Labor Day celebrates the workers who have made America what it is today. And all throughout the country, our public schools are full of some of the hardest-working people I have ever met. Teachers, administrators, support staff, custodians, counselors, teachers aids—they all work some of the longest hours of any professionals around. They invest countless hours in our kids, incliuding long days, weekends, even summer vacations. Most educators are driven by one mission: Making sure students get access to the education and life skills they need to succeed. The infographic below from Busy Teacher was designed to illustrate just how hard our nation’s teachers work.
When contemplating just the right inspirational gift to buy for a teacher you know, consider gifting copies of Chalkboard Champions and Chalkboard Heroes. Each volume is packed with inspirational stories about remarkable educators in American history, and the historical implications of their pioneering work. These books make great gifts for individuals in the teaching profession and those aspiring to become teachers some day. They are also appealing to history buffs and social scientists.
Among the captivating stories in Chalkboard Champions is the story of Charlotte Forten Grimke, an African American born into freedom who volunteered to teach emancipated slaves as the Civil War raged around her. Read the eyewitness account of the Wounded Knee massacre through the eyes of teacher Elaine Goodale Eastman, and educator Mary Tsukamoto, imprisoned in a WWII Japanese internment camp. Read about Mississippi Freedom Summer teacher Sandra Adickes who, together with her students, defied Jim Crow laws to integrate the Hattiesburg Public Library. Marvel at the pioneering work of Anne Sullivan Macy, the teacher of Helen Keller, the efforts of teacher Clara Comstock to find homes for thousands of Orphan Train riders, and the dedication of Jaime Escalante, the East LA educator who proved to that inner city Latino youths could successfully meet the demands of a rigorous curriculum.
In Chalkboard Heroes, read about dedicated educators who were heroes both inside and outside of the classroom, including WWI veteran Henry Alvin Cameron and Civil War veteran Francis Wayland Parker. Learn about teachers who were social reformers such as Dolores Huerta, Civil Rights activist Robert Parris Moses, suffragist Carrie Chapman Catt, and Native American rights advocate Zitkala-Sa, all of whom put themselves at risk to fight for improved conditions for disenfranchised citizens. Discover brave pioneers who took great risks to blaze a trail for others to follow such as Christa McAuliffe, the first teacher in space; Willa Brown Chappell, the aviatrix who taught Tuskegee airmen to fly; Etta Schureman Jones, the Alaskan teacher who was interned in a POW camp in Japan during WWII; and Olive Mann Isbell, who established the first English school in California while the Mexican american War raged around her.
All these remarkable stories and more can be shared with someone you know this Fall.
Sadly, Covid-19 is believed to have claimed the life of educator Nacoma James, a teacher and coach from Oxford, Mississippi. He passed away on Aug. 6, 2020.
Sadly, we announce that Covid-19 is believed to have claimed the life of yet another beloved educator. Nacoma James, a teacher and coach at Lafayette County Schools in Lafayette, Mississippi, passed away on August 6, 2020. He was only 42 years old. He succumbed during the first week of the new school year, while self-quarantining for symptoms that are associated with Covid-19.
Nacoma was born on October 13, 1977, in Webster County, Mississippi. As a teen, he attended Eupora High School in Webster County School District, where he graduated in 1996. After his high school graduation, he enrolled at the University of Mississippi. He earned His Bachelor’s Degree in Mathematics in 2000.
After graduating college, Nacoma accepted a position at Humphrey’s County High School. There he taught math and was an Assistant Football Coach from 2000 to 2003.
Since 2004, James worked as a middle school teacher and coach for Lafayette County School District in Oxford, Mississippi. Over the span of his 16-year career at Lafayette, Nacoma served as an Assistant Football Coach. He also served as the Boys’ Head Basketball Coach from 2012 to 2015. He was also named recently as an Assistant Coach for the Girls’ Powerlifting team.
“He was a great mentor for these young men around here and always had a smile on his face,” declares colleague and Head Football Coach Michael Fair. “We won a state championship together in 2016, and he had so much pride for Lafayette and loves this place so much,” Fair continued. “Just to see that look on his face of accomplishment, I probably won’t forget that, Fair concluded.
To learn more about this beloved educator, see this link to Mississippi Today.
Accomplished bi-lingual education teacher and Florida politician LeAnna Cumber.
Many fine classroom teachers also achieve success in the political arena. One example of this is LeAnna Cumber, an elementary bilingual education teacher who serves as a Councilwoman in Jacksonville, Florida. She also served in the Department of Transportation during the administration of President George W. Bush.
LeAnna was born on February 3, 1973, in Ann Arbor, Michigan. After her high school graduation, she enrolled at the University of Texas, Austin, where she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Government. After her college graduation, LeAnna accepted a position at a shelter for battered women in Nacogdoches, Texas. Next, she taught third grade bilingual education in the Nacogdoches Independent School District. Then she taught in rural east Texas, and then fifth grade bilingual education in the Los Angeles Unified School District.
In 2001, LeAnna completed the requirements for her Juris Doctorate at the University of Southern California. While in law school, the former teacher worked with prisoners at the California Institute of Women. She represented clients in a variety of civil proceedings, including child custody and parole hearings.
As a politician, LeAnna was elected in 2019 to the Jacksonville City Council in Jacksonville, Florida. She represents District 5. Her current term ends in June 2023. As a Councilwoman, she serves as Vice-Chair of the Finance Committee and a member of the Transportation, Energy & Utilities Committee. She also currently serves as President of the San Marco Preservation Society and as a member of Jacksonville’s Children’s Commission. In addition, during the administration of President George W. Bush, LeAnna was selected to serve as a legislative counselor for the Office of Inspector General for the Department of Transportation.
California’s Chuck Davis: Vocational education teacher who was also a conscientious objector, graphic arts expert, and restorer of antique clocks.
There are many talented educators who have led colorful lives outside of the classroom. One of these is Chuck Davis, a vocational education teacher from California who also worked as a forester, a typesetter, and restorer of antique clocks.
Chuck was born Charles Ernest Davis on Feb. 4, 1923, in La Verne, California. After his graduation from Bonita High School in 1941, he enrolled at La Verne College. His father, also named C. Ernest Davis, was serving as the college’s president at the time. During his college years, which spanned World War II, Chuck spent three years in the Civilian Public Service (CPS) as a conscientious objector. There he was involved in forestry work. In the evenings he hand set type and printed the works of several Beat poets who were also stationed at the forestry camp.
When his stint in the CPS was complete, Chuck worked as a printer at the San Dimas Press and a foreman at the San Gabriel Valley Daily Tribune. He also taught printing in the Vocational Education Department at Garfield High School in Los Angeles. In addition to teaching there, Chuck also instructed courses at Los Angeles Trade Technical College for 36 years, and at Los Angeles State College.
When he was 60 years old, Chuck retired. But he was not finished working. He purchased a typesetting and graphic arts photography business, which he ran with his sons Robbie and Alan. He also taught a course in clock repair through Pomona Adult School. In fact, he conducted comprehensive research into Japanese schoolhouse clocks. This research was published in the NAWCC Bulletin in 2009.
Chuck passed away on July 1, 2020. He was 97 years old. To learn more about this amazing educator, follow this link to the Daily Bulletin.
