“Five Things Teachers Must Be Doing in 2026”: A YouTube video from Freducation
While cruising around on YouTube the other day I came across this very helpful video called Five Things Teachers Must Be Doing in 2026. In this 4 min. 13 sec. video from Freducation, the creator presents five easy, practical, real-world strategies teachers need to be using in 2026, starting with knowing every student’s name and building a real connection with each student, no matter how many students you have. From chunking lessons to leveraging technology, AI, and short videos, these are strategies that make learning more engaging, relevant, and accessible for every student. Whether you’re new to teaching or a veteran educator, these shifts matter now more than ever. Take a look, and then give them a try
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Ali Snabon-Jun named Nevada’s 2026 Teacher of the Year
Ali Snabon-Jun of Las Vegas, Nevada, has been named her state’s 2026 Teacher of the Year. Photo credit: :as Gas Sun
There are many outstanding educators who work in public schools throughout our country. I am always happy when one of them garners national attention for their dedication and hard work. One of them is Ali (Alexandra) Snabon-Jun, an elementary music teacher from Las Vegas, Nevada. She has been named her state’s 2026 Teacher of the Year.
Currently, Ali teaches at Tyrone Thompson Elementary School. There she leads two choirs, produces full-scale musicals, and helps her students learn singing, dancing, and instruments. Her classroom instruction includes lessons on rhythm, musical notation, and ear-training. More than 900 students participate in her music education programs.
In addition to her work at Thompson Elementary, Ali serves on the Superintendent’s Teacher Advisory Cabinet, she contributes to the Nevada Portrait of a Learner initiative, and she mentors beginning educators. In addition, she organizes field trips for her students to go to the Las Vegas Philharmonics.
Her selection as Nevada’s Teacher of the Year is not the only award Ali has garnered. In 2021, she garnered a prestigious Milken Educator Award, often called the “Oscars in Teaching.” In 2023 she was named the recipient of an Unsung Heroes Fellowship, and in 2024, she was honored with a Teacher Appreciation Award by the DeCastroverde Law Group.
Ali is a native of Buffalo, New York. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Music Education in 2003, and her Master’s degree in Music Education in 2004, both from Syracuse University. While working on her Master’s, she served as a teaching assistant and represented the School of Music on international performance and outreach tours to Brazil, Poland and the Czech Republic. She taught for two years on Long Island before relocating to the West. In all, Ali’s career as an educator spans 21 years.
To learn more about Ali Snabon-Jun, click on this link to her profile on CCSSO National Teacher of the Year Program.
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Maryland teacher Victorine Adams was also a politician, community activist, and philanthropist
Baltimore public school teacher Victorine Adams was also a successful politician, community activist, and philanthropist. Photo credit: Maryland Dept. Human Services
To celebrate Black History Month, we pay homage to outstanding African American educators who work with young people in America’s schools. One of these was Victorine Adams, a public school teacher in Baltimore, Maryland.
Victorine was born on April 28, 1912, in Baltimore. As a young woman, she attended Frederick Douglass High School, graduating in 1928. She attended Coppin State Teachers University and later earned her college degree from Morgan State University in 1940. She also completed courses at the New York University School of Business Administration.
After she earned her degree, Victorine accepted a position as a teacher in the Baltimore Public Schools. Her career there spanned 14 years.
The classroom is not the only place where Victorine excelled. In 1943, the young educator was one of five women influenced by Mary McLeod Bethune to secure a charter for the Baltimore chapter of the National Council of Negro Women. Bethune was the founder of the national organization located in Washington, DC, which sought to empower African American women. In addition, Victorine founded the Colored Women’s Democratic Campaign Committee in 1946. This organization encouraged Black women to register to vote and recruited them to run for public office.
In 1966, Victorine was elected to the Maryland House of Delegates on the Democratic ticket. She gave up her seat the following year when she was elected to the Baltimore City Council representing the 4th District. She was the first African American woman to be elected to this position. She served four terms in this role.
In 1979, as a member of the City Council, Victorine worked with the Baltimore gas and Electric Company to establish a fuel fund that was designed to help economically-disadvantaged families pay their heating bills. Later the fund was renamed the Victorine Q. Adams Fuel Fund. program became a model for similar programs in other American cities.
Over the course of her lengthy career, Victorine and her husband, William Adams, provided college scholarships to a number of African American students. She also served as a member of the Board of Trustees for the Barrett School for Girls. The couple also provided financing for many of Baltimore’s Black-owned businesses.
Victorine passed away on Jan. 8, 2006, at the age of 93. She is interred at Arbutus Memorial Park in Arbutus, Maryland. To read more about this Chalkboard Champion, view the article about her at this link to BlackPast.org.
