NYC’s Mary Eato: Teacher and Women’s Suffragist

Posted on by

Teachers are typically among those citizens who work the hardest for the benefit of society as a whole. This is certainly true of Mary Eato, an African American educator who also fought valiantly for women’s suffrage.

Mary Eato (who is also known as Mary Eaton) was born in New York City, New York, on Sept. 23, 1844. She was the daughter of Sarah Jane Eato, a dressmaker, and Timothy Eato, a Methodist preacher. By all accounts, Mary’s childhood was rough. As an African American, she battled rampant racism. And when her father died in 1854, her mother was left to raise their seven children alone.

In Jul, 1861, Mary earned her teaching certificate from a New York normal school. She was the only African American graduate in her class. She was only 16 years old when she began teaching elementary students in New York City’s “colored schools.” She taught first at Grammar School No. 3 on 41st Street and later at Grammar School No. 80 on 42nd St.

Intent upon honing her professional skills, Mary went back to school where, in 1891, she earned a Master’s degree in Pedagogy from the University of the City of New York.

While teaching, Mary met Sarah Garnet, the first African American woman to become a school principal in New York City. Garnet founded the Colored Women’s Equal Suffrage League of Brooklyn. Mary joined the organization, and even served as its Vice President in 1908. The group worked tirelessly to abolish both gender and race bias in New York City.

In her role as Vice President, Mary presided over most of the meetings and events of the Equal Suffrage League which took place during her tenure. She helped the club organize a celebration in honor of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. She regularly invited speakers to address the group about topics related to women’s suffrage. She organized the formal readings of papers or poems, and the singing of women’s suffrage songs. She also organized a vote to accept an invitation to work with the Inter-Urban Association, an organization in New York that coordinated the efforts of 23 local clubs to work together for women’s suffrage.

In addition to her membership in the Equal Suffrage League, the dedicated educator was a longtime member of St. Mark’s Methodist Episcopal Church. For a time she served as the church’s treasurer. She also held offices in St. Mark’s Mutual Aid Society, the New York African Society for Mutual Relief, and a branch of the African American Council. In addition, Mary helped establish and run the Hope Day Nursery for Colored Children, which was founded in 1902. For many years Mary served as the Vice President of that organization.

In all, Mary devoted 44 years to the classroom. She retired in 1904. This Chalkboard Champion passed away on Feb. 8, 1915. She was 70 years old.

To learn more about the work of Mary Eato, read this article by Susan Goodier and Karen Pastorello published by The Gotham Center for New York City History.

Deanne Moyle-Hicks named Nevada’s 2022 Teacher of the Year

Posted on by

Elementary School teacher Deanne Moyle-Hicks of the Washoe County School District has been named Nevada’s 2022 Teacher of the Year. Photo Credit: LinkedIn.com

It is always my pleasure to share the story of an exceptional teacher who has earned recognition for their work in the classroom. Deanne Moyle-Hicks, an elementary school teacher in the Washoe County School District in northern Nevada, is one of these. She has been named her state’s 2022 Teacher of the Year.

Deanne teaches fourth grade at Natchez Elementary School, a Title 1 school located on the Pyramid Lake Paiute Reservation. Teaching at this school presents a plethora of challenges, says Natchez Principal Jake Chapin. Most of the students live in poverty. A higher percentage of students than average have been diagnosed with a learning disability. And, because Native Americans have been hard hit by COVID-19, one in 20 students has faced the death of a parent, Chapin reports.

As a professional, Deanne is passionate about her students. She believes they deserve relevant and rigorous learning experiences. To provide her kids with consistency, she has looped with her current students since they were in the first grade. She believes in cultivating family partnerships, and she works diligently to build trust in her relationships with students and parents. This work has yielded a significant impact on student success and achievement.

Deanne’s service as Nevada’s 2022 Teacher of the Year is not the only work outside of the classroom the honored educator performs. She has collaborated with Opportunity 180, the Nevada PTA, and Nevada Succeeds. She also works with the Teachers and Leaders Council and the National Teach Plus Teacher Cabinet. In addition, she is a Teach Plus Nevada Policy Fellow; a National Understood Fellow; and a member of the Nevada National Board Professional Learning Network.

Deanne earned her Bachelor’s degree in Education from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She earned her Master’s in Literacy from Lesley University. She is also National Board certified. Her career as an educator spans 28 years.

 

Jessie Thatcher Bost: Pioneer schoolteacher from Oklahoma

Posted on by

Pioneer schoolteacher Jessie Thatcher Bost was the first woman to earn a college degree from Oklahoma A&M University. Photo Credit: Linda A Grave

There are many fine teachers who are know for their firsts. One of the these is Jessie Thatcher Bost, a pioneer schoolteacher in Oklahoma who was the first woman to earn a college degree from Oklahoma A&M University.

Jessie Thatcher Bost was born on December 16, 1875, in Guthrie Center Iowa. In 1891, her parents relocated the family to Stillwater in Oklahoma Territory. As a young woman, Jessie attended Oklahoma A&M University, now known as Oklahoma State University. There she studied agriculture, horticulture, physics, and chemistry. Students were also required to participate in military drills, and Jessie was no exception. When Jessie graduated on June 9, 1897, she was the first woman to earn a degree from that university.

While attending college, Jessie accepted a position as an assistant librarian in the school’s library. She remained in this post from 1895 to 1896. During these years, Jessie and some of her women cohorts established the Sigma Literary Society, because the only existing club, the Webster Literary Society, admitted only men. Later, Jessie was also voted the first President of the university’s Alumni Association in 1902, and she organized and served as the first President of the college’s Half Century Club in 1954.

After she earned her degree, Jessie taught school in Stillwater, at a salary of $40 per month. Except for the time spent raising her children, she continued to teach until her retirement in 1946.

On July 16, 1902, Jessie married Henry Bost, a fellow student. The union produced four children, three of whom attended Oklahoma A&M College. When the Bosts moved to Alva, Oklahoma, Jessie organized a Parent-Teacher Association and served as Chair of the Northwest District PTA.

Jessie Bost’s contribution to the teaching profession in Oklahoma has not gone unnoticed. She was inducted into the Oklahoma Women’s Hall of Fame in 1997. In 1925, a women’s dormitory was built on the A&M campus and named in her honor.

This Chalkboard Champion died in Cleveland, Oklahoma, on February 14, 1963. She is interred at Fairlawn Cemetery in Stillwater, Payne County, Oklahoma.

Michigan teacher Bridget Zahradnik garners 2022 PAEMST Award

Posted on by

Elementary school science teacher Bridget Zahradnik of Novi, Michigan, has garnered a prestigious 2022 PAEMST Award. Photo Credit: PAEMST

It is always my pleasure to share stories about exceptional educators who have earned recognition for their work in the classroom. One of these is Bridget Zahradnik, an elementary school science teacher from Michigan who has garnered a 2022 Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST).

Bridget has been a professional educator for 24 years. Currently she teaches fifth grade math and science at Novi Meadows Elementary in Novi, Michigan. Previously, she taught first and third grades for 19 years at Parkview Elementary School. Prior to that, she taught Spanish for a year at Village Oaks and Orchard Hills Elementary Schools in Detroit, and first grade at both J.S. Slocum Elementary School in Pineville, Louisiana, and McKinley Elementary School in Corona, California.

The honored educator has worked diligently to improve science instruction in her school district, declares Steve Mathews, Superintendent of Novi Community Schools. “Bridget Zahradnik has been instrumental in updating our science curriculum and a strong advocate for engaging science instruction,” he says. “She has helped move our district science curriculum forward and improved science instruction, especially at the elementary level,” he continues. Matthews notes that Bridget was instrumental in transforming the traditional science fair to an “invention convention.” This event requires students to develop creative solutions to a problem each on has selected. In some cases, the students’ solutions have resulted in patents, including one for a healthy lollipop and another for a LEGO sorter. In addition, Bridget launched a fundraising drive to pay for outdoor learning spaces in Novi. Because of her efforts, her district received a $400,000 grant to fund the project.

In addition to her work in the classroom, Bridget serves as her District’s Science Content Area leader, designs and delivers professional development, and works as an educational consultant. She has also published numerous articles about science instruction, makerspaces, project-based learning, and subject matter integration.

Bridget earned her Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education in 1996 and her Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction in 2002, both from Michigan State University.

The PAEMST program, founded in 1983, is administered by the National Science Foundation (NSF) on behalf of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. The honor comes with a $10,000 cash prize.

Happy Independence Day, Teachers!

Posted on by

This delightful image was created by Emily Wunderle of Saxtons River, Vermont, to represent Saxtons River Elementary School teacher Jaime Douglass. Photo Credit: The Vermont Journal

Isn’t this Independence Day image delightful? The design was created by Emily Wunderle from Saxtons River, Vermont, in 2021. Emily won many art contests while a student at Bellows Falls Union High School in her home state.

Emily’s Independence Day drawing features a teacher dressed in patriotic clothing poised at the blackboard while holding class online. Emily created the image as a tribute to teachers, especially Saxtons River Elementary School teacher Jaimie Douglass. Jaime was honored last year by the University of Vermont as an Outstanding Teacher.