Sandra Deal: Retired teacher and former First Lady of Georgia

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Sandra Deal

Former Georgia First Lady Sandra Deal, a retired Language Arts teacher, has visited over 1,000 classrooms throughout her state to read aloud to children.

Many times talented educators find themselves navigating within the political sphere. This is true of Sandra Deal, a retired Language Arts teacher who is the former First Lady of Georgia.

Sandra was born Emilie Sandra Donagan in Gainesville, Hall County, Georgia. Both her parents were teachers. Following her high school graduation in Gainesville, Sandra earned her college degree from Georgia College and State University. She then followed in her parents’ footsteps and also went into teaching. She taught Language Arts at public schools for over 15 years. When she retired, she was working as a sixth-grade middle school teacher.

Sandra is the wife of Georgia Governor Nathan Deal, who served in office from 2011 to January, 2019. As Georgia’s First Lady, she became a strong advocate for literacy and education throughout the state. Through her Read Across Georgia project, Sandra visited every one of Georgia’s 159 counties to read to students. Over the course of her husband’s eight years in office, she visited more than 1,000 classrooms, sometimes as many as eight in a single day.

On her classroom visits, Sandra read aloud to the children and encouraged them to use the library. “My goal is to encourage students to enjoy reading so that they will be prepared for a lifetime of learning,” declared Sandra. “Reading is the gift that keeps on giving, and education is essential for all children to succeed in their pursuits,” she continued. “I believe that knowledge is power, and when we teach students to love reading, we give them the confidence to learn on their own and acquire that power far into the future,” she concluded.

For her efforts as an advocate for education, the Georgia Association of Broadcasters recognized Sandra as their 2016 “Georgian of the Year.”

Teachers launch lessons to celebrate Black History Month

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Black History Month

This fabulous Black History Month classroom door decoration has gone viral on Facebook.

February is Black History Month, and teachers all over the nation are launching their lessons to celebrate this important cultural event. Part of the observance is visual presentations, like the one in this photo. This fabulous classroom door decoration has gone viral on Facebook. I don’t know who the imaginative teacher who created this is, but I know she is from the Brooklyn area. If you can identify her, let me know her name and school so I can give her a shout out!

The amazing Laura Chang: Michigan’s 2018 State Teacher of the Year

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Laura Chang

Elementary teacher Laura Chang: Michigan’s 2018 State Teacher of the Year.

Michigan has announced elementary school teacher Laura Chang is the state’s Teacher of the Year for 2018. Laura, whose career as an educator has spanned 19 years, teaches at Sunset Lake Elementary in the Vicksburg Community School district in Kalamazoo County, Michigan. She currently teaches math and reading to kindergarten through fifth grade learners in an intervention setting.

Previously, Laura has taught pre-K, first/second grade multi-age, second grade, and third grade. In addition, she has worked as an instructional consultant and academic coach. She also serves as a mentor coach and district technology integration leader. And as if all this isn’t enough, she also teaches undergraduate and graduate level courses in the Special Education and Literacy Studies Department at Western Michigan University.

Laura earned both her Bachelor’s degree in Education (1999) and her Master’s degree in Education (2004)  from Western Michigan University located in Kalamazoo.

Laura has an obvious passion for her profession. “Teachers must have a passion for their work when they walk into a classroom each day,” asserts Laura. “I’m passionate about my students’ academic, behavior and socio-emotional growth and success,” she continues. “Our students look to their teachers for hope, for guidance, for encouragement, and for inspiration. What my students may not realize, though, is that those are the things that they give to me each day when I walk into my classroom,” she concludes.

Honoring Carter Godwin Woodson, the founder of Black History Month

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Carter Godwin Woodson

Celebrated educator Carter Godwin Woodson, the originator of Black History Month.

This month, teachers throughout the country are currently observing Black History Month, an annual celebration of the many important  contributions African Americans have made to our country. But did you know that Black History Month, itself, was the brainchild of a brilliant American teacher?

Educator Carter Godwin Woodson (1875-1950)  is credited with organizing and advocating annual Black History Month celebrations in American schools in 1926. Certainly this is an admirable accomplishment in and of itself, but there is so much more to learn about this outstanding educator. Did you know that, as a youngster, Carter was forced to work on the family farm rather than attend school? Nevertheless, he taught himself to read using the Bible and local newspapers. He didn’t finish high school until he was 20 years old. Did you know that he once worked as a coal miner in Fayette County, West Virginia, and then later went back there to teach school to the children of Black coal miners, serving as a personal role model for using education to get out of the mines? And did you know that Carter taught school in the Philippines, and then became the supervisor of schools, which included duties as a trainer of teachers, there?

To read more about this fascinating historical figure, check out the chapter I have written about him in my first book, Chalkboard Champions.