Ron Clark (teacher)

Last updated

Ron Clark
Born
Ronald Lyle Clark Jr.

(1972-10-24) October 24, 1972 (age 51)
Education BA (East Carolina University)
Occupation(s)Educator, motivational speaker and author
SpouseLloyd Sage

Ronald Lyle Clark, Jr. (born October 24, 1972) [1] [2] is an American educator and reality television personality. He has taught in North Carolina and New York City; later in life, he founded the Ron Clark Academy in Atlanta, Georgia. Clark is a New York Times bestselling author and motivational speaker on the topic of inspiring educators.

Contents

In 2019, Clark competed in Survivor: Edge of Extinction , the 38th season of the reality television show Survivor.

Background

Clark attended school in his earlier years within the Beaufort County school systems in the town of Chocowinity, North Carolina. Clark was an outgoing student who later graduated from Chocowinity High School [3] with the Class of 1990. After graduation, Clark's goals were to become an educator at East Carolina University through the North Carolina Teaching Fellows program. Following his graduation, he traveled for a time and then began working in Aurora, North Carolina. Four years later he began teaching elementary school in New York City's Harlem. In the fall of 2007 [4] Clark and co-founder Kim Bearden began the Ron Clark Academy, a private non-profit school in Atlanta, Georgia, which follows a unique curriculum.

Pedagogical ideas

Clark has written four books on education:

  1. The Essential 55: An Award-Winning Educator's Rules for Discovering the Successful Student in Every Child (2003) [5]
  2. The Excellent 11: Qualities Teachers and Parents Use to Motivate, Inspire, and Educate Children (2005) [6]
  3. The End of Molasses Classes: Getting Our Kids Unstuck: 101 Extraordinary Solutions for Parents and Teachers (2011), listing solutions for parents and teachers [7]
  4. Move Your Bus: An Extraordinary New Approach to Accelerating Success in Work and Life (2015), philosophy on types of employees/educators and how to motivate them [8]

Clark proposed fifty-five essential rules for success in and out of the classroom, many of which focus on respect and school policies. These include "Make eye contact, respect others' ideas and opinions, always be honest, and do not bring Doritos into the school building". [9] He later proposed eleven traits of excellence: enthusiasm, adventure, creativity, reflection, balance, compassion, confidence, humor, common sense, appreciation and resilience. [10]

Accolades

Clark has appeared on national TV shows, including two appearances on The Oprah Winfrey Show , where Winfrey named him as her first "Phenomenal Man." [11] [12] In 2000, Clark received the Disney Teacher of the Year award. [13] Clark's first year in Harlem was the focus of a 2006 made-for-TV movie, The Ron Clark Story , starring Matthew Perry.

Survivor

In 2019, Clark competed in Survivor: Edge of Extinction and became the thirteenth person voted out of the game. He made the jury and voted for Chris Underwood to win the game. [14]

Personal life

Clark is married to his husband Lloyd Sage, who appeared in the Loved Ones Visit segment of Survivor: Edge of Extinction. [15]

Related Research Articles

<i>The Oprah Winfrey Show</i> American television talk show

The Oprah Winfrey Show is an American first-run syndicated talk show that was hosted by Oprah Winfrey. The show ran for twenty-five seasons from September 8, 1986, to May 25, 2011, in which it broadcast 4,561 episodes. The show was taped in Chicago and produced by Winfrey. It remains the highest-rated daytime talk show in American television history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marian Wright Edelman</span> American activist for childrens rights (born 1939)

Marian Wright Edelman is an American activist for civil rights and children's rights. She is the founder and president emerita of the Children's Defense Fund. She influenced leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr, and Hillary Clinton.

Sally Taylor is an American singer, songwriter, artist, musician, writer, and educator. She has released three studio albums. Her songs have appeared in the films Anywhere but Here, Interview, Adventureland, and Me, Myself & Irene. She has performed on The Oprah Winfrey Show, The Martha Stewart Show, and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tim King</span> American educator

Tim King is an American educator, non-profit leader, and the founder and CEO of Urban Prep Academies, a network of all-male charter public high schools in Chicago. King and Urban Prep have received international attention for the fact that since the school's first graduating class in 2010, 100% of its graduates have been accepted into a four-year college or university.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Surrender All</span> Christian hymn written by Judson W. Van DeVenter

"I Surrender All" is a Christian hymn, with words written by American art teacher and musician Judson W. Van DeVenter (1855–1939), who subsequently became a music minister and evangelist. It was put to music by Winfield S. Weeden (1847–1908), and published in 1896.

Brad Cohen is an American motivational speaker, teacher, school administrator, and author who has severe Tourette syndrome (TS). Cohen described his experiences growing up with the condition in his 2005 book, Front of the Class: How Tourette Syndrome Made Me the Teacher I Never Had, co-authored with Lisa Wysocky. The book has been made into a 2008 Hallmark Hall of Fame TV movie titled Front of the Class, and adapted into a hit 2018 Bollywood film Hichki.

<i>The Road</i> 2006 novel by Cormac McCarthy

The Road is a 2006 post-apocalyptic novel by American writer Cormac McCarthy. The book details the grueling journey of a father and his young son over several months across a landscape blasted by an unspecified cataclysm that has destroyed industrial civilization and nearly all life. The novel was awarded the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for Fiction in 2006. The book was adapted into a film of the same name in 2009, directed by John Hillcoat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alexandra Robbins</span> American journalist and author

Alexandra Robbins is a journalist, lecturer, and author. Her books focus on young adults, education, and modern college life. Five of her books have been New York Times Bestsellers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls</span> School in South Africa

The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls – South Africa (OWLAG) is a boarding school for girls, grades 8–12, in Henley on Klip, Gauteng Province, South Africa. The school is a project begun by the American entrepreneur and philanthropist Oprah Winfrey in 2002, born out of a discussion she had with South African president Nelson Mandela in 2000. OWLAG opened in 2007 and its inaugural class of 72 girls graduated in 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kathy Freston</span> American self-help writer

Kathy Freston is an American author and promoter of plant-based nutrition. Her books include The Lean, Veganist, Quantum Wellness, Clean Protein and 72 Reasons to Be Vegan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tayari Jones</span> American writer (born 1970)

Tayari Jones is an American author and academic known for An American Marriage, which was a 2018 Oprah's Book Club Selection, and won the 2019 Women's Prize for Fiction. Jones is a graduate of Spelman College, the University of Iowa, and Arizona State University. She is currently a member of the English faculty in the College of Arts and Sciences at Emory University, and recently returned to her hometown of Atlanta after a decade in New York City. Jones was Andrew Dickson White Professor-at-large at Cornell University before becoming Charles Howard Candler Professor of Creative Writing at Emory University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oprah Winfrey</span> American talk show host, actress, producer, and author (born 1954)

Oprah Gail Winfrey, known mononymously as Oprah, is an American talk show host, television producer, actress, author, and media proprietor. She is best known for her talk show, The Oprah Winfrey Show, broadcast from Chicago, which ran in national syndication for 25 years, from 1986 to 2011. Dubbed the "Queen of All Media", she was the richest African-American of the 20th century and was once the world's only black billionaire. By 2007, she was often ranked as the most influential woman in the world.

<i>Front of the Class</i> 2008 American TV series or program

Front of the Class is a 2008 American docudrama film directed by Peter Werner that is based on the 2005 book Front of the Class: How Tourette Syndrome Made Me the Teacher I Never Had by Brad Cohen and co-authored by Lisa Wysocky, which tells of Cohen's life with Tourette syndrome and how it inspired him to teach other students.

Stephen James Taylor is an American composer best known for his film and TV scores. He has earned four Emmy nominations, two Annie nominations, and a DVD-X Award on "Best Original Score to date ('05).

Abramson Sci Academy is a high school in the New Orleans East area of New Orleans, United States. The school is a charter school and has an open admission system.

<i>Blackboard Wars</i> 2013 American TV series or program

Blackboard Wars is an American reality documentary television series on the Oprah Winfrey Network that premiered on February 16, 2013, at 9/8c.

Thaddeus Scott Lott Sr. was a Houstonian educator. Lott gained national attention from ABC News PrimeTime Live in 1991 for the results of his implementation of direct instruction at Mabel B. Wesley Elementary School of the Houston Independent School District.

<i>Becoming</i> (book) 2018 memoir by Michelle Obama

Becoming is the memoir by former First Lady of the United States Michelle Obama, published on November 13, 2018. Described by the author as a deeply personal experience, the book talks about her roots and how she found her voice, as well as her time in the White House, her public health campaign, and her role as a mother. The book is published by Crown and was released in 24 languages. One million copies were donated to First Book, an American nonprofit organization which provides books to children.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meena Harris</span> American attorney and author (born 1984)

MeenakshiAshley Harris is an American lawyer, author, and theater producer. In theatre production, Harris won a Tony Award for producing A Strange Loop and was also nominated for producing Suffs. Harris's first children's picture book, Kamala and Maya's Big Idea (2020), was released by HarperCollins' imprint Balzer + Bray; it was based on the story of her mother, Maya Harris, and aunt, Kamala Harris, the 49th vice president of the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steve Perry (educator)</span>

Steve David Perry is an American educator, author, and TV personality. He became well known when CNN Black in America featured a story on him and the school he founded, Capital Preparatory School in Hartford, Ct. He is also known for appearing on Iyanla: Fix My Life.

References

  1. "2007 Award Recipients". East Carolina Alumni Association. Retrieved September 15, 2011.
  2. Gutierrez, Bridget (September 3, 2007). "Former Disney teacher Ron Clark, inspired film, opens Atlanta school". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Archived from the original on September 19, 2007.
  3. Hudson, Caroline (February 6, 2017). "Ron Clark visits BCCC, talks education system". Washington Daily News. Retrieved January 28, 2019.
  4. "Fast Fact". The Ron Clark Academy. Retrieved February 13, 2016.
  5. "The Essential 55". www.goodreads.com. Retrieved January 28, 2019.
  6. "The Excellent 11". www.goodreads.com. Retrieved January 28, 2019.
  7. Clark, Ron (June 17, 2012). The End of Molasses Classes. ISBN   9781451639742.
  8. Clark, Ron (June 30, 2015). Move Your Bus. ISBN   9781501105036.
  9. Clark, Ron. The Essential 55: An Award-Winning Educator's Rules for Discovering the Successful Student in Every Child. New York: Hyperion, 2003. Print.
  10. Clark, Ron. The Excellent 11: Qualities Teachers and Parents Use to Motivate, Inspire, and Educate Children. New York: Hyperion, 2004. Print.
  11. "Phenomenal Man: Mr. Clark's Opus". Oprah.com. November 2001. Retrieved January 28, 2019.
  12. Ron Clark Academy, Ron Clark's First Appearance on the Oprah Winfrey Show, archived from the original on December 14, 2021, retrieved January 28, 2019
  13. Clark, Ron (2003). The Essential 55: An Award-Winning Educator's Rules for Discovering the Successful Student in Every Child . Hyperion. ISBN   1-4013-0001-4.
  14. Holmes, Martin (July 23, 2018). "Survivor Season 38 Cast Revealed". Inside Survivor. Retrieved January 28, 2019.
  15. Clark, Ron. "Survivor Quarantine Questionnaire: Ron Clark says Jeff Probst found lost wedding ring". Entertainment Weekly (Interview). Interviewed by Ross, Dalton. Retrieved February 9, 2023.