Janaha Hayes, 2016 National Teacher of the Year!
Her inspiring story tells of the power of teachers in her life and how she, in turn, gives the same kind of attention, care and inspiration to her students.
Here’s an excerpt from The Washington Post. Check out the article for more of her story.
Jahana Hayes always knew she wanted to be a teacher, but she didn’t always believe she could be one.
She grew up surrounded by poverty, drugs and violence in the fading industrial city of Waterbury, Conn. But she loved school, and her teachers told her she could someday go to college. Even when she became pregnant at 17, her teachers refused to give up on her. They showed her how she could continue her education.
She graduated from high school and seven years later enrolled in a community college. She went on to earn a four-year degree, and then she realized her dream: She became a high school history teacher in the same town where she grew up.
For the past decade, she has worked to give her students at Waterbury’s John F. Kennedy High School the same hope and passion and confidence that her teachers once gave her. She has pushed them to think beyond the classroom, contributing to their communities through volunteer and service projects.
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