DALLAS – Dalton Sherman is an 11-year-old motivational speaker, a talking testament to the difference a teacher’s belief can make in a student’s success.
Last year Dalton gave an inspirational back-to-school speech that brought some 20,000 Dallas school teachers to their feet in thunderous applause and the video was posted on YouTube. Now Dalton is a celebrity of sorts.
He’s been on Oprah Winfrey’s and Ellen DeGeneres’ talk shows. He’s hobnobbed with Donald Trump, poet Maya Angelou and U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan and on Friday, Jenna Bush Hager will interview him on NBC’s “Today” show in her broadcasting debut.
“It just keeps going and growing,” said Dallas schools spokesman Jon Dahlander. “The power of YouTube strikes again for Dalton Sherman. It couldn’t happen to a nicer family or a greater kid.”
Two years ago Dalton’s way with words sometimes proved too disruptive for the classroom. His teacher at the time Irene Redmond, encouraged him to find other avenues for his talent. The speech that’s garnered him so much attention in some ways is a tribute to Redmond’s belief in his ability to succeed in life.
Friends and family say Dalton’s growing fame hasn’t gone to his head. He is still the same kid who loves shooting hoops, horsing around with his siblings, scrambling eggs for his family at breakfast and rooting for the Dallas Cowboys.
He’s a straight-A, sixth-grader at a Dallas magnet school and has had a difficult time keeping a low profile. In his second week at Dallas Environmental Science Academy, the “Today” show’s cameras followed him around.
This summer, a Fort Worth-based international theater group called Kids Who Care, turned Dalton’s “Believe in Me,” speech into a musical in which he recently starred.
One of his largest presentations came in June, when he spoke to about 24,000 people at a global training conference in Charlotte, N.C., for ACN Inc., a direct-marketing company.
“He was incredible,” said Lisa Krass, who directs events for ACN. “He had everyone sitting on the edge of their seat just waiting to see what he was going to say next.
“He had many in tears, and others just in awe over how dynamic a young man he was.”
Dalton admits he doesn’t really know why his speech, which is tailored to suit his audience, has resonated with so many. He’s just enjoying the ride.
“It’s fun to speak in different places,” Dalton said. The 4-foot-9 kid with a big smile wants to be a broadcast news reporter when he grows up.