Major League Baseball player James Brideweser also taught high school math

Posted on by
James Brideweser

Math teacher and Major League Baseball player James Brideweser

Many successful athletes also become successful educators. One of these is James Brideweser, a Major League Baseball player who went on to teach high school mathematics in California.

James was born on February 13, 1927, in Lancaster, Fairfield County, Ohio. After his graduation from Washington High School in Los Angeles, he served his county in the military during World War II. He then earned his degree from the University of Southern California.

The 6-foot, 165-pound shortstop and second baseman inaugurated his MLB career with the New York Yankees, for whom he played three years. In 1954 he played for the Baltimore Orioles, and then he was traded to the Chicago White Sox, for whom he played in 1955-1956. The last team he played for was the Detroit Tigers. In all, James’ career panned the years 1951 to 1957.

Once he completed his career in baseball, James earned his teaching credentials. He secured a job as a mathematics teacher and Title IX counselor at Redondo Union High School in Redondo Beach, California. He also served as the coach of their varsity baseball team, which logged two championship seasons under his leadership.

James passed away on August 25, 1989, in El Toro, Orange County, California. He was 62 years old.

For Women’s History Month, let’s remember Iowa educator Julia Addington

Posted on by
Julia Addington

Iowa educator and school superintendent Julia Addington

Women’s History Month offers the opportunity to reach back into history and explore the lives of many remarkable women. One of these was Julia Addington, a school teacher from Iowa who was the first woman elected to public office in that state.

Julia was born on June 13, 1829, in New York state. She was the oldest of seven children born to William Addington, Sr., and Alvira (Potter) Addington. Her family moved first to Wisconsin, and then to Iowa, where her father established a farm.

Once in Iowa, Julia taught school in Cedar Falls, Waterloo, Des Moines, and finally at Cedar Valley Seminary, a private high school located in Osage, Mitchell County, Iowa.

In 1869, at the age of 40, Julia was serving as the temporary superintendent of schools when her supporters encouraged her to run for the office in her own right. Once the votes were counted, it was discovered that she and her opponent, Milton M. Browne, had each garnered exactly the same number of votes. A flip of the coin decided the election in Julia’s favor. Unfortunately, many of Mitchell County’s residents did not accept these results because Julia was a woman, but Iowa state Attorney General Henry O’Connor ruled that her election was legal because the law did not expressly state that the candidate must be a man.

During her two-year term as school superintendent, Julia oversaw 76 schools, including three log schoolhouses, with 2,231 students and 122 teachers. She visited and inspected each school in the county at least twice a year. In addition, Julia tested applicants for teaching certificates, made an annual report to the state superintendent, and examined plans for new school buildings. Under her tenure, 17 new schools were built.

An innovative educator, Julia encouraged her teachers to read educational journals, and one of her teachers attended the Normal School at Winona, Minnesota—something she correctly predicted would become a more widespread practice in the future. She also organized week-long institutes offering lectures and discussions about best practices, which were well-attended. As superintendent, Julia viewed her role as an observer—watching, examining, and recommending. Rather than criticizing, she gave advice and made suggestions that were encouraging to the teacher and beneficial to the school. She saw to it that Mitchell County teachers were better paid, and turnover for teachers in her district was greatly reduced.

Julia Addington certainly made a positive impact on the teachers and students she was responsible for, not only as a teacher, but also as a school superintendent.

This remarkable educator passed away on September 21, 1875, at her home in Stacyville, Iowa. She was 46 years old.

Teacher Lori Aldaheff becomes advocate for school safety after her daughter is slain

Posted on by
Lori Alhadeff

Health and physical education teacher and coach Lori Alhadeff  became a tireless advocate for school safety after her daughter, Alyssa, was slain in the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting.

There are many examples of fine educators who have devoted their energies to activist pursuits. One of these is Lori Alhadeff, a health and physical education teacher whose daughter was slain in the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in 2018. In the wake of this tragedy, Lori has become an activist and outspoken advocate for  gun control.

Lori Robinovitz was born on February 11, 1975, in Hillsborough Township, New Jersey. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Health and Physical Education from the College of New Jersey, a public university in Ewing, New Jersey. She completed her Master’s degree in Education at Gratz College, a private Jewish university located in Melrose Park, Pennsylvania..

Once she earned her degrees, Lori taught for four years in New Jersey’s Union Township School District. There she also coached volleyball, softball, and cheerleading. She also worked for one year for the Windward School where she taught children with dyslexia and language-based learning disabilities and coached cheerleading. After she married Dr. Ilan Alhadeff and had three children, Lori became a stay-at-home mother and devoted many years to coaching soccer.

Tragically, Lori’s 14-year-old daughter, Alyssa Alhadeff, was one of 17 students and teachers killed in the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting on February 14, 2018. The next day, Lori appeared on CNN where she made an impassioned plea to President Donald Trump to increase school security. But Lori was not content to merely talk. She founded a nonprofit organization she named Make Our Schools Safe with the goal of providing safety strategies designed to meet the specific needs of each school. These strategies include installing metal detectors, bullet-resistant glass, and additional fencing and gates. The month after her daughter was killed, Lori traveled to Tallahassee to work towards the passage of Florida Senate Bill 7026, legislation which provided some statewide gun control and school safety measures. She also participated in the March for Our Lives rally in Washington, DC.

In August, 2018, Lori was elected to the Broward County School Board, which serves the sixth-largest district in the country. When the votes were counted, she had earned a whopping 65% of them.

Lori Alhadeff: a true Chalkboard Champion.

Teacher Joanne Lyles White: Champion of the needy

Posted on by
Joanna Lyles White

Teacher Joanne Lyles White: Champion of the needy.

Very often chalkboard champions are well-known for their achievements outside of the classroom, and this is certainly true about Joanne Lyles White of Alexandria, Louisiana, a tireless champion for the needy.

Lillian Joanne Lyles White was born in Lecompte, Louisiana, on September 12, 1929, the eighth of twelve children born to Samuel and Marie Lyles. She and her siblings were raised on Compromise Plantation in Lloyd’s Bridge, Louisiana. Her parents were sharecroppers for many years, but eventually they leased and operated a farm of over 800 acres. Although the Lyles family operated one of the most productive cotton farms in the South, they never owned their own home or land. Joanne’s parents believed the most important inheritance they could leave their children was the opportunity for a college education.

As a youngster, Joanne was actively involved in the local 4-H club, serving as its president when she was in high school. In an era of Jim Crow laws and the Ku Klux Klan, many of her closest friends and playmates were the sons and daughters of African-American sharecroppers. At a very early age, Joanne became a champion for civil rights, a cause she publicly and vigorously supported throughout her entire life.

Joanne graduated from Lecompte High School at the age of sixteen. In 1950, she graduated from Louisiana State University with a Bachelor’s degree in speech and social studies. After graduating from college, the young teacher accepted her first job at Bolton High School in Alexandria, Louisiana. She held this position from 1950 to 1963. She taught World History, American History, government, economics, and speech. She also served as the coach of Bolton High School’s speech and debate team. The indefatigable teacher was instrumental in creating a statewide forensics circuit; she founded and became the first president of the Louisiana High School Speech League and Tournament of Champions.

On April 30, 1951, Joanne married Paul Donald White, Sr. Together, they had six children.

All her life, Joanne was a tenacious and passionate advocate for the poverty-stricken, the dispossessed, single mothers, orphaned children, and the disabled. In 1989, she was one of the founding members of Hope House, a homeless shelter for women, mothers, and their children. The former teacher arranged for the donation of an expansive historic home on Bolton Avenue, and she raised both private and public funds to renovate and operate the facility. Since its creation, Hope House has provided thousands of women and children a new beginning. The dedicated teacher was especially honored when Hope House was selected by President George H.W. Bush to receive the 1,000 Points of Light Award.

After her second grandchild, Lamar Jr., was diagnosed with cerebral palsy, Joanne created Angel Care, an early childhood development center that provided networking opportunities and resources for families with mentally or physically challenged children. She was also the co-designer of the Aiken Optional School, an alternative school program to help students at risk of dropping out of school or who had already dropped out. In addition, she helped create the Kuumba Center, an inner-city educational and recreational institution.

In 1983, Joanne became one of the founding members the Shepherd Center, an ecumenical ministry comprised of 29 church congregations that worked together to assist the poor and the dispossessed.  As a part of her work with the Shepherd Center, Joanne created the Christmas Cheer for Children program, which provided computerized cooperative aid to over 4,000 children annually. She was also a founding member of the Rapides Parish Chapter of Habitat for Humanity, an executive committeewoman for the Job Training Partnership Act State Council, the chairperson of the State Committee on Illiteracy and Education, the chairperson of the Rapides Parish Workforce Investment Board, and a founding member of the Central Louisiana Food Bank. This tireless educator also worked with the governor’s office and the Department of Corrections to spearhead and chair a task force that investigated the treatment of incarcerated women and juveniles.

Among her many honors and awards, Joanne was named the recipient of the National Association of Social Worker’s Public Citizen of the Year Award, the Lions Club’s Outstanding Citizen Award, the Louisiana Methodist Church’s Children and Families Service Award, the Young Women’s Christian Association’s Outstanding Community Leader Award, the Zeta Phi Beta’s Outstanding Community Leadership Award, the Sojourner Truth Award, the Central Louisiana Professional Women’s Network’s Visionary Award, and Cenla Focus’s Cenla-ian of the Year. Joanne’s work was also commended by the Louisiana Department of Safety and Corrections, the Louisiana Department of Education, the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, the Rapides Parish Police Jury, and the Alexandria Human Relations Commission.

This very amazing chalkboard champion passed away in Alexandria, Louisiana, on March 9, 2011, at the age of 81.