Grammy-winning poet J. Ivy praises the teacher who recognized his potential: "My whole life changed"

Thirty years before bright stage lights and sold-out shows became commonplace for Grammy-winning poet J. Ivy he was a high school student struggling in the wake of his parents' divorce, searching for someone to believe in him. That support came in the form of an English teacher who changed his life. 

James Ivy Richardson II had just moved from Chicago's South Side to the city's suburbs with his mother and two brothers. Back then, he was an insecure teenager walking the halls of Rich Central High School. 

Everything changed when he met Paula Argue, who one day told students to write a poem for homework.