Jordan Gray
Educator
Teacher of the Year Finalist • Benjamin Syms Middle School • Hampton, Virginia
When Jordan Gray points to the Constitution on his classroom wall, he asks students who its opening words are talking about. “You are the people. We are the people,” he tells them. Gray teaches eighth-grade civics and economics at Benjamin Syms Middle School, where he wants students to recognize that their rights belong to them now.
As a high school student, Gray participated in debate and attended school board meetings. As a teacher, he ran for the Virginia House of Delegates and Newport News School Board. Those experiences give him firsthand examples of the work involved in participating in government.
In class, students debate which laws to pass in lawmaking simulations. Gray has also organized a candidate forum and works with math and English teachers to connect their subjects with civics. He wants students to recognize how what they learn about taxes, rights, and government decisions applies to their everyday lives.
Gray wants students to leave ready to ask tough questions, recognize reliable information, and listen to people they disagree with. He reminds them that decisions made today will shape their lives for years. Understanding those decisions and finding ways to participate are responsibilities they can begin practicing now.
