By age 10, Darrion Cockrell was in a gang, bu now, the Missouri educator is the Teacher of the Year, named by the Missouri Department of Education in October. According to CNN, Cockrell is a physical education teacher at Crestwood Elementary who endured a hard upbringing in St. Louis. “I was born to a drug-addicted mother who had two of her six kids by the age of 16,” Cockrell said. “My father was murdered when I was 4, and I began my journey in and out of the foster care system not long after my 6th birthday.” As a result, he turned to the streets but credits his teachers who set him on a better path. For that, he helps guides his own students “towards long-term physical and mental wellness.” “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,” said Margie Vandeven, the state’s commissioner of education. In his acceptance speech, Cockrell expresses the power educators have to change the...