Mary Allen West of Illinois: Educator, pioneer, and journalist

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Mary Allen West of Illinois worked tirelessly as an educator, journalist, author, and temperance worker. Photo credit: Public Domain.

Many talented educators serve as pioneers in fields both within and outside of the education community. One of these was Mary Allen West, an Illinois teacher who worked tirelessly as a journalist, author, and temperance worker.

Mary was born on July 13, 1837, in Galesburg, Illinois. Her parents were pioneers who journeyed west from New York. As a child, Mary was described as healthy, vigorous, and studious. She matured early, both mentally and physically.

She was only 13 years old when she passed the examinations that qualified her to enter Knox Female Seminary. Surprisingly, she taught school for two years at Robbins School in Sparta Township until she was old enough to enter the school. She graduated two years after that, at age 17. Immediately after graduation, Mary began to teach school, which she had declared to be her life work. Successful in teaching and influential in educational circles, Mary earned a reputation as a “lady of grit, grace, and gumption.

When the Civil War broke out, many former slaves arrived at the a local school for African Americans, hoping to learn to read. Mary became their teacher. Often her class had more than 100 students of all ages. In addition to her classroom responsibilities, Mary worked tirelessly to organize women into local aid societies to assist the Sanitary Commission. She also entered the field of journalism, which was uncommon for women in her day. She edited Home Magazine in the state of Illinois. The former teacher also served as the first president of the Illinois Women’s Press Association. She also authored a book entitled Childhood, It’s Care and Culture, which was published in 1892. You can view the entire text of the book at this link to the Hathi Trust Digital Library.

Later Mary devoted her considerable energy to the Women’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU), where she became a hardworking proponent of temperance. She helped to organize the women of Illinois to this cause, and eventually was named the WCTU’s state president.

The exact date of her death is not known, but this Chalkboard Champion passed away in Japan in 1892, where she had gone to advance the cause of temperance. This Chalkboard Champion is buried in Hope Cemetery, Galesburg. To read more about Mary Allen West, see this link at the Galesburg Register Mail.

Maureen Stover named 2021 National Teacher of the Year finalist

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Maureen Stover, a science educator from North Carolina, has been named one of four finalists for 2021 National Teacher of the Year. Photo credit: Cumberland County Schools.

I enjoy sharing stories about exceptional educators who have garnered honors for their work in the classroom. One of these is Maureen Stover, a science educator from North Carolina, who has been named one of four finalists for 2021 National Teacher of the Year.

Currently, Maureen teaches biology, earth science, environmental science, and AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) at Cumberland International Early College High School in Cumberland County Schools located in Fayetteville, North Carolina. She has taught there for five years.

Maureen says she wants her students to be able to make informed decisions in a world where they’ll interact with science every day. “I want to ensure that my students are prepared to talk about science, to read about science, to understand science, and to make decisions based on science,” Maureen said. “It will be important for each of my students to develop the ability to apply their science knowledge to a variety of situations, from understanding a doctor’s diagnosis to determining the environmental impact of a purchase as simple as a one-time-use water bottle,” she continued.
The honored educator uses a variety of approaches to teach her students, including reading activities, videos, direct instruction, teacher presentations, podcasts, and hands-on learning. She evaluates students with non-traditional performance assessments that display students’ preferred learning styles. For one unit, she said, students worked in pairs to write a song or a poem to demonstrate their understanding of the material. One student played her ukulele; another played her flute. “Because students had an opportunity to show their knowledge by developing their own project,” Maureen explained, “they took ownership of the assignment and were excited to demonstrate their knowledge of the concept.”
Maureen once said that her dream was to join the US Air Force and become a pilot. Unfortunately, a vision condition prevented her from achieving that goal. Instead, she served as an intelligence officer. She spent a total of 20 years in the military.
When Maureen left the Air Force, she started teaching in Florida through the federal Troops to Teachers program. After a stint in California where she worked as an educational consultant for the National Science Teaching Association, Maureen and her husband moved to Fayetteville, North Carolina, where the former Air Force officer accepted a teaching position at Cumberland International Early College High School. She has taught there for five years.

In 1997, Maureen earned her Bachelor’s degree in Biology at the US Air Force Academy. She earned a Leadership Certificate with an emphasis in STEM from Teachers College at New York’s Columbia University in 2016. The same year, she completed the requirements for her Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis in STEM at Adams State University in Alamosa, Colorado. In 2020, she earned her Master’s degree in Teaching: Secondary Sciences Instruction from Western Governors University in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Congrats on your selection as a Teacher of the Year finalist, Maureen!

Teacher, principal, and actress Kami Cotler, Elizabeth of The Waltons

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Kami Cotler is probably best known for her role as Elizabeth on the hit show The Waltons. After ten years on the program, she became a teacher and principal in California. Photo credit: MeTV.

I often discover dedicated educators who have also earned acclaim in Hollywood. One such teacher is Kami Cotler, who is known to many as the actress who played Elizabeth Walton on the television series The Waltons.

Kami was born on June 17, 1965, in Long Beach, California. Kami was only seven years old when she landed the role of the youngest Walton child on The Waltons. She spent ten years of her childhood on the show, and she has returned to Hollywood to portray Elizabeth in each of the show’s reunion movies. In addition, she occasionally makes speeches and personal appearances.

As a young woman, Kami earned her Bachelor’s degree in Social Sciences from the University of California, Berkeley. Once she completed her education, she launched her career as an educator at a small rural school in the Blue Ridge Mountains near Charlottesville, Virginia. There she taught for ALPHA, an interdisciplinary alternative program designed to assist at-risk high school students.

In 2001, Kami returned to California where she accepted a position as a teacher at Environmental Charter High School in Lawndale, a suburb of Los Angeles. She taught ninth grade there. In 2004, the former actress became the Co-Director of the Ocean Charter School, a position she held until 2007. That year she inaugurated her own business as a consultant. Later she served as the Principal of Environmental Charter Middle School located in Los Angeles County. The school is part of a network of free public schools in underserved communities of south Los Angeles that prepares students for four-year college. The school’s instructional program offers a focus on experiential learning and uses the environment to engage students and prepare them to become leaders in their communities. Kami has also served as a Board Member of the American Montessori Society.

To learn more about this remarkable educator, see this interview published by MeTV.

Miami teacher Lizbet Martinez: She came to the US on a raft

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Florida music educator Lizbet Martinez fled the repressive Castro regime and came to the United States on a raft when she was just a child. Photo credit: The Buffalo News.

Many dedicated educators can share a personal history of overcoming great adversity. One is Lizbet Martinez, an elementary school teacher who, when she was just a child, fled the repressive Castro regime to come to the United States on a raft.

Lizbet was only 12 years old when she braved the dangers of the sea to immigrate to this country from her home island of Cuba on nothing more than a raft. She was one of more than 30,000 Cubans who made this treacherous journey during what is known as the “balsero crisis” of 1994. Lizbet and her family were plucked from the waters by the US Coast Guard on Aug. 21, 1994. At the time, the child was clutching a violin case, which the Americans discussed confiscating because they believed the case might contain a weapon. To prove them wrong, Lizbet opened the case, pulled out her violin, and began to play The Star Spangled Banner. Before the family fled the Castro regime in Cuba, she was studying violin at Alejandro Garcia Caturla Conservatory in Havana.  After their rescue, the Martinez family and other refugees spent five months at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base before being relocated to Miami.

When she grew up, Lizbet enrolled at Florida International University in Miami. There she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Music Education in 2003. Cuban-American singer Willy Chirino offered her with a $3,000 scholarship to help pay for her college expenses. At her college graduation, she was asked to performed the national anthem to open the commencement ceremonies. Later, Lizbet performed with music stars Gloria Estefan and Jon Secada. She also performed for President Bill Clinton and George H. Bush.

The aspiring teacher completed her student teaching assignment at Emerson Elementary School located in Westchester, Florida, and at Coral Reef High School in Miami. At the grade school, she taught basic music skills. At the high school, a magnet school for teenagers interested in music, she conducted the string orchestra.

Lizbet became a teacher at Emerson Elementary school. She also taught at M.A. Milam K-8 Center, where she was a music instructor until budget cuts cancelled the school;s music program. She then taught English.

To read more about this remarkable educator, see this story published by The Buffalo News.