Charlotte Stephens of Arkansas: Teacher and trailblazer

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Charlotte Stephens, pictured above, was the first African American teacher in Little Rock, Arkansas. 

Many fine educators are notable for their “firsts.” One of these was trailblazer Charlotte Stephens, the first African American to teach school in Little Rock, Arkansas.

Charlotte was born into slavery in 1854 in Little Rock. After the end of the Civil War, in 1869, she inaugurated her career as an educator when she became a substitute for her own teacher, who had fallen ill near the end of the school year. Charlotte was only 15 years old at the time.  At the end of her first full year of teaching, Charlotte used her savings to travel to Ohio, where she completed courses in pedagogy at Oberlin College. There she studied Latin, geometry, the history of Rome, music, English, and the Bible. For three years she continued to perfect her craft, returning intermittently to Little Rock to teach and earn additional money to pay for her courses.

Charlotte’s career included 30 years as an elementary school teacher, 30 as a high school teacher, and 10 as a teacher librarian in both high school and junior college. In all, Charlotte’s career spanned an astonishing 70 years before her retirement at age 85 in 1939. Among her most notable students were African American composers Florence Price and William Grant Still.

This Chalkboard Champion passed away on December 17, 1951. In 1910, Stephens Elementary School in Little Rock was named in her honor. To read more about her, see this article published in the Encyclopedia of Arkansas.

 

Nevada’s Juliana Urtubrey: Finalist for 2021 National Teacher of the Year

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Congratulations are due to Nevada educator Juliana Urtubrey. She has been named one of four finalists for the 2021 National Teacher of the Year Award. Photo credit: University of Arizona College of Education.

Congratulations are due to Nevada educator Juliana Urtubrey. She has been named one of four finalists for the 2021 National Teacher of the Year Award. She is the first Latina from Nevada to be selected as a finalist for the award.

Juliana works as a hybrid educator at Kermit R. Booker, Sr., Innovative Elementary School in the Clark Coiunty Public School District in Las Vegas, Nevada. There she serves as a co-teacher in pre-kindergarten through fifth-grade special education settings and as an instructional strategist developing school-wide Multi-Tiered System of Supports for academic, social-emotional, and behavioral interventions.

Before Juliana worked at Booker, she taught special education in the resource setting at Crestwood Elementary School. There the honored educator earned the nickname “Ms. Earth” in response to her work in beautifying her school and community with gardens and murals.

In addition to her classroom responsibilities, Juliana is a National Board for Professional Teaching Standards Teacher Fellow, a Nevada Teach Plus Senior Policy Fellow, an Understood Teacher Fellow and mentor, a Nevada Department of Education Superintendent Teacher Advisory Cabinet member, a National Board Network of Accomplished Minoritized Educators founding Board member, and a learning facilitator with the Nevada National Board Professional Learning Institute.

For her work in the field of education, Juliana has earned many accolades. She is a recipient of the 2019 Chicanos por La Causa Esperanza Latina Teaching Award; a recipient of the 2019 Hispanic Education Association of Nevada Teacher of the Year; and a 2018 Roger’s Foundation Heart of Education Winner.

Juliana earned her Bachelor’s degree in Bilingual Elementary Education in 2009 and her Master’s degree in Special Bilingual Education in 2011, both from the University of Arizona. In addition, she is a National Board-Certified Teacher (Exceptional Needs Specialist, Early Childhood and Young Adults).

To read more about this exceptional educator, see the article about her published by the State of Nevada Department of Education.

Teacher Sondra Erickson serves in Minnesota House of Reps

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Retired high school English teacher Sondra Erickson also serves in the Minnesota House of Representatives. Photo credit: www.sondraerickson.com.

Many excellent teachers achieve success in fields other than education. One of these is Sondra Erickson, a retired teacher who also served as a state legislator in the Minnesota State House of Representatives.

Sondra was born on March 2, 1942, in Ada, Minnesota. She was raised in Taft, North Dakota. She graduated from Hillsboro High School, and then from Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota, earning her Bachelor’s degree in English in 1964. She attended graduate school at the University of St. Thomas in Saint Paul, Minnesota, from 1968 to 1970.

After she earned her degrees, Sondra taught high school English at Princeton High School, a public school located in Princeton, Minnesota. Her career as an educator spanned 35 years.

Sondra was first elected to represent District 16A and 17A in the state legislature on the Republican ticket in 1998. She was re-elected in 2000, 2002, 2004, and 2006, and served until 2008. Since 2013, she has represented District 15A in the Minnesota House of Representatives. Sondra carried her interest in educational matters with her into her new position. She worked tirelessly on the Committees for Education Policy; Education Finance; Higher Education Finance and Policy; Ethics; and Taxes. In addition to her work in the legislature, the talented educator served on the Minnesota Board of Teaching from 1992 to 1997, bringing her “students first” philosophy to the table. Currently, Sondra says her focus is to open doors for high quality teachers of color.

In addition to her responsibilities as a legislator, Sondra is a member of American Legion Auxiliary, Civic Betterment Club, Central Minnesota Republican Women, and Farm Bureau.

To read more about Chalkboard Politician Sondra Erickson, see her website at www.sondraerickson.com.

Retired Oregon teacher Kris Field-Eaton serves her community

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Oregon teacher Kris Field-Eaton has worked diligently since her retirement to improve her community. For her efforts, she has earned a DKG community service award. Photo credit: Bethlehem House of Bread.

Many retired teachers continue to make a significant impact on their community, even after they have left the classroom. One of these is Kris Field-Eaton of Sherwood, Oregon, who has just been named the recipient of a DKG 2020 community service award.

Kris taught for 33 years in the Sherwood School District in her home town of Sherwood. There she worked as the Talented and Gifted (TAG) Program Director. During the years she spent in the classroom, she also worked tirelessly to establish school gardens and to foster a chess program in each of the District’s schools.

Since her retirement, Kris has donated countless hours to the community service organization Bethlehem House of Bread. Her most recent effort has been to create a community garden and to work diligently to establish a food pantry that is open seven days a week. She serves on the leadership team for Bethlehem House. She also volunteers at the Tigard Public Library and the Oregon Food Bank. In addition, Kris plays flute in the One More Time Around Again Marching Band, a group of more than 400 musicians that is based in Portland, Oregon.

For her significant contributions to her city, Kris has been awarded the 2020 Service to Community Award by the organization Delta Kappa Gamma (DKG). DKG is an organization for teachers that works to improve professional preparation, to recognize women’s work in the teaching profession, and to fund scholarships for those who need support to improve their professional skills.

To read more about this Chalkboard Champion, see this article about her published by The Times supported by the Pamplin Media Group.