Oregon educator Betsy Close served as a state legislator

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Many educators have committed themselves to work in politics. One is Betsy Close, a public school teacher who has served in both the Oregon State House of Representatives and the Oregon State Senate. Photo Credit: Ballotpedia

Many classroom teachers have also committed themselves to work in politics. This is true of Betsy Close, a public school teacher who has served in both the Oregon State House of Representatives and the Oregon State Senate.

Betsy was born on May 4, 1950. Her mother was a physical education teacher and coach, and her father was a teacher, coach, principal, and assistant superintendent.

As a young woman, Betsy earned Bachelor’s degrees from both Washington State University in 1972 and Central Washington University in 1974. She earned her Master’s degree from Oregon State University in 1978. Once she earned her degrees, Betsy taught in public schools in Washington state and in Albany, Oregon.

In 1999, Betsy was elected on the Republican ticket to the Oregon State House of Representatives. She served there until 2004. In 2012, she served in the Oregon State Senate, representing District 8. She served there until 2015. During her time as a legislator, Betsy served on a number of committees. One of the them was the Committee for Education. To address the need for increased quality and accessibility in Oregon, Betsy championed more classroom teachers, lower class sizes, a longer school year, and adding back instructional minutes after years of cut-backs. In the Senate, Betsy also served on two other committees: Public Safety and Jobs and Economy.

In addition to her work as an educator and a legislator, Betsy volunteered as a counselor for the Corvallis Pregnancy Care Center and Habitat for Humanity House. She also served on the Board of Directors for the Palestine Rural Fire Board.

For her work as a public servant, Betsy has earned many accolades. She was inducted into the Farm Bureau Hall of Honor in 2003. In addition, she garnered State Official of the Year in 2003 by the National Association of Homebuilders; Friend of the Taxpayer Award by Citizens For A Sound Economy in 2002; the Legislator Recognition Award for Outstanding Service to Oregon’s Special Districts in 2001; and the President’s Award from the Oregon Concrete and Aggregate Association in 2001.

Chicago teacher Dwayne Reed greets kindergartners with a song

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While watching Today on television this morning commentators were doing a story on Dwayne Reed, an amazing teacher from Chicago, Illinois. He has written a “Welcome to Kindergarten Song” to share with students as they enter their classroom on their first day. I found the video on You Tube, and just had to share it with you, so here it is! And just in case you would like to read more about him, check out this link to a story about him on his website, Teach Mr. Reed.

 

Jessica Saum named 2022 Arkansas State Teacher of the Year

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Special Education teacher Jessica Saum of Arkansas has been named her state’s 2022 Teacher of the Year. Photo Credit: Cabot Public Schools

It is always wonderful when a deserving educator is honored for their work in the classroom. Today, I’ll share the story of one such educator: Jessica Saum of Little Rock, Arkansas. She has been named her state’s 2022 Teacher of the Year.

Jessica teaches special education to kindergarteners through fourth graders in a self-contained classroom at Stagecoach Elementary School in Cabot, Arkansas. Before her employment at Cabot Public Schools, Jessica taught for one year at Jacksonville North Pulaski School District.

The honored educator confesses that serving as a special needs teacher is her passion. “Every child deserves what’s best,” she declares. “Every child deserves an opportunity to succeed, and every child deserves for us to expect them to do great things,” she continues. In her classroom, Jessica delivers a curriculum that emphasizes experiential learning, inclusion, and community involvement.

In addition to her work in the classroom, Jessica leads professional development workshops that promote exposure to grade-level curriculum and meaningful relationships with experienced educators.

Also, Jessica is nationally published, and her work extends to supporting military families, detailing how educators can support these families during deployments and difficult transitions.

As if all that were not enough, Jessica serves as the advisor for the Kiwanis Kids Club, an organization that organizes student participation in service projects. She volunteers as a Key Spouse at the Little Rock Air Force Base and is the 2020 314th Airlift Wing Key Spouse of the Year. She is a Fellow of both the Arkansas State Teacher Association Senior Advocacy and the Association of American Educators Advocacy. As if all that were not enough,, Jessica is a member of the United through Reading Literacy Advisory Council and a Special Advisor to the Arkansas Council for Military Children.

Jessica earned her Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood and Special Education in 2011 and her Master’s degree in Grades 4-12 Special Education in 2016, both from Arkansas State University. In December 2020, she completed the requirements for her Special Education Director certificate.

 

Teacher Elizabeth A. Neilson became a prominent public health educator

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One-time public school teacher Elizabeth Neilson became a prominent figure in the field of public health education. Photo Credit: Find a Grave

There are many examples of dedicated teachers who have made significant contributions to society. One of these is Elizabeth A. Neilson, a public school teacher who became a prominent figure in the field of public health education.

Elizabeth was born on Oct. 13, 1911, in Medford, Massachusetts. When she was a young girl, she attended Medford High School in Medford, Massachusetts. After her high school graduation, she earned her undergraduate degrees from Boston Bouve College and Northeastern University. She earned a PhD in Education from Boston University.

Elizabeth inaugurated her career as a teacher in Brookline, Massachusetts, when she accepted a position at the Brimmer May School in Chestnut Hill. She also taught in Medford public schools for a number of years. Later she became a professor at Lowell State College. She then moved on to become the Chair of the Department of Health and Physical Education for several years. She also worked as an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Health Sciences at Kent State University in Kent, Ohio. Throughout all the years of her professional life, she advocated for better preparation of health education teachers in public schools.

In addition to her work as an educator, Elizabeth was active in several health-related organizations. She was involved in several committees in the American School Health Association (ASHA). She served on the Board of Directors for the American Diabetes Association, the National Mental Health Association, and the American Heart Association. In 1968, she was named the President of the American School Health Association.

As if all these activities were not enough, Elizabeth was also instrumental in the production of numerous health textbooks. In 1965, she published a series of textbooks for grades 1-8 known as the School Health series. She contributed articles to a variety of professional journals, including Massachusetts Teacher, Journal School of Health, Journal of Health, and Physical Education and Recreation. Also, she was the founder and Editor-in-Chief of the journal Health Values: Achieving High Level Wellness.

For her work as a health educator, Elizabeth earned many accolades. Boston Bouver College awarded her a Distinguished Services Award, and Northeastern University honored her with their Distinguished Alumni Award in Health Sciences. She also garnered the William A. Howe Award from the American School Heath Association.

Sadly, Chalkboard Champion Elizabeth A. Neilson passed away on Oct. 4, 2001, in Wells, Maine. She was 89 years old.