Teacher and entrepreneur Moses Sherman involved in early development of Los Angeles

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Teacher and entrepreneur Moses Sherman was instrumentally involved in the development of Los Angeles in the mid-19th century.

There are many examples of gifted teachers who become successful entrepreneurs. One of these was Moses Sherman, a 19th-century educator and businessman.

Moses was born in West Rupert, Bennington County, Vermont, on December 3, 1853. He earned his teaching certificate at the Oswego Normal School located in Oswego, New York. He inaugurated his career as a teacher in Salem, New York, and later taught in Wisconsin. In 1874, when he was just 21 years old, Moses ventured west to Prescott, Arizona, to teach school. After two years there, Moses left the classroom to go into business, successfully investing in mining, cattle ranching, and real estate. In addition, he was appointed the State Superintendent of Public Instruction by then Arizona Governor John C. Fremont. 

The former educator relocated to Los Angeles in 1890, where he formed the original downtown electric street railway. Eventually he sold this business to railroad tycoon Henry Huntington. In addition to his electric car interests, Moses was involved in the development of the southern half of the San Fernando Valley and Hollywood. He owned extensive property in Culver City, Del Rey, and Tejon Ranch.

This remarkable teacher and entrepreneur passed away on December 9, 1932, in Balboa, Orange County, California. He was 78 years old. He is interred in Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, Los Angeles County, California.

In 1966, fellow businessman Arnold D. Haskell founded a research library and botanical gardens in Corona Del Mar, which he christened the Sherman Library and Gardens in honor of his former mentor, Moses Sherman. To learn more about these institutions, click on this link: Sherman Library and Gardens.

Florida math teacher Mary Jo Murray inducted into National Teachers Hall of Fame

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Florida math teacher Mary Jo Murray just inducted into National Teachers Hall of Fame.

There are many fine classroom educators who have been singled out for special recognition. One of these is Mary Jo Murray, a high school math teacher from Riviera Beach, Florida, who was inducted into the National Teachers Hall of Fame last month. The honor is awarded to only five teachers from around the country each year.

Mary Jo earned her Bachelor’s degree in Physical Education in 1970 and her Master’s degree in 1972, both from the University of South Florida. She earned her PhD in Physical Education, Curriculum and Instruction in 1978, also from Florida State University. She earned National Board Certification in 2001.

Mary Jo’s career as a classroom educator spans 36 years. Currently she  teaches mathematics, pre-calculus, and calculus at Suncoast Community High School in Riviera Beach, Florida, where she has been employed since 2011. She has also taught at Seminole Ridge High School, Mast Academy, Miami Palmetto Senior High School, Homestead High School, Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart, Hillsborough High School, and Middleton High School. In addition, she has worked as an instructor at Flager College, Northeast Missouri State University, and Northeast Louisiana University.

For her work in the classroom, Mary Jo has earned many accolades. She was named the Secondary Math Teacher of the Year for Dade County in 2001. In 2009, she was a finalist for Secondary Math Teacher of the Year for Palm Beach.

In her spare time, this amazing chalkboard champion plays tennis, and as if that wasn’t enough, she is also a nationally-ranked racquetball player.

To learn more about Mary Jo Murray, click on this link: National Teachers Hall of Fame.

Meet educator Jordanna Maga, 2019 Teacher of the Year, American Samoa

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Meet educator Jordanna Maga, the 2019 Teacher of the Year for american Samoa. Teaching has helped her to realize that young adult and adolescents respond with enthusiasm and excitement to activities that they are familiar with. One of her students requested to do a video presentation instead of standing up and talking to his classmates. By allowing the student to showcase a video, this chalkboard champion allowed him to show his skills in other areas, especially technology. Jordanna says that this experience changed the way she does things in the classroom. She gives the students freedom to present in their preferred avenue to show that they understand the lesson. Watch this short You Tube video below to learn more:

How Chalkboard Champions Contribute to Our Democracy

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As we celebrate the birth of our country today, I am reminded of the role our nation’s many chalkboard champions have played throughout history to preserve and perpetuate the freedoms we all enjoy.

Classroom educators teach our children about our nation’s rich heritage, our history, and our system of government. They lead children in the creation of hand-traced turkeys at Thanksgiving, teach them the words and music to our patriotic songs, design lessons about the accomplishments of our presidents and social reformers such as political activist Martin Luther King and labor leader Cesar Chavez, remind students of the contributions of our veterans, and organize patriotic festivities throughout the year. Our teachers even educate our kids about our failures so that we can become a better democracy.

And let’s not forget that many of our nation’s courageous teachers have become, themselves, a part of our country’s historical record. There are many fine examples. Think of Olive Mann Isbell, the Ohio teacher who was one of many pioneers who established a school in the Wild West frontier, or Christa McAuliffe, the New Hampshire history teacher who became the first educator in space. Think of Henry Alvin Cameron, the Tennessee science teacher who sacrificed his life for freedom in the WWI Battle of the Argonne Forest; or Robert Parris Moses, the New York City math teacher who played a pivotal role in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960’s. Think of Carrie Chapman Catt, the Iowa teacher who dedicated her life to earning the right to vote for women, and Zitkala-Sa, the South Dakota teacher who worked to secure the vote for Native Americans.

From sea to shining sea, there are thousands of teachers in our nation’s history who have made contributions to our society in large ways or quiet ways as veterans, activists, and supporters of our democracy. We thank them all for the freedoms we celebrate today.

You can read about some of these heroic teachers in my first book, Chalkboard Champions, or in my second book, Chalkboard Heroes, both available on amazon.