Kansas teacher Anna C. Wait worked tirelessly for women’s suffrage

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Many classroom teachers work diligently to improve social conditions in their community. One was Kansas teacher Anna C. Wait, who worked tirelessly to win the right to vote for women.  Photo credit: Public domain.

I have often noted that often excellent classroom teachers work diligently to improve social conditions in their community. One of these is Anna C. Wait, a 19th-century schoolteacher who also campaigned for the right to vote for women.

Anna was born on March 26, 1837, in Hinckley, Medina County, Ohio. She attended first the Richfield Academy and then the Twinsburg Institute. As a young woman, she married fellow educator Walter Scott, and the newlyweds moved to Missouri. The couple had a son there. When the Civil War broke out, Walter joined the Union’s 50th Volunteer Infantry, Company H. He served three years during some of the most fierce fighting of the War Between the States. During these years, Anna relocated to Ohio, where she taught school in order to support herself and her young son. When the war was won, the family reunited, and then moved first to Indiana and then to Kansas.

Once Anna settled in Kansas, she re-established her teaching career, eventually founding a normal school there to train others to become excellent teachers. She also became active in the Suffrage Movement. In 1879 Anna and fellow suffragists, Emily J. Briggs and Sarah E. Lutes, founded the local branch of the Equal Suffrage Association. In 1884 a Kansas Equal Suffrage Association was formed, and Anna served as the organization’s Vice President. In 1911 Anna was elected President of the Sixth District of the Equal Suffrage Association. Because of her efforts, legislation granting the right to vote to women was passed in the state of Kansas.

Anna C. Wait passed away on May 9, 1916, in Lincoln County, Kansas. She was 79 years old. For her tireless work as a suffragist, Anna was included in A Woman of the Century, by Charles Wells Moulton and published in 1893. To read more about this amazing pioneer teacher, see the reprint of a 1909 article printed by the Lincoln Republican.

Former teacher Rebecca Pringle serves as NEA President

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Former Pennsylvania middle school teacher and current President of the National Education Association Rebecca Pringle works tirelessly to improve conditions in schools for both teachers and students. Photo credit: NEA

A former Pennsylvania educator who now serves as the current President of the National Education Association works tirelessly to improve conditions in schools for both teachers and students. She is Rebecca Pringle, who has logged an extensive career as a middle school science teacher.

Rebecca was born in 1955 in Philadelphia.  As a young girl, she attended Philadelphia High School for girls, one of the city’s most prestigious magnet schools. She earned her Bachelor’s degree from the University of Pittsburgh. She earned her Master’s degree from Pennsylvania State University.

Once she completed her education, Rebecca taught middle school science in the Susquehanna Township School District for 28 years. In total, her career in the classroom spans 31 years.

Throughout the years she served as a classroom teacher, Rebecca also served in a number of roles in the NEA, an organization that currently serves three million members nationwide. Her first position was Secretary/Treasurer. In 2014, she was elected NEA’s Vice President. In 2020, Rebecca assumed the mantle of President. This position earns Rebecca the title of the highest-ranking African American female labor leader in America. In this role, the indefatigable union leader has worked tirelessly to limit federal testing requirements, increased funding for schools, greater equity for students, and to make teacher evaluation and accountability practices more fair.

For her work on behalf of fellow educators, Rebecca has earned many accolades. She is a recipient of the National Peace Medal for Leader of Educational Excellence; a recipient of the Black Women’s Roundtable Education Innovation & Social Justice Leadership Award from the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation; the Woman of Power Award from the National Action Network; and she was named Community Woman of the Year by the American Association of University Women. For her efforts on behalf of teachers nationwide, President Barack Obama selected Rebecca to be a member of the President’s Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for African Americans. Her work on the Commission included addressing issues on teacher recruitment and retention, STEM access and opportunities, and college preparation and completion.

To read more about this Chalkboard Champion, see this biography of her published on the website of the NEA.

Alexis Barney named Wyoming’s 2021 Teacher of the Year

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Elementary school teacher Alexis Barney has been named Wyoming’s 2021 Teacher of the Year. Photo credit: Cowboy State Daily.

I love to share stories about talented and hardworking educators who have earned recognition for their work in the classroom. One of these is Alexis Barney, an elementary school teacher from Wyoming who has been named her state’s 2021 Teacher of the Year.

Alexis was raised in Saratoga, Wyoming, As a young woman, she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from the University of Wyoming, Casper, in 2016. The same year, she earned her Master’s degree in Educational Psychology at Capella University.

Currently, Alexis teaches fourth and fifth grade at Evansville Elementary in Evansville. In addition to her classroom responsibilities, Alexis serves as the English Language Arts goal team leader and on the school leadership team. She also is the School Transformation team leader, the Lego Robotics coach, and Reading Club coordinator. And as if all this were not enough, Alexis has frequently presented reading strategies at teaching conferences around the state and in Colorado.

The honored educator says her teaching philosophy is grounded in empowering students to be kind and courageous, and in creating lifelong learners who are inquisitive and excited about the world around them. She wants her students to find success, no matter their circumstances. “Our attitude is going to be infectious,” Alexis asserts. “I want to empower people to see things in a different light, helping them to find resources, and really turn those ‘can’ts’ into ‘cans.'”

For her untiring work as an educator, Alexis has earned the respect and praise of her colleagues. “Alexis is without a doubt one of the finest educators I have worked with in my nearly three decades in education,” praised Wayne Tuttle, Principal of Evansville Elementary School. “Students thrive in Alexis’ class because of her high expectations, innovative engagement strategies, and relevant learning,” he continued. “When a principal looks for an educator to be an anchor of their school for decades to come, they are searching for someone of Alexis’ quality,” he concluded.

To read more about Alexis Barney, see this article published by the Wyoming Department of Education.

Texas teacher and Coach Gene Gonzales succumbs to Covid-19

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Eugenio “Gene” Gonzales, a football and basketball coach and English teacher at Saginaw High School in Texas, has succumbed to Covid-19. Photo credit: Dignity Memorial.

With sadness, we report that Covid-19 has claimed the life of yet another beloved educator and coach. Eugenio “Gene” Gonzales of Saginaw, Texas, succumbed to the disease on March 16, 2021.

Gene coached football and basketball teams at Saginaw High School. He also taught English there. The respected educator had a reputation for being a very humble man, to the point that some might think he was “very private,” but when it came to his students’ successes in the classroom or on the field, even in life in general, he was always proud. Those who were his students him say his method of teaching them was not just about curriculum, but also about life, perseverance, and how to be a good person. He was known to always see the best in people, and to live his life as a good example for others.

Gene was born on February 17, 1973, in San Angelo, Texas. As a young man, he graduated from Central High School in 1991. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Education with a minor in Kinesiology from Texas Wesleyan University, a private Methodist university located in Fort Worth, Texas.