About me
Daneé Pinckney began teaching in Columbus, Ohio after graduating from The Ohio State University. There Pinckney earned her Bachelor of Arts and Sciences in Middle Childhood Education. Later, she realized her passions were more suited to high school, and received her Ohio English K-12 Certification before earning a Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction: Educational Technology from Ashland University. Pinckney, currently, teaches 11th and 12th-grade English at Twinsburg High School in Twinsburg, Ohio. Here, she makes a point to constantly search for new opportunities to challenge herself professionally and personally, as evidenced by her creating a senior-level course on African American Literature. The course addressed a need for representation sought by both students and community members. She obtained grant funding to support its implementation enriching educational experiences for all.
Using literature as the anchor, she works to encourage students’ engagement in community service and activism projects instilling in them a sense of social responsibility and civic engagement. She believes students can change the world “right here and right now.” This belief and dedication to pursuing personal growth as an educator has earned her recognition as the 2025 Ohio Teacher of the Year, a Master Teacher Finalist by the Martha Holden Jennings Foundation, and accolades such as the 2023 Twinsburg City Schools Teacher of the Year, and a 2023 Fund for Teachers Fellow.