RICHMOND, Va. -- Admittedly, Jeff Hall is not the most athletic person around, but for more than 30 years now, students have called the art teacher at Maggie Walker Governor's School "Coach Hall."
When he first got the nickname as a young educator, fresh out of college, Hall never thought he could soon be named "America's Favorite Teacher."
“I didn’t necessarily ever want to be a teacher, that’s the other crazy thing. I really wanted to do art," Hall said. "I said, well, I’ll teach for a few years, I’ll pay off my loans, and I’ll be done. But what I found is that I got into the profession and I loved it.”
“You’re giving them constructive criticism, but also, half of this job is just positive encouragement with focused practice, and that really is my teaching philosophy," Hall said.
Hall is the type of teacher who prides himself on connecting with his students and remaining in contact after graduation, and he now has 30 years' worth of people to help him win the contest. The America's Favorite Teacher contest is held nationwide and supporters of a given teacher can vote once per day (or pay money to vote multiple times).
With this round of contest voting wrapping up Thursday night, Hall is the top vote-getter in his group and would advance to the nationwide quarterfinals.
"I mean I’ve had like email accounts from kids that should not have even worked, like old AOL accounts and stuff like that from 30 years ago. But enough got through and then voted and supported me that it really made a difference," Hall said. "That has made me feel humbled and joyful. . . it is a tremendous affirmation of what I’ve done.”
With each round of voting in the contest, the vote totals reset, so Hall said he is hopeful his former students, parents, and the greater Richmond community will continue to show support. Voting for the contest continues through the end of May.
Winning the whole thing would nab Hall $25,000 and a trip to Hawai'i.
"I’ve always wanted to go to Hawai'i," Hall said with a grin and a giggle.
The contest also helps drive donations to Teach for America, an organization focused on attracting young people to pursue a career in education.
Hall said all the work it takes to be a teacher comes with a gift: a good teacher can have a real impact on a student's life.
“All those things, those are the memories, that will shape these kids' lives moving forward," Hall said. “It is a very spiritually, emotionally rewarding profession and the relationships you build."
Hall's former students include Grammy-award-winning recording artist Lucy Dacus and portrait artist Stanley Rayfield, who was commissioned to produce former Virginia Governor Ralph Northam's official portrait. Although, Hall said his goal is not to churn out art school students but lifetime artists.
"Art is an activity you can do your whole life. I tell them you can do it until you’re dead. Literally, you can keep making art until you’re dead," Hall said.
Hall grew up in Richmond and graduated from the University of Richmond. He hopes he has a few more years left in the teaching tank.
Winning the contest, he said, would bring recognition to the community of students he's taught over the years, the teaching profession, Maggie Walker (where he's taught for 17 years now), and his hometown.
“Bringing it home for Richmond would be awesome, and I would love to be able to do that for both Maggie Walker, my school community, but all my alumni from all my years teaching and the broader Richmond community as well," he said.
CBS 6 will keep you updated on how Hall progresses in the contest. Those who want to help him out can go to www.voteforcoach.com.
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