Ron Clark grew up in a small North Carolina town and dreamed of traveling the world. After graduating college he bought a one way ticket to London to begin his adventures. His travels were cut short when he became ill and was forced to return home. Once there his mother told him about a local elementary school in need of a 5th grade teacher. The previous teacher had passed away and without his help they would most likely have substitutes for the rest of the year. After meeting with the school principal, Ron accepted the position and changed the course of his life.

Ron Clark has dedicated his life to teaching. He has taught classes filled with the “most difficult” students in both North Carolina and in the Bronx, New York, and turned the students into top performers. Ron believes that learning can happen only when his students become a family and he works hard to teach his students morals, values, and etiquette, in addition to the required curriculum.

From the beginning, Ron Clark became inspired to lift his students up and give them opportunities many of them had never been given before. He was creative in his teaching methods doing whatever he could think of to motivate his students and create a thirst for knowledge and become life long learners.

Since his first day in the classroom back in 1994, Ron Clark has become an inspiration to teachers everywhere. He has written two best selling books, The Essential 55, and the Excellent 11. He has appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show twice, in which she named him her first “Phenomenal Man.” In addition, his first year teaching in Harlem was made into a movie, The Ron Clark Story. In 2001, his achievements in the classroom and dedication to his students were recognized when he was awarded Disney’s Teacher of the Year award.

The Ron Clark Academy, a private non-profit school in Atlanta, Georgia is his most recent project. The project was funded with the proceeds from his books and opened its doors to students on September 4, 2007. His unique curriculum gives students many opportunities for international travel (6 of the 7 continents by the end of eighth grade). Ron Clark also travels as a motivational speaker in order to share his message and ideas with other teachers. His positive outlook, endless efforts, and unique philosophies continue to inspire students and teachers everywhere to work hard and chase after their dreams.

Submitted by: Jessi Garrison