Teacher of the Year Shares Award with Former Teacher, now Lehman College’s NYC Writing Project Director & Interim ILS Director!

The following story is about the journey of Teacher of the Year, William Green, who teaches at Frederick Douglass Academy III in the Bronx. At the award ceremony, he shared with Regents Chancellor Betty Rosa, that his “ninth grade teacher saved him from the streets,” where he spent much of his childhood living on the streets and in shelters. His 9th grade teacher was Jane Higgins, now Lehman College’s Director of NYC Writing Project and Interim Director of Institute for Literacy Studies. Mr. Green states, “Jane was not only an amazing English teacher, she was relentless in terms of fighting for her students — both inside and outside the classroom.”

Mr. Green is now a chemistry teacher, the science department chair and new teacher instructional coach at Frederick Douglass Academy III High School in the South Bronx.

ARTICLE in NYSUT: Teacher of the Year Finalist Shares His Award With A Special Former Teacher