Name: Former gang member is named Missouri's Teacher of the Year
Brand: cnn.com
SKU: cnn-com-453
Availability: OnlineOnly

critic

Former gang member is named Missouri's Teacher of the Year

preview

(CNN)Darrion Cockrell hated school as a child, as he navigated the the foster care system. He joined a gang by age 10. But with the help of the educators around him, Cockrell worked his way up and eventually became a teacher himself -- one of the best in Missouri, in fact. Cockrell, or "Mr. DC" as his students affectionately call him, was named Teacher of the Year by the earlier this year. "Missouri is fortunate to have so many high quality educators, and Darrion will be a wonderful representative as our state's Teacher of the Year," said Margie Vandeven, the state's commissioner of education. "He guides his students towards long-term physical and mental wellness, and the connections he has established will impact Crestwood children for years to come."During his in October, Cockrell, a physical education teacher at Crestwood Elementary School in St. Louis, shared details from his childhood. Read More"I was born to a drug-addicted mother who had two of her six kids by the age of 16. My father was murdered when I was 4, and I began my journey in and out of the foster care system not long after my 6th birthday," Cockrell said.Cockrell says he grew up in St. Louis thinking he had no future ahead of him and was destined to end up like his friends, "dead or in jail."Cockrell's speech was so inspiring that the school district shared a where "Mr. DC" offers more details about his life. In the video, Cockrell says he owes his whole life to the teachers who guided him in the right direction. He specifically thanks a man named Ken for looking out for him at a boys' home where he lived for a year during middle school. "He taught me it's okay to be tough, but at the same time it's okay to be compassionate," Cockrell said in the video. "He was like a father figure to me."In 7th grade, Cockrell was adopted by his football coach and his wife and went on to graduate from the University of Missouri-St. Louis. "No, I'm not Micahel Oher from 'The Blindside,' although I did have dreams of the NFL," Cockrell said in his acceptance speech. "My message for teachers is understanding the power that we have to make positive or negative impacts in the lives of others."

(CNN)Darrion Cockrell hated school as a child, as he navigated the the foster care system. He joined a gang by age 10. But with the help of the educators around him, Cockrell worked his way up and eventually became a teacher himself -- one of the best in Missouri, in fact. Cockrell, or "Mr. DC" as his students affectionately call him, was named Teacher of the Year by the earlier this year. "Missouri is fortunate to have so many high quality educators, and Darrion will be a wonderful representative as our state's Teacher of the Year," said Margie Vandeven, the state's commissioner of...

public

Marika Gerken

It’s our job to #GoThere & tell the most difficult stories. For breaking news, follow  @CNNBRK  and download our app http://cnn.com/apps

cnn.com

Credible

Speculation

Anecdotal Evidence

Generalization

Stacking the Deck

Appeal to Authority

Straw Man

Slippery Slope

Emotional Appeal

Red Herring

False Dilemma

Illogical

Moral Equivalency

Ad Hominem

Correlation w/o Causation

Semantics

Begging the Question

Faulty Analogy

Non Sequitur

Bandwagon

Dogmatism

Failing Occam's Razor

Biased

Pure Opinion

Hit Piece

Racial Bias

National Bias

Religious Bias

Financial Incentive

Political Agenda

Gender Bias

Misused Image/Video

Study Misinterpreted

Mistake

Misused Term

Science Misrepresented

Factual Error

Satire

Surface Level

Lack of Reliable Sources

Sensational

Not Credible

Investigative

Balanced

Well Sourced

Great Context

sports

entertainment

U.S.

international

business

technology

science

culture

politics

media

health

Former gang member is named Missouri's Teacher of the Year

No article scores yet.

CRITIC REVIEWS

PUBLIC REVIEWS