Here is a short video below by author and retired teacher Terry Lee Marzell. She describes a remarkable Civil War-era teacher, Charlotte Forten Grimke. This Chalkboard champion, born into a free Black family, went to the South to teach emancipated slaves, even though the Civil War was raging all around her. Watch to learn more:
Debbie Grashin of Columbus, Ohio, was named one of ten Amazon Future Engineer Teacher of the Year award.
This year, ten amazing teachers from around the country have garnered an Amazon Future Engineer Teacher of the Year Award from Amazon. One of these is Debbie Grashin in Columbus, Ohio. This is the first year Amazon has award the prestigious award.
Debbie teaches computer science and math at KIPP High School. KIPP stands for the Knowledge is Power Program, a national network of public charter schools that opened a middle school in Columbus in 2008, followed by a high school in 2016. KIPP schools focus on educating students from under-served communities and preparing them for success in college. Debbie is a big believer in the program. “I liked the idea of being a part of something that was building and being able to work from the ground up,” she declared. “I liked their mission that they are creating a college prep-like school for students in communities where their local public school choice is just not a very good option for them.”
Debbie says she feels a great deal of gratitude for the Amazon award. “It means so much to me to know that the work I have been doing to build a growing computer science department for my students, who are traditionally underrepresented in CS fields, is valued by Amazon and the larger community,” she remarked. “I am grateful for the Amazon Future Engineers program for the work you do to increase access to computer science education for students from under-served communities,” she concluded.
Each of the ten honored educators received a prize package valued at over $50,000 to be used to benefit his or her school and students. Of that, Amazon donated $25,000 in school supplies, including Amazon Fire HD 8 Tablets, classroom essentials from AmazonBasics, and additional items from Amazon Essentials. Award recipients also received one full year of Amazon Music Unlimited and a 12-month Audible.com Gold Gift Membership. Debbie and her fellow award-winners also received a $200 Amazon gift card to celebrate her hard work.
To read more about Debbie Grashin, see this online story at Columbus Parent.
New York City math teacher and principal Tadashi Tsufura spent several years of his childhood in a WWII Japanese internment camp.
There are many talented educators who are stellar teachers largely because they have overcome tough personal circumstances themselves. One of these was Tadashi Tsufura, a math teacher and principal in New York City who spent several years of his childhood in a Japanese internment camp during World War II.
Tadashi was born on September 17, 1930, in Los Angeles, California. He was the third son of a Buddhist minister and a teacher who immigrated to the United States from Japan.
The youngster’s life changed dramatically on December 7, 1941, when Pearl Harbor was attacked by the Empire of Japan. Prejudice against Japanese people living in the United States ran high, and even the US government was guilty of racial profiling. On his 12th birthday, Tadashi and his family were forced by the United States to move to one of the two Gila River internment camps located in a desert valley in Arizona. They were among approximately 120,000 people of Japanese ancestry who were interned during the war. Many of those interned were American citizens.
As a young man, Tadashi determined to serve his country in the military. He enlisted in the Army in 1951 and fought on the front lines of the Korean War from until 1953. After his discharge, Tadashi earned a Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from Fenn College. The college is now known as Cleveland State University.
Although Tadashi enjoyed success as a chemical engineer, he was not happy in his work. He moved to New York City where his brother was living. Because the city was experiencing a shortage of educators, the scientist decided to try teaching. He completed education courses at Brooklyn College and then accepted a position as a math teacher at two schools in Manhattan.
Before long, Tadashi was promoted to the position of principal of PS 41 in Greenwich Village, where he worked for eight years. Then he was promoted to the position of Deputy Superintendent of District 3 on the Upper West Side. He retired in 1988.
Sadly, Tadashi Tsufura passed away from coronavirus on March 29, 2020, in New York City. He was 89 years old. To read more about this amazing Chalkboard Champion, see this link at the Japanese American Museum of San Jose.
Heather Whitaker of Gorham Middle School in Gorham, Maine, has been named the 2020 Teacher of the Year for the state of Maine.
I love to tell stories about classroom educators who have earned honors for their work in the classroom. One of these is Heather Whitaker, a middle school teacher who has been named the 2020 Teacher of the Year for her home state of Maine.
Heather has taught at Gorham Middle School for nearly 20 years. During that time, she co-founded a backpack program in her school district to provide meals for underprivileged students to eat on weekends and vacations. In addition, Heather inaugurated a school garden. Over the last 15 years, the garden has produced an average of 800 pounds of produce per year for the Gorham Community Food Pantry. Students in her alternative education classes are active volunteers for both programs. Recently the program was awarded a State Farm Community Assist grant in the amount of $25,000.
The process by which Heather was selected for the 2020 honors was lengthy. She was chosen from more than 300 teachers who were nominated by a member of their community earlier this year. She was then named the 2019 Cumberland County Teacher of the Year. Next she was named one of three state finalists before finally being named the 2020 Teacher of the Year.
“It was an honor to be selected, and it’s extremely exciting because it helps highlight the work of alternative learners and how hard they work to get to school and to stay in school,” Heather expressed. “I think it also gives other alternative education teachers a platform and a voice, through me, to bring attention to the needs of youth who are at risk within our schools.”
The honored educator earned her Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education with Moderate Special Needs from Boston College in 2000. She completed the requirements for her Master’s degree in Literary Education from the University of Southern Maine in 2005.
To read more about Heather, see this press release from the University of Southern Maine.
Congratulations to Oregon educator Jeremy Hurl. He has just been named his state’s Outstanding Teacher of American History by the DAR.
Congratulations are in order for Oregon educator Jeremy Hurl. He has just been named his state’s Outstanding Teacher of American History by the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR). Jeremy teaches at Duniway Middle School in McMinnville, Oregon.
The honor was awarded to Jeremy in a ceremony on May 20, 2020, in Wilsonville. Jeremy earned a commemorative pin, a certificate, and a check for $500. Jeremy says he plans to use the cash award to fund a summer field study trip. He’ll follow portions of the Oregon Trail, re-create parts of the Lewis and Clark journey, and explore some national parks.
The DAR bestows the annual award to a teacher currently in the classroom who fosters a spirit of patriotism and who successfully relates history to modern life and events. Jeremy earned the award in recognition for his efforts to provide active learning experiences for his students, by creative collaborative problem-solving tasks, and the re-enactments, field trips, and guest speakers he organizes.
Jeremy graduated from McMinnville High School in 1994. He earned his Bachelor’s degree from Oregon State University in 1999. After college, he inaugurated his teaching career by accepting a position at Patton Middle School in McMinnville in 2006. He is currently teaching history, geography, civics and government at Duniway.
To read more about Jeremy, follow this link to an article about him published in the News Register.
