Quantcast
Carrie Underwood

With a mother, Carole Underwood, who taught for twenty-five years and two sisters (Stephanie Shelton and Shanna Means) who currently teach, 2009 Academy of Country Music Entertainer of the Year Carrie Underwood knows who the real American idols are.

“Teaching was something that ran in my family," says Carrie. "I have always admired my mother and sisters for making a difference in the lives of so many.”

Behind Every Famous Person is a Fabulous Teacher.

The TeachersCount National Social Marketing Campaign Presented by Time Inc.

The award-winning "Behind Every Famous Person is a Fabulous Teacher" campaign, created by Allen Kay of Korey Kay & Partners, pairs well-known individuals, such as Laura Bush, America Ferrera, Jeremy Piven, Al Roker, and others, with their favorite teachers. The campaign is supported by Time Inc., which has donated millions of dollars worth of free ad space throughout the Time Inc. family of magazines, and Jones New York In The Classroom, which underwrites the production costs of the ads. Click on the thumbnails below to see larger versions of each ad and learn more about the celebrity-teacher pairs in the campaign.

Due to a large number of requests from teachers, the campaign was expanded in 2008 and poster versions of the ads were created. The posters are distributed by Scholastic.

Learn More About the Celebrities and Their Teachers

 

Click here to see a listing of publications where ads have appeared.

More about the Campaign

First Lady Laura Bush spoke at the official launch of the "Behind Every Famous Person Is a Fabulous Teacher" Campaign on October 5, 2006, at Time Inc. Headquarters in New York City. At this event, Time Inc.’s editors and publishers, representatives from TeachersCount and Jones New York In The Classroom, and members of the press were present as each of the ads was formally unveiled. This launch signifies Time Inc.’s official support of the TeachersCount campaign.

The "Behind Every Famous Person Is a Fabulous Teacher" Campaign fulfills one of the main facets of the TeachersCount mission—raising the status of the teaching profession. Teachers are the single most important factor in the effort to improve U.S. education, but their vital role is often overlooked. In fact, teachers often feel they “are the scapegoat for the problems facing education” ("Teacher Recruitment," The Progress of Education Reform 1999-2001, Vol. 2, No. 2, August-September 2000).

The purpose of the TeachersCount Campaign is to promote public support of the teaching profession, make current teachers feel appreciated in their jobs, and to encourage today’s bright, young people to become tomorrow’s fabulous teachers.

Currently the following individuals are featured in the campaign:

  • Pete Boneparth, former CEO, Jones Apparel Group, and George Coleman, his high school soccer and baseball coach
  • Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, rapper and actor, and Deborah McDonald, his high school math teacher (50,000 posters printed in Spring, 2008)
  • Laura Bush, First Lady, and Charlene Gnagy, her second grade teacher
  • Sophia Bush, actress, and Peter Goss, her high school english teacher
  • Kenneth Chenault, Chairman and CEO, American Express Company, and Lydia A. “Lee” Lecraw, his 1-8th grade teacher (50,000 posters printed in Spring, 2008)
  • Dayna Devon, TV personality, Extra, and her parents, Barry Holleron, a professor of dentistry, and Charron French Holleron, an elementary school teacher
  • Taye Diggs, actor, Private Practice, and MaryLee Miller, his high school dance teacher
  • Alecko Eskandarian, MLS player, and Gerald Goldee, High School Math Teacher
  • Edie Falco, Emmy Award-winning actress, The Sopranos, and Sandy Valerio, her high school music teacher (100,000 posters printed in Fall, 2009)
  • America Ferrera, Golden Globe-winning actress, Ugly Betty, and Sue Freitag, her high school drama teacher (50,000 posters printed in Spring, 2008)
  • James Franco, award-winning actor, Spider-Man, and Esther Wojcicki, his high school journalism teacher (50,000 posters printed in Fall, 2008)
  • Marg Helgenberger, Emmy Award-winning actress, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, and Mariann vonRein, her English teacher
  • Cheryl Hines, Emmy Nominated actress, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and her sister, Rebecca Hines, an Associate Professor (100,000 posters printed in Spring, 2009)
  • Eddie Kennison, former Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver, and Jacquelyn Stevens, 2008 NFL Teacher of the Year (50,000 posters printed in Fall, 2008)
  • Virginia Madsen, Oscar-nominated actress, Sideways, and Suzanne Adams, her high school theater teacher
  • Curtis Martin, former New York Jets running back, and Aralessa Bush, his third grade teacher
  • Brian McBride, MLS star and current Chicago Fire forward, and John Erfort, high school English teacher and soccer coach (100,000 posters printed in Fall, 2009)
  • Ne-Yo, Grammy Award-winning pop and R&B singer-songwriter, and Carol Treat, his high school visual arts teacher (100,000 posters printed in Spring, 2009)
  • Jeremy Piven, Emmy Award-winning actor, Entourage, and Joyce Piven, his acting teacher and mother (100,000 posters printed in Spring, 2009)
  • Zac Posen, New York-based fashion designer, and Jane Avrich, his English teacher (50,000 posters printed in Fall, 2008)
  • Al Roker, TV personality, The Today Show, and Eleanor Fryer, his elementary school teacher
  • John Sexton, President, New York University, and Charles Winans, his high school teacher and long-time friend
  • Tony Shalhoub, Emmy Award-winning actor, Monk, and Tom Power, his acting teacher (50,000 posters printed in Spring, 2008)
  • Will Shields, former Kansas City Chiefs offensive lineman, and Charlotte Gagliardi, 2007 NFL Teacher of the Year
  • Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Hollywood Reporter Young Star Award-winning actress, The Sopranos, and Michael Zarett, her fourth grade teacher
  • Michelle Snow, WNBA player, the Houston Comets, and John Alemany, her Spanish teacher (50,000 posters printed in Fall, 2008)
  • Carrie Underwood, Grammy Award-winning country singer and American Idol winner, Carole Underwood, her mother and a retired elementary school teacher, Stephanie Shelton, her sister and an elementary school teacher, and Shanna Means, her sister and an elementary school teacher. (100,000 posters printed in Fall, 2009)
  • Brian Waters, offensive guard for the Kansas City Chiefs, and George Solis, a high school Spanish teacher and bi-vocational minister (100,000 posters printed in Spring, 2009)
  • Bradley Whitford, Emmy Award-winning actor, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, and David Ward, a high school teacher
  • Vanessa Williams, Emmy, Grammy and Tony Award nominee and Helen Williams, former elementary school music teacher and mother (100,000 posters printed in Fall, 2009)
  • Steve Young, legendary NFL quarterback, and Charles Reich, his English teacher
Click here to suggest the next famous face for this campaign!