From the Projects to the National Teachers Hall of Fame
Dr. Stephen Sroka failed the third-grade. He was raised in the “projects” by a single mother on welfare. In ES, he was mocked for having a crossed eye and a speech impediment. He was injured in a HS fight, and in a wheelchair for a year. Doctors said, “Listen to your teachers.” The more he listened, the smarter the teachers became. His HS counselor told him that he didn’t have the IQ to go to college, but he didn’t know that Steve had the I WILL. He learned to live with the gifts of ADHD and dyslexia. His struggles to become a teacher made him a better educator.
He went from the “projects” to being inducted into the National Teachers Hall of Fame. He was awarded The Walt Disney American Outstanding Teacher of Health and received the Outstanding School Health Educator Award and Fellow status from the American School Health Association. He was named the Person of the Year for The International Association for Truancy and Dropout Prevention and received the first-ever School Health Leader Award from the American Public Health Association. Recently, he received the National Association of School Nurses 2025 President’s Recognition Award. He has been covered in Education Week, The New York Times, Campus Safety Magazine and K-12 DIVE. But his favorite “award” was when his then 6-year-old daughter told him he was smarter than Inspector Gadget.
He has worked in schools (and on Native American Reservations) for over 50 years, including teaching, administration, and providing crisis intervention for 30 years in the Cleveland Public Schools. He has keynoted many major educational conferences including NSBA, AASA, NASN, NASSP, NASRO, DARE, SSWAA, STN EXPO, DEA, PTA, NASP, NEA, AFT, UNITY, US Dept of Ed, and others.
He has traveled the world striving to reach, elevate and inspire with The Power of One message, how one person can make a difference. Steve had a cardiac arrest while presenting a school in-service. A principal, superintendent, two SROs, two school psychologists and others saved his life and changed his message. He now talks about how you need The Power of Many, how it takes a team, to make a lasting difference.
His life has been gratifying. He went from living in the “projects” to living as a professor. From being labeled “retarded” to being labeled renowned. He went from the “hood” to the National Teachers Hall of Fame. He went from being in obscurity to being on Oprah. Where once school professionals helped him walk again, today Dr. Steve helps school professionals help students to get back on their feet. He believes that one person can make a difference with the power of many, and that is why he is a teacher.
He has been told many times that his Power of One message changes lives with honesty, humor, and hope.
Today, Dr. Stephen Sroka is a motivational speaker, award-winning teacher, author, consultant, and adjunct assistant professor at the School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, and President of Health Education Consultants.
Dedicated to strengthening school communities through trust, connection, and practical strategies that support student success.
