The Charlotte/Mecklenburg school teacher was given the honor this week at a luncheon by Superintendent of Public Instruction June Atkinson. Ford, who teaches at Garinger High School, succeeds Karyn Dickerson, an English teacher at Grimsley High School in Guilford County.

 

State Board of Education Chairman Bill Cobey congratulated Ford on his selection. "It is clear that James is a leader who is guided by a strong belief that no aspect of society is more important than education," Cobey said at the luncheon. "His students and fellow teachers have benefitted from his dedication and perspective, and I look forward to working with him as he serves as an advisor to the State Board of Education."

 

Ford calls his path to a career in teaching “long and unorthodox," according to a department news release. Before becoming a teacher, he pursued a career in print journalism and then served as a truancy intervention specialist and director of a teen center. He enjoyed his work with youth so much that he decided to become a teacher. Ford also recognizes the irony of his career choice since he considers himself to have been a “disengaged and apathetic student.” He now uses this experience to strengthen his teaching. “I remember all too well sitting in those desks, waiting to be challenged, engaged and stretched,” he said. “Now I sit in the seat of instruction, fueled by the motivation to be the teacher that I never had. Instead of teaching like I was most often taught, I spend a tremendous amount of energy daily planning, reflecting and experimenting, attempting to teach in a new way.”

 

Ford graduated from Illinois State University in 2003 with a bachelor’s degree in mass communication.  In 2009, he received a Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) from Rockford College in Ill.  Ford is currently working towards earning a doctoral degree in educational leadership from Wingate University.

 

As Burroughs Wellcome Fund North Carolina Teacher of the Year, Ford will spend the next school year traveling the state as an ambassador for the teaching profession.

Ford also will receive use of a state vehicle for one year, a one-year leased vehicle from Flow Automotive, LLC, the opportunity to attend a seminar at the NC Center for the Advancement of Teaching (NCCAT), a mobile device from Lenovo valued at approximately $1600, an engraved vase, a one-time cash award of $7,500, a trip to the National Teacher of the Year Conference and International Space Camp, the opportunity to travel abroad through an endowment through the North Carolina Center for International Understanding, and a technology package valued at more than $11,000 from SMART Technologies. 

 

He will serve as an advisor to the State Board of Education for two years and as a board member for the NC Public School Forum for one year. In addition, the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction will sponsor his enrollment and completion of the Education Policy Fellowship Program.