Category Archives: Education

Golda Meir: Teacher and first woman Prime Minister of Israel

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Golda Meir: Teacher and first woman Prime Minister of Israel

Many people have heard of Golda Meir, the “Iron Lady of Israeli Politics” who served from 1969 to 1974 as the Prime Minister of Israel. But did you know that Golda was also a teacher?

Golda was born Golda Mabovitch in Kiev, Ukraine, on May 3, 1898. Her parents were Moshe and Blume Mabovitch, and Golda was one of eight children born to the couple. Five of her siblings died in infancy; Golda was the middle child of three surviving daughters. When she was a young child, her father immigrated to the United States; the rest of the family followed him three years later. The Mabovitches settled in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

As a youngster, Golda attended the Fourth Street Grade School where she graduated as the valedictorian of her class. She then enrolled in North Division High School, against the wishes of her parents, who believed that girls should get married, not pursue an education or a profession. In her freshman year, Golda moved to Denver, Colorado, to live with her older sister, Sheyna, and at that time she transferred to North High School. In Denver, Golda met Morris Myerson, and she fell in love. Despite this romance, in 1915, Golda returned to her parents’ home in Milwaukee, and the following year she graduated from North Division High School.

After her high school graduation, Golda enrolled at Wisconsin State Normal School to pursue a three-year degree in education. During her training, the neophyte educator taught young children reading, writing, and history three days a week at a folkshule, a Yiddish school at the Jewish Center of Milwaukee. She also gave numerous lectures on Zionism, a movement to establish a homeland for the Jewish people.

In 1917, Golda married her long-time boyfriend Morris Myerson. Later, she modified her surname to Meir. In 1921, the fourth year of their marriage, Golda and Morris emigrated to Palestine, where the couple quickly joined a kibbutz. Over the next five years, Golda and Morris had two children: a boy named Menachem in 1924, and daughter named Sarah in 1926.

Unfortunately, Morris contracted malaria, so the family left the kibbutz and moved to Jerusalem, where Golda accepted employment in a government job. She worked as the secretary of the Working Women’s Council, and represented the council at a number of international labor meetings. In 1929 Golda was named a delegate to the World Zionist Organization. In the next decade, Golda organized illegal immigration of Jews to Palestine when it became obvious that they faced persecution by the Nazis. In 1946, at the end of WWII, Golda was appointed the acting head of the Jewish Agency’s political department, a position she held until Israel was founded on May 14, 1948. The former teacher was among the signers of Israel’s Declaration of Independence.

Golda began her political career in Israel as that country’s representative to the Soviet Union. When she was elected to the first Israeli Parliament, she returned to Israel, where she was appointed minister of labor and social insurance. While serving in this capacity, she endeavored to solve the most important problems Israel faced at the time: housing and employment for 700,000 new immigrants. In 1947, David Ben Gurion, then Prime Minister of the fledgling country, appointed Golda his Foreign Minister, Israel’s second most powerful position. The only female foreign minister then serving in the world, Golda nevertheless conducted herself in a very informal way. She flew tourist class, hand-washed her own underwear, shined her own shoes, and entertained foreign dignitaries in her kitchen wearing an apron and serving them her homemade pastries.

In 1966, sixty-year old Golda decided to retire from public service, but her political party persuaded her to become their secretary general and the secretary of the Unified Labor Party. When Prime Minister Levi Eshkol died suddenly in 1969, her party prevailed upon her to become Israel’s next Prime Minister. She guided her country through the difficult period of the Yom Kippur War. However, the former teacher was suffering from lymphatic cancer, and because of her declining health and political pressures, she decided to resign in 1974.

Golda Meir passed away on December 8, 1978, at the age of 80. At the time of her passing, Golda was recognized as one of the first women to lead a nation in the modern era.

Chalkboard champion Bessie Burke: First Black principal hired in Los Angeles

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Chalkboard champion Bessie Burke, the first African American principal hired in the Los Angeles Public School System.

In American history, there are many examples of fine educators who were also pioneers. One of these was Bessie Burke, who was the first African American principal hired in the Los Angeles Public School System.

Bessie was born on March 19, 1891, in Los Angeles. Just a few years earlier, in 1887, her parents had left their farms and teaching jobs in Kansas to migrate west. They settled in what is now known as North Hollywood.

As a young girl, Bessie attended Berendo Elementary School in LA. From Berendo Bessie went to Polytechnic High School in Pasadena.

After her high school graduation, Bessie enrolled in courses at Los Angeles State Normal School. The institution is now associated with the University of California at Los Angeles. The young scholar graduated seventh in a class of 800. Bessie earned her teaching credential in 1911. Her first teaching assignment was at Holmes Avenue School. In 1918, she was promoted and served as the first black principal in the Los Angeles school system. In all, she devoted 20 years to the Holmes Avenue School.

From Holmes, Bessie transferred to Nevin Avenue School, in 1938. The school featured a racially mixed student body. When she accepted this position, Bessie became one of the first Black principals in the state to head a racially integrated student body. Bessie retired in 1955. She is still remembered in the area as a distinguished humanitarian and well-respected educator and administrator.

In addition to her responsibilities at the school, Bessie served in several civic organizations, including the NAACP, the YWCA, the Native California Club, and the Women’s Political Study Club. She was also a member of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority.

This amazing educator passed away in 1968 at the age of 68. She is interred at Angeles Rosedale Cemetery. To learn more about Bessie, click on this link from the US National Park Service: Bessie Burke.

Connecticut’s David Bosso just inducted into the National Teachers Hall of Fame

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David Bosso, a high school social studies teacher from Berlin, Connecticut, was recently inducted into the National Teachers Hall of Fame.

It’s always gratifying when an outstanding educator receives national recognition for their work in the classroom. One such educator is Dr. David Bosso, a high school social studies teacher from Berlin, Connecticut. He was one of just five educators nationwide who were inducted into the National Teachers Hall of Fame last month.

David earned his Bachelor’s degree at Eastern Connecticut State University in 1997 and his Master’s degree at the University of Hartford in 2004. He completed the requirements for his Ph.D. at the American International College in 2014.

David inaugurated his career as a professional educator in 1997, when he accepted a position as a junior high school history and reading teacher at Holy Cross School. The next year he transferred to his alma mater, Berlin High School, where he still teaches today. In all, his career has spanned 21 years.

“Good teachers are driven by a sense of moral purpose, and they have a keen appreciation for the difference they can make in students’ lives,” asserts David. “They know that many times, it is paying attention to the little things that will pay important relational dividends,” he continues. “And this can mean the world to some students,” he concludes.

For his work in the classroom, David has earned many accolades in addition to this newest honor. In 2012 He was selected the Connecticut State Teacher of the Year, and he was also named the Social Studies Secondary Teacher of the Year by the National Council for the Social Studies. The Lowell Milken Center designated him an Unsung Heroes Fellow in 2014. In 2017 David garnered the Addazio Award by the Connecticut Council for the Social Studies.

To read more about this chalkboard champion, see the article entitled Berlin Teacher to be Inducted into the National Teachers Hall of Fame published online by the Connecticut Education Association.

Emma B. Alrich: The 19th-century teacher who served as a school superintendent

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Emma B. Alrich, the 19th-century teacher who served as a school superintendent.

There are many fine educators in American history who have served as pioneers in their field. One of these is Emma B. Alrich, a 19th-century teacher from Kansas who was the only woman of her time to serve as a superintendent of city schools.

Emma was born on April 4, 1845, in Seaville, Cape May County, New Jersey. She was an avid reader, even at an early age. At only three years old, she was reading the Bible. At the age of five, the enterprising child picked blackberries to earn the money to by an arithmetic book. By the time she was 12, she was writing for her local paper.

Emma earned her teacher’s certificate when she was only 16 years old. She opened a summer school in her home just as the War Between the States erupted. Two years later, to hone her teaching skills, Emma enrolled at the State Normal School in Trenton, New Jersey, in 1862. The institution is now known as The College of New Jersey. She earned her degree in 1864, valedictorian of her class.

In 1886 the young educator married Levi Alrich, a distinguished Civil War veteran who had fought for the North. Right after their marriage, the couple settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where she taught school. Two years later, Emma and her husband migrated to Cawker City, Mitchell County, Kansas. While teaching there, the pioneering educator earned additional teaching certificates. She also became the superintendent of the city schools, the only woman in her day to serve in this capacity.While in the post she worked diligently to support teachers’ rights, a local women’s club, and the public library.

In 1883, Emma’s husband bought the local paper, the Free Press. He changed the publication’s name to the Public Record. Emma promptly rolled up her sleeves and worked as a journalist for her husband’s newspaper. At the same time, she served for two years on the Board of Teachers’ Examiners. In addition to this work, Emma was one of 40 local women who organized the National Women’s Relief Corps. She founded the Kansas Women’s Press Association, and she was one of three women who founded the Women’s Hesperian Library Club.

This amazing educator passed away on December 15, 1925, in Cawker City. She is interred in Prairie Grove Cemetery.

To learn more about Emma, click on this link: A Woman of the Century: Fourteen Hundred-Seventy Biographical Sketches.

 

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