Jada Reeves: West Virginia’s 2019 Teacher of the Year
Elementary educator Jada Reeves from Mt. Hope, West Virginia, selected her state’s 2019 Teacher of the Year.
We are truly fortunate that so many wonderful teachers work in public schools in every state of our union. One of these educators is Jada Reeves, a fifth-grade teacher from Mt. Hope, Raleigh County, West Virginia.
Jada earned her Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Concord University in Athens, West Virginia. She earned her Master’s degree in Reading Specialist from Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia. In addition to her degrees, Jada became Nationally Board Certified in 2013.
In a career spanning 16 years, Jada currently teaches at Bradley Elementary School. She has taught at that school for the last three years. She also serves as an assistant coach for a local middle school.
“I could not possibly think of another profession that would be as inspiring as an educator,” confessed Jada. “I adore my students and am passionate about teaching. Knowing I will step into my classroom each morning and tackle the day together with my students is always an encouraging thought,” she says.
In addition to her classroom responsibilities, Jada participates in many educational committees. She serves on her school’s Local School Improvement Council and she is part of the Instructional Practices Inventory Team. She also serves on the Leadership and Wellness Committees. Also, she conducts training for Raleigh County’s Innovative Team.
And that’s not all Jada does. She works for the West Virginia Department of Education as an online facilitator and Lead Coordinator for the Southern West Virginia National Board Certification Cohort. She is actively involved in the planning committee for the West Virginia Division of Elevating and Celebrating Effective Teachers and Teaching. And as if all that is not enough, this indefatigable educator contributes posts for the blog of the National Board for Professional Teaching, The Standard. In addition, she was recently appointed as a member of the Board of Directors for the Education Alliance.
Jada also volunteers on several community projects. She is an assistant Girl Scout troop leader and fosters rescue dogs from Operation Underdog.
For her work as an educator, Jada has garnered statewide recognition. She was named West Virginia State Teacher of the Year for 2019.
To read more about this amazing chalkboard champion, click on this link: West Virginia Education Association.
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Original works by choir teacher Sheena Graham performed at the Obama White House
Original works by choir teacher Sheena Graham from Bridgeport, Connecticut, performed at the Obama White House.
Our nation is fortunate to have many fine educators for the performing arts. One of them is Sheena Graham, a high school choir teacher from Bridgeport, Connecticut. Her original musical compositions have been featured at the Obama White House!
Sheena teaches at Warren Harding High School in Bridgeport. She inaugurated her career as an educator in 1983. In a career that has spanned more than 36 years, Sheena has taught Black History Chorale, peer leadership, theater, piano, and performing arts. She has also served as an adviser for her school’s poetry club, coached cheerleading, softball, and drill team, and instructed a dance troupe.
In addition to her classroom responsibilities, Sheena leads workshops in music literacy, creates teaching tools for colleagues, and works as an accompanist for local choirs. She also teaches free piano and drama classes at the Hall Neighborhood House Academy of Music and Fine Arts.
Prior to her work as an educator, she wrote original musicals which earned national recognition. Two of her compositions were presented at the White House: “My Destiny” in 2014 and “It’s Not How You Start” in 2016. Her composition “We Can if We Believe” was performed at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, in 2018. The topics of her musicals include dealing with teen years, coping with tragedy, and not allowing negative life circumstances to define a person’s destiny.
Sheena says her determination to become a choir teacher stemmed from childhood events. She was born with a speech impediment. As a result, she told one interviewer, she did not interact well with others. In fourth grade, an aunt signed her up for music lessons, thinking it might help. “It gave me a whole new world where I could feel safe and comfortable,” Sheena revealed. “I was more social.” As a teacher, Sheena has spent her entire career trying to ensure her students feel that same sense of safety, community, and kindness in her classroom.
For her work as an educator, Sheena has earned many accolades. She was featured in the book, “Notable Valley African Americans.” She received the Beard Excellence in Teaching Award, the Choral Director of Distinction Award, the National Association of Negro Business Professional Women Teacher of the Year Award, and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People Teacher of the Year Award. She was also named the 1995 Bridgeport Public Schools Teacher of the Year and 2019 Connecticut Teacher of the Year.
Sheena earned her Bachelor’s degree in Music Education from Western Connecticut State University. She earned her Master’s degree in Education from St. Joseph’s College.
To learn more about this chalkboard champion, click on this link from the Connecticut Post: CCSSO.
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Pennsylvania history teacher Jennifer Wahl: She shares a passion for travel
High school social studies teacher Jennifer Wahl teaches a love for travel. The talented educator earned recognition as the 2018 Pennsylvania State Teacher of the Year.
I love to write about talented educators who share their passions with their students. One of these is Jennifer Wahl, a high school history teacher from Pennsylvania. In her classroom in a small-town school, she shares her monumental love for international travel.
Jennifer has been teaching at Loyalsock Township High School in Lycoming County since 2006. There she teaches courses in history, psychology, and sociology. She also teaches courses at the Pennsylvania State College. Her career as an educator has spanned the last 13 years.
Jennifer is originally from New York City, but she spent much of her childhood overseas with her mother, who is from the Middle East. The young teacher’s love of travel has only expanded since she has become an educator. Jennifer has been involved in numerous professional development opportunities that have taken her to some pretty amazing places. She was chosen by the National Consortium for Teaching about Asia to travel to China for a two-week study tour In 2011. The following year, the Japan Society chose her to travel to Japan to attend a three-week study tour. In 2013, she studied restorative justice and teaching for Peace in Delhi, India, at the International School for Jain Studies.
Jennifer is eager to share her love of travel with her students. She uses pictures, artifacts, and food to bring history alive for her students, some of whom have grown up to share her love of world travel. “I’m happy for those students that they got out of a small-town environment to see the world and then brought it back here,” Jennifer declares. “I love that they broadened their horizons.”
In addition to her work in the classroom, Jennifer belongs to a number of professional organizations. She is a member of The Japan Society, the National Consortium for Teaching about Asia, the International School for Jain Studies, the College Board, the National and State Teacher of the Year Pennsylvania Chapter, and the Pennsylvania State Education Association. She is also an active member of her union and served as the vice president and member of the negotiations committee of her local chapter.
Jennifer earned her Bachelor’s degree in History and Secondary Education from Cabrini University located in Radnor, Pennsylvania. She earned her Master’s degree in Educational Leadership from Pennsylvania State University. For her work in the classroom, Jennifer was named the 2018 Pennsylvania State Teacher of the Year.
To learn more about this accomplished chalkboard champion, visit this link: CCSSO.
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Robert P. Bryan: Teach for America alumnus and North Carolina politician
Robert P. Bryan, Teach for America alumnus and North Carolina politician.
Many individuals who have made a name for themselves in politics have also distinguished themselves as talented educators. One of these is Robert P. Bryan, a former member of the State House of Representatives from North Carolina. He also served a two-year stint as an elementary teacher for Teach for America.
Rob was born on June 4, 1971, in Raleigh, Wake County, North Carolina. His mother enjoyed a career as a public school teacher and his father was an engineer. His younger sister is Melissa Bryan Kruger, a published author of renown.
As a teenager, Rob attended Sanderson High School, where he graduated in 1989. Following his high school graduation, he enrolled at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. There he earned his Bachelor’s degree in History (1993). While in college, Rob was inducted into the Phi Eta Sigma Honor Society and the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity, where he served as an officer. He was also active in student government and served as president of the Inter-varsity Christian Fellowship.
Following his college graduation, Rob accepted a position with the Teach for America program. Through this program, he taught second and third grade at Abbott Elementary School in Lynwood, California. His classroom was bilingual. Rob’s career as an educator lasted only two years, but during that time his students progressed exceptionally well. During the summer between the two years he was teaching, Rob interned at the Center for Education Reform in Washington, DC.
Once he fulfilled his commitment to Teach for America, Rob returned to North Carolina and enrolled at the Duke University School of Law. He graduated with honors from Duke in 1998.
In 2012, Rob was elected to the North Carolina House of Representatives on the Republican ticket. He represented Mecklenburg County,District 88, from 2013 to 2017. While in office, the former teacher served as the Chairman of the Education Appropriations Subcommittee. He also served as the Co-Chairman of the Educator Compensation and Effectiveness Task Force. In addition, he chaired a House Judiciary Committee and the House Appropriations Committee, and he served on the Commerce and Job Development Committee.
Currently, Rob serves as a member of the Board of Governors for the University of North Carolina, a post that he has occupied for the past two years. There he serves as the Chairman of the work group for online education. He also serves as the Vice Chairman for Education Planning and Policy.
To lean more about Rob’s work as a North Carolina legislator, consult this link: Ballotpedia.
