“We love her,” mentioned scholar Erica Howell. “That’s all I can say, we love her. And we’re happy for her.”
DESOTO, Texas — DeSoto High School provided an opportunity to fulfill its latest nationwide celeb on Wednesday however as an alternative, it supplied a chance for college kids to brag on the inspirational Grammy-winning instructor they name a mentor, second mother, and buddy.
Pamela Dawson’s classroom, the choir room at DeSoto High, echoes with music in English and German and Latin. Since this previous Sunday, these echoes are additionally bouncing off cloud 9.
“Have you come down from the cloud yet,” I requested her.
“No, I’m still in the cloud,” the DeSoto High School Choral Director mentioned.
Because Dawson, after being nominated by the grandparent of a scholar, was chosen because the Grammy 2023 Music Educator of the Year, honored by Trevor Noah on the Grammys on Sunday in Los Angeles. And her college students will let you know that it is a cloud, and an honor, lengthy overdue.
“Honestly, she’s that girl and she deserves that Grammy,” mentioned scholar Tiyana Bailey who considers choir a refuge. “I’m just automatically happy once I walk through those two doors,” she mentioned.
Erica Howell, and most of her fellow choir members, think about Dawson a second mother.
“Ms. Dawson, she’s like everybody’s biggest supporter,” Howell mentioned. “And we all just love her for continuing to have faith in us and believing in us even when we didn’t have faith in ourselves.”
Elija Mitchell says she teaches music and life.
“Just to be yourself and don’t be too strong about what other people think because everybody’s gonna have an opinion,” Mitchell mentioned.
“We love her,” added Howell. “That’s all I can say, we love her. And we’re happy for her.”
And that is why Dawson thinks she was chosen. She mentioned she spoke from the guts within the video testimonials she was requested to submit for the nomination. And she made it clear that she believes she is not simply instructing music.
“That music is so important and anything we do in life is so important. Follow your dreams. Follow your passions,” she mentioned. “I’m excited that I won the Grammy because I want to show them they can achieve anything they want to do. I want to be a beacon. To say, ‘if she can do it, I can do it, too.'”
As for that cloud she continues to be on, it could take some time to return down.
“Sitting next to Jay Z wasn’t too bad was it?” I requested her.
“And sitting next to Jay Z, and Beyonce, and Lizzo….and Adele,” she laughed.
On cloud 9 or not, it is a evening, and an honor, they will be singing about in DeSoto for years to return.
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