Innovative educator and physician Maria Montessori

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Innovative educator and physician Maria Montessori advocated classrooms offering freedom of choice, self-motivation, and student autonomy. Her pioneering ideas abut education survive today, in countries all over the world. Photo credit: American Montessori Society

Almost everyone in the field of education has heard of Maria Montessori, the Italian educator and physician who spent a lifetime working towards developing innovative methods of child-centered instruction. Her prescription for education, which includes freedom of choice, self-motivation, and student autonomy, has proven surprisingly effective for many students of all ability levels.

Maria was born August 31, 1870, in the provincial Italian town of Chiaravalle. As a young woman, she broke gender barriers when she enrolled in medical school at the Sapienza University of Rome, where she graduated with honors in 1896. She became one of Italy’s first female doctors. In this role she developed a great interest in working with children who had developmental and physical challenges, and she devoted an entire career to helping them. Little did she know that long after she had left this earth, her strategies would still be used to help all children learn.

Maria opened her first school, which she named the Casa dei Bambini (Children’s House) in Rome on January 6, 1907. In the beginning, the children who attended were difficult to teach, but before long they showed increasing interest in working with puzzles, learning to prepare meals, and manipulating learning materials that Maria had personally designed. She observed how the children absorbed knowledge from their surroundings, essentially teaching themselves. From these observations, Maria developed her pioneering theories regarding educational pedagogy.

In the years that followed, Maria traveled the world and wrote extensively about her approach to education, attracting many followers. Today, there are thousands of Montessori schools in countries all over the globe. Her progressive instructional methods are reproduced in over 22,000 schools in 110 countries in schools that are known as Montessori schools.

Maria Montessori passed away May 6, 1952, in Noorwijk, the Netherlands. To read more about this amazing Chalkboard Champion, see this link at the American Montessori Society.

Mary Abrams: Special Ed teacher and member Connecicut State Senate

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Mary Abrams, a dedicated Special Education teacher from Connecticut, also serves diligently in her State Senate.

There are so many talented educators in our country who have chosen to serve their communities not only in the classroom, but also in political office. One of these is Mary Abrams, a Special Education teacher from Connecticut who also serves diligently in her state Senate.

As a young girl, Mary attended St. Rose School in Newton, Connecticut. She graduated from Francis T. Maloney High School in Meriden, Connecticut. She earned both her Bachelor’s and a Master’s degrees in Special Education, and later a Sixth Year degree in Education Leadership, all from Southern Connecticut State University. Mary has also garnered the Educational Leadership Student Award for Excellence in Practice.

After earning her degrees, Mary taught Special Education for over 25 years before transitioning from the classroom to school administration, where she served for more than a decade both as the Director of Special Education and then as a high school Assistant Principal. In addition to her classroom responsibilities, Mary served on the Democratic Town Committee, the Library Board, the St. Andrews Vestry, and as a Girl Scout leader. She retired from the academic world in 2017, declaring that she will always be an advocate for education.

In November, 2018, Mary was elected on the Democratic ticket to serve in the Connecticut State Senate. She represents the 13th District, which includes Meriden, Cheshire, Middlefield, Middletown, and Rockfall. In the Senate she serves as the Chair for the Committee on Public Health; the Vice Chair of the Committees on Education and Veterans’ Affairs, and a member of the Committees on Aging and Appropriations.

To learn more about Mary Abrams, click on this link to her website.

Berniece T. Hiser: Teacher and author of books on Appalachia

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Berniece T. Hiser, a teacher and author from Kentucky, earned accolades for her books on Appalachia.

Many fine teachers earn accolades in fields outside of education. One of these was Berniece T. Hiser, a schoolteacher from Kentucky, who also achieved notoriety as an author of books on Appalachia.

Berniece was born on April 6, 1908, in Cow Creek, Kentucky. After she earned her degree at Berea College, she taught school in both Kentucky and Indiana.

Berniece published her first book, Quare Do’s in Appalachia: East Kentucky Legends and Memorates, in 1978. The volume is a collection of 30 folktales, ghost stories, and local legends collected by the former educator. Many of the stories included in the collection involve members of her own family. The stories, relayed in dialect, offer interesting details about the lifestyles and attitudes of the Appalachian mountain folk that the author encountered during her youth. The book can be purchased from amazon.

She also published the children’s book The Adventure of Charlie and His Wheat-Straw Hat: A Memporat, illustrated by Mary Szilagyi, in 1986. She chose the Appalachians during the American Civil War for the setting of her story. The plot revolves around a young boy and his grandmother who create a straw hat for the boy to wear to school because they do not have the money to buy one. This book can also be found on amazon.

In her later years, Berniece lived in Walton, Kentucky. She passed away on January 5, 1995. She was interred in Pleasant View Cemetery in Grant County, Kentucky.

 

Rene Plasencia: Educator and member of Florida House of Reps

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Former US Government teacher Rene Plasencia is currently serving in the Florida State House of Representatives.

Many fine educators have also carved out a successful career in politics. One of these is Rene Plasencia, a high school teacher who is currently serving as a representative in the Florida House of Representatives.

Rene was born on January 8, 1973, in Orlando Florida. His mother was Puerto Rican and his father was Cuban. As a youngster, Rene attended Dr. Phillips High School. After his high school graduation, he enrolled at the University of Central Florida on a rack and field scholarship. There he earned his Bachelor’s degree in Psychology in 1996.

Once he earned his degree, Rene accepted a position as a teacher at Colonial High School, where he taught US Government for 15 years.  “I taught in a diverse community filled with hard working families, many of them newly arrived to our Country,” recalls Rene. While teaching at Colonial, the dedicated educator also served as the coach for the track and cross country teams. In 2011 and 2012, his Boys Cross Country teams won back-to-back state championships. These were the first and only titles that the school has earned in any sport. For his work as a coach, Rene was named Florida’s 2011 Cross Country Coach of the Year.

Iin 2015, Rene was elected on the Republican ticket to the Florida House of Representatives, where he served the 49th District from 2014 to 2016. Once that term was completed, he was elected to represent Florida’s 50th District, a position he has held since 2016.

To learn more about Rene Plasencia, see the article about him by Ruth Guerra and published by the GOP.