Michigan teacher Bridget Zahradnik garners 2022 PAEMST Award

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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!

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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.

 

Illinois music teacher Dee Green: She was no Stooge

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Illinois teacher Dee Green earned fame in Hollywood when she worked with The Three Stooges in the movie Brideless Groom (1947). Photo Credit: IMDb

Many talented classroom teachers achieve success in fields other than education. One such teacher was Delores Mae Green, who better known as Dee Green.

Dee was a beloved music and choir teacher who was also an acclaimed actress in Hollywood. Her claim to fame is that she worked with the Three Stooges. She is well-known for playing the part of one of Shemp’s potential brides. She was the plain, tall, and fawning Miss Fanny Dinkelmeyer in the comedy short Brideless Groom. She also portrayed the homely and unattractive fiance in I’m a Monkey’s Uncle and the daughter of King Rootintootin’ in Mummy’s Dummies. Unfortunately, Dee’s acting career ended when  a motor vehicle ran over her feet in New York. The accident resulted in the need for orthopedic footwear for the remainder of her life.

Dee was born on November 16, 1916, in Peoria, Illinois. After she concluded her career in show business, she earned her Master’s degree in music. She returned to her home town and taught music and choir classes at Peoria Heights Grade School in Peoria Heights, Illinois, during the 1960’s. Throughout the late 1970’s and early 1980’s she taught Language Arts and Drama at Roosevelt Junior High, which is now known as Rockford Alternative Middle School, in Rockford, Illinois. She produced many annual events, including a production of Babes in Toyland and numerous elaborate Christmas pageants that included every student in the school.

Dee inspired more than one of her students to pursue a career in theater. Some of them eventually earned success on Broadway in New York. She was often described by her students as kind and generous, and a woman of great courage, talent, and vision.

This amazing Chalkboard Champion passed away from cancer on April 24, 1985, in Rockford, Illinois. She was 65 years old.

Vampire Weekend musician once taught junior high school

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Alternative rock musician Ezra Koenig of Vampire Weekend fame formerly taught English to eight graders in New York City. Photo Credit: FamousBirthdays.com

Many individuals who have enjoyed successful careers as entertainers have also experienced success as classroom teachers. One of these is Ezra Koenig, a musician who also taught at a junior high school in New York.

Ezra was born on April 8, 1984, in New York City. As a youth, his family moved to Glen Ridge, New Jersey, where he graduated from Glen Ridge High School. He then returned to New York to enroll at Columbia University.

Right out of college, and looking very young for his 23 years, Ezra taught English courses for eighth graders at Junior High School #258 in Brooklyn, New York. He there as part of the Teach for America program. Although Ezra’s students described him as laid back, Ezra remembers those years as rough. “It was a pretty hectic lifestyle,” he confesses. “I mean, (being a full-time musician) is a hectic lifestyle too, but to teach all day, then go record or try to, you know, play a show, and then wake up and go to work again was pretty difficult.”

In the entertainment industry, Ezra is best known as the lead singer, guitarist, and principal songwriter of the alternative rock band Vampire Weekend. But the former teacher is also the creator and host of the Apple Music fortnightly radio show, Time Crisis with Ezra Koenig. He has also earned acclaim as the creator of the American-Japanese animated television series, Neo Yokio.

For his work in the music industry, Ezra has earned many accolades. He has garnered five Grammy Award nominations for his work with Vampire Weekend. He won the award for Best Alternative Music Album in both 2013 and 2019. He was also nominated for Album of the Year 2016 for his work as a producer on Beyonce’s album Lemonade.

To read more about Ezra’s experiences as a teacher, see this link to an article about him published by MTV News.

Former history teacher Jesse Williams known for role on Grey’s Anatomy

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Former high school History teacher Jesse Williams earned fame for his role as Dr. Jackson Aver yon the television show Grey’s Anatomy. Photo Credit: The Things

You may be familiar with the actor Jesse Williams, who portrayed Dr. Jackson Avery on the television show Grey’s Anatomy. But did you know that before his success as an actor, he was a public school teacher in Pennsylvania?

Jesse was born on August 5, 1981, in Chicago, Illinois, the son of a professional ceramics artist and a factory worker. By the time he graduated from high school, both of his parents were employed as public school teachers.

As a young man, Jesse attended Temple University, where he completed the requirements for a double major in African American Studies and Film & Media Arts. He then worked for six years as a high school teacher in Philadelphia public schools, instructing courses in History, American Studies, African Studies, and English. Although he spent most of his teaching career at the secondary level, Jesse also worked with kindergartners and seventh graders.

“High school is my favorite just because of my ability to connect with the students,” Jesse once confessed. “I think it stems from the fact that high school was a real shift, a real fork in the road for me as a student, and it helped me get on the right track. It was a real hinge point in my life, so I think that’s what drew me to it,” he revealed. “But kindergarten was a lot of fun. Always an adventure, it certainly helped me prepare more for parenthood than anything else. I totally felt like Kindergarten Cop,” he concluded.

In addition to Grey’s Anatomy, Jesse has appeared in numerous other television shows, including Law and Order in 2006; Beyond the Break in 2006; Seattle Grace in 2010; and Station 19 in 2020. He also garnered roles in several films, including The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants in 2008; Brooklyn’s Finest in 2010; and Jacob’s Ladder in 2019. The former teacher can also be seen in several music videos, including Rihanna’s “Russian Roulette” (2009), Jay-Z’s “Legacy” (2017); and Demi Lovato’s “Tell Me You Love Me” (2017).

Even though Jesse no longer works as a professional educator, he still supports educational programs. He has coordinated with the platform Scholly to create scholarship opportunities for low-income students. He also supports Boys & Girls Clubs of America, the Magic Johnson Foundation, and Amnesty International. For his philanthropic efforts, Jesse earned a BET Humanitarian Award in 2016.