Baltimore's Teacher of the Year, an Omaha native, brings calm to the corner of a city in chaos

[Omaha Steve]

KIM HAIRSTON/THE BALTIMORE SUN
Omaha native Ryan Kaiser, left, is applauded by his sixth-grade students at The Mount Washington School in Baltimore and, right, Gregory Thornton, Baltimore’s public schools CEO, after the city named him Teacher of the Year last month.

http://www.omaha.com/columnists/grace-baltimore-s-teacher-of-the-year-an-omaha-native/article_0a762e1e-8cca-59b8-ae4d-f6a2195e2efa.html

POSTED: SUNDAY, MAY 10, 2015 1:00 AM | UPDATED: 12:13 PM, SUN MAY 10, 2015.
By Erin Grace / World-Herald columnist

Two days after Freddie Gray was buried and Baltimore erupted, the city’s newly anointed Teacher of the Year returned to his reopened middle school. And scrapped his social studies lesson plans.

Ryan Kaiser, an Omaha native with 16 years of experience in Omaha and Baltimore classrooms, knew students needed a forum, some gentle guidance and a chance to make sense of what had just happened to their world.

Baltimore was still reeling from the unrest that had left 200 people arrested, 100 cops injured, 170 cars and 250 businesses burned. Soldiers were still on the streets. School had been called off for a day. A curfew was still in effect.

And in a first for Major League Baseball, the Orioles were planning to play that day in an empty stadium.

FULL story at link.



KIM HAIRSTON/THE BALTIMORE SUN

A Husker flag flies as Ryan Kaiser celebrates being named Teacher of the Year in Baltimore last month. Kaiser will get the city’s official recognition on Monday and will throw out the first pitch at an Orioles game on Wednesday.

[romanic]

1. What a great man.

We need more teachers like this man here. *thumbs up*