Stacey Bess (born October 16, 1963 in

Salt Lake City, Utah Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Salt ...

) is an American author and

educator A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. w ...

. She wrote the memoir ''Nobody Don't Love Nobody,'' which was made into a

Hallmark Hall of Fame ''Hallmark Hall of Fame'', originally called ''Hallmark Television Playhouse'', is an anthology program on American television, sponsored by Hallmark Cards, a Kansas City, Missouri, Kansas Citybased greeting card company. It is the longest-ru ...

movie in 2011 called ''Beyond the Blackboard''.

Early life

Bess was born on October 16, 1963 in

. Her mother, Susan, was a secretary for a juvenile detention center in Salt Lake City. Her step-father, Roger Coon, was a fundraiser. Bess attended the

University of Utah The University of Utah (the U, U of U, or simply Utah) is a public university, public research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. It was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret (Book of Mormon), Deseret by the General A ...

, graduating with a B.A. in elementary education in 1987.

Career

Bess' first teaching job, the only assignment she could find, was teaching math and reading at a school for children in a homeless shelter in Salt Lake City, Utah. She was told she would teach grades K–6, but she instead had to teach grades K–12. The school was known as "The School With No Name" She wrote the memoir ''Nobody Don’t Love Nobody: Lessons on Love From the School With No Name'' in 1994'','' about her experiences teaching homeless children at the homeless shelter. In 2011, the book was made into a

movie called ''Beyond the Blackboard''. After her book was published, she continued to teach at the homeless shelter part time. Bess now works as a

public speaker Public speaking, is the practice of delivering speeches to a live audience. Throughout history, public speaking has held significant cultural, religious, and political importance, emphasizing the necessity of effective rhetorical skills. It all ...

, advocating for the educational rights of impoverished children. She also wrote ''Planting More Than Pansies: A Fable about Love'' in 2003.

Awards and honors

Her service has been recognized with a number of awards, including the National Jefferson Award for Greatest Public Service by Someone 35 Years or Younger in 1995. She received the Delta Kappa Gamma Educator's Award in 1995 and the Rescuer of Humanity from Project Love in 1996.

Personal life

Bess married Greg Bess, a commercial real estate appraiser in 1980 when she was sixteen and he was seventeen. The couple then went on to finish high school. They have six children. She has had thyroid cancer twice, surviving her first round when she was thirty.

References

External links

StacyBess.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bess, Stacey 1963 births Living people 21st-century American women writers University of Utah alumni 20th-century American educators 21st-century American writers Writers from Salt Lake City Educators from Utah 20th-century American women educators