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Teaching award raises the profile of Army veteran
By MELANIE AVE, Times Staff Writer TAMPA -- Robinson Elementary School teacher Mary Barker gathered 20 squirming preschoolers around her feet to tell them about the gray-haired man who had just entered her classroom. "Our friend," Ms. Barker said, motioning to Ronald Dyches, "he's the best teacher in all of Hillsborough County. How about that?" Her words of praise surprised the Bloomingdale High School history teacher, who was recently chosen from 183 applicants as the county's top teacher. "I'm just the teacher of the year," Dyches said, waving the compliment away. "I'm not the best." Since receiving the teaching honor, Dyches has been caught in a whirlwind. There was the limousine ride to school and the phone calls from headhunters. His face will soon appear on place mats at local McDonald's restaurants. "It has been a little bit overwhelming," said Dyches, 50. But his fellow teachers and teenage students say he deserves the recognition, describing him as a dedicated, funny and compassionate teacher. "He's the type of teacher kids want," said Freedom High School principal Richard Bartels, who helped hire Dyches at Bloomingdale in 1995. Dyches gives his home phone number to students on the first day of school. And he's not afraid to run around the classroom, acting out the part of the Cyclops during his lessons on Homer's The Odyssey. "He's probably one of the most entertaining teachers I've ever had," said 17-year-old Teresa Lamar, a Bloomingdale junior. "One of the most wonderful things about him is how much he cares about what he does." "He openly cares about the kids," said junior Lacey Hall. "That's rare." A native of Columbia, S.C., Dyches grew up the son of a military stepfather and a mother who was a nurse. He earned a bachelor's degree in teaching from Sam Houston State University and a master's degree in public administration from the State University of New York at Brockport. He joined the Army in 1973, planning to put in six years of service and then go into teaching. But six years turned into 21 years. By the time he retired as an Army lieutenant colonel, he had earned a Bronze Star for service in the Gulf War after serving as a military intelligence officer. Dyches, the married father of two grown daughters and grandfather to a 1-year-old, said he never imagined he would be named teacher of the year. But he believes wholeheartedly in his profession. "I know that in order to make the world a better place, I think it starts with the education of the next generation," he said. "It's great when a student comes back and says, "I didn't think I could do that, but I did.' " Bloomingdale's social studies chairman Matt Hauer said he had reservations about Dyches' military background and how it would translate in the classroom. Hauer though Dyches might be too rigid or harsh. "He proved me wrong," he said. "Actually, he has a very gentle touch with the kids." Dyches' passions leap from the walls and bookshelves of his classroom. Maps of Southeast Asia. Books on the Vietnam War. In 1998 Dyches became the first teacher in Hillsborough to lead a new elective on the Vietnam conflict, creating a curriculum that is now taught in 11 high schools. Dyches calls Vietnam a subject very close to his heart because his brother served there, as did many of his military friends. And when he learned that many of his students had fathers and grandfathers who were in Vietnam but had never talked with them about their experiences, he knew he had to teach a class on the subject. Last week, Dyches asked Valrico veteran Al Doyle to tell his students about his six years in Vietnam as a member of the special forces. One of Dyches' greatest teaching joys has been sponsoring Bloomingdale's 85-student service organization known as the Leo Club. Through the club, his students are matched with preschoolers at Robinson and Dover elementary schools. They keep in touch throughout the year. And each spring, the high school students take the children to the Lowry Park Zoo. Dyches says the teens learn valuable life lessons about helping others that will stay with them for a lifetime. "Kids find out they can take two hours and put a smile on an underprivileged child's face," he said. "You can't find that in any textbook." During the Valentine's Day trip to Robinson, senior Christine Spiker knelt and read a book to 4-year-old Rasean Ragins. Later, she said Dyches "tells us we're not just at school to learn. You're there to do other things, like help others." - Melanie Ave can be reached at 226-3400 or melanie@sptimes.com.
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