Bennie Berry: The compassionate teacher who adopted her student

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English teacher Bennie Berry, a dedicated and compassionate English teacher in Beaumont, Texas, went above and beyond for one of her former students a year ago last November. She adopted him.

Anthony Berry was 16 years old when he entered Bennie’s classroom at Pathways Learning Center, an alternative school for troubled students. Feeling like no one on earth cared about him, the teenager had started to display some discipline problems. Anthony had been a foster child since he was 9 years old, and he had come to the conclusion that he may never be adopted. But when he casually suggested to his kindhearted teacher that she could adopt him, she actually considered the idea seriously.

Early in 2018, Anthony’s foster mother told the state she would no longer care for him. That’s when the teacher knew she needed to speak up. “Every kid deserves a chance to be loved,” Bennie says. She secretly filled out the paperwork, and by March, the youngster moved into her home. In November, 2017, on National Adoption Day, the adoption process was finalized, and she legally became his mother.

Bennie brings a lot to the table when she works with her students at Pathways. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in English in 1996 from Lamar University in Beaumont. She earned a Master’s degree in Special Education in 2004, and a Master’s in Counseling in 2006, both from Lamar. And she earned her Doctorate in Educational Leadership and Administration from Capella University in 2014. Capella is an online university headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Bennie Berry: Living proof that teachers change lives.

Free classroom rules posters from We Are Teachers

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Looking to revise the rules in your classroom? Teachers know that classroom rules can vary a great deal depending on the age of the students and the subject matter being taught. But the website We Are Teachers has designed five classroom rules posters that are pretty universal, whether you’re in elementary, middle school, or high school. And here’s the best thing: they are giving away these posters for free!  To get your set of posters, click here.

Teacher and Revolutionary War hero Timothy Bloodworth

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Timothy BLoodworth

Teacher and Revolutionary War hero Timothy Bloodworth


Chalkboard Champions have been as much a part of American life as any other hero since the very beginnings of our country’s history. One such historical figure was North Carolina educator, patriot, and statesman Timothy Bloodworth.
 
Timothy was born in New Hanover County, North Carolina, in 1736. He was named after his father, who had migrated to North Carolina from Virginia in the early 1700’s. As a young man, Timothy had little formal education, but he pursued a variety of careers.  Although  he spent most of his adulthood before the Revolutionary War as a teacher, he also farmed, kept a tavern, operated a ferry, practiced medicine, and preached occasionally. He also worked as a wheelwright and watchmaker, but he was probably best known as a blacksmith.
 
This talented educator eventually emerged as a leader in the movement for independence from Great Britain. When war broke out in 1776, Timothy began making weapons such as muskets and bayonets for the Continental Army. According to legend, he even saw combat as a sniper in fighting around Wilmington, North Carolina.
 
In 1778 and 1779, he served as a member of the state legislature for North Carolina. After the war ended, he held a number of political posts until serving as a delegate to the Continental Congress in 1786. Timothy was elected a member of the House of Representatives of the First United States Congress, a position he held from 1790 to 1791. After his tenure in the House ended, he returned to the North Carolina State Legislature. In 1794, Timothy was elected to the United States Senate, where he served from 1795 to 1801. From then until 1807, this chalkboard champion served as collector of customs in Wilmington.
 
Timothy Bloodworth passed away on August 24, 1814. During World War II, the liberty ship SS Timothy Bloodworth was named in his honor.

 

Nathan Stowe, Greg Benson lead combined Pickerington Bands in 2019 Rose Parade

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On New Year’s Day, approximately 333 excited student musicians from Pickering, Ohio, marched in the 2019 Rose Parade. The group was formed with 172 students from Pickering Central, under the direction of Band Director Nathan Stowe, and 161 students from Pickerington North, under the direction of Greg Benson.

The combined Pickerington Bands marched in honor of their former Band Director, Mike Sewell, who worked at Pickerington High School from 1981 to 2015. Before new construction in 2003 divided the institution into two schools—Pickerington North and Pickerington Central—Mike Sewell took his students to the Rose Parade three times: in 1993, 1997, and 2010. The highly-admired music educator passed away in 2017.

Nathan Stowe

Director of Bands Nathan Stowe of Pickerginton Central High School.

Pickerington Central’s Band Director, Nathan Stowe, earned his Bachelor’s degree in Music Education from Capital University in Bexley, Ohio, and his Master’s degree in Music from Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music in Bloomington, Indiana. He has been teaching instrumental music for 10 years. “It is a great honor to be the Director of Bands at Pickerington High School Central,” remarks Nathan. “Our band program has a national history of excellence. The Tiger Band has performed in national Parades, OMEA state final contests, and for politicians.”

Pickerington North’s Greg Benson earned his Bachelor’s degree in Music Education, summa cum laude, from Otterbein University in Westerville, Ohio. He is currently pursuing his Master’s degree in Music Education at Capital University in Bexley, Ohio.

Greg Benson

Pickerington North’s Director of Bands Greg Benson.

Although this is Greg’s first year at Pickerington, he has numerous years of experience as a band director. Before teaching at Pickerington, he served as Assistant Director of Bands at Grove City High School in Grove City, Ohio. During his four years there, he was part of the leadership team that took Grove City to the Rose Parade two years ago. Prior to his work in Grove City, Greg served as Director of Bands at Gallia Academy High School in Gallipolis City Schools in southeastern Ohio. He taught there for two years.