The Dewey Awards are all about honoring the teachers who make a difference in our lives. Every year, charter leaders, students, and parents across the country enter their written and video submissions celebrating exceptional teachers. Named for Mr. Richard Dewey, a teacher who made a difference in the life of CSC’s founder, three entries are awarded a grant of $1000 to a charter school of their choice. Although we only select three winners, each of the entries is inspiring and worth sharing; this week we bring you a moving written entry submitted by Dottie Abshire celebrating her teacher, Ms. R.

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Submission: 

Charter School Capital
Dewey Awards 2022
Ms. R 

School: World Compass Academy
Nominated by Dottie Abshire

I had the great privilege of volunteering in the library for the Scholastic Book Fair in September, and got to know Mrs. R during my volunteering time. The Scholastic Book Fair, with fresh, new books, brought much joy, and some sadness, to students at World Compass Academy. Children with funds provided by parents purchased books galore (and a few knickknacks) and hurried to find a spot to examine their treasures more closely.

However, on occasion, there would be a student who lacked enough funding to get the books he or she wanted.

I am painfully familiar with the crushing disappointment of attending a book fair without enough money. My parents encouraged us to check books out of the library, but owning a book of my own was not really a priority. As a volunteer at WCA’s Book Fair, I encountered a few students in a similar situation, and I prepared to make their experience different from my own.

The first student in this situation was quite young, only 6 years old or so, and desperately wanted a graphic novel that was a few pennies over his budget. I was sorting out his change when Mrs. R appeared at my shoulder. Already tuned into her students’ needs, Mrs. R immediately stepped in behind the counter and took over the exchange. Without hesitation or announcing her actions, Mrs. R discretely opened her wallet and supplied whatever amount the child needed. She rung him up with a smile, bagged his book and handed him the receipt.

Repeatedly, I watched Mrs. R open her wallet, and add all her change and plenty of cash, or create discounts to ensure every student who wanted a book was able to purchase one. She contributed well over $100 of her own money to the registers during the week-long event.

Afterwards, I discovered that these acts of generosity are commonplace for Mrs. R, whose husband always asks her how much they’ve “spent” at each annual Book Fair. I believe this type of character, one who values the opportunities that reading provide for children, who stays connected to her students to know their needs, and who sacrifices so much of themselves for the sake of others, should be amply rewarded.

The Dewey Awards are all about honoring the teachers who make a difference. Every year, charter leaders, students, and parents across the country enter their written and video submissions celebrating exceptional teachers. Named for an excellent teacher, Mr. Richard Dewey, three entries are awarded a grant of $1000 to a charter school of their choice. Although only three winners are selected, each of the entries is inspiring and worth sharing. This week, we’re sharing an entry submitted by Ashley Means celebrating all she’s learned from Mr. Anthony Williams.  

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Submission: 

Charter School Capital
Dewey Awards 2022
Mr. Anthony Williams 

School: Maryland International school for sustainability and technology
Nominated by Ashley Means

I would like to nominate Mr. Anthony Williams for the Dewey Awards 2022 For the Teachers Who Change Our Lives. He is the CEO, Founder, and a great teacher of BEACON House Inc which encompasses Lil’ STEAMERS and Maryland International School of Sustainability and Technology.

I have known Anthony since 2017 when I showed up at his doorstep at BEACON House Inc, physically, mentally, and emotionally depleted from an abusive relationship. I walked in to become a volunteer to nurse myself back to health from that event, so that I could gain enough strength to re-enter the workforce. I walked out hired. I was terrified.

I walked out hired and terrified as an eventual part time AmeriCorps Member to work for his nonprofit, a STEAM educational organization. This organization brought education and experiences to children in the community who didn’t and don’t have typical access to such education. Even though I was hired, and an adult, I was still his student.

We used my credits I had gotten from what little college I could afford through life; I was 33 years old at the time, mixed with classes Mr. Williams paid for, I quickly became a classroom teacher studying under him as an AmeriCorps Member. With Mr. Williams I learned everything from teaching school age children, fundraising, how to work new age technology, curriculum, to tactics with children who needed that extra love. He was the person I needed when I was younger. He was and is the person young people need.

I say he was the person I needed when I was younger because as a child, I grew up very poverty stricken. I was born in Western New York, to two Taxicab Drivers. I lived in an actual “hood”, yes that’s the actual name of the area I was born into and spent half my life in. My single mother moved my brother, her, and myself to a suburb when I was 9. At 14 I was granted emancipation as I took my mother to court and proved her unfit. I slipped between foster care and the town police “left me alone” as long as I held a job and stayed in school. So, I was homeless and bounced from house to house. I stayed in school, kept a job as a server but I really needed a teacher like Mr. Williams back then, to learn from and look up to. Maybe even as a guide to a way out.

Fortunately, he did that for me at 33! Hey! Better late than never, right? Anthony has an amazing education mixed with experience with teaching in different regions and even other countries. I knew he was a man to watch and listen to. And I was right! Because of his leadership in how to be a teacher, I became a Certified Classroom Age Teacher, CPR and Med Certified, a two term AmeriCorps Member, a director of a program of his named STEAMWORKS, a Fundraising Committee Chair, on a Board of Directors, and eventually the CEO of my own business. Even to this day, I still work full time with Mr. Williams as a Resource Developer and Administrative Manager at his private school named Maryland International School of Sustainability and Technology. That is just one aspect of the nonprofit he has built based upon his knowledge and vision.

Everyday we work with children like me. Children coming from broken or poverty-stricken homes, especially given the city of Hagerstown’s demographics. Everyday because of this man, Mr. Anthony Williams, a child Is fed properly, a child is given the tools for self-worth and self-esteem, a child is getting an education beyond what the public school system offers. Not just a child… children… plural. He does this by applying for Grants and Scholarships for parents who are working or going to school, to keep tuition affordable. Every single day he is giving a child like I, myself was, and many children alike, hope. Not only is he doing this at the child level, but he is still doing it even for children with less opportunities who grow into 33-year-old adults with less opportunities.

Mr. Williams not only taught me and teaches many others daily with his knowledge and his example, but he makes other great teachers in this world from the help and inspiration of representing “Teachers Who Change Our Lives”. He changes lives and helps create others who are and will do the same, by leading by example and spreading his hard-earned education to the less fortunate. 

The Dewey Awards are all about honoring the teachers who make a difference in our lives. Every year, charter leaders, students, and parents across the country enter their written and video submissions celebrating exceptional teachers. Named for Mr. Richard Dewey, a teacher who made a difference in the life of CSC’s founder, three entries are awarded a grant of $1000 to a charter school of their choice. Although we only select three winners, each of the entries is inspiring and worth sharing; this week we bring you a moving written entry submitted by April Holthaus celebrating her teacher, Mrs. Kehr.  

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“My eight year old recently shared a story with me about how powerful words can be. From a video he watched he said, the teacher took out a piece of paper and told his student to throw insults at it. Words such as, “”You’re not good enough. “”You’re ugly.”” Etc. The teacher then proceeded to crumple up the piece of paper and then asked the students to apologize to it. They did as requested, then he opened the paper back up and asked if the paper looked the same. They shook their head because what once was a flat, pristine sheet of useable paper as now bent and wrinkled. 

Growing up, my parents divorced when I was young, and we moved…a lot. From third grade to high school, I had gone to nine different schools and I was always the new girl. The girl who would show up in the middle of the school year. The girl who wasn’t a part of some already established friend group. The girl who got teased because of the clothes I wore or the way I had my hair. The quiet girl. The lonely girl. The girl without a friend.  

Bouncing from school to school, made it difficult not only to make friends, but retain any of the material being taught. I did horrible in math. Horrible in reading. And overall, I had no enjoyment in learning. In truth, I even failed fifth grade, but due to moving from school district to district so many times, it was never caught and I was enrolled into sixth grade without having to repeat fifth all over again. That is when I made a decision to move out of my dad’s and in with my aunt who had a stable home so that I could go to the same school for middle school and high school. A decision I thought made sense but made it all the more difficult.  

My extended family often ridiculed me. Telling me that I wouldn’t amount to much. That I’d most likely never graduate and wind up a teenage pregnant statistic. That I’d never go to college because we were too poor and I wasn’t smart enough. I was still the quiet girl in high school, but I used my creative writing class with an amazing teacher, Mrs. Kehr, as an outlet. In the class, we were able to write our own stories and journal entries so I wrote about my life and difficulties. Mrs. Kehr was very moved by my stories and thought I had put into them. She believed in me and told me that I was a writer. I told her that I’d never get into college because of money and that my grades were bad, and she took me under her wing. She helped me find scholarships, small amounts, but ones I qualified for and in which I had become a recipient for three of them in total. She even signed me up to tour colleges. And I knew that my goal and focus was to prove everyone wrong. My family. Old friends. Old classmates. I was going to prove to them that I was going to be somebody someday. 

I look at my life now and those in my past, and I have proven to them and myself that I could go far. I now have a great career. I have self-published twelve books with many more to come. And now I have a family of my own. I think Mrs. Kehr would be proud of the person I have become. While I had no one on my side for support, she dared me to dream. But without the love, motivation and support she had shown me and taken real interest in me, I may have ended up just being that crumpled up piece of paper.” 

The Dewey Awards are all about honoring the teachers who make a difference in our lives. Every year, charter leaders, students, and parents across the country enter their written and video submissions celebrating exceptional teachers. Named for Mr. Richard Dewey, a teacher who made a difference in the life of CSC’s founder, three entries are awarded a grant of $1000 to a charter school of their choice. Although we only select three winners, each of the entries is inspiring and worth sharing; this week we bring you a story celebrating the Ms. Kanis of Doral Academy Pebble Campus.  

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Sent by Jasmine and Bizi Bedi 

Watch the video to see this heartwarming portrait of the “magic” Ms. Kanis has. “She completely changed Bizi’s life…Bizi thrived…she became excited about school…” 

Every year, we are happily inundated with stories told by students and charter school supporters all over the nation. Since 2017, Charter School Capital has invited written and video submissions celebrating exceptional teachers. Named the Dewey Awards—after Mr. Richard Dewey, a teacher close to our hearts at CSC—these stories speak about teachers who provided exceptional mentorship. Although we only select three winners, each of these stories is worth sharing. This week we bring you a video made by Anisha Nadiminti about her teacher Mrs. Laurie Parker of Princeton Charter School in New Jersey. 

Anisha describes her teacher: “She taught me so much math…I love when she smiles at me…she cares about us…”  

It’s heartwarming to see such love for a teacher! Click the link below to watch the rest of her inspiring story about the first day of kindergarten.  

Learn more about the Dewey Awards here and check out the 2022 Dewey Award Winners.

 

To celebrate the teachers who change the course of our lives, the 2022 Dewey Awards invited stories of teachers as change-makers. You all submitted amazing stories of teachers who taught you to think outside the box, teachers who helped you overcome learning and personal challenges, and teachers who helped you perceive yourselves in a new light.  

The review board was truly moved by all of your submissions, so choosing the winners was no easy task. Among nearly 200 submissions, here are the three winners of the 2022 award. Congratulations to the winners, who will all receive a $1,000 grant to their charter school of choice!

Announcing the 2022 Dewey Winners - Darian Jones

Author: Darian Jones

Nominated: Mrs. Esquirido Braddy, Retired

School of Choice: Sankore Prep Charter School

Announcing the 2022 Dewey Winners - Chris Vanderhorst

Author: Chris Vanderhorst

Nominated: Mr. Dmitry Kogan

School of Choice: Ivy Academia Charter School

Author: Lisa Griffin

Nominated: Ms. Dana O’Neill

School of Choice: Stargate Charter School

“Growing up, I never really respected my school’s PE teachers and coaches. I thought they represented toxic masculinity and a system that prioritized sports over academics, the strong over the weak and bullying over empathy or inclusivity.  

And then something happened. My 6th grade son came home from school one day and told me he had been one of the last three kids to finish his PE class’ required mile run. He said he was puffing for air, trying to decide whether he was more likely to die of a heart attack or humiliation when he heard the cheers. His PE teacher, Ms. Dana O’Neill had lined up every student in class and asked them to celebrate the slower runners, to think about how they would feel if they had finished last. Instead of feeling shame for his failure, my son felt pride in his accomplishment, all because a remarkable teacher asked a bunch of middle schoolers to choose kindness. 

That day marked a turning point for my son. It was the beginning of a realization that he didn’t have to be limited by the physical challenges that had kept him in physical therapy for most of his life and made him a case study for Children’s Hospital Colorado. In Ms. O’Neill’s class it did not matter that he’d had both legs in casts 3 times or that he slept in heavy night splints to stretch super-short Achilles tendons. It didn’t matter that he struggled with gait issues or that there had been times when he could not hop more than 3-4 inches off the ground or stand on one leg. What mattered was that he tried.  

Ms. O’Neill kept encouraging him toward physical fitness through 6th, 7th and 8th grades. She convinced him to participate in a “Burpee Mile” event on Thanksgiving. She celebrated with him as he made incremental gains in strength, speed and mobility. When Covid forced the school to pivot to online classes, she worked tirelessly to keep all her PE students – my son included – physically and mentally engaged. She created games, asked them to go for walks in the fresh air, sent them healthy snack recipes and came up with innovative ways to deliver PE remotely. At the end of 8th grade, she awarded my son her “PE Student of the Year” award. It was an incredible moment for a kid who had once believed that physical fitness, sports and an active, healthy lifestyle were off limits to him.  

“Griffin has been absolutely outstanding his past three years of taking PE. He has shown so much growth, dedication and hard work. He is motivated and hardworking in all the activities and assignments given to him.”  

Because of Ms. O’Neill’s encouragement, my son went out his freshman year for HS cross-country and track. He continues to train in HS PE class and is now an incredibly fit sophomore, who ran a 5K in 20:13 at regionals last week and finished 6th on his varsity team. But, more remarkable than that, the doctors who in Middle School told us that my son would need surgery in high school on both legs and should plan to spend a full year in casts, told us recently that they no longer think surgery will be necessary. They said that all the physical activity, especially the running, was working to build muscle and stretch my son’s tendons naturally.  

I’m so grateful that Ms. O’Neill saw my son as more than the kid who finished last in the mile run. It’s not an exaggeration to say that if she had not looked beyond my son’s limitations and encouraged him over the course of three years he wouldn’t be running today. He wouldn’t have gained a new set of friends and teammates. Instead, he’d be facing a year of casts and operations and isolation. So, I’m nominating Ms. Dana O’Neill of Stargate Charter School in Thornton Colorado because she changed the trajectory of my son’s life both physically and mentally. Because of her, I’ll never think of PE teachers in quite the same way again.” 

Thank you for sharing your stories with us! All three winners will receive a $1,000 grant to be given to a charter school of choice. We honor the teachers who share the mission of providing a nourishing environment for students—you are the heart of that effort! Congratulations! 

Since 2017, Charter School Capital has invited written and video submissions celebrating exceptional teachers. Named the Dewey Awards—after Mr. Richard Dewey, a teacher close to our hearts at CSC—these stories speak about teachers who provided exceptional mentorship. Every year, we are flooded with a brilliant selection of stories told by students and charter school supporters all over the nation. One winner receives a gift of $1000 to a charter school of their choice. Although we only select one winner, each of these stories is worth sharing, so this week we bring you a story written by Sierra Smith, celebrating Mr. Veenstra. 

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My Meyers Briggs personality is ENTJ, so one can say I’m quite the extrovert. Yet, I have only three close friends, two being my parents and one my boyfriend. My ENTJ nature has always been front and center, but I have very few with whom I’m close or converse with. My entire life I have wondered why. To this day I don’t have a definitive answer, and admittedly this bothers me (even though I’ll always deny it). Enter Mr. Veenstra, fellow I(E)NTJ and fourth addition to my slow growing friend group.  

To give some background, Mr. Veenstra is my senior year philosophy teacher and thesis advisor. You may be wondering how we became friends. Well, the story isn’t necessarily a second Good Will Hunting, but to me it holds the same effect. I have had many friends come and go throughout my high school career, and this senior year, the three people I have chosen to hold close to my heart have made it the best year yet. There’s a catch. Each year I do my best to become close with at least one of my teachers. I’ve found that teachers most times have more to teach than their job description confines them to. Unfortunately, Covid-19 put a halt to my yearly tradition. Online school dug a massive drift between me and my teachers that I could not overcome. I barely had enough motivation to wake up, let alone find a way to make conversation with my teachers outside of class. It was like I didn’t even know them. However, even with choppy audio and the occasional Zoom glitch, a certain teacher stood out to me: Mr. Veenstra. He made a tremendous effort to look after how we were doing and wanted to get to know us as best he could, even if it was through a bad online feed. He didn’t let the ravine online schooling had created get in the way of his connection with his students. Thus began the best friendship I have ever had with a teacher. 

My philosophy class is a two-hour class with a ten-minute break in between. Students will leave during the break to converse with each other and breathe in some fresh air, but I tend to stay inside and catch up on schoolwork. Mr. Veenstra would do the same, and so our daily ten-minute conversations began. Every day it would be something different. We have talked about everything from our favorite food (we politely disagree) to Aristotle’s different Greek words for friendship and how they apply to modern day. I can say with certainty that I have never gained so much knowledge from a teacher than Mr. Veenstra. Philosophy is by far my favorite class, not only because of our ten-minute ritual, but because of the curriculum and how Mr. Veenstra teaches it. He goes above and beyond to make every student feel welcome and heard. We are encouraged to share our opinions, no matter how different or controversial they appear, and discuss them respectfully. I have never seen so many people realize they agree with each other, and at the same time, respect other’s opinions if they don’t. Almost every day Mr. Veenstra explains a theory or system that makes me rethink my life, and while this sometimes makes me want to scream “My way of thinking is just fine!” or repeatedly bang my head against the desk, I always walk out the door with a new, valuable lesson learned. 

If you gain anything from this Good Will Hunting sequel, know that your teacher is more than someone who teaches off of a lesson plan. They may be a potential friend with a world of knowledge to share. All you have to do is start a ten minute conversation. 

Announcing the 2022 Dewey Award Review Board  

The Dewey Awards celebrate teachers who change lives every day, in and out of the classroom. Many of us have experienced the powerful impact of a caring teacher—someone who helped us get to where we are today.   

With our annual Dewey Awards, we’re inviting stories of teachers as change-makers in memory of Richard Dewey, a teacher close to our hearts at CSC. Educators, students, and parents are welcome to submit a story of their change-making teacher by October 28, 2022, for the chance at a $1,000 grant gifted to the charter school of their choice. 

SUBMIT YOUR STORY

Picking just three winners for the $1,000 charter school grants is no easy task, but our amazing Review Board will read or watch all submissions and select the most inspirational educator stories. We’ve asked them to judge based on what makes their heart pitter-patter. We’re not looking for grammatical perfection, video prowess, or writing expertise—just powerful stories of teachers that inspire. 

We are honored to be including the following Review Board participants in this year’s Dewey Awards:  

2022 Dewey Review Board image - Dr. Tandria Callins

Tandria Callins Ph.D., CCC-SLP, ADHD-RSP, Executive Director & Principal  

Language & Literacy Academy for Learning 

Combine ambitious, creative, engaging, and strategic, and you have Tandria Callins Ph.D., CCC-SLP, ADHD-RSP. Serving as an Executive Director and Principal at Language & Literacy Academy for Learning, Dr. Callins takes on challenging responsibilities, such as facility expansion and charter replication. 

She is a master presenter, professional business coach, and skillful writer. Her impressive operational management background allows her to successfully operate a charter school for students with disabilities and directly oversee rehabilitation services, while providing coaching as a certified Mental Health instructor and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Related Service Provider (ADHD-RSP) coach. She is currently seeking her certification in the Lean Six Sigma Black Belt in Education. 

In addition to 6 years in the charter school business, Dr. Callins is also very active in the community and serves on multiple boards. She maintains executive and regional roles within her sorority, Delta Sigma Theta, and is a Licensed Funeral Director.  

Ask her about how to keep a smile on her face during the ebb and flow of business and life—it’s her secret talent. It’s the thrill seeking, competitive, and spontaneous person Dr. Callins is outside of work.  She is supported by her husband, three children, church, family, and friends.   

 

2022 Dewey Review Board image - Anna Schults

Anna Shults, Founder 

ACE Prep Charter School  

Anna Shults spent 12 years as an elementary school teacher and was honored as Indiana’s 2007 State Teacher of the year, giving her a sabbatical from the classroom for a year to talk to teachers statewide. During those travels, she saw firsthand the potential impact of a zip code on a child’s destiny—but that a solid foundation in the early grades can help any child soar, no matter where they live.   

Schultz went on to help shape elementary reading initiatives at the Indiana Department of Education. She was then sought after by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for a yearlong opportunity to lead the Foundation’s body of work pertaining to empowering and celebrating teacher-leaders. Shults also became a part of Building Excellent Schools, a national non-profit that trains high-capacity individuals to design, found, lead and sustain high performing charter schools in communities where schools have a history of struggling.  

In August 2016, Shults launched ACE Preparatory Academy Charter School (an acronym for Academics, Character and Excellence), a K-5 charter school dedicated to the belief that every child deserves a great education, regardless of where they live.   

 At CSC, we are dedicated to helping schools provide a nourishing environment for their students, and excellent teachers are the heart of that effort. 

Team Member - Tricia Blum

Tricia Blum, VP of Consulting Services  

Charter School Capital  

Tricia Blum, formerly an interim turnaround CEO of a charter organization located in Los Angeles, California, is the head of the charter school business department at Charter School Capital. Tricia supports client schools that need strategic business, financial, and operational guidance.  

Prior to her tenure as a charter CEO, Tricia worked as an inspiring executive leader of a high-growth charter management organization. During Tricia’s time as a leader at both organizations, she created and instituted operational policies and procedures as well as strategic growth plans including replication and duplication strategies that enabled each organization to successfully scale their education programs.  

Prior to joining the charter movement, Tricia practiced transactional law. As a new attorney, Tricia worked in-house at startup and high-growth companies in the mostly in Bay area. Tricia is also an aspiring “Bon Vivant.” In her off-time she enjoys spending time with her boys, designing, eating, traveling, reading and going to the beach. She has settled, for now, in her native California. 

Since 2017, Charter School Capital has invited written and video submissions celebrating exceptional teachers. Named the Dewey Awards—after Mr. Richard Dewey, a teacher close to our hearts at CSC—these stories speak about teachers who provided exceptional mentorship. Every year, we are flooded with a brilliant selection of stories told by students and charter school supporters all over the nation. One winner receives a gift of $1000 to a charter school of their choice. Although we only select one winner, each of these stories is worth sharing, so this week we bring you two stories celebrating the same teacher: Mr. Patrick Brown of Maria L. Varisco Rogers Charter School. One was written by Eliany, and the other by Alejandro Munoz. 

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Sent by Alejandro Munoz 

I started 7th grade at Maria L. Varisco Rogers Charter School and my first homeroom was 7-2. A few months later I was switched to 7-1 and reunited with some of the same classmates from sixth grade. However, this meant a new homeroom teacher which turned out to be my new Language Arts teacher. His name is Mr. Patrick Brown and he would soon change my life for the better.  

Mr. Brown joined MLVRCS a year before I entered 7th grade and he really knows how to start with the right foot. I was so impressed how he handled students and personally liked how he had authority over his class and kept our attention. First day after I got switched, I said farewell to my old class and hello to my new one. I knew getting used to a new homeroom teacher would be hard since my previous homeroom teacher was great. Thanks to him I got more interested and focused in class. He turned out to be the best teacher I ever had.  

I would definitely do this all over again because Mr. Brown taught me to like all subjects and get good grades. He sounded for real, paid attention to him, and I changed for the better. I made the Honor Society, and then this year I became their president.  I could not have done any of this without him. Mr. Brown first taught me vocabulary basics and things of that sort. My grades improved to A’s and B’s for my first marking period which earned me a nomination for NJHS but not yet a confirmation. I kept working hard and followed his instructions which built a true connection with him. He was nice to everyone and cared most about his students’ learning. Grades got even better for the second marking period and I was so excited to finally be able to join the National Junior Honor Society. His congratulations mean a lot to me and I am so grateful for this.  

 I hope to return back to school at some point after we are allowed to. I want to go talk to Mr. Patrick Brown one last time to thank him for giving me an opportunity to bring my academics to the next level, High School. Thank you, Mr. Brown.  

Sent by Eliany 

On the first day my 7th grade class read the book, “The Outsiders” by S.E Hinton I thought it was going to be boring and uninteresting. Mr. Brown read the first two chapters and I was half asleep. Nothing about the book really interested me in the beginning, just another book about two groups separated due to their social class.  

 The next few days of reading, I was daydreaming while we listened to the audiobook. I was doing the comprehension questions for the chapters we just finished reading and I had to go back into the book to find all the answers. I re-read a few parts not noticing that I went ahead of the class, getting me pretty in-depth in the book. I went home that day and told my mom about the book. She told me that she saw the movie before and to check if my brother had the DVD version of the movie. Fortunately, he did! I put the movie on from my laptop and watched it, without finishing the book. I was pretty disappointed because it was missing many major parts. I went to school the next day and told Mr. Brown about it. I could tell he was happy that I was invested in the book now. I did my research and found the full movie. I ordered it and watched it.  

 We finished the book in class and ended up watching the movie. By now, it was my 3rd time watching the movie and I didn’t get tired of it. The book and movie touched my heart so much that I asked my best friend if we could make a fan page about it. On December 10th, 2019 we made the page from the love we had from the book. During the school year, Mr. Brown has seen my love for the book, specifically Ponyboy and found it amusing.  

 It is now October 2020 and the fan page now has over 2,000 followers. Due to that book, I love all things 80’s. I am now in 8th grade and because of that book Mr. Brown had us read, I have watched more iconic 80’s/90’s movies, changed my clothing style and the music I listen too. Additionally, I am reading more books by S.E Hinton and read the book or watch the movie whenever I am having a bad day.  

 If Mr. Brown had never introduced that book to me, I would be completely different. I’m now a sucker for the 80’s and without that book/movie I wouldn’t know what career I want. He is a very special teacher, and I am super lucky to have had him as my teacher. 

Now in its sixth year, the annual Dewey Awards seeks stories of life-changing educators—both current and past—from across the country. 

Mr. Dewey was the 3rd grade teacher of Stuart Ellis, CSC’s founder and CEO. Mr. Dewey was an exceptional teacher—he encouraged his students to think outside the box and saw the limitless potential in each student.  

 In memory of Richard Dewey, we’re inviting your stories of change-making teachers. Share your written or video story by October 28th for the chance at one of three $1,000 grants to be given to the charter school of your choice.  Submit your story here.  

You can share this opportunity with teachers, staff, parents, and students—all are welcome to submit! Here is a flyer to share with your community. 

Flyer image - 2022 Dewey Awards

Need some inspiration? Look no further than our past winners. You can also find some of the most inspirational quotes from their stories below:  

2017 winners 
2018 winners 
2019 winners 
2020 winners  
2021 winners

Mrs. Wright 

“When Theresa Wright started she had some kind of magic about her. I have been a teacher for over 14 years, and she did things that I couldn’t do. She walked the same walk as a lion who walks into the prairie; casual, cool, completely in charge. Even in the middle of a pandemic, she took the time to let her class share about their passions and when you walk in Mrs. Wright’s classroom today, post-pandemic, post-Distance Learning, you can hardly tell that it’s her classroom: It is their classroom.” 

Mrs. Tautphaeus 

“Joy is contagious. Infectious, even. School was always my escape from home… Mrs. Tautphaeus taught with a reckless abandon, making it obvious to everyone that she truly loved doing what she did. She made sentence structure a scintillating experience, turned grammar into a game, and made me fall in love with writing. To this day, I still love diagraming sentences! “ 

Mr. Kyle 

“He adapts, adjusts, but continues to hold families accountable. Ever since he joined our school there is happiness in the halls and humor around the corner. In a time like this, we need all the smiles and kindness we can get, and Kyle Johnson offers this. Why am I inspired by Kyle Johnson? It is because he is the teacher we can only hope to be.”