Rose basketball highlights
Issue 1
September 27th, 2019
Todd wins Regional Teacher of the Year
THURS. | 01-13-22 | NEWS
On December 9th, 2021, Rose science teacher Clinton Todd was joined by his family, colleagues, and students to celebrate the presentation of his newest title: Burroughs Wellcome Fund Northeast Region Teacher of the Year.
Last March, Todd was selected as the Pitt County Schools Teacher of the Year due to his hard work and dedication to his students and profession both in and out of the classroom. Todd has found motivation and inspiration from former teachers, current colleagues and students who push him and help him strive to be the best educator he can be.
“I credit my success to a lot of other people,” said Todd. “I had a lot of incredible teachers [and] my students teach me every single day [because] they show me that everyone is unique which encourages me to build relationships that are one-on-one.”
Todd’s focuses in his classroom are on creating a welcoming environment where all students can be heard. This has served as the foundation for his Teacher of the Year campaign.
“I built the platform for being Teacher of the Year off of a really simple philosophy,” said Todd. “I just want to create a welcoming and inclusive space for all of the people that I work with and want to make sure everyone has a voice.”
With Todd’s new title, he will now move on a step further as a contender for North Carolina Teacher of the Year. At the announcement
Photo by Kemorah Ullah
ceremony at Rose last Thursday, current North Carolina Teacher of the Year, Eugenia Floyd, gave some remarks about Todd and what his colleagues, students and parents of students had to say about him.
“Your colleagues say that you are effective, interesting and hold your kids’ attention, and you are exemplary of building relationships with students,” said Floyd. “The parents of students you have served say that their children are always engaged in your class and you are not an average teacher, you are well above that.”
Although Todd has shown an outstanding performance as an educator over the years at Rose, he humbly believes that his current titles have come with luck and good timing.
“I dont think I’m doing anything crazy,” said Todd. “I think it all came down to timing, luck, my school environment and students' needs.”
Nevertheless, Todd is very excited to represent Rose and Pitt County Schools as the Northeast Region Teacher of the Year.
“It feels surreal,” said Todd. “I’m just thankful to have the opportunity to speak up for the needs of students.”
Although Todd’s work isn’t done yet, he believes in the process of growth and continuing to learn.
“Teaching and any other career for that matter should be a constant growth experience,” said Todd. “You don’t ever become the best and stop; I think everyone always has room to grow”
