Biloxi Junior High teachers create Avenue of Literature

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You’ve got to love the teachers at Biloxi Junior High School in Biloxi, Mississippi. They spent their summer vacation creating an Avenue of Literature for their students by painting the lockers in the hallway to look like the spines of books.

“They’re so much cleaner and bright, and they’re beautiful,” asserts teacher Jamie Parker. Teacher Becky Howard agrees. “I think the kids are really going to enjoy it. When they come back and see this, they’re going to be like, ‘Wow, this is really neat,'” she says.

The project was inaugurated the preceding Fall when two of the teachers at the school decided they wanted to transform the old, dull lockers that lined the eighth grade English hallway. The 189 lockers had been sealed shut and left unused for more than 15 years. “We thought, well, wow, we can really make this hallway look good,” commented teacher Elizabeth Williams. To decorate the lockers, the teachers selected titles they believed would appeal to all reading levels, interests, and genres.

The project was funded by a $600 grant through Biloxi First, public donations, and personal contributions.

Texas teacher Krystal Contreras wins Milken Award

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Krystal Contreras

Fourth grade writing teacher Krystal Contreras of Texas, winner of a 2018-2019 Milken Award.

America’s students are very fortunate to have many talented educators staffing our public schools. They work tirelessly to develop innovative and effective instructional programs, and they genuinely care about their students. One of these is Krystal Contreras, a fourth grade writing teacher from San Benito, Texas.

Krystal is a long-time resident of San Benito. As a youngster, she attended the school where she now teaches, Cash Elementary. She has served 14 years as an educator at that school. After she graduated from San Benito High School, she earned her Bachelor’s degree in English and a minor in Communications from the University of Texas Pan American in 2004.

Krystal has a reputation for seeking new strategies to add to her instructional program. Her classroom is organized and welcoming, with a flexible seating arrangement. Sometimes she re-arranges her furniture to simulate a picnic or uses black lights to make a point. She frequently asks her students to work in small groups, often with laptops. Krystal tutors after school and on Saturdays, making extra learning sessions fun by incorporating engaging activities and games. From the 2016-17 school year to the 2017-18 school year, the school’s fourth-graders who passed their end-of-year writing assessments increased from 82% to 87%. Both years, the percentage was the highest in her school district. To achieve these results, Krystal spent her summer researching new writing strategies and attending professional development workshops. Above all, this dedicated educator works towards helping her students become independent problem solvers.

“I have always known that I wanted to be a teacher,” recalled Krystal. “I remember playing school with my brother in my bedroom when we were young,” she continued. “I love trying to make an impact for the children of my community.”

The Milken Educator Awards has been described by Teacher magazine as the “Oscars of Teaching.” In addition to the $25,000 cash prize and public recognition, the honor includes membership in the National Milken Educator Network, a group of more than 2,700 exemplary teachers, principals, and specialists from all over the country who work towards strengthening best practices in education. Krystal is one of up to 40 educators, and the only one from Texas, who received the Milken Educator Award for the 2018-2019 year.

Congrats to 2019 National Teacher of the Year: Virginia’s Rodney Robinson!

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I’ve previously written about Chalkboard Champion Rodney Robinson, a high school social studies teacher at the Virgie Binford Education Center in Richmond, Virginia. Rodney works with students who live inside the Richmond Juvenile Detention Center. Clearly I am not the only one inspired by his story, as he was just named the 2019 National Teacher of the Year! Congratulations, Rodney!

To learn more about this remarkable educator, view the video below, aired yesterday on ABC Channel 2 CBS This Morning, where Rodney was interviewed by the show’s anchors, Gayle King, Norah O’Donnell, and John Dickerson:

NY high school teacher and politician Ernest Greenwood

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Ernest Greenwood

High school teacher and politician Ernest Greenwood of New York

Throughout American history, there are many examples of fine educators who went on to successful careers in politics. One of these is Ernest Greenwood, a teacher and principal who also served in the US House of Representatives.

Ernest was born November 25, 1884, in Barnsley, South Yorkshire, English. As a young boy, he attended public schools in Halifax, and as a young man he attended the Evening Technical Institute and College. From 1905 to 1906 Ernest was employed at an  engineering firm in Sheffield, and from 1907 to 1910 he was employed at an engineering firm in Halifax.

Ernest left his position in Halifax he immigrated to the United States and became a naturalized citizen. He secured employment with the General Electric Company in Schenectady. He worked there until 1914, when he decided to change careers and become an educator. To earn his degree, Ernest first attended City College of New York and then Columbia University.

But in 1914, World War I was in full swing. To contribute to the war effort, Ernest became a member of the committee on Census and Inventory of Military Resources. In addition, the new teacher inaugurated his career in Schenectady public schools, where he taught from 1914 to 1916. When he moved to islip, Suffolk County, New York, where he taught at Islip High School from 1916 to 1920. From 1920 to 1922, Ernest served as the supervisor of the Federal Board of Vocational Education. In addition, he was the Associate Headmaster for the Dwight School for Boys. From 1922 to 1946, he worked at the New York Preparatory School for Adults, the last 19 as the Headmaster.

During World War II, Ernest served on Islip’s Rationing Board, and in addition he was the Chairman of the Planning Commission for the Board of Education in Bay Shore, New York. He was the Board’s treasurer from 1947 to 1950. He was a Freemason, and a member of the Rotary Club.

In 1950, Ernest inaugurated his career as a politician. He was elected on the Democratic ticket to represent New York’s First District in the 82nd Congress. He served in the US House of Representatives from 1951 to 1953.

Ernest retired from politics in 1954. Sadly, the former educator and politician passed away in Bay Shore on June 15, 1955. He was 70 years old. He is interred at Oakwood Cemetery in Bay Shore.

Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop, founder of Hawaii’s Kamehameha Schools

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Princess Bernice Pauahi

Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop, the founder of Hawaii’s Kamehameha Schools.

While conducting research for my book Chalkboard Champions, I learned a great deal about numerous types of schools that I had never heard about in my thirty-odd years as an educator. Industrial schools, emancipation schools, farm schools, normal schools, specialist schools. Where were all these terms when I went through student teaching? One type of school I learned about that I found particularly intriguing is the Kamehameha School located in the beautiful state of Hawaii.
Kamehameha Schools were first established in 1887 at the bequest of Bernice Bishop, also known as Princess Pauahi, a member of the Hawaiian royal family when the state was still a territory. Princess Pauahi and her beloved husband, an American named Charles Reed Bishop, had no children of their own, and so when she passed away in 1882 at the age of 52, she directed that her vast estate should be used to benefit and educate underprivileged Native Hawaiian children. Two schools were built: one for boys and one for girls. Eventually the two schools were merged to form a coed school, now located on a six-hundred-acre campus on the main island of Oahu overlooking Honolulu Harbor.
Kamehameha Schools serve the important function of preserving Native Hawaiian culture, history, and language. One of the ways this is done is through the annual choral competition known as the Kamehameha Song Contest, where traditional Hawaiian songs and dances as well as new compositions in the genre are performed by the students. This is a wonderful tradition that goes back 45 years.
When I think of Chalkboard Champions, my first thought is of teachers, of course, but individuals such as Princess Pauahi who support schools financially and with their volunteer hours are also heroes to our students!

Read more about Kamehameha Schools in my book Chalkboard Champions, available on amazon.