Charlotte woman's lifetime passion earns her Educator of the Year award

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A local foundation honored outstanding students and community leaders Saturday evening in Charlotte.

The Charlotte Post Foundation held its Best Awards Banquet in uptown.

Top high school seniors earned scholarships. Awards were given for Educator of the Year and Lifetime Achievement.

The foundation supports after-school tutoring at Walter G. Byers Elementary.

“We spend over $1,800 per kid, per semester and one teacher per every five kids to get a low ratio of teacher-to-student and it is expensive,” said Gerald Johnson of the Charlotte Post Foundation.

Johnson said the goal is to raise more money to expand the program to help other schools.

The banquet was sponsored by WSOC-TV and the emcee was Eyewitness News anchor Erica Bryant.

Dr. Daisy Walker has worked as an educator for nearly 50 years.

“When you’re teaching, you’re in that moment and you hope that you’re making a difference,” Walker said.

[LINK: The Charlotte Post Best Banquet]

Students like senior Tajahn Wilson said Walker doesn’t see it has just a job. She is genuinely invested in students’ success.

“She is very interactive with us and always wants to know what’s going on and I appreciate that because it’s like saying, ‘Oh, somebody cares,’” Wilson said. “The best thing that she does is trying to give us inspiration and motivation to do what we need to do to be successful.”

Walker’s dedication has earned her the honor of being named Charlotte Post’s Educator of the Year, but it highlights her focus over a lifetime.

She taught at Randolph Middle School in 1969, then served as principal at Garinger High School and Wilson Middle School.

Walker now works at West Charlotte High School as a volunteer coordinator, where she has high expectations about boosting the graduation rate.

“When I first came to West Charlotte, the rate was 54 percent,” Walker said. “I’ve been here; now it’s up to 88.1 percent this year. That comes from hard, hard work and intestinal fortitude, and you don’t let up, not one time.”

Walker said the key is that the message to children is wrapped in love.

“I like to see people exceed and excel and be at the top of their game. Because as a classroom teacher, if my students are not excelling, that’s not a reflection on them, that’s a reflection on me,” Walker said.

Cox Media Group