A physical education teacher’s inspiring story and dedication to his students has earned him the state of Missouri’s highest honor for educators.
According to a statement from the Department of Primary and Secondary Education, Darrion Cockrell was selected by a panel of his peers and other education partners from across the state as the 2021 Missouri Teacher of the Year.
Cockrell’s story is one of motivation and hope. In his acceptance speech, he explained the importance of having educators who care about children and how a second chance from his adoptive parents changed his life. The instructor, affectionately known as “DC,” is a former gang member whose young life was marred by tragedy and unfortunate circumstances. He candidly recounted his past and the process it took to get him to where he is today.
“I started from the bottom,” Cockrell said in his speech. “Six-deuce-87 Kitchen Crip gangster, yep. Your 2021 Teacher of the Year used to be in a gang.”
By growing up in dire conditions in North St. Louis, Cockrell explained that he thought he would die like many of his friends and that he was born to fail.
“I was born to a drug-addicted mother who had two of her six kids by the age of 16, my father was murdered when I was four, and I began my journey in and out of the foster care system not long after my sixth birthday,” Cockrell recalled.
Although Cockrell’s younger years were tough, the beloved teacher said that he owed his life to teachers and counselors who supported him during those difficult times. He specifically showed gratitude toward a man named Ken. He explained that Ken mentored him when he lived in a boys’ home for a year during middle school.
“He taught me it’s OK to be tough, but at the same time, it’s OK to be compassionate,” Cockrell said. “He was like a father figure to me.”
When Cockrell was in 7th grade, his football coach adopted him, changing the trajectory of his life and his bleak outlook on the world.
“When I changed the way I looked at things, the things around me started to change,” he said. “I had a lot of struggles and a lot of hurdles, and if not for those educators, I would not be here today.”
During his speech, he also joked that his adoption by the coach wasn’t a Hollywood story, referencing the 2009 hit movie, The Blind Side.
“No, I’m not Michael Oher from ‘The Blindside,’ although I did have dreams of the NFL,” Cockrell teased. “My message for teachers is understanding the power that we have to make positive or negative impacts in the lives of others.”
Cockrell further expounded on why teaching is important to him and how physical education also correlates to emotional health. He uses his circumstances to encourage students to see past their own conditions to overcome challenges.
“Missouri is fortunate to have so many high-quality educators, and Darrion will be a wonderful representative as our state’s Teacher of the Year,” Commissioner of Education Margie Vandeven said in a statement. “He guides his students towards long-term physical and mental wellness, and the connections he has established will impact Crestwood children for years to come.”
Cockrell, who has taught at Crestwood Elementary since 2015, implemented an innovative approach to fitness. “Crest-Fit,” a combination of Cross-Fit and Crestwood Elementary, is an exercise regimen that started for students and incorporated other schoolteachers and even parents. It progressed to an after-school activity.
He continues to spread the wellness message during the pandemic, as students learn remotely, the statement read.
The University of Missouri-St. Louis 2013 graduate also won the 2020 National Box Tops for Education Twilight Award. Grammy-Award-winning artist, Chance The Rapper, presented him with the coveted honor.
Cockrell became the 52nd Missouri Teacher of the Year since the program began in 1957. He is the second recipient from the Lindbergh school district and is the first male to capture the state’s top education award since 2015.
