North Carolina Teacher
Honored at Foundation Gala

Tommy O’Briant Freeman, II Receives NEA Foundation Award for Teaching Excellence

WASHINGTON, D.C., — The NEA Foundation for the Improvement of Education (NFIE) bestowed its top honor on Tommy (Brian) O’Briant Freeman, II, a second-grade teacher at Peterson Elementary School in Red Springs, North Carolina. Freeman received "The NEA Foundation Award for Teaching Excellence" for 2003.

This annual award recognizes, rewards, and promotes excellence in teaching and advocacy for the profession, and honors public education and the 2.7 million dedicated members of the National Education Association (NEA). Freeman received the award Dec. 11 at the Foundation’s 9^th Annual Salute to Excellence in Education Gala, and was presented with a personalized commemorative gift and a check for $25,000.

Four other finalists receive $10,000 each

Freeman, nominated by the North Carolina Association of Educators (NCAE), was among five finalists selected earlier this year as recipients of The Horace Mann–NEA Foundation Awards for Teaching Excellence. These five received a cash award of $10,000 and financial support to attend the gala from The Horace Mann Companies.

All nominees for The NEA Foundation Award for Teaching Excellence received "The I CAN Learn^®–NEA Foundation Awards for Teaching Excellence," made possible by a gift from the I CAN Learn^® Education Systems, which funds the other nominees' travel to the gala.

An elected town commissioner for his hometown, Freeman makes learning fun for his students, one day playing the Nutty Professor, the next Little Red Riding Hood’s grandmother.

Freeman attracts help from celebrities

"Within his classroom, Brian addresses diverse learners through hands-on teaching and a variety of techniques that support different learning styles," notes Carolyn O. McKinney, president of NCAE.

Freeman incorporates reading, drawing, singing, writing, and even dancing into daily lessons. One of his projects, Celebrity Adventures with Flat Stanley, challenged students to read almost 7,000 books and caught the attention of celebrities such as Halle Berry, Tim McGraw, and Shaquille O’Neal, who wrote letters to encourage the students to continue reading.

Says Freeman, "I will do whatever it takes to make sure my students are inspired to learn and challenged to excel. I try to make school magical and comfortable for all students."   

Secured $1 million in grants for his district

Freeman holds certification from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. His unique teaching style has garnered him many awards, including the National Second Grade Teacher of the Year award, The Terry Sanford Award for Creativity and Innovation in Teaching and Administration from the NCAE, the District Teacher of the Year award, a state finalist honor for the Presidential Award for Excellence in Math and Science Teaching, and the WBTW-TV 13 Golden Apple Award.

USA Today twice named him one of the top 40 teachers in the nation. He is a past recipient of an Innovation Grant from The NEA Foundation, and has secured almost $1 million for his district through the Reading Excellence Act, the largest grant ever received in the school system.

Freeman obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications in 1992 and a Master of Arts degree in Elementary Education in 1997 from the University of North Carolina at Pembroke.

Mary Hatwood Futrell, other finalists also honored

The NEA Foundation also honored the other four finalists for The NEA Foundation Award for Teaching Excellence, as well as all of the awardees, grantees, and NEA members who work so hard every day to teach, to learn, and to make public schools great for every child. The other finalists are:

• Wendy Doromal, an alternative education teacher at Timber Creek High School in Orlando, Florida nominated by the Florida Education Association
• Marian Galbraith, an eighth-grade reading teacher at West Side Middle School in Groton, Connecticut, nominated by the Connecticut Education Association
• Jolene Moreno Hyatt, a kindergarten teacher at La Junta Primary School in La Junta, Colorado, nominated by the Colorado Education Association
• Vaughn Tokashiki, a fifth-grade teacher at Benjamin Parker Elementary School in Kaneohe, Hawaii, nominated by the Hawaii State Teachers Association.

Last night’s award ceremony also included the presentation of The NEA Foundation Award for Outstanding Service to Public Education to Mary Hatwood Futrell, Dean of The George Washington University Graduate School of Education and Human Development and Past President of the National Education Association.

This award is given annually to an individual who has made exceptional contributions to public education. Past recipients include Richard W. Riley, former U.S. Secretary of Education; the late Fred Rogers, creator and host of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood; and LeVar Burton, host and co-executive producer of Reading Rainbow.

The NEA Foundation and the NEA jointly created The NEA Foundation Award for Teaching Excellence in 2000, and partnered with The Horace Mann Companies and I CAN^® Learn Education Systems to establish additional awards to honor the excellence in teaching exemplified by millions of NEA members across the country.

The NEA Foundation was created by NEA members in 1969 and is sustained by their continuing support. For more information about the Foundation’s gala, teaching excellence awards, and grant programs, please visit the NEA Foundation Web site.

Dec. 12, 2003

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For more information, contact:
Christine Chirichella
202.822.7803
cchirichella@nea.org