- All right, y'all.
I love to highlight teachers who go the extra mile
to engage and inspire students.
To get his students hyped about learning,
first grade teacher Eric Hale from Dallas, Texas, what!
He scratches it up on turntables
when he DJ's in his class.
His efforts is awesome. (audience claps)
So his efforts, earned him the 2019 Queen Smith award
given to the top urban teacher in the nation.
He's our best in class y'all.
(audience claps and cheers)
(upbeat music)
♪ Best in class ♪
Please welcome, Eric Hale!
(audience claps and cheers)
So, congratulations on your award.
Were you stunned?
They're the nation, Dude.
- Actually no, 'cause I teach my children
that they're champions, regardless of their circumstances,
so everything I preach is greatness.
So anything that I apply for I expect to win
because I know I put that effort behind the scenes.
- I love you!
(audience claps and cheers)
That was so bold,
like I feel like I'm in a Game of Thrones scene.
(laughter)
Like I'm so exited right now,
I just got hot. (laughter)
I'm so excited, I love that boldness
and you should teach children that.
My daughter should be a little less bold but it's fine.
(laughter)
So you have a unique way of teaching though, right?
What's your method?
- My whole thing is to find any way I can
to teach the whole child.
So I'm focusing on not just their education
but social and emotional
and so I use music in my classroom
until it started with me always using music
to help them find their learning groove.
So in my classroom I'm always saying,
"find your learning groove"
and so your learning groove is however you move,
wherever the music takes you,
as long as you're focused on the education at hand.
- [Kelly] Yeah.
- And so, I use the music
to control the mood of my classroom.
So then we have a dance party.
The dance party's in the middle of the day.
There's only one rule at the dance party.
You have to do what I do.
So that's when I get to scratching and playing
the whole school, the funk.
(laughter)
Anything's out now.
Sometimes I hit 'em with a little bit stronger.
- [Kelly] Yes!
I got a techno version of "Your Song"
and so they really like that.
And so we're moving (claps)
and grooving and loving it a lot.
- I love that!
So, was teaching always your first passion?
- To be honest with you, I'm chasing the ghost
of the educator that I needed when I was a child.
- Whoa, write that book, Sir. - And so I always,
(laughter)
pushing myself because when I was a child growing up,
not only in poverty but in trauma.
- [Kelly] Yeah.
- I needed so much but all I got was apathy and sympathy.
What I needed was action, I needed to advocate,
I needed somebody that was gonna take that extra mile
to help me when I really needed it.
- You needed consistency.
- Yes.
- Yeah, it's like the most important--
- I love that apathy and sympathy,
that's all you got,
when you were-- - [Eric] That's all I got.
- But that's profound.
- [Kelly] Yeah.
- How did you wind up,
like I'm looking at the most successful,
individual sitting here on the couch
with Kelly Clarkson and I'm thinking,
"who believed in you, like who was it?"
- That really uh, three people.
I wore pink today for my grandmother, 'cause my grandmother,
she passed away from cancer.
And so I'll always have my grandmother,
she saw me through.
I had her sister, my Aunt Rose and I had one educator.
And it shows you the power of love.
He was my 7th grade social studies teacher.
He was a Caucasian gentleman.
But as I was going through my struggles,
he pulled me to the side
and was the first person who told me how special I was.
And he was the first person to introduce me
to African-American literature.
And he changed my life and so after that,
I knew that I had talents and I started working at it
and with the grace of God and my grandmother
and my Aunt Rose, I was able to be the first in my family
to go to college.
- Wow, that's amazing! (audience claps and cheers)
So tell us, this is exceptional,
like about your field trips, talk about those.
- I've been blessed to be at an awesome campus
but in my school, the poverty level,
we're like 98.6% below the poverty level.
And so, - Wow.
- In our district, a lot of times we have a little bit
of funding to pay for the buses
but then because of our poverty level,
we're not even allowed to ask our parents
to make the difference.
So it's like we have money for buses
but we can't pay to get in.
And I said, "there's no way I can consider myself
an educator and not fight for my kids."
So I was always getting different opportunities
to do speaking engagements and I was blessed
that through an organization called Leadership Dallas,
I was asked to be their keynote speaker
to represent education.
And so I said, "well let me take my little money out."
So I took my little $500 I had saved out of my sock
and I said, "if everybody in this room
matches my $500,
that's $25,000 for my kids.
I gotta fight for 'em."
But I said, "I can't get that money but my kids can."
So I asked and I said, "has anybody ever brought students?"
They said, "no" so we surprised them
and so I was able to get some buses
from the school - Clever.
- And I brought 14 of my brightest students
and they led their learning
and from that day, we were able to raise
about $8,500. - Wow.
- And speakers,
(audience claps) I've had Congressmen.
- Wow.
- Football stars, award-winning finalist, architects.
People come to our school
and so it kinda snowballed
into kind of like a unofficial, non-profit
and I call it Friends of Burnet
and so now not only am I getting money,
I'm getting people who come in
and genuinely love our school.
Well most of you guys know
that recently Dallas was hit by tornadoes.
My school was one of the schools that was affected
by the tornado and somebody that was in that class
last year said, "write a small little bleep
about my school."
And said, "that was Mr Hale's kids."
So they were already gonna give $50,000
to the general fund but she advocated for my kids
who advocated for themselves and we get that whole 50,000.
- Wow. (audience claps and cheers)
- So in the last three years.
- Wow.
- We've raised over $70,000.
- Here's something cool too.
So Texas Capital Bank heard about Eric's story
and wanted to help because they too are committed
to making communities prosper
and so they would like to present his classroom
with a check for $10,000.
(laughter)
(audience claps and cheers)
They're even here in our studio audience.
Thank you so much Effie, this is Effie right here.
And this is-- - We got pink on together.
- We got pink.
- Yes!
- Nearly cool as God.
- Yes!
Look at that, you did co-ordinate!
(audience laughs) - I didn't know!
- Yes, so they probably told ya, "it's a bright set,
wear something great."
(laughter)
But it's amazing what
and I believe this is the cool thing too
and I think Texas does this really well,
especially in certain areas that I've been a part of.
You know, if you don't support,
I think a lot of people get really lost in the big scheme.
We think, "oh God, there's such huge problems in the world."
But if we really did focus on your own community,
where your kids go to school or your family lives
or whatever it is like, even if you don't have kids,
you helping kids in your community,
is going to help your community
because those are the people (audience claps)
that are gonna grow up in your community
and help your community prosper.
So thank you so much Effie - Thank you.
for doing that and thank you so much Eric,
I mean Mr Hale, I wish I'd a had a Mr...
I did have some great teachers but you are exceptional
and I just wanted to highlight you on this show
- Thank you so much. - because of that.
(laughs) (audience claps and cheers)
Yes, exceptional. - Thank you so much.