This blog is all about recognizing and celebrating exceptional teachers. But occasionally it’s fun to take a look at fictional educators. Here is a compilation of fictional educators. These stories can serve as entertainment, or perhaps inspiration, for the rest of us in the profession.
Beloved New Jersey principal Dr. Derrick Nelson succumbed last Sunday from complications sustained when he underwent a procedure to donate life-saving bone marrow to a 14-year-old teenage boy in France.
Students and teachers at Westfield Public High School in New Jersey are mourning the loss of their beloved principal, Dr. Derrick Nelson, this week. Derrick passed away last Sunday from complications sustained while he was undergoing a procedure to donate bone marrow. Through the Be the Match organization, the life-saving bone marrow was given to a 14-year-old teenage boy in France.
The educational community has been enriched by the presence of Chalkboard Hero Dr. Derrick Nelson, and his loss will be keenly felt. Students remember their principal for supporting students at games, plays and concerts, and for the impact he left on those around him. “He always tried to inspire students in the classroom and outside to be good people,” expressed Senior Class President Jackson O’Brien in an interview with ABC 7. “And I think he served as a great role model.” Derrick’s father, Willie Nelson, agrees. “He was the type of guy to take the shirt off his back and give it to you,” Willie remembers. “He was very good at everything he did. He gave 100 percent of his life to education.”
Derrick earned his Bachelor’s Degree at Mass Communications and Media Studies from Delaware State University in 1997. He earned his Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership and Administration at St. Peter’s College in 2003. He earned his Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Administration in Seton Hall University in 2013. Derrick also served 25 years in the US Army Reserves, and had recently re-enlisted. His military service included an assignment in the Middle East.
Medical professionals emphasize that, while any medical procedure carries some degree of risk, death from bone marrow donation procedures are extremely rare.
Educator Anna Boyd Ellington, one of three founding members of the Delta Gamma Fraternity.
Teachers are among the most community-minded individuals who work to improve the lives of citizens in any community. One of these very hardworking teachers is Anna Boyd Ellington, one of three founders of the Delta Gamma Fraternity in the 1800’s.
Anna was born on January 22, 1856, in Kosciusko, Atlanta County, Mississippi. Her father was a member of the Mississippi State Legislature, and her mother was a schoolteacher. Anna taught in public schools until her marriage to Daniel W. Ellington.
In 1873, Anna and two of her colleagues founded the Delta Gamma Fraternity at the Lewis School for Girls in Oxford, Mississippi. These three educators worked tirelessly to promote among their students a sense of high ideals and standards, intellectual growth, and community service. They chose as their motto “Do Good.”
The Delta Gamma fraternity still exists today. Now an international organization, membership has grown to more than 250,000 women worldwide, with 151 collegiate chapters and more than 200 alumnae groups across the United States and Canada. Members continue to place strong emphasis on personal values and standards, academic excellence, leadership, and service.
This chalkboard champion passed away on August 12, 1907. She was only 51 years old.
Former shop teacher, professional cheerleader, and inventor of the wave Krazy George Henderson
Under ordinary circumstances the word “Krazy” is not a word we would like to associate with a teacher, but in the case of Krazy George Henderson, we happily make an exception. As a professional cheerleader and inventor of the wave, former high school shop teacher Krazy George is just a fun guy.
George inaugurated his cheerleading career in 1968 while a student at San Jose State University. During those years he was also a member of the school’s judo team which one a national championship. After his graduation from college, George continued cheerleading at local sporting events where he became well-known for beating a drum and shouting cheers in his gravelly voice.
After his graduation from college, George became a shop teacher at Buckser High School in Santa Clara, California. In 1975, his enthusiastic cheerleading was noticed by local sports teams. Not long after, he was hired to be a team cheerleader for the San Jose Earthquakes, the California Golden Seals, and the Kansas City Chiefs. Before long, Krazy George made cheerleading his new career.
George takes credit for inventing the famous wave. He says he got the idea for the popular fan move in 1980 when he was leading cheers at a National Hockey League game at Northlands Coliseum in Edmongton, Alberta, Canada. His original plan was to have fans on one side of the arena jump to their feet and cheer, and then fans on the opposite side respond. But there was a delay in the response from one section of the fans which led them to jump to their feet a few seconds later than the others on their side. Before long, George perfected the move, which he debuted at the Oakland A’s baseball game on October 15, 1981. “I started with three sections and it went about five or six sections down,” Krazy George told KPIX-TV in San Francisco in a 2010 interview. “I did it again and it went 11 and then all the way around. It was insane,” he continued. Crowds all over the country have been “waving” ever since.
The former educator has left the classroom, but as he nears his 75th birthday he has enjoyed a career as a cheerleader for 40 years. In addition to his appearances as a cheerleader at professional sports events, George has been featured in People Magazine, he’s been a guest on such television programs as Hollywood Squares and To Tell the Truth, and he’s been interviewed on numerous national and local radio shows.
Enjoy this video of Krazy George demonstrating the wave below:
In our country, we are so fortunate that there are many exceptional and inspirational educators in our schools. One of these is Rodney Robinson, a history teacher at Virgie Binford Education Center in Richmond, Virginia. Rodney has been named the 2019 Virginia Teacher of the Year.
Rodney has taught in Richmond Public Schools for 19 years, the last four years at Virgie Binford Binford is a school inside of the Richmond Juvenile Detention Center. Rodney once revealed that he became a teacher to honor his mother, who struggled to earn an education after being denied schooling as a child due to segregation and poverty in rural Virginia.
For his work with juvenile offenders, Rodney has earned many accolades. In addition to the Virginia Teacher of the Year honor, he garnered the REB Award for Teaching Excellence. He is a member of Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney’s Education Compact Team, which includes politicians, educators, business leaders, and community leaders, and is working with city leaders and local colleges to recruit under-represented male teachers into the field of education. He has also worked with Pulitzer Award winning author James Foreman on developing curriculum units on race, class, and punishment as a part of the Yale Teacher’s Institute.
Rodney says he is very grateful for the recognition. “I want to thank my students,” Rodney said when he accepted the award, “My students are the most vulnerable kids in society. They have succumbed to the pressure of urban living and made mistakes that they are paying for, but they still persevere and strive for success,” he expressed. “They are my inspiration, and I will fight to my last heart beat for them.”
Rodney earned his Bachelor’s degree in History and his Master’s degree in Educational Administration and Supervision, both from Virginia Commonwealth University.
