Chalkboard books honored as 2024 American Legacy Book Awards finalists!

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I am beyond excited to announce that BOTH my books about exceptional teachers have been selected as finalists for the 2024 American Legacy Book Awards by American Book Fest! Both books, Chalkboard Champions and Chalkboard Heroes, were among the five finalists named in the Education//Academic category.

Jeffrey Keen, President and CEO of American Book Fest, stated that this year’s contest yielded thousands of entries from authors and publishers from around the world. These entries were then narrowed down to the final results. Books were judged in over 100 categories, with one winner and two to five finalists in each category. Awards were presented for titles published between 2010 and 2023. To see the entire list of this year’s winners, click on this link: 2024 American Legacy Book Awards.

My first book, Chalkboard Champions: Twelve Remarkable Teachers Who Educated America’s Disenfranchised Students, was published in 2012 by Wheatmark. This volume was followed by Chalkboard Heroes: Twelve Courageous Teachers and Their Deeds of Valor, published in 2015, also by Wheatmark. Both books share biographical sketches of inspirational educators and their pioneering work in America’s public schools.

In addition to recognition from the American Legacy Book Awards, both volumes have earned praise from educators and educational authors (see the press page), and they have been placed in numerous academic and university libraries throughout the United States, including the University of Southern Mississippi, Rutgers University, Berea College, City University of New York, the University of Chicago, and the Autry Museum of the American West. Chalkboard Champions is also part of the collection of the Library of Congress in Washington, DC.

Thank you so much, American Legacy Book Awards judging committee!

IL teacher Sam Figueroa named the 2024 Far North Suburbs Regional Teacher of the Year

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Spanish teacher Sam Figueroa has been named the 2024 Far North Suburbs Regional Teacher of the Year. Photo Credit: Illinois State Board of Education

There are many outstanding teachers working with our young people in our nation’s public schools. Some of these are singled out for special recognition. One is Sam Figueroa, a high school World Languages teacher from the state of Illinois. He has been named the 2024 Far North Suburbs Regional Teacher of the Year by the Illinois State Board of Education.

Sam is a Spanish teacher at Adlai E. Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire, Illinois. He has taught there for 12 years. In addition to his foreign language courses, he coaches soccer, leads curricular teams, and serves as a club sponsor.

Originally, Sam pursued a career in finance. But while teaching English in Italy, he recognized his passion for working with young people. When he returned to the United States, he worked for two years as a substitute, and another two years as an aide in a therapeutic day school. All the while, he was taking night courses at North Eastern Illinois University in Chicago until he earned his degree.

Since he has been working as a professional educator, Sam has led a shift towards the practice of standards-based grading, he has developed articulation with district middle schools, he has facilitated the incorporation of social-emotional learning and culturally relevant practices in the classroom, and he has created a curriculum called Diversity Friday to highlight under-represented groups within Spanish-speaking countries.

Sam says much of his success with his students is due to the fact that he is open-minded, forgiving, accommodating, and genuinely interested in others. He declares these qualities are integral to his goal of helping others become better, because if students know they are valued, then they will reach their full potential.​

Science teacher Nichole Hantsch named finalist for NY 2024 Teacher of the Year

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Middle school science teacher Nichole Hantsch has been named one of three finalists for 2024 New York State Teacher of the Year. Photo Credit: Fox 40.

Many excellent classroom teachers work in public schools in New York City. One of these is Nichole Hantsch, a science educator. She has been named one of three finalists for 2024 New York State Teacher of the Year by the New York State Education Department.

Nichole teaches physical science and agriculture to eighth graders at Chenango Forks Middle School in the Chanson Forks School District. She has been at the school for eight years now. In all, her career as an educator spans 17 years.

As a science teacher, Nichole says she is passionate about getting her students excited about science. She believes science education is critical in helping students understand modern advancements such as those taking place in the fields of medicine, technology, power, environmental sciences, and more. But ultimately, her goal is to inspire her students to love science as much as she does.

Furthermore, Nichole says collaboration in the classroom teaches her students important life skills that go beyond science. “I regularly remind them like, you don’t have to be best friends,” she declares, “but we do have to work together. We have to help each other.”

Nichole earned her Bachelor’s degree in Biology in 2005, her Master’s degree in Teaching in 2007, and a second Master’s in Biology in 2008, all from Binghamton University, a public institution located in Binghamton, New York.

Teacher Mary Jane Patterson: From slavery to classroom

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Mary Jane Patterson: From slavery to classroom. Photo Credit: Pubic Domain

Here is the story of a truly remarkable educator: Mary Jane Patterson. Mary Jane was born the daughter of slaves in Raleigh, North Carolina, on September 12, 1840. Her father, Henry Patterson, worked as a master mason. After Henry gained his freedom in 1852, he relocated his family north to Oberlin, Ohio.

Oberlin was a favored destination for free Blacks and fugitive slaves seeking an education because it boasted a college that was integrated and co-educational. When Mary Jane earned her Bachelor’s degree from Oberlin College in 1862, she became the first African-American woman to receive a degree from an established American college.

After earning her degree, Mary Jane taught for a short time in Chillicothe, Ohio, before moving to Philadelphia to work at the Institute for Colored Youth, a college preparatory school for African Americans. She taught there for five years. In 1869, the young teacher moved to Washington, DC, where she eventually became the principal of the Preparatory High School for Colored Youth. That school was later renamed M Street High School, and today the facility is called Paul Lawrence Dunbar High School.

Mary Jane was the first African-American high school principal in Washington, DC. She is still remembered today for her strong, forceful personality, and for increasing her school’s enrollment from fewer than 50 students to 172 students. During her tenure there, she also initiated high school commencements and a teacher-training department.

In addition to her accomplishments in the school, Mary Jane was a part of the Colored Woman’s League of Washington, DC, an organization committed to women’s rights. The group focused on training women to become kindergarten teachers, rescue work, and classes for industrial schools and homemaking.

This remarkable educator passed away September 24, 1894, at her home in Washington, DC. She was only 54 years old. Her home at 1532 15th Street, NW, is part of the Washington, DC’s historic walking tour.

To read more about the remarkable Mary Jane Patterson click on this link to BlackPast.