Category Archives: Education

Georgia educator Ernestine Miles Mann succumbs to Covid-19

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The educational community is saddened by the passing of Georgia educator Ernestine Miles Mann, who succumbed to Covid-19 on March 29, 2020.

The educational community is saddened by the passing of another educator lost to Covid-19. Ernestine Miles Mann, a retired teacher of Georgia, passed away on March 29, 2020, in Atlanta. She was 83 years old.

Ernestine was born June 15, 1936, in Atlanta, Georgia. As a youngster, she attended the Spelman College Nursery School and Ogelthorpe Elementary School located on the campus of Morris Brown College. In 1953, she graduated from at Booker T. Washington High School. As a young woman, she earned her Bachelor’s degree from Spelman College in 1957 with a major in English and a minor in Elementary Education.

The longtime educator devoted 26 years of her 30-year career teaching at the elementary level in the Atlanta Public School system. Upon her retirement, she was appointed by Atlanta Mayor Bill Campbell to serve as the Chair on the Civil Service Board for the City of Atlanta. She was later re-hired by the Atlanta Board of Education to observe and evaluate first-year teachers.

Ernestine was a member of the Atlanta Chapter of the National Alumnae Association of Spelman College. She served as chapter president from 1966-1968. For this work, she received the Distinguished Alumnae Award in 2012. She was also a member of the Executive Board of the National Alumnae Association of Spelman College. In 2007, she was honored by the Atlanta Chapter for her dedication and leadership to the organization. In addition, Ernestine was a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Atlanta Alumnae Chapter, and served as chapter adviser for the Eta Kappa Chapter of Spelman College. For her work in education, Ernestine garnered the Delta Torch Award and, in 2017, she earned the Spelman Founders Spirit Award.

To read more about this amazing Chalkboard Champion, see this link at Spelman College.

New Jersey teachers establish food bank to help sheltering-at-home students

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High school teachers Kelly and Cori Carroll of Hackensack High School in Hackensack, New Jersey, established a food bank to help their sheltering-at-home students.

How wonderful it is that many dedicated educators work not only on behalf of their students, but also on behalf of their communities. This is true of teacher Kelly Carroll and his wife Cori, who teach at Hackensack High School in Hackensack, New Jersey. The couple has opened a food bank in their front yard to help feed their needy students and their families.

Kelly teaches culinary arts and Cori teaches special education. When the school first closed in mid-February to comply with the state’s shelter-at-home order, Kelly began making house calls to the homes of his students to discuss home schooling assignments. He suggested to parents that they prepare one meal each day together and then send him a photograph of their work. One parent, however, confessed that she was too embarrassed to show him what she had been feeding her children since she’d been out of work. That’s when Kelly decided he needed to do something to help.

Hackensack High School Culinary Arts teacher Kelly Carroll and his wife, Special Education teacher Cori Carroll, help feed their needy students.

Kelly and Cori started asking their students and parents if they needed groceries. About 15 families indicated they were in need. And then the couple learned there was no food bank in their area to help. That’s when they decided to organize their own food bank to help the needy families.

Kelly has a friend who manages a division of Farmer’s Fridge in Carlstadt, New Jersey. The company makes healthy meals for vending machines. The friend offered to donate a shipment of organic salads and sandwiches that. Kelly drove to Carlstadt, picked up 12 crates of pre-made meals, and sorted them into bags for the families of each of the needy students.

Before long, more needy families asked for the donated meals. And within a few weeks, more and more individuals contributed donations of food and cash to the Carrolls. The couple is now feeding approximately 200 families each week. They are also providing necessary household items such as diapers for those families who have toddlers at home.

The effort has caught the attention of Robert Sanchez, Superintendent of Hackensack Schools. “The care and compassion that they have demonstrated for our families during this pandemic has been nothing short of extraordinary,” Sanchez asserts. “We are very proud that they are part of our amazing school system,” he continues.

For the Kelly, the effort is part of his desire to teach his students good citizenship in addition to content. “I want my kids to grow up knowing that this is what you’re supposed to do in times like this.”

To read more about these two Challkboard Champions, see this link at northjersey.com.

Coronavirus claims life of retired PE teacher Myrtle Pollard of NYC

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Sadly, the coronavirus claims the life of New York City retired physical eduction teacher Myrtle Pollard.

The educational community is saddened by the passing of yet another educator who has been lost to the coronavirus. Myrtle Pollard, a retired teacher from New York City, succumbed to the disease on March 28, 2020. She was 80 years old.

Myrtle taught the majority of her career at PS 181 in Flatbush, Brooklyn.  She taught health education and physical education. She also instructed courses in Adult Basic Education in the Bronx. She retired 17 years ago,

Myrtle earned her Bachelor’s degree at Claflin University, a historically Black university located in Orangeburg, Orangeburg County, South Carolina. She earned her Master’s degree at City College of New York. Myrtle was an active member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority for 60 years.

Myrtle was one of many educators in her family. Her late husband, her sisters, and her daughter also entered the profession, and all devoted careers to the New York City Department of Education..

To read more about Myrtle, see this link at New York State United Teachers.

Dutch kindergarten teacher knits dolls to represent her students

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During shelter-at-hme directives, Dutch teacher Ingeborg Meinster-Van der Duin of Banick School in Haarlem, the Netherlands, knitted a doll to represent each child in her class.

Teachers everywhere have expressed repeatedly how much they miss their students since the coronavirus pandemic forced school closures worldwide. But no one can doubt the sincerity of Dutch kindergarten teacher Ingeborg Meinster-Van der Duin at the Dr. H. Bavinck School located in Haarlem, the Netherlands. She actually knitted a doll for each one of her students!

Ingeborg got the idea to knit the dolls when she saw a knitted doll on Pinterest one day. Without any previous lessons, she decided she was going to knit every one of her students a personal doll.

The creative teacher knitted 23 dolls, one for each of her students. Each doll took three to four hours to create, and each resembles the child it represents. She made sure every student who wore glasses or had freckles had these features represented on the dolls she made. She didn’t leave out any detail. When her students asked if there was a doll to represent the teacher, Ingeborg created one to represent herself.

During recent school closures due to coronavirus pandemic, Ingeborg Meinster-Van der Duin, a teacher at the Bavinck School in Haarlem, the Netherlands, knitted a doll to represent each child in her class.

To read more about this creative teacher, see this link at Shared.com.