Music educator Brenda Gregory honored at 57th Annual Country Music Awards

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High school music educator Brenda Gregory was honored by her former student, country music singer Chris Young, at the 57th Annual Country Music Awards on Wed., Nov. 8, 2023. Photo credit: Siegel High School 

Many fans of country music enjoyed the broadcast on the 57th Annual Country Music Awards (CMA) on Wed., Nov. 8, 2023. Among those fans were many educators, and they must have been delighted when Chris Young, a Grammy-nominated and CMA winner country music singer, paid a special tribute to his high school music teacher, Brenda Gregory.

Brenda currently teaches at Siegel High School in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, but she was teaching at Murfreesboro’s Oakland High School when Young was her student. She cast him in the role of Riff in the musical West Side Story when he was just a freshman. Before he completed his high school years, Young was also cast in the Kevin Bacon role in Footloose at the Arts Center of Cannon County and as Inspector Javert in Les Miserables.

Although humble, Brenda understands the important role that music educators play in the lives of their students. “Music teachers have the ability to help students find themselves,” she declared. And Young does not underestimate Brenda’s influence. “Some people have trouble encouraging someone in the right way,” he said. “She walked a fine line, stern when you needed it and a pat on the back when you needed it,” he recalled.

As part of his tribute, Young presented Brenda with a brand new Chevy Trax. After honoring her, the CMA Award winner also paid tribute to music teachers all over the country. “Let’s hear it for all of our music educators,” Young encouraged as Brenda and the star-studded crowd at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena cheered.

Brenda is a native of Columbia, Tennessee. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Music at MTSU.  She has served on the faculty of the Governor’s School of the Arts, and she has been recognized five times as an Outstanding Teacher of the Arts . She was named Tennessee Arts Teacher of the Year in 2010. She holds professional memberships in ACDA, MTVA, MENC, and REA.

 

Veterans’ Day: Honoring all veterans, especially those who are also teachers

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Today is a day we have set aside to honor our United States Veterans. But the call to service is something that many service members don’t lose once they are discharged. That’s one of the reasons that so many veterans gravitate towards the teaching professions once their military service is complete. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, about 2% of teachers in our nation’s classrooms are military veterans.

Military veterans have many personality traits that make them particularly suited for a career in teaching. When entering the teaching profession, veterans are typically older and have had more varied life experiences. In addition, veterans can bring a wealth of leadership qualities to the classroom. An understanding of the importance of discipline, an appreciation of the value of education, the ability to adapt, and the capacity to work well, even under highly stressful circumstances, are some of the qualities that veterans can bring to the classroom. Also, often veterans possess the ability to persevere, which is a trait that is especially needed in a profession that has a high turnover rate.

Another valuable characteristic that many veterans possess is their potential to connect with students from ethnically diverse neighborhoods or lower-economic backgrounds, because many veterans themselves come from such circumstances. They understand from firsthand experience how challenging some school environments can be, and therefore may be more invested in helping to make a difference in such school systems. Furthermore, veterans have been especially trained to accomplish tasks collaboratively.

For these reasons, and many more, veterans are invaluable as Chalkboard Champions. So, today and every day, let’s celebrate our nation’s veterans who are also teachers!

Ohio kindergarten teacher and US Coast Guard veteran Audrey Keagy

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Ohio kindergarten teacher Audrey Keagy served in the US Coast Guard during World War II. Photo credit: WikiTree.

There are many American veterans who have chosen to serve in the classroom after they have served their country in the military. One of these is Audrey Keagy, a kindergarten teacher from Ohio who also served in the United States Coast Guard.

Audrey was born on August 17, 1923, in Jefferson County, Ohio. When she was a child, her family moved frequently because her father worked for the New York Central Railroad.

After she graduated from high school in Ohio in 1941, Audrey accepted a job as an office worker at the Timken Roller Bearing Company in Canton. When World War II erupted, Audrey supported the war effort by working at the Republic Steel company, a factory that assembled airplanes. In October, 1944, she joined the SPARs, the Women’s Reserve of the US Coast Guard. The military sent her to Toledo, where she worked for the duration of the war as a switchboard operator.

Once the war was ended and her service was over, Audrey returned to Canton. There she used her GI Bill benefits to enroll at Kent State University in Kent, Ohio, where she earned the degrees necessary to become a kindergarten teacher. She was the first person in her family to attend college. “My mother was absolutely thrilled that I was attending college,” Audrey once remembered.

Audrey inaugurated her career as an educator when she accepted a position as a kindergarten teacher in Canton. Eventually she transferred to the public school system in Williamsburg, Ohio. She taught there for 26 years. After her retirement, she continued to serve her community as a literacy tutor at her local library.

Sadly, this amazing Chalkboard Hero passed away on May 18, 2012. To learn more about Audrey, click on this link to WikiTree.

 

Long-time Alaska educator Joe Montgomery was also a veteran and legislator

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Long-time educator Joe Montgomery of Anchorage, Alaska, also served his country in WWII and two terms in the state House of Representatives. Photo credit: Pubic Domain

Many excellent educators prove themselves successful in the political arena. Joe Montgomery of Anchorage, Alaska, was a fine example of this. This teacher served his community as a member of his state’s House of Representatives.

Joe was born on Jan. 28, 1918 in Floydada, Texas. As a young man, he  had already survived the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression. He’d dug sweet potatoes and peanuts, worked in the cotton and hay fields, milked cows, rode horses, and completed daily chores on the old farm.

After his graduation from Floydada High School in 1936, Joe earned his degree at Colorado State University in 1941. After his graduation, he traveled to San Francisco, where he took a job loading freight, earning the princely sum of $1.35 per hour. Then he decided to venture north to Alaska.

Once he arrived in Anchorage, Joe answered a newspaper advertisement asking for qualified individuals to apply for a teaching position. With winter coming on, he secured room and board for $60.00 a month at Mrs. Erickson’s boarding house. There he met his future wife, Ebba. Later, two daughters were born to the couple.

When World War II broke out in Dec., 1941, with the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Joe enlisted in the Army Air Force and was selected for flight training. Over the four years of his military career, he flew a total of 35 missions as a B-17 pilot. He was discharged as a First Lieutenant in 1945. Once he returned from the war, Joe operated a successful businessman. For three years he owned a Chrysler Auto Agency, and then he returned to the classroom.

After a number of years in the classroom, Joe also served as a counselor, a principal, and finally as the Superintendent of Anchorage Public Schools, a position he held for seven years. He retired from the teaching profession in 1977, after serving a total of 32 years as an educator.

In 1980, Jose was elected to the Alaska House of Representatives on the Republican ticket. He served there from 1980 to 1984. He was also a member of the Alaska State Board of Education, the Alaska Parole board, the Beverage Control Board, the Pioneers of Alaska, and other civic organizations.

Joe passed away from natural causes on Oct. 5, 2013, in Anchorage. He was 95 years old.