Category Archives: Education

Teacher Kayla Jackson honored by the Florida State Dept. of Education

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Elementary school teacher Kayla Jackson has earned recognition from the Florida State Department Education. Photo Credit: Florida State Department of Education

There are many fine educators who work in the state of Florida. One of them, Kayla Jackson, has earned recognition from her state’s Department of Education as one of 74 District Teachers of the Year, and one of five finalists for Florida’s 2024 Teacher of the Year.

Kayla inaugurated her teaching career at Memorial Elementary School in Highlands County when the school first opened in 2008. Currently, she serves as a fifth-grade math and science teacher. She has a reputation for being a high impact teacher multiple years in a row, and her students have achieved significant learning gains on state assessments. But she says her role goes beyond presenting lessons to also knowing her students and what they are capable of learning when challenged. “I see in my students what some don’t yet see in themselves,” she declares. “I set high expectations for them, and push them to achieve goals they might not think are achievable.”

In addition to her work with young students, Kayla is a mentor to beginning teachers, she supports her school’s Student of the Month program, she leads professional development for her colleagues, and she serves on the Curriculum Leadership Team.

Kayla earned her Bachelor’s degree in Education from the University of South Florida.

This year’s five 2024 Teacher of the Year state finalists were chosen from more than 185,000 public school teachers throughout the state. After each school district selects its teacher of the year, a committee comprised of teachers, principals, parents, and the business community reviews each district application. The honorees are selected using the criteria of outstanding ability to teach and the ability to communicate knowledge of the subject taught, professional development, philosophy of teaching, and outstanding school and community service.

Middle school teacher Monica Galloway garners 2024 VFW honor

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It is always my pleasure to shine a spotlight on an outstanding classroom teacher who has also served in the United States Armed Forces. Today, I spotlight Monica Galloway, a middle school teacher in Laurel, Maryland. She has garnered a 2024 Smart/Maher National Citizenship Education Award from the VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars).

Middle school teacher Monica Galloway, a US Army veteran, has garnered a 2024 Smart/Maher National Citizenship Education Award from the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW). Photo credit: VFW

Monica, a United States Army veteran, works as a sixth grade math teacher at Dwight D. Eisenhower Middle School in Laurel, Maryland. Her consideration for the award was sponsored by the J. Paul Duke Jr. Memorial VFW Post 9376 in Clinton, Maryland. Monica was selected for her dedication to increasing participation in her county’s Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (JROTC). Additionally, she has been lauded for establishing a program known as Immigrant Experiences, and instructional program to help promote diversity and build stronger, culturally responsive, supportive classrooms.

Each year, the VFW selects one elementary, one middle school, and one high school teacher to receive the Smart/Maher VFW National Citizenship Education Teacher award. The honor recognizes outstanding teachers for their exceptional commitment to teaching Americanism and patriotism to their students through promoting civic responsibility, flag etiquette, and patriotism in the classroom. The award was established in 1999 and named after former VFW National Commander John Smart and retired VFW Quartermaster General Larry Maher. Monica will be presented with a check for $1,000 which she can use for professional development and $1,000 for her school during the 125th VFW National Convention in Louisville, Kentucky, July 27-Aug. 1, 2024.

To read more, click on this link to VFW website.

Alaskan teacher Etta Schureman Jones was a WWII prisoner of war

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Etta Schureman Jones

Alaskan teacher Etta Schureman Jones, with her husband, C. Foster Jones. Durin WWII, Foster was killed by the Japanese, and became Etta was a Prisoner of War. Photo Credit: Mary Breu

There are times when extraordinary circumstances of history present already gutsy teachers with unexpected challenges. This is certainly true of the intrepid Etta Schureman Jones, an elementary school teacher and trained nurse originally from Vineland, New Jersey.

Etta Schureman was over forty years old when she and her sister, Marie, ventured into Alaska Territory to teach Native American students in primitive rural schools. After one year, Marie  returned to the Lower 48, but Etta, who had met the love of her life and married, settled permanently in Alaska. The picture here is the happy couple on their wedding day.

Eighteen years later, Etta and her beloved husband, C. Foster Jones, were working together  in the remote Aleutian island of Attu when Pearl Harbor was attacked by the Empire of Japan on December, 7, 1941, “a day that will live in infamy.” The couple and their students were slated to be evacuated by the US Navy, but before that could be accomplished, the island was invaded by Japanese troops.

Although the couple were in their sixties, Japanese soldiers killed Foster and removed Etta to an internment camp in Japan, where she was incarcerated with a small group of Australian nurses who were also prisoners of war. The Attuan natives, about three dozen of them, were also taken to Japan, with the apparent intention of assimilating them into the Japanese population. Although Etta was rescued by American troops after the war, and she and the surviving Attuans were eventually repatriated after the war, Etta never saw her students or their families again.

I have included a chapter about this intrepid teacher and her intriguing tale of survival in my book, Chalkboard Heroes: Twelve Courageous Teachers and their Deeds of Valor, available at amazon at this link: Chalkboard Heroes. Also, Etta’s story is told brilliantly by Mary Breu in her book Last Letters from Attu: The True Story of Etta Jones: Alaska Pioneer and Japanese POW.  A fascinating read, to be sure. You can find this book, also at amazon, at the following link: Last Letters from Attu.

STEM educator Corey Hafer named Delaware’s 2024 Teacher of the Year

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STEM educator Corey Hafer has been named Delaware’s 2024 State Teacher of the Year. Photo Credit: Delaware Live

There are many outstanding educators in the United States who are deserving of recognition for the work they do with our young people. Some of them are honored each year by education officials in the state where they live. One of these is Cory Hafer, a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) teacher from Delaware. He has been named his state’s 2024 Teacher of the Year.

Corey earned his Bachelor’s degree in Cellular and Molecular Biology at the University of Michigan in 2009. Soon after, he began work as a research technician for infectious diseases at Columbia University Irving Medical Center. While there, he discovered a passion for teaching, so he volunteered to lead learning experiences in the lab for students in New York City Public Schools. He returned to the university to continue his education, earning a Master’s degree in Biology Education from Columbia University in 2012.

Once he earned his Master’s degree, Cory accepted a position as a classroom teacher in Brooklyn. He taught chemistry, biology, forensic science, and theory of knowledge. Today, he teaches engineering courses at Middletown High School in Middletown, Delaware. He also advises the Technology Student Association and coaches tennis there. He has taught at Middletown since 2019. In all, his career as an educator spans 11 years.

“There are so many things I enjoy about teaching,” says Corey. “The first that comes to mind is always the excitement that shows on students’ faces when they finally realize they can do something challenging that they didn’t realize they could do,” he reveals. “When we start off year three of engineering, many students are intimidated by the equations they have to master. The first time they can apply the skill and realize they have mastered it is fun to watch!” he continues. “But even more than that, it is the learning that comes with teaching. Teaching concepts makes you learn them more deeply,” he concludes.

To read more about Corey Hafer, click on this link to an interview published by Appoquinimink School District.