Sign up to save your podcasts
Or
Share Episode 32 - Norman Gunn, Jr. (The Curiosity Hour Podcast by Dan Sterenchuk and Tommy Estlund)
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Or
Episode 32 - Norman Gunn, Jr. (The Curiosity Hour Podcast by Dan Sterenchuk and Tommy Estlund)
Season 2, Episode 32 - Norman Gunn, Jr.
Dan Sterenchuk and Tommy Estlund are honored to have as our guest, Norman David Gunn, Jr. Norman was born and raised in downtown Kansas City. He spent his youth living in a string of rental properties owned by shady landlords, public housing and on at least one occasion, a homeless shelter. Not long after the fatal shooting of his eldest sister he dropped out of high school. A white math teacher responded to Norman's request that he be taught things like calculus and trigonometry rather than basic addition and subtraction by informing him that "all of you will be flipping burgers or in jail or end up dead anyway so there's no point in teaching any of you that." That was the final straw for Norman.
He dropped out of high school at the age of 15 and soon find out through a series of tests administered by the GED administrators that he could only read on a 6th grade level. Unable to find anyone to help him improve his reading skills he began figuring out ways to teach himself. He obtained his GED at the age of 16 and enrolled in community college.Norman is the first member of his family to attend college. He graduated with honors from UMKC with a Masters in Social Work in 2012. He is currently employed with the Johnson County Department of Corrections where he strives to be a positive influence and role model for youth in crisis.
In 2016, after being diagnosed with a series of weight related emergency health issues Norman once again taught himself how to survive. Having grown up in a food desert he had never learned how to make healthy food choices. So he created a nutritional plan and taught himself how to cook. Just over a year later he is 146 pounds lighter with a clean bill of health.
Norman lives in South Kansas City on an urban farm he started with his wife of ten years and their 5 children.
The Curiosity Hour Podcast is hosted and produced by Dan Sterenchuk and Tommy Estlund.
Please join our Facebook Group, The Curiosity Hour Podcast, to continue the discussion about this episode online: www.facebook.com/groups/thecuriosityhourpodcast/
If you have any guest suggestions, comments, or feedback, please email us at [email protected].
Disclaimers: The Curiosity Hour Podcast may contain content not suitable for all audiences. Listener discretion advised. The views and opinions expressed by the guests on this podcast are solely those of the guest(s). These views and opinions do not necessarily represent those of The Curiosity Hour Podcast. This podcast may contain explicit language.
Notes:
The brief music at the beginning and end of the podcast is the track, "Trail" on the album "Trail EP" by Nobara Hayakawa. We are using under creative commons license. The artist/publisher does not endorse or approve any of the content of this podcast.
freemusicarchive.org/music/Nobara_Hayakawa/
View all episodes
By The Curiosity Hour Podcast
4.9
4949 ratings
Season 2, Episode 32 - Norman Gunn, Jr.
Dan Sterenchuk and Tommy Estlund are honored to have as our guest, Norman David Gunn, Jr. Norman was born and raised in downtown Kansas City. He spent his youth living in a string of rental properties owned by shady landlords, public housing and on at least one occasion, a homeless shelter. Not long after the fatal shooting of his eldest sister he dropped out of high school. A white math teacher responded to Norman's request that he be taught things like calculus and trigonometry rather than basic addition and subtraction by informing him that "all of you will be flipping burgers or in jail or end up dead anyway so there's no point in teaching any of you that." That was the final straw for Norman.
He dropped out of high school at the age of 15 and soon find out through a series of tests administered by the GED administrators that he could only read on a 6th grade level. Unable to find anyone to help him improve his reading skills he began figuring out ways to teach himself. He obtained his GED at the age of 16 and enrolled in community college.Norman is the first member of his family to attend college. He graduated with honors from UMKC with a Masters in Social Work in 2012. He is currently employed with the Johnson County Department of Corrections where he strives to be a positive influence and role model for youth in crisis.
In 2016, after being diagnosed with a series of weight related emergency health issues Norman once again taught himself how to survive. Having grown up in a food desert he had never learned how to make healthy food choices. So he created a nutritional plan and taught himself how to cook. Just over a year later he is 146 pounds lighter with a clean bill of health.
Norman lives in South Kansas City on an urban farm he started with his wife of ten years and their 5 children.
The Curiosity Hour Podcast is hosted and produced by Dan Sterenchuk and Tommy Estlund.
Please join our Facebook Group, The Curiosity Hour Podcast, to continue the discussion about this episode online: www.facebook.com/groups/thecuriosityhourpodcast/
If you have any guest suggestions, comments, or feedback, please email us at [email protected].
Disclaimers: The Curiosity Hour Podcast may contain content not suitable for all audiences. Listener discretion advised. The views and opinions expressed by the guests on this podcast are solely those of the guest(s). These views and opinions do not necessarily represent those of The Curiosity Hour Podcast. This podcast may contain explicit language.
Notes:
The brief music at the beginning and end of the podcast is the track, "Trail" on the album "Trail EP" by Nobara Hayakawa. We are using under creative commons license. The artist/publisher does not endorse or approve any of the content of this podcast.
freemusicarchive.org/music/Nobara_Hayakawa/