Tag Archives: African American Teachers

Congrats to 2019 National Teacher of the Year: Virginia’s Rodney Robinson!

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I’ve previously written about Chalkboard Champion Rodney Robinson, a high school social studies teacher at the Virgie Binford Education Center in Richmond, Virginia. Rodney works with students who live inside the Richmond Juvenile Detention Center. Clearly I am not the only one inspired by his story, as he was just named the 2019 National Teacher of the Year! Congratulations, Rodney!

To learn more about this remarkable educator, view the video below, aired yesterday on ABC Channel 2 CBS This Morning, where Rodney was interviewed by the show’s anchors, Gayle King, Norah O’Donnell, and John Dickerson:

Beloved educator Derrick Nelson succumbs to bone marrow donation procedure

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Derrick Nelson

Beloved New Jersey principal Dr. Derrick Nelson succumbed last Sunday from complications sustained when he underwent a procedure to donate life-saving bone marrow to a 14-year-old teenage boy in France.

Students and teachers at Westfield Public High School in New Jersey are mourning the loss of their beloved principal, Dr. Derrick Nelson, this week. Derrick passed away last Sunday from complications sustained while he was undergoing a procedure to donate bone marrow. Through the Be the Match organization, the life-saving bone marrow was given to a 14-year-old teenage boy in France.

The educational community has been enriched by the presence of Chalkboard Hero Dr. Derrick Nelson, and his loss will be keenly felt. Students remember their principal for supporting students at games, plays and concerts, and for the impact he left on those around him. “He always tried to inspire students in the classroom and outside to be good people,” expressed Senior Class President Jackson O’Brien in an interview with ABC 7. “And I think he served as a great role model.”  Derrick’s father, Willie Nelson, agrees. “He was the type of guy to take the shirt off his back and give it to you,” Willie remembers. “He was very good at everything he did. He gave 100 percent of his life to education.”

Derrick earned his Bachelor’s Degree at Mass Communications and Media Studies from Delaware State University in 1997. He earned his Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership and Administration at St. Peter’s College in 2003. He earned his Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Administration in Seton Hall University in 2013. Derrick also served 25 years in the US Army Reserves, and had recently re-enlisted. His military service included an assignment in the Middle East.

Medical professionals emphasize that, while any medical procedure carries some degree of risk, death from bone marrow donation procedures are extremely rare.

Rodney Robinson: Virginia’s 2019 Teacher of the Year

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In our country, we are so fortunate that there are many exceptional and inspirational educators in our schools. One of these is Rodney Robinson, a history teacher at Virgie Binford Education Center in Richmond, Virginia. Rodney has been named the 2019 Virginia Teacher of the Year.

Rodney has taught in Richmond Public Schools for 19 years, the last four years at Virgie Binford Binford is a school inside of the Richmond Juvenile Detention Center. Rodney once revealed that he became a teacher to honor his mother, who struggled to earn an education after being denied schooling as a child due to segregation and poverty in rural Virginia. 

For his work with juvenile offenders, Rodney has earned many accolades. In addition to the Virginia Teacher of the Year honor, he garnered  the REB Award for Teaching Excellence. He is a member of Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney’s Education Compact Team, which includes politicians, educators, business leaders, and community leaders, and is working with city leaders and local colleges to recruit under-represented male teachers into the field of education. He has also worked with Pulitzer Award winning author James Foreman on developing curriculum units on race, class, and punishment as a part of the Yale Teacher’s Institute.

Rodney says he is very grateful for the recognition. “I want to thank my students,” Rodney said when he accepted the award, “My students are the most vulnerable kids in society. They have succumbed to the pressure of urban living and made mistakes that they are paying for, but they still persevere and strive for success,” he expressed. “They are my inspiration, and I will fight to my last heart beat for them.”

Rodney earned his Bachelor’s degree in History and his Master’s degree in Educational Administration and Supervision, both from Virginia Commonwealth University.

Teacher Tasha Wilson of Arkansas garners Milken Educator Award

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Tasha Wilson

Milken Educator Award winner Tasha Wilson of Kingsland, Arkansas.

The teaching profession is so fortunate to have so many dedicated and talented educators working in our public schools. One of these is Tasha Wilson, a second grade teacher from Kingsland, Arkansas, who has been named a 2018-2019 Milken Educator Award winner.

Tasha is known for going above and beyond to ensure that her students treat each other with courtesy and respect, and she tolerates no bullying. The gifted educator has a reputation for motivating her students to do their best on their schoolwork, and her little ones say they feel safe to take academic risks they might not feel comfortable with taking in other classrooms. Her students demonstrate exceptional growth on their statewide assessments. Last year, her kids scored 34% higher in math and 37% higher in reading. One of Tasha’s many strengths is teaching the writing process to her young students. At the end of the year, her second graders can write a five-paragraph essay, a skill they will use and build on throughout the rest of their school years. 

Tasha was born in Wilmar, Arkansas. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from the University of Arkansas at Monticello in 2003. She has taught at Kingsland for the entire length of her 14-year career. This is her eighth year as a second grade teacher. 

Tasha says it was her love of reading and learning that compelled her to become a teacher. “This was my calling. This was the only profession that I ever thought I wanted,” Tasha reveals. “I love what I do. For someone to recognize me like this is just the icing on the cake,” she continues.

The Milken Educator Awards has been described by Teacher magazine as the “Oscars of Teaching.” The award has been used to honor exceptional educators over 30 years. Milken Educators are selected in early to mid-career for what they have achieved to date, and for the promise of what they will accomplish as they continue through their careers. In addition to the $25,000 cash prize and public recognition, the honor includes membership in the National Milken Educator Network, a group of more than 2,700 top teachers, principals, and specialists from all over the country who work towards strengthening best practices in education.

To learn more about Tasha Wilson, click on this link: Tasha Wilson.

Eighth grade teacher, poet, and author Elizabeth Acevedo

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Elizabeth Acevedo

Eighth grade teacher, poet, and author Elizabeth Acevedo.

There are many examples of excellent teachers who have earned acclaim in arenas outside the classroom. One of these is Elizabeth Acevedo, an eighth grade schoolteacher who is also a poet and author of young adult novels.

Elizabeth, who identifies as Afro-Latina, was born to parents who immigrated from the Dominican Republican. She was raised in New York. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Performing Arts from George Washington University. She earned her Master’s degree in Fine Arts with an emphasis in Creative Writing from the University of Maryland.

As a 2010 Teach for America Corps participant, Elizabeth went into the classroom following her college graduation. She taught eighth grade in Prince George’s County, Maryland.

Elizabeth’s books include, Beastgirl & Other Origin Myths published in 2016, and With the Fire on High published in 2019. Her first novel, The Poet X (2018), The Poet X, was published in 2018, and instantly became a New York Times Bestseller. The novel won the 2018 Boston Globe-Hornbook Award, the Walter Dean Myers Award for Outstanding Children’s Literature, the 2018 National Book Award for Young People’s Literature, and the 2019 Michael L. Printz Award.

Today, Elizabeth lives in Washington, DC. She is involved in a variety of poetry workshops at high schools and universities. She also works as a visiting instructor at an adjudicated youth center in Washington, DC, where she works with incarcerated women and with teenagers. In addition, she attends a lot of poetry slams as a host or judge, and she was once a coach.

“Being around teenagers all the time makes me aware of the emotional scale that they’re on and how they’re responding to things,” Elizabeth says. “If nothing else, it’s a reminder of how brilliant they are,” she asserts. “Some adults write down to young people, but, if you listen to them, they’ll tell you what they need. Oftentimes, I think they’re more able to handle difficult subjects than we give them credit for,” she concludes.