Category Archives: Education

John Fedorowicz: Navy Veteran who now teaches chemistry

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John Fedorowicz

John Fedorowicz, a retired US Navy veteran, teaches chemistry in Virginia.

John A. Fedorowicz is a veteran now retired from the US Navy. He served as a Navy Intelligence Officer from from 1988 – 2013, a total of 25 years. While in the military, John was assigned to the Navy and Marine Corps Intelligence Training Center (NMITC) where he was initially assigned as the Curriculum/Instructional Standards Officer (CISO). After a year, he also began teaching intelligence-related subjects involving operational intelligence. “During this time, I realized I enjoyed figuring out how to put together information on a topic and how to best explain it to students. I enjoyed the challenge of making topics relevant and interesting to students,” remembers John.

After John retired from his military career, he worked to make his love of teaching a reality. He now teaches high school chemistry at Indian River High School located in Chesapeake, Virginia. “The biggest benefit to teaching is knowing that you have a direct impact in helping prepare your students to succeed in life beyond the classroom,” asserts John. “The impact may come in the form of conveying information, as in my subject of chemistry. It may be in listening to them and maybe providing advice when they have had a bad experience at work, home, or with their peers. It may also be in modeling patience, self-control, organization, or how to treat others with respect,” he continues. “The impact teachers have on students’ lives can never be overestimated,” he concludes.

John earned his Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, in 1985. He earned his Master’s degree in Educational Leadership from Troy University in Troy, Alabama, in 1996. In addition, John earned a degree in National Security Studies from the Naval War College in 2008, and he studied at Virginia Wesleyan College from 2011-2013.

Thank you for your service, John, both in the military and in the classroom!

 

Musician Steven Van Zandt offers professional development for teachers

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Musician and actor Steven Van Zandt is currently touring the country with his rock band to conduct professional development workshops that promote the use of music in classrooms and show solidarity with teachers. Van Zandt is a member of Bruce Springsteen’s celebrated E Street Band, and he has also performed roles in the HBO television show The Sopranos.

Van Zandt sees says he is concerned about budget cuts that eliminate funding for arts programs in schools. In addition, he says educators are under-appreciated, and he wants to show his support for the teaching profession.

The band will visit nearly 30 cities,including several states where teacher protests were widespread during the recent election cycle. At each stop, the accomplished musician and his band will offer teachers the opportunity to attend a professional-development workshop about integrating the arts into lesson plans for their subject area. In addition, the teachers will receive a curriculum they can use in their classrooms. Finally, they will get free tickets to a concert by Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul.

To learn more about Van Zandt’s unique workshop, see the video below:

Many educators elected to political office in mid-term elections

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vote 2018

A record number of educators ran for political office in the mid-term elections this year, according to an article published online by Education Week (originally published July 17, 2018; updated Nov. 8, 2018). At least 177 teachers, retired teachers, and administrators nationwide threw their hats into the political ring. Of these candidates, at least 42 were elected to the offices they sought on election day on Tuesday, Nov. 7.

Many of these educators mounted political campaigns as a result of teacher activism in states where school funding and teacher pay are hotly-contested issues. Of the 177 candidates, a whopping 67 of them were from Oklahoma and 20 of them were from Kentucky. The states of Arizona, West Virginia, and Colorado also saw an uptick in teacher candidates.

“Educators are already leaders in their communities and are often the first to respond to challenges and opportunities faced by their students and families,” commented Carrie Pugh, Political Director of the National Education Association. “In many cases, educators are running after seeing years of legislative neglect and the chronic underfunding of public education,” she continued. “Educators now are demanding more for their students. They are taking matters into their own hands and running for office. They are ready to step up for their students, their communities, and public education,” she concluded.

To view a list of the individual candidates, click on this link: www.edweek.org.

Record number of educators hope to be elected today

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This year, a record number of educators are hoping to be elected to public office in today’s mid-term elections, according to an article published online by Education Week on July 17, 2018. At least 167 teachers, retired teachers, and administrators nationwide threw their hats into the political ring this year. Of these, 40 won their primaries, and 64 ran unopposed.

Educators are typically the most civic-minded individuals in any community, and many of those who have run for public office say their motivation for getting involved in politics sprang from a desire to make a significant positive impact on their communities. Many of these campaigns resulted from teacher activism in states where school funding and teacher pay are hotly-contested issues. For example, of the 167 educators who originally mounted campaigns, a whopping 67 of them made bids for public office in the state of Oklahoma and 20 mounted campaigns in Kentucky. Arizona, Colorado, and West Virginia have also seen an uptick in teacher candidates.

“We’ve got plenty of business people, we have plenty of rich people, we have plenty of lawyers,” pointed out Lily Eskelsen Garcia, President of the National Education Association. “Why not have somebody with that common-sense community grounding that a school teacher would have?”

To view the entire article, see www.educationweek.org. To view a list of educators running for public office compiled by Education Week, click on the link Teachers Running for Public Office.

And don’t forget to VOTE today!