THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, November 12, 1995 TAG: 9511090157
SECTION: CAROLINA COAST PAGE: 05 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY PAUL SOUTH, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: MANTEO LENGTH: Medium: 81 lines
ON THE WALL behind Dallas Gray's podium at Manteo Middle School, a lone letter R hangs in blue.
``R is for responsibility,'' the seventh grade mathematics teacher said. ``It's a little reminder to the kids that at this point, they're responsible for a lot of things. Whether they forget their homework or anything else, they're accountable for what they do.''
The simple reminder speaks volumes, not only about the life of seventh-graders, but about their teacher. For 14 years at Manteo Middle School, the 48-year-old Gray has been responsible for teaching kids algebra and geometry. That work has earned him the honor of Dare County's Teacher of the Year.
The attention that comes with the title isn't something that fits Gray comfortably.
``My philosophy is to go through life and not leave a wake,'' he said. ``I just try to do my job the best I can and then go home. It's kind, though, for people you work with to recognize you.''
The son of a teacher and a commercial fisherman, Gray was reared in Stumpy Point, a 300-year-old community on the Dare County mainland.
Gray was, by his own admission, not a motivated student as a youngster.
``I was more interested in the things my Daddy was interested in, hunting and fishing,'' Gray said. ``But my mother persisted, and her hard work kept me going.''
Gray also picked up inspiration from other teachers in his growing years.
``Mrs. Grace Hooper and Mary Meekins were a big influence,'' Gray said. ``They were very strict, but they were very fair. They let you know what was expected. I try to pattern myself after them. You have to let kids know where they stand.''
For Gray, teaching mathematics involves more than formulas and equations and fractions.
``The biggest quality that a teacher has to have is to love children,'' Gray said. ``There is a certain God-given ability that people have to explain things. I try to explain things to kids in a context they can understand.''
Gray said that caring atmosphere for children extends beyond his classroom, throughout Manteo Middle School.
``I've been teaching middle school students for 27 years,'' he said. ``This is a difficult time for them, because they're in that in-between time.
``One minute they're kids, and the next minute they're grown up. One minute they're sassing you, and the next minute they're talking to you so nicely. But everyone at this school sees these children as part of an extended family. The teachers, the administrators, the custodians and lunchroom workers all look at these kids as their own. This is a team.
Gray, who taught in Wilson County before returning to his native area 14 years ago, said he has no regrets about returning to Dare.
``There's a mystique about the place, something that keeps you coming back,'' Gray said. ``Think about the ancient way that some folks still make a living. Here, too, the people have a very clear sense of what's right and wrong, and what really matters in life.
``Here you learn that how much money you make, or climbing the corporate ladder really don't matter. There is something here to hang onto that lasts. It's not here today and gone tomorrow.
``Some things here have changed a lot. But some things, the things that matter, haven't changed in 200 years.''
Gray said he tries to teach those same values to his students. On a recent Wednesday, one class of his students threw a surprise celebration, complete with his favorite chocolate cake, to celebrate his Teacher of the Year selection.
``He explains things well,'' said 12-year-old Melody Goodale. ``Plus, he cares about us and usually keeps us in good humor.''
But Jane Shipman, one of Gray's colleagues, put the reason for Gray's success in simple terms:
``He loves kids.'' ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by DREW C. WILSON
Dallas Gray, 48, the Teacher of the Year for Dare County, teaches
algebra and geometry to seventh-graders at Manteo Middle School.
by CNB