6 OZY Educator Award Winners Recall the Teachers Who Inspired Them to Teach
The winners of the first class of OZY Education Award have been announced on OZY.com. Six of the recipients graciously shared their stories of the teachers who inspired them to pursue teaching:
Joanne Ho
The teacher who motivated me to become an educator was my P.E. teacher, Ms. Geri Tanoue, during my fifth grade at Alvah A. Scott Elementary School in Oahu, Hawaii. She left a lasting impression on me as the first female teacher who stood out. Ms. Tanoue, being Japanese, was young, athletic, and wore shorts and a T-shirt to work every day. I was fascinated by the shiny silver whistle she wore around her neck. Her shoulder-length dark brown hair, minimal makeup, and abundance of self-assurance made her the epitome of a "modern woman" making her way into the workforce. What impressed me the most was her extensive knowledge of sports, an area not typically encouraged for girls to explore deeply or pursue as a career. Even the boys respected her and listened to her guidance. Unlike the typical women of 1965, Ms. Tanoue was bold yet sensitive, assertive yet kind, defying the stereotype of a traditional Japanese woman. She maintained her cool composure without raising her voice, as her whistle did all the talking. No matter what happened on the field, she exhibited infinite patience. She made me believe that I could be anything, do anything, and compete on an equal level, if not excel, against anyone, including the boys.
I was completely in awe of this teacher. I aspired to be just like her, and P.E. quickly became my favorite class. I wanted to handle any situation, enjoy my future job, and earn respect. She became my role model for the modern teacher I desired to become, confident in my Asian identity and fearless. In 2004, I unexpectedly reunited with Ms. Tanoue in Hawaii after receiving recognition in Nevada and being awarded the Milken Educator Award. She expressed her immense pride in me, and I expressed my gratitude for being my source of inspiration. It was a significant moment, well worth the 39-year wait for our reunion. I finally had the opportunity to thank her, as a fellow teacher.
Noreen Rodriguez
I met Dolly Jamael before my interview for a first-grade teaching position in December 2004. She found me wandering the halls of Dawson Elementary, introduced herself, and offered to show me the first-grade classrooms. As we entered room 103, she warmly declared, "This will be your classroom." I hadn’t even interviewed yet, but she treated me like an old friend. Later that day, I was offered the job. During the winter vacation the following week, I spent nearly every day at Dawson, preparing my classroom. Dolly frequently stopped by, sharing resources and lessons that would be helpful during my initial weeks of teaching. She even assisted me in rearranging furniture. For two years, Dolly and I worked side by side as part of the first-grade team. As a novice teacher, I imitated her techniques to capture students’ attention, modeled my read-aloud lessons based on hers, and observed how she organized field trips and composed letters to parents. At the end of my first year, despite starting in January, I managed to help the vast majority of my bilingual students become emerging readers. Dolly’s unwavering guidance, shared resources, and constant encouragement were crucial to my success. Years later, as an experienced fifth-grade teacher, I would often visit Dolly’s classroom at the end of the day to debrief and catch up.
Aside from being an incredibly supportive mentor, Dolly was an exceptional teacher. She effortlessly interacted with children, convincing frustrated readers to give it another try and defusing emotional situations before they escalated. Former students would religiously visit her, and families repeatedly requested her as their child’s teacher. In short, Dolly was an extraordinary role model and continues to be an outstanding educator. Among all the remarkable teachers I’ve had the privilege of knowing, she truly stands out from the rest!
Professor Wendel Dandridge
(Note: No information is provided about Professor Wendel Dandridge, so the text is kept as is.)
Professor Sam Potolicchio
The person who has had the most significant impact on my career as a teacher is my namesake, Dr. Samuel Potolicchio, M.D., whom I fondly refer to as the "real doctor" in my family. He captivated me with his ability to help people comprehend complex situations and introduced me to the realm of ideas.
As a practicing neurologist and esteemed member of the faculty at Georgetown and George Washington Universities, my father would often take me to Georgetown University hospital. There, I would observe him interact with his patients and impart knowledge to them. While I never possessed his scientific aptitude and leaned more towards the humanities, I have always admired his talent for explaining intricate, multi-faceted issues to individuals. I strive to emulate this skill when engaging with tense international classrooms and discussing geopolitics. After leaving the hospital, he would invariably have Teaching Company lectures on cassette playing in the car, covering topics such as philosophy, theology, or history. At home, his favorite chair would be adorned with a stack of biographies on a side table. He seamlessly incorporated historical references and popular culture insights into his medical teachings and interactions with patients. I have endeavored to follow in his footsteps by pursuing knowledge beyond my own field to enhance my teaching.
Professor Frances Negrón-Muntaner
I do not recall the exact moment when I first met the writer Toni Cade Bambara, but I will forever cherish the first lesson she imparted to me. It occurred sometime between 1989 and 1990, when I was a 23-year-old brimming with self-assurance from San Juan, Puerto Rico. Fresh from completing my first film, AIDS in the Barrio (1989), the Neighborhood Film/Video Project in Philadelphia organized a comprehensive year-long retrospective on Latin-American cinema. I, along with only a handful of others, attended every screening. Toni was among them.
One evening, after watching the film Quilombo (1984) directed by Carlos Diegues, which depicts a maroon community in 17th-century Brazil, I made a comment that I now curiously cannot recall but must have involved the phrase "black slaves." Toni, seated across from me in the outdoor section of the now-defunct Eden cafeteria where our group would gather, whispered something in response that I apparently did not hear, as I continued arguing my point. However, with her grace and wit, Toni leaned closer to me and softly repeated what she had said so that I would not miss it this time: "Enslaved Africans."
The moment her words registered with me was nothing short of revolutionary. The distinction between "black slaves" and "enslaved Africans" was so profound that it became apparent these were not mere alternate ways of referring to the same subject, but rather entirely different ways of perceiving and engaging with the world. If Toni once expressed her writing objective as understanding "not only how a word gains its meaning, but how a word gains its power," this incident exemplified that exploration extending beyond the written page, into the realm of interethnic exchange. Additionally, it demonstrated another crucial aspect of Toni’s philosophy on teaching that has influenced my own: that learning can take place anytime and anywhere, and that every moment and location holds the potential for educational growth.
Alan Harlam
Attending Sunday school was never a pleasant experience for me; I would spend most of my time there socializing with friends and frequently finding myself in trouble. To make matters worse, I often found the courses to be dull, typically centered around the history of Jews in various centuries, such as their expulsion from one country and subsequent establishment in another. My teacher for these classes was Dr. Carol Ingall, a warm and patient woman who possessed a deep passion for Jewish history, yet struggled to capture our attention. When I was 27 years old, my entire family traveled to Israel to celebrate my mother’s 50th birthday. During our visit, we explored all the popular sights, including Beit Hatfutsot, a museum that perhaps wouldn’t make it onto most people’s top-10 lists. One exhibit, however, left a lasting impact on me – a large mural tracing the history of the Jewish people from the destruction of the second Temple in Jerusalem to the present day. It depicted the exile of Jews from one nation, the refuge offered by another seeking to benefit from Jewish culture, the ascendancy of Jews to positions of influence, and their subsequent exile when this influence was perceived as threatening. I was utterly astonished by this portrayal.
Discover more about the recipients of the esteemed OZY Education Award by delving deeper into their remarkable achievements.
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