Famed teacher entertains
Published: October 27, 2006
Ron Clark was right at home Thursday with an after-school group at the Boys & Girls Club. The former teacher of the year danced and laughed with the students who, at first, seemed taken aback by the antics of this stranger in a suit and tie.
Clark, who was Disney’s American Teacher of the Year in 2000, was the keynote speaker at the fourth annual Futures 4 Kids gala, which benefits the Boys & Girls Clubs of Hall County.
But Clark’s comic mannerisms, which he used to gain the attention and respect of disadvantaged students in both North Carolina and New York City’s Harlem community, were included later that evening in his remarks at the gala.
His story recently was chronicled in a made-for-TV movie on the TNT cable network starring Matthew Perry as Clark.
Clark, who was named a “Phenomenal Man” by talk show host Oprah Winfrey, has made two appearances on her top-rated talk show. The first came after a call to his New York apartment, and his immediate reply was “Oprah who?”
However, Winfrey’s glowing endorsement of “The Essential 55,” Clark’s collection of 55 rules for the classroom, catapulted the book to the top of the charts. The book is a New York Times bestseller and is in its 11th printing.
He did not miss an opportunity to express his concern about the current direction of education.
“All across the country, teachers are teaching to the test,” Clark said. “It’s all about worksheets, and kids are bored.”
Clark said that creativity in the classroom works.
“We try to show that you can be creative and innovative and not only do you raise test scores, but you’re setting a good example. If we don’t, we’re going to end up with a society of adults who test well but don’t want to be lifelong learners,” he said.
Clark currently is in the process of opening a private school in Atlanta for students from low-wealth areas. He said he plans to open the school in January.
Perry, the Emmy award-winning actor who portrayed Clark, is among those serving on the new school’s board of directors.
Also recognized at the event was Michael Holeman, the club’s Youth of the Year.
Holeman, 17, a senior at Gainesville High, is the son of Terrence and Joy Holeman.
Barkley Geib, who has donated pontoon boats as a prize for the club’s annual “Rubber Duck Derby” was the recipient of the Helping Hands Award, which is presented annually to an individual, group or organization which has offered outstanding service to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Hall County.
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