The Ron Clark Story

Nicole Tredwell

Dr. Coffey

Education 2055-01

26 April 2011

The Ron Clark Story: An Inspirational teacher

After watching The Ron Clark Story, it is clear that Ron Clark is an energetic, creative and idealistic young teacher who left his small North Carolina hometown to teach in a New York City public school. Through his passionate use of special rules for his classroom, highly innovative teaching techniques and an undying devotion to his students with helping them cope with their problems; Ron Clark was able to make a remarkable difference in the lives of each and every one of his students. For one young girl, trying to attend school while helping to raise her brothers and sisters, he offers a chance for her to overcome her situation and become one of the top students. For a young man with a penchant for graffiti, he offers an ideal outlet for artistic expression. When he is almost overcome by pneumonia, Mr. Clark continues to work with his students, hoping that he can raise their test scores to an acceptable level, or possibly even higher.

Ron Clark left his small hometown in North Carolina, to test his skills in one of the toughest public school systems in the country, inner city Harlem. He was unable to find work as a teacher and worked as a waiter. But, one day, as he went from school to school, he happened to see a teacher and a student fighting outside of a school in Harlem; the teacher quit right then and there. Mr. Clark took the opportunity to offer his services to Principal Turner. Although Principal Turner initially refused, he finally offered to let Mr. Clark teach the honor students. However, Clark is drawn to an unruly class of sixth graders, the same one the teacher who quit had taught. He was told that those students are the worst in the school and test at the bottom in standardized test scores. Clark still insisted that he can turn the students around.

Mr. Clark endured the rudeness of the students on his first day of teaching and suffered...