The Happy Pod: Former teacher celebrated as a crocodile

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1:00Visit BBC.com slash docs to learn more. This is the HappyPod from the BBC World Service. Hello, I'm Oliver Conway and in this edition, I've called it Gala Hadasupas Jones Eye. So Jones Eye notably here honoring Reese Jones my physics teacher. It's such an unexpected privilege and honour to have a crocodile named after me. The physics teacher honoured by one of his former students. The school in Brazil that's transformed itself from one of the worst to one of the best. Plus, when my eyes actually focused in, I thought, oh it's a lick. And then I thought, oh no, where's the rest of the person? You know, I'm looking up the cliff thinking surely someone's not fallen down the cliff. The woman who found a prosthetic leg ten months after it was lost. And performing again after two years of painful silence was simply incredible.

2:03I felt seen and heard for so much more than just my illness. I felt like myself again. The man given back his voice thanks to AI. But we start with a story about an inspiring teacher. 29-year-old Ewan Bodinum is studying for a PhD in physics. And while analysing fossils, he identified a new species of ancient crocodile. When it came to naming it, he decided to honour his school physics teacher, Reese Jones, calling the creature Gala Hadasupas Jones Eye. Here's the moment you and told Mr Jones via a video call. I just had today the first paper of my PhD published. I'm very excited. Yeah, so I'm the first chapter of my thesis is naming a new species of fossil crocodile. Yeah.

3:03And I'm naming it after you. Good, good. What an honour. What a privilege. Fantastic. I'm delighted to hear that. That's very, very kind of you to remember me. Yeah, honestly, you were such like an inspiration in school. I'm welling up a bit. I still am, I'm still here. Well, you and Reese spoke to the happy pod's Holly Gibbs. I think it was something that I was always interested in and sort of, yeah, naturally interested. And but yeah, Mr Jones really sort of like helped me pursue that interest. And Mr Jones, aka Reese, is also here. Reese, what do you remember about you and at school? I think I taught you and for about five years at Cardian's school. He was very serious. Mine did at times. A little bit mischievous at other times. A good sense of humour. But he was always going to succeed at whatever he chose. There was no question in that. So you and talked to us about the species that you have discovered. Yeah, so this species is from the late Triassic

4:08of what is now South West England. Yeah, this is one of the earliest members of the group, crocodile amorphous. So this is like extant crocodiles and their extinct relatives. So one of the earliest members of those. And this is quite ecologically different to crocodiles that we're familiar with today. And so I think people have this perception that crocodiles have always looked the same. But this group has explored a whole array of different ecologies. So I've called it Gala Hadasukas, Jones Eye. So Jones Eye, notably here, honouring Reese Jones, my physics teacher. Reese, how does that feel? Wonderful, of course. It was such an unexpected privilege and honour to have a crocodile named after me. Delighted over the moon about it. How did you find out? It was three o'clock or just before three o'clock on a Friday afternoon. Not a whole lot of teaching going on, to be honest. I think I may even have been drinking a cup of tea and I get a call from the head's office, a report to the head immediately,

5:09which is quite irregular to put it mildly. I was somewhat anxious, made my way straight to the head's office, didn't know what to expect. And there was Ewan's face honour, computer screen, honour zoom meeting, all a bit of a blur to be honest, but then he let me know. And yeah, it's taken a while to sink in. Reese, could you ever have imagined that this would have happened in your teaching career? Good God, no, no. It's, you know, you get the pleasure from teaching, of seeing students go on to be successes in the community and further afield. And that's the greatest reward you think you can get. But something like this goes way above and beyond such things. It's wonderful. And Ewan, what would you say to teachers like Mr Jones, who go on to inspire school children to go and achieve big things? I mean, thank you if they're already doing that. But I think just in terms of what Reese did so well,

6:09is just, yeah, have a real interest in his subject, because that really comes across and helps to inspire. And also just treating the students like adults, showing them sort of respect, keeping a sense of humour. I think that goes like a long way in terms of making students feel valued and helping to inspire them. One of the great things about Ewan coming to school next week, I'll be able to say to the students in my physics lab, the same room he sat in, what 11, or so years ago now, I'll be able to say, he went and bought in them from St. dogmos sat in that chair, and he went on to discover new crocodiles. And I'm sure he will continue to discover many more things in his career ahead of him. It makes it much more accessible to the students we have in our school. They'll be able to think, oh, if he came from Cardigan, if he came from a local village, I can do the same thing. And that's invaluable for me, it makes my job so much easier

7:10if they have the belief that they can actually reach the top. Ewan Bondham and Reese Jones talking to Holly Gibbs. From Mr Jones's classroom to a school in Brazil called Parque dos Sonios or Park of Dreams. Many people had given up on it a decade ago, but it's now gone on to win a prestigious international award, all thanks to the man who reluctantly took the job of head teacher. The BBC's root pinner has been to visit. When we got there, all the computers from the computer room had been stolen. And every day I would think, why am I going to find there? What's going to happen today? That's Maria de Lourdes de Lima, a teacher at Parque dos Sonios, a public school which once faced constant breakings, theft and violence. But now it has been recognized as one of the best in the world. It sits between Latin America's largest port,

8:14Santos and the steep mountains of Sejadamar. In the early 2010s, the city ranked among the most violent in the state, because it was often used for drug routes. And the school was known for being dangerous, as it was completely exposed to local drug trade. As a result, the school was subject to breakings and vandalism. Hages Marquis was invited to become principal because of his experience dealing with challenging schools environments. Half of the students have requested transfers because they didn't want to study here, because of the violence, because of the assaults. Hages set up a big goal to turn the school into the best in the region within five years. He pitted the project as a way to give it back. He argued that education is the best to transform the community and create a fairier society. The full-time school introduced 23 projects,

9:15including sports, journalism, and theatre. Is there a student? At first, I thought it was just going to be the classroom, so I didn't like it very much, but then things started to grow. The school got new projects, and today it's really cool, because we're not just stuck in the classroom. There are lots of other spaces. But the most transformative product came from a simple decision. Teachers began making regular visits to students' homes. At the same time, we started working on listening to the students, having a more humanized perspective, really focusing on them. What moves me is seeing this entire process, this transformation, understanding how the school can be a point of change. Last year, the hard work paid off. The school, parking the soy, is one that roads past school price, in the overcoming a diversity category.

10:18It starts you from remembering it well. It was very emotional. People were crying. I was extremely happy, really, really happy, when we found out we were ranked number one. While it made me want to cry, it was so emotional, so emotional. And the transformation that brought the award home also had an impact on student performance. This school's official score, more than the vote, a significant improvement, even if they aren't at the very top of the state's ranks yet. Last year, parking the soy, served more than 530 elementary school students. This year, it will also begin offering high school. A new chapter, very cool, once considered impossible to save. Imagine a school here in 2016. Imagine a school that was about to close in 2016, because it didn't have enough students.

11:19And by 2026, we'll be starting the year with 1,200 students. It's inspiring. Rude Pinyat, Rob Porting. A 69-year-old woman has been reunited with her prosthetic leg 10 months after she lost it. Brenda Ogden was braving her first ever open water swim off the east coast of England when a wave knocked her off her feet. And the prosthesis washed away. Her custom-made titanium blade was eventually found more than 20 kilometers away. Jake Zuckerman takes up the story. Oh, wow. Oh, thank you so much. This was the moment Brenda Ogden got her leg back. It all started 10 months ago here on the beach at Bridlington. Brenda was looking forward to her first swim with the flambra flippers, but as she entered the water, disaster struck. A huge wave just come and knocked me off my feet. And I just fell completely over.

12:20And when I tried to stand up, I realised it was gone. Brenda fell and I saw her leg drift off. And as I went to grab it, a wave came and took it. And yeah, never seen again. Despite everyone's best efforts, there was no sign of the leg. Small children were looking for it. Old people were looking for it. Dogs were looking for it. Everyone was looking for it. Nobody found it. It seemed the leg had gone for good. Until Lizzie, a fossil hunter, was out combing the shoreline at Hornsea when she came across something a little unusual. I looked at the cliff and I saw who did a double day. I was like, that was weird. So I went across and had a look. When my eye is actually focused in, I thought, it's a leg. And then I thought, oh no, where's the rest of the person? I'm looking up the cliff thinking surely someone's not fallen down the cliff. Thanks to social media, the two were quickly connected. And after 10 months, kicking about at the bottom of the North Sea,

13:21the leg is now finally back with Brenda. It's really, really, really lovely, because it was something I'd never thought I'd see again. And you get very attached to things. You know, this is part of my body. You know, it's one of my legs without it. You're not going anywhere, are you? Brenda can't wait to get back in the sea. And the rest of the flambora flippers help to celebrate with a bottle of bubbly. Don't get legless. Jank Suckerman reporting. Still to come on this podcast? I had a heart transplant June 2024. And after the heart transplant, I joined this exercise session. It's helped me lot, physically and emotionally. The Pilates class that's gone viral for helping men over the age of 50.

14:22I'm Steve Rosenberg, the BBC's Russia editor. In Our Man in Moscow, I'll show you what it's like being a news correspondent in Russia as the Russian authorities wage war on Ukraine and try to silence dissent. The sound of war has reverberated around Ukraine for three years. Dramatic geopolitical upheaval alongside threats of intimidation and imprisonment. Our Man in Moscow. Watch with the subscription to BBC.com and the BBC app. Visit BBC.com slash docs to learn more. This message comes from Schwab. At Schwab, how you invest is your choice, not theirs. That's why when it comes to managing your wealth, Schwab gives you more choices. You can invest and trade on your own. Plus get advice and more comprehensive wealth solutions to help meet your unique needs. With award-winning service, low costs and transparent advice, you can manage your wealth, your way at Schwab. Visit Schwab.com to learn more.

15:24This is not the future we were promised. Like hell that out for a tagline for the show. From the BBC, this is the interface, the show that explores how tech is rewiring your week and your world. This isn't about quarterly earnings or about tech reviews. It's about what technology is actually doing to your work and your politics, your everyday life and all the bizarre ways people are using the internet. Listen on BBC.com or wherever you get your podcasts. Next on the HappyPod, police officers in the US state of Kentucky searching for a missing child last month were helped by an unexpected hero. As they conducted door-to-door inquiries, the team from the Louisville Metro Police Department were approached by a dog. The animal eventually led them to the missing three-year-old. The police department has since released body cam footage of the dog, Frankie McCammley has the story.

16:24A police helicopter joins officers on the ground in Louisville, Kentucky to search for a missing three-year-old boy. The search captured on body camera footage shows police going door-to-door, asking neighbors if they'd seen the little boy, but he's nowhere to be found. Then a dog appears. There's a dog. Where's he at? Let's go. He gets officer Josh Thompson's attention and signals that he wants the police officer to follow him. It led me all the way back to the backyard. At that point, I'm thinking, okay, this kid's in the backyard. Officers search a garage, but find nothing. The dog then runs over to a vehicle in the same back garden and sits by it. The dog went right to the back bumper. Check the rear. Goes the back bumper to set there. Officers' story follows him. He's right here. Grab and pull it. There we go. The police managed to pull the door of the SUV open to get the child out. Here's Officer Thompson again. He jumped at a car bare hugged my neck and wouldn't let go. Good job, buddy. The child was unharmed and has since been reunited with his family.

17:27All thanks to those police officers and a hero dog. I don't know where the dog came from, but it was a blessing from God that day. Frankie McCammley with that report. Now time for some Pilates with a twist. One, two, that's it. Keep it moving. Come on, get grandad to do it properly. And then down and rest. Well, this particular class has been viewed millions of times on social media. It's aimed at men over the age of 50 and it's put on by leaders at a mosque in the north of England. The BBC's Kathy Minton has been along to find out more. Prayers in mosque, a routine for spiritual well-being, but what of physical and mental health? Well, don't worry. This mosque has got that covered too. One, two, that's it. Keep it moving. Yeah. At the Jamiya, Usmania mosque in Bradford men come for the prayers

18:28and stay for the Pilates. Classes are intended for men over 50 and they're proving popular. So popular that this video on TikTok has had two million views. We are shocked, to be honest, it's gone worldwide. We've had nearly two million views on TikTok and a lot of views on Facebook as well. And we've had comments from as far as America. Indonesia and Malaysia. People are asking, how do we do this in mosques across the world? I think for men, you know, when younger men, they're more into bodybuilding, body image. As the men grow older, into the 50s, 60s, this less opportunities for them. And the mosque was an ideal opportunity, a comfortable environment. And you don't have to wear, you know, tracksuit bottoms, wherever. You can train in traditional clothing. That's what it made it more comfortable. And a more appealing to the older men to come on.

19:32Come on, get your granddad to do a proper job. And then down and rest. I had a heart transplant June 2024. And after the heart transplant, I joined this exercise session. It helped me lot physically and emotionally. And also, with this session I met a lot of new people. And some people are my best friends now. I suffer from sciatica and lower back. And obviously, this is helping. And also, you meet and socialize as well. So, obviously, when you get the people like 87 and 60, obviously, we're young. So, I mean, if we can do it, so should anybody else be able to do it as well? For my own personal point of view, obviously, I feel much better. Mentally, physically. And I've seen the same change with some of the other people I've taken part in that. With plans for Mosque Pilates classes for women in the future too, it's a healthy movement that's worth shouting about.

20:36Kathy Minton there. Tobangladesh and a community centre giving carers a space where they can feel looked after and meet others in a similar situation. The charity Careers Worldwide was set up in 2012 to support unpaid family carers. The BBC's Tachmead Childry has been to one of the centres near Dhaka. It is a one-story building with a large common space and what looks like an office room. Around 20 carers and volunteers are playing board games such as Ludo and Karam with their children while singing both in English and Bangla. My name is Moinul Islam and look after the Karar project. We have initiated this program in Banglaadesh first. The action from the Karars and from their family, from the community, it was really mixed. Now they are family also very positive because of that they realise that Karars, they have also flat form in their community. I have spoken to some of the mothers here. Hena and Mariam both have daughters with physical disabilities.

21:42When I was at home, I thought mine was the only child like this and that there were no other such children in the world. I always thought I was just a mother that all the responsibilities were mine, alone and no one else's. But after coming here, my husband also cares a lot now, which wasn't the case before. This happened after coming to the centre. When my daughter was born, everyone was blaming me. My husband, my family and the people around me. Everyone said the problem was because of me that she is disabled. Then I came here, talked to everyone and shared my sorrows. So our mental pressure has decreased, we stay happy. I now understand that yes, we are also Karars, we have responsibility.

22:46Taking care of this girl gives me an identity, just as those who work our employees, we are now Karars, we have respect and the name. The centre supports around 20 Karars full time, but almost 100 other families can access it when there are events or just for advice. Mohinul, who runs the project centre, says most of them are women. In our one study, we have seen that 85% Karars are females and most of them are mother. So besides their caring responsibility, now they find out the Karars have their own life. They can participate, they can raise their voice. So Karars' life are changed. So it was the Karars from the beginning, it was totally invisible. Now they are visible. There are six centres like this across Bangladesh. There are also similar centres now in Nepal and India with plans to expand and help Karars and other countries.

23:47Tommy Childry in the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka. And for more stories like this, search for people fixing the world, wherever you get your BBC podcasts. Finally, we often hear about the downsides of AI, but our next story highlights a more uplifting side with artificial intelligence used to bring back one man's dream. That's folk singer Patrick Darling. The song was recorded four years ago, but he's since lost his singing voice through motor neurone disease. Patrick has recently returned to the stage, though, with a new voice generated by AI. Rajini Vidyanathan spoke to Patrick, as well as his bandmate, his speech therapist and his mother. Patrick answered using his AI voice. Singing was something that I considered to be such a hugely important piece of my identity.

24:49The grief that came from realizing all of that was being stripped away from me was completely overwhelming. I often felt like there wasn't much point to me being here if I couldn't sing. Performing again after two years of painful silence was simply incredible. I felt seen and heard for so much more than just my illness. I felt like myself again. It will forever be one of the most special experiences of my life. And how did you feel when you heard your AI voice for the very first time? I was amazed at how life-like and realistic it was. It sounded so human. It was like hearing the real me again, and with it came a whirlwind of emotions.

25:49That's the voice of Patrick there. Well, let's bring in his mum Leslie and bandmate Nick Cocking to start with. Leslie, you're with Patrick at the moment, as you speak to us so Nick, you're all together at Patrick's house. How does it feel now to hear your son's singing voice again? Emotional. It's wonderful to hear him singing again, but also the, as you can imagine, it's quite upsetting as well for us, but we're so proud of him. Can't tell you how much we're just bursting with pride. Indeed, and Nick, let me bring you in. I know you're with other members of the band as well. As a band who's performed together for years and then that diagnosis that Patrick got, I'm sure there were moments where you thought that you'll never be able to make music together, and now you are, and that's a wonderful, wonderful place to be, isn't it? It's surreal, if I'm perfectly honest with you. I'd said it was too long a year since Patrick last sang on stage with a live performance in the band, and things were pretty hard for us

26:55all, but then obviously for Patrick more than anybody. When Patrick sent me the track with the vocal and the guitar on, it took me half a dozen times just to get past the first two words, because it was just far too emotional, but it's been amazing. It's been really amazing. Well, let's bring in Richard Cave, a speech therapist who helped design Patrick's AI voice. Listeners will wonder, well, how do you create a voice through AI? I mean, just going back to basics, how do you start? This is just an example of AI for good, and the way that we managed to make it work was that we have some, that 11 labs have some technology where you can take a snippet of an earlier recording, and Patrick very kindly gave me a recording of a song that he sang in his kitchen playing with his acoustic guitar. It was not recording quality, and it was quite short. It was burning a few minutes long, and so we used that, and we uploaded it, and it just took a

27:56hour or so to create the voice. And Patrick's voice was not perfect. It was a bit husky at times, and he hit most of the notes, but he missed something slightly. It was just a song for himself. And the most beautiful thing was that when this AI voice got created just a few moments later, really, the AI voice was slightly husky at times, and it didn't hit all the notes perfectly all the time. Wow, so it didn't make it sort of quote-unquote perfect. It made it authentic. Yes, it made it human. And perfection is not what we want here. Humanity and authenticity is. Yeah, let me bring Leslie in, Patrick's mom. For Patrick, it's definitely given him a renewed career now as well. Yes, it has, and then it's really uplifted in spirit. Patrick, Leslie, Nick, and Richard speaking to Reginae Vidianathan. And we thought we'd end with some

29:02of Patrick's music. That's all from the happy pod for now. You can contact us on globalpodcast at bbc.co.uk. This edition was mixed by Tom Bartlett and produced by Holly Gibbs, our editors Karen Martin. I'm Oliver Conway. Until next time, goodbye. Yes, yes, yes, yes.