NM Special Ed teacher Leo Lugo succumbs to Covid-19

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With sadness, we report that New Mexico Special Education teacher Leo Lugo succumbed to  Covid-19 on  Oct. 6, 2020. Photo credit: El Paso Times.

With great sadness we announce that yet another educator has succumbed to Covid-19. Leo Lugo, a Special Education teacher in New Mexico, passed away on Oct. 6, 2020. He was 56 years old.

Leo worked at Chaparral High School in the Gadsden Independent School District. Chaparral is a small, unincorporated community near the Texas city of El Paso. The military installations of Fort Bliss and White Sands Missile Range are nearby.

Although his career as an educator spanned only one year, he made a positive impact on his students. Victoria Lopez, Principal of Chaparral High, recalled that he was a very kind and caring individual who truly wanted the best for his students.

Friend Jacqueline Bravo agreed. “He would always say, ‘echele ganas,’ which means keep going. He would always be like, ‘echele ganas’ Jackie, like you can, you can do it, like we’re almost done and stuff like that,” she remembered. ” think he would want to be remembered as someone–like a good representative of El Paso, and not only that, but a very strong motivating and uplifting man,” she continued.

Before his career as an educator, Leo worked for several Spanish language radio stations, including Estrella 103.1-FM. His career as a radio personality lasted for more than 20 years.

To read more about Leo Lugo, click on this link to his story published by the El Paso Times.

 

First Lady Michelle Obama speaks about great teachers…

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Former First Lady Michelle Obama reflects on the importance of great teachers.

“We all remember the impact a special teacher had on us—a teacher who refused to let us fall through the cracks: who pushed us and believed in us when we doubted ourselves; who sparked in us a lifelong curiosity and passion for learning. Decades later, we remember the way they made us feel and the things they inspired us to do—how they challenged us and changed our lives. So it’s not surprising that studies show us that the single most important factor affecting students’ achievement is the caliber of teachers,” expressed former First Lady Michelle Obama.

“When we think about the outstanding qualities that make an outstanding teacher—boundless energy and endless patience; vision and a sense of purpose; the creativity to help us see the world in a different way; commitment to helping us discover and fulfill our potential—we realize: These are also the qualities of a great leader,” she said.

First Lady Lou Hoover: Teacher and supporter of public schools

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First Lady Lou Hoover, former third grade teacher and supporter of public schools.

Many of America’s presidential wives have had experience as public school teachers. One of these is Lou Henry Hoover, the wife of President Herbert Hoover, the 31st leader of our nation.

Lou Henry was born in Waterloo, Iowa, but spent much of her childhood moving from state to state. In addition to Iowa, she lived in Texas, Kansas, and California. After she graduated from high school, Lou Henry enrolled at the Los Angeles Normal School, now known as the University of California, Los Angeles. Later she transferred to San Jose Normal School, now known as San Jose State University. She earned her teaching credential in 1893. She also earned a degree in geology from Stanford University in California.

Herbert Hoover met Lou Henry while they were both attending Stanford University. Before enrolling there, she had been employed as a third grade teacher, and she had originally planned a long career in education. Her plans changed, however, when she decided to marry and travel abroad with her husband.

After he was elected president in 1928, President Hoover and the First Lady, who were both avid readers, were dismayed to discover that the White House Library established by First Lady Abigail Fillmore had disintegrated due to neglect. Reconstructing the White House library became one of the projects of their administration.

In August, 1929, Lou and the president discovered a community of impoverished Appalachian families near their summer retreat that was unable to provide a school for their children. The couple decided to establish, in secret, a school for the local mountain children, as well as a small residence for the teacher they hired to instruct them. The teacher was Christine Vest, a graduate of Berea College. The school was opened on Feb. 24, 1930, and came to be known as “The President’s Mountain School.” Lou visited the school frequently, picnicking with the children and chatting with their parents.

Lou was exceedingly proud of her efforts to help the underprivileged gain an education. “We believe that the democratic influence of a good public school in a good community gives a much better training than the unavoidable exclusiveness of even the best private schools,” the First Lady once expressed.

In addition to supporting the community school, Lou became a lifelong supporter of the Girl Scouts and their programs for outdoor camping and education. She was also instrumental in the era’s movement to expand opportunities for women in athletic activities.

To learn more about this amazing First Lady, see her biography at the National First Ladies Libraray.

LBJ: Our 36th American President and a former ESL teacher

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President Lyndon B. Johnson, our nation’s 36th president, was a teacher for English-language learners in Texas before he went to Washington, DC.

The role of Lyndon B. Johnson as our nation’s 36th president is well-known, but did you know that he used to be a school teacher? Before he launched his career in politics and went to Washington, DC, LBJ taught English language learners at a junior high school in Texas.

In 1928, LBJ needed a way to pay for his education at Southwest Texas State College. To do this, he accepted a position as a teacher at Welhausen School in Cotulla, Texas, a town on the US southern border. There he taught English as a second language to Spanish-speaking junior high school students.

Despite the language barrier between himself and his students, the future president proved to be an enthusiastic and inspirational teacher, organizing speech and debate tournaments and other activities to help the youngsters learn English. “I shall never forget the faces of the boys and the girls in that little Welhausen Mexican School,” Johnson once remarked. “I remember even yet the pain of realizing and knowing then that college was closed to practically every one of those children because they were too poor. And I think it was then that I made up my mind that this nation could never rest while the door to knowledge remained closed to any American,” he said.

When LBJ became president in 1963, he didn’t forget his days as an educator. While in office, he passed the Elementary and Secondary Education Act in 1965. The legislation granted federal aid to students in elementary grades to achieve his goal of ensuring that every child received a quality education.

To read LBJ’s own words about his teaching experiences, follow this link to “LBJ the Teacher” on Humanities Texas.