Category Archives: Education

Idaho educator Stephanie Archuleta serves as Latina role model

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Former Idaho middle school teacher Stephanie Archuleta serves as a Latina role model for diverse students on her campus. Photo credit: Caldwell School District

There are many fine educators who serve as role models for diverse groups of students in our schools. One of these is Stephanie Archuleta, a middle school educator of Latina ethnicity who hails from Caldwell, Idaho.

The Latino student population in the state is rising, while the number of Latino or nonwhite teachers remains stagnant, report school officials report. In the Idaho’s ten school districts with the highest percentage of Latino students, 90% of the teachers are white.

That’s where Latino teachers such as Stephanie play an important part in serving as exemplary role models. She spent 13 years as a classroom teacher, and for the past three years she has worked as an administrator. She is employed at Syringa Middle School, a public school in the Caldwell School District.

When Stephanie Archuleta reflects on her journey to becoming a teacher, she remembers with fondness her sixth-grade teacher, Mrs. Kathi Lamm. “Because she believed in me, I began to believe in myself,” asserts Stephanie. “She pushed me to excel, and even when I struggled, she was there to mentor me through the hardships. When I decided to become a teacher, it was because I wanted to be a Mrs. Lamm for those that need someone to lean on and believe in them,” says Stephanie.

Stephanie harbors a strong belief in the need for public schools to recruit and develop more Latino teachers. “Students are more motivated and apt to learn when the person leading the classroom and/or school looks like them, has the same perspectives as them and the same framework of knowledge as them,” she asserts. “I want to show my students there is a place for us in history and in the future,” she concludes.

Stephanie earned her Bachelor’s degree in Music from Corpus Christi University in 2003. She completed the requirements for her teaching credential from The College of Idaho in 2007. She earned her Master’s degree in Educational Leadership and Administration from Walden University in 2015.

Ohio teacher Eddie McCarthy donates a kidney to student

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High school sophomore Roman McCormick with his Geometry teacher, Eddie McCarthy. McCarthy teaches at Whitener High School in Toledo, Ohio. Photo credit: Washington Post

Every once in a while a story emerges about an admirable teacher who has made a heroic sacrifice for a student. Eddie McCarthy, a high school geometry teacher from Toledo, Ohio, is one of those incredibly noble teachers. After hearing about the severe medical condition of his student, Roman McCormick, the teacher volunteered to donate one of his own kidneys to the young man.

Roman, a sophomore at Whitmer High School in Toledo, Ohio, had been diagnosed with Stage 4 kidney disease, the last stage before kidney failure. Unfortunately, no one in the fifteen-year-old’s family was deemed a viable candidate as a live donor for a kidney transplant. It appeared that Roman would be forced to go on dialysis in order to prolong his life until a suitable kidney from a deceased donor could be located, a wait that could stretch from three to five years. And there was no certainty that Roman would survive that long.

Roman’s Geometry teacher, Eddie McCarthy, was stunned to learn about his student’s dilemma. “He always turned his work in on time, and he was definitely one of my best students,” the educator explained. “But I didn’t realize he’d been going through something this serious.” That’s when Eddie stepped up to the plate and volunteered to donate one his own healthy kidneys.

The surgery was performed on July 19, 2023, at the University of Michigan University Hospital in Ann Arbor, near Detroit. Doctors have deemed the procedure a rousing success.

Eddie knows that Roman won’t be in any of his classes in the upcoming school year. But the teacher says he is looking forward to giving him a high-five in the hallway. “It will be pretty crazy when I watch him walk by,” says Eddie. “I’ll be able to say, ‘There goes my kidney.'”

As 2023 Michigan State Teacher of the Year, Candice Jackson will focus on students’ mental health

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Candice Jackson, a third grade teacher in Detroit, Michigan, has been named the 2023 Michigan State Teacher of the Year. In this role, she plans to focus on students’ mental health issues. Photo credit: Riley Hodder, Bridge Michigan

Congratulations to elementary school teacher Candice Jackson of Detroit, Michigan, who was named her state’s 2023-2024 Teacher of the Year last month.

Candice teaches at the Mann Learning Community in the Detroit Public Schools Community District. In a career that has spanned 21 years, she has taught at the facility for the past six years. In addition to her work with students, Candice has spent five years mentoring other Detroit teachers in a professional development program called Master Teachers.

Candice says her decision to go into the teaching profession was an easy one. “I grew up in Macomb County, and I had very few teachers that looked like me,” she reveals. “My third grade teacher Mrs. Harrington was African American, and she was the epitome of grace, poise, and sophistication,” she says. “Unfortunately, that was one of the few encounters I had with a teacher that looked like me. That made me want to be what I did not have,” she explains. According to statistics compiled by the Michigan Department of Education in 2018, about 9% of teachers in Michigan were Black, while about 33% of students in the state are Black.

As her state’s Teacher of the Year, Candice will hold a non-voting seat at the State Board of Education meetings every month. She will also serve as a member of the governor’s Educator Advisory Council. In her new role, the honored educator hopes to increase focus on students’ mental health. “Kids are dealing with a lot,” Candice observes. “I think mental health is one of those things we ignore. And what ends up happening is things spiral out of control. If we pay attention to those risk factors, we can intervene early, and provide the necessary treatment,” she continues.And Candice believes that an increased focus on mental health will also help improve school safety.

Candice earned her Bachelor’s degree in 2001 and her Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction in 2004, both from Michigan State University.

Each year, the Michigan Department of Education recognizes the state’s top teacher. The honor is selected for their dedication to the teaching profession, commitment to students, and professional accomplishments. The selection process begins with nominations from students, staff, and community members.

Educators participate in cultural exchange through Fulbright scholarships

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The Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board, which offers cultural-exchange programs for educators, is one of the most widely recognized and prestigious scholarships in the world. Photo credit: Fulbright Scholar Program

One of the most important missions of an educator today is to develop global citizens. What better way to do this than through a teacher-exchange program such as the prestigious Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board?

The Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board is a US cultural-exchange program sponsored by the US Government’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. The program was founded by US Senior William Fulbright in 1946 and is considered one of the most widely recognized and prestigious scholarships in the world. Since its founding, the Fulbright Program has provided more than 400,000 participants from over 160 countries with opportunities to exchange ideas and contribute to finding solutions to the complex challenges facing our communities and our world. These participants were chosen for their academic merit and leadership potential. More than 400 US educators teach overseas through the Fulbright Program annually.

Upon returning to their home countries, institutions, labs, and classrooms, Fulbright teachers share stories about their experiences and often become active supporters of continued international exchange, inviting foreign students to their campus and encouraging colleagues and students to go abroad.

Fulbright alumni careers are enriched by joining a network of thousands of highly-regarded scholars, many of whom have become leaders in their fields. Notable Fulbright alumni include 62 Nobel Prize laureates, 89 Pulitzer Prize recipients, 78 MacArthur Fellows, and 41 who have served as a head of state or government.

To learn more about the program, click on this link to the organization’s webpage: Fulbright Scholars.