“Oh! What’s up first grade? My fault, I was working on my dance moves,” he says, dancing on screen in a sweat suit and removing a giant mascot helmet. “It’s Mr. Dalton, or you can call me Mr. D! I’m your PE teacher!”
His students agree, he’s one of the best.
“I remember the first time doing virtual and Mr. Dalton had me laughing to tears,” said Cori Hughey-Cannon, 5th grader. “He’s the best and most brightest gym teacher I’ve ever met.”
“Virtual learning has been boring for me but he makes it really fun. I’m excited for gym day so I can look forward to doing whatever he has planned for us,” said Milo Beck, 5th grader.
“He lets us go outside after sitting all day in class. Plus he has music and a lot of energy,” said Khloe Dauss, 2nd grader.
He’s also gone above and beyond, meeting kids at their homes pre-pandemic to work on basketball skills. Now he calls his students regularly just to check in.
“We talk about how your mom and dad has been and I say good,” said James Douglas, 3rd grader. “We just talk about stuff.”
“He’s taught me to be me. And to just don’t let anybody get in your way,” added Hughey-Cannon.
He’s even impressed the parents. They say they share his videos with their other children and their friends.
“He’s just so engaging for this age group. He stays up on all the trends. He speaks their language,” said Emily Hughey, Cori’s mother. “I’m motivated! I wish he was my gym teacher.”
So with his fellow teachers spaced out in Nora Elementary’s front lawn, our team surprised Mr. Dalton with the Golden Apple Award.
“Oh my gosh. Thank you so much. Can we give a elbow bump? I’m at a loss for words,” said Dalton.
“We saw your videos and our team thought it was so cool the passion you put in,” said Eric Hoots with presenting sponsor Bailey and Wood Financial Group. “For Christmas we have $500 for you and your family.”
Our team also played Mr. Dalton’s nomination video for the crowd to laughs and tears.
“Honestly it’s solely the kids. they literally are why I wake up every single day. If I can just give them that joy and let them know they’re loved and cared for while they’re with me, then I feel like I’m doing my job,” said Dalton.
“What does it mean to you to hear that you are making a difference?” asked host Brenna Donnelly.
“It’s literally the best feeling in the world because that’s all I try to do,” said Dalton.
Mr. Dalton plans to continue his YouTube series with the help of a GoFundMe for video editing and recording equipment, as well as student PE equipment for when class returns.
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