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Darrion Cockrell’s mother was a drug addict who had two of her six kids by age 16. His father was murdered when he was 4. After he was placed in foster care, school was just another nightmare for him. He joined a gang at 10.

But with the help and inspiration of educators and his adoptive parents, Cockrell became a teacher himself — and such a good one that the Missouri Department of Education named him Teacher of the Year earlier this year. His students call him “Mr. DC.”

“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. “He guides his students towards long-term physical and mental wellness, and the connections he has established will impact Crestwood children for years to come.”

During his October acceptance speech, Cockrell, a physical education teacher at Crestwood Elementary School in St. Louis, said he grew up thinking he had no future and would end up “dead or in jail” like many of his friends.

Cockrell said he owes his whole life to the teachers and counselors who guided him. He specifically thanked a man named Ken for mentoring him at a boys’ home where he lived for a year during middle school.

“He taught me it’s OK to be tough, but at the same time it’s OK to be compassionate,” Cockrell said. “He was like a father figure to me.”

In 7th grade, Cockrell was adopted by his football coach and his wife and went on to graduate from the University of Missouri-St. Louis.

“No, I’m not Michael Oher from ‘The Blindside,’ although I did have dreams of the NFL,” Cockrell said in his acceptance speech. “My message for teachers is understanding the power that we have to make positive or negative impacts in the lives of others.”

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