James Franco 'Honors' His High School Teacher: 'You're My Hero'

PALO ALTO, CA — Actor and filmmaker James Franco, who grew up in Palo Alto, is just one among an impressive list of storytellers produced by longtime Palo Alto High School journalism teacher Esther Wojcicki. Now, Franco is returning the favor by helping honor “Woj,” as she is fondly known to students, with a national award.

For her contributions to education, Wojcicki is being celebrated this month by Honored, a nonprofit organization dedicated to elevating teachers across the nation.

For Franco, who returned to “Paly” High to teach alongside his former mentor in 2015, Woj is a hero. In a video tribute, Franco recalls how Woj empowers students to take complete ownership of the nine publications they produce.

“We got to come up with the stories, and we did the layout of the paper,” Franco said. “There were even cases when [our stories] scooped the professional papers.”

Franco says he was deeply impacted by what he calls her “invaluable” instruction style, which he now uses to engage students when teaching classes of his own.

Watch Franco's message:

In addition to Franco, The Economist’s Gady Epstein, senior editor of MIT Technology Review Rachel Metz and Facebook veteran Nik Ajagu also hail from Wojcicki’s journalism program — known to be one of the largest of its kind in the country.

“[Teaching] requires a passion for helping people be the best they can be,” Wojcicki says. “I’m extremely humbled to see my former students flourish long after leaving Palo Alto High School, and it fills me with such gratitude to see them share their gifts with a new generation of storytellers.”

Wojcicki spent several years as a professional journalist herself before turning to teaching at Paly 33 years ago. Under her guidance, the school’s journalism program has won two Webby Awards and has received recognition from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association, the National Scholastic Press Association and Time magazine.

Her former students credit this success to her teaching model that is deeply rooted in trust, respect, independence, collaboration and kindness.

“She’s a kid magnet,” says Kim Diorio, principal of Palo Alto High School. “People feel really connected to her and supported by her.”

The revered teacher is being celebrated this September by Honored. In addition to providing a $5,000 cash grant, Honored spotlights recipients by engaging highly respected writers to articulate the powerful stories that make these educators stand out — an effort designed to help achieve the organization’s mission, according to a news release.

As part of her recognition, Wojcicki’s story will be featured in a profile article by Vanity Fair contributing editor Bethany McLean. In her article, McLean writes:

Woj was unafraid to experiment and ahead of her time, and her passion for teaching has made her beloved by her students. At the core of her belief in the importance of journalism is her conviction that learning to write is a critical skill, because, as she says, “Writing clearly helps you think clearly.” She adds, “The number one thing people do is communicate,” and she ticks off the key lessons, all of them critical to success (and sanity) in the modern world, that you can learn from journalism: Distinguishing fact from fiction. Knowing the source. Getting to the point. Being concise. [Read the full story at Honored.org/honoree/esther-wojcicki.]

While inspiring thousands of students and helping guide the early careers of several stellar journalists and writers, Wojcicki also raised three highly accomplished daughters: Susan Wojcicki, chief executive officer of YouTube; Janet Wojcicki, a Fulbright Scholarship-winning doctor; and Anne Wojcicki, chief executive officer of 23andME.

To learn more about Honored, or to nominate a teacher, go to Honored.org.

Photos and video courtesy of "The MY HERO Project"