Category Archives: Education

Educator, Civil Rights activist Ida B. Kinney honored by NAACP

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California educator Ida B. Kinney and other Civil Rights activists were honored by the NAACP with stamps issued by the US Postal Service. Photo credit: US Postal Service.

Throughout our country’s history, there are many examples of classroom teachers who have also worked tirelessly for the Civil Rights of African Americans. One of these is Ida B. Kinney, a 20th-century educator from Southern California, who was among those who were honored by the NAACP with special stamps issued by the US Postal Service.

Ida was born on May 25, 1904, in Lafayette County, Arkansas. She was raised by her grandparents, who were former slaves. In 1920, when Ida was only 16 years old, she moved to California, where she lived with her mother in Santa Monica. Following her graduation from Santa Monica High School, young Ida returned to Arkansas where she attended Philander Smith College. After one year, she returned to California, where she enrolled in the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). It was there she met and married Carl Minion. The couple settled in the San Fernando Valley in 1940, where Ida completed the requirements for her Bachelor’s degree in Sociology at San Fernando Valley State College. The institution is now known as Cal State Northridge.

Because she was an African American, Ida’s application for her teaching credential was denied. She sent a petition to then California Governor Pat Brown, who ordered a credential be issued to her. She received the coveted document within ten days. Ida inaugurated her career as an educator as a substitute in Kern County. Later she worked in the Los Angeles Unified School District.

In addition to her work in the classroom, Ida became dedicated to improving conditions for African Americans. She was influential in securing access to medical treatment for Black women which had been denied them by a hospital in Van Nuys. She inaugurated a local Head Start program for children. She also worked tirelessly to secure the rights for Black workers to join the union at Lockheed Aerospace. During the remainder of her life, she joined such Civil Rights giants as Medger Evers, Rosa Parks, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., to participate in marches, protests, and other activist practices.

After her retirement from the classroom, Ida was appointed to the Commission on Aging for the County of Los Angeles. She served in this position for 12 years. She was also instrumental in establishing a senior center in Pacoima, California. The facility opened in 1971. In addition, Ida played a key role in creating the Pacoima Boys & Girls Club.

On her 100th birthday, Ida B. Kinney was honored with other Civil Rights activists for her work in securing rights for African Americans. When she passed away from natural causes in Lake View Terrace, California, on Jan. 1, 2009, she was 104 years old. To read more about this Chalkboard Champion, see this obituary published by the Los Angeles Times.

 

Maine’s Bill Diamond: Educator and state politician

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Maine’s Bill Diamond: Former teacher, school superintendent, and state politician. Photo credit: The Bridgton news.

Many fine educators have also made a name for themselves in politics. One of these is Bill Diamond, a former teacher who also served in both the Maine State House of Representatives and the Maine State Senate.

Bill was born on Feb. 19, 1945, in Gardiner, Maine. He earned his Bachelor’s degree from Gorham State Teacher College in 1968. He earned his first Master’s degree from the University of Main, Port/Gorham in 1972. He earned a second Master’s from the University of New England in 1964, and completed post-Master’s courses at the University of New England in 1998.

Once he earned his degrees, Bill worked for 20 years in the field of education, including in positions as teacher, principal, and superintendent. From 1968 to 1986, Bill taught in Windham Public Schools. He later served as the Superintendent of Public Schools in Raymond, Maine.

Bill was elected on the Democratic ticket to the Maine House of Representatives in 1976, where he served until 1982. That was the year he was elected to the Main State Senate, where he served until 1986. In 1989, he was selected to be Maine’s Secretary of State, and he was re-elected four yeas later. In 2004, the former educator was re-elected to the Maine State Senate. In 2014, he was elected to serve in Maine’s State Senate representing the  26th District in Cumberland County. During his lengthy political career, Bill has served several terms on the Transportation Committee, he was Senate Chair of the Criminal Justice Committee for four years, and he served for two years as Senate Chair of the Appropriations Committee.

For most of his political career, Bill has focused on balancing the state budget and protecting children placed in the care of the state system. His concern for the welfare of children is something he carried from the classroom into the legislature. “We must pass laws to protect our children from sexual and physical abuse, especially children under state care, which includes supporting our foster care program,” declared Bill in a 2020 interview published by Bridgton News.

Bill Diamond: A true Chalkboard Champion.

Texas teacher Phuong Kathy Nguyen succumbs to Covid-19

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With great sadness we report the passing of middle school teacher and coach Phuong Kathy Nguyen of Dallas, Texas. She succumbed to Covid-19 on Feb. 13, 2021. Photo credit: Twitter.

With great sadness we report that Covid-19 has claimed the life of yet another beloved educator. Phuong Kathy Nguyen, a teacher and coach in Dallas, Texas, succumbed to the disease on Feb. 13, 2021, in Richardson, Texas. She was only 37 years old.

Kathy was born on July 12, 1983, in Knoxville, Tennessee. Her maiden name was Cipriano. She graduated from Lakeview Centennial High School in 2001. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Mulit/Interdisciplinary Studies in 2006 from the University of Texas at Dallas. She completed the requirements for her Master’s degree in Educational Leadership and Administration from the University of North Texas in 2022.

The fallen educator taught and coached at a middle school in the Dallas Independent School district. Her career there spanned 15 years. During those years, Kathy gained a reputation for being a passionate teacher who did her utmost to give her students a better education for a brighter future. She dedicated countless hours and even her personal time and finances to see to it that her students succeeded, both in the classroom or on the field.

Kathy will definitely be missed by her family, friends, colleagues, and students. I knew Kathy as Mrs. Cipriano when I first started teaching at Lee,” remembers colleague Yasmin Cardenas. “We were both on the fourth grade team. She was always so positive and had a colorful smile that was contagious,” Cardenas said. Friend Alain Castillo agrees. “Kathy was a great person that impacted the lives of whoever she met,” he asserts. Friend Julie Trujillo also had positive memories of Kathy. “She was an amazing teacher. Always with a smile on her face. Her passion lives on through … all the students she taught and coached,” Trujillo declared.

To read more about this beloved educator, click on this link to read her obituary.

Mary Allen West of Illinois: Educator, pioneer, and journalist

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Mary Allen West of Illinois worked tirelessly as an educator, journalist, author, and temperance worker. Photo credit: Public Domain.

Many talented educators serve as pioneers in fields both within and outside of the education community. One of these was Mary Allen West, an Illinois teacher who worked tirelessly as a journalist, author, and temperance worker.

Mary was born on July 13, 1837, in Galesburg, Illinois. Her parents were pioneers who journeyed west from New York. As a child, Mary was described as healthy, vigorous, and studious. She matured early, both mentally and physically.

She was only 13 years old when she passed the examinations that qualified her to enter Knox Female Seminary. Surprisingly, she taught school for two years at Robbins School in Sparta Township until she was old enough to enter the school. She graduated two years after that, at age 17. Immediately after graduation, Mary began to teach school, which she had declared to be her life work. Successful in teaching and influential in educational circles, Mary earned a reputation as a “lady of grit, grace, and gumption.

When the Civil War broke out, many former slaves arrived at the a local school for African Americans, hoping to learn to read. Mary became their teacher. Often her class had more than 100 students of all ages. In addition to her classroom responsibilities, Mary worked tirelessly to organize women into local aid societies to assist the Sanitary Commission. She also entered the field of journalism, which was uncommon for women in her day. She edited Home Magazine in the state of Illinois. The former teacher also served as the first president of the Illinois Women’s Press Association. She also authored a book entitled Childhood, It’s Care and Culture, which was published in 1892. You can view the entire text of the book at this link to the Hathi Trust Digital Library.

Later Mary devoted her considerable energy to the Women’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU), where she became a hardworking proponent of temperance. She helped to organize the women of Illinois to this cause, and eventually was named the WCTU’s state president.

The exact date of her death is not known, but this Chalkboard Champion passed away in Japan in 1892, where she had gone to advance the cause of temperance. This Chalkboard Champion is buried in Hope Cemetery, Galesburg. To read more about Mary Allen West, see this link at the Galesburg Register Mail.

Maureen Stover named 2021 National Teacher of the Year finalist

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Maureen Stover, a science educator from North Carolina, has been named one of four finalists for 2021 National Teacher of the Year. Photo credit: Cumberland County Schools.

I enjoy sharing stories about exceptional educators who have garnered honors for their work in the classroom. One of these is Maureen Stover, a science educator from North Carolina, who has been named one of four finalists for 2021 National Teacher of the Year.

Currently, Maureen teaches biology, earth science, environmental science, and AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) at Cumberland International Early College High School in Cumberland County Schools located in Fayetteville, North Carolina. She has taught there for five years.

Maureen says she wants her students to be able to make informed decisions in a world where they’ll interact with science every day. “I want to ensure that my students are prepared to talk about science, to read about science, to understand science, and to make decisions based on science,” Maureen said. “It will be important for each of my students to develop the ability to apply their science knowledge to a variety of situations, from understanding a doctor’s diagnosis to determining the environmental impact of a purchase as simple as a one-time-use water bottle,” she continued.
The honored educator uses a variety of approaches to teach her students, including reading activities, videos, direct instruction, teacher presentations, podcasts, and hands-on learning. She evaluates students with non-traditional performance assessments that display students’ preferred learning styles. For one unit, she said, students worked in pairs to write a song or a poem to demonstrate their understanding of the material. One student played her ukulele; another played her flute. “Because students had an opportunity to show their knowledge by developing their own project,” Maureen explained, “they took ownership of the assignment and were excited to demonstrate their knowledge of the concept.”
Maureen once said that her dream was to join the US Air Force and become a pilot. Unfortunately, a vision condition prevented her from achieving that goal. Instead, she served as an intelligence officer. She spent a total of 20 years in the military.
When Maureen left the Air Force, she started teaching in Florida through the federal Troops to Teachers program. After a stint in California where she worked as an educational consultant for the National Science Teaching Association, Maureen and her husband moved to Fayetteville, North Carolina, where the former Air Force officer accepted a teaching position at Cumberland International Early College High School. She has taught there for five years.

In 1997, Maureen earned her Bachelor’s degree in Biology at the US Air Force Academy. She earned a Leadership Certificate with an emphasis in STEM from Teachers College at New York’s Columbia University in 2016. The same year, she completed the requirements for her Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis in STEM at Adams State University in Alamosa, Colorado. In 2020, she earned her Master’s degree in Teaching: Secondary Sciences Instruction from Western Governors University in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Congrats on your selection as a Teacher of the Year finalist, Maureen!