Teacher of the Year: From Valedictorian to Villain

Ariawna Talton definitely has a history with the Dallas Independent School District (DISD). The former DISD valedictorian was once delighted by the idea of returning to the district where she was so successful as a student and imparting some of that success on a younger group of budding students. Returning to the district, however, was not so simple. DISD has long been a very segregated school district. Talton will be the first to admit that it always felt a bit weird to live in diverse neighborhoods and then to attend schools with a dominant race. The issue of segregation became an issue of racism and discrimination when Talton began her teaching career at Molina High School. "Teacher of the Year" chronicles the journey of Talton as a student; then as a teacher and lastly as a terminated educator.