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Arkansas Teacher Surprised with $25,000 Milken Educator Award
October 8, 2003
Sixth-grade teacher Kristy Kidd brought a camera to the special assembly Tuesday morning at Dunbar Magnet Middle School in Little Rock, Arkansas.
She had heard that Arkansas First Lady Janet Huckabee and Little Rock Mayor Jim Dailey would be visiting Dunbar to address the entire staff and student body at this very important assembly. She had no idea what the purpose of the assembly was, but she wanted to be ready to capture the V.I.P.s’ special visit on film.
A few minutes later, with a look of shock and disbelief on her face amid thunderous applause from Dunbar students and staff, Kristy Kidd became the V.I.P. as a cluster of cameras began taking her picture.
Without even knowing it, she had become a Milken Educator.
Ms. Kidd was among the first of 100 outstanding educators across the country to be surprised this fall with a $25,000 Milken Family Foundation National Educator Award.
Presented during a two-week period known as National Notifications, October 7-17, the Milken Educator Award is one of the nation’s most prestigious educational honors. But unlike other teaching awards, the recipients of the Milken Educator Award never see it coming.
Kristy Kidd knew nothing about her Award until Milken Family Foundation Chairman Lowell Milken announced her name in front of all her students and colleagues.
"Most successful people I’ve known have said that they owe much of their success to a special teacher or teachers who inspired them," said Mr. Milken. "One teacher in his or her career positively influences thousands of young people. There is one such teacher right here at Dunbar Middle School."
When Mr. Milken announced her name, Ms. Kidd’s heart began racing. She approached the lectern in shock and announced to everyone just how much she loves her job.
"I’ve wanted to be a teacher ever since I was a little girl," said Ms. Kidd. "And that’s what I want to be every day."
Also attending Kristy Kidd’s Award notification were several veteran Milken Educators from Arkansas: Roy Barnes (AR ’93), Marian Lacey (AR ‘97), Lola Perritt (AR ’92), Georganne Rollans (AR ’96), Gary Stark (AR ’01) and Herman Thomas (AR ’91).
The Kidd Zoo
In her remarks to Dunbar’s staff and students, First Lady Huckabee explained her "ABC’s" of success.
"Attitude, belief and commitment," she said. "If you have all of these, you can do whatever you set your mind to—in education and in life."
Kristy Kidd is a model of these qualities.
An 11-year veteran of education, Kristy Kidd has been teaching science at Dunbar since last year.
Walking into her classroom, it becomes obvious that learning does not come simply from books and lectures. A sign on her door reads, "Welcome to the Kidd Zoo" and indeed her room is host to a menagerie of animals, including a ferret named Clyde.
These animals not only make learning fun and teach her students about nature and zoology; they also teach students about responsibility as well.
Arkansas First Lady Janet Huckabee
| Other active ways of learning in Ms. Kidd’s class include experiments, field trips and participation in the Dunbar and Central Arkansas Regional Science Fairs.
Winners of the science fair are taken to dinner by Ms. Kidd, as are her top readers.
A champion of interdisciplinary learning, Ms. Kidd integrates reading, writing and math into her science curriculum. As team leader for Core Team, she has guided her colleagues in the development of interdisciplinary units throughout the school curriculum.
As a result of her instructional strategies, Ms. Kidd’s students achieved the highest scores in the district on the end-of-semester Criterion-Referenced Test.
She has served on state committees for textbook selection and licensure participated in a district strategic planning committee. She has facilitated workshops for science teachers throughout district and presented locally at a joint conference on teaching.
She is also active in her community, sponsoring a community garden project and volunteering her time with Sharefest, a Saturday event during which parents and community organizations work together to make improvements on the school campus.
Prior to teaching at Dunbar, Ms. Kidd was family math and science coordinator at Gibbs Magnet School, where she taught for seven years. The students and staff of Gibbs named her Teacher of the Year in 2001-2002. The following year, after only one year at Dunbar, students and staff named her their Teacher of the Year as well.
Dunbar principal John Bacon called Ms. Kidd a true educator.
"She’s very humble about what she does," said Mr. Bacon. "She doesn’t seek the limelight. Her Milken Educator Award validates the quality of her teaching, not just to her but to all of us."
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