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Tuesday, October 11, 2005
Hamzah Abdur-Rahman, a highly regarded teacher at Remus Robinson Middle School who is beloved by parents, teachers and administrators and who is frequently cited as an exceptional role model, won the prestigious American Stars of Teaching award.
Rahman, who received his award at Remus Robinson Middle School on Thursday, October 6, was saluted for his work at Burton Elementary School, where he taught last year. Rahman, who holds a degree in social studies from Eastern Michigan University, had no idea he’d be receiving the coveted award until his name was announced at a short ceremony at Remus Robinson by the Director of the United States Department of Education “Teacher to Teacher Initiative.”
The American Star Teaching Award promotes exemplary classroom teachers who are improving the academic performance of their students and are making a difference in the lives of their students. The U.S. Department of Education presents this award to one teacher in each of the nation’s 50 states as well as the District of Columbia. As a result, Rahman was the only teacher in Michigan to receive this award. The award is geared toward teachers who are successful in raising academic levels for all of their students and who also use innovative classroom strategies.
“I was so humbled in receiving this award,” said Abdur-Rahman, a native Detroiter and proud product of the Detroit Public Schools who has taught in the system for seven years. “There were over 2,000 nominees. The lady who presented the award said she read all 2,000 entries. Of all the 2,000 nominees, she said my bio stuck out the most. They whittled down the entries to five candidates and they still chose me. That touched me the most.”
William F. Coleman III, CEO of the Detroit Public Schools, added: “Hamzah Abdur-Rahman’s award honors the entire the Detroit Public Schools system. But it also highlights something else we’ve been saying all along: DPS is filled with world-class teachers and educators. A public school system, like a great athletic team, is composed of many talents. Hamzah Abdur-Rahman is one of those great talents. His students, their parents, his fellow teachers and the entire school system are privileged to have him working with our children.”
