High school teacher Nicholas Ferroni speaks to US News and Current Events Today about how his job has shifted amid the coronavirus pandemic. He’s been an educator at Union High School in Union, New Jersey, for the past 17 years. Courses he teaches include US History, Cultural Studies, JHistory Through Pop Culture, and Mass Media. Here’s a short video that shows how he continues to educate his students and keep spirits high in the age of social distancing. Enjoy!
Even during the current coronavirus pandemic, and perhaps especially because of it, parents and students all over the country are particularly appreciative of their teachers right now. We don’t need the annual Teacher Appreciation Week to remind us of how wonderful this group of people are!
This year, the celebration will take place from May 4 to May 8. When thinking about the best way to honor your teacher, or your child’s teacher, or friends and family members that are teachers, or someone you know that is going into the profession, consider gifting them with copies of these inspirational books, Chalkboard Champions and Chalkboard Heroes. The books make great reading now, while educators are considering new and innovative ways to work with their students. They are also appealing to history buffs and social scientists.
Each volume is packed with inspirational stories about remarkable educators in American history and the historical implications of their pioneering work. 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, you’ll find 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 year on Teacher Appreciation Week!
Jimmy Fallon, host of the The Tonight Show, paid tribute to our nation’s chalkboard champions this week by performing his original composition, “Teachers’ Day Song.” His performance deserves to be shared here! Many people have been showering teaches with gratitude in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, which has forced many parents to teach their children at home while schools are closed.
Enjoy Fallon’s full tribute song to teachers below.
In honor of Teacher Appreciation Week, President Obama took time to chat with three Chicago public school teachers to thank them for their work. He loves our nation’s chalkboard champions! “There’s no limit to the devotion I’ve seen in teachers like these educators,” the President shared via Twitter. “Their dedication shapes the best parts of who we become. I couldn’t be more thankful for their work, especially as they shift lessons online to keep students on track during this crisis.”
Watch a clip of the conversations below:
