Educator Midori Snyder is also a successful novelist

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Former high school teacher Midori Snyder has published nine novels for children and adults, and numerous short stories and essays. Photo credit: Midori Snyder

Many fine educators also earn acclaim as published authors. One of these is Midori Snyder, a former high school teacher who has written nine books for children and adults.

Midori was born on January 1, 1954, in Santa Monica, California. As a young woman, she earned her Bachelor’s degree at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, where she studied European social history and East Asian literature. She completed her Master’s degree in English Literature and Literary Theory at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee. While there, she studied African languages and literature, specializing in Arabic and Swahili oral narrative traditions.

Once she earned her degrees, Midori taught at Marquette University High School. The school is a private Jesuit Roman Catholic school for boys located in Milwaukee.

Midori’s novels include her first novel, Soulstring, published in 1987, is a Gothic, high fantasy tale based on the British folk song “Tamlin.” She also wrote The Flight of Michael McBride, published in 1994, and Hannah’s Garden, published in 2005. Her novel Innamorati, published in 1998, garnered a Mythopoeic Award. She has published various pieces of short fiction and poetry has been published in a number of anthologies, including Borderlands and The Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror. Her essays have appeared in magazines such as Realms of Fantasy. She has also collaborated with comic book artist Charles Vess to write the script for “Barbara Allen” in the acclaimed series Book of Ballads and Sagas.

After she left the classroom, Midori served as the Co-Director of The Endicott Studio, a nonprofit arts and literature organization founded in 1987. She also served as the Co-Editor of The Journal of Mythic Arts, founded in 1997. In 2007, she served as the jury chair for the James Tiptree, Jr., Award.

To read more about this talented educator, see her website at www.midorisnyder.com.

Zahra O’Reilly-Bates of US Virgin Islands named 2021 Teacher of the Year

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Elementary school teacher Zahra O’Reilly-Bates has been named the 2021 Teacher of the Year for the territory of the US Virgin Islands. Photo credit: The St. Thomas Source

I enjoy sharing stories about exceptional educators who have earned recognition for their work in the classroom. One of these is Zahra O’Reilly-Bates, an elementary school teacher from the US Virgin Islands, who has been named the 2021 Teacher of the Year for the territory.

Zahra teaches fourth, fifth, and sixth grade at Ricardo Richards Elementary School. She teaches mathematics, English and Language Arts, social studies, and science. Her career there has spanned 18 years. In addition to her work in the classroom, Zahra plays an integral role in her school’s learning community. She serves as chair of the history, culture, and traditions committee for the Virgin Islands. In addition, she manages and coaches the school’s Math Counts, baseball, and softball teams.

The honored educator also devoted her talents to working as a teacher-ranger at Christiansted National Historic Site, where she developed a geocache that earned the distinction of “Find Your Park” Geotour and resulted in hundreds of visitors to the site.

As a youngster, Zahra was raised in the de Chabert housing community. She attended Juanita Gardine Elementary School, Elena Christian Junior High, and Central High School. “I received everything I needed to succeed from the public schools,” she said. After her high school graduation, she received a full scholarship to Atlanta Metropolitan State College to play softball.

Zahra earned her Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education with a concentration in social sciences in 2002 from the University of the Virgin Islands. In 2005, she earned her Master’s degree in Education with a specialization in instructional design and technology from American InterContinental University.

To learn more about Zahra, see this article about her published on the CCSSO Teacher of the Year website.

Teacher LaWanna Shurtliff served in Utah’s House of Reps

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Many superb educators also achieve successful careers in politics. One was Utah’s LaWanna Shurtliff, a high school English teacher who was elected to her states House of Representatives. Photo credit: Utah House of Representatives.

Many superb educators also achieve successful careers in politics. One of these was Utah’s LaWanna Shurtliff, a high school English teacher who was elected to her state’s House of Representatives.

LaWanna was born in Smoot in Star Valley, Wyoming, on June 13, 1935. As a youngster, she spent much of her childhood on her grandfather’s farm engaged in various farm chores. She milked cows, tended sheep, fed chickens, gathered eggs, and hauled hay. That’s how she learned the value of hard work.

After she graduated from Star Valley High School in 1953, LaWanna attended Utah State University, where she earned her Bachelor’s degree in 1957. She inaugurated her career as an educator at Roy Junior High in Utah, and later transferred to Ogden High School in Ogden, Utah. There she taught English, accounting, and business. Her career as an educator spanned from 1966 to 1994, a total of 29 years. In addition to her classroom duties, she was elected the President of the Ogden Education Association, the Director of the Utah Education Association, and a member of the National Education Association.

For her work in the classroom, LaWanna earned many accolades. Over her lifetime, she received the Alumni Merit award from Utah State University; the Lt. Governor’s Volunteer Recognition Certificate for her work with the Weber County League of Women Voters; the Lewis W. Shurtliff Award for Contributions to Education; the Utah Domestic Violence Council Award; the Weber County Commissions’ Hero Award; the UEA honor Roll; the Golden Apple Award for Teaching Excellence; and the Order of the Pearl Kappa Delta Sorority.

In 1998, LaWanna was elected to the Utah State House of Representatives on the Democratic ticket. She represented District 10 until 2008. Her decision to pursue politics sprang from her background in education and her wish to increase funding for public schools and Utah teachers. During her time in the legislature, the former educator passed bills that assisted victims of domestic violence and increased funding for Utah schools and teachers. The legislation she championed showed her fierce determination to protect women and children.

Sadly, LaWanna succumbed to pneumonia on Dec. 30, 2020. She was 85 years old. To read more about this Chalkboard Champion, see this article about her published by The Salt Lake Tribune.

Teacher and social activist Josephine Gomon of Detroit

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Math teacher Josephine Gomon of Detroit, Michigan, was described as one of the most influential women in the city’s history. Photo credit: Bentley Historical Society.

Many talented classroom educators become involved in social causes that improve living conditions for everyone in their communities. One is Josephine Gomon, a mathematics teacher from Detroit, Michigan, who was described as one of the most influential women in the city’s history.

Josephine was born on June 29, 1892, in Ann Arbor, Michigan. As a young woman, she attended the University of Michigan, working her way through college as a switch board operator. In 1913, she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, an unusual field for a woman of her day.

Josephine inaugurated her career as an educator when she accepted a position as a teacher of physics and mathematics at Wayne State University, then known as the College of the City of Detroit. Later, after getting married and having five children, Josephine taught in Detroit city public schools. During those years, she also wrote a regular column about education which was published in The Detroit News.

After two of her close friends died in childbirth, Josephine became actively involved in Detroit’s underground birth control clinics. Later she helped to establish the National Planned Parenthood League, and she became the president of the Detroit Chapter. Josephine was passionate about the welfare of the poor and underprivileged in Detroit, and this passion led to her involvement in politics and to her position as Executive Secretary to Mayor Frank Murphy.

The indefatigable teacher was an activist serving the cause of social justice within the community in many ways. She was a founding member of the ACLU in Michigan, and she worked closely with Clarence Darrow on several Detroit-based civil liberties cases. Later she became an advisor to Franklin Roosevelt. In 1933 Josephine was appointed Secretary Director of the Detroit Housing Commission, where she supervised construction of Detroit’s first public housing projects. During World War II she was named by Henry Ford as the Director of Women Personnel at the Willow Run Bomber Plant. Her success in this position led to her becoming an influencer in organized labor in the area.

Josephine passed away on November 13, 1975, at the age of 83. After her passing, the Detroit Free Press described her as “one of the most influential women in the city’s history.” She was inducted into the Michigan Women’s Hall of Fame in 1983.

Immigrant Jorge Pulleiro named 2021 Idaho Teacher of the Year

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Jorge Pulleiro, who immigrated to the United States from Argentina, has been named the 2021 Idaho State Teacher of the Year. Photo credit: Idaho State Department of Education.

I enjoy sharing stories about talented educators who have earned recognition for their dedication to their students. One of these is Jorge Pulleiro, a middle school teacher who has been named the 2021 Idaho State Teacher of the Year.

The honored educator, who was born in Argentina, overcame many obstacles to achieve his goal of becoming a teacher. His father died when he was a youngster, and his mother didn’t go to school beyond the third grade. But even as a teenager, Jorge knew the value of education. He began to rehearse his teacher strategies at the age of 16, and by 18 he was tutoring Argentinian high school students in English. Two years later, he immigrated to the United States when he won a scholarship to Brigham Young University in Utah.

After his college graduation, Jorge spent six years in the US Army, from 1999 to 2005. He worked his way up the ranks to become an officer. During these years, he lived in Germany, and later he worked as a rear detachment commander during the war in Iraq. He left the service in 2005 and, through a program called Troops to Teachers, started teaching Spanish at Grant Union High School in John Day, Oregon. He relocated to the Blaine County School District in Idaho in 2012.

Today, Jorge teaches dual immersion (Spanish and Language Arts) to students in grades 6, 7, and 8 at Wood River Middle School in Hailey, Idaho. In addition to his work in the classroom, Jorge serves as the Department Head for the World Language Department, and he has served on various school-improvement teams. His career as an educator spans 27 years.

For his work in the classroom, Jorge has earned many accolades, in addition to his recognition as Idaho State Teacher of the Year, he was named a Spotlight Teacher by the Department of Defense, he has earned the attention of the White House, he garnered a Fulbright teacher exchange to Mexico, and he received the Loretta Wollet Award for Outstanding Teaching at the K-12 level.

Jorge earned his Bachelor’s degree in Spanish Translation and Interpretation from Brigham Young University. He earned a Master’s degree in Teacher Education from Eastern Oregon University, and a second Master’s degree in Educational Leadership from Boise State University in Idaho.

To read more about this Chalkboard Champion, read this article published by the Idaho State Department of Education.