Category Archives: Education

Sharon Mills Draper: Former English teacher and award-winning author

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Sharon Mills Draper: Former high school English teacher and award-winning author.

I love to share stories about talented educators who have made a name for themselves as an author. One of these is Sharon Mills Draper, a former high school English teacher who has also won awards as an author of books for children and adolescents.

Sharon was born in Cleveland, Ohio, on Aug. 21, 1948, the oldest of the three children of Victor and Catherine Mills. Her father was a hotel maitre d’ and her mother worked in the advertising department of a local newspaper. As a child, Sharon loved to play the piano and to read. By the time she was 11 years old, she had read every children’s book in her local library. The librarian then gave her a special library card that she could use to check out books from the adult section.

When she grew up, Sharon earned her Bachelor’s degree in English from Pepperdine University and her Master’s degree from Miami University of Ohio. Once she completed her education, she inaugurated her teaching career in Cincinnati public schools. As a teacher, she earned fame among her students for a challenging research paper she assigned to her seniors. They dubbed the assignment the “Draper Paper.”

Sharon’s career as an author began in 1990 when she was challenged by one of her ninth grade student to “write something.” She submitted a short story entitled “One Small Torch” to a writing contest sponsored by Ebony Magazine. The magazine published her story and awarded her $1,000. She even earned praise from Roots author Alex Haley! In 2000, after a career as an educator that spanned 25 years, Sharon retired to spend more time on her writing.

For her work as an educator and as an author, Sharon has earned many accolades. She was named the National Teacher of the Year in 1997. The same year, the Ohio Department of Education named her an Ohio Pioneer in Education, and she garnered a National Educator Award from the Milken Foundation. She also won the Career Woman of Achievement, the Dean’s Award from Howard University School of Education, the Pepperdine University Distinguished Alumnus Award, the Marva Collins Education Excellence Award, and the Governor’s Educational Leadership Award. In addition, Sharon earned the Coretta Scott King Award for books about youngsters and adolescents. She is best known for her Hazelwood and Jericho series.

To learn more about the work of Sharon Mills Draper, see her bio info at Simon & Schuster.

Minnesota educator Roger Lehne falls to coronavirus

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Minnesota’s Roger Lehne, retired educator, becomes a casualty of the coronavirus.

The coronavirus pandemic has claimed the lives of several beloved educators. One of these is Roger Lehne, a retired teacher and US Navy veteran from Fargo, North Dakota.

Roger was born on March 26, 1927. He was raised in Audubon, Minnesota. In the closing months of World War II, Roger enlisted in the US Navy. He was only 17 years old. While in the service, Roger served as a medic.

When the war was over, the veteran attended what is now Minnesota State University at Moorhead. He also enrolled at the University of North Dakota, where he completed the requirements for his Master’s degree.

In 1954, Roger inaugurated his career as an educator at Waubun, Minnesota.. In 1966 he transferred to Mahnomen High School. Eventually he was named Vice Principal at Mahnomenl. “Everyone could go to him with problems,” remembered his niece, Julie LaVoy. “He was very beloved.” The respected educator retired in 1984.

It was at the Mahnomen where he met Teresa London, a local elementary school teacher. The couple married on May 31, 1958. Roger and Teresa made their home in Mahnomen, until recent years when they moved to Fargo. Teresa, now age 84, survives her husband.

Sadly, this chalkboard champion passed away on his birthday, March 26, 2020, at the Veterans’ Administration Hospital in Fargo, a casualty of the coronavirus. He was 93 years old. To read more about him, see this obituary published by the Grand Forks Herald.

Marie Antoinette Bennette: Pioneer teacher and doctor

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Marie Antoinette Bennette was a trailblazer, not only in the field of education, but also in the field of medicine.

There are many women in the history of the United States who have been trailblazers, not only in the teaching profession, but in other professions as well. One of these was Marie Antoinette Bennette, a California school teacher who was also a pioneer as a doctor.

Marie was born on November 25, 1858, one of four daughters of David and Maria Bennett. Her parents were immigrant ranchers of French descent. To honor her French heritage, Marie added an “e” at the end of her last name

As a young girl, Marie’s family transplanted themselves from Illinois to Single Springs in El Dorado County, California. Marie’s parents saw to it that their daughters received more education than was the norm for young ladies of the day. After her graduation from high school in Shingle Springs, Marie enrolled at San Jose Normal School, the first institution of higher learning established in California to train new teachers. Once she completed her education there, Marie moved to San Bernardino in southern California. There she became a well-respected teacher and, eventually, a principal.

Despite her success as an educator,  Marie longed to become a doctor. While still working in the classroom, she studied medicine at night as an apprentice to Dr. W. H. Fox. Dr Fox earned notoriety as the first president of the San Bernardino County Medical Society. Eventually, Marie was able to enroll in medical school at Cooper Medical College. This institution later became the Stanford School of Medicine. On Nov. 11, 1885, Marie graduated from Cooper, with honors. Thus, Marie became the first female Californian to earn a medical diploma. Not content to finalize her education there, Marie continued her studies at the medical college and hospital clinic of Philadelphia. There she completed post-graduate work specializing in women’s and children’s diseases. She then  returned to Oakland, where she established her first medical practice. She also became a Mrs., having married newspaper editor Will Nash.

In August, 1990, the adventurous couple traveled to Alaska, where Marie opened a hospital in the mining town of Porcupine. Three years later, Marie and Will moved to southeastern Arizona and settled in Bisbee, where Will accepted a position as the editor of the Tombstone Epitaph.

This Chalkboard Champion passed away on July 28, 1937, at the age of 78. She is buried in Pioneer Memorial Cemetery in Shingle Springs, California.

Teacher and author Kimarlee Nguyen of NYC succumbs to coronavirus

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High school English teacher and emerging author Kimarlee Nguyen of New York City succumbed to the coronavirus on April 5, 2020.

Sadly, many New York City educators have succumbed to the coronavirus. One of these is Kimarlee Nguyen, a high school teacher at Brooklyn Latin School. Kimarlee passed away on April 5, 2020. She was only 33 years old.

Kimarlee was born and raised in Revere, Massachusetts, to parents who survived the Khmer Rouge. After graduation from high school, she enrolled at Vassar College, where she earned her Bachelor’s degree in English. She recently earned her Master’s degree in Fine Arts from Long Island University, Brooklyn.

Kimarlee taught English at the Boston Latin School since 2014, and she was beloved by her students. “She was a role model, an influence, and a source of hope,” asserts student Sulagna Sarkar. “I remember once walking in when visiting her. She began to ask everything from how was the family, to how school was. It showed not only did she listen when we would go to her, but she cared,” the student continued. “She was everything for a person that was struggling in our school. She was understanding and loving. She loved us all like her own children and she was loved, even if she didn’t know it, by ten times as many people because that’s just who she was,” Sulagna concluded.

In addition to being a beloved teacher, Kimarlee was also a rising star as an author. Her work has been published in Drunken Boat, Hyphen, and Cha: An Asian Literary Journal. “She was such a fierce defender for the right for marginalized people to have a voice, particularly southeast Asians,” expressed fellow author Cherry Lou Sy. “She was a champion for that cause.” Kimarlee was a recipient of the Teacher and Librarian Scholarship from the Key West Literary Seminar in 2017. She was named a 2018 Emerging Writer Fellow by The Center for Fiction. The young teacher was one of nine chosen from over 500 applicants. Each writer selected garnered a grant of $5,000, the opportunity to work on a manuscript with a distinguished editor, and the chance to read at public events at The Center.

To read more about this amazing educator, see this memorial at Kundiman.

Wisconsin’s Erin McCarthy asks her students to add their voices to history

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Middle school Social Studies teacher Erin McCarthy just named Wisconsin’s 2020 Teacher of the Year.

I enjoy sharing stories of exceptional educators who have earned recognition for their work. One of these is Erin McCarthy, a junior high school social studies teacher from Wisconsin. She was named her state’s 2020 Teacher of the Year.

Erin teaches eighth grade Social Studies at Greendale Middle School in Greendale, Wisconsin. The honored educator says her mission as an educator is “to connect students to their place in history so they take action to impact their local and global community.”

Erin reveals that she is able to spark her students’ curiosity for American history by connecting them to diverse historical figures, especially those whose voices have been left out of the American story. To add these missing voices into the curriculum, the innovative teacher asks her students to rewrite a chapter from their own textbook. Their goal is to make the story more complete. Erin says this unique project is particularly engaging for reluctant learners.

In addition to classroom responsibilities, Erin serves on her school district’s committees for diversity and equity. She is involved in training teachers to provide students with disabilities opportunities to grow and succeed. Erin is a member of the Board of Directors for the League of Women Voters of Milwaukee County, and she participates in numerous professional development opportunities throughout the country.

Erin earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in History from Roosevelt University. She earned her Master of Arts degree in Public History from Loyola University at Chicago.

To read more about this Chalkboard Champion, check out this link to CCSSO.