Category Archives: Education

Celebrating Juneteenth today!

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The African American community celebrates Juneteenth today! Many teachers are aware of the significance of this event, and, if school for them is still in session, they may be planning an observance of the occasion with their students.

Juneteenth marks the 1865 arrival of Federal troops under the command of US General Gordon Granger in Galveston, Texas. Their military mission was to take control of the state following the Civil War, and to ensure that all enslaved people living there had been freed. Until that day, 250,000 enslaved people in Texas were unaware that slavery had been declared officially ended. The troops’ arrival came a full two and a half years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation.

The year following Granger’s arrival, freedmen in Texas organized the first of what became the annual celebration of “Jubilee Day” on June 19. In the decades since, Juneteenth commemorations featured music, barbecues, prayer services, and other holiday activities. As Black people migrated from Texas to other parts of the country, the tradition of celebrating Juneteenth spread.

Juneteenth is considered the longest-running African American holiday in US history. In 1979, Texas became the first state to declare Juneteenth an official holiday. Efforts to make the celebration a national holiday have, so far, stalled in Congress, but as of this year, 47 states recognize Juneteenth as a state holiday.

LA math teacher Lainey Hodge garners PAEMST

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Exemplary math teacher Lainey Hodge of Monroe, Louisiana, has garnered a prestigious PAEMST. Photo credit: Laney Hodge

There are many exemplary educators working in our nation’s public school classrooms. One of these is Lainey Hodge, a mathematics teacher from Monroe, Louisiana. She garnered a coveted Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST) from President Joseph Biden in January, 2025.

The PAEMST recognizes the dedication, hard work, and importance that America’s teachers play in supporting learners who will become future STEM professionals, including computer technologists, climate scientists, mathematicians, innovators, space explorers, and engineers. The PAEMST program, founded in 1983, is administered by the National Science Foundation (NSF) on behalf of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. The honor comes with a meeting with the President and a $10,000 cash prize.

Lainey Hodge has taught mathematics for 14 years. Currently, she teaches courses in Geometry, Algebra 1, Algebra III, Advanced Math, Financial Literacy, and Math Essentials at Sterlington High School in Quachita Parish. She previously taught at Ouachita Parish High School for three years, Haughton High School for six years, and Minden High School for her first three years as a teacher.

Lainey is highly thought of among her students and colleagues.They particularly appreciate her approach to teaching mathematics. “That’s my job,” she says. “To overcome the stereotype that math is too difficult. I do my best to teach it in a way that makes it easy and fun,”she declares.

In addition to teaching these courses, Lainey is a mentor teacher and content leader who facilitates school and districtwide professional development. She is a teacher leader and advisor for the Louisiana Department of Education. Additionally, she works with Rivet Education, Inc. to review professional development of high-quality instructional materials.

Lainey earned her Bachelor’s degree in Biology Education from Louisiana Tech University and her Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction with a STEM concentration from Louisiana State University, Shreveport.

In addition to her PAEMST, Lainey was recognized as the 2023 Outstanding High School Teacher by the Louisiana Association of Teachers of Mathematics and the 2014 Region 7 Secondary Teacher of the Year by the Louisiana Association of Computer Using Educators.

Florida’s Dr. Brenda Snipes: Teacher, administrator, and public official

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Retired teacher and administrator Brenda Snipes served for 15 years as the Supervisor of Elections for Broward County, Florida. Photo credit: Public Domain

Many public officials have also served their community as teachers in public schools. One of these is Dr. Brenda Snipes, a former high school teacher who served for many years as the Broward County Supervisor of Elections.

Brenda was born on Oct. 24, 1943, in Talladega, Alabama. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Modern Foreign Languages from Talladega University. She earned her Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Florida Atlantic University. She completed the requirements for her PhD in Educational Leadership from Nova Southeastern University.

Brenda inaugurated her career as an educator in 1964, when she accepted a position as a French teacher at Blanche Ely High School in Pompano Beach, Florida. Over the next four decades, she worked with students of all ages, including elementary through adult education and vocational education. For some years, she served as the principal of Robert Markham Elementary School in Pompano Beach. As an administrator, Brenda developed training programs to identify and nurture potential future leaders in the school system. After a career that spanned a total of 39 years, Brenda retired from the teaching profession  in 2003.

From 2003 to 2018, Brenda was appointed by Gov. Jeb Bush to replace Mariam Oliphant as the Supervisor of Elections for Broward County, Florida. The former teacher was re-elected to the position in 2004, 2008, 2012, and 2016. In this role, she established a voter registration booth for permanent legal residents newly sworn in as American citizens to register to vote. She obtained new voter equipment, worked to create an initiative to teach voters how to use the equipment, and invested heavily in staff and poll-worker training. She advertised upcoming elections by appearing on television, radio shows, and billboards and by having a voter outreach coordinator. Brenda retired from her position as Supervisor of Elections in 2018.

Brenda passed away on Nov. 2, 2023 in Pembroke Park, Florida, following a short illness. She was 80 years old. She is interred in Oak Hill Cemetery in Talladega.

 

Charlie Mary Noble of Texas was a stellar astronomy teacher

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High school mathematics teacher Charlie Mary Noble of Texas was a stellar pioneer in teaching astronomy to students of all ages. Photo credit: Fort Worth Museum

Many outstanding educators make significant contributions to their chosen fields of study. One stellar teacher who did this was Charlie Mary Noble, a mathematics and astronomy teacher from Fort Worth, Texas.

Charlie Mary was born to a pioneer family at Giddings, Texas on Oct. 31, 1877. As a young woman, she attended Warren Institute in Fort Worth and Sam Houston State College. At a time when most women didn’t go to college, Charlie Mary earned a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas and a Master’s degree from Texas Christian University (TSU).

Charlie Mary inaugurated her 46-year career as a public school teacher in 1897. She taught mathematics at Paschal High School. While there she established the campus Penta Club, one of the first science clubs for young people to exist in Fort Worth. She also served her school as the Chair of the Mathematics Department. Although she officially retired from the public school system in 1943, she didn’t stop her teaching activities.

During World War II, Charlie Mary agreed to teach a course in celestial navigation designed for US Navy officer trainees at TCU, and in 1947 she began teaching an astronomy course at TCU. That same year she organized a Junior Astronomy Club at the Fort Worth Children’s Museum. A similar club for adults was organized, and was christened the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History, an organization that still exists today. Read more about this organization at Fort Worth Astronomical Society.

From 1957—1958 Charlie Mary organized and ran an innovative group she called the Moonwatch Program. Participants were members of her Junior Astronomy Club at the Museum. She trained the children to track the positions of Sputnik and other satellites for the US government, and the kids also helped scientists to determine their precise orbits. For their work, the Moonwatch team was recognized by the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory.

And as if all this were not enough, Charlie Noble was a member of the Woman’s Club, the Daughters of the American Revolution, Colonial Dames, Delta Kappa Gamma, the Lecture Foundation, the Faculty Women’s Club of Texas Christian University, the Texas Academy of Science, and the Tarrant County Historical Society.

For her many years of service as an educator, Charlie Mary earned many accolades. She garnered an honorary doctorate from TCU in 1950. In 1954 she received an Altrusa Civic Award which recognized her as the “First Lady of Fort Worth” for promoting interest in astronomy in young people. In 1955 the Museum’s planetarium was dedicated in her honor, and in 1956 she became the first woman to receive the Astronomical League’s annual award for her promotion of knowledge in the field of astronomy.

This amazing Chalkboard Champion passed away Nov. 30, 1959, in Fort Worth, at the age of 82. She was interred in Greenwood Cemetery.