Category Archives: Education

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.

 

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

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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

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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.