Philadelphia’s Keziah Ridgeway stays connected with students during pandemic

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High school history teacher Keziah Ridgeway from Philadelpohia, Pennsylvania, stays connected with her students by leading a free online course in African American history during coronavirus pandemic closures.

Teachers all over the country have struggled over the past month to stay connected with their students during coronavirus shut down. One teacher who is doing this very successfully is Keziah Rodgeway, a history teacher from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Keziah teaches at Northeast High School in Philadelphia. When the schools in her district were shut down, she offered her students a free online course on African American history to any student who was interested. The response was so enthusiastic that she now teaches her course four days a week on Google Hangouts Meet. Between 40 to 60 students per week, some of them from out of state, tune in to the online sessions, even though the classes aren’t required and even though they wont be getting any credit for the effort.

There is more at stake than knowledge. Keziah and her students are attempting to maintain some semblance of normalcy in their lives, and to stay connected with others while social distancing at home. “When we are educating, we are doing so much more than that,” Keziah expressed. “And it’s so important for our students to see that we really care about them — that we’re invested in their future. And one way you do that is showing up.”

Before long, Keziah noticed that her virtual classroom has become its own little universe, with kids from around the city forging new bonds. One day she had to cancel class because of other job obligations. When she logged on to remind students of the cancellation, she found a lot of them were still there in the virtual class — hanging out, chatting with each other, and even trying to lead a lesson themselves. “They really log on to be a part of a community,” she said. “They continue to come because they want to continue to interact and have some sort of normalcy.”

Keziah earned her Bachelor’s degree in History from Temple University in 2009. She earned her  Master’s degree in Secondary Education and her teaching credentials from Saint Joseph’s University in 2011. She has taught for  Philadelphia Public Schools since 2014.

To read more about teachers and their efforts to stay in touch with their students during the pandemic, see this article from WHYY at PBS.

Robert Aley: The rural teacher who became a university president

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Robert Judson Aley, the rural schoolteacher who became a university president.

Many talented classroom teachers go on to prominent positions in institutions of higher learning. One of these is Robert Aley, a rural schoolteacher who became the president of two universities.

Robert Judson Aley was born in Coal City, Jefferson Township, Indiana, on May 11, 1863. Young Robert inaugurated his teaching career at the tender age of 14.

After three years of teaching in rural schools, Robert enrolled at Valparaiso University. Valparaiso is a private Lutheran university located in Valparaiso, Porter County, Indiana. There Robert earned his Bachelors degree in 1882. He earned his Masters degree from Indiana University in 1890. He also completed graduate courses at Stanford University. In 1897, he earned his Doctorate in Mathematics from the University of Pennsylvania.

After he earned his degrees, Robert accepted a position as a professor of mathematics at Vincennes University in Vincennes, Indiana. He worked there from 1888 to 1891. Then Robert served as the fifth president of the University of Maine. His tenure there ran for ten years, from Jan., 1911, to August 1921. A fervent supporter of United States involvement in World War I, Robert ordered mandatory attendance during pro-war events in and near the campus. He spent the next ten years as the president of Butler College in Indiana, from 1921 to 1931.

This amazing educator also became the author of several books. One of these is Contributions to the Geometry of the Triangle and the State Manual and Uniform Course of Study for the Elementary Schools of Indiana. He also published The Story of Indiana and Its People, co-authored with Max Aley.

Sadly, Robert Aley succumbed to pneumonia in 1935. He was 72 years old. To see additional information about Robert, click on this link to the University of Maine.

Science educator Linda Rost named Montana’s 2020 Teacher of the Year

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High school science educator Linda Rost named Montana’s 2020 Teacher of the Year.

All over our country, there are so many talented educators who have been honored for the work they do in the classroom. Among them is Linda Rost, a high school science teacher from Montana. She was recognized as the 2020 Montana Teacher of the Year. She has also been named one of four finalists for the 2020 National Teacher of the Year award. In addition, Linda has garnered the Junior Science and Humanities Symposium Teacher Award three times, the Continental Cares grant two times, and the 2016 National Vernier Engineering Contest.

Linda teaches at Baker High School in Baker, Montana. In addition to her classroom responsibilities, Linda serves as the Chairperson of the Baker Public Schools Professional Development Committee. She established the committee in 2018 to focus on STEM and Indian Education for All (IEFA) K-12 collaborations and grant projects. IEFA encourages all Montanans to learn about American Indian heritage in a culturally respectful way. Her career as a professional educator has spanned 12 years.

Currently, Linda is working toward her doctorate in curriculum and instruction at Texas Tech University. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in 2006 from New Mexico State University. She earned two Master’s degrees from Montana State University at Bozeman. The first is in Instruction & Curriculum (2010) and the second is in Science Education (2018).

“Teaching is my life’s passion, so this award is incredibly meaningful,” remarked Linda. “I was raised by passionate educators who instilled in me an insatiable hunger for learning, and I love infecting my students with that same passion,” she continued. “Upon completion, I plan to teach pre-service teachers in undergraduate programs to help mitigate our current rural teacher shortage in Montana. I also am hoping to serve a greater role in some of the statewide, STEM professional-development grant programs as a researcher and grant writer,” she concluded.

The highly prestigious National Teacher of the Year award is given annually by the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) to identify exceptional teachers nationwide, celebrate their effective work in and outside of the classroom, amplify their voices and empower them to take part in policy discussions at the state and national levels.

To read more about Linda, see this link at nnstoy.org.

Jon Bon Jovi pops into class Zoom meeting of Florida teacher Michael Bonick

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Rock star Jon Bon Jovi pops into class Zoom meeting of teacher Michael Bonick of Marsh Pointe Elementary School in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.

Kudos to all our nation’s teachers who have come up with so many brilliant strategies for distance teaching during the current stay-at-home directives! Here’s one whose story that is just irresistible. It’s about Florida kindergarten teacher Michael Bonick, who works at Marsh Pointe Elementary School in Palm Beach Gardens.

Michael, a long-time fan of rocker Jon Bon Jovi, was able to persuade the music icon to pop in to his classroom Zoom meeting last Monday. The teacher was instructing a lesson about coping with the coronavirus quarantine, and Bon Jovi wanted to be part of the conversation. Last month, the Grammy-winning musician released an incomplete version of a new song he entitled “Do What You Can.” The song is a ballad about the nation’s efforts to prevent the spread of the virus. He asked his fans to compose and submit verses to complete the song. Michael submitted his students’ compositions, and this prompted the Bon Jovi front man to meet the young lyricists online.

“Mr. B got you guys writing, and I was very excited to hear that,” Bon Jovi told the students. “Because if you get to put your feelings down on paper, sometimes they’ll turn into songs. Sometimes they’ll turn into stories, and you never know where it might lead you.” Then, as the 20 kindergartners and their parents watched online, Bon Jovi played his acoustic guitar and sang the verses written by three of the young students.

“They were blown away,” the innovative teacher expressed. “They loved every minute of it.” Surely, this will be a highlight in the quarantine experience of everyone involved.

To read more about this story, see this link at app.