“This is one of the highest honors an American educator can receive — only five teachers are selected each year from across the county,” he said. “It’s truly humbling and reminds me how fortunate I’ve been to work alongside the incredible staff at both Schaefer Middle School and Greenon Jr./Sr. High School ... I can honestly say I wouldn’t have received this award without their help and support.”
Jenkins originally planned to be an attorney until he volunteered to help coach a local football team, where he met coach Jeff Whitt, who inspired him to become a teacher.
“Jeff, who sadly passed away from cancer, was the reason I became an educator. He was an incredible mentor, and I’m so grateful for the years I had teaching and learning alongside him in the first 15 years of my career,” Jenkins said.
He then began his 27-year education career in Springfield City Schools at Schaefer Middle School, alongside Whitt. After two years, he moved to Greenon Local Schools in 1999, where he taught for the next 25 years before retiring in 2024.
Jenkins was nominated by one of his best friends and fellow teachers, Heidi Edwards. He then went through a rigorous selection process, evaluated by a committee that included educators who had previously been inducted, then an administrator, school board member and former students wrote letters of reference to support him.
Although Jenkins had not been on live national TV before, he said several Greenon STEM projects and charity events have been highlighted on local TV.
CBS Mornings was “a surreal experience,” Jenkins said. The staff “rolled out the red carpet” for the honorees, thanked them for being teachers and “treated us like gold.”
“I was glad that many of my former Greenon students were on display and that I was able to share this moment with Greenon Superintendent Darrin Knapke. Having Greenon showcased on a national stage was an incredible experience,” he said.
Knapke said it was an incredible and surreal experience to be a part of the special moment.
“I’m so proud of Tom — he was an outstanding teacher, and this honor is so well deserved," he said.
“I’m thrilled that Tom received $20,000 in recognition of his teaching impact, and equally excited that our district was awarded $20,000 to support educational materials for our students and staff ... We already use Canva at Greenon, and it’s an invaluable resource for our administrators, educators and students.”
Officials said the honorees have a collective 135 years of classroom experience and “exemplify dedication, innovation and the transformative power of teaching.”
The other inductees were Michael Dunlea III, fifth-grade teacher at Kenneth R. Olson Middle School in Tabernacle, New Jersey; Valerie Camille Jones Ford, middle school math teacher and mathematics department chair sy Ron Clark Academy in Atlanta, Georgia; Michelle Pearson, social studies teacher at Century Middle School in Thornton, Colorado; and Pascale Creek Pinner, eighth-grade science teacher at Hilo Intermediate School in Hilo, Hawaii.
“Recognizing great educators is not just a celebration — it’s a statement about what we value as a nation,” said Maddie Fennell, executive director of the National Teachers Hall of Fame. “These five outstanding teachers embody excellence, compassion and commitment to students. We are thrilled to partner with CBS to shine a well-deserved national spotlight on the people shaping the future of our country.”
All five, who received surprise notifications of their selection earlier this spring, were flown to New York City to be celebrated on the show. Canva, a graphic design platform, donated $20,000 to each teacher and to each district, a total of $200,000.
Next month, the inductees will travel to Emporia, Kansas, home of the National Teachers Hall of Fame, for induction week. Activities will include touring the Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site in Topeka and participating in a panel discussion, receiving a city proclamation and doing media events.
On Friday June 20, at 10 a.m. they will participate in the rededication of the National Memorial to Fallen Educators by laying wreaths at the monument. Their formal induction ceremony will be held the night of Friday, June 20, at Emporia State University.
To watch the replay of the segment, visit CBS Mornings on YouTube. For more information about the Hall of Fame, visit https://nthf.org.
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