Category Archives: Education

Jennifer Ruiz: International professional women’s soccer player and former teacher

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Jennifer Ruiz

Jennifer Ruiz: International professional women’s soccer player and former teacher

Did you know that many talented athletes were also teachers at some point in their lives? This is true of California’s Jennifer Ruiz-Willliams, a professional women’s soccer player who is also a former teacher.

Jennifer was born on August 9, 1983, in Anaheim, California. As a young woman, she attended Corona High School in Corona, Riverside County, California. While playing for Corona, Jennifer was named Most Valuable Player three times. In 1998 and 1999, she played with the Olympic Development Program District and State teams. In 2000, she played with the Southern California Blues U-16 team. That year, the squad garnered a national championship. The following year, Jennifer helped the U-17 squad to a second-place finish at the national championships. For these accomplishments, Jennifer was recognized as the Citrus Belt Athlete of the Year in 2001.

After her high school graduation, Jennifer enrolled at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, under the Teach for America program. She attended there from 2001 to 2004, earning a Bachelor’s degree in Communications. After her college graduation, to fulfill her obligation to Teach for America, Jennifer taught at an inner-city school in Los Angeles for two years. She later earned a Master’s degree in Education from Loyola Marymount University.

During the years she was working on her degree, Jennifer continued to play soccer, and her resume in the sport is impressive. She went to the Australia Cup competition in 2003 with the Mexico Women’s National Football Team. The team qualified for the Summer Olympics held in 2004 in Athens, Greece. In addition, she was part of the 2011 team that earned a Bronze Medal at the Pan American Games. From 2011 to 2012, Jennifer played for the Bay Area Breeze, part of the Women’s Premier Soccer League. She served as captain of that team. In 2013, the former teacher joined the Seattle Reign Football Club, part of the National Women’s Soccer League. She made seven appearances for the club during its inaugural season.

Even though she no longer teaches in the classroom, Jennifer has continued working with young people. In June 2012, Ruiz was a guest coach at the Julie Foudy Leadership Academy. She served as a director and coach of the Nashville Football Club, where she managed the development of the girls academy and mentored players on regional teams who competed in international competitions. For ten years, she has served as a youth soccer coach for the Palo Alto Soccer Club. In February, Jennifer accepted a position as an assistant soccer coach at California State University at Northridge.

Jennifer Ruiz-Williams: a genuine chalkboard champion.

Elizabeth Abbott, a pioneer in kindergarten education in Connecticut

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Elizabeth Abbott

Elizabeth Abbott, a pioneer in kindergarten education in Connecticut

I always enjoy reading stories about pioneer teachers in the field of education. One teacher I read about recently was Elizabeth Abbott, an educator who is widely recognized as a leader in introducing kindergarten to the state of Connecticut.

Elizabeth was born on September 11, 1852, in Lowell, Middlesex County, Massachusetts. Even as a young woman, she was interested in a career as a kindergarten teacher. Her dream was postponed, however, when the death of her father made it necessary for her to get a job. At first she supported herself as a typesetter, a store clerk, a bookkeeper, and then a cook, but her desire to pursue a career in education never diminished.

After seven years, Elizabeth was finally able to secure a position as a teacher in a district school in Maine. Then she tried her hand at running a small private school of her own. Wanting to expand her professional skills, she took educational courses that eventually allowed her to teach kindergarten. She began teaching at a charity summer school in Boston, and then transferred to the Hillside Avenue School in Waterbury, Connecticut.

In 1885, Elizabeth married her sweetheart, George Abbott. Contrary to the custom of the period, she continued to teach. Eventually she was able to operate a kindergarten out of her home, becoming one of the first teachers in the state of Connecticut to do so. In her later years, Elizabeth served as secretary of the Connecticut Valley Kindergarten Association.

After many years, Elizabeth and George moved into her family’s home in Malden, Middlesex County, Massachusetts. For the last 11 years of her life she was confined to a wheelchair. This amazing pioneer in education passed away in Malden on September 27, 1926. She was 74 years old.

Hawaii’s Jonathan Guillentine: Award-winning early learning resource teacher

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Jonathan Guillentine

Hawaii’s Jonathan Guillentine: Award-winning early learning resource teacher

It’s always a joy to learn about fellow educators who have been recognized for their outstanding work in the classroom. One such educator is Jonathan Guillentine, an early learning resource teacher from Honolulu, Hawaii.

Jonathan earned his Bachelor’s degree in Speech Pathology and Audiology in 1977, his Master’s degree in Special Education in 1981, and his Doctorate in Education in 2005, all from the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

In 1978, this chalkboard champion began his career as a third grade teacher at Bloomingtron Christian School in 1978, but soon transferred to Kailua High School in the outskirts of Honolulu, where he worked as a Special Education resource teacher, where he worked for twelve years. From Kailua he went to Reverend Benjamin Parker School in Kaneohe, where he worked as both a resource teacher and a pre-school inclusion teacher. In 2014, Jonathan took a position as early learning specialist at the Windward District Office of the Hawaii State Department of Education, and in 2015 he became a mentor teacher for the Executive Office on Early Learning, which administers Hawaii’s public pre-school program. He holds this position today. In all, Jonathan has spent 36 years as a professional educator.

Jonathan’s work has earned him praise from other professional educators. “Jonathan is the quintessential professional,” declares instructional coach Tracey Idica. “There is no one better suited or more effective in reaching little ones’ hearts and minds. His work appears to come naturally from within his soul; however, it is rich with research-based best practices,” she notes. Colleague Alecia Burroughs agrees. “Jonathan is the type of person who inspires others to be the best person and educator possible,” she asserts. “All who meet him gravitate towards him, adults and children alike.”

For his work in the classroom, Jonathan has earned many accolades. In 2007, he was named an Outstanding Early Childhood Practitioner by the National Association of Early Childhood Teacher Educators. In 2010, he was honored by the National Science Teachers Association with their Early Science Educator Award. In 2012, he garnered an National Educators Association Foundation’s Horace Mann Award. In 2017, he was inducted into the National Teachers Hall of Fame, the first educator from Hawaii to be so honored.

Sarah Clark, Hilda E. Taylor, and James Debeuneure: Three heroic teachers lost on 9/11

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The poignant stories of heroic classroom teachers who took care of their students during the attacks on September 11, 2001, are amazing, touching, and inspirational. But one of the most heart-wrenching of all is the story of three teachers aboard Flight 77, the plane that crashed into the Pentagon, killing 64 souls aboard and 125 souls on the ground.

Sarah Clark, Hilda E. Taylor, and James Debeuneure were teachers from Washington, DC. The three were selected by the National Geographic Society to escort a group of  elementary students on a field trip to Southern California. This field trip, known as the Sustainable Seas Expedition, gave underprivileged urban students the opportunity to  spend time at the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary, where they would work as junior marine biologists and study oceanic life. Tragically, the lives of all three exemplary educators came to a swift end on September 11, 2001, when the plane carrying the students and teachers was hijacked by five extremists and crashed into the Pentagon.

 

Sarah Clark

Teacher Sarah Clark

“Sarah Clark was the teacher every kid wanted for sixth grade — just strict enough that the classroom never fell into free-for-all, just cool enough so that class time was never too predictable,” remembered Sarah’s former student Carla Garnett. The beloved teacher was described by former student Sharon Pendana as “patient, kind, and deeply skilled at finding the workable paths between curricula and individual student understanding.” Sarah was a sixth-grade teacher at Backus Middle School in Washington, DC. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Winston-Salem State University, and her Master’s degree in Urban Learning from George Washington University. She was 65 years years old.

 

Hilda Taylor

Teacher Hilda E. Taylor

Sixth grade teacher Hilda  E.Taylor taught at Madeleine V. Leckie Elementary School located in Southwest Washington, DC. Hilda was a native of Sierra Leone, and came to the United States to further her education and to seek a better life for herself and her family. “She was very enthusiastic, very dedicated,” remembered Denise Sessoms, Assistant Principal. “She was always seeking new and creative learning experiences for her students. Parents looked forward to having their children in her room.” Hilda earned her Master’s degree from the University of the District of Columbia. She was 58 years old.

 

James Debeuneure

Teacher James Debeuneure

Educator James Debeuneure was a fifth-grade teacher at Ketcham Elementary School in Southeast Washington. James earned his Bachelor’s degree in Psychology with a minor in Sociology from Johnson C. Smith University in 1966. He was 45 years old when he decided he wanted to be a teacher, so he went back to college, earned his Master’s degree in Education, and inaugurated his career in the classroom. “He really loved teaching,” remembered his mother-in-law, Ruth Lea. “He would tell stories about children coming to school hungry or with weapons that he’d take off them. He was more a mentor and a friend to them than a teacher.” Ketcham Principal Romaine Thomas recalled that James often came to school early and stayed late to sponsor the student safety patrol, and that he worked tirelessly to find new material and fresh approaches for classroom assignments. “He was such a committed and dedicated teacher,” Principal Thomas said. James was 58 years old.

 

It must have been a comfort for the students who were also lost that day to be near their beloved teachers in their last moments. For losing their lives in the line of duty, these chalkboard heroes have had their names inscribed on the Memorial to Fallen Educators at the National Teachers Hall of Fame in Emporia, Kansas. You can read more about them at NTHF Fallen Educators.

Retired high school and college football coach Alan Weddell

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Alan Weddell

Retired high school and college football coach Alan Weddell reacts to a win for his team from La Marque High School in La Marque, Texas.

There are many fine examples of high school athletic coaches. I love to share those stories! One such story is that of Alan Weddell, a retired high school and college football coach from Texas.

Alan was born on March 12, 1950, in Lake Jackson, Texas. While a youth in high school, Alan made a name for himself playing football for Brazosport High School in Freeport, Texas. After his high school graduation in 1969, Alan enrolled at Texas A&M, where he played the position of offensive lineman for the Longhorns. He played there from 1970 to 1972, and during this time, his team was named a National Championship team.

Alan earned his Bachelor’s degree in Production Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin in 1973. He later earned his Master’s degree in Education and Administration from the University of Houston, Victoria.

Alan inaugurated his coaching career as a Junior Varsity and Varsity Assistant Coach at Angleton High School in Angleton, Texas, where he worked from 1973 to 1977. Then he transferred to Victoria High School in Victoria, Texas, where he coached for the next 12 years, the last seven of those as Head Coach. In 1984, the Victoria Stingarees lost every game. Two years later, they went undefeated in the regular season, won District, and made it to the playoffs for the first time. Under Coach Weddell, the Stings also made the playoffs in 1988 and 1989. Twice Alan was named Coach of the Year.

In 1990, Alan moved to La Marque High School in La Marque, Texas, where he worked until 1997. During this period, the gifted athletic coach led his team to five consecutive appearances in the Texas state title game. In three of those years his team took the championship title. Six times he was named District Coach of the Year, and three times he was named Galveston County Coach of the Year. In addition, he served as the Head Coach of the South Squad Texas High School Coaches Association All-Star game in 1997.

In 1998, the highly successful high school football coach was hired by Texas A&M to the position of Assistant Defensive Coordinator. While there, the team participated in the Sugar Bowl (1998), the Alamo Bowl (2000), the Independence Bowl (2001). From there he worked for a short while as the Defensive Coordinator at his Brazoswood High School in Clute, Texas, and then he joined the staff at the University of Houston in 2005. It was from there that Alan retired in November of 2014.

In addition to the accolades already mentioned, in 2018 Alan was honored by the Texas High School Coaches Association when they inducted him into their Hall Of Honor.