Category Archives: Education

Ohio music teacher Hortense Parker Gilliam first Black graduate of Mount Holyoke Female Seminary

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Hortense Parker Gilliam, a music teacher originally from Ohio, was the first known African American graduate of Mount Holyoke Female Seminary. Photo credit: Mount Holyoke

Throughout history, our lives have been genuinely enriched by legions of music teachers who have nurtured the love of music in young people. One such music teacher was Hortense Parker Gilliam, an elementary school music teacher who is the first known African American graduate of Mount Holyoke Female Seminary.

Hortense Parker was born in Ripley, Ohio, in 1859, the fourth of six children born to John Parker and Miranda (Boulden) Parker, a free black couple. Her mother was born free in Cincinnati, Ohio. Her father was born into slavery, but in 1845 he was able to buy his freedom. John Parker became a noted abolitionist, inventor, and industrialist. Before the outbreak of the Civil War, John guided hundreds of slaves to freedom via the Underground Railroad. In fact, the Parker home has been renovated and is now designated a National Historic Landmark.

Hortense’s parents were determined that all of their children should get an education. As children, Hortense and her two younger sisters received a standard education in traditional subjects. They also studied music. After her high school graduation in 1878, Hortense enrolled in Mount Holyoke Female Seminary, now known as Mount Holyoke College, in South Hadley, Massachusetts. Her expenses were paid by a wealthy patron. The institution did not know she was a woman of color until she arrived on campus, but they did not cast her out. On the contrary, Hortense lived on campus in a dormitory along with 250 other students. Unlike many institutions of her day, Mt. Holyoke did not require its Black students to live off campus. Hortense was remembered by her classmates as “a quiet ladylike girl, noted especially for her musical ability.” Because of her exceptional musical abilities, faculty and fellow students alike often asked her to play the piano in the seminary in the evenings after classes were done. She had aspirations to continue her music education in Europe upon her graduation, but unfortunately her patron passed away during her senior year. She graduated in 1883.

After graduating from college, Hortense taught music and piano at Lincoln Elementary School in Kansas City, Missouri, from 1906-1913. That same year she married James Marcus Gilliam, a graduate of Cornell University, and moved with him to St. Louis, where she taught music. During her long career, she also taught music at schools in New York and Indiana.

As the first African-American graduate of Mt. Holyoke, Hortense was featured in Our Path: Students of Color at Mt. Holyoke at the 2007 Alumnae Student Conference there.

Sadly, this Chalkboard Champion passed away on December 9, 1938, near St. Louis, Missouri. She was 79 years old.

KY teacher Janet Helvey succumbs to Covid-19

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Elementary school teacher Janet Helvey of Meta, Kentucky, succumbed to Covid-19 on December 26, 2026. She was 58 years old. Photo credit: Lexington Herald Leader

We are sad to report that Covid-19 has claimed the life of yet another beloved educator. Janet Helvey, an elementary school teacher in Meta, Pike County, Kentucky, succumbed to the disease on December 26, 2021. She was 58 years old.

Janet taught fifth grade, specializing in science and math, at Johns Creek Elementary in Meta. Her career there spanned 22 years. The popular and respected educator will be sorely missed. “She will be one of the teachers who has etched a mark in my son’s heart, asserted Parent Jennifer Lindon. “She offered additional time for my son when needed and pushed him to succeed when needed. She was compassionate and kind but stern because she knew his ability to succeed,” Lindon said.

Janet was born on July 20, 1963, in Pikesville, Kentucky. After her graduation from Mullins High School, she attended Pikeville College and Morehead State University in Morehead, Kentucky.

RI teacher Laura Barlow named TeachKind 2021 Teacher of the Year

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Laura Barlow, a middle school teacher from Providence, Rhode Island, has been named the TeachKind 2021 Teacher of the Year. Photo credit: PETA

Many talented classroom teachers incorporate their personal interests into their curriculum. One of these is Laura Barlow, a middle school teacher from Providence, Rhode Island. She finds many ways to incorporate her advocacy for animals into her arts courses. For her work leading students to appreciate the needs of animals, Laura has been named the TeachKind 2021 Teacher of the Year.

Laura teaches a variety of arts classes at Roger Williams Middle School in her school. Among them are visual arts, graphic design, performing arts, and photography. She is certified to teach Special Education and she is experienced at working with multilingual learners, so she is able to inspire students of all abilities and backgrounds to express their creativity to help animals through dynamic instructional activities. For example, in her unit about the interconnectedness of animals, humans, and the environment, she asks her students to create a posters that contain compelling images and a clear message to advocate for change that benefits other people, animals, and the environment. With her performing arts students, Laura reads plays that contain compassion as a themes, and then she leads discussions that connect the plays to current issues, including animal rights and social justice struggles. For example, when studying The Lion King, students research issues that affect the animals in the play, and after reading Random Acts of Kindness, the students discuss and write about ways they can show more kindness toward others, animals, and the environment.

In addition to her classroom responsibilities, Laura donates her time as the leader of Rhode Island Vegan Awareness, a nonprofit organization dedicated to advocating a vegan lifestyle. She writes articles, gives talks about vegan living, hosts vegan cooking demos, distributes vegan meals to those in need, organizes community cleanups, and helps organize outreach events.

As the TeachKind 2021 Teacher of the Year, Laura will receive an animal-friendly gift basket designed especially for teachers, a faux-leather backpack from PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), and a subscription to vegan meal delivery service.

To learn more about Laura Barlow, see this article about her published by PETA.

Jacobie Bluhm engages students with nerdy quotes and hip-hop

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Digital media teacher Jacobie Bluhm from San Jacinto High School in Southern California engages his students with nerdy quotes and hip-hop dance moves. Photo credit: Inland Valley Daily Bulletin

Many talented educators use unique and unusual teaching methods to reach their students. One of these is Jacobie Bluhm, a digital media teacher from San Jacinto High School in Southern California. He engages his students with nerdy quotes from Star Wars and hip-hop dance moves.

One of Jacobie’s favorite Star Wars quotes is Yoda’s “Do or do not. There is no try.” After he printed the quote on his syllabus at the beginning of the school year, his students called him a nerd. Before long, though, the students admitted that their teacher was teaching them that the key to success in their learning was increased effort.

Jacobite guides his students in real-world assignments, including web design and creating content for the school’s website. “They are not just turning in something for the teacher to look at. They are putting out something for the website.” says Jacobie’s colleague Jeremy Murphy. He says this level of engagement is a big deal to students. “Engagement is a big deal,” says Murphy, “to keep kids interested and also keep expectations at a level where they are continually growing.” And, Murphy continues, Jacobie brings a lot of energy to his approach to teaching.

“My teaching style is a bit different,” admitted Jacobie. “I’m very open and honest. And I feel that that is the best trait that teachers can have,” he continued.

In addition to his classroom responsibilities, Jacobie teaches hip-hop dance after school as part of the Murrieta Dance Project. There he puts his kids at ease while simultaneously challenging them to be their best. His goal to help his dancers find and develop confidence. “There’s a spark in them that they won’t let be contained,” he asserts.