Nominate a Chalkboard Champion to appear on this blog!

Posted on by

Let’s be honest. There are so many excellent teachers and coaches out there that, by myself, I cannot possibly find out about them all. How about some help? Do you know a remarkable teacher? Someone everyone looks up to: students, parents, and administrators alike. Someone who serves as a model for the profession? A true Chalkboard Champion? This teacher could be someone who is currently in the classroom, someone who is already retired, or even someone from history that you admire. You can nominate that educator to be the subject of a blog post on this web site. Simply use the contact form on this site to send me the name and email information for the teacher you would like to nominate. I’ll do the rest! Hope to hear from you soon!

Teacher and author Kimarlee Nguyen of NYC succumbs to coronavirus

Posted on by

High school English teacher and emerging author Kimarlee Nguyen of New York City succumbed to the coronavirus on April 5, 2020.

Sadly, many New York City educators have succumbed to the coronavirus. One of these is Kimarlee Nguyen, a high school teacher at Brooklyn Latin School. Kimarlee passed away on April 5, 2020. She was only 33 years old.

Kimarlee was born and raised in Revere, Massachusetts, to parents who survived the Khmer Rouge. After graduation from high school, she enrolled at Vassar College, where she earned her Bachelor’s degree in English. She recently earned her Master’s degree in Fine Arts from Long Island University, Brooklyn.

Kimarlee taught English at the Boston Latin School since 2014, and she was beloved by her students. “She was a role model, an influence, and a source of hope,” asserts student Sulagna Sarkar. “I remember once walking in when visiting her. She began to ask everything from how was the family, to how school was. It showed not only did she listen when we would go to her, but she cared,” the student continued. “She was everything for a person that was struggling in our school. She was understanding and loving. She loved us all like her own children and she was loved, even if she didn’t know it, by ten times as many people because that’s just who she was,” Sulagna concluded.

In addition to being a beloved teacher, Kimarlee was also a rising star as an author. Her work has been published in Drunken Boat, Hyphen, and Cha: An Asian Literary Journal. “She was such a fierce defender for the right for marginalized people to have a voice, particularly southeast Asians,” expressed fellow author Cherry Lou Sy. “She was a champion for that cause.” Kimarlee was a recipient of the Teacher and Librarian Scholarship from the Key West Literary Seminar in 2017. She was named a 2018 Emerging Writer Fellow by The Center for Fiction. The young teacher was one of nine chosen from over 500 applicants. Each writer selected garnered a grant of $5,000, the opportunity to work on a manuscript with a distinguished editor, and the chance to read at public events at The Center.

To read more about this amazing educator, see this memorial at Kundiman.

Wisconsin’s Erin McCarthy asks her students to add their voices to history

Posted on by

Middle school Social Studies teacher Erin McCarthy just named Wisconsin’s 2020 Teacher of the Year.

I enjoy sharing stories of exceptional educators who have earned recognition for their work. One of these is Erin McCarthy, a junior high school social studies teacher from Wisconsin. She was named her state’s 2020 Teacher of the Year.

Erin teaches eighth grade Social Studies at Greendale Middle School in Greendale, Wisconsin. The honored educator says her mission as an educator is “to connect students to their place in history so they take action to impact their local and global community.”

Erin reveals that she is able to spark her students’ curiosity for American history by connecting them to diverse historical figures, especially those whose voices have been left out of the American story. To add these missing voices into the curriculum, the innovative teacher asks her students to rewrite a chapter from their own textbook. Their goal is to make the story more complete. Erin says this unique project is particularly engaging for reluctant learners.

In addition to classroom responsibilities, Erin serves on her school district’s committees for diversity and equity. She is involved in training teachers to provide students with disabilities opportunities to grow and succeed. Erin is a member of the Board of Directors for the League of Women Voters of Milwaukee County, and she participates in numerous professional development opportunities throughout the country.

Erin earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in History from Roosevelt University. She earned her Master of Arts degree in Public History from Loyola University at Chicago.

To read more about this Chalkboard Champion, check out this link to CCSSO.

William Taylor Adams: Teacher, author, and Massachusetts politician

Posted on by

William Taylor Adams: Teacher, author, and Massachusetts politician

It is not unusual for talented educators to make a mark in other professions. This is true of William Taylor Adams. He was a dedicated teacher who was also a celebrated author and successful politician.

William was born on July 30, 1822, in Medway Massachusetts. As a child, he attended schools in Boston and West Roxbury. He also completed a year at “Able Whitney’s private academy” after he completed his high school education. During these years, William was described as an excellent student.

As a young man, he inaugurated his career as an educator in 1843 at the Lower Road School in Dorchester, Massachusetts. He was highly thought of there. After three years, he left the classroom to work in the family business, the Adams House Hotel in Boston. But by in 1848, William missed teaching so much that he returned to the classroom. That’s when he accepted a teaching position at the Boylston School in Boston. By 1860, he was named the headmaster of the school. When the Bowditch School was founded, William taught there as well. In all, William’s career as an educator spanned 20 years.

When he was 28 years old, William published his first book It was a volume for juvenile readers, released under the pseudonym Warren T. Ashton. The book, published in 1853, was entitled Hatchie, the Guardian Slave. The following year, he produced the first in a series of books dubbed the Boat Club Series, which was an instant hit. He is probably best known, though, for his books in the Blue and Gray Series. These books featured settings in the Civil War. In total, William wrote more than 100 books, most of them for adolescent boys. Most of his books were published under the pseudonym Oliver Optic.

In addition to his work in the classroom and as an author, William enjoyed success as a politician and legislator. He served as a member of the school board for the town of Dorchester. Later he completed a 14-year stint on Boston’s school board. In 1869, William was elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives. He served there representing the 5th Norfolk District until 1870.

This amazing educator, author, and politician passed away March 27, 1897, in Dorchester. He is buried in Cedar Grove Cemetery in Dorchester. To read more about him, click on this link to his biography published by the University of Massachusetts.

Covid-19 claims the life of beloved NYC teacher Sandra Santos-Vizcaino

Posted on by

Beloved New York City elementary teacher Sandra Santos-Vizcaino succumbed to Covid-19 on March 30.

The Covid-19 pandemic has claimed the lives of several beloved educators. One of these is Sandra Santos-Vizcaino, a beloved elementary school teacher from New York City.

Sandra was born November 1, 1965, in Cotui, Dominican Republic. Her father, Antonio Santos, was an aviation mechanic and her mother, Natividad Brito, was employed as a seamstress and cake-baker. The family transplanted to New York City when Sandra was 11.

As a young woman, Sandra earned her Bachelor’s degree from Bard College, with a double major in Biology and Latin American Literature. Next, she attended Long Island University, Brooklyn campus, where she earned two Master’s degrees, one in Science and the second in Science Education. She also earned a degree in Educational Leadership and Administration from the College of Saint Rose in Albany, New York.

Sandra inaugurated her career as an educator in 1995. She taught for four years at PS 9 in the Prospect Heights neighborhood in Brooklyn. There she taught third grade in the dual-language program, with instruction in both English and Spanish. She had a reputation for her heartwarming hugs and her generous soul.  But she was also known for her seriousness, for her rigor, and for pushing her students to read. In all, she taught 25 years.

Sandra was a member of the Association of Dominican American Supervisors and Administrators. She was awarded the Outstanding Education Leader Award in the Dominican Republic for her work in education on the island.

Sadly, Sandra passed away on March 31, 2020, from Covid-19. She was 54 years old. “The notion that we’ve lost a teacher, it’s very painful,” New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said. “These are people who devote their lives to our kids, and losing someone who is that good a person, who is giving that much, is just very very painful.”

To read more about this amazing educator, see her obituary at the New York Times.