Category Archives: Education

NH teacher Elizabeth Duclos named her state’s 2024 Teacher of the Year

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Elementary teacher Elizabeth Duclos has been named New Hampshire’s 2024 Teacher of the Year. Photo Credit: New Hampshire Department of Education

Students in one New Hampshire town are indeed fortunate to have an outstanding educator working in their school. I’m talking about Elizabeth Duclos, an elementary school teacher from Pembroke. She has been named her state’s 2024 Teacher of the Year.

Elizabeth teaches third grade at Pembroke Hill School. In her classroom, she believes the most important thing is to create a caring environment. She says she values and respects her students’ ideas, and she encourages them to take risks and become leaders in the classroom. She also fosters a sense of community and collaboration among her students.

The honored educator says she decided to be a teacher when she was only eight years old. She was raised on a 125-acre dairy farm in Orange County, New York. On this farm, her mom milked the cows, but when Elizabeth tried her hand at it, she decided after only two weeks she didn’t like it. Instead, she fell in love with helping her aunt, a teacher in Nottingham, prepare for the new school year. “I would come up for the summer and help her set up her class,” Elizabeth remembers, “and every time I said, ‘This is where I want to be.'”

Obviously, she made the right decision. Selected from more than 300 nominees, Elizabeth was selected because of her work ethic, insightful thinking, expertise in education, and effort towards making sure that each student receives the support they need to succeed in her classroom.

Elizabeth earned her Bachelor’s degree in Family Studies and her Master’s in Elementary Education, both from the University of New Hampshire. She also earned a certificate from Plymouth State University as a K-12 reading and writing specialist. During her professional career, Duclos has served as the Vice President of the New Hampshire Association for the Education of Young Children. Her career as an educator spans 16 years.

 

Texas math educator Alene Baker inducted into the AAEAHP

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High school math teacher Alene Baker was inducted into the African American Education Archives and History Program Hall of Fame (AAEAHP) . Photo Credit: AAEAHP

There are many outstanding educators who teach in America’s public schools. One of these is Alene Baker, a respected mathematics teacher from Texas. She has been inducted into the African American Education Archives and History Program Texas Hall of Fame (AAEAHP) in 2023. The organization honors educators who have had a positive role in the African American education experience in Dallas County, Texas.

Alene graduated from high school the valedictorian of her class. She then earned her Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics from Prairie View A&M University in Prairie View.She earned her Master’s degree in Mathematics from the University of Texas at Commerce.

Once she earned her degrees, Alene inaugurated her career as a high school mathematics teacher at I.M. Terrell High School in Fort Worth in 1969. She went on to teach at L.G. Pinkston, H. Grady Spruce, and the Business & Management Magnet schools in the Dallas Independent School District. In all, her career as an educator spanned 35 years.

As a result of her hard work and expertise, the number of students who passed math courses increased, and their interest in mathematics improved. She is most proud of hearing success stories of her former students.

In addition to working directly with students, Alene served as a curriculum writer, resource person, department chairperson, staff development chairperson, and an alternative certification mentor. She also tutored students to help them master the state’s mandatory tests.

For this work, Alene earned many accolades. In addition to her induction into the AAEAHP, she was named her school’s Teacher of the Year in 1987. She was also named among Who’s Who Among American Teachers.

To learn more about the African America Education Archives and History Program, click on this link to their website.

Teacher Eleanor Murdoch Johnson founded a widely-read children’s newsletter

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Teacher, administrator, and editor Eleanor Murdoch Johnson founded a children’s newspaper to bring nonfiction reading materials to elementary school children. Photo Credit: New York Times

There have been many exceptional educators who have made an indelible mark on the American education system. One of them was Eleanor Murdoch Johnson, an elementary school teacher from Oklahoma who founded the children’s newspaper entitled My Weekly Reader.

Eleanor was born in Hagerstown, Washington County, Maryland, on Dec. 10, 1892. As a young woman, she studied at both Colorado College in 2012 and the Central State Teachers College in 1913. She earned her Bachelor’s degree, cum laude, from the University of Chicago in 1925 and her Master’s degree from Columbia University in 1932.

Once she completed her formal education, Eleanor inaugurated her career as a first grade teacher in Oklahoma. She also served as Superintendent of Schools in Ohio and Pennsylvania.

It was while working in Pennsylvania in 1927 that Eleanor came up with the idea of a nonfiction newspaper for elementary school students. “In her work with kids,” says The Weekly Reader editor Terry Borton, “she noticed most of the reading they did was fairy tales and fantasy, which she felt was fine, but she felt they were missing a knowledge and understanding of the real world, which she thought they would like.”

In response, Eleanor proposed a nonfiction weekly newsletter for children that would explain in clear, straightforward prose the newsworthy events of the day. This was when The Weekly Reader was born. The newsletter described such events as the Depression, World War II, assassinations, presidential elections, the Vietnam War, Civil Rights struggles, and the Iran hostage crisis.

Eleanor produced the first issue of the newspaper on Sept. 21, 1928, and remained involved in planning its contents until her retirement from the position in 1978, when she was 85 years old. It has been estimated that The Weekly Reader was read by two-thirds of today’s American adults when they were in elementary school.

Sadly, Eleanor Murdoch Johnson succumbed to cancer on Oct. 8,1987, in Gaithersburg, Maryland. She was 94 years old.

 

NC agriculture educator Ryan Berglund earns recognition

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Agriculture teacher and vocational education mentor Ryan Bergen has been named the 2024 Teacher of the Year by the Wake County Public School System. Photo Credit: Wake County Public School System

Congratulations to Ran Bergland, a teacher and vocational mentor from Wake County, North Carolina. He was named the 2024 Teacher of the Year by the Wake County Public School System (WCPSS).

Ryan earned his Bachelor’s degree in Agriculture Education from the University of Mount Olive, a private institution located in Mount Olive, North Carolina. Today, he teaches agriculture courses at Milbrook Magnet High School. He has taught at the campus since 2019.

At Milbrook High, Ryan has helped implement the school’s Supervised Agriculture Experience (SAE) program, which allows over 350 students to gain work-based learning experiences each year. Students in the program have started businesses, worked with local agriculture enterprises, and created their own service programs.

Over the course of his career, Ryan has learned a thing or two about working with young people. “Our students are able to build some amazing projects that show their true understanding of the objectives in the course,” he declares. “I always tell my students, ‘I will not be there in the real world to tell you how to build it, you will have to figure it out.’ This takes their understanding to a new level,” he continues.

Before becoming a teacher, Ryan was a professional welder and equipment fabricator. In fact, he is an AWS-certified welding inspector. That prior experience benefits his students greatly. He helps them achieve their welding certification, which industry professionals say is equal to passing the bar exam and becoming a lawyer. The school district reports that 64 students have become certified welders under Ryan’s mentorship.

As Teacher of the Year, Ryan will have the opportunity to participate in the Go Global NC international study program in the Netherlands during the summer of 2025. The trip is sponsored by the Dan Royster Memorial Teacher Award, in honor of a former WCPSS science teacher. In addition, Ryan will receive an engraved award, a $100 gift card to Angus Barn, a $1,000 check from sponsors, a weekend stay at the Umstead Hotel and Spa, a $100 Amazon gift card, and autographed hockey gear donated by the Carolina Hurricanes. He will also have the use of a 2024 Chevrolet Tahoe, compliments of Capital Chevrolet, for the next year.

Music educator Louise Smith named 2024 Mississippi Teacher of the Year

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Middle school music educator Louise Smith has been named the 2024 Mississippi State Teacher of the Year. Photo Credit: Gautier Middle School

I am always excited to share the story of an exceptional educator who has been honored for their work in the classroom. One of these is Louise Smith, an instrumental music teacher from Gautier, Mississippi. She has been named her state’s 2024 Teacher of the Year.

Louise teaches seventh and graders at Gautier Middle School in Gautier. She has worked in the Pascagoula-Gautier School District for 22 years. The honored educator passionately believes that music literacy is essential to literacy in general. And her work shows this passion. Because of her commitment to teaching young people to read music, her students have achieved success at regional and state levels.

Raised by a single mother of Filipino descent, Louise credits her family and her teachers, particularly a college band director she met at a high school band clinic, with her success as an educator. She encourages teachers to recognize their importance in the lives of children. She says being a teacher is not an easy job, but she knows the impact she has on students and will always advocate for them.

Her selection as the 2024 Mississippi is not the only recognition Louise has earned. She was featured on the cover of NEA’s magazine in their August, 2020, issue, with an accompanying story entitled “Helping Students and Educators Recover from Covid-19 Trauma.” The article detailed her work dealing with teacher stress and mental health. Furthermore, in May, 2021, US News and World Report profiled her as one of the professionals who made a difference for her students during the pandemic.

Louise earned her Bachelor’s degree in Music Education in 2002 and her Master’s degree in Administration and Leadership in 2005, both from the University of Southern Mississippi. She is also a National Board Certified Teacher. In addition, Louise is an alumnus of the National Education Association (NEA) Teacher Leadership Initiative, and she has served as a state coach.