Category Archives: Education

Math teacher Toru Kumon developed a learning system now used worldwide

Posted on by

Japanese math teacher Toru Komon developed a learning system and tutoring program that has helped millions of students worldwide. Photo Credit: Kumon Institute of Education

Have you ever had a student who was enrolled in a Kumon tutoring center? These centers are immensely popular and extremely successful in helping students improve their academic skills. But did you know the learning system taught in these tutoring centers were developed by a Japanese math teacher named Toru Kumon?

Toru was born on March 26, 1914, in Kochi Prefecture, Japan. As a young man, he earned his degree in Mathematics from the College of Science at Osaka University. He then established a vigorous career as a high school math teacher in Osaka.

Despite his success as a professional educator, Toru discovered that his own son, Takeshi, was struggling to keep up in his own math class. In response, Toru conducted a careful examination of the boy’s textbooks, and came to the conclusion that the books failed to provide adequate opportunities for independent practice. To counter this, Toru designed a series of worksheets for Takeshi. Before long, Toru saw significant improvement in his son’s progress. After that, the teacher began using the strategy to tutor other children around the city.

By 1955, he established his first learning center, and in 1968, Toru retired from teaching to focus on his rapidly expanding educational service, which spread to the United States in 1974. The Kumon Learning System is designed to strengthen a student’s basic math and language skills by completing worksheets tailored to a student’s ability. The method also encourages students to learn independently and to study advanced material beyond their grade level. Even though Toru’s tutoring system emphasizes strategies considered old-fashioned by today’s standards, his Kumon Centers have enrolled millions of students around the world.

Sadly, Toru Kumon passed away in Osaka on July 25, 1995, from pneumonia. He was 81 years old. In his honor, the Toru Kumon museum was founded in Osaka. An asteroid, 3569 Kumon, was named after him. Additionally, the Kumon Foundation Day is celebrated each year on Oct. 20.

Emma Hart Willard: Influential educator and advocate for girls’ education

Posted on by

Teacher Emma Hart Willard was one of the most influential educators in American history. Photo Credit: Public Domain

One of the most influential educators in American history was Emma Hart Willard, a teacher and women’s rights advocate from New England. In a time when most women were restricted to the role of homemakers, Emma advanced the cause of making higher education available for girls.

Emma was born on Feb. 23, 1787, in Berlin, Connecticut. Even at a young age, her intelligence was evident. Even though she was a female, her father nurtured her intellectual development. By the time she was 17 years old, Emma was teaching at the academy where she had been a student. By the time she was 19 she was the principal of the school.

In 1809, Emma married Dr. John Hart, and the couple had one son together. After her marriage, Emma and her family moved to Vermont. There she opened her own boarding school for girls. She taught her young students courses in science, mathematics, philosophy, geography, and history. The experience put her in a fine position to advocate for an institution of higher learning for female students.

In 1821, Emma persuaded the leadership of Troy, New York, to sponsor the founding of an institution of higher learning for girls. The school became known as the Troy Female Seminary, the first higher education institution for women in the country. The school was an immediate success, and upper class families began to send their daughters to Troy. Her example inspired other private institutions to open their doors to girls. Emma served as the principal of Troy Female Seminary until 1838. By that time, hundreds of graduates of the school—many of them teachers—had been shaped by her philosophy.

In addition to paving the way for advanced educational opportunities for girls in New York, Emma traveled widely throughout the country and in Europe, where she advocated more schools of higher learning be established. She founded an all-girls school in similar to the Troy School in Athens, Greece. She also wrote textbooks for American history and geography. In addition, she published a volume of poetry.

This Chalkboard Champion passed away on April 15, 1870, in Troy, New York. She is interred in Oakwood Cemetery in Troy. In 1905, Emma was inducted into the Hall of Fame for Great Americans in Bronx, New York. She was also inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame in 2013. The school that Emma Hart Willard founded in Troy still exists today, although it is now known as the Emma Willard School.

To read more about Emma Hart Willard, click on this link to Encyclopedia Britanica.

Elem teacher Kylie Altier named Louisiana’s 2024 State Teacher of the Year

Posted on by

Kylie Altier, a first-grade teacher in Baton Rouge, has been named Louisiana’s 2024 State Teacher of the Year. Photo credit: Kylie Altier

It is always exciting when a member of our profession garners recognition for their outstanding work in the classroom. One of these colleagues is Kylie Altier, an elementary school teacher from Louisiana. She has been named her state’s 2024 Teacher of the Year.

Kylie teaches first grade at McKinley Elementary School in Baton Rouge. To enrich her students’ educational experiences, Kylie has applied for and won more than $33,000 in grants. Using these funds, she built a classroom garden, complete with a mobile kitchen. She incorporated virtual reality headsets into her curriculum to boost experiential learning, and she designed an outdoor classroom for her school. “In first grade, the four walls of our classroom are not always the most developmentally appropriate space for children,” asserts Kylie. “I have dyslexia, so I find it important to find ways to make the learning experience personalized to kids’ needs,” she continues. To this end, the honored educator brings experts into her classroom, which has given her students opportunities to interview a New York Times bestselling author, perfect 10-scoring collegiate gymnasts, curators from the Museum of Natural Science, and more.

Kylie has been a leader at every campus she has been a part of, starting an extracurricular garden club, co-founding an after-school reading program where high schoolers mentored emerging readers, spearheading campus-wide reading intervention, and leading professional development.

Louisiana’s Teacher of the Year is not the only honor Kylie has earned for her professional efforts. In 2019, while teaching in Texas, she was named her region’s Teacher of the Year and Mentor Teacher of the Year.

Kylie earned a Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education from Florida State University in 2013. She earned her Master’s degree in Elementary Education from Stephen F. Austin University in 2019.

Colby Burnett: Winner of Jeopardy Teachers’ Tournament Winner 2012

Posted on by

There are many brilliant teachers working in many American schools, and each year the nation gets to meet several of them on the annual competition known as the “Teachers’ Tournament” featured on the game show Jeopardy. One such educator is Colby Burnett, who garnered first place in both the Jeopardy Teachers Tournament in 2012 and the Jeopardy Tournament of Champions in 2013.

Colby grew up in the Austin neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois. As a teen, he attended Fenwick High School, a prestigious private college preparatory school located in Oak Park, Illinois. Illustrious alumni of Fenwick include Illinois state senators Daniel Cronin and Chris Nybo, NASA astronaut Joseph Kerwin, author Philip Caputo, Pulitzer Prize winner Steve Twomey, Chicago Bears player Mike Rabold, Chicago White Sox player Mike Heathcott, and Olympic gold medalist Ken Sitzberger.

After his graduation from Fenwick, Colby enrolled in Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in both history and political science. Following his college graduation, Colby accepted a position as an Advanced Placement History teacher at his alma mater, Fenwick High School.

After Colby’s success on Jeopardy, he was honored by Illinois Governor Pat Quinn, who designated December 18 as “Colby Burnett Day.” In his declaration, Governor Quinn described the talented teacher as, “a dedicated Illinois educator who demonstrated a passion for lifelong learning,” and said that Colby “has represented the State of Illinois admirably, and established himself as a role model to his students.”

Since 2017, Colby has worked as a College Counselor at ITW David Speer Academy in Chicago, Illinois. He also serves as the Scholastic Bowl Coach there.

You can read more about Colby’s Jeopardy win at this Huffington Post article, Colby Burnett Wins Jeopardy. You can also read the transcript of a Jeopardy interview of Colby at this link: J! Archive.com.

Dr. Stephanie Schoppert recognized as outstanding elementary Social Studies teacher

Posted on by

Dr. Stephanie Schoppert of Calvert County, Maryland, was named the 2023 Elementary Teacher of the Year by the Maryland Council of Social Studies. The honor was followed by recognition by both the Maryland Senate and the State House of Delegates. Photo Credit: Dowell Elementary School

There are many fine educators working with our students. One of these is Dr. Stephanie Schoppert, an elementary school teacher in Calvert County, Maryland. In fact, she earned the coveted honor of 2023 Elementary Teacher of the Year from the Maryland Council of Social Studies (MDCSS). The honor was followed by recognition from both the Maryland Senate and the State House of Delegates

Stephanie teaches fifth graders at Dowell Elementary School. Throughout her career, which spans more than 30 years, she has taught grades three through eight. She has been described as a lifelong learner, and her colleagues say she aspires to create the same passion for learning in her students. Stephanie believes that Social Studies education prepares our students for their future.

For her work with young people, Stephanie has been recognized as the Elementary Teacher of the Year by the Maryland Council of Social Studies (MDCSS). The recognition, declares Superintendent of Calvert County Public Schools Dr. Andrae Townsel, honors educators who are dedicated and committed to excellence and providing engaging social studies instruction for students. The honor was followed by recognition from both the Maryland Senate and the State House of Delegates.

The MDCSS is a nonprofit organization that works to build a community of social studies educators throughout the state of Maryland. Through this network, the organization advances cultural understanding, respect for human differences, and an appreciation of diversity. MDCSS provides high quality professional development and instructional resources for Maryland social studies teachers and works to recognize excellence in social studies instruction at the elementary, middle, and high school levels.