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.

 

Chalkboard Champion and pioneer Carrie McLain of Alaska

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Chalkboard Champion Carrie McLain of Nome, Alaska, published a slender volume of her memories in Pioneer Teacher: Turn of the Century Classroom in Remote Northwestern Alaska. Photo credit: Public domain

Throughout American history, there are many Chalkboard Champions who were essential in the settling our country’s wilderness territories. One of these was Carrie McLain, a pioneer teacher in the wilderness territory of Nome, Alaska.

Carrie was born on January 26, 1895, in Astoria, Long Island, New York. When she was just a child of ten, her father moved Carrie and her four siblings to the fledgling village of Nome on the ice-crusted coast of northwestern Alaska. There she grew to adulthood and became a neophyte teacher at a pioneer school on the Seward Penninsula. During those years, she also married and reared a family of one son and three daughters.

Carrie tells the fascinating story of her provincial life in Alaska in Pioneer Teacher: Turn of the Century Classroom in Remote Northwestern Alaska. Anyone interested in learning more about her rugged existence on the frigid Alaskan frontier would be interested in reading the slender volume  (it’s only 70 pages, including photographs). The book, published in 1970, can be found on amazon at this link: Pioneer Teacher. She also wrote Gold Rush Nome, which is only 46 pages in length, published in 1969, can also be found on amazon. This book offers a first-hand account of the Alaskan Gold Rush and how it influenced the growth and character of Nome. In addition to Carrie’s text, the volume contains 23 pages of black and white photographs.

This amazing Chalkboard Champion passed away on May 30, 1973, at Palmer Pioneers Home, and was buried in Nome. The of Nome dedicated a community museum in her honor.  The Carrie McLain Museum highlights the history of Nome and Western Alaska. Many of the institution’s more than 15,000 artifacts are relates to gold-rush days, including racks of mining equipment, historical documents, and photo albums.

Mississippi teacher Samara Rand succumbs to Covid-19

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With great sadness we report that high school English teacher Samara Rand of Lexington, Mississippi, succumbed to Covid-19 on November, 19, 2020.  Photo credit: Rory Doyle for the Hechinger Report

With great sadness we report that Covid-19 has claimed the life of yet another talented educator. Samara Rand, a high school English teacher from Lexington, Mississippi, succumbed to the disease on November 19, 2020. She was only 25 years old.

Samara was raised in Holmes County, Mississippi, and lived in Lexington at the time of her passing. In 2017, the young teacher graduated from Alcorn State University in Lorman, Mississippi, summa cum laude. Once she had earned her degree, Samara launched her career as an educator in the Holmes County School District. She was in her second year of teaching.

Last spring, Samara spoke to reporter Bracey Harris of the Hechinger Report about how she was helping her students make it through a tough semester. A dedicated educator, Samara started adapting her lessons for online learning. She reached out to students who weren’t logging in, and she worried about how families would find ways to make graduation special. “Even though some students say they don’t like school, some depend on school as a safe haven,” Samara told the reporter. “Everyone misses it.”

Before being stricken with Covid-19, Samara had not demonstrated any previous health issues, and she was pregnant. About three months ago, as a result of complications from Covid, she began experiencing shortness of breath. Her breathing problems worsened to the degree that doctors decided to deliver her baby so she could be treated. The young educator was placed on a ventilator and never came off. Her baby, now three months old, is being cared for by relatives.

To read more about Samara Rand, click on this link to an article published by the Hechinger Report.