Wyoming’s Harriet Byrd: Elementary teacher and politician

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Wyoming’s elementary school teacher Harriet Byrd served in both the state House of Representatives and Senate.

Many dedicated educators have also served as excellent politicians. One of these is Harriet Elizabeth Byrd, an elementary school teacher from Cheyenne, Wyoming. She served in both her state’s House of Representatives and Senate.

Harriet was born on April 20, 1926, in Cheyenne, Wyoming. Her father was a mechanic for the Union Pacific Railroad, and her mother was a homemaker. As a young girl, Harriet attended Cheyenne High School, where she graduated in 1944. Three years later she married James W. Byrd. The union produced three children.

In 1949, Harriet earned her Bachelor’s degree in Education from West Virginia State College, a historically Black college located in Institute, West Virginia. Once she earned her degree, the neophyte teacher returned to Wyoming to apply for a teaching position with the Laramie County School District. Unfortunately, she was denied the position because she was Black.

Fortunately, Harriet was hired as a civilian instructor for the Department of Administrative Services at F. E. Warren air Force Base in Wyoming. She taught there for ten years. In 1959, administrators at Laramie School District changed reversed their earlier stance and gave Harriet a job as an elementary school teacher. She taught in that district for 27 years. In 1976, the veteran educator completed the requirements for her Master’s degree at the University of Wyoming.

In 1980, Harriet was elected to the Wyoming House of Representatives on the Democratic ticket. There she represented the 44th Assembly District until 1988. She also served in the Wyoming State Senate, representing the 8th Senate District from 1988 to 1992. In fact, the former teacher was the first African American to serve in both houses. While in the legislature, Harriet worked to improve child safety laws, social services programs for adults, and improved conditions for the handicapped. She also worked to create a state holiday to honor Martin Luther King.

Harriet was also active in a number of professional organizations. She was a member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the National Education Association, the Wyoming Education Association, the American Legion Auxiliary in Cheyenne, and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. She was a past president of the Search Light Club, the oldest African American women’s club in Wyoming.

This amazing Chalkboard Champion passed away on January 27, 2015, at her home in Cheyenne, Wyoming. She was 88 years old.

To read more, check out this link about Harriet created by the University of Wyoming.

Immigrant and educator Gail Hudson: Nevada’s 2020 Teacher of the Year

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Elementary school educator Gail Hudson, an immigrant from Belize, named 2020 Nevada State Teacher of the Year.

I always enjoy sharing stories about exceptional educators who have earned accolades for their work in the classroom. One of these is Gail Hudson, an elementary teacher from Nevada who has garnered the title of 2020 Nevada State Teacher of the Year.

Gail teaches fifth grade at John R. Hummel Elementary School in Las Vegas, Nevada. There she serves as the school’s liaison on the Clark County district’s Equity and Diversity Department. As the Las Vegas school’s Title I site coordinator, she has also helped with the schools Title I plan. Title I schools have a high percentage of students living in poverty.

Gail emigrated to the United States from Belize 45 years ago in search of better education opportunities. In interviews, she often recalls that it was her eighth grade teacher that made a difference in her life and contributed to her personal success. Maybe it was because of that teacher’s inspiration that Gail became the first in her family to attend college.

Her career as an educator has spanned 32 years. “They know I am here for them every single day. I wake up to come to them and I want them to wake up to come to me. It is my duty to continue to serve children,” Hudson asserted. “They deserve the best educator possible. They deserve teachers who go above and beyond,” she continued.

Gail earned her Bachelor’s degree in Science Education from Western Illinois University. She earned her Master’s degree in Administration and Supervision from Loyola University. She earned a second Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction from DePaul University. In addition, Gail completed the requirements for a certificate in literacy and English as a Second Language (ESL), and a diploma in Intercultural Relationships from The Intercultural Development Research Institute. She’s also a National Board Certified Teacher.

To read more about this amazing educator, see this link published on the online site of the Las Vegas Review.

Educator Chris Dier named Louisiana Teacher of the Year

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Chris Dier, a high school history teacher from Louisiana, has been named his state’s 2020 Teacher of the Year. Now he’s one of four finalists for the national title of Teacher of the Year.

I love to share stories about educators who have earned recognition for their work in the classroom. One of these is Chris Dier, a high school history teacher from Louisiana. He’s been named his state’s 2020 Teacher of the Year. And he’s one of four finalists for the national title of Teacher of the Year.

At one time, Chris planned to become an attorney. However, during his senior year in college, frustrated by a constitutional law course, he accepted his mother’s invitation to observe her teaching a class at Chalmette High School. As he watched his mother, a veteran educator of more than 30 years, Chris was inspired to consider a career in education for himself. “I was immediately taken aback by the atmosphere in her classroom,” he recalled. “Students were learning, discussing, asking questions and developing a sense of self in real time. It was the first time I watched a class from the teacher’s perspective. After that day, I decided to give teaching a go,” he confessed.

St. Bernard Parish School District Superintendent Doris Voitlier cannot praise Chris enough. “His ability to connect with students from various backgrounds and abilities is a true testament to his compassion and professionalism,” declared Voitlier. “Dier’s passion is deeply rooted in providing an equitable education to all students and supporting fellow teachers to be culturally responsive,” she continued.

Chris earned his Bachelor’s degree in History from East Texas Baptist University in 2010. He had moved to Texas in high school after evacuating from Hurricane Katrina. After college, he returned to Louisiana. He completed a Master’s degree in Education 2013 and a second Masters degree in Educational Leadership and Administration in 2018, both from the University of New Orleans.

After he earned his degree, Chris inaugurated his career as a Special Education teacher at Trist Middle School. He taught there for two years. He also taught at St. Bernard Middle School for three years. Currently, Chris teaches World History and AP Human Geography at the Chalmette High School in St. Bernard Parish. He’s taught there for the past five years.

To read more about Chris, see this link from the University of New Orleans.

Teacher Mary Elizabeth Vroman: First Black woman to join the Screen Actors’ Guild

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Mary Elizabeth Vroman: The first Black woman to be inducted into the Screen Actors’ Guild.

Many talented educators can also claim fame as accomplished authors. This is true of Mary Elizabeth Vroman, an elementary school teacher who was also the author of several books and short stories, including “See How They Run,” an award-winning short story that became the basis for a movie entitled Bright Road.

Mary was born circa 1924 in Buffalo, New York, and was raised in Antigua in the British West Indies. Like three generations of women educators in her family before her, Mary attended Alabama State Teachers College, now known as Alabama State University, in Montgomery, Alabama, where she graduated in 1949. After her graduation, Mary accepted her first teaching position at an elementary school in rural Alabama. She later taught in Chicago and New York. Her teaching career spanned twenty years.

Mary published her first short story, “See How They Run,” in the June, 1951, issue of Ladies’ Home Journal. The story, based on her experiences in the classroom, generated five hundred enthusiastic letters from readers. Like most of her works, the story depicted the challenges of poverty and disadvantage. The plot revolves around a young, idealistic teacher who encourages her students to escape their poverty through education, and compares the forty-three third graders in the story to the blind mice in the familiar children’s nursery rhyme. Mary describes the teacher’s struggle to provide academic, financial, and emotional support for her students and their families so that they can achieve success. The piece earned the coveted Christopher Award in 1952 for its humanitarian quality. It was reprinted in the July, 1952, issue of Ebony.

Next, Mary served as a technical adviser and assistant screenwriter for the 1953 film version of the story. The title of the piece was changed to Bright Road, and starred Dorothy Dandridge and Harry Belafonte. Mary’s work on the film earned her admission to the Screen Actors Guild; she was their first African American woman member.

Vroman’s “See How They Run” tells the story of a young, idealistic teacher encouraging her students to escape from their impoverished environment through education. Comparing the 43 third graders in the story to the blind mice in the familiar nursery rhyme, Vroman details the teacher’s struggle to provide academic, financial, and emotional support for them and their families so that they can achieve success was published in the Ladies’ Home Journal in June, 1951. The piece earned the 1952 Christopher Award, and it was subsequently made into a 1953 film entitled Bright Road. Her work on the film earned her admittance to the Screen Writers Guild, the first African American woman to become a member of the distinguished organization.

Mary was married to Brooklyn dentist Dr. Oliver M. Harper. Sadly, Mary Elizabeth Vroman passed away on April 29, 1967, from complications following surgery. She was only 42 years old.

To learn more about this Chalkboard Champion, see this link at the Encyclopedia of Alabama.