Nebraska’s Megan Helberg named her state’s 2020 Teacher of the Year

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Nebraska’s Megan Helberg named her state’s 2020 Teacher of the Year.

I enjoy sharing stories about educators who have earned accolades for their innovation in the classroom. One of these is Megan Helberg, an English teacher from Burwell, Nebraska.

Megan grew up on a ranch in the Nebraska Sandhills. She graduated from Loup County Public School in Taylor, a rural district with a PK-12 enrollment of only about 70 students.

Megan earned her Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Chadron State College in Chadron, Nebraska. She earned her teaching certificate through the Transition to Teach program at the University of Nebraska, Kearney.

Megan inaugurated her career as an educator at Papillion La Vista Community Schools in the Omaha metro area. Currently, she teaches English and Language Arts to grades 8, 11, and 12 at Burwell Junior/Senior High School in Burwell, Nebraska. She has taught there since 2010.

In addition to her classroom responsibilities, Megan serves as a Burwell Public School Leader in Technology Educator. She also served a stint as a Museum Teacher Fellow in Washington, DC. In 2013, Megan earned a grant from Fund for Teachers. She used the grant money to visit Holocaust sites in Poland, Germany, and the Czech Republic. She also purchased educational materials for her classroom. “That’s really what started the Holocaust education program at our school,” recalled Megan. For her efforts, the innovative educator was named a Museum Teacher Fellow with the US Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2016.

To learn more about this talented educator, follow this link to the online story published by the University of Nebraska, Kearney.

California’s Jacob Jun named an Amazon Future Engineer Teacher of the Year

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Computer science teacher Jacob Jun from Gonzales, California, is one of ten educators who has garnered an Amazon Future Engineer Teacher of the Year award.

Ten exceptional educators from around the country have garnered a Future Engineer Teacher of the Year Award from Amazon. One of these is Jacob Jun, a computer science teacher at Gonzales High School in Gonzales, Monterey County, California. The honored educator was recognized for going above and beyond for his students to build skills in computer science, and for promoting diversity and inclusion in his classes. 

One of Jacob’s goals as a teacher has been a campaign to recruit girls to enroll in his course. “In this classroom, you…are all worthy,” asserts Jacob. “You can all do this.” As a result, of his effort, girls now account for about half the student enrollment in his classes. “The girls in the classroom have really changed the landscape, and we have a broader perspective, students from various backgrounds speaking out,” declares Jacob. “It challenges the way I normally operate.”

Each of the ten award-winning teachers received a prize package valued at over $50,000 to be used to benefit his or her school and students.

Jacob earned an Associate of Arts degree in General Studies from Hartnell Community College in Salinas, California, in 2002. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Journalism from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, in 2006. He launched his career as an educator as a teacher of English in Seoul, South Korea. He spent one year there. The next year, Jacob worked as an Assistant Supervising Editor at Korea Poly High. There he edited curriculum used in teaching English to South Korean foreign language students. While in this role, he created an outline for a series of elementary school grammar textbooks and he authored a book in the series. He also performed final edits and oversaw the handling of publishing materials, and he worked with the department head to develop computer safeguards and to create a budget for media storage. He also spent two years as an ROP Instructor and EdTech Coach at Mission Trails ROP, where he built a program that involved hands-on training in a professional studio for students looking to gain experience in the field of cinema arts and TV media. He has taught at Gonzales High School for the past three years.

To read more about Jacob Jun, see this article published in the Californian.

 

Teacher and poet Josephine Heard of the Carolinas

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Teacher and published poet Josephine Heard of the Carolinas.

There are many talented educators who have become celebrated authors. One of these is Josephine Heard, an early 19th century schoolteacher who taught in Mayesville, South Carolina. In addition to teaching, she was also a celebrated poet.

Josephine Delphine Henderson was born in Salisbury, North Carolina, on October 11, 1861, just after the outbreak of the Civil War. Her parents, Lafayette and Annie Henderson, were slaves. After the war was won and the Emancipation achieved, the Hendersons worked hard to ensure a quality education for their daughter. Josephine, who could read by the age of five, started school in Charlotte, North Carolina, and was later enrolled in historically black Scotia Seminary in nearby Concord. To earn her college degree, she attended college at Bethany Institute in upstate New York. Upon graduation, Josephine accepted her first teaching position at the elementary school located in Mayesville, South Carolina.

In 1882, when the young educator was 21, she married William Henry Heard from Georgia, also a teacher and a former slave. Later William became a prominent minister in the AME Church. The pair traveled the world together, including Liberia, as part of his work for the church.

In addition to being a dedicated teacher, Josephine was also a gifted poet. In 1890, she published her book Morning Glories, a collection of 72 poems. Her book is currently in the public domain, and can be accessed online through the Hathi Trust at Morning Glories. Although Josephine passed away in Philadelphia in 1921, her spirit lives on in her poetry.

To learn more about this amazing teacher, click on this link: AAWW Biographies.

Minnesota’s Nicole Peterson earns SHAPE America Teacher of the Year Award

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Minnesota dance and physical education teacher Nicole Peterson of West Fargo, North Dakota, has earned a 2019 SHAPE America Teacher of the Year Award.

One of the most amazing physical education teachers I have heard about is Nicole Peterson, a dance and physical education teacher from West Fargo, North Dakota. She was named a SHAPE America National Teacher of the Year in 2019. Award honorees are selected in response to their outstanding programs in adapted physical education, dance education, health education, and physical education.

Nicole received a crystal apple, flowers, a gift from her West Fargo Public School District and the local school board, and a $500 check from the West Fargo Educational Foundation. “I just want to give back to the community what I got out of this [city] and high school,” Nicole expressed. “I really like who I work with, my co-workers and the administration are all great. The culture of the school here is amazing and challenging all at the same time,” she concluded. In addition to her SHAPE Award, Nicole was named the 2018-2019 West Fargo Public Schools Teacher of the Year

Nicole teaches dance and physical education at West Fargo High School in West Fargo. In fact, she teaches at her alma mater. She graduated from West Fargo High in 1996. The honored educator has held that position for the past 16 years. Prior to West Fargo, she taught health and physical education in Henning, Minnesota.

Nicole earned her Bachelor’s degree from Concordia College in Health and Physical Education from Moorhead, Minnesota, in 2000. She earned her Master’s degree from North Dakota in Curriculum and Instruction in 2013.

To read more about Nicole, see this article published in the West Fargo Pioneer.

Jill Biden: Educator and wife of presidential candidate

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Jill Biden: Educator, former Second Lady of the United States, and wife of current presidential candidate Joe Biden.

Many dedicated and talented educators also make excellent politicians. This is true of Jill Biden, a former high school English teacher who has also served as the Second Lady of the United States. She is the wife of Joe Biden, the Democratic candidate currently running for the office of President of the United States.

Jill was born on June 3, 1951, in Hammonton, New Jersey. She was raised in Willow Grove, Pennsylvania. After she graduated from Upper Moreland High School in Montgomery County, Pennsylvnia, in 1969, Jill earned her Bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Delaware (1975). She earned two Master’s degrees, one in English from West Chester University in Pennsylvania and one in Education from Villanova University in Pennsylvania. She completed the requirements for her PhD in Education from the University of Delaware.

After earning her degrees, Jill accepted a position teaching English and reading in high school. She taught for three years at Claymont High School in Delaware, and then at Brandywine High School in Wilmington, Delaware (1991-1993). For five years she taught adolescents with emotional disabilities at Rockford Center  Psychiatric Hospital.

From 1993 to 2008, Jill taught English and writing at Delaware Technical & Community College. Since 2009, she has worked as a professor of English at Northern Virginia community College.

When her husband was elected to serve as the Vice President under the Obama Administration, Jill continued to teach full time. She is believed to be the only Second Lady in history to hold down a full-time job while serving as Second lady. Despite her workload in the classroom, Jill still found time for public service. During her husband’s term, which spanned the years from 2009 to 2017, the hardworking educator co-founded the Book Buddies program and the Biden Foundation. She also spearheaded a nonprofit organization to support women’s health and another to support military families.

Currently, Jill is engaged in campaigning for her husband as he runs for the office of President of the United States. If her husband is elected, would Jill continue teaching in addition to her role as First Lady? “I would love to. If we get to the White House, I’m going to continue to teach,” Biden said during a CBS Sunday morning interview. “And I want people to value teachers and know their contributions and to lift up the profession.”

Click on this link by ABC News to learn more about Jill Biden’s work in the current campaign.