Ben Grussendorf: Accomplished Social Studies teacher and politician

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Government and social studies teacher Ben Grussendorf served ten terms in the Alaska State House of Representatives. Photo Credit: Anchorage Daily News

Many talented educators also make superb politicians. This is certainly true of Ben Grussendorf, a social studies teacher from Alaska who served in his state’s House of Representatives.

Benjamin Franklin Grussendorf was born on February 23, 1942, in Grand Rapids, Minnesota. As a young boy, he enjoyed idyllic summers at the family’s cabin on Pokegama Lake. He often referred to those times as his “Tom and Huck days.”

After his graduation from high school in Grand Rapids, Ben enrolled at the University of Minnesota. There he earned first his Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and then his Master’s degree in Political Science Education. In 1966, he moved to Alaska, where he accepted a position as a government and social studies teacher at Sitka High School. He also taught political science at Sitka Community College.

The accomplished educator entered politics in 1971 when he accepted a position on the Sitka Charter Commission. That experience led him to a position on the Assembly for the new municipality. He also served as the Deputy Vice Mayor. He was elected Mayor of Sitka, a position he held from 1975-1979.  During these years, he was also the President of the Alaska Conference of Mayors.

In 1981, Ben was elected to the Alaska State House of Representatives on the Democratic ticket. Altogether, Ben was elected to serve his constituents for ten terms—that’s 20 years—in the position. During these years, he also served three terms as the Speaker of the House.

In his spare time, Ben was an active member of many organizations. These included the Lions; the Sitka Chamber of Commerce; the Alaska Native Brotherhood; the Elks; the Moose; the Pioneers of Alaska; and the Sons of Norway.

This amazing teacher and politician passed away on June 17, 2011. He was 69 years old. To read more about him, follow this link to the obituary published in the Anchorage News.

OK teacher Harriet O’Leary was the first woman to serve on Choctaw Nation tribal council

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Oklahoma school teacher Harriet Wright O’Leary was the first woman to serve on the tribal council of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. Photo Credit: Public Domain

It is not often that I discover a woman educator who has served on a tribal council, but teacher Harriet Wright O’Leary was such an educator. She was the first woman to serve on the tribal council of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma.

Harriet was born on Dec. 7, 1916, in Wapanucka, Oklahoma. Her father was Allen Wright, who served as the Principal Chief of the Choctaw Republic from 1866 to 1870. He also served for many years as an Indian agent for the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Her mother, a descendent of passengers on the Mayflower, was a missionary.

As a young woman, Harriet graduated from McAlester High School and then enrolled at Hershey’s Commercial School. Later she attended Oklahoma College for Women in Chickasha. Today, the school is known as the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma.

In 1950, Harriet accepted a position as a fourth grade teacher at Emerson School in McAlester. In 1958, she moved to Springfield, Missouri, where she taught courses at Southwest Missouri State College, known today as Missouri State University. In 1963, she accepted a position as a Language Arts consultant to the American Book Company, where she organized reading workshops for the company that urged educators to use the phonic system. In 1967, Harriet retired and relocated to McAlester.

After she retired from the classroom, Harriet was elected to serve on the newly-created Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma Tribal Council in 1979 to 1983. This council was the first tribal council convened since Oklahoma became a state in 1907. In addition to Harriet, two other women were elected to serve on the council of 15 members.

For her tireless work as an educator and a pioneering tribal council member, Harriet was awarded an honorary doctorate from Marycrest College in Davenport, Iowa. She was also a member of the American Association of University Women, the Mayflower Society, and the Daughters of the American Revolution.

Sadly, Harriet passed away on Dec. 22, 1999, in McAlester, Oklahoma. She was 83 years old.

 

CA TK teacher Katie Bezayiff earns honor for using Reggio system in her classroom

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Transitional kindergarten teacher Katie Bezayiff has been honored by the California League of Educators (CLE) as a 2024 Educator of the Year. Photo Credit: CLE

Congratulations go to elementary school teacher Katie Bezayiff from Fullerton, California. She is one of two educators who have been honored by the California League of Educators (CLE) as a 2024 Educator of the Year. The other educator is middle school teacher Mucio Vidales.

Every year, the CLE recognizes teachers, administrators, counselors, and other certificated personnel for demonstrating excellence in educational practices.

Katie teaches Transitional Kindergarten (TK) at Maple Elementary School. This forward-thinking teacher has organized her classroom according to precepts developed by Italian educators in the Italian city of Reggio. The system advances the idea that children are naturally curious and capable learners, and the classroom environment should encourage active participation, imaginative play, and social interaction. Such environments are especially beneficial for young children, helping them develop essential skills in critical thinking, creativity, and social-emotional learning. “In the Reggio philosophy, the learning environment is the third teacher,” explains Katie.

Even though her students are very young, Katie designs lessons for them that use inquiry-based investigations in science, project-based learning, and holistic education. Using these strategies, Katie is able to guide her students towards reading at or above the kindergarten grade level, even though they arrive in her classroom with various levels of reading readiness. The students also develop excellent academic vocabulary skills, and show strong numeracy skills in math.

Katie is also a leader in her district. She serves as a member of the Community Schools Steering Committee. For the past three years she has also chaired the Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) team.

“This recognition not only celebrates my efforts, but also acknowledges the positive impact I strive to make on the young minds in my classroom and at my school,” declares Katie.

How educators might respond to Hurricane Helene

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At this time, empathetic Americans are looking for ways to help fellow citizens recover and rebuild their lives following the destruction of yet another devastating hurricane. Hurricane Helene has caused widespread damage in five state, including Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia. More than 140 people have lost their lives and an estimated 2.6 million homes and businesses are without power.

As I usually do during times such as these, I ask myself questions about what the teachers are doing during these times of upheaval. In this instance, I am reminded of a book I read recently which described a remarkable teacher who opened a school for New Orleans evacuees following Hurricane Katrina.

When surging flood waters from Hurricane Katrina forced thousands of families to flee from their homes in 2005, New Orleans residents had their minds more on survival than on whether their children would be missing school. But when a group of evacuee parents who landed in New Iberia, Louisiana, realized they would not be returning to their homes any time soon, they came to the conclusion that they had to find a strategy to help their children cope with their enforced and unexpected exile. They pooled their financial resources and hired a fellow refugee, teacher Paul Reynaud, to establish a one-room school for their children in an abandoned office building. The story furnishes valuable lessons for dealing with this latest example of nature’s fury.

The book is entitled Sugarcane Academy: How a New Orleans Teacher and His Storm-Struck Students Created a School to Remember. The author of this intriguing true story is journalist Michael Tisserand, and the volume was published in 2007 by Harcourt. You can find the book on amazon.com.

For other intriguing stories about remarkable teachers in America’s sometimes turbulent history, check out my book Chalkboard Champions. You will find it on the web site for Amazon or Barnes and Noble.

Virginia’s Symone Jenkins earns 2024 First Year Teacher Award

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Symone Keolani Jenkins of Alexandria, Virginia, is such a phenomenal first-year educator that she has earned a 2024 Outstanding Secondary School Teacher Award. Photo Credit: Fairfax County Public Schools

Like most professional educators, I really struggled to stay on top of things during my first year of teaching. But there are some first-year teachers who, from the very beginning, are so exceptional they even win awards! One of these is Symone Keolani Jenkins, a high school teacher from Alexandria, Virginia. She is so phenomenal that she has earned a 2024 Outstanding Secondary School New Teacher Award from Fairfax County Public Schools.

Symone teaches English and Language Arts courses to sophomores and juniors at West Potomac High School in the Fairfax County Pubic School District. In the classroom, this outstanding educator has a reputation for creating an environment where her students thrive, not only academically but also socially and personally.

Symone embraces diversity and inclusion, and she recognizes the value of considering a variety of different perspectives to the learning environment. In the future, she hopes to offer elective courses in Black Perspectives in Literature and LGBTQ+ Perspectives in Literature. These courses are intended to “assist with having an open mind and open perspective moving forward by looking at the struggles of others in our society and history,” the honored teacher explains.

In addition to working as a teacher, Symone has also devoted her energy to young people by serving them as a volleyball coach for the local Evolution Volleyball Club. In fact, she has served as the Head Coach there since 2021.

Symone earned her Bachelor’s degree in English and Cultural Studies in 2021 and her Master’s degree in Secondary Education and Teaching English in 2022, both from George Mason University, a public research university located in Fairfax, Virginia, not far from Washington, DC.

Congratulations, Symone!