Ima Wells: Teacher and member of the New Mexico House of Reps

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Ima Wells: Elementary school teacher and member of the New Mexico House of Representatives

Many outstanding educators have also achieved acclaim in political arenas. One of these is Ima Wells, a teacher who was elected to the New Mexico House of Representatives.

Ima Lee Greenwood was born on September 23, 1936, in Buffalo, Oklahoma. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Education from Northwestern Oklahoma State University (NOSU). She earned her Master’s degree in Education from New Mexico State University.

While at NOSU, Ima met and married Del Wells. Once the pair graduated, Ima inaugurated her teaching career in a two-room schoolhouse in Kansas. Both she and her husband taught in southern Kansas for five years before moving to New Mexico in 1963. There Ima taught at Sandia Base in Albuquerque for ten years. She then moved to Loma Heights Elementary in Las Cruces, where she taught for 20 years.

During her lifetime, Ima worked tirelessly for her fellow educators. She served as President of the National Education Association (NEA) in New Mexico from 1987 to 1992. In the late 1990s, Ima moved to Rockford, Illinois, where she worked for NEA Illinois for five years. Then she returned to Las Cruces to work for NEA NM until she retired at the age of 72.

In 1993, Ima was elected to the New Mexico House of Representatives on the Democratic ticket. She represented District 37 for one term.

This chalkboard politician passed away on August 10, 2014, in Loveland, Colorado. She was 77 years old. To read more about Ima, click on this link to her obituary published by the Las Cruces Sun News.

Pennsylvania’s Kathleen Sheeder Bonanno: English teacher and award-winning poet

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Pennsylvania’s Kathleen Sheeder Bonanno: Talented English teacher and award-winning poet

Sometimes our students (and their parents) forget that teachers are real people. We live, we laugh, we love, and we suffer, just like any other human being. Kathleen Sheeder Bonanno is a remarkable teacher who reminds the entire community that teachers live the full range of human experiences.

Kathleen Bonanno was born in Reading, Pennsylvania. She attended Temple University in Philadelphia, where she earned her Bachelor’s degree in English and her Master’s degree in education. She taught at Dobbins High School in North Philadelphia for five years and Cheltenham High School in Wyncote, Pennsylvania, for 17 years.

Like many educators, Kathleen is multi-talented. She is the author of an award-winning book of poetry entitled Slamming Open the Door ((2009), a volume which Library Journal described as “a stunning first book.” Kathleen wrote the collection of poems following the gut-wrenching murder of her daughter, Leidy Bonanno, an abandoned child from Chile that Kathleen and her husband adopted. Leidy was strangled in 2003 by a former boyfriend, just after her graduation from nursing school. The loss inspired Kathleen to become an advocate for victims’ rights and a member of the Montgomery Country Parents of Murdered Children. For her efforts, this amazing teacher and author was honored with a Women of Courage,Women of Inspiration Purple Ribbon Award from the Lutheran Settlement House in Philadelphia in 2008.

This amazing educator passed away on June 15, 2017. You can read more about this Chalkboard Champion at this link: Chestnut Hill Local.

Chalkboard Champion Lourdes Leon Guerrero of Guam

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Chalkboard Champion Lourdes Leon Guerrero of Guam

Many of America’s great teachers served in areas outside of the continental US. One of these was Lourdes Leon Guerrero, a celebrated educator from the US territory of Guam.

Lourdes was born on November 9, 1923, in the village of Merizo, Guam. Her father was a machinist in the US Navy, and her mother was a schoolteacher. As a young girl, Lourdes attended George Washington Junior/Senior High School. In fact, she was the valedictorian for her ninth grade class.

After her high school graduation, Lourdes completed courses in teaching pedagogy at the Normal School of Guam in 1946. She also studied at the Teacher Training Institute at Adelup in Guam. In 1969, she earned her Bachelor’s degree in 1969, cum laude. She earned her Master’s degree in Education in 1975. Lourdes obtained both of her degrees from the University of Guam.

Lourdes inaugurated her career as an educator at Sumay, the location of a settlement of chamorros. Chamorros are the indigenous people of the Mariana islands, of which Guam is the largest and southernmost island. When the Japanese occupied the island chain during World War II, Lourdes continued to teach in Sumay until the war ended in May, 1944.

Over the 57 years that her teaching career spanned, Lourdes worked at a number of other schools in Guam. She worked at Maxwell School, Merizo Elementary School, Sinajana Elementary School, Talofofo Elementary School, and Santa Rita Elementary School. She also worked at John F. Kennedy, George Washington, Oceanview, and Simon Sanchez High Schools. For her work in the classroom and as an administrator, Lourdes earned the Pioneer in Education from the University of Guam in 1996.

This remarkable teacher passed away on February 25, 2010. She was 86 years old. After her passing, she was inaugurated into the Guam Educators Hall of Fame.

To read the resolution published by the Guam legislature about this Chalkboard Champion, click on this link: Resolution No. R298-30.

New York English teacher and celebrated author Frank Nappi

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New York English teacher and celebrated author Frank Nappi.

Many excellent teachers have earned accolades in fields outside of the classroom. One of these is Frank Nappi, a high school English teacher from New York who has earned national fame as an author.

Frank was born in Bay Shore, Suffolk County, New York, on Feb. 27, 1967. As a young boy, he attended Farmingdale High School in Farmingdale, New York. He earned his Bachelor’s degree from Hofstra University, a private university located in Hampstead, New York.

After he earned his degrees, Frank taught English and Creative Writing at Oceanside High School, a public school located in Oceanside, New York. His career as an educator there spanned 31 years.

Frank published his first novel, Echoes from the Infantry, in 2005. The tale, a story about a World War II veteran, earned national attention. Frank garnered a silver medal for outstanding fiction from the Military Writers Society of America for the effort. His second novel, The Legend of Mickey Tussler, a story about baseball, earned high reviews, too. A movie adaptation entitled A Mile in His Shoes was based on the story. He has also published Sophomore Campaign (2012) and the dark thriller Nobody Has to Know (2012), both of which have earned accolades.  He also wrote Welcome to the Show, published in 2016.

Probably the book that Frank wrote that is most intriguing for teachers, though, is I Became an Elementary School Outlaw, published in 2019. The tale is a delightful memoir of a little boy who becomes a teacher when he matures. The story depicts the angst of growing up and fitting in, and is told with humor and insight.

Today Frank lives on Long Island, New York. To read an interview with this amazing educator, see this link to a 2013 interview with Sandra Bornstein.

The remarkable Emma M. Cramer: Teacher and Ohio politician

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The remarkable Emma M. Cramer: Public high school teacher and member of the House of Representatives for her home state of Ohio.

Often talented educators make their mark in the political arena as well as in professional teachers’ circles. Such was the case of Emma M. Cramer, a public high school teacher who was also a member of the House of Representatives for her home state of Ohio.

Emma was born on June 21, 1859, the daughter of Albert C. and Louise (Crone) Cramer. Born and educated in Portsmouth, she later went on to teach at Portsmouth High School. She attended college during the summers, earning degrees from both the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Chicago. She started teaching at the age of 20, and her career spanned 54 years, until her retirement in 1933. Her students described her as thorough and exacting, but also patient, persevering, and sympathetic.

During her lengthy teaching career, Emma was also involved in many civic organizations. She was a member of the Portsmouth City Council (1912-1925), Chairperson of the Republican Women of Scioto County (1922-26), and member of the Portsmouth Board of Education (1934-37). After she was elected to the state House, she continued to teach while occupying her seat in the legislature. Her colleagues often said she was an individual of stalwart character and tireless in her efforts to serve others.

Emma donated her time and energy not only to the legislature and to education, but also to other organizations, including the Ohio League of Women Voters, the National Council of Teachers of English, the Portsmouth Public Library Board of Trustees, the Ohio Library, the National Municipal League, the State and National Education Associations, the Council of Republican Women of Ohio, the Women’s City Club, and the Business and Professional Women’s Club.

This remarkable educator passed away on June 15, 1952, at the age of 92. To read more about Emma, see this link at Ohio Statehouse.