Math Educator Becomes Sixth Black Woman Inducted Into National Teachers Hall Of Fame
Dr. Valerie Camille Jones Ford, a math teacher in Atlanta, will be inducted into the National Teachers Hall of Fame, making her the sixth Black woman to receive the award. As a mathematics educator, Jones has been teaching for over 20 years at Ron Clark Academy in Southeast Atlanta, going above and beyond for her students.
She employs unique strategies that empower students, broaden their engagement, and foster a strong sense of community.
“I’m incredibly proud to be among such amazing educators, but it lets me know there’s still work to be done as far as bringing recognition, because I know there are so many teachers of color who deserve this platform,” Jones Ford said in an interview with AFROTECH™.
Jones Ford career
With 20 years of teaching experience, Jones Ford has gained popularity by incorporating aspects of popular culture into her lessons. In 2017, she worked with Old Navy and Pharrell Williams to create “A Fashion Combination,” an educational rap video.
She recently became the teacher of the year after her Geometry class achieved the highest end-of-course test scores in the district and ranked fifth in the state, as stated in a press release.
Her other accolades include the Women in Technology (WIT) Mathematician of the Year Award, as well as being a honoree of the Salute Women of Achievement by the YWCA of the United States and a recipient of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics & Science from the National Science Foundation.
The National Teachers Hall of Fame
The National Teachers Hall of Fame is a nonprofit organization that has been honoring teachers across the country since 1989. Those who are nominated must have at least 20 years of full-time classroom teaching to be eligible.
Other inductees include Michael Dunlea III, a fifth-grade teacher in Tabernacle, New Jersey; Tom Jenkins, a retired STEM and science teacher in Enon, Ohio; Michelle Pearson, a social studies teacher in Thornton, Colorado and Dr. Pascale Creek Pinner, an eighth-grade science teacher in Hilo, Hawaii, according to WABE.
Image: Dr. Valerie Camille Jones Ford
