S.W. Shoptaw T&D Correspondent

EUTAWVILLE – Tears of joy flowed at St. James-Gaillard Elementary School Tuesday morning when an Orangeburg County teacher got the surprise of her professional life, learning she had won the prestigious Milken Family Foundation National Educator Award and its accompanying financial prize of $25,000.

Teacher LaTonya S. Durant, 31, had no idea she was even being considered for the honor when State Superintendent of Education Inez Tenenbaum made the surprise announcement during an assembly at the Orangeburg Consolidated District Three school. Durant, a native of Vance, had been told the school was having a Business Partners meeting. Instead, she found herself in the limelight.

“I am just so shocked,” Durant said Tuesday afternoon. “This is a great honor to be representing my home district and to have the children there (at the school assembly) to see all this happen – it’s truly an honor.”

She thanked everyone in the district for the support they’ve given her.

The $25,000 will come in handy, Durant said, because she just recently began house hunting.

Durant said she loves teaching at St. James-Gaillard Elementary.

“We work together as a family here. This is home to me, and I love it,” she said. “I wanted to come back to the community that gave so much to me when I was going to school.”

Durant said she was told she was the first teacher in Orangeburg County ever to receive the Milken Family Foundation National Educator Award.

Joining in announcing Durant’s award Tuesday were Dr. Lewis Solmon, Milken Family Foundation executive vice president, and South Carolina Congressman James E. Clyburn.

Dubbed the “Oscars of Teaching” by “Teacher Magazine,” the Milken National Educator Awards were created in 1985 to reward, retain and attract top professionals to the nation’s schools. A total of 100 unsuspecting educators across the country are being surprised this month with the news of their $25,000 awards, which can be used any way they choose.

“Principal leadership and teacher quality are vital to South Carolina schools,” Tenenbaum said, “but educators rarely get the support, the recognition and the compensation they deserve. It’s really a thrill for me to make this announcement in person – to see the stunned expression on this wonderful teacher’s face.”

Durant makes her classroom a safe and comfortable environment for her students, Tenenbaum said. Each school year she works with members of the staff analyzing test scores to chart each student’s areas of academic strength and weakness, the state education superintendent said. Durant creates academic assistance plans with parents while providing hours of extra student assistance and tutoring before school, during her planning time, lunch period and after school, Tenenbaum said.

A lifelong member of the community in which she works, Durant is a member of the School Improvement Council and the Parent/Teacher Organization. She is also a member of the district’s ELITE and ACE teacher initiatives. Educators in these programs are recognized for their talent and achievement. As a member, Durant is called upon to share school leadership responsibilities, facilitate curriculum development, strategic planning and staff development.

Durant graduated from South Carolina State University with a B.S. in elementary education and received an M.Ed. with a concentration in Educational Leadership: Administration and Supervision from Charleston Southern University.

Tenenbaum said Durant is one of two South Carolina educators who will be surprised with the national recognition this week.

The Milken National Educator Awards, created by Foundation Chairman Lowell Milken, has become the nation’s largest teacher organization program. Since the program’s inception, more than 2,100 educators from 48 states have been recognized with more than $54 million in cash awards.

“Excellence must not be the exception in our schools, but rather the norm,” Milken said. “Talented teachers are the key to ensuring high-quality educational opportunities for all students. By recognizing and rewarding outstanding educators each year, we focus the nation’s attention on the critical need to attract, retain and motivate caring, capable people to the American teaching profession.”

Next spring, recipients from around the country and their spouses as well as many former recipients will travel to Los Angeles to attend the Milken Family Foundation National Education Conference, three days of workshops, discussion sessions and presentations by nationally recognized scholars and practitioners in the field of education. The Milken Foundation Conference will culminate in a gala evening ceremony at which the recipients will be honored and presented their $25,000 awards.

Recipients also join the Milken Educator Network, a coalition of top educators who have access to a variety of expert resources to help cultivate and expand innovative programs in their classrooms, schools and districts.

Selection of Milken recipients alternates annually between elementary and secondary educators. This year’s recipients are elementary educators, and next year’s recipients will be secondary educators.

Educators are recommended for the award without their knowledge by a blue-ribbon panel appointed by each state’s department of education. Recipients are selected on the basis of numerous criteria, including:

Exceptional educational talent as evidenced by outstanding instructional practices in the classroom, school and profession.

Outstanding accomplishments and strong long-range potential for professional and policy leadership.

Engaging and inspiring presence that motivates and impacts students, colleagues and the community at-large.

T&D Correspondent S.W. Shoptaw contributed to this story. He can be reached by e-mail at swsx5@aol.com. Discuss this and other stories online at TheTandD.com.

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