NY teacher Julia Richman worked tirelessly for immigrant children

Posted on by
Julia Richman

Teacher, principal, and social reformer Julia Richman worked tirelessly on behalf of immigrant children in New York City. Photo credit: Public Domain

Just about everyone agrees that a teacher can profoundly influence the lives of the students in his or her classroom. But Julia Richman, an educator, philanthropist, author, and social reformer from New York City, influenced the lives of students in an entire city.

Julia was born October 12, 1855, in New York City, the daughter of German-speaking Jewish immigrants from the Czech Republic. At a young age, Julia made some important decisions about her own future. “I am not pretty…and I am not going to marry,” she once declared, “but before I die, all New York will know my name.”

Julia was determined to become a teacher, a decision her very traditional father vehemently opposed. In the late 1800’s, an eighth grade education was considered sufficient for girls. However, after a protracted battle royal, Julia convinced her father to allow her to pursue her goal of becoming a professional educator. In 1872, Julia realized her dream when she graduated from Hunter College.

Over the next four decades, Julia worked tirelessly as a classroom teacher, principal, school superintendent, and social reformer. Inside the classroom and within her community, she improved the lives of countless newly arrived immigrants, special needs students, and delinquents: the children 19th-century society typically considered “throwaway kids.” This innovative educator tossed away the conventional methods of instruction of her day, and designed model programs that educators from all over the world came to observe. She instituted numerous progressive practices that are still used in public schools today.

When Julia passed away in 1912, the New York City Board of Education ordered the flags of all NYC public schools be flown at half mast in her honor. It appeared that Julia’s prediction as an eleven-year-old had come true: all New York City knew her name.

Want to learn more about Julia Richman? I’ve written an entire chapter about this amazing educator in my book, Chalkboard Champions, available on amazon or bn.com. Available in print or ebook versions.

Chicago Cubs player Victor Aldredge also known as the “Hoosier Schoolmaster”

Posted on by

Hoosier Schoolmaster Victor Aldredge taught in Indiana schools before becoming a pro baseball player with the Chicago Cubs. Photo credit: Times Mail.

There are many examples of capable educators who have also established themselves as talented athletes. One of these is teacher Victor Aldridge, who was also an accomplished pitcher for Major League Baseball.

Vic was born on October 25, 1893, in the small town of Crane, Indiana. He attended Tempy Primary School, just a short walk from his home. In high school, the teenaged Vic attended nearby Trinity Springs, and following his graduation, the young athlete enrolled in Central Normal College in Danville, Indiana.

From 1914-1915, Vic taught school at the Pea Ridge School in Trinity Springs, Indiana. He also taught in Miami County, Indiana.

Dubbed the “Hoosier Schoolmaster,” Vic was drafted in 1916 as a right-handed pitcher by the Chicago Cubs. Before his career was over, he also played for the Pittsburgh Pirates, the New York Giants, and the Los Angeles Angels. Vic earned a reputation for a sharp, breaking curve ball, one of the three best pitches on any diamond in his day.  In 1918, the former educator played only three games, pitching a total of only twelve innings, before joining the US Navy during the final year of World War I. After returning from the war, Vic played for the Los Angeles Angels, an affiliate of the Cubs, then returned to the Cubs for the 1922 season. He played the next three years for Chicago, delivering consistent performances. But his most notable performances occurred during the 1925 World Series, when Vic pitched and won games two and five, only to pitch a disastrous first inning in the seventh game. He played his last game on August 29, 1928.

After he retired from baseball, Vic attended law school at the Voorhees School of Law. He also served in the Indiana State Senate from 1937 to 1948. He was first elected on November 4, 1936, on the Democratic ticket.

This distinguished educator and talented athlete passed away in Terre Haute, Indiana, on April 17, 1973, at the age of 79, and is buried in the New Trinity Springs Cemetery. For his work in baseball, he was inducted into the Indiana Baseball Hall of Fame on January 19, 2007, as its 131st member.

Benavides named 2022 Texas State Teacher of the Year

Posted on by

High school STEM teacher Ramon Benavides of El Paso, Texas, has been named his state’s 2022 Teacher of the Year. Photo credit: Ramon Benavides

I always enjoy sharing stories about exemplary educators who have won honors for their work in the classroom. One of these is Ramon Benavides, a high school STEM teacher from El Paso, Texas, who has been named his state’s 2022 Teacher of the Year.

Ramon teaches Biology and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) courses at Del Valle High School in the Ysleta Independent School District. His career there has spanned 12 years.

It is amazing that Ramon made his way into the classroom. He is the son of migrant farmworkers who were forced to drop out of school at a young age to help support their family. Later, Ramon saw his parents return to school, earn their diplomas and become teachers themselves. He took his cue from them.

Ramon says his work as an educator isn’t about the teaching, it’s about the positive exchanges. “The kids are the best part of my job, by far,” he says. “One of my greatest joys is getting to stand outside my classroom and as my kids come in we exchange that smile, and for that split second we know that everything is okay,” he continues.

The honored educator earned a Bachelor’s degree in Biology at the University of Texas, San Antonio, in 2001, and a second Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry at the University of Texas, Brownsville, in 2003. He completed the requirements for his Master’s degree in Teaching Science at University of Texas, El Paso, in 2016. He is currently working on his Ph.D. in Educational Leadership at Texas Tech University, Lubbock.

Congratulations, Ramon!

Maryland educator Anne Coleman Chambers created innovative curriculum

Posted on by

Dedicated educator Anne Coleman Chambers taught in public schools in Maryland before establishing her own school, the Indian Creek School, which offered an innovative curriculum. Photo credit: Pasadena Voice.

Many dedicated educators work hard to provide enhanced learning opportunities and innovative curriculum for students in their communities. One of these is Anne Coleman Chambers, a public school teacher from Maryland who founded a highly successfully private day school in her community.

Anne was born in 1940, although she was raised in Colesville. She earned her Bachelor’s degree from the University of Maryland, College Park. Once she graduated from college, she taught in public schools in Prince George’s County in her home state until 1963.

Anne believed strongly that every student should be provided stimulating educational experiences in a small, nurturing environment in which each student is known and approached as an individual. To create this environment, she founded Indian Creek School, a co-educational Pre-K through grade 12 private school in Crownsville in 1973. Indian Creek School opened its doors in with 33 students in Pre-K, kindergarten, and first grade. Four years later, she opened a middle school that doubled its capacity, and in 2006 she added an upper school.

Anne built a curriculum for her students that offered not only a broad-based education emphasizing the fundamentals, but also stressed the importance of music, art, physical education, drama, clubs, and sports.  She included Spanish, computers, and human development instruction at a time when many schools didn’t offer those as subjects for older students, let alone for kindergartners. In addition, Anne was steadfast in her insistence that her school be a diverse and inclusive community from the start. Anne served as the school’s first Director from its founding until 2010, when she went back to the classroom to teach for one last year before she retired in 2011.

Anne Coleman Chambers passed away on Oct. 12, 2020, in Hagerstown, Maryland. She was 80 years old. She was a true Chalkboard Champion.

 

Virginia sharecropper’s daughter becomes teacher and community icon

Posted on by

Virginia sharecropper’s daughter Margaret Hill rose to become a teacher, administrator, and school board member. She was considered an icon in her Southern California community. Photo credit: Precinct Reporter group.

There are many examples of fine educators who have risen from poverty to make a significant community to their community. One of these was Margaret Hill, a teacher, administrator, and school board member who was considered an icon in her Southern California community.

Margaret was born in Virginia, the daughter of an African American sharecropper. Even as a young child, her life on the farm was busy. Before starting school, she worked in the fields with her father. She got up early every morning, even on weekends, to feed chickens and slop hogs. She picked cotton in the hot sun, even on holidays. In her school years, she studied late into the night, often by candlelight. Margaret said that back then, in the days of segregation and coming out of the Depression, education took a back seat to farm work for most Black children. She said they all had to make a contribution to help keep the family from starving.

But Margaret always knew the value of education. Eventually, she earned her Bachelor’s degree at Norfolk State University and, after relocating to California in 1969, she earned her Master’s degree in Educational Administration from California State University, San Bernardino. Later, the inspirational educator was awarded an honorary Ph.D. from the University of Redlands in Redlands, California.

Margaret inaugurated her teaching career in 1971 at San Bernardino High School in San Bernardino. Later she served as an Assistant Principal at the school, and then she was promoted to principal of San Andreas High School, a position she held for the last sixteen years of her career. Margaret retired in 2003. But in 2011, Margaret came out of retirement when she was elected to the San Bernardino City Unified Board of Education.

Throughout her career, Margaret earned the admiration of her fellow educators. “She was a North Star for the San Bernardino community reading race relation issues,” remarked colleague Herbert Fischer. He noted that Margaret achieved great success dealing with foster kids, and students suffering from poverty and homelessness. She even earned the nickname “Mother Hill” in the education community.

In addition to her professional responsibilities, Margaret served as a member of the Black Culture Foundation and the San Bernardino African American Committee. She also was a member of the Highland Woman’s Club, the National Sorority of Phi Delta Kappa, Inc., the San Bernardino Black Culture Foundation, the Time for Change Foundation, the Sheriff’s Department Information Exchange Committee, Kiwanis of Greater San Bernardino, and the San Bernardino Police Department Citizen Advisory Group.

Margaret was also an author. She authored two children’s books. Her first book, It’s All about the Children, was published in 2011. Her second book, From Sharecropping to Non-Stopping: Reflections on Life from A Veteran Educator, was published in 2015. She also penned a weekly column about education for her local newspaper, The Sun.

This Chalkboard Champion passed away in on December 19, 2021. She was 81 years old.