Kimberly Stock of Wilmington, Delaware, has overcome a rocky childhood as a child abandoned in Korea to become her state’s 2021 Teacher of the Year. Photo credit: Delaware.gov.
I enjoy sharing stories about excellent educators who have earned acclaim for their work in the classroom. One of these is Kimberly Stock, a Language Arts teacher in Wilmington, Delaware, who has been named her state’s 2021 Teacher of the Year.
Kimberly teaches Advanced Placement Literature, eleventh grade Language Arts. and oversees English-language acquisition courses at McKean High School in the Red Clay Consolidated School District. In addition to her work in the classroom, Kimberly serves as a District Diversity Champion, where she advocates for students of color in her district. In this role, she has spoken on panels and social justice committees, has led professional learning programs on diversity, and has empowered student leadership through her school’s Student Voices and Cultural Celebrations advisories. In addition, Kimberly has presented at the PENN Teachers of Speakers of Other Languages conference held at Temple University.
This amazing teacher also works as an administrator of the Claymont Community Center, an educational nonprofit. The organization secures partnerships with school districts, other nonprofits, and local agencies to create basic education and GED programs for adult learners. During her tenure there, the center’s adult ESL program served a multitude of immigrant students.
The honored educator has overcome many obstacles to reach this point in her life. As a child in Korea, Kimberly was abandoned. She once confessed that she does not know her actual age, birth place, or given name. “After living with a foster family in Korea, I was adopted by a white family in Nebraska,” Kimberly revealed. “Despite experiencing moments of trauma, racism, illness, loss and death caused by ethnic violence, I have been given new opportunities and second chances,” she said.
Kimberly earned her Bachelor’s degree in Education from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, in 1996. She earned a Master’s degree in Education from the University of Pennsylvania in 2005. There she conducted research on the recruitment and retention of teachers and administrators of color. Additionally, Kimberly earned a Master’s degree in Teaching English as a Second Language from the University of Delaware in 2020. Her work has resulted in a proposed curriculum for a course entitled Methods of Teaching English Learners for all new Delaware educators.
