Personal Information

Name: Richard Hinton Jr.
Address: 3520 Mayfair Street Apt. 103 Durham N.C. 27707
Phone: (919) 403-9244
Email Address: rhinton@email.unc.edu

Biographical History

I am a native of Rocky Mount, North Carolina born on June 9. 1958. A son of a sharecropper, I began my education in the rural county school system (Edgecombe County Public Schools) where I was known as an academia and athlete. In my thirst to become more knowledgeable about the world in which I lived and the activities that would await my life, I decided to attend North Carolina Central University in Durham, North Carolina. It was from that very fine institution of higher learning that I received my B.A.degree in French Education in May of 1980. In the fall of that same year I returned to that school and begin matriculating through a Masters program in French Literature for three years only to fall three semester hours short of completing that degree.

In 1983, I decided to join the United States Air Force, where I spent four glorious years. While serving as an Operating Room Technician , I was able to attend and graduate with an Associate of Science degree in the field of Surgical Services from the Community College of the Air Force in 1986. Later that year, I attended Wilmington College and began working towards a B.S. degree in Management and Supervision. I ended my military career before I could complete this feat but not until I had acquired thirty-two semester hours in the field.

In the summer of 1987 I left the Air Force and join my now ex-wife in the field of Education. I began my teaching career back in my home town (Edgecombe County , Rocky Mount,N.C. ) as an itinerant elementary French/Spanish teacher for three years. In this position, I helped to develop and implement the elementary foreign language curriculum for the school system as well as co-instrumental in assisting the re-structuring of the high school foreign language curriculum. As time passed on, I taught French and Spanish at the high school for the last four years in that system. I later moved to Durham where I taught third grade French in an immersion program in an inner-city school.

It was while working in that environment that I realized that I wanted to and needed to be in a situation to foster and effect real change. In my opinion we are jumping on the "band-wagon" of every new school reform out here and much at the expense of our students. We are so economically and politically motivated to remain the world super power that we have up the antics in our efforts to educate properly our children. The mission of our schools is still pre-dominantly academic/cognitive structured when in today's world and in today's society it should be more psycho-socially motivated. It is this assertion that has led me to seek this Masters of Supervision and Administration degree here at the University of Chapel Hill. It is my intention and hope that I can awaken this new mission of schools to all those who are concerned and become a crusader for the children of this world.

Professional Accomplishments

Recipient of the North Carolina Central French Award
Magna Cum Laude Graduate
Alpha Kappa Mu Honor Society Member
U.S. Air Force Hospital Outstanding Unit Award
President of the North Carolina Association of Educators
Vice-President of the North Carolina Association of Educators
District Vice-President of the North Carolina Association of Educators
Governor Language Institute Fellow - East Carolina University
Governor Language Institute Fellow- Paris, France
North Carolina Principal Fellow- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill