Martin Luther King once said, "Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?"

We can't think of more serving human beings in 2020 than our front line workers which now most assuredly include our school teachers.

Working longer hours and in abnormal conditions, most teachers in Texas and throughout the nation have discovered they have to push their personal envelopes for creativity and engaging instruction to best educate their classrooms for both online and in-person teaching.

If you've ever wondered how much heart teachers truly give to others, you need to look no further than the 2019-2020 school year.

In Texas especially, teachers have overcome great obstacles including not just the pandemic closures of school, but mother nature as well.

Texas teachers have gone above and beyond and during these trying times, with dedicated educators like Dallas ISD teacher Eric Hale making history, giving back to others, especially our children, has perhaps never been more rewarding.

“So they’ve dealt with ICE raids, to a natural disaster, to a pandemic. And through all that, my school is still an A-ranked school,” Hale said in an interview provided by KHOU-11. I'm just trying to be a big part of the rebuild" Eric Hale, offered humbly.

Featured on TED-X Talks, during his speech about growing up and overcoming trauma with the help of his 7th-grade social studies teacher, Eric Hale offers that, "You can be poor but rich with love."

"I am only here because of the light of ONE person who saw some good in me." Hales offers in tears" on the floor of the TEDx stage." His presentation below is incredible.

Eric Hale has been an elementary teacher for over a decade, loving every minute of his work and putting his heart and soul into his job, especially during these unprecedented times and Wednesday he made history by being honored by the Texas Association of School Administrators and Texas Association of School BoardTexas's Elementary Teacher of the Year for 2021.

He is the first African American male in history to do so.

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Moved to tears during his formal virtual awards presentation, Eric Hale offers that his students are the real champions. Eric teaches at Dallas ISD’s Burnet Elementary, which estimates that 99% of their students are economically disadvantaged with the total school population being 96% Hispanic.

He calls his classroom the "Classroom of Champions," but we know just by the interviews we've seen of Texas's first African American male teacher of the year, Mr. Eric Hale, his classroom of champions is lead by a true classroom hero.

" Regardless of your circumstances, you have the right, the privilege, to be a champion in everything that you do." - Eric Hale

Thank you Eric Hale for all you do to serve others.

 

October 5th is World Teacher's Day. Perhaps now is a good time to thank our teachers for all that they give.

20 Words and Phrases That Are So 2020

 

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