With today’s Super Tuesday primary voting taking place, teachers all over participating states are likely teaching their students about the importance of voting. To help these teachers launch conversations about voting, or to help them encourage students to participate in the voting process, here’s an informative six-minute You Tube video about young voters. It was created by PBS in 2018, but is still relevant today. Happy voting!
Varsity Rowing Coach and Spanish teacher Andy Anderson of Groton School in Groton, Massachusetts.
Many excellent educators have earned accolades in fields outside of the classroom. One of these is Andy Anderson, a teacher from New York who has been inducted into the National Rowing Hall of Fame.
Andy was born on February 19, 1954, in Syracruse, New York. As a young man, he fell in love with the sport of rowing when he attended Mount Hermon School. Once he graduated, he enrolled at Trinity College of the United States, where he continued to develop his skills as a rower.
Since 1980, Andy has taught Spanish at the Groton School. Groton is a private boarding school located in Groton, Massachusetts. There Andy has also directed financial aid, headed the Disciplinary Committee, and participated in other administrative duties. But where Andy really shines is as the varsity coach for both the boys’ and girls’ rowing teams. He coached the girls team for 23 years. During that time, the Groton girls won the Henley Women’s Regatta three times and also earned first place finishes in the National and New England championships. He also coached the US Lightweight Women’s National team for 11 years. During that time, the women garnered three gold, one silver, and two bronze medals at the World Rowing Championships.
In addition to his success as a rowing coach, Andy writes a column for the publication Rowing News. He has also published a best-selling book about rowing entitled the Compleat Dr. Rowing.
To read more about Andy, see this link at Groton.
Math teacher Robert Moses was a legendary figure during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960’s. He was the courageous educator from New York who became an activist during the Civil Rights Movement. He’s best known for organizing the Black voter-registration efforts and the Freedom Schools made famous during the 1964 Mississippi Freedom Summer. This heroic educator’s revolutionary work, which was not without risk to life and limb, transformed the political power structure of entire communities.
Nearly forty years later, Robert advocated for yet another transformational change: the Algebra Project. Robert asserted that a deficiency in math literacy in poor neighborhoods puts impoverished children at an economic disadvantage.
Radical Equatioins by Robert Parris Moses describes the Civil Rights activist’s work during the 1960’s, and his philosophy about math literacy.
The deficiency makes students unable to compete successfully for jobs in the 21st century. This disenfranchisement, he declared, is as debilitating as lack of personal liberties was prior to the Civil Rights Movement. Robert’s solution was to organize people, community by community, school by school, to overcome the achievement gap. He believed this would give impoverished children the tools they need to claim their share of economic enfranchisement.
Robert described his philosophy in depth in his book, Radical Equations: Civil Rights from Mississippi to the Algebra Project written with fellow Civil Rights worker Charles E. Cobb, Jr. The volume can be found easily and reasonably-priced on amazon. A fascinating read for anyone who is interested in Moses’s story, either past or present. A chapter about this remarkable teacher is also included in my second book, entitled Chalkboard Heroes: Twelve Courageous Teachers and Their Deeds of Valor. This book is also available on amazon; click on this link to view: Chalkboard Heroes.
John M. Lewellen is a science teacher who also served his community as a public servant and as a member of the Arkansas State Legislature.
Many fine educators also make a name for themselves in politics. One of these is John M. Lewellen, a science teacher who also served his community as a public servant and as a member of the Arkansas State Legislature.
John was born in Forest City, St. Francis County, Arkansas, on Sept. 16, 1930. As a youngster, he attended Dansby Elementary School and Lincoln High School in his home town. After his high school graduation, John served a four-year stint in the US Air Force, and is recognized as a Korean War Veteran.
Once he earned his honorable discharge, John enrolled at AM&N, the Agricultural Mining and Normal College located in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. He was the first member of his family to go to college. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Agriculture in 1958. Once he earned his degree, John moved to the Altheimer and Hermitage areas, where he accepted a position as a high school teacher. Later he served the school as its principal. “I think his proudest moment was he took five of the outstanding seniors to our alma mater, AM&N, and introduced them to the president and helped them get scholarships,” remembered John’s wife, Wilhelmina Lewellen.
Later, John relocated with his wife and children to Little Rock, Arkansas. There he worked within the state government. He served in positions as a probation officer, a state rehabilitation counselor, and a contractor officer for the Arkansas Department of Human Services. His career there spanned 30 years.
In his later life, John decided to pursue a career in public service. He was elected to the Little Rock City Board in 1991, the Pulaski County Quorum Court in 1996, and the Pulaski County Justice of the Peace for District 6. In 1999, John was elected to the Arkansas State House of Representatives, where he served until 2004. He represented the 34th District on the Democratic ticket. During the six years he served in the State House, John co-founded the Democratic Black Caucus, chaired the Children and Youth subcommittee, and worked for growth of businesses owned by minorities and women.
This former educator passed away from a lengthy illness in Little Rock Nov. 25, 2017. He was 87 years old. His remains were interred at Pinecrest Memorial Park in Alexander, Arkansas.
To read more about this Chalkboard Champion, click on this link to read his obituary.
