Ron Clark
Ron Clark Academy
Atlanta, GA USA
"If you pour enough love, energy, and excitement into the life of a child, you can change that child forever."
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Ron's work combines: Education, Entrepreneurship, and Teaching / Mentoring
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Advice for getting started
I believe that if anybody questions the effort that you put in to change the life of a child, that is not somebody you want to be around. I recommend removing yourself from those people. The same thing goes for teachers who choose to speak negatively about their students. I got tired of hearing some teachers speak badly about their students at the teachers' lunch table. I chose to start eating with the students and surrounding myself with positive staff members instead and felt much better.
Here's the path I took:
High School
Bachelor's Degree
East Carolina University
Life & Career Milestones
1.
I grew up in North Carolina and was the first person on both sides of my family to attend college.
2.
I was working at a fast food drive-through when my mom urged me to go inquire about a teaching opening at a local school—I had no intentions of taking the job, but wanted to appease my mom.
3.
After meeting with the principal and students, I decided to take the job.
4.
I quickly realized that traditional lesson plans weren’t resonating with my students, so I started incorporating fun activities, like rapping lessons, dress-up days, and field trips.
5.
After five years of teaching in North Carolina—during which, I was honored by President Clinton—I decided to move to New York and teach at a struggling school in Harlem.
6.
In 2000, I was named Teacher of the Year by Disney.
7.
I wrote a bestselling book, “The Essential 55,” and used the money to buy an old, vacant factory in Atlanta, Georgia—it was my goal to turn that space into a new school.
8.
In 2007, I co-founded The Ron Clark Academy, a nonprofit private school, where we utilize innovative teaching methods to help students succeed—our methods produce a 100% high school graduation rate!
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Peers:
Why are you putting all that money into your classroom? You won't have anything left! Why are you doing home visits? We're not teaching the parents! Why are you doing all of that?
How I responded:
I believe that if anybody questions the effort that you put in to change the life of a child, that is not somebody you want to be around. I recommend removing yourself from those people. The same thing goes for teachers who choose to speak negatively about their students. I got tired of hearing some teachers speak badly about their students at the teachers' lunch table. I chose to start eating with the students and surrounding myself with positive staff members instead and felt much better.
Experiences and challenges that shaped me
It sometimes felt difficult to share this part of myself with my students because it wasn't always celebrated and I'm not sure what they're told at home. I tell myself that my peers can show photos and stories of their partners, so why shouldn't I?