Category Archives: Education

Takeru Nagayoshi named Massachusetts 2020 Teacher of the Year

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Educator Takeru Nagayoshi of New Bedford, Massachusetts, shares his passion for Language Arts with his students.

I enjoy sharing stories about talented educators who have been pubicly recognized for their outstanding work in the classroom. One of these is Takeru Nagayoshi, a high school Language Arts teacher from New Bedford, Massachusetts. Takeru was named his state’s Teacher of the Year.

The honored educator inaugurated his career in education with Teach for America. He admits that teaching wasn’t really something he imagined himself doing long term, but, “I really fell in love with the craft of education,” he said. “Quality teaching is really not about telling kids what to know, but really empowering them to gain the skills so that they can find out what they need to know,” asserts Takeru.

Takeru teaches Advanced Placement English at New Bedford High School. The school serves urban students on the lower end of the socio-economic scale. He has also piloted the research-based AP Capstone program. Less than ten of these programs exists throughout his entire state. In addition to his classroom duties, Takeru coaches colleagues in high-needs districts and serves on an educator diversity task force. This year, he lent his expertise to the launching of an educator leadership program, Southern New England Alumni Leadership Initiative (SNEALI). The program develops local capacity for teachers in the Southern New England area.

For his work, Takeru has earned many accolades. He received the Sue Lehmann Excellence in Teacher Leadership Award in 2019. That same year, he garnered the Boston University Young Alumni Award. In 2018, he earned the Sontag Prize in Urban Education.

Takeru graduated magna cum laude from Brown University with an Honors Bachelor of Arts degree in International Relations. He also earned a Master’s degree in Education with an emphasis in Curriculum and Teaching from Boston University.

Last year, Takeru encouraged minorities to go into the field of education when hepublished an op-ed piece in the Brown University Daily Herald. “If you’re a person of color and passionate about social justice, try becoming a teacher,” he wrote. “Our presence in the classroom has long-term implications on how future generations will come to navigate race.”

Read more about this chalkboard champion at this link in South Coast Today.

Fanny Barrier Williams: Educator and Activist

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Fanny Barrier Williams: Educator and Activist

Throughout our country’s history, there have been many examples of talented and dedicated educators who have made a mark on society as a whole. One such example is Frances “Fanny” Barrier Williams, a 19th-century teacher and activist. 

Born on February 12, 1855, in Brockport, New York, to free parents, Fanny and her siblings attended the local public school. In 1870, Fanny became the first African American to graduate from the State Normal School in Brockport. When the Civil War was over, this energetic educator accepted a teaching position in the south to help educate newly freed slaves. 

In 1893, when she was 38 years old, Fanny moved north to the city of Chicago, a city which experienced a boom when it hosted the World’s Fair. When Fanny and other black women leaders protested their exclusion from the fair’s planning, this leading-edge teacher was appointed to gather exhibits for the women’s hall. She was also selected to give two speeches during the fair. In her speeches, Fanny argued to a predominantly white audience that African American women were eager and ready for education and to learn new skills. Fanny’s speeches were so well received that she soon became a popular author and orator.

Once the fair was over, Fanny helped form the National League of Colored Women in 1896. She also donated her energy to assist other African American women when they migrated to northern states.

Fannie Williams dedicated her whole life to aiding and uplifting those in need, improving inter-racial relations, and working for justice for all. This remarkable chalkboard champion passed away of natural causes on March 4, 1944. She is buried at High Street Cemetery in Brockport, Monroe County, New York.

To read more about Fanny Bafrrier Williams, see this link to blackpast.org.

George Anderson honored as Iowa’s 2020 Teacher of the Year

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George Anderson, a social studies teacher at John F. Kennedy High School in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, has been  honored as Iowa’s 2020 Teacher of the Year.

I always enjoy sharing stories about exceptional classroom teachers who have earned recognition for their work in the classroom. One of these is George Anderson of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, who has been honored as his state’s 2020 Teacher of the Year.

George was born in Peoria, Illinois, but was raised just south of Myrtle Beach, in Murrells Inlet/Garden City, South Carolina. He graduated from Socastee High School in Myrtle Beach in 1994. After high school, George enlisted in the United States Marine Corps Infantry. In Fall, 1994, he completed boot camp in Paris Island, South Carolina.

Once he earned his discharge from the military in 1999, George relocated to Iowa to attend the University of Iowa in Iowa City. There he pursued a degree in history. He also completed the requirements for his Master’s degree in Social Science Education in 2006 from the same university.

Once he completed his education, George accepted a position at John F. Kennedy High School, where he still teaches today. “I decided I wanted to go back into the community, and find the students that maybe aren’t in love with high school or the idea of secondary education — or really just [have] no big trajectory in life — and try to help those students out,” he confessed. His career at JFK has spanned 13 years.

Within his district, George has a reputation for creating innovative and dynamic curriculum. “As a teacher, I like active rooms, students moving around and discussing the material with other students,” he expressed. “I like to see students engage with the material of history in a way that isn’t just fact recollection or sequencing events. I want student-centered dynamics in the classroom. I do not want to be the center of attention,” he continued.

In addition to his classroom responsibilities, George has served as a the Co-Department Chair for Social Studies, Head Coach for the freshmen and sophomore football teams, and the Assistant Varsity Coach. He also coached shot put and discus for his school’s track & field team, winning two state championships and numerous state and Drake appearances. George has sponsored the Green Club, Young Republicans, and the Video Game Club. He has also served as a building representative for his local teachers’ union.

Way to go, George! To learn more about him, see his biography at CCSSO.

During pandemic, art teacher Dania Santiago creates remote lessons

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Art teacher Dania Santiago of Henry Zarrow International Elementary School in Tulsa, Oklahoma, creates remote lessons in response to pandemic shelter-at-home directives.

The shelter-at-home directives that have been issued in nearly every state have left educators in every subject area scrambling for ways to teach their content online. The transition has been especially difficult for art teachers, whose content is, by nature, a hands-on affair. But these teachers, including Dania Santiago of Tulsa, Oklahoma, are rising splendidly to the challenge.

Dania teaches art at Henry Zarrow International Elementary School. She has shifted her instruction to filmed project tutorials. One week, she recorded step-by-step instructions for how to create an origami sailboat for her younger students. For her older students, she created a tutorial for how to create a dioramic backdrop from s shoe box. She strives to keep each video simple, but stimulating.

Some art lessons are easier to teach remotely than others, Dania conceded. Most families have access to basic supplies such as paper, scissors, crayons,  and markers. Others are nearly impossible. For example, the lack of home access to ceramic materials, for instance, means no pottery or sculpture projects.

“Instead of stressing about what we can’t do, I’m choosing to focus on the things that we can,” Dania expressed. “I can, for now, create these videos and use the supplies I have at home. If I run out of paper, I can either send for more or just won’t use it,” she continued. “All I have to think about is getting through three more weeks (of distance learning). After that, I hope we can begin going back to normal,” she concluded.

To read more about Dania and view her remote lessons, see this link at Tulsa World.

Teacher, coach, principal, and theater sensation James Ellis

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Teacher, coach, principal, and theater sensation James Ellis of Ramona Middle School in La Verne, California.

Throughout our country, there are many dedicated educators who also exhibit talent in arenas outside the classroom. One of these is James Ellis, a junior high school educator who also participates in theatrical productions.

James has been interested in the theater ever since he was a young man. “What got me hooked was getting to put on another persona and living someone’s truth on stage while telling their story,” he asserts. Among his favorite roles are Archibald Craven in The Secret Garden, Lord Farquad in Shrek, and Gus Growltiger in Cats. He is currently working on his first Shakespeare production.

James was born to parents who were educators. He is the son of a fourth grade teacher and an economics professor. James was raised in Pawnee, a rural town in central Illinois that boasts a population of 2,300. His hometown was so small, there were no theaters, no stoplights, and no fast food joints. His high school had only 170 students, and his graduating class had only 36 students.

Once James graduated from high school, he enrolled at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. There he earned his Bachelor’s degree in Speech Communication. He also honed his skills as a gymnast. Later he earned his Master’s degree at the University of La Verne in southern California.

After graduating from college, James relocated to the city of Covina in southern California, where he accepted a position coaching gymnastics. One of his students was a nationally ranked future Olympian. James also worked as a substitute teacher. In time, he was hired as a part-time teacher at San Dimas High School, where he taught mathematics. He impressed his supervisors so much that they offered him a position as ASB Director. During his eight years there, he added teaching drama and coaching cheerleading to his resume.

In 2006, James moved into administration when he accepted a position as an Assistant Principal of Ramona Middle School in La Verne. Four years later he became the principal of Gladstone Elementary in San Dimas, and in 2017 he returned to Ramona to lead the school as its principal. “You have to have a sense of humor to work at a middle school,” James declares. “We work hard and we laugh a lot. What more can someone ask for in a career?”

You can read more about the amazing James Ellis from this article published by La Verne Online.