Category Archives: Education

Eighth grade teacher, poet, and author Elizabeth Acevedo

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Elizabeth Acevedo

Eighth grade teacher, poet, and author Elizabeth Acevedo.

There are many examples of excellent teachers who have earned acclaim in arenas outside the classroom. One of these is Elizabeth Acevedo, an eighth grade schoolteacher who is also a poet and author of young adult novels.

Elizabeth, who identifies as Afro-Latina, was born to parents who immigrated from the Dominican Republican. She was raised in New York. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Performing Arts from George Washington University. She earned her Master’s degree in Fine Arts with an emphasis in Creative Writing from the University of Maryland.

As a 2010 Teach for America Corps participant, Elizabeth went into the classroom following her college graduation. She taught eighth grade in Prince George’s County, Maryland.

Elizabeth’s books include, Beastgirl & Other Origin Myths published in 2016, and With the Fire on High published in 2019. Her first novel, The Poet X (2018), The Poet X, was published in 2018, and instantly became a New York Times Bestseller. The novel won the 2018 Boston Globe-Hornbook Award, the Walter Dean Myers Award for Outstanding Children’s Literature, the 2018 National Book Award for Young People’s Literature, and the 2019 Michael L. Printz Award.

Today, Elizabeth lives in Washington, DC. She is involved in a variety of poetry workshops at high schools and universities. She also works as a visiting instructor at an adjudicated youth center in Washington, DC, where she works with incarcerated women and with teenagers. In addition, she attends a lot of poetry slams as a host or judge, and she was once a coach.

“Being around teenagers all the time makes me aware of the emotional scale that they’re on and how they’re responding to things,” Elizabeth says. “If nothing else, it’s a reminder of how brilliant they are,” she asserts. “Some adults write down to young people, but, if you listen to them, they’ll tell you what they need. Oftentimes, I think they’re more able to handle difficult subjects than we give them credit for,” she concludes.

 

Pennsylvania’s Katherine Bobby garners Milken Educator Award

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Katherine Bobby

Eagle View Elementary School teacher Katherine Bobby of Somerset, Pennsylvania, has just garnered a 2018-2019 Milken Educator Award.

Eagle View Elementary School in Somerset, Pennsylvania, must be immensely proud of Katherine Bobby, a third grade teacher at the school who has just garnered a coveted Milken Educator Award. She is the only Milken winner from the state of Pennsylvania this year, and is among the up to 40 honorees selected for 2018-19 school year.

Katherine says her decision to become a teacher was a gradual one. “I had always been comfortable around kids. Breaking down academic information and explaining it to others came naturally to me,” she remembers. “In middle school and high school I spent many evenings and weekends babysitting and tutoring in order to make money for my tuition. People often told me I would excel at teaching,” she continued. “I was also excited at the thought of carrying out my mother’s dream for herself; she had been an education major until financial strain made her drop out of college in 1970,” she concluded.

At her school, Katherine has a reputation for being an innovative leader who serves as an inspiration for both students and staff. She leads professional development, contributes to professional learning communities, serves on the English/Language Arts (ELA) Committee, and designed a framework for peer observations. In addition, she mentors both new and student teachers in Special Education and ELA. As part of her school’s Sunshine Committee, Katherine helps to create high morale and a positive school climate for staff. As an educator, she is known for concentrating on forming strong connections between home and school. Within her community, she organizes school food drives for a local food pantry.

Katherine earned her Bachelor’s degree in Elementary and Special Education in 2005 from St. Francis University, a private Catholic liberal arts university located in Loretto, Cambria County, Pennsylvania.

The Milken Educator Awards, which Teacher magazine has described as the “Oscars of Teaching,” has been honoring exceptional educators over 30 years. Milken Educators are selected in early to mid-career for what they have achieved to date, and for the promise of what they will accomplish as they continue through their careers. In addition to the $25,000 cash prize and public recognition, the honor includes membership in the National Milken Educator Network, a group of more than 2,700 top teachers, principals, and specialists from all over the country who are dedicated to strengthening education.

Congratulations, Katherine Bobby!

Florida teacher and entrepreneur Jimmy Dallas

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Jimmie Dallas

Florida teacher and entrepreneur Jimmy Dallas, Sr.

Since this is the last day of Black History Month 2018, it seems appropriate to close with the story of yet another distinguished African American educator from US history: Jimmie Dallas, a dedicated teacher and civic leader from Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Jimmie, who was born James Albert Dallas, was born December 19, 1917, in Monticello, Florida. Sadly, before he was 12 years old, both his parents, Albert and Florida Dallas, had passed away. He was raised by his six siblings.

Jimmie graduated in 1936 from Middletown High School in Hillsborough County in 1936. After one year at Bethune-Cookman College, Jimmie enrolled at Florida A&M University, where he graduated in 1942. While there, he was accepted into the Kappa alpha Psi fraternity. Musically talented, he played the trombone in the university’s marching, jazz, and concert bands.

After his graduation from Florida A&M in 1942, Jimmie was admitted to the pharmacy program at Howard University, a historically Black college located in Washington, DC. However, because WWII was in full swing, Jimmie was drafted into the United States Army only ten days after his program at Howard began. His military service spanned four years, fist in Pacific Ocean Operations, and later as a First Sergeant in the 24th Infantry Division in Okinawa, Japan.

Once the war was ended, Jimmie accepted his first position as a teacher of English and public speaking at Dorsey High School in Miami, Florida. He also taught at Blanche Ely High School in Pompano and Sunrise Middle School in Fort Lauderdale. In all, Jimmie’s career spanned 36 years by the time he retired in 1982. “He was a hard worker,” remembered colleague James Crumpler. “He was a good English teacher. The kids liked him. He related real well with them,” Crumpler continued.

During Jimmy’s long career as an educator, he took time out to marry fellow educator Margie Street Dallas in 1950, and raise a family of three children.

In addition to his work in the classroom, Jimmie owned two nightclubs, O’Dell’s Lounge and Grill and The Big Savory, Many notable musicians performed at Jimmie’s venues, including Duke Ellington, Dinah Washington, Count Basie, Ella Fitzgerald, Ray Charles, and Lionel Hampton. For this achievement, the Dillard Historical Museum honored Jimmie’s contributions to his community. In fact, he is the first African American man to have a street in downtown Fort Lauderdale named in his honor.

James Dallas passed away from a colon illness on April 9, 2004. He was 86 years old.

Tennessee teacher Erica Stephens garners prestigious Milken Educator Award

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Erica Stephens

Fourth grade mathematics teacher Erica Stephens from Memphis, Tennessee, garners prestigious 2018 Milken Award.

Our country is so fortunate to have so many dedicated and talented educators working in our public schools. One of these is Erica Stephens, a fourth grade mathematics teacher at John P. Freeman Optional School located in Memphis, Tennessee.

Erica uses innovative approaches that encourage her students to explore real-world solutions to real-world problems. She is part of her school’s leadership and data teams. She uses her understanding of data analysis to understand every student’s needs, and she tailors her instruction to meet those needs. Last year, students in her math classes exceeded projected growth scores on the Shelby County Schools’ formative assessment, with 86% of the children testing at the proficient level or higher.

Erica is also committed to helping her colleagues improve their teaching skills. As fourth-grade team leader, Erica has participated in the principal’s advisory team. She is a mentor for both beginning and veteran teachers, and she conducts professional development at her school, for her district, and on a national level, including leading discussions on Eureka Math, a curriculum she pioneered in her school district.

The Milken Educator Awards, which Teacher magazine has described as the “Oscars of Teaching,” has been honoring exceptional educators over 30 years. Milken Educators are selected in early to mid-career for what they have achieved to date, and for the promise of what they will accomplish as they continue through their careers. In addition to the $25,000 cash prize and public recognition, the honor includes membership in the National Milken Educator Network, a group of more than 2,700 top teachers, principals, and specialists from all over the country who are dedicated to strengthening education.

Erica completed the requirements for her Bachelor’s degree in 2002 from Middle Tennessee State University, a public institution of higher learning located in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

Science teacher and former MLB pitcher Jim Morris

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Jim Morris

Science teacher and former MLB pitcher Jim Morris

There are many examples of professional athletes who also enjoyed highly successful carers in the classroom. One of these athletes is Jim Morris, a high school teacher and coach who was also a pitcher for Major League Baseball.

Jim was born January 19, 1964, in Brownwood, Texas. Because his father was in the Navy, the family moved quite often during Jim’s childhood. He spent some of his childhood in New Haven, Connecticut; Great Lakes, Illinois; and Jacksonville, Florida. When his parents finally settled in Texas, Jim attended Brownwood High School. He graduated in 1982.

All during high school Jim nurtured a dream of pitching professional baseball. His dream was nearly realized when, in the 1982 amateur baseball draft, Jim signed with the Milwaukee Brewers. However, due to several arm injuries sustained while he played in the minor leagues, Jim was released during the 1987 season. In 1989, the young ball player signed with the Chicago White Sox, but once again was released before he could make it to the Show.

Once Jim retired from baseball, he decided to go back to school. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Science, Kinesology, and Psychology from Angelo State University in San Angelo, Texas, in 1996. Then he became a high school physical science, chemistry, and physucs teacher and baseball coach at Reagan County High School in Big Lake, Texas.

In the Spring of 1999, eleven years after retiring from minor league baseball, Jim  was giving a pep talk to his high school team about the importance of dreams and hard work. His high school players challenged him to pursue his own dream of pitching in the major leagues, so Jim promised the students that if they won the District Championship, he would tryout for a spot in Major League Baseball one more time. When his students won the title, Jim kept his promise by attending tryouts for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. The team scout wasn’t really interested in signing the high school coach, but allowed him to tryout so that he could keep his promise. To everyone’s surprise, Jim played exceptionally well, and so, even though he was 35 years old, he signed a contract with the team. He made his MLB debut in September, 1999, and 16 more major league appearances before his arm injuries resurfaced. He was released in 2000, and then played briefly for the Dodgers. Jim retired from baseball in 2001.

In 2001 Jim published his autobiography, The Oldest Rookie. The book was adapted into a film called The Rookie, released in 2002 and starring Dennis Quaid. Today Jim appears as a motivational speaker.