Educator Dayna Polehanki runs for Michigan State Senate
Educator Dayna Polehanki is running for a seat in the Michigan State Senate.
Many talented and dedicated educators have decided to throw their hat into the ring in this year’s mid-term elections. One of these is Dayna Polehanki, a high school English teacher who is making a bid for a seat in the Michigan State Senate.
Dayna is running on the Democratic ticket to represent her state’s District 7. This district, previously held by term-limited Senator Patrick Colbeck, includes the communities of Livonia, Canton, Plymouth, Northville, and Wayne. In the upcoming November general election, Dayna will face off against two opponents: Republican Laura Cox and Libertarian Joseph LeBlanc. Impressively, for this election Dayna has earned the endorsement of President Barack Obama.
Dayna is a long-time resident of Michigan. She graduated from Flushing High School in Flushing, Michigan. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Central Michigan University; her teaching credentials from Alma College, a private liberal arts college in Alma, Michigan; and her Master’s degree in Teaching from Marygrove College in Detroit. She also earned an administrator credential from the Michigan Association of Secondary School Principals. Dayna has taught English in the New Haven Community Schools District for the past 16 years. She currently teaches twelfth grade English at New Haven High School.
For her work in the classroom, Dayna has earned many accolades. In 2018, she was recognized as the Teacher of the Year for New Haven Community Schools, and the year before, she was one of two recipients of the Michigan Schools and Government Educator Advantage Scholarship.
Before Dayna became a teacher, she was the manager of Features Casting at Paramount Pictures. She is also the owner of a small business. For the past ten years she has been the owner of Detroit Casting Company, and she has also served as the Michigan casting director of such productions as Alex Cross, Into the Storm, and The End of the Tour.
To learn more about this chalkboard champion and political candidate, visit her campaign website at www.daynaforsenate.com.
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Educator Amy Perruso runs for seat in Hawaii State House of Reps
Educator Amy Perruso runs for a seat in the Hawaii State House of Representatives.
Because of today’s highly-charged political climate, educators are becoming more and more interested in serving their communities in public office. One such educator is Amy Perruso, a high school social studies teacher running for a seat in the Hawaii State House of Representatives.
Amy’s drive to serve her students and her community is palpable. “I ran for office because the children in our public schools need strong advocates,” declares Amy. “Teachers have always stepped up to do this work, and entering the political arena in this way, as teachers who are union leaders, is a natural reflection of how teachers lead in our community and the ways in which our union advocates for the common good,” she continues.
Amy advanced to the November elections when she won the Democratic primary last summer, beating Lei Learmont. In the general election she will face off against Republican John Miller.
In a career that has spanned 18 years total, Amy has spent the last 14 of them as a teacher at Mililani High School in Mililani, Hawaii. Among the several courses she teaches is Advanced Placement Government and APUSH. Amy has also served as a reader for the College Board on the APGOV exam, and she has been as a member of the Hawaii State Social Studies Work Group. She is also a member of the Every Student Succeeds Act Team, which is responsible for creating a blueprint for the future of Hawaii’s public schools. In addition to all this, Amy has served three terms as the Secretary-Treasurer of the Hawaii State Teachers Association.
Amy’s talent and dedication as an educator has not gone unnoticed. She was a Fulbright Scholar and a finalist for the Gilder-Lehrman National History Teacher of the Year Award.
To learn more about this candidate, visit her website at www.amyperruso.com.
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Sharing stories about outstanding teachers
I love to tell stories about talented, outstanding teachers. There are so many phenomenal stories that could be told! I believe that teachers represent the best our country has to offer, and, as a group, they are among the most dedicated, hardworking, and talented individuals anyone can know. It fills me with joy to be able to describe myself as an educator. I love to share these inspirational stories in my blog, on my website, and in my books. These are stories of truly amazing individuals who have made significant contributions to the lives of so many, and it fills me with pride to know that, every day, talented educators all over the country are continuing to influence the lives of their students in such positive ways.
To read inspirational stories about outstanding teachers, subscribe to this blog. IN addition, you can purchase my first book, Chalkboard Champions: Twelve Remarkable Teachers who Educated America’s Disenfranchised Students, at amazon.com at this link: Chalkboard Champions. You can purchase my second book,Chalkboard Heroes: Twelve Courageous Teachers and their Deeds Valor, at amazon.com at this link: Chalkboard Heroes. Both books are available in ebook and print versions.
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Teacher Larry Proffitt runs for Tennessee State House of Reps
Middle school teacher Larry Proffitt runs for a seat in the Tennessee State House of Representatives.
Today, more than ever, the American political environment offers opportunities for dedicated educators to step into elected public office as they attempt to achieve positive social change in their communities. One of these educators is Larry Proffitt, a junior high school history teacher who is running for a seat in the Tennessee State House of Representatives.
Larry’s career as an educator spans 13 years. He currently works as an eighth grade history teacher at Dickson Middle School. Larry says he believes in community schools throughout his home state. He declares he wants every child to have a great public education like the one he received, and he believes that a quality education is the foundation of our republic and its democratic ideals. But, he asserts, there is definitely work that needs to be done. “We need to get a hold on things and go back to developing relationships with our children,” declares Larry, “teaching our children to grow up and be socially responsible and teaching them in depth in the things we do.”
Larry is running on the Democratic ticket unopposed. His goal is to represent Tennessee’s District 66, which covers Robertson County. In order to learn as much about his state government as possible, Larry says he spends every snow day at the General Assembly speaking to legislators about improving schools in his state in every way possible.
To learn more about this chalkboard champion, visit his campaign website at Larry for Rep.
