Caroline Boa Henderson: Teacher and Dust Bowl chronicler

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High school English and Latin teacher Caroline Boa Henderson, left, chronicled her experiences in Oklahoma during the Dust Bowl.

I love to share intriguing stories of dedicated educators who exhibit talents in arenas outside of the classroom. This one is about Caroline Boa Henderson, a high school English and Latin teacher who is also celebrated as an author of her personal Dust Bowl survival story.

Caroline Boa was born on April 7, 1877, in Wisconsin, the eldest daughter of affluent farmers. Even as a young girl, Caroline dreamed of someday owning a piece of land she could call her own.

After her high school graduation, Caroline attended Mt. Holyoke College, where she earned her degree in languages and literature in 1901. The new graduate accepted her first teaching position in Red Oak, Iowa, where she taught high school English and Latin from 1901 to 1903. She then taught in Des Moines, Iowa, until 1907. Then, in pursuit of her childhood dream, Caroline relocated to Texas County, Oklahoma, where she staked out a homestead claim on a quarter section of land and moved into a one-room shack which she christened her castle. There she accepted a teaching position in the local school.

In 1908, Caroline married named Bill Henderson, a Texas County farmer. The couple established a farm in nearby Eva, Oklahoma. The following year, Caroline gave birth to a daughter they named Eleanor. When Eleanor came of age, the youngster enrolled at the University of Kansas, where she eventually completed her bachelor’s degree. In order to help pay for Eleanor’s education, Caroline relocated to Lawrence, Kansas, where the two women shared an apartment while Caroline taught school part-time. During this period, Caroline also enrolled in graduate courses in English at the University of Kansas. In 1935, she completed the requirements for her master’s degree.

During the years from 1931-1937, at the height of the Dust Bowl, Caroline published a series of letters and articles in the prestigious magazine Atlantic Monthly. These letters and articles chronicled the grueling conditions faced by farmers who elected to remain on their farms during the severe conditions presented by the Dust Bowl drought, as harsh a natural disaster as any our nation has seen, even in recent years. She also included descriptions of daily life on her own farm, including her experiences with housekeeping, canning, cooking, tending her vegetable and flower gardens, ironing, and caring for her chickens. Her letters and articles earned her a national following, and were included in a PBS special on the Dust Bowl created by Ken Burns in 2012. To read some excerpts from these published pieces, click on the link Letters from the Dust Bowl.

This very amazing teacher and talented author passed away on August 4, 1966, in Phoenix, Arizona.

Beloved AP US History teacher Dorothy McGirt of Georgia

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AP US History teacher Dorothy McGirt of Grady High School in Atlanta, Georgia.

One of the most beloved educators at Henry W. Grady High School in Atlanta, Georgia, was Dorothy McGirt. She taught Advanced Placement US History. She also served her school as the Chair of the Social Studies Department.

In 1984, Dorothy tackled the Advanced Placement teaching assignment. She was a “trailblazer in terms of introducing the program at Grady,” remembers former colleague Lisa Willoughby. Willoughby’s relationship with Dorothy goes way back. “She helped mentor me as I was starting out as a student teacher, then a teacher,” explains Willoughby. “She helped me figure out how to strike a balance between providing rigor and also being supportive to students and helping them be ready to do what they were doing,” she said.

Dorothy is also fondly remembered by former student Michael Fishman, who graduated from Grady in 1987. “She was a really good teacher,” Fishman said. “Very tough, but you learned a lot from her. Out of all the history teachers I had, she was probably the most challenging to have. She didn’t give you book work or anything like that, you had good discussions in her class,” he continued. “I think she left a really good impact on us. She just let us know that the … outside world is much tougher,” he concluded.

Sadly, Dorothy passed away on April 12, 2020, from coronavirus. She was 92 years old. To read more about Dorothy, read her obituary at The Southerner Online.

Elem special ed teacher Katya Robinson named one of five California Teachers of the Year 

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Elementary special education teacher Katya Robinson of Sebastopol in West Sonoma County has been named one of five California 2020 Teachers of the Year  (Photo credit: The Press Democrat)

I love to share stories about teachers who have earned accolades for their work in the classroom. One such teacher is Katya Robinson, an elementary school educator from Sebastopol, California. She was named one of five of California’s 2020 Teachers of the Year.

Katya teaches special education for kindergarten through third grade at West Sonoma County Consortium School in Sebastopol. Her instructional program emphasizes interaction between her special education students and regular education students. “I believe it’s the educator’s job to open doors for our students, especially during their early years,” Katya told Sonoma West Times & News. “I spend a lot of time creating opportunities to learn and breaking down boundaries to their learning,” she continued.

Katya graduated from Piner High School in Santa Rosa, where she had played varsity soccer and basketball. Once she began to work with her special education students, she quickly noticed a lack of athletic and recreational opportunities for her kids. In 2012, she founded Epic Athletes, an organization which offers free basketball and soccer programs for special needs children.

Katya lost her house in the devastating Tubbs Fire in 2017. The call from California State Superintendent of Schools Tony Thurmond to tell her she had been selected as she was conducting a walk-through of her newly rebuilt home.

The other three honored educators from California include Sean Bui of Fremont, Brenda Chavez-Bararras of Perris, Gus Myers of Burbank, and Mandy Kelly of Saddleback. To read more about Katya, see this article at The Press Democrat.

Math teacher Pedro Dones, The Big Action, earns NYC Big Apple Award

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Have you ever met a teacher named “The Big Action”? Well, students at Middle School 363 in the Bronx, New York, can say they have. This innovative and entertaining educator is Pedro Dones. He’s just been named a finalist for the coveted New York City Big Apple Award, one of the few from the Bronx that have every been recognized in such a big way.

Pedro has earned accolades for his creative instructional videos featuring his alter ego, The Big Action. He uses the videos to teach math concepts to his middle school students. He admits the students finds The Big Action far more interesting than Mr. Dones. “I asked the kids ‘who do you want to watch teach? Mr. Dones or The Big Action?’” Pedro says. “Mr. Dones got 12% and Big Action got 88%,” Pedro confesses.

In the videos, Pedro uses funny accents, wardrobe changes, and clever background props to capture the attention of the students. He also uses witty quips and sometimes calls out his students by name. “He makes it into a fun way, so we don’t be bored just listening to math,” describes student Lorley Pichardos.

For his instructional innovations, Pedro has been named a finalist this year for the New York City Big Apple Awards. The Big Apple Awards recognize full-time public school teachers in New York City. The honors celebrate teachers who demonstrate outstanding teaching practices, dedication to the profession, and hard work. Pedro was recently featured in a story aired on News 12 The Bronx. View the segment above.

Pedro earned his Bachelor’s degree in Communications and Media Studies from Fordham University in 2006. He earned his Master’s degree in Special Education and Teaching from the City University of New York City College in 2013.

To view the videos created by Pedro on YouTube, see this link at Awesome Math Network.