AZ teacher Nancy Gutierrez serves in her state’s House of Reps

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High school teacher Nancy Gutierrez represents her community in Tucson, Arizona, in her state’s House of Representatives. Photo credit: Nancy Gutierrez

Many accomplished classroom teachers also serve their communities in political office. One of these is Nancy Gutierrez, a high school teacher from Arizona who has been elected to her state’s House of Representatives.

Nancy earned her Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education with an emphasis in Mathematics from Northern Arizona University in 1994. Once she earned her degree, she inaugurated her career as a teacher in Paradise Valley and Sierra Vista. She has taught at all grade levels, including preschool, elementary, high school, and community college. In 2013, she landed at Tucson High Magnet School. Nancy earned her 500-hour yoga certificate, and for the past five years she has been teaching yoga classes at the school, where she also serves as the Chair of the Physical Education Department. In addition, she is a member of the school’s Safety Committee.

Nancy is no stranger to leadership positions. In 2010, she was elected President of the Manzanita Elementary School Family Faculty Organization.  In 2017, she served on the Board of the Tucson chapter of the National Organization for Women (NOW), and in 2018, she was elected president of the group. She is a member of the Tucson Education Association and the Arizona Education Association. She also has experience as a Volunteer Coordinator for the American Red Cross.

In 2022, Nancy was elected on the Democratic ticket to represent District 18 in the Arizona House of Representatives. She was sworn into office on Jan. 9, 2023. Her  term will expire on Jan. 13, 2025. There she serves on the Committees for Education; Appropriations; Regulatory Affairs; Government; and Land, Agriculture & Rural Affairs.

“My passion is education,” declares Nancy. She has made it her mission to increase spending for education in her state. “Arizona is notorious for spending the least amount possible on public education,” she notes. “In turn, we spend among the least amount per pupil, have one of the lowest median teacher salary structures in the country and we have schools that are literally crumbling.” Nancy is advocating exhaustively for allocating funding to make sorely needed repairs on classrooms, improve security measures on every campus, ensure that every classroom has working air conditioning, replace out-of-date textbooks, and increase teacher salaries.

Learn more about Nancy Gutierrez click here to check out her legislative website.

Nebraska Special Education teacher Lisa Moody garners Milken Award

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Special Education teacher Lisa Moody from Omaha, Nebraska, has garnered a prestigious 2022-2023 Milken Educator Award. Photo credit: Norfolk Daily News

There are many exceptional teachers working in our nation’s schools who are deserving of recognition. One of these is Lisa Moody, an elementary school Special Education teacher from Omaha, Nebraska. She has garnered a prestigious 2022-2023 Milken Educator Award.

Lisa teaches K-6 Special Education at Jefferson Elementary in Omaha. She works tirelessly to build innovative supports for her students. For example, she developed and instituted a hybrid inclusive education program when her school faced a shortage of special education teachers. The program mainstreams students enrolled in Lisa’s Alternate Curriculum Program into general education classrooms. There the students learn social skills in the classroom while still working with Lisa on academic subjects and life skills. The program has now expanded to several schools in her district. Jefferson school Principal Jennifer Schlapia noted that she has seen “amazing results” from the program and that the students involved in the program have met significant goals.

In addition to her work with students, Lisa conducts professional development at her school site. At the district level, she is an intensive teacher mentor, and she is a member of a committee that promotes equity in special education practices.

Lisa earned her Bachelor’s in Speech and Language Pathology Education in 2009 from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. She earned her Master’s degree in Special Education in 2011 from Texas A&M University, Corpus Christi, and a second Master’s in Education with Certification in Early Childhood and English as a Second Language in 2022 from Creighton University.

The Milken Educator Awards have been described by Teacher Magazine as the “Oscars of Teaching.” In addition to a $25,000 cash prize and public recognition, the honor includes membership in the National Milken Educator Network, a group of more than 3,000 exemplary teachers, principals, and specialists from all over the country who work towards strengthening best practices in education. To learn more about this honor, click on Milken Educator Awards.

 

GA teacher Ruth Frances Woodsmall was a global activist for women’s rights

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High School English teacher Ruth Frances Woodsmall of Georgia was a global activist for women’s rights in her day. Photo credit: Smith College

Many exceptional educators have also made significant contributions to society as a whole. One of these is Ruth Frances Woodsmall, a high school English teacher from Georgia. She is well-known as a post-World War II global activist for women’s rights.

Ruth was born in Atlanta, Georgia, on Sept. 20, 1883. She was the daughter of Harrison S. Woodsmall, a lawyer and teacher, and Mary Elizabeth Howes, an art teacher. Ruth grew up in Indiana and attended local schools. She earned her Bachelor’s degree at the University of Nebraska in 1905. She earned her Master’s degree from Wellesley in 1906.

After she earned her degrees, Ruth worked as a high school English teacher in both Nevada and Colorado from 1906 to 1917. Between 1917 and 1928 she held various positions in the YWCA, including a stint as Director of Hostess Houses in the US and in France. From 1921 to 1928, she was Executive Secretary of YWCAs in the Near East. Based in Istanbul, the former classroom teacher supervised branches in Turkey, Syria, and Lebanon. In 1923, her jurisdiction was expanded to include Egypt and Palestine. From 1935 to 1948 Ruth served as General Secretary of the World’s YWCA.

From 1949 to 1952 Ruth served as the Chief of the Women’s Affairs Section of the US High Commission for Occupied Germany. For this work she received the Commander’s Cross of the Order of Merit of West Germany. At the same, she did extensive research on the changing status of Muslim women in the Middle East and published several important works on the subject.

In recognition of her work with women and international relations, this exceptional educator received honorary degrees from the University of Nebraska in 1945 and the University of Indiana in 1954.

Sadly, this Chalkboard Champion passed away in New York City on May 25, 1963.

NYC teacher Cindy Wang garners 2022-2023 Big Apple Award

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Educator Cindy Wang, who teaches English as a Second language, has earned a 2022-2023 New York City Big Apple Award. Photo credit:New York City Public Schools

I always enjoy sharing the story of an exceptional educator who has earned accolades for their work in the classroom. One of these is Cindy Wang, an English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher from New York City. She has earned a 2022-2023 Big Apple Award.

Cindy teaches ESL to juniors at International High School at Lafayette in Brooklyn, New York. The school offers a home to international students where they can develop their linguistic, intellectual, cultural, and collaborative abilities. As an immigrant herself, Cindy is uniquely qualified to help these students. “Growing up in an immigrant family, the struggles of learning a new language, as well as navigating a new culture, were deeply personal to me. I knew that I wanted to work with and empower immigrant students,” she once confessed.

To achieve this goal, Cindy earned a 7-12 certification in Teaching Chinese (Mandarin) as a foreign language. Shortly after, she invested her talents as the VELLOP coordinator at Vassar, providing programming and extra support for K-12 English Language Learners in the Poughkeepsie City School District. At the same time, Cindy enrolled in courses in a Master’s program in Applied Linguistcs and TESOL at Teachers College in New York City. She graduated from the program in May, 2018.

Today, Cindy works with a diverse group of English Language Learners at International High School at Lafayette in Brooklyn. In her classroom, she integrates the experiences of her students into projects designs to create an environment where students feel safe to take risks with language. As an educator, she brings culturally responsive education practices into every project that she organizes, including the use of literature.

In addition to her classroom responsibilities, Cindy has made numerous contributions to her school community. She is a team leader at her site. In this role, she facilitates weekly meetings where the team examines curriculum, reviews date, and plans supports for students. In addition, she serves as an advisor for the school’s student government, where she promotes the voices of students in decision-making, fosters peer tutoring and supports, advises a student newsletter, and guides a leadership development program. And as if all that were not enough, Cindy and her team also coordinate a 100-hour internship experience for every junior. Outside of the classroom, Cindy strengthens her practice through participation in an Early Career Fellowship with the Academy for Teachers.

The Big Apple Awards recognize and celebrate New York City teachers who Inspire students to be their best selves, dream, and advocate for their future; who. model equitable learning with high expectations for the diverse and dynamic needs of all students; who affirm students’ identities, unique gifts, and genius; who enrich their school communities by partnering with families, community members, and community-based organizations.