what it means to be human in today's world. In 2020, All Told shared a special series of firsthand stories from Americans living through the coronavirus pandemic.

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The world is looking to Timothy Sheahan for hope. He’s a virologist at UNC-Chapel Hill leading the effort to develop a coronavirus vaccine—and fast. He shared recordings of a week in his life, from May 28 to June 3, for this series finale.

'There's no end in sight to this'

Amid Washington protests, Dr. Yetunde Patrick reopened her dentist office — juggling COVID-19 concerns and staff shortages while watching her city burn and teaching her son about his blackness. She shared recordings with The Post from May 28 to June 3.

‘We just had one of our many talks about being a black boy in America’

A massive dam failure in Midland, Mich., left an entire community literally underwater during the coronavirus pandemic. Jacob May, a high school senior who saw the devastation ravage his hometown, shared recordings with The Post from April 25 to May 23.

‘Midland is trending on Twitter, and Donald Trump is tweeting about us’

With her college graduation canceled, Rachel Leach had to process the significance of her achievement in solitude — revisiting memories of her journey out of poverty. She shared recordings with The Post from May 9 to 18.

Behind the story: ‘The test of their lives’

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