Strong influences help mold 2022 US Teacher of the Year

By MARK GILLISPIE
Associated Press

OBERLIN, Ohio (AP) — It hardly seems a stretch to say that Kurt Russell was born to be a history teacher. Raised on stories his mother told him about the civil rights movement in Alabama and influenced by teachers from his childhood, the 50-year-old Russell has spent the last 25 years teaching history and African-American history at Oberlin High School outside Cleveland. The Council of Chief State School Officers announced Tuesday that Russell is the organization’s National Teacher of the Year for 2022. He was previously named Ohio’s teacher of the year. The organization says Russell will spend the next year representing educators and serving as an ambassador for students and teachers nationwide.