Ron Clark (teacher)

Ron Clark
Born
Ronald Lyle Clark Jr.

(1972-10-24) October 24, 1972 (age 52)
Chocowinity, North Carolina, United States
EducationBA (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.

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]

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.