“I know why Dr. King’s family valued teachers. Teaching is a service profession. It is always important to be kind to students. One of the things that holds children’s interest is kindness. And it was also one of Dr. King’s virtues.”
Ida Wells has dedicated her life to education and earned an MA in Education Administration. “I knew in second grade that I wanted to become a teacher.” For more than four decades, teaching and education have been her passion. She has helped first generation Spanish-speaking students learn English as a second language. She is a pioneer in bilingual education in Central Arkansas – establishing the first bilingual education school more than 25 years ago. But equally important, Ida has integrated public service and community into her curriculum.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated a year after Ida graduated; some of his teaching still impact. She shares them with students. “The students at my school have participated in several educational events hosted by the Arkansas Martin Luther King Jr. Commission.”
Like the Arkansas Martin Luther King, Jr. Commission, Baseline Bilingual School creates opportunities for children. “We have orchestra classes, ballet classes, literacy, STEM, soil conservation, gardening, botany and formal penmanship classes.” She remains a proponent for school choice and parental involvement. She is the first African American educator to establish a LEARNS School in Southwest Little Rock. When the commission presented Ida with a Lifetime Achievement Award, she humbly recognized the students as the shining stars. “I felt that I had received an award for my work with children.”