Category Archives: Education

Florida’s Dr. Brenda Snipes: Teacher, administrator, and public official

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Retired teacher and administrator Brenda Snipes served for 15 years as the Supervisor of Elections for Broward County, Florida. Photo credit: Public Domain

Many public officials have also served their community as teachers in public schools. One of these is Dr. Brenda Snipes, a former high school teacher who served for many years as the Broward County Supervisor of Elections.

Brenda was born on Oct. 24, 1943, in Talladega, Alabama. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Modern Foreign Languages from Talladega University. She earned her Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Florida Atlantic University. She completed the requirements for her PhD in Educational Leadership from Nova Southeastern University.

Brenda inaugurated her career as an educator in 1964, when she accepted a position as a French teacher at Blanche Ely High School in Pompano Beach, Florida. Over the next four decades, she worked with students of all ages, including elementary through adult education and vocational education. For some years, she served as the principal of Robert Markham Elementary School in Pompano Beach. As an administrator, Brenda developed training programs to identify and nurture potential future leaders in the school system. After a career that spanned a total of 39 years, Brenda retired from the teaching profession  in 2003.

From 2003 to 2018, Brenda was appointed by Gov. Jeb Bush to replace Mariam Oliphant as the Supervisor of Elections for Broward County, Florida. The former teacher was re-elected to the position in 2004, 2008, 2012, and 2016. In this role, she established a voter registration booth for permanent legal residents newly sworn in as American citizens to register to vote. She obtained new voter equipment, worked to create an initiative to teach voters how to use the equipment, and invested heavily in staff and poll-worker training. She advertised upcoming elections by appearing on television, radio shows, and billboards and by having a voter outreach coordinator. Brenda retired from her position as Supervisor of Elections in 2018.

Brenda passed away on Nov. 2, 2023 in Pembroke Park, Florida, following a short illness. She was 80 years old. She is interred in Oak Hill Cemetery in Talladega.

 

Charlie Mary Noble of Texas was a stellar astronomy teacher

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High school mathematics teacher Charlie Mary Noble of Texas was a stellar pioneer in teaching astronomy to students of all ages. Photo credit: Fort Worth Museum

Many outstanding educators make significant contributions to their chosen fields of study. One stellar teacher who did this was Charlie Mary Noble, a mathematics and astronomy teacher from Fort Worth, Texas.

Charlie Mary was born to a pioneer family at Giddings, Texas on Oct. 31, 1877. As a young woman, she attended Warren Institute in Fort Worth and Sam Houston State College. At a time when most women didn’t go to college, Charlie Mary earned a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas and a Master’s degree from Texas Christian University (TSU).

Charlie Mary inaugurated her 46-year career as a public school teacher in 1897. She taught mathematics at Paschal High School. While there she established the campus Penta Club, one of the first science clubs for young people to exist in Fort Worth. She also served her school as the Chair of the Mathematics Department. Although she officially retired from the public school system in 1943, she didn’t stop her teaching activities.

During World War II, Charlie Mary agreed to teach a course in celestial navigation designed for US Navy officer trainees at TCU, and in 1947 she began teaching an astronomy course at TCU. That same year she organized a Junior Astronomy Club at the Fort Worth Children’s Museum. A similar club for adults was organized, and was christened the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History, an organization that still exists today. Read more about this organization at Fort Worth Astronomical Society.

From 1957—1958 Charlie Mary organized and ran an innovative group she called the Moonwatch Program. Participants were members of her Junior Astronomy Club at the Museum. She trained the children to track the positions of Sputnik and other satellites for the US government, and the kids also helped scientists to determine their precise orbits. For their work, the Moonwatch team was recognized by the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory.

And as if all this were not enough, Charlie Noble was a member of the Woman’s Club, the Daughters of the American Revolution, Colonial Dames, Delta Kappa Gamma, the Lecture Foundation, the Faculty Women’s Club of Texas Christian University, the Texas Academy of Science, and the Tarrant County Historical Society.

For her many years of service as an educator, Charlie Mary earned many accolades. She garnered an honorary doctorate from TCU in 1950. In 1954 she received an Altrusa Civic Award which recognized her as the “First Lady of Fort Worth” for promoting interest in astronomy in young people. In 1955 the Museum’s planetarium was dedicated in her honor, and in 1956 she became the first woman to receive the Astronomical League’s annual award for her promotion of knowledge in the field of astronomy.

This amazing Chalkboard Champion passed away Nov. 30, 1959, in Fort Worth, at the age of 82. She was interred in Greenwood Cemetery.

During summer vacation, read stories about great educators

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Terry Lee Marzell

Author Terry Lee Marzell with her book, Chalkboard Heroes. Photo credit: Terry Lee Marzell

I love to tell stories about outstanding teachers. There are so many phenomenal stories that could be told! I believe that teachers represent the best our country has to offer, and, as a group, they are among the most dedicated, hardworking, and talented people anyone can know.

During this summer vacation, you may be interested in reading stories about some of these wonderful teachers. I have included 12 of them in my second book, Chalkboard Heroes: Twelve Courageous Teachers and their Deeds Valor. The educators included in this volume were not only talented teachers, but they were also pioneers, trailblazers, and social reformers influential in America’s history.

It fills me with joy to be able to share the stories of just a few of the amazing individuals who have made such significant contributions to the lives of so many. And it fills me with pride to know that, every day, talented educators all over the country are making significant contributions to the lives of their students.

You can order Chalkboard Heroes from amazon in print or digital formats now. Simply click on this link be taken to the page where you can order. Enjoy!

Michele Page earns Wichita’s Distinguished Classroom Teacher award

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Elementary teacher Michele Page is one  of eight teachers who have earned a Distinguished Classroom Teacher award by the Wichita Public School District.  Photo credit: Wichita Public Schools

It is always a pleasure for me to share the story of an exceptional teacher who has earned recognition for her work with young people. Today, I share the story of Michele Page, an elementary school teacher from Wichita, Kansas. She has been named one of eight educators to receive a Distinguished Classroom Teacher award by the Wichita Public School District.

Currently Michele teaches fourth graders at Ernest O. Lawrence Elementary School, but her career as a professional educator spans 20 years. She decided to become a teacher when she was in college, she says. That’s when her mother encouraged her to volunteer in a local elementary school. Once she saw how teachers help their students grow, both personally and academically, she knew she had found her calling.

Michele strives to recognize the individual needs of each of her students, and to understand each one’s unique abilities, backgrounds, and experiences. She designs her curriculum to reflect this, she declares.

Every month, Michele leads her students in organizing a community service project. Examples are collecting blankets for the local Humane Society, another month they may make cards to send to US veterans, and another month they may create treat bags for children at the Wichita Children’s Home. “That’s how they learn they are part of a larger community,” Michele explains.

Teachers who were selected for the honor were nominated by a parent, building administrator, or colleague. Final selections were chosen by a committee comprised of principals, assistant principals, teachers, support staff, the assistant superintendents of elementary and secondary schools, and a member of United Teachers of Wichita. This year, there were more than 250 nominees.