Category Archives: Education

Covid-19 claims life of Texas teacher and new mom Alexandra Chandler

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We are sad to report that Covid-19 has claimed the life of Texas elementary school teacher and new mom Alexandra Chandler. Photo credit: Heritage Funeral Home

We are sad to report that Covid-19 has claimed the life of yet another beloved educator. Alexandra Chandler, a fifth grade teacher from Fort Hood, Texas, succumbed to the disease on Feb. 13, 2022. She was just 27 years old, and she was a new mom.

Alexandra taught fifth grade reading and writing at Montague Village Elementary School in the Killeen Independent School District in Fort Hood, Texas. Even though she was vaccinated, she hesitated to return to work after Winter Break, because she was just days from delivering, and Covid-19 cases were surging. Despite her reservations, Alexandra went back to the classroom.

At the time of her passing, the elementary school teacher had just given birth to her first child, a son she and her husband named Beau, born Jan. 9, 2022. While at the hospital, both Alexandra and her newborn were diagnosed with Covid-19, but the pair were discharged and sent home. Five days later, both were readmitted to the hospital for difficulties breathing. Alexandra’s health declined, and she was placed on a ventilator. She passed away a few days later.

Alexandra was born on Sept. 20, 1994, in St. Louis Park, Minnesota. Her family moved to Belton, Texas, when she was 11 years old. Following her high school graduation from Belton High School in 2013, the fallen educator earned her Bachelor’s degree in Education from Texas A&M Central Texas, summa cum laude, in 2017. She earned her Master’s degree from the University of North Texas in 2021.

“As a little girl, Alex always wanted to be a teacher,” remembered Jenny Clay, Alexandra’s mother. “It wasn’t so much that she chose teaching as teaching chose her.”

 

Minnesota educator Brigid Sandager earns 2021 Outstanding Teacher Award

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Fifth grade teacher Brigid Sandager of Bayport, Minnesota, earned the 2021 Outstanding Teacher Award from Minnesota Agriculture in the Classroom (MAITC). Photo Credit: Minnesota Department of Agriculture

I always enjoy sharing stories about exceptional teachers who have earned accolades for their work in the classroom. One of these is Brigid Sandager, a fifth grade teacher at Anderson Elementary School in the Stillwater Public School District located in Bayport, Minnesota. Brigid has earned the 2021 Outstanding Teacher Award from Minnesota Agriculture in the Classroom (MAITC). Her career there spans 15 years.

Integrating agricultural education into her instructional program strengthens classroom discussions by allowing students to examine the world around them and how choices made today affect the future, asserts Brigid. Her fifth graders explore science and agriculture through their own observations, and then they share their observations through journaling, collaboration, and technology. “We have strengthened our classroom discussions by looking at what is happening around us and how what we do now impacts our future,” the honored educator says. “I hope the use of curriculum provided by Minnesota Ag in the Classroom expands students’ farm-to-plate knowledge and hopefully encourages them to look beyond how food is grown to the many other STEAM(Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) career opportunities available through agriculture,” she concludes.

Brigid earned her Bachelor’s degree in Applied Science with an emphasis in Agriculture Education from the University of Minnesota in 1983. She earned a second Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and Teaching from the University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire, in 1988. She earned her Master’s degree in Reading Teacher Education from the University of Wisconsin, River Falls, in 2014.

With her honor from MAITC, Brigid received a $500 stipend and $1,500 in expenses to attend the 2021 National Agriculture in the Classroom Conference in Des Moines, Iowa, last June. The MAITC program was established 30 years ago as a partnership between public and private entities. The organization is based at the Minnesota Department of Agriculture.

Sara Russell named Iowa’s 2022 State Teacher of the Year

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Congratulations to high school Social Studies teacher Sara Russell, who has been named Iowa’s 2022 State Teacher of the Year. Photo Credit: Pleasant Valley Community School District

Congratulations to Sara Russell, who has been named the Iowa State Teacher of the Year for 2022.

Sara teaches Advanced Placement Geography and Modern US History to grades 9-12 at Pleasant Valley High School in Bettendorf, Iowa. She has been teaching there since 2005.  Prior to that, she taught at Benton Community High School located in Van Horne, Iowa. In all, her career as an educator has spanned 20 years.

In her classroom, Sara emphasizes the importance of student-centered learning, hands-on instruction, critical thinking skills, and the power of productive struggle. She is passionate about the inclusion and acceptance of all students.

Sara’s commitment to her program is clearly evident. “I believe in the idea that you will never truly understand a concept or idea until you can apply it to your own life or the world around you,” she asserts. “While direct instruction is a necessary component of learning, I structure as much of my class time as possible around student activities that demand students make their own meaning of concepts or ideas, usually in a cooperative environment,” she continued. “With all of the activities, I strive to have students discuss, defend, explain, and apply their learning,” she concluded.

In addition to teaching, Russell serves as a mentor teacher, helps to plan and implement professional development as a member of her school’s Teacher Leadership System (TLS), and advises student groups about equity, inclusion, and civic engagement. Also, Sara has presented at the annual conference for the National Council for Social Studies in 2014. The topic of her presentation was organizing US History classes to be more inclusive.

Sara earned her Bachelor’s degree in History from Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin. She earned her Master’s degree from Eastern Illinois University, with a thesis focusing on multicultural education and social justice.

 

Nominate a Chalkboard Champion for this blog!

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There are so many talented educators out there that, by myself, I cannot possibly find out about them all. How about some help?

Do you know a remarkable teacher? Someone everyone looks up to: students, parents, colleagues, and administrators alike? Someone who serves as a model for the profession? A true Chalkboard Champion? This teacher could be someone currently in the classroom, someone who is already retired, or even someone from history that you admire.

You can nominate that educator to be the subject of a blog post on this web site. Simply use the contact form on this website to send me the name and email information for the teacher you would like to nominate. Please be sure to include where this teacher works or worked, and what it is about this teacher that is so remarkable. Be sure to include their contact information so I can get in touch with him or her for an interview.  I’ll do the rest!

Hope to hear from you soon!

California music educator Ben Bollinger also a successful entrepreneur

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Music educator Ben Bollinger was also a successful entrepreneur who ran a successful dinner theater in Southern California for more than three decades. Photo credit: Legacy.com

Many classroom teachers also become successful entrepreneurs. One of these was Ben Bollinger, a beloved music educator who established a highly successful dinner theater in the Inland Empire of Southern California.

Ben was born on July 4, 1938, in Anaconda, Montana. As a teenager, Ben moved with his family to Southern California, where he attended Citrus Union High School. After his graduation in 1956, Ben attended first Citrus Community College and then the University of Southern California (USC). There he majored in Music Education, with minors in Voice and Opera. During his college years, Ben performed in several operas at USC’s Bovard Auditorium and the Shrine Auditorium, including classics such as The Ballad of Baby Doe, The Barber of Seville, Simon Boccanegra, Manon Lescaut, and Otello.

After he graduated from USC, Ben accepted a position as the Chair of the Fine Arts Department at Ramona High School in the Riverside Unified School District, where he taught music education from 1962 to 1968.

After his stint at Ramona High, Ben returned to his alma mater at Citrus Community College as a full-time instructor. Under his leadership, the college’s Music Department became one of the most successful programs in the country. The choral group travelled internationally, winning numerous music festivals around the globe, including being the only American choir to win all three categories of the International Choral Festival in Spittal, Austria, in 1979. Over the years, the Singers performed at many major events in the Los Angeles area, including Super Bowl VII at the LA Coliseum, the Rose Parade, Opening Day at Dodger Stadium, the Grand Opening of Ontario Motor Speedway in 1970, and Richard Nixon’s campaign stop at Ontario Airport in 1972. Ben was also earned credit on the 1978 solo album of Gene Simmons from the rock group Kiss, and a select group of the Citrus Singers provided backup vocals on the album. When Ben retired from Citrus College in 2005, he was honored as a Citrus College Faculty Emeritus.

For his work as a music educator, Ben earned many accolades, including being named a Citrus College Distinguished Alumni in 1979-1980 and Glendora’s Citizen of the Year in 1980. Ben was also a successful businessman, opening the Candlelight Pavilion Dinner Theater in 1985. He sketched the idea on the back of a napkin and then made the dream a reality, choosing as the theater’s location the old Claremont gymnasium where he had played basketball during his high school years. The 299-seat dinner theater was a popular location for many years. In recent years, the enterprise was run by Ben’s family, but after a run of nearly four decades, the theater will close its doors next month.

Sadly, Ben Bollinger passed away on Oct. 17, 2018, in Pomona, California. He was 80 years old. To read more about this Chalkboard Champion, see his obituary at legacy.com.