Atlanta educator to be inducted into the National Teacher's Hall of Fame
Valerie Camille Jones Ford, the head of the mathematics department at Atlanta's Ron Clark Academy, will be inducted into the National Teacher's Hall of Fame this month. (National Teachers Hall of Fame)
ATLANTA - An Atlanta math teacher is getting national recognition for her dedication to her students.
Dr. Valerie Camille Jones Ford, the head of the math department at the Ron Clark Academy, will be inducted into the National Teachers Hall of Fame as part of the organization's 2025 class.
What we know:
The Spelman College and Georgia State alumna is the second educator from Atlanta and the fourth from Georgia to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.
The Hall of Fame was established in 1989 and nominees must have at least 20 years of full-time classroom teaching experience.
In their release announcing the future induction, organizers described Jones Ford as an "award-winning mathematics educator, international speaker, and curriculum developer" who teaches in a model classroom visited by thousands of educators from around the world.
Jones Ford has gone viral for her creative teaching methods, including an educational rap that was created in partnership with Old Navy and Pharrell Williams' I AM OTHER.
She's also the sixth Black educator out of 165 Hall of Famers.
What they're saying:
"It is a tremendous honor to stand alongside so many extraordinary educators throughout America. This recognition is not only a profound professional privilege but a representation of the passion, sacrifice, and brilliance of teachers everywhere," Dr. Jones Ford said. "I’m grateful for the colleagues who’ve inspired me, the students who’ve trusted me, and the opportunity to be part of a profession that changes lives every day."
Dig deeper:
The other four educators who will be inducted are:
- Michael Dunlea III, a fifth-grade teacher from Tabernacle, New Jersey
- Tom Jenkins, a retired STEM and science teacher from Enon, Ohio
- Michelle Pearson, a social studies teacher from Thornton, Colorado
- Dr. Pascale Creek Pinner, an eighth-grade science teacher from Hilo, Hawaii
What's next:
Jones Ford will be formally inducted at a ceremony in Kansas on June 20.
The Source: Information for this story came from a report by the National Teachers Hall of Fame.