The National Teachers Hall of Fame has announced it’s third inductee in the class of 2024.
Keith Ballard, a music teacher at Southwest Middle School in San Diego, California learned of his selection to the Hall of Fame during a school assembly Wednesday. Prior to his career in education, Ballard obtained a bachelor’s degree in communications from Arizona State and spent three years working in sales.
Ballard would go on to earn a bachelor’s degree in instrumental music and begin his work in the classroom, the bulk of which has been spent at Southwest where he has taught since 1998. With a large Latino population within the school, Ballard, wanting to “embrace his students culture,” developed the school’s mariachi band program after traveling to Tijuana, Mexico to learn the art form first hand from professional musicians.
In addition to his work at Southwest, Ballard holds the same role at Launch Virtual Academy in the Sweetwater Union High School District. His efforts in the classroom as well as Ballard’s dedication to being a “lifelong learner” are many of the reasons for his nomination to the Hall of Fame according to Launch Virtual Principal Dr. Jesus Ulloa-Higuera.
In a news release from the Hall of Fame, Ulloa-Higuera says, “This illustrates Keith’s unyielding spirit of creativity, innovation and his commitment to driving transformative change. Through cultural music, particularly Mariachi Music, Keith has made an indelible impact on thousands of students and their families.”
Ballard now becomes the ninth Hall of Fame inductee from the state of California and joins English teacher Shelly Moore Krajacic of Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Terry Kaldhusal of Wales, Wisconsin as the first three inductees announced for this year’s hall of fame class. Two more career educators will be announced before the Hall of Fame has its formal induction ceremonies — early May in Washington, DC, and mid-June in Emporia.
