Teacher Elsa Mendoza Marquez: One of 22 victims of El Paso mass shooting

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Teacher and Mexican national Elsa Mendoza Marquez was one of the 22 victims of the mass shooting which took place in El Paso, Texas, last Saturday.

Once again a school community is mourning the loss of an outstanding educator, this time in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. Mexican national and elementary school teacher Elsa Mendoza Marquez was one of the 22 victims of the mass shooting which took place in El Paso, Texas, last Saturday.

“The Mexican education community is in mourning for the irreparable loss of Maestra Elsa Mendoza Marquez in the deplorable events in El Paso, Texas,” expressed Mexico’s education minister, Esteban Moctezuma Barragan. Maestra is the title of honor that Mexicans use for teachers.

Elsa crossed the border on Saturday to visit family and do some shopping at Walmart. El Paso is about five miles from the main border checkpoint with Ciudad Juarez. Many Mexican citizens cross the border legally each day to work and shop in the city of 680,000 full-time residents, and the population of El Paso County is more than 80% Latino, according to the latest census data. Elsa was one of eight Mexican nationals who perished in the attack last Saturday.

Elsa was 57 years old, married, and had two grown children. To read more about her and the other victims of this, shooting, read this story published in the LA Times.

Florida teacher collects school supplies for needy students instead of traditional wedding gifts

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Florida teacher Kelli Cameron and hew new husband Matt collected school supplies for needy students instead of traditional wedding gifts.

I have often said that school teachers are the backbone of our communities. Here is another example that proves this is true. Kelli Cameron, a first grade teacher, who just happens to be a new bride, and her husband Matt, asked their wedding guests to donate school supplies to needy students instead of buying them traditional wedding gifts.

Kelli teaches at Roland Park K-8 Magnet School in the Hillsborough County Public School District located in Tampa, Florida. When she and Matt got engaged last summer, the couple decided they didn’t really need anything to begin their married life together. Since the students at her school weren’t in need of supplies, she reached out to nearby Booker T. Washington Elementary School. Teachers there gave Kelli a list of items that would benefit their students. The list included everything from notebooks and glue sticks to socks and underwear. Kelli and Matt then created a registry on Amazon, and the donations began rolling in.

“It wasn’t much different than going online and making a [wedding] registry,” Matt Cameron remarked. “Instead of crock pots, it was Sharpies and T-shirts and khaki shorts,” he said. “I’m not surprised at all that she thought of this and went into it so passionately, because that’s what she does every day.”

By the time the couple married on June 8 at the Palma Ceia Golf and Country Club in Tampa, Florida, Kelli and Matt had filled 70 donated backpacks with school supplies to distribute to Washington Elementary’s students for the new school year.

“Being a teacher, I put my heart and soul into the kids, and you try and give and give to them,” Kelli expressed. “How wonderful it was that we were able to do that, take something that was about us and help others,” she continued. “The kids who get the backpacks will be excited for that first day of school, and excited that they have that new backpack and new supplies, and are ready to start the school year,” she concluded.

Kelli Cameron: A true chalkboard champion.
 
 

Former rural school teacher and General of the Armies John J. Pershing

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Former rural school teacher and General of the Armies John J. Pershing

Many people are familiar with the accomplishments of World War I General John J. Pershing, but did you know that he was once a classroom teacher in a rural school?

John Pershing was born on September 13, 1860, in Laclede, Linn County, Missouri. His father was the son of a railroad switch man. Determined to gain a college degree, John was only 17 when he enrolled at Kirksville Normal School. The institution, located in Kirksville, Missouri, is now known as Truman State University.

To pay for his college education, John accepted a position as a teacher in a rural school for African American youngsters. Even though he was just a teenager himself, John demonstrated an unusual strength for confronting and controlling wayward students. And even their parents, when necessary. In one case, the neophyte teacher was confronted by an angry father who rode to the school bent on murder, packing a gun, and seeking vengeance against the school master who had dared to whip his son for kicking a dog. John persuaded the muscular farmer to lay down his weapon and settle their differences in a fistfight. Then the school master hammered the brawny man.

While still in the classroom, John came across an advertisement for the entrance exam for the US Military Academy. The young teacher took the test in 1882, and with his high scores, he gained entry to West Point. John graduated in 1886 as the president of his class and the captain of cadets.

After his graduation from West Point, John was given a commission in the US Cavalry. When the Spanish American War broke out in 1898, he was ordered to the Philippines. For his service there he earned a Silver Star. By 1906, John had risen to the rank of Brigadier General. In 1914, President Woodrow Wilson sent the former school master to the American Southwest to capture Mexican guerrillas fighting under Pancho Villa. The mission was successful, earning John a promotion to Major General. Next, John commanded the 10th Cavalry, a distinguished regiment of African American troops known as the Buffalo Soldiers.

Once the United States entered World War I in 1917, the former school teacher took command of the American Expeditionary Forces and sailed to France. Under his command, American forces defeated the German army at St. Mihiel in September, 1918. The next month he led American soldiers in the brutal battles of the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. When the Armistice was finally signed on November 11, 1918, John Pershing returned home to a hero’s welcome. For his accomplishments on the battle field, Congress conferred upon John Pershing the title of General of the Armies, the highest rank ever awarded an American. Before him, only George Washington had earned the title. 

In his next assignment, John served as the Army Chief of Staff. He held this post from 1921 until he retired in 1924. He then penned his two-volume life story, My Experiences in the World War, which was published in 1931. The book earned him a Pulitzer Prize. 

John Pershing passed away in Washington, DC, on July 15, 1948. He was 87 years old. The former teacher and military man is interred in Arlington Cemetery. His grave is marked by a simple granite headstone.

To read more about this chalkboard hero, click on this link to History on the Net.

Erica Boomsma named South Dakota’s 2019 Teacher of the Year

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Meet Erica Boomsma, who has been named the South Dakota Teacher of the Year for 2019. Erica says she always knew that she would be a teacher. She strives to empower and support the students from all over the world that she teaches.

Erica is a fourth grade teacher at the Washington 4-5 Center in the Huron School District located in Sioux Falls. She has taught there since 2002. Erica is a leader in her school and district, serving as a valued resource to colleagues seeking guidance on effective instructional strategies for English language learners. In recent years, she has led the development of a highly successful literacy program focused on building fluency and comprehension. As part of this program, students have created a “virtual library,” recording themselves reading books aloud. These audiobooks are then made available for all classrooms in the district.

In the short video below Erica shares her inspiration for becoming a teacher:

The first day of school: How to have a great one

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Back to School

As the start of a new academic year is upon us, educators all over the country are contemplating ways to create a successful first day of school. Here are a few thoughts.

Think about what you want to accomplish with your students, right from the start. Of course, classroom management is important, but current educational philosophy suggests that classroom management is easiest when students are actively engaged in stimulating and meaningful activities. So, avoid reading aloud a list of your classroom rules and expectations or your course syllabus. Also, don’t plan a lecture. It’s a snore for the kids, and your throat will be sore by the end of the day.

To create a memorable first day, plan an activity that introduces students to your classroom values. Presumably these values would include respect for peers and working well together. Consider ice-breakers that encourages students to interact with each other. Reward them for learning the names of their classmates. It’s also a great idea to try and learn the names of your students as quickly as possible so that you can greet them by name on their second day. Also, create activities that give kids opportunities to help you and their classmates get to know what is unique about them. Example activities would include a round of Two Truths and a Lie, a Shoe Pile Mingle, or Never Have I Ever.

Another customary classroom value emphasizes the joy of learning. Many teachers want their class to be an exciting adventure as they and their students explore learning together. Crafting an activity that is interactive introduces this classroom value right from the beginning. Consider planning a trivia game, collaborative drawing, or a scavenger hunt.

Whatever you plan for that first day, just be sure it is stimulating and engaging. The time will be well spent if the effort kicks off the school year with a sense of excitement for your class or subject. And that list of classroom rules an expectations and the course syllabus? Consider emailing these to parents before the school year begins, and having them reply that they have received it, perhaps with a simple phrase such as “I Agree.” Or use the communication as an opportunity to invite parents to dialogue with you about their child’s individual needs or concerns.

Above all, have a great year!