Oberlin, Ohio ( Associated Press) – It does not seem hard to say that Kurt Russell was born to be a history teacher.
Inspired by his mother and the influence of teachers since childhood, the 50-year-old Russell spent 25 years teaching history and African-American history outside of Cleveland High School.
Russell is the organization’s best teacher of the year for 2022, the Council of Chiefs of School said on Tuesday. The team has previously named him Ohio Teacher of the Year.
“Kurt’s extensive work demonstrates the power of teachers to shape students’ lives from class to extracurricular activities to basketball,” said CCSSO CEO Carisa Moffat Miller in a statement.
Russell said he would be representing teachers next year and serving as an ambassador for students and teachers across the country.
Frances Toss, a white kindergarten teacher who started his classroom journey, read a book about Pastor Martin Luther King Jr. and he and other students sat in a circle in her classroom.
Russell: “She had the courage to promote cultural literature. “I thought, ‘Wow, he looks like me.’
When the first black male teacher came into the classroom of Larry Thomas, he died as an eighth-grader. Russell said he was impressed by Thomas’ behavior and how he carried himself in class.
Russell said: “There was someone like me in front of the class, who all the kids were enjoying.” “It seems like a lot of fun. It Has Changed My Life ”
His parents, Jerry and Reta Russell, grew up in different schools in Alabama, and in the late 1960s he moved to Aublin, his father for construction work, and his mother to escape the Jim Crow South eclipse.
His mother was a high school student in Linden, Alabama, at the invitation of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., a close friend of King and associate of the civil rights movement Reverend Ralph Abernati. Students left school that day to join the march.
Russell: “That’s the way I like to hear those stories.
A.D. After graduating from Woster College in 1994, he found his “dream job” of teaching in his hometown of Oberlin. During his first year there, he attended the African American History Course at Auburn High School.
In addition to teaching two other general history lessons, Russell and his music teacher produced a series of Black Music in the African Diaspora called Blues, Jazz, and R&B.
He thanked the school administration for supporting the creation of the classroom. “You could say no. We do not need that now, ‘said Russell.
Brent House, the principal of Aublin High School, admired Russell’s work.
Russell is a men’s basketball coach in Aublin. His team finished the season with a 16-6 record and a conference championship. Betts Russell sees the growth of young men as more important than producing basketball players.
“One of the great things about Kurt Russell is that he created a classroom culture. “It has created a culture where everyone has a voice and students can share their thoughts.”
Russell has high expectations and needs academic rigor, Betts said.
“It doesn’t allow them to sit at a low price,” Betts said. “They talk about serious issues.”
When asked about the concept of racial segregation, which was condemned by conservative politicians and analysts, Russell called it “dog whistle.”
“I always tell individuals that I do not teach controversial subjects,” says Russell. “I teach a variety of subjects. There is no dispute about women’s rights or homosexuality.
Last week, Russell led a seminar on African American history, following seminars leading to civil rights movements. A.D. He was falsely accused of raping two white women in Alabama in the 1930s. Flirting with a white woman.
Students were asked to form groups to list the four most important rights of Americans. Russell forcefully led the discussion, and all students agreed that access to the ballot box was a fundamental right.
When Russell asked if the convicted killers had the right to vote, the students could not reach an agreement before the bell rang. When asked about the question, Russell said that the assassins did not have much rights, but he wanted to present the case to the students for consideration.
“That’s hard,” he said with a smile.
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