Bruce Robinson has worked in education for 34 years and currently teaches driver’s education and coaches at Porter’s Chapel Academy.

Robinson is a finalist for the Vicksburg-Warren County Chamber of Commerce’s Educator of the Year award. One elementary and one secondary teacher of the year will be announced at the Chamber Luncheon in February. The winner of each award will receive $1,000 from Ameristar Casino and the runners-up for each award will receive $500 from Mutual Credit Union.   

Robinson earned an associate degree in mass communication from Hinds Community College; a bachelor’s degree in speech education from Jackson State University; a Driver Education Certificate from the University of Southern Mississippi; and a master’s degree in educational leadership from Mississippi College.

Robinson said coaching is always a challenge, but teaching driver’s education presents its own unique opportunities to help students grow.

“When it comes to driver education, the best evaluation is on the roadway,” he said. “Each student must demonstrate that they can drive safely in a parking lot, divided highway and interstate (driving), to name a few.”

Robinson said seeing his students succeed is his favorite part of both teaching and coaching.

“I trained a student with Asperger Syndrome to drive,” he said. “For someone on the autism spectrum, it is not a simple task to drive a car. The wide range of symptoms can present challenges to drivers with that diagnosis, and most drivers’ training programs are not always equipped to help. I accepted the challenge because it was important to me to help the student to develop functional driving skills.”

Robinson said those kinds of challenges are why he became a teacher and coach.

“I teach because God’s call to teach can be unpredictable,” he said.