NEW ORLEANS, LA—First In Math Online Program Ambassador Cred U. Dobson has been selected as this year’s recipient of the Benjamin Banneker Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award. Dobson will accept the award at a breakfast sponsored by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt at the New Orleans Downtown Marriott on Friday, April 11.
Dobson in 2012, and in 1965, when he took a temporary teaching position—and found his life’s calling.
“Cred’s commitment to excellence in mathematics education for all children represents the fabric of the Benjamin Banneker Association,” says Vanessa E. Cleaver, Ed.D., BBA President. “We are so proud of the contributions Cred has made to mathematics education throughout his 40+ years in education.”
Cleaver says she is thrilled to honor Cred for the enthusiasm and excitement he always brings to the table. “The highlight of our annual conference will be the presentation of the BBA Lifetime Achievement Award to Cred.”
The oldest of six children, Dobson helped look after his brothers and sisters after his father, a police officer, was killed in the line of duty. Four out of five of his siblings attended college.
Dobson served as Mathematics Curriculum Academic Content Coach for the School District of Philadelphia’s Northwest Region, and it was in this capacity that he first met 24® Game inventor Robert Sun in 2002. "One of the things that drew me to Cred is that after all those years, he remained passionate about education, and open to new teaching tools," explains Sun.
When he retired in 2006, Dobson was presented with myriad honors in recognition of his long years of service. “I enjoyed every minute of teaching three generations of kids in Philadelphia,” Dobson says proudly. Tireless in his pursuit of excellence in mathematics education, he would soon embark on a new career: ‘Ambassador’ for the First In Math® program. Dobson saw the deep-practice tool as a great way to improve the math performance of minority students within his district.
“Cred truly believes that the failure to provide every child with a decent education is a disservice to the future of our country,” explains Sun. “In his capacity as First In Math Ambassador, he is continuing his life’s work.”
“Cred has a unique ability to motivate students and have them become enthusiastic about learning,” explains long-time colleague C. W. Henry Principal Carol Nejman.
Despite effusive praise from colleagues and former students, the always-humble Dobson says his success as a math teacher simply stems from the belief that “You don’t teach mathematics, you teach children.”