Dr. James “Jim” Brooks

Year Inducted: 2019

Dr. James “Jim” Brooks was born in Jefferson, NC. He graduated from Beaver Creek High School and from Appalachian State University with a bachelor of arts in English education. He earned a master’s degree in 1997 and a doctor of education in 2011, both from Appalachian State University. He is a National Board Certified Teacher in Adolescent/ Young Adults, English/Language Arts.

Dr. Brooks arrived at West Wilkes High School to begin his teaching career in 1985. Dr. Brooks has served the students and staff of Wilkes County Schools not only as a teacher but a mentor, department chair, and lead teacher for 34 years.

He has been recognized for his excellence in teaching at the local, regional and national level. He is a prior “Teacher of the Year” for West Wilkes High School, Wilkes County Schools, and the Northwest Region of North Carolina. He was named “Outstanding North Carolina English Teacher” in 2010 by the North Carolina English Teachers Association.

Dr. Brooks served on the Teacher Advisory Committee for Governor James B. Hunt and was awarded the Order of the Long Leaf Pine in 2000, North Carolina’s highest civilian honor. An active member of the NC Association of Educators, Dr. Brooks has been recognized with the Terry Sanford Award for Creativity in Teaching, the NCAE Excellence in Teaching Award, and the Karen Garr Award for his work to support National Board Certification.

The recipient of a Fulbright Fellowship in 1989, Dr. Brooks has worked to expose his students to the world through cultural exchanges through the US State Department. He has hosted teachers and students from Australia, Poland, Ireland, South Africa, Niger, Peru, Jordan, El Salvador, and Uzbekistan. In 1998 he was part of a US Fulbright Delegation to Japan through the US Department of Education.

Nationally Dr. Brooks has served on advisory boards for Cable in the Classroom and the Hope Street Group. He was appointed to the Commission on Effective Teachers and Teaching and the National Council for the Advancement of Educator Ethics where he helped author a Model Code of Ethics for Teachers. The National Council of Teachers of English has honored Dr. Brooks with their National Media Literacy Award. In 2009 the National Educators Association bestowed their highest honor on Dr. Brooks, the NEA Excellence in Teaching Award. In 2012 Dr. Brooks was inducted into the National Teacher Hall of Fame, only the second teacher from NC to be inducted. In 2016 Dr. Brooks was invited to the White House to be honored on Teacher Appreciation Day where he met President Obama.

Dr. Brooks has devoted time serving on the board of directors for many local organizations such as the Wilkes Arts Council, Wilkes Art Gallery, Wilkes Playmakers, Friends of the Library, Wilkes Chapter NC Symphony, and the John A. Walker Center. He is a member of Wilkesboro United Methodist Church where he has served as the Director of Music for the past 30 years.