Category Archives: Education

Maryland’s Keishia Thorpe garners prestigious Global Teacher Prize

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Maryland teacher Keishia Thorpe has been named this year’s recipient of the prestigious Global Teacher Prize. She was selected from more than 8,000 educators from 121 countries around the world. Photo credit: Twitter

Hearty applause goes to high school English teacher Keishia Thorpe, who has been named as this year’s recipient of the prestigious Global Teacher Prize. She was selected for the honor from more than 8,000 nominated educators working in 121 countries from around the world.

Keshia teaches at International High School Langley Park in Bladensburg, Prince George’s County, Maryland. She is credited with redesigning the twelfth-grade curriculum for her school’s English Department, making the courses culturally relevant for her students, who comprise first-generation Americans, immigrants, or refugees. These students come primarily from countries in Africa, the Middle East, the Caribbean, South America, and Central America. Her work has resulted in a 40% increase in her students’ reading scores. In addition, Keishia has been successful in helping many high school students gain fully-funded scholarships. In fact, she helped seniors win $6.7 million in scholarships in 2018-2019 alone.

Keishia says, as an immigrant to the United States herself, she has personally experienced the struggles of underprivileged students. She came to this country from Jamaica on a track and field scholarship. With her twin sister Dr. Treisha Thorpe, Keishia founded a non-profit organization called US Elite International Track and Field, Inc. The organization strives to help at-risk student-athletes from around the globe connect with college coaches to access fully-funded scholarships in the US.

“Every child needs a champion, an adult who will never ever give up on them, who understands the power of connection and insists they become the very best they can be,” asserts Keishia. “This is why teachers will always matter. Teachers matter,” she continues.

As part of her Global Teacher Prize, Keishia will receive a $1 million from the Varkey Foundation. In addition to this recognition, Keishia earned a Medal of Excellence from Governor Larry Hogan of Maryland for her work in influencing equitable policies in education. She also garnered the National Life Changer of the Year in 2018-2019 award, an honor given to teachers who inspire and go above and beyond for their students and exemplifying excellence, positive influence, and leadership.

Science teacher Bill Stockton named Montana’s 2022 Teacher of the Year

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Congratulations to Bill Stockton, a high school science teacher from Montana, who has been named his state’s 2022 State Teacher of the Year. Photo credit: Char-Koosta News.

I am always eager to share stories about dedicated educators who have earned recognition for their work in the classroom. Bill Stockton, a high school science teacher from Montana, is one of these. He has been named the 2022 Montana State Teacher of the Year.

Bill teaches science to sophomores, juniors, and seniors at Arlee High School in Arlee, Montana. The town lies 17 miles north of Missoula. Bill, a native of Idaho, is in his fourteenth year of teaching and his twelfth year at Arlee High School. He teaches courses in AP Biology, Physics, Anatomy, Wildlife Biology, Chemistry and Health Science. He also instructs at the Montana Digital Academy.

Bill believes that most teachers in Montana understand the importance of teaching Indigenous cultures, and he asserts this is as it should be. Native American education is an integral part of the honored teacher’s curriculum, and this is one of the reasons he was selected for the award, says Elsie Arntzen, State Superintendent from the Office of Public Instruction. “In all of our classes we should be talking about the Indigenous people of our state, and I think this is something we need to look at nationally, and I think this something I can help other teachers integrate into their classrooms,” Bill says.

Senator Steve Daines (R-MT) issued a statement in which he acknowledged Bill’s successes in the classroom. “Bill’s enthusiasm and passion for teaching has no doubt inspired countless young Montanans,” Senator Daines wrote. “Thank you for being a great example for all Montana teachers.”

Bill earned his Bachelor’s degree in Biology from the University of Montana and his Master’s degree in Science Education at Montana State University. In addition to his recognition as the Montana State Teacher of the Year, he was also a recipient of the Teresa Veltkamp Advocacy Award for Excellence in Indian Education for All in 2020.

 

Chicago teacher Marva Collins earned national recognition

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Chicago schoolteacher Marva Collins earned national recognition for her innovative teaching methods. Photo credit: ricochet.com

Many talented educators come from humble backgrounds, yet manage to make the most of their modest beginnings. Such is the case with Marva Collins, a Chicago educator who earned national recognition for her innovative teaching methods.

Marva Delores Knight was born August 31, 1936, in Monroeville, Alabama, the first of two daughters born to businessman Henry and Bessie (Nettles) Knight. Raised in the heart of the segregated South, Marva attended a one-room school house and learned first-hand about the substandard educational opportunities offered to African American students. Nevertheless, her father expected her to study hard and succeed.

As a young woman, Marva attended Clark College in Atlanta, Georgia. After college, she taught school for two years. In 1959, the young woman moved to Chicago, Illinois, where she met and married draftsman Clarence Collins. The couple had three children. For the next 14 years, while raising her family, Marva worked as a substitute teacher in the Chicago School District.

Marva became concerned with youngsters she believed were not being served well by the school system, so in 1975 she withdrew $5,000 from her retirement account and founded a private school on the second floor of her home in the Chicago neighborhood of Garfield Park. Thus was born the Westside Preparatory School. Only a few students enrolled, but the dedicated educator resolved that her school would be open to any student who was not succeeding in the larger school systems, particularly low-income children, and those who’d been diagnosed with irremediable learning disabilities. At the end of the first year of the school’s operation, every student enrolled in Westside Prep earned test scores significantly higher than they had scored in previous years.

Marva’s methods became known as the Collins Method. Her program centered on phonics, math, reading, Language Arts, and the classics. She was also a big believer in the Socratic Method, which emphasizes learning through asking questions and engaging in dialogue with peers. “The essence of teaching is to make learning contagious, to have one idea spark another,” Marva once said.

The talented educator and her innovative school quickly became a national story, featured in stories in the magazines Time and Newsweek and in television news programs 60 Minutes and Good Morning America. In 1982, the story of Marva’s life and school were the subjects of a television movie starring powerhouse actors Cicely Tyson and Morgan Freeman.

For her pioneering teaching methods, Marva was honored with the Watson Washburn Award from the Reading Reform Foundation (1978), the Jefferson Award for Public Service (1981) and the Humanitarian Award for Excellence. Marva also received the first Lifetime Achievement Award from the Monroe County Heritage Association during Black History Month (1994). In addition, she was awarded honorary doctorates from Amherst, Dartmouth, and Notre Dame. President George W. Bush honored the chalkboard champion with the National Humanities Medal (2004). To read more about this amazing teacher, click on the link for www.biography.com or the link For the Kids’ Sake.

Sadly, Marva Collins died of natural causes on June 24, 2015, in Beaufort County, South Carolina. She was 78 years old.

FL educator Nancy Henning works tirelessly for Delta Kappa Gamma

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Retired elementary teacher Nancy Henning works tirelessly for the prestigious organization Delta Kappa Gamma. Photo credit: Delta Kappa Gamma.

I always enjoy sharing stories of exceptional educators. One of these is Nancy Henning, a retired elementary school teacher from Tallahassee, Florida. Today she spends her time and energy working for the prestigious organization Delta Kappa Gamma.

Nancy was born at Shepard Air Force Base in Wichita Falls, Texas. Being raised in a military family meant she moved frequently during her childhood. Before her father’s retirement to Tallahassee, Florida, she lived in Texas, Illinois, Washington DC, and the Philippines.

After her graduation from Leon High School, Nancy enrolled in courses at Florida State University. There she earned four degrees, all in the field of education. Her teaching certificate includes Early Childhood Education, Middle Grades Mathematics and Science, and Educational Leadership.

Nancy inaugurated her teaching career the Monday morning after her college graduation. Her first teaching position was at Sopchoppy Elementary School in Wakulla County, where she took over a kindergarten class for a teacher on maternity leave. When that assignment was completed, she taught fifth grade in Wakulla County for seven years. She also taught Title I Math at Crawfordville Elementary School until she was selected to teach at Wakulla Middle School in its inaugural year. There Nancy taught reading, Language Arts, math, and science, and served as the team leader.

Nancy’s next position was as a math teacher at Cobb Middle School. She taught sixth and seventh grade math until being named the Dean of Students. Later she worked in the same capacity at Fairview Middle School. There she was named the 21st Century Community Learning Center Coordinator for a federally-funded program that provided after school educational instruction and services to students and their families.

In her last year of teaching, Nancy went back to the classroom full time, teaching seventh grade math. She once remarked it was the best year ever, and she left the profession with wonderful, happy memories. Nancy retired in 2015.

In 1982, Nancy was inducted into The Delta Kappa Gamma Society International, a prestigious organization for women educators. She has served at the chapter level as Membership Chair, Treasurer, Program Chair, Vice President, and President. She was the District I Director in 2006-2008. At the state level she has served on numerous committees and as the Chair of the Program of Work Committee. Currently she serves as President of the Florida State Organization, having previously held the elected offices of Corresponding Secretary, Recording Secretary, Second Vice President, and First Vice President.

Black History Month inaugurated by teacher Carter Godwin Woodson

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Carter Godwin Woodson, the American school teacher who created Black History Month, an annual celebration of the many outstanding contributions African Americans have made to our country. Photo credit: Public Domain

This February, socially conscious teachers all over the United States are launching their classes into Black History Month, an annual celebration of the many outstanding contributions African Americans have made to our country. But did you know that Black History Month, itself, was the brainchild of a brilliant American teacher?

Educator Carter Godwin Woodson is credited with organizing and advocating annual Black History Month celebrations in American schools. He is also recognized as the first African American born of enslaved parents to earn a PhD in History. Admittedly, these are noteworthy accomplishments. But there is so much more to this brilliant man’s life story than is usually publicized.

Did you know that, as a youngster, Carter was forced to work on the family farm rather than attend school? Nevertheless, he taught himself to read using the Bible and local newspapers. He didn’t finish high school until he was 20 years old. Did you know that Carter once worked as a coal miner in Fayette County, West Virginia, and then later went back there to teach school to the children of Black coal miners, serving as a model for using education to get out of the mines? Did you know that Carter taught school in the Philippines, and then became the supervisor of schools, which included duties as a trainer of teachers, there? And did you know that he was one of the first to study African American history, to collect data, oral histories, and documents, and to publish his findings in a scholarly magazine he published, The Journal of Negro History? 

To read more about this fascinating historical figure, check out my book, Chalkboard Champions.