Category Archives: Education

NYC English teacher Diandra D’Amico garners 2023-2024 Big Apple Award

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High school English teacher Diandra D’Amico has earned a 2023-2024 Big Apple Award from the New York City Department of Education. Photo credit: Diandra D’Amico

New York City is very proud of their public school teachers. In fact, city leaders regularly recognize exceptional educators with their annual Big Apple Award. For the 2023-2024 school year, one of the educators honored was Diandra D’Amico, an English Language Arts teacher from Pelham, New York.

For the past two years, Diandra has taught English/Language Arts at Harvey Milk High School in Manhattan. Previously she taught for the New York City Department of Education and worked as a private tutor.

Diandra takes her role as a teacher and role model very seriously. “My time as an educator has led me to dig deeper into understanding how the brain, mind, heart and body integrate to create meaning in our lives and, by extension, how we contribute to the world around us,” Diandra declares. “My greatest hope is to instill in my students a love and passion for learning. I maintain a youthful and naive belief that we are all capable of changing the world by starting with one life,” she says.

Diandra earned her Bachelor’s degree in English from Haverford College in 2003. She earned her Masters degree in English Education from Teachers College, Columbia University, in 2006.

This year, the Big Apple Award was presented to 49 superlative New York City teachers. Each one was nominated by their principal for work in the profession that inspires students, models great teaching, and enriches school communities. The recipients were chosen through a rigorous selection process that includes community nominations, principal recommendations, classroom visits, an interview, and a review by a board of judges. To learn more about the program and this year’s recipients, click on this link to Big Apple Awards.

 

Teacher Eve Balfour helped save a Jewish life during WWII

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Eve Balfour, a world languages teacher in Maryland, helped save a Jewish woman’s life when the Nazis occupied Poland during World War II. Photo credit: US Holocaust Memorial

Throughout history, there are many remarkable educators who have performed deeds of heroism. One of these Chalkboard Champions is Eve Kristine Vetulani Balfour, a world languages teacher in Baltimore, Maryland. During World War II, she helped save a Jewish woman’s life from the Nazis when they occupied Poland.

Born a Catholic in Krakow, Poland. Her father was a professor at Jagiellonian University and her mother was a homemaker. As a young girl, before the outbreak of WWII, Eve studied several foreign languages in gymnasium, the European equivalent of high school.

Eve was born into a family that abhorred the Nazi regime. During the war, the Vetulanis adopted a Jewish woman, thereby saving her from the Nazis. In 1942, after the Germans invaded and occupied Poland, Eve was captured and forced to work in Nazi slave labor camps. Although her life there was difficult, her knowledge of languages saved her life, because she was more valuable to the Germans as a translator and interpreter than as a slave laborer. Fortunately, she was liberated from the Nordhausen labor camp by the Allies in 1945.

After the war, Eve became a displaced person. She was able to secure a position as a translator for US Army intelligence and was stationed in Frankfurt, Germany. She also enrolled in classes at  Frankfurt University. In 1950, she immigrated to the United States. Upon her arrival, she first enrolled at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. After moving to Maryland, she graduated from Frostburg State Teachers College in 1962, and in 1966 she earned her Master’s degree in French from Middlebury College, Vermont.

For over 25 years Eve worked as an instructor of French, German, and Spanish at Woodlawn High School in Baltimore, Maryland. She retired from the teaching profession in 1988. Able to speak Polish, Russian, German, Spanish, French, and Italian, Eve translated historical documents for the US Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC, after her retirement. She also worked for the Red Cross at their Tracing Bureau, assisting efforts to re-unite Holocaust survivors with their families.

Eve Balfour passed away in 2004 at the age of 79, but she will always be remembered as a true Chalkboard Champion. To read more about her, see this article about her published by the United States Holocaust Memorial.

Teacher, coach, football player, and WW II veteran Tony Zuzzio

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Teacher, coach, former professional football player, and World War II veteran Tony Zuzzio. Photo credit: Muhlenberg College

Many fine athletes devote their considerable talent as educators and coaches after they have concluded their professional careers. This is certainly true of Tony Zuzzio, a long-time teacher and coach who once played professional football for the Detroit Lions.

Anthony Joseph Zuzzio was born on August 5, 1916, in Irvington, Essex County, New Jersey. He grew up in nearby Belleville, where he attended Belleville High School. As a teenager, Tony excelled at multiple sports. For his achievements as an athlete, Tony was inducted into his high school Hall of Fame in 1977.

Following his high school graduation, Tony enrolled in Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pennsylvania, where he played the position of tackle on the football team. While there he was named an All-American. Following his college experience, Tony played professional football in the National Football League (NFL). The 5’11”, 215-pound youth played as both a guard and a tackle for the Detroit Lions during the 1942 season.

Tony was a true American hero. During World War II, the former football star served his country in the armed services, where he earned an American Theater Ribbon, a Good Conduct Medal, and a World War II Victory Medal. He was honorably discharged in 1946.

After his military service, Tony coached baseball in Coffeyville in Kansas. There the consummate coach took his team to a national title. For the span of 34 years, Tony channeled his energy as a teacher and coach at nearby Edna High School in Kansas, then at Chetopa High School in Labette County, next at Elk City, Kansas, and finally at Humbolt High School in Humbolt, Kansas. In addition, from 1964 to 1966, Tony moonlighted as a professional scout for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

On April 7, 2002, this Chalkboard Champion and American veteran passed away in Lawrence, Kansas. He was 85 years old. He is interred at Mount Olive Roman Catholic Cemetery in Parsons, Kansas.

Illinois social studies teacher Samantha Stearns earns honors

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Illinois social studies teacher Samantha Stearns named a finalist for the Illinois State Teacher of the Year Award.  Photo credit: Wednesday Journal

I always enjoy sharing stories about excellent educators who have earned accolades for their work in the classroom. Today, the spotlight falls on Samantha Stearns, a social studies teacher from Illinois. She is the recipient of the 2023 Cook County Co-Regional Teacher of the Year and one of 13 finalists for the Illinois State Teacher of the Year Award.

Currently, Samantha teaches social studies and serves as the Department Chair at Roosevelt Middle School in River Forest, Illinois. Samantha also advises her school’s Mock Trial team and the History by Hollywood Club, a group where students are encouraged to consider how film can have an impact on historical narratives. She has worked at Roosevelt for 11 years. Previously, she taught for two years in Plainfield, Illinois.

In addition to her work in the classroom, Samantha is a member of the Illinois State Board of Education and University of Illinois’s I3, Inclusive, Inquiry-Based Social Studies program. The types of projects her eighth-graders work on reflect the goals of this program. “My students really enjoyed our election unit,” Samantha reveals. “We focused on building background knowledge on voter suppression and how limited access to the ballot has been a challenge in the US historically,” she explains. “To then see how people like Stacey Abrams worked to increase voter turnout in Georgia was the perfect culmination of our study and really let students connect the past to the present,” she says. “I think it let students see that past historical injustices still impact Americans today, but also how we can work to correct our course,” she concludes.

Samantha’s selection as a Regional Teacher of the Year is not the only recognition the stellar teacher has earned. In 2022, she represented Illinois in the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History National History Teacher of the Year program. In addition, she has been a guest writer for the American Historical Association’s Perspectives on History. In this capacity, she serves as an advocate for improved social studies education and increased collaboration between K-16 social studies educators.

Samantha earned her Bachelor’s degree in Secondary Education and History in 2010 from University of St. Francis in Joliet, Illinois. She earned her Master’s degree in History in 2019 from Indiana State University in Terre Haute, Indiana.

To learn more about Samantha Stearns, click on this link to an article published by Wednesday Journal.

NY STEM teacher Xue Qing Liang garners coveted PAEMST award

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Science teacher Xue Qing Liang of Brooklyn, New York, has garnered a coveted 2023 PAEMST award. Photo credit: United Federation of Teachers

There are so many talented educators who have earned recognition for their hard work in the classroom. One of these is Xue Qing Liang, a high school science teacher from Brooklyn, New York. She has garnered a coveted 2023 PAEMST award.

The PAEMST, Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching, recognize the dedication, hard work, and importance that America’s teachers play in supporting learners who will become future STEM professionals, including computer technologists, climate scientists, mathematicians, innovators, space explorers, and engineers. The PAEMST program, founded in 1983, is administered by the National Science Foundation (NSF) on behalf of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. The honor comes with a meeting with the President and a $10,000 cash prize.

Xue Qing teaches Chemistry at New Utrecht High School in Brooklyn. She has taught at the school for seven years. In her classroom, the honored teacher incorporates engineering design, role playing, and reflective discussions in her lesson plans. Her students act as investigators and solve a real-world problems. Furthermore, to help minimize language barriers, Xue Qing teaches a Chinese Bilingual Chemistry class.

In addition to her classroom lessons, Xue Qing is involved with her school’s Science Olympiad. Also, she has participated in Math for America where she co-designs environmentally sustainable labs by incorporating the principles of green chemistry. She has also participated in Engineering for Tomorrow, discussing students’ final projects with NASA engineers.

Xue Qing earned her Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from the College of Staten Island. She earned a Master’s degree in Science Education from CUNY Brooklyn College, and a second Master’s degree in Chinese from Hunter College. She also completed the requirements for an Advanced Certificate in Bilingual Education from Brooklyn College.