Category Archives: Education

Missouri’s Lucy Foster Madison became a famous novelist

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Teacher Lucy Foster Madison authored the “Peggy Owen” series, which was very popular with young girls in the early 20th century.

Many fine educators earn accolades for endeavors outside of the classroom. One of these is Lucy Foster Madison, a teacher from Missouri who became a famous novelist.

Lucy was born in Kirksville, Adair County, Missouri, on April 8, 1865, just as the Civil War was coming to a conclusion. When she was just a teenager, both her parents and her brother died, leaving Lucy to raise her two younger sisters by herself.

Despite these obstacles, Lucy graduated with high honors from high school in Louisiana, Missouri, in 1881. After her high school graduation, she completed courses at the State Normal School of Kirksville. There she studied Latin, French, and music under private tutelage. Lucy then became a school teacher first in Louisiana, Missouri, and later in Kansas City, Missouri.

In 1893, Lucy entered a short story competition sponsored by a New York newspaper. She won second place with her entry. This event launched her career as a writer of novels and short stories. Her “Peggy Owen” series for girls were popular in the 20th century. Some of the outstanding books she published between 1899 and 1928 are A Maid of the First Century, A Maid at King Alfred’s Court, A Colonial Maid, A Daughter of the Union, Peggy Owen: Patriot, Peggy Owen at Yorktown, Peggy Owen and Liberty, Joan of Arc, Lafayette, A Life of Washington for Young People, and Lincoln.

In 1924, Lucy Foster Madison and her husband moved to a farm near Hudson Falls, Washington County, New York. In 1932, the former teacher suffered a stroke and, sadly, she passed away a few days later. She was 66 years old.

To read some of Lucy’s works on Project Gutenberg, click on this link: Lucy Foster Madison.

DC’s Katrina Abdussalaam recognized as a leading math educator

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Middle school teacher Katrina Abdussalaam of Washington, DC, recognized as a leading mathematics educator. Photo Credit: PAEMST

Our nation’s students are fortunate to have many exceptional educators working diligently in our schools. One of these is Katrina Abdussalaam, a middle school school teacher from Washington, DC.

Katrina currently teaches mathematics to fifth and sixth graders at Friends School in College Park, Maryland. She has been at the school since 2017. Previously, she taught in Washington, DC, where she worked from 2001 to 2013. While there, she pioneered the innovative Singapore Math program. She also wrote cutting-edge mathematics curriculum for Common Core. She also specialized in adapting the New York State Common Core mathematics curriculum for English-language learners, students with disabilities, gifted students, and struggling students.

For her work as an educator over the course of the last two decades, Katrina earned a coveted PAEMST Award (Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching) in 2012. The PAEMST recognizes the dedication, hard work, and importance that America’s teachers play in supporting learners who will become future STEM professionals, including computer technologists, climate scientists, mathematicians, innovators, space explorers, and engineers. The PAEMST program, founded in 1983, is administered by the National Science Foundation (NSF) on behalf of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. The honor comes with a visit to the White House and a $10,000 cash prize.

Katrina earned her Bachelor’s degree in English Language and Literature from Haverford College in 1998. She completed the requirements for her teaching certificate from American University. She earned her Master’s degree in Education from the University of Maryland in 2024.

World Languages teacher Marilyn Johnson also served as a US veteran, foreign diplomat

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Teacher Marilyn Johnson served her country as a WWII veteran and as a foreign diplomat. Photo Credit: Caledonian Record

Many exceptional teachers also earn acclaim in fields other than education. One of these is Marilyn Johnson, a World Languages teacher from Massachusetts. She served her country as a WWII veteran, and also as a distinguished foreign diplomat.

Marilyn was born on June 19, 1922, in Boston Massachusetts. The first in her immediate family to attend college, she earned her Bachelor’s degree with Honors from Radcliffe in 1944. She earned her Master’s degree in French from Middlebury College in 1952. In addition, Marilyn served in the US Navy from 1944 to 1946, while World War II was in full swing. She became a member a specialized group in the Navy’s WAVES. That group, which was based in Washington, DC, became known as “code girls.” Their specific mission was to break Japanese codes.

From 1952 to 1959, Marilyn taught French at various high schools. She also taught English as a foreign language in numerous schools in the African countries of Cameroon and Mali between 1962 to 1964.

In 1964, Marilyn joined the US Foreign Service, and she also served as a cultural affairs officer in Bamako, Mali, and Tunisia, and as the public affairs officer in Niger. She then served as the Deputy Assistant Director of the Information Program from 1971 to 1974. In 1975, she attended the Senior Seminar in Foreign Policy, and from 1975 to 1976, she attended special training where she learned to speak Russian. This training led to a job as a cultural affairs officer in Moscow in the former Soviet Union. In 1978, Marilyn was appointed by President Jimmy Carter to serve as the US Ambassador to the African country of Togo. She served in that position until her retirement in 1981.

Sadly, Marilyn Johnson passed away in Bethlehem, New Hampshire, on Sept. 19, 2022. She was 100 years old. To read more about this amazing educator, click on this link to the Caledonian Record.

 

Retired educator Lenton Malry served in the NM House of Reps

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Retired teacher and administrator Lenton Malry served his community as a member of the New Mexico House of Representatives. Photo Credit: History Makers

Many outstanding educators also serve their communities as politicians. One of these is Lenton Malry, a retired teacher and administrator from New Mexico who once served in his state’s House of Representatives.

Lenton was born on Sept 31, 1931, in Keithville, Louisiana, the son of farmers. In 1948, he graduated from Central Colored High School. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Education from Louisiana’s Grambling College in 1952. In 1957, Lenton earned his Master’s degree from Texas College in Tyler, Texas. In 1968, he completed the requirements for his PhD from the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. In fact, he was the first African American to earn a PhD from that institution.

Lenton is also a US veteran. After he earned his Bachelor’s degree, he enlisted in the US Air Force, where he served in the Education Office at RAF West Drayton. The base is located in the London borough of Hillingdon, which served as the main center for military air traffic control in the United Kingdom at the time.

The former military man inaugurated his career as an elementary school educator at Douglas High School in Sherman, Texas. Later he worked for the Bureau of Indian Affairs at the Kinlichee School on the Navajo Nation reservation in Arizona, and later in the Gallup-McKinley County School District in New Mexico.

In 1962, Lenton moved to the secondary level when he accepted a position at Lincoln Junior High in Albuquerque. Two years later, he was named the principal of John Marshall Elementary School, and four years after that, he served at La Mesa Elementary School. From 1975 until his retirement in 1987, Lenton served as the Equal Opportunity Director for the Albuquerque School District. Interestingly, Lenton was the first African American man to teach in New Mexico, and the first to serve as a principal in the Albuquerque district.

Once he completed retired, Lenton decided to go into politics. He was elected on the Democratic ticket to the New Mexico House of Representatives. He served in that body from 1969 to 1979. While there, he advocated for better resources for public education and for universal kindergarten.

In 2016, Lenton became a published author, when his autobiography, Let’s Roll this Train, was released by the University of New Mexico Press. This volume earned him the Father Thomas Steele History Award from New Mexico-Arizona Book Awards in 2017.

This was not the only recognition Lenton earned.  He received the University of New Mexico’s Living Legend Award in 2007, and he was inducted into Grambling State University’s Hall of Fame in 2007.

Lenton Malry: A true Chalkboard Champion.

Mary Kay Connerton named Maryland’s 2024 Teacher of the Year

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Physical Education educator Mary Kay Connerton named the 2024 Maryland State Teacher of the Year. Photo Credit: Maryland State Department of Education

Many outstanding educators help our nation’s students improve their physical fitness and overall health. One of these is Mary Kay Connerton, a physical education teacher from Maryland. She has been named her state’s 2024 Teacher of the Year.

Mary Kay teaches courses in physical education and wellness at Annapolis High School (AHS) in Annapolis. She has taught there for the past nine years. In her classroom, Mary Kay is a strong advocate for wellness, not only for her students, but also for her colleagues and the community at large. She is a proponent of addressing the whole individual, and she believes that the foundation of success begins with being healthy in both body and mind.

In response to her students’ needs, Mary Kay created and inaugurated her school’s first yoga course. Eventually, the course evolved into a holistic wellness program that spread to every school in her school district, with Mary Kay leading the teacher training program for teachers.

“The work I do is a bit out of the box,” confesses Mary Kay. “But it is the exact link that could lead to the acceleration of every individual for not just educational success, but also personal success.”

In addition to her work with the schools, Mary Kay co-leads her community’s trauma team, wellness club, and trauma-informed wellness groups, all of which focus on healing and connection. She facilitates events to connect employees and the community with these resources. In addition, she pioneered the district’s first social emotional learning and wellness curriculum for 25,000 students with Johns Hopkins University.

Her selection as Maryland’s 2024 Teacher of the Year is not the only honor Mary Kay has earned. In 2020, she received the 2020 Maryland Society of Health & Physical Education Friend Award. She also garnered a Wellness School of Distinction Award.

Mary Kay earned her Bachelor’s degree in Childhood Education in 2008 and her Master’s degree in Special Education in 2010, both from State University of New York at Cortland. She also earned an administrator certificate from McDaniel College in 2018. Her career as an educator spans more than 20 years.