Chicago teacher Olga Quiroga succumbs to Covid-19

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Elementary bilingual education teacher Olga Quiroga of Chicago, Illinois, succumbed to Covid-19 on Oct. 1, 2020. Photo credit: New York Post

We are sad to report that Covid-19 has claimed the life of yet another beloved educator. Olga Quiroga, a bilingual education teacher from Chicago, Illinois, succumbed on October 1, 2020, after a three-week battle with the disease. She was 58 years old.

Olga’s career as an educator spanned three decades. At the time of her passing, she taught bilingual education to first graders at Funston Elementary School. The school offers a comprehensive bilingual/monolingual academic program for students in grades Pre-K through 8th grade.

This compassionate educator said she deliberately chose teaching assignments at schools in lower-income neighborhoods because she believed that is where she was needed most. “My mom [would tell us] … ‘Those are the families that appreciate a good education … If I’m going to make a change,’ that’s where she wanted to start,” remembered Olga’s daughter Giovanna Quiroga.

Colleague Lois LaGalle agreed. “She was never intimidated by authority or school policy,” La Galle recalled. “When she saw a wrong being done to a child or a child’s family … whenever she would see an injustice being done that could be fixed and should be fixed, she never hesitated for a moment to advocate.”

Olga’s patience and passion for helping immigrant students came easy to her, because she herself was an immigrant. She came to the United States with her husband from Tamaulipas, Mexico, in 1985. Once she arrived in this country, Olga took job cleaning houses for $50 per week. She also enrolled in night classes to learn English and to earn her GED. Over time, she earned her Associate’s degree, and then she enrolled at Chicago State University where she earned her Bachelor’s degree.

Olga inaugurated her career in the Chicago Public School system in 1991 as a Reading Instruction Assistant. She served in this role for ten years. In 2001, she earned her certifications in English as a Second Language.

To read more about Olga, see her obituary published in the Chicago Sun Times.

 

Maggi Parker: Teacher, Hollywood celeb, and businesswoman

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New Hampshire elementary teacher Maggi Parker, in her role on Hawaii Five-0.

Many American educators have also earned fame in the entertainment field. One of these is Marjorie Parker, also known as Maggi Parker, an elementary school teacher from New Hampshire who, in her heyday, also earned some notoriety in Hollywood.

Maggi was born in 1927 in Nashua, New Hampshire. As a child, she attended elementary schools in Merrimack. After her 1944 graduation from Nashua High School, she enrolled in Keene State College. There she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Education. She earned her Master’s in Education in School
Administration from Boston University. She also completed some doctoral courses the University of Southern California

Once she completed her education, Maggi taught in elementary schools in New Hampshire and Massachusetts. Then she was hired by the US Air Force, and through them she continued her career as an educator in schools in Tokyo, Madrid, and Mallorca. Later Maggi relocated to Hawaii, where she provided educational services to emotionally disturbed children and adults.

In addition to pursuing her career as an educator in Hawaii, Maggi also accepted roles in various television shows. She appeared in The King Family Show, I Dream of Jeannie, and a Kellogg’s cereal commercial. She also appeared in uncredited roles in Paradise, Hawaiian Style; I Sailed to Tahiti with an All Girl Crew; and Hawaii. In addition, she was cast in Hawaii Five-0. She appeared in 14 episodes of that show in 1968-1969.

Not only is Maggi an excellent educator and a talented actress, but she has also proven to be adept in business ventures as well. She served as the publicity officer for the Friends of the Iolani Palace, the former official residence of Hawaiian royalty. She was instrumental in acquiring palace furnishings. She also worked for the royal family for many years.

Maggi, who is now 93 years old, currently lives in the Waikiki neighborhood of Honolulu in Hawaii.

To learn more about this amazing educator, see this link to New Hampshire’s History Blog.

Wisconsin Special Ed teacher Koren Jackson earns top state honors

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Koren Jackson, a high school Special Education teacher from Milwaukee, is one of five educators selected for their state’s top honors as Wisconsin Teacher of the Year. (Photo credit: Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction)

I always enjoy sharing stories about excellent teachers who have been recognized for their work in the classroom. One of these is Koren Jackson, a high school Special Education teacher from Milwaukee, who is one of five educators who have earned their state’s honors as Wisconsin Teachers of the Year.

Koren has been employed at Milwaukee Transition High School in the Milwaukee Public School District since 1999. She works with post-expulsion or adjudicated students.To help her students succeed, Koren created a project-based curriculum which gives them multiple opportunities to earn credits towards graduation. In addition to her classroom responsibilities, Koren does volunteer work for the Milwaukee Hunger Task Force and the Wisconsin Special Olympics.

Koren has earned other accolades in addition to her state’s top honors. She has been recognized as one of 86 stellar Wisconsin educators to earn a place in the Herb Kohl Educational Foundation’s Teacher Fellowship Program. The program honors and supports teaching excellence and innovation across the state. The honorees were selected by a diverse committee to represent voices, contexts, and perspectives as educational leaders throughout Wisconsin.

Koren earned her Bachelor’s degree in Physical Education and Health at Carroll College in Milwaukee in 1996. She completed the requirements for her post-baccalaureate certification in Special Education (learning disabilities and emotional behavioral disabilities) from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 2002. She earned her Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis in Special Education from Concordia University in 2012. In addition, in 2018, Koren earned an alternative education certification from Concordia University.

In addition to Koren, the other four who were selected as Wisconsin Teachers of the Year were Trisha Kilpin, Brooke Kintzle, Derrick Meyer, and Susan Richardson.

To learn more about Koren, see this link to the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.

Marie Poulson: Teacher and member of Utah House of Reps

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Marie Poulson, former high school English and History teacher, has also served her community in the Utah House of Representatives.  Photo credit: mariepoulson.org

Many fine educators go on to distinguished careers in politics. One of these is Marie Poulson, a high school English and History teacher who has also served her community in the Utah House of Representatives.

Marie was born and raised in Springville, Utah. After her graduation from Springville High School, she enrolled at Brigham Young University,  where she earned her Bachelor’s degree in both English and History. She also earned her teacher’s credentials there.

After teaching one year at Provo High School, Marie moved with her husband to first San Francisco, California, and then to Germany. When she returned from Germany in 1990, Marie resumed her career as an educator. She taught English and History first at Mount Jordan Middle School in Sandy, then Bingham High School in South Jordan, and finally at Riverton High School in Riverton. Marie’s career in Utah’s public schools has spanned 16 years.

In 2008, the former teacher was elected on the Democratic ticket to serve in the Utah House of Representatives to serve the 46th district. She has served in this role since January 1, 2009. During her tenure in the House, the former teacher served on the House Education Committee; the Public Education Appropriations Subcommittee; the House Ethics Committee; the Health Reform Task Force; and the House Political Subdivisions Committee. She also served on the Veterans’ and Military Affairs Commission.

In addition to her career as a teacher and her work as a politician, Marie has served as a scout leader, a school volunteer, and a coach. She has also organized canned food drives for the Utah Food Bank and made several trips to New Orleans to aid Hurricane Katrina victims.

Quick-thinking by Michigan teacher Julia Koch saves a life

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When Michigan teacher Julia Koch spoke to the grandparent of one of her students on the telephone, she noticed something alarming in the older woman’s speech. What the teacher did next saved the grandparent’s life. Photo credit: CNN.

When Michigan teacher Julia Koch spoke to the grandparent of one of her students on the telephone during a virtual lesson, she noticed something alarming in the older woman’s speech. What the teacher did next saved the grandparent’s life.

Julia Koch, a first grade teacher at Edgewood Elementary School in Muskeegan Heights, Michigan, was teaching her virtual class on September 22 when she received a call from Cynthia Phillips, the grandparent of one of her students. Cynthia had called to say she was having difficulties with the technology, but during the conversation Julia noticed something alarming about the grandparent’s speech.

“It was clear there was something very wrong,” Julia remembered. “Her words were so jumbled, and I couldn’t understand what she was trying to say. She didn’t sound like herself.” The teacher immediately called her principal, Charlie Lovelady, who then directed a staff member to call 911 while she spoke to Cynthia on the phone.
“I noticed her speech was impaired, and I asked her if she was all right, and she was stumbling over her words and it was getting worse by the minute,” the principal told a reporter from CNN. “I knew the symptoms of a stroke because I lost my father from a stroke, so I told her hold on and immediately got her help.”
An ambulance was dispatched to the student’s home, but Lovelady asked two staff member to drive to the Phillips home to make sure the children were cared for during the medical crisis.
“I would have died if it weren’t for the teacher being so quick and fast about getting me help,” Cynthia said from her hospital bed. “It made me so close to the staff and the principal, even the secretary who hurried to get me on the phone with the principal. They showed up at my house to make sure I’m okay,” she said through her tears. “I thank God I didn’t die in front of my kids.”
Not many educators can say they have helped saved a life. Julia Koch and Charlie Lovelady: Two true Chalkboard Heroes.
To read more about this story, see this link at CNN.