Category Archives: Education

Civil Rights activist Fannie Richards first Black teacher in Detroit

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Civil Rights activist Fannie Richards of Detroit, Michigan, is recognized as the first African American school teacher in her city. Photo credit: Black Then

Throughout our country, many excellent educators logged “firsts” in their community. One of these was Fannie Richards. She is recognized as the first African American school teacher in Detroit, Michigan.

Fannie was born on Oct. 1, 1840, in Fredericksburg, Virginia, the child of free persons of color. When she was just a child, her family moved to Toronto, Canada. She enrolled in Canadian public schools, and once she graduated, she continued her studies at Toronto Normal School and then in Germany, where she worked with education expert Wilhelm Frobel as he developed the innovative new concept of kindergartens.

Once she returned to the United States, Fannie landed in Detroit. Because of her exceptional scholastic record, she was able to secure a position as a teacher in Detroit city schools. But in 1863 Fannie decided to strike out on her own. She opened a private school for African American children, which she operated for five years. In 1868, she returned to public schools when she was hired to teach in Colored School No. 2.

Under the leadership of John Bagley in 1870, Fannie and members of her family protested vehemently against Detroit’s segregated school system. The effort yielded the desired results when, in 1871, the Michigan State Supreme Court ordered the Detroit Board of Education to abolish separate schools for White and African American children. That same year, Fannie was transferred to the newly-integrated Everett Elementary School, where she established the first kindergarten in Detroit. In all, she taught at that school for 44 years.

Fannie’s activism went beyond the classroom, as she founded the Phyllis Wheatley Home for Aged Colored Ladies which was established to meet the needs of poor and elderly Black women in her community. In 1898, she became the home’s first president.

In 1915, after a career that spanned more than 50 years, Fannie retired. She passed away seven years later on Feb. 13, 1922, at the age of 81. For her work in Michigan’s schools, the Chalkboard Champion was inducted into the Michigan Women’s Hall of Fame.

 

Music educator Andrew Thiesen garners Kansas Horizon Award

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Outstanding music educator Andrew Thiesen of Garden City, Kansas, has garnered a coveted 2023 Kansas Horizon Award. Photo credit: Garden City High School

Students who are enrolled in the music program at Garden City High School in Garden City, Kansas, are certainly fortunate to have Andrew Thiesen as their music teacher. That’s because he has garnered a coveted 2023 Kansas Horizon Award.

Andrew earned his Bachelor’s degree in Music Education with an emphasis in Trombone Performance at Bethel College in North Newton, Kansas. He earned his Master’s degree in Instrumental Conducting with an emphasis in Wind Band Instruction from Wichita State University.

After earning his degrees, Andrew inaugurated his career as a music educator in 2021 when he was hired as the Assistant Band Director for Garden City High School. That year, he assisted with the school’s Buffaloes Marching Band, and instructed Jazz 2 and Jazz 3. The following year, he added Eighth Grade Jazz Band and Seventh Grade Band at nearby Horace Good Middle School to his teaching responsibilities. He also directs Garden City High’s Symphonic Band and assists with the Wind Ensemble, and he co-teaches the Concert Band.

The Kansas Horizon Award program, sponsored by Kansas State Department of Education, allows school districts from all over the state to nominate one elementary and one secondary teacher for the award each year. To be eligible, teachers must have successfully completed their first year in the profession and must have distinguished themselves as an outstanding educator. Andrew is one of 32 teachers from around the state that were thus recognized this year. The educators were honored at a special ceremony during the Kansas Exemplary Educators Network (KEEN) State Education Conference on Feb. 17, 2023, in Topeka.

To read more about Andrew Thiesen, click on the following link to an article published about him by Garden City High School.

Former English teacher Vanessa Siddle Walker is an expert on African American educational history

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Vanessa Siddle Walker, a former high school English teacher, has earned a reputation as an expert on African American educational history. Photo credit: The New Press

Many superlative classroom teachers have devoted their careers to promoting better education for African American students. One of these is Vanessa Siddle Walker, a former high school English teacher who has earned a reputation as an expert on African American educational history.

Vanessa earned her Bachelor’s degree in Education from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. She earned her Master’s in Education from Harvard University in 1985. She completed the requirements for her PhD in Education from Harvard University in 1988.

In 1980, Vanessa inaugurated her career in education when she accepted a position as an English teacher at Chapel Hill High School in North Carolina. Later she relocated to Cummings High School, a desegregated high school in Burlington, North Carolina. She taught there for four years. She also taught English seminars for two summers at a math and science program for minority students at Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts.

After leaving the high school classroom, Vanessa conducted exhaustive studies of segregation in the American educational system that spanned 25 years. As a result of her research, she published the nonfiction work The Lost Education of Horace Tate: Uncovering the Hidden Heroes Who Fought for Justice in Schools (2020). Her other books include Facing Racism in Education (2004) and Hello Professor: A Black Principal and Professional Leadership in the Segregated South (2009).

In addition, Vanessa has published numerous scholarly articles. Among the journals publishing her research are Review of Education Research, American Educational Research Journal, Journal of Educational Research, Harvard Educational Review, Journal of Negro Education, and Teachers College Record.

For her body of work, Vanessa has earned many accolades. She has garnered the Grawemeyer Award for Education; the Raymond Cattell Early Career Award from the American Educational Research Association; the Spelman College Award for Outstanding Leadership in Education; the Young Scholars Award from the Conference of Southern Graduate Schools; the Best First Book Award from the History Division of the American Educational Research Association; and the Best New Female Scholar Award from the Research Focus on Black Education of the American Educational Research Association. She also received a Spencer Foundation post-doctoral fellowship. And she is a former Fellow of the National Academy of Education and a Fellow of AERA.

Today, Vanessa is a Professor of African American Educational Studies at Emory University located in Atlanta, Georgia. She also lectures extensively both nationally and internationally.

PA teacher Allyson Balmer instructs agriculture courses

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Teacher Allyson Balmer of Manheim, Pennsylvania, instructs numerous courses in agricultural education. Photo credit: Pennsylvania State University

Become involved in a discussion about today’s educational opportunities, and before long the need for a variety of vocational training programs will come up right away. Teachers who instruct vocational courses are sorely needed and are in short supply. One who is already working in this area is Allyson Balmer, an award-winning agriculture teacher from Pennsylvania.

Since November of 2018, Allyson has instructed courses in horticulture, floriculture, large animal science, wildlife, and natural resources at Tulpehocken Junior/Senior High School in Manheim, located in eastern Pennsylvania. She also serves as the advisor for her school’s chapter of FFA (Future Farmers of America). Prior to her employment as a professional educator, Allyson worked as a long-term substitute, a research assistant, a crop technician, a farm hand, and a calf tender.

“I am a passionate advocate for agricultural education and the need for experiential and inquiry-based learning in the STEAM industries,” declares Allyson. “I believe in the 3-circle model of agricultural education—classroom/lab instruction, the FFA organization, and supervised agricultural experiences—and it’s place as the premier delivery system of learning in education,” she continues.

Allyson’s decision to become an Agricultural Educator was due to three influences, she reveals. “First, my love and learning of education. Second, my fierce passion for the agricultural industry. Third, my gratitude to the National FFA Organization,” she says.

For her work as an agriculture educator, Allyson has garnered several accolades, For example, she has been named a recipient of a 2023 Agricultural Educator of the Year Golden Owl Award given jointly by FFA, Nationwide, and the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau. She was also honored by the Pennsylvania Association for Agricultural Educates (PAEE) with their Teacher Turn the Key Award in 2020.

Allyson earned her Bachelor’s degree in Agriculture Education from Pennsylvania State University in 2018. She completed the requirements for her Master’s degree in STEM Education from Lebanon Valley College in 2021.

Lauren Camarillo named a 2023 California State Teacher of the Year

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Spanish teacher Lauren Camarillo of Mountain View, California, is one of five educators in her state who have been named a 2023 Teacher of the Year. Photo credit: California Teachers Association

Congratulations to California teacher Lauren Camarillo, who has garnered recognition as one of five educators in her state who have been named a 2023 Teacher of the Year.

In a career that has spanned 12 years, Lauren has taught seven of them at Mountain View High School in the Mountain View-Los Altos Union High School District in Santa Clara County. She instructs courses Spanish there. In addition, she serves as the adviser for the school’s Ambassadors Club and Spartan Dance Club. Prior to her employment in Mountain View, she taught at Willow Glen High School in San Jose, California.

“My whole family is in education,” reveals Lauren. “We are teachers, counselors, administrators, and professors,” she continues. “From a young age, I got to see the ways they helped their students reach their full potential as learners and as people. This motivated me to find ways to make a positive impact in my own community,” she concludes.

Lauren earned her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology, Linguistics, and Spanish from UCLA in 2010. She earned her Master’s degree in Secondary Education from Stanford University in 2011. In addition to her honors as a California Teacher of the Year, Lauren was named a Santa Clara County Teacher of the Year in 2022.

Established in 1972, The California Teacher of the Year program, which was established in 1972, was designed to honor the teaching profession and increase interest in teaching as a career. The program brings attention to teachers who successfully employ strategies to increase academic success and narrow the achievement gap. In addition to Lauren, the other four educators honored are Jason Torres-Rangel and Bridgette Donald-Blue of Los Angeles, Catherine Borek of Compton, and Ben Case of Irvine.