Category Archives: Education

Nebraska’s Diane Biere earns Staples “Thank a Teacher” Award

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Middle School teacher Diane Biere of Hastings, Nebraska, was one of 20 educators nationally who earned a Staples Thank a Teacher Award.  (Photo credit: Hastings Public Schools)

Here is an outstanding educator from the state of Nebraska: Diane Biere, an English teacher who works at Hastings Middle School in Hastings, Nebraska. Diane was one of 20 educators nationwide to receive a Staples Thank a Teacher Award. Each of the 20 winning teachers received a $5,000 gift card to purchase supplies for their classroom.

Diane has a reputation for ensuring her students feel empowered, for bringing out the best in others, and for helping them be the best version of themselves. She served as the advisor for the school’s Poetry Club, organizing poetry readings outside of school hours, all of this for no additional pay.

Not only does she pour her energy into her students, but she also contributes to her community. When Covid-19 closed down the school last spring, Diane provided meals for students and their families. She also delivered gifts to her students at the end of the school year. She also donated many volunteer hours at the middle school garden. Over the summer, she spent a great deal of her time creating lesson plans and teaching migrant students in her district.

A native cornhusker, Diane graduated from Hebron High School. After her high school graduation, she attended the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, from 1962 to 1964, and University of California at Berkeley from 1964 to 1967.

To read more about Diane and the other national winners, see this link to the Staples Connect website.

 

The extraordinary Sybil Plumlee: Teacher, police officer, and author

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Former teacher and Portland, Oregon, pioneering police officer and author Sybil Plumlee (Photo Credit: Betty Barker of Hearst Publications)

Many fine educators also pursue careers outside of the classroom. One of these was Sybil Plumlee, an Oregon teacher who also earned acclaim as a police officer specializing in the Portland Women’s Protective Division.

Sybil was born April 29, 1911, in Seattle, Washington. When she was a young girl, her family moved to Portland, Oregon. There she attended from Jefferson High School. After her graduation from high school in 1930, she earned her Bachelor’s degree from Oregon Normal School, now known as Western Oregon University. Once she earned her degree, Sybil accepted a position as a school teacher in a one-room schoolhouse located in Clarno, Oregon. Later, during world War II, she worked as an educator with the Ellis Mining Company in Bourne, Oregon.

In 1946, the former school teacher competed against 300 applicants to fill one vacant position on the local police force, an organization predominantly male-oriented. In fact, Sybil is recognized as a pioneer in the law enforcement field. She served in the unit known as the women’s Protective Division, and worked on cases involving child abuse, rape, and domestic violence. Her service on that unit spanned from 1947 to 1967.

In addition to her careers as an educator and a police office, Sybil was a published author. When she was 96 years of age, she published a collection of family stories and history entitled Stories of Hester Ann Bolin Harvey and Her Family. She also wrote Badge 357, an unpublished memoir of her career on the police force.

This amazing educator passed away on January 6, 2012. She was 100 years old. To read more about Sybil Plumlee, see her obituary published by The Oregonian.

 

Maryland teacher Barbara Kreamer served in House of Delegates

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Maryland English and Creative Writing teacher Barbara Kreamer also served in her state’s House of Delegates.

Often exceptional educators become hardworking politicians. One of these is Barbara Kreamer, a Maryland English teacher who also served in her state’s House of Delegates.

Barbara was born on December 8, 1948. As a young woman, she earned her Bachelor’s degree from Washington College in 1970. She earned her Master’s degree from Johns Hopkins University in 1975.

After earning her college degrees, Barbara accepted a position as a teacher of English and Creative Writing at Bel Air High School, a public school located in Bel Air, Maryland. She taught there from 1971 to 1976.

After leaving the classroom, Barbara enrolled at the University of Maryland School of Law, where she earned her Juris Doctorate in 1989. Then she practiced law for 14 years. In 1981, Barbara was elected on the Democratic ticket to the Maryland House of Delegates, where she served from 1982 to 1990. She also served on the Harford County Council from 1978 to 1982. While on the County Council, she persuaded her fellow elected leaders to increase funding for public education. Next, the former teacher was elected to two terms of the Maryland General Assembly, representing District 34, Harford County. She served there from 1983 until 1991. While in this office, she sponsored legislation to support education and employment.

In addition to her responsibilities in office, Barbara served on the Maryland Commission for Women and Maryland Women’s Political Caucus. She also served as the President of the Maryland Association of Elected Women in 1985. In addition, Barbara garnered awards from both the Maryland Psychologists Association and the Maryland Jousting Association.

Currently, Barbara Kreamer is retired from the classroom and from politics. She resides in Aberdeen, Maryland. To read more about this Chalkboard Champion, see this interview published by the Baltimore Sun.

 

John Houston Ingle: Teacher and Hollywood actor

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Many educators have enjoyed success in other professions. One such teacher is John Houston Ingle, who earned acclaim as a Hollywood actor.

Many Chalkboard Champions have enjoyed success in professions outside of the field of education. One such teacher is John Houston Ingle, who also earned acclaim as a Hollywood actor.

John is probably best known as the actor who played the part of Edward Quartermain, the scheming patriarch, on the daytime television soap opera General Hospital. Others will remember him as the actor who portrayed Mickey Horton in the rival soap opera Days of Our Lives. John has also appeared in episodes of The Office, The Golden Girls, Night Court, and Boy Meets World. And, in addition, he has appeared in films such as Death Becomes Her, Robocop 2, The Land Before Time, and Heathers. He also voiced many characters in animated features such as the Jetsons, Smurfs, and the Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera.

This former teacher and talented educator was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1928. He graduated from Verdugo Hills High School in Tujunga, California. After high school, John attended Occidental College in Los Angeles. He began his career as an educator when he accepted a position teaching English and Theater at Hollywood High School in 1955. In 1964, he transferred to Beverly Hills High School in Beverly Hills, California. During his tenure there, his students included such celebrities as Nicolas Cage, Richard Dreyfuss, Barbara Hershey, Swoozie Kurtz, Stefanie Powers, and David Schwimmer. John also taught courses at the University of California, Los Angeles. John retired from the teaching profession in 1985.

John Houston Ingle, Chalkboard Champion and Hollywood actor, passed away in 2012 at the age of 84. You can read his obituary at this link.

Kimberly Piper-Stoddard earns NH Teacher of the Year Award

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Congratulations to New Hampshire educator Kimberly Piper-Stoddard, who has garnered her state’s 2020 Teacher of the Year Award. Kimberly teaches Language Arts to prisoners for the Department of Corrections.

Congratulations to New Hampshire educator Kimberly Piper-Stoddard, who has garnered her state’s 2020 Teacher of the Year Award. Kimberly works for the New Hampshire Department of Corrections. This is the first time in New Hampshire history that an educator working in the prison system has won the prestigious recognition.

Kimberly’s career as an educator spans 25 years. She has taught at all levels, including pre-school, elementary, and middle school. Currently she teaches secondary Language Arts at Granite State High School, which is located on the grounds of the state prison in Concord. Her students, both male and female, range in age from 17 to 70.

When Kimberly learned that a position for an English teacher opened up at the prison, she didn’t hesitate to apply. “I was always drawn to the at-risk kids, the kids who had no one else in their corner,” Kimberly says. “They kind of drew me in and made me want to reach them. This seemed like an extension of that,” she continued.

Kimberly has worked for the Department of Corrections for four years. She credits her success in the classroom to recognizing her students as unique human beings. “The students in my classroom are trying to get their lives back on track,” the honored teacher observed. “And being able to help them and honor them along the way, and be tough with them when I need to be tough, and be supportive when they need support, that’s the thing that’s most rewarding about being here.”

Granite High School is fully accredited and recognized by the New Hampshire State Department of Education. Completing courses through the program like those that Kimberly teaches gives inmates an opportunity to earn a high school diploma. Gaining an education is a major step in the rehabilitation of the inmates. “Every individual is on his or her own journey and own life path,” Kimberly asserts. “We all make choices, but everyone deserves another chance, and they will take that chance when they are ready,” she concluded.

Kimberly earned her Bachelor’s degree in English teaching and her Master’s degree in Elementary Education, both at the University of New Hampshire.

To read more about this amazing Chalkboard Champion, see this article about her at NHPR.