In honor of Black History Month, Florida Gov. Rick Scott honored outstanding teachers and students Wednesday at his mansion in Tallahassee.
One recipient of the state Excellence in Education Award was Clay County history teacher David Bradley. The Lakeside Junior High eighth-grade teacher was one of three taking home the honor and $1,500.
“Other people see that I really care because I take a personal interest in my students,” Bradley says.
He’s been named his school’s Teacher of the Year before, and he says his assistant principal nominated him this time. A former Marine, he says he feels like the first line of defense in his eighth-grade students’ lives. And that involves a lot more than following a curriculum.
“It’s also up to us just to mentor our students and just, you know, to be that shoulder for our students so they know that when they leave the house that they’re coming to a safe environment and an environment where people really care about them,” he says.
He says he always greets his students in the morning and takes time to chat with them outside in the courtyard about how they’re doing.
Teachers are nominated for the Black History Month awards by their peers, students or school administrators.
