NewsHillsborough County

Actions

Tampa music teacher Ernesta 'Mrs. Chick' Chicklowski gets closer to winning Grammy

Screen Shot 2022-12-18 at 1.47.54 PM.png
Posted at 4:46 AM, Dec 19, 2022
and last updated 2022-12-19 06:19:27-05

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — Tanner Stephens knows he's lucky.

The 5th grader at Roosevelt Elementary in Tampa has Ernesta "Mrs. Chick" Chicklowski as a teacher.

And she just might win a Grammy Award this year for being Music Educator of the Year.

"She's just so eccentric and she does so much for us," says Tanner. "She makes you want to come to her class."

Back in July, we checked in with Mrs. Chick when she was first nominated for the music's top teacher award.

This true force of nature was up against a lot of brilliant teachers all over the world.

Now, she's in the final round of 10.

Mrs. Chick, whose battle with multiple sclerosis hasn't hampered her spirit, will find out if she won the top prize sometime in mid-January.

"I'm overwhelmed with joy," Mrs. Chick says about the honor. "It doesn't feel like I'm doing anything different from anyone else. I'm just teaching my kids how to love music."