Award-winning educator lends name to new Lehigh middle school

Those who knew math teacher Lemuel Teal say the Lehigh middle school that will bear his name starting in August will carry forth a powerful history.

“He didn’t want to just be an average math teacher, he wanted to be exceptional, and he wanted his students to be exceptional,” said Carl Burnside, principal of Dunbar High School.

“He has done so many things that I just can’t name all of them,” said Suzie Teal, Lemuel’s widow.

Lemuel Teal taught in Lee County schools for 38 years, ultimately earning him a Golden Apple award.

“He was able to show the boys and girls of Lee County and Dunbar that he, as a Black man, can receive a high award,” Suzie said.

Teal was a Sunday school teacher and a contributing member of the Fort Myers alumni chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi. He taught night school to seniors. Teal’s impact in and around Lee County stretches far and runs deep for those who knew him as an educator.

“I can recall vividly sitting in his 8th grade Algebra 1 classroom at Fort Myers Middle and watching him teach, and it clicked in my mind: ‘That’s what I want to do,'” Burnside said. “‘I want to be a math teacher just like Mr. Teal.'”

Burnside went on to become a math teacher before he became the principal of Dunbar High School, the school Teal graduated from.

“It’s really about the legacy that I leave to other students, just like the legacy he left to me and many other students like me,” Burnside said.

“He wanted you to have an education, he wanted you to learn, he wanted you to be somebody,” Suzie Teal said. “He wanted you to achieve your goal.”

Lemuel Teal Middle School in Lehigh Acres will open in August with enough room for 900 students. The school’s colors will be silver and blue, and their mascot will be a Spartan warrior.