Category Archives: Education

West Virginia’s Vicky Bullett: Former teacher and basketball coach

Posted on by

West Virginia’s Vicky Bullett is a former middle school teacher and previous Olympic athlete who works as a girls basketball coach.

There are many fine educators who have a history as a remarkable student athlete, and often these educators demonstrate exceptional talent as athletic coaches. One of these is West Virginia’s Vicky Bullett, a former Olympic athlete who also worked as a teacher and girls basketball coach.

Vicky was born October 4, 1967, in Martinsburg, West Virginia. While she was a young girl, she played basketball with her six brothers in their back yard.

After she graduated from high school, Vicky garnered a scholarship to attend the University of Maryland from 1985 to 1989. There she also played on the women’s basketball team. While at Maryland, she was named a 1989 Kodak All-American. In fact, over the course of her college years she averaged 16.9 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. Vicky is one of the most decorated players in the university’s history. In 1989, Vicky earned her a Bachelor’s degree in General Studies and in 2001, she returned to school and earned an additional degree in Social Work.

Vicky was named to the US Olympic basketball teams in both 1988 and 1992. In 1988, the tewam earned a gold medal, and in 1992, the team earned a bronze medal. This exceptional athlete also played for the US team in the 1990 Goodwill Games, and she was a member of the US National team that went to the 1990 World Championships held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. She played in Italy and Brazil, before joining the Charlotte Sting when the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) was launched in 1997. She played three seasons there and three more with the Washington Mystics.

In 2007, Vicky returned to Martinsburg, West Virginia, where she accepted a position as a teacher for the Berkeley County Board of Education. She completed graduate courses in Education and then became a teacher and basketball coach at South Middle School in Martinsburg. “For young people, today’s world is difficult,” observes Vicky. “You’ve got to be careful what you say to some kids. They respond to certain things and the coach’s job is to know how,” she continues. “Each kid has a different personality and different strengths. You’ve got to find a way to get the best out of them. They’re learning to trust you and you want your student-athletes to buy into your philosophy and what you’re teaching them,” she concludes.

In January, 2009, Vicky left the classroom and accepted a job as an Assistant Coach with the Washington Mystics. Later that year, she also became the Manager of Basketball Operations for the organization. In the years that followed she also served as the Head Coach for the women’s basketball teach at Hagerstown Community College in Hagerstown, Maryland. In May, 2016, she was named as the Head Coach for the women’s basketball team at West Virginia Wesleyan College.

Vicky was inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in Knoxville, Tennessee, in 2011. In honor of being a member of the 1988 Gold Medal Team, Vicky’s home town of Martinsburg renamed the street in which she grew up to “Vicky Bullett Street.”

To read more about this Chalkboard Champion, see this interview entitled World Champions of the Panhandle by Katherine Cobb.

 

Five educators inducted into National Teachers Hall of Fame

Posted on by

The names of the five 2020 educators that have been inducted into the National Teachers Hall of Fame were announced in a special ceremony emceed by College Football Playoff (CPF) Foundation Ambassador Rachel Lindsay. The ceremony featured former US Secretary of Education Dr. John King, President of the National Education Association Becky Pringle, and CPF Foundation Executive Director Britton Banowsky.

The five inductees include Andrew Beiter of Springville Middle School in Springville, New York; Melissa Collins of John P. Freeman Optional School in Memphis, Tennessee; Donna Gradel of Broken Arrow High School in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma;Thomas Knab of Dodge elementary School in East Amherst, New York; and Jamie Siddiqui of East Bridgewater Junior/Senior High School in East Bridgewater, Massachusetts.

Teachers selected for the Hall of Fame each year must have a minimum of 20 years of full-time teaching in Pre-K through grade 12 classrooms. Each must submit a rigorous nomination packet and video. A national selection committee, with representatives from education organizations and corporate partners, meet to select the inductees in late February.

The National Teachers Hall of Fame, located in Emporia, Kansas, will be officially inducting the Class of 2020 on June 18, 2021, when the five recognized teachers will meet in Emporia for professional development and a celebration of teaching. The honored educators will gather together next April when the National Education Association will honor them at a special reception at their headquarters in Washington, DC. The five educators will also be featured presenters at the Education Summit at Disney World in June, 2021, sponsored by Pegasus Springs Education Collective.

To watch a 22-minute video of the 2020 induction video, click below.

Biden names Dr. Miguel Cardona as new Secretary of Education

Posted on by

President-Elect Joe Biden has chosen his new Secretary of Education. The nominee is Dr. Miguel Cardona, a professional educator from Connecticut.  (Photo credit: Associated Press)

President-Elect Joe Biden has named his new Secretary of Education. The nominee is Dr. Miguel Cardona, a professional educator from Connecticut. During his campaign, Biden had pledged to select a schoolteacher to serve as his education secretary. Dr. Cardona fits the category, starting his career nearly two decades ago as an elementary school teacher in Connecticut before becoming a principal. Since August, 2019, he has served as his state’s top education official.

Dr. Cardona is a product of public schools. In fact, when he started school, a kid from the projects in Meriden, Connecticut, he was unable to speak English. But succeeding in school was important to young Miguel. He graduated from Wilcox Technical High School. In 1997, he earned his Bachelor’s degree from Central Connecticut State University. He completed his Master’s degree in Bilingual/Bicultural Education, and he also completed a program in Administrator Preparation, his Doctorate in Education, and a certificate in the Executive Leadership Program.

Dr. Cardona has worked as a dedicated public school teacher, an administrator, and the parent of students in public schools. In 1998, he inaugurated his career as an educator when he accepted a position as a fourth grade teacher. By the time he was 28, Dr. Cardona became the youngest principal in the state before working his way up the ladder to Assistant Superintendent of the district. In August, 2019, just months before the Covid-19 pandemic broke out in March, Dr. Cardona was appointed by Governor Ned Lamont to the position of Connecticut State Commissioner of Education.

When the state’s schools shifted to remote learning, Dr. Cardona scrambled to deliver more than 100,000 laptops to students across the state so they could study from home. Since then, he has increasingly worked toward the safe reopening of his state’s schools. Now his priority will be returning students back to school safely nationwide.

“He will help us address systemic inequities, tackle the mental health crisis in our education system, give educators a well-deserved raise, ease the burden of education debt, and secure high-quality. universal pre-K for every three and four year old in the country,” declared Biden.

To read more, see this article published online by CNN.

Amanda Harris named South Dakota’s 2020 Teacher of the Year

Posted on by

Congratulations to Amanda Harris, a fourth grade teacher at Endeavor Elementary in the Harrisburg School District in South Dakota. She has been named her state’s 2020 Teacher of the Year. Photo credit: South Dakota State University

Congratulations to Amanda Harris, a fourth grade teacher at Endeavor Elementary in the Harrisburg School District in South Dakota. She has been named her state’s 2020 Teacher of the Year.

After earning her Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education in 2007 from South Dakota State University, Amanda accepted a position as a third grade teacher with Sioux Falls Catholic Schools. She taught there for two years. She has taught in the Harrisburg School District since 2013.

The honored educator enjoys her work with fourth graders. “Their autonomy draws me in. I love their independence, but they still need that scaffolding on the side,” Amanda says. “I love being able to set them up for success and give them the tools they need and watch them go,” she continued.

In addition to her classroom responsibilities, Amanda has established several after school clubs at her school, including a STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math) club and stop-motion movie-making club. She also helped inaugurate a theater company on her campus.

In addition, Amanda has served on curriculum committees in her district, and regularly presents at educator conferences. Harris is a previous recipient of a South Dakota Education Association/National Education Association Educational Innovation Grant.

“The South Dakota Teacher of the Year program is all about celebrating the vital work of educators and their impact on the lives of students,” expressed Ben Jones, South Dakota Secretary of Education.

After earning her Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education in 2007 from South Dakota State University, Amanda accepted a position as a third grade teacher with Sioux Falls Catholic Schools. She taught there for two years. She has taught in the Harrisburg School District since 2013.

To read more about Amanda, see this story about her published on the website of South Dakota State University.

Alternative school educator Mike Padron succumbs to Covid

Posted on by

Alternative school educator Mike Padron of Rockford, Illinois, succumbed to Covid on Nov. 19, 2020. He was just 38 years old. Photo credit: Rockford Register Star

With great sadness we report the loss of yet another educator to Covid. Mike Padron, a teacher in Rockford, Illinois, succumbed to the disease on November 19, 2020. He was just 38 years old.

Mike taught at Language Arts at Summit Academy, the alternative school for the Boone-Winnebago Regional School District. Mike’s widow Nikki Padron, who is an elementary school teacher, asserted that her husband dedicated his career to helping Rockford’s “most delicate students.” She said he held his students to the highest standard and championed their progress.

Mike was favorite among his colleagues and students, remembers Scott Bloomquist, the Regional Superintendent of the Boone-Winnebago Regional Office of Education. “Mr. Padron worked hard every day to connect with students and parents, doing all he could to meet their needs. He will forever be remembered as an educator who put students first,” Bloomquist declared.

Mike was born on April 19, 1982. After Mike Padron graduated from Boylan Catholic High School, he earned his degree at Rockford University. He launched his career as an educator at Rockford’s Kennedy Middle School. At the time of his passing, he was teaching Language Arts at Summit Academy. In 2014, MIke was nominated for a Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching.

To read more about Mike Padron, see this obituary at legacy.com.