Former Florida English teacher Susan Bucklew serves as US District Judge

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Former high school English teacher Susan Bucklew currently serves as a US District Judge in her home state of Florida. Photo Credit: openjurist.org

Many fine classroom teachers have earned acclaim in professions other than education. One of these is Susan Cawthorn Bucklew, a former English teacher from Florida who currently serves as a US District Judge.

Susan was born on May 12, 1942, in Tampa, Florida, and she grew up in Seminole Heights. She graduated from Hillsborough High School in 1960. As a young woman, she earned her Bachelor’s degree with a major in English and a minor in Education from Florida State University in 1964. She earned her Master’s degree from the University of South Florida in 1968.

In her senior year of college, an internship at Plant High School in Tampa turned into a full-time job as an English teacher after her graduation. She also taught at Seminole High School in Tampa from 1965 to 1967, and at George D. Chamberlain High School in 1969. From 1974 to 1975, Susan taught at Hillsborough Community College. In all of her teaching posts, Susan had a reputation for being a very demanding teacher with h high expectations of her students.

In 1977, Susan completed the requirements for her Juris Doctorate from Station University College of Law in gulfport, Florida. She then left the classroom to work as corporate legal counsel for the Jim Walter Corporation, a position she held from 1978 to 1982. For the next four years she worked as a county judge in Hillsborough County Court, the first female judge to work in that county. From 1986 to 1992 she served as a circuit judge for the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit of Florida. In 1993, Susan was nominated by President Bill Clinton to a seat on the US District Court for Middle District of Florida, and the next month she was confirmed to the position by the US Senate.

To read more about former teacher and judge Susan Bucklew, click on this link to read an interview with her published by Scholar Commons.

 

VT math teacher Glenda Allen earns prestigious PAEMST award

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Congratulations to elementary school math teacher Glenda Allen of Barre, Vermont, who has earned a prestigious PAEMST award. Photo Credit: PSEMST

It is always exciting when a member of the professional community earns recognition for their work in the classroom. Glenda Allen, an elementary school teacher from Barre, Vermont, has earned such recognition. In 2020, she garnered a Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching.

This prestigious award honors the dedication, hard work, and important role that America’s teachers play in supporting learners who will become future STEM professionals, including computer technologists, climate scientists, mathematicians, innovators, space explorers, and engineers. The honor comes with a $10,000 prize, a certificate signed by President Joe Biden, and a trip to Washington, DC, to attend an honors ceremony with the President.

Glenda inaugurated her career as an educator since 1998. For 22 years, she has worked at Barre Town Middle and Elementary School teaching fourth through sixth grades. Currently, she specializes in sixth grade mathematics. Prior to that, Glenda taught fourth grade at Arbor Elementary School.

As an elementary teacher, Glenda has taught all content areas, but her shift to specializing in mathematics nine years ago led to a self-driven journey of professional development. This remarkable educator has spent many hours in reflection on the engagement and effectiveness of her lessons and experimentation with new learning strategies. She says that while her mathematics toolbox has grown, it still has plenty of room for more. As a veteran teacher, she considers herself to still be learning how to best motivate and reach all learners of mathematics.

In addition to her responsibilities in the classroom, Glenda is influential in leadership roles that impact her entire school district. She has served as a grade level contact, a middle school leadership team representative, a data team representative, a curriculum committee leader, a chairperson and secretary for the local standards board, and a member of the negotiating team. Additionally, she is the teacher representative for the Vermont State Licensing Hearing Panel.

Glenda earned her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Fairleigh Dickinson University in 1997. She also holds a Certificate of Advanced Standing in Elementary and Special Education from the College of St. Elizabeth. In 2006, Glenda earned her Master’s degree from Union Institute and University.

History teacher Edith Jordan Gardner championed many causes

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High school history teacher and social activist Edith Jordan Gardner worked to secure the right to vote for women. Photo Credit: Public Domain

In American history, there are many examples of excellent educators who are dedicated not only to their students, but also to the important social causes of their day. Edith Jordan Gardner, a California history teacher, is one of these. She was a social activist who championed many important causes  including education reform, women’s suffrage, environmental issues, and international causes.

Edith Jordan was born on Feb. 17, 1877, in Indianapolis Indiana. Her father, David Starr Jordan, was a prominent professor of natural history at North Western Christian University. Sadly, her mother, Susan Bowen, passed away when Edith was only eight years old. Edith was a young teenager in 1891 when she moved to California because her father accepted a post as the first President of newly-opened Stanford University. Six years later, Edith graduated from the fledgling university. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in History there in 1897. She earned her Master’s degree from Cornell University located in Ithaca, New York, in 1901.

Once she earned her degrees,, Edith inaugurated her career as an educator in California schools. She taught at various school throughout the state, including Marlborough Preparatory School in Los Angeles, Salinas High School in Salinas, and Los Angeles Polytechnic High School in Los Angeles, and John H. Francis Polytechnic High School in Sun Valley. By all accounts, Edith was a captivating classroom lecturer. When she developed her course curriculum, she incorporated aspects of art, architecture, archeology, and additional lessons she learned from her extensive overseas travels into her lessons.

Edith was interested in a number of important causes during her day. She worked towards securing needed relief for the Belgian people, raising awareness about pressing political issues in India, and environmental issues. During this period, Edith married Nathaniel Gardner a respected professor of botany at the University of California, Berkeley, in 1915.

In addition to her work as a teacher and social activist, Edith served as the Chairman of the Department of Legislation Oakland Forum, and the League of Women Voters. She was elected President of the Southern California Social Science Association, and served as a member of the Standard Women’s Club, the Berkeley City Club, the Town and Gown Club, and the Cornell Women’s Club of Northern California, among others.

Chalkboard Champion Edith Gardner passed away on June 16, 1965, in Redwood City, California. She was 88 years old.

Peter Tork of Monkees fame also taught English, drama, music

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Peter Tork of the 1960s band The Monkeys also spent there years in a California classroom teaching English, drama, and music.  Photo Credit: UK Music Reviews

Former teacher Peter Tork doesn’t Monkee around. But there was a time in his life when he did.

In the mid-1960s, a pop band known as the Monkees hit the music scene with a few songs and a zany television show aimed at American teens. The band became, literally, an overnight sensation. Peter Tork, who played bass guitar and keyboards, was a member of that band. The other three members were Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones, and Michael Nesmith.

Over the next five years, the group attempted to keep up with a whirlwind schedule that included weekly television sitcom episodes, studio recording sessions, national and international concert tours, and a full-length feature movie. The hard work paid off. Since they first hit the scene, the Monkees have sold more than 75 million records worldwide, making them one of the biggest selling groups of all time. Their best known songs are “I’m a Believer,” “Last Train to Clarksville,” “Daydream Believer,” and “Pleasant Valley Sunday.”

But the work schedule, creative differences with producer Don Kirshner, and infighting among the band members left Peter exhausted. In December, 1968, he bought out the remaining four years of his contract and left the Monkees. For the next few years, Peter drifted from one gig to another and spent or gave away all his Monkees earnings. By 1975, he’d hit rock bottom.

That’s when, even though he had dropped out of college, Peter accepted a position as a teacher at Pacific Hills School, a private secondary school in Santa Monica, California. He was hired to work there by Dr. Penrod Moss, the school’s director, because Moss was so impressed by Peter’s interview. “I like to hire people who are independent and creative,” Moss explained. “I was impressed by his personality and his ability to talk.” For Peter, a career in the classroom is not so odd when you consider that his father was an economics professor at the University of Connecticut for many years. At Pacific Hills, Peter taught many subjects, including English, math, drama, history, and music. He also served as a baseball coach at several schools. In all, Peter’s career as an educator spanned three years.

In 1986, the Monkees got together again to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the band. The following year they released a new studio album which earned measured success. Since then, Peter participated with fellow Monkees in numerous reunion shows and tours, until band member Davy Jones passed away in 2012.

In March, 2009, the former teacher was diagnosed with adenoid cystic carcinoma, and later that year underwent extensive surgery. Despite being declared cured, ten years later the cancer recurred, and he succumbed to the disease on February 21, 2019. He was 77 years old.