Erin Oban: The junior high school math teacher who serves in her state House of Representatives

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Erin Oban

North Dakota’s Erin Oban, former junior high school math teacher who now serves in her state’s House of Representatives.

Many gifted classroom teachers also make excellent lawmakers. One example of this is Erin Oban, a junior high school math teacher who has been elected to the North Dakota State Senate.

Erin was born July 25, 1982, in Ray, Williams County, North Dakota. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics at the University of Mary.

After her college graduation, Erin was employed as a mathematics and technology teacher at Cathedral School in Bismarck, Burleigh County, North Dakota. There she had a reputation among her 7th and 8th grade students for being genuine, hardworking, and kind. “I think one of her most admirable qualities is her authentic support. I never felt uncomfortable asking a question or embarrassed to speak up, because she always made me feel like my contribution to the class was important and appreciated,” remembered former student Danielle Finn. “Most importantly, (Mrs.) Oban took the time to listen to me whenever I wanted to be heard. She would come early to answer questions and stay late for those who needed help. She truly wanted all of her students to succeed, not just at school but also in life,” Danielle concluded.

In 2014, Erin was elected to the North Dakota State Senate on the Democratic ticket to represent the 35th District. In the Senate, her interest in matters relating to education has not decreased. The former classroom teacher serves on the Education Committee, the Judicial Committee, and the Committee for Employee Benefits Programs. She also serves as the Chairman of the Education Policy Committee.

In addition to her legislative role, Erin is the Executive Director of Tobacco Free North Dakota, a nonprofit organization. She helped pass a bill last year banning e-cigarette sales to minors.

Erin Oban: a true Chalkboard Champion.

Celebrating Educator and Alaska Pioneer Orah Dee Clark

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Orah Dee Clark

Educator and Alaska pioneer Orah Dee Clark

There are many examples of talented educators who were also American pioneers. An excellent example of this is educator Orah Dee Clark, a teacher who is best known for being the first superintendent for the first school in Anchorage, Alaska.

Orah was born in 1875 in Firth, Nebraska. She first began teaching in 1906, when she was hired by the Bureau of Indian Affairs to teach in what was then the Territory of Alaska. There she worked in a number of remote outposts, including Kodiak, Anvik, Tanana, and the Aleutian Islands. In 1915, Orah was named the first superintendent of the first school in Anchorage. After leaving her position in Anchorage, she helped establish schools up and down the railroad belt in towns, including Wasilla, Eske, Fairview, and Matanuska. She also taught in Unga, Kennicott, Ouzinkie, Takotna, Kiana, Nushagek, and Moose Pass. This amazing pioneer concluded her fifty-one-year career when she retired in 1944. Always a champion of Native Alaskan rights, Orah believed that all children should be integrated into schools that fostered individual growth. Throughout her career, she was a strong advocate for schools where Native Alaskans and white students would attend school together.

Clark Middle School in Anchorage was opened in 1959 and named in her honor. In the early days of the school, Orah visited the campus often. According to reports, the students enjoyed talking with her between classes and after school. In 1962, Orah was awarded the Scroll of Honor by the Cook Inlet Historical Society. In 1980, the school where she served as the first superintendent, the Pioneer School House, was added to the National Register of Historic Places. In 2009, Orah was inducted into the Alaska Women’s Hall of Fame. Her personal papers are held in the collection of the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, and the Anchorage Museum holds a collection of photographs she once owned. Every year, the Anchorage Women’s Club awards a high school scholarship for boys and girls named after Orah.

This remarkable educator passed away in 1965.

You can view this view brief public service announcement created about her by the Alaska Moving Image Preservation Association.

Sekou Biddle: Talented elementary school teacher and politician from Washington, DC

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Sekou Biddle

Sekou Biddle: Talented elementary school teacher and politician from Washington, DC

There are many fine examples of talented classroom teachers who go on to become influential in local politics. One such teacher is Sekou Biddle, an elementary school teacher and politician from Washington, DC.

Sekou was born and raised in the Columbia Heights neighborhood of Washington, DC. His parents, who both worked for the federal government, stressed the importance of education, and they made sure Sekou went to quality public schools. The youngster attended Woodrow Wilson Senior High School in Tenleytown, a historic neighborhood in Northwest, DC. There he played sports, including football, basketball, and crew. He also dated the valedictorian, whom he later married.

Following his high school graduation, Sekou attended Morehouse College, where he graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration.

Once he earned his degree, Sekou accepted a position as a fifth and sixth grade teacher at an elementary school in the Bronx borough of New York City. The job fulfilled his obligation to the Teach for American program. Later, Sekou accepted a teaching position at an elementary school at Atlanta, Georgia. In 2005, he moved back to Washington, DC, where he taught math for the Knowledge is Power Program. Eventually he was named the Director of Community Outreach for the Knowledge is Power organization.

When he decided to throw his hat into the political ring, Sekou ran for and won a seat on the District of Columbia State Board of Education. He served in that capacity for four years. When his term expired, he became the Executive Director of Jumpstart for Young Children, a nonprofit organization that prepares youngsters to enter elementary school. He worked there for four years. Since 2012, Sekou has been employed as the vice president of the United Negro College Fund, where he oversees the advocacy platform that builds coalitions and supports education reforms.

You Don’t Have to Be a Perfect Teacher

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We teachers are continuously working towards improving our practice in the classroom. It just goes with the territory. We really, really care. But you don’t have to be a perfect teacher, advises this colleague in a two-minute video published by We Are Teachers. Take a look, and then give yourself permission to follow his advice.

For more inspiration, visit their website at We Are Teachers.com.

The progressive Amos Bronson Alcott: Teacher, philosopher, and reformer

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Amos Bronson Alcott

The Progressive Amos Bronson Alcott: Teacher, philosopher, and reformer

In the early 19th century, the Progressive Movement was responsible for great changes in the field of education. One progressive educator from this period was Amos Bronson Alcott, a teacher, philosopher, and reformer from Connecticut.

Amos was born in 1799 in Wolcott, New Haven County, Connecticut, the self-educated son of a farmer. When he grew to manhood, Amos became a prominent proponent of the Transcendentalist movement, a philosophical movement that emphasized the value of nature and the inherent goodness of people.

Even as a young man, Amos was interested in a career as a teacher. He disliked the rote memorization, lecture, and drill so prevalent in the schools of his day. Instead, he focused on the students’ personal experiences, advocated a more conversational style of interaction with pupils, and avoided traditional corporal punishments. He was one of the very first teachers to introduce art, music, nature study, and physical education into his curriculum. He engaged his students in Socratic dialogue to bring their ideas to the forefront. He treated children as adults, and would allow the class to address disciplinary problems as a group.

In 1834, Amos founded a “progressive school,” the Temple School in Boston. Under great skepticism and criticism almost from the start, the school still managed to stayed open for six years. Eventually it was closed, not because of its unorthodox methods, but because Amos, an ardent abolitionist, had enrolled an African American girl in the predominantly white school.

In 1859, Amos returned to Connecticut, where he was appointed the superintendent of Concord Public Schools. There he revamped the curriculum by introducing calisthenics, singing, and physiology. He insisted that his teachers use the Socratic method in their classrooms. He also established the first parent-teacher association. His work inspired later educational reformers and many of his practices are commonly implemented in schools today.

Amos was also an advocate for women’s rights. This remarkable Chalkboard Champion is probably best known, however, for being the father of Louisa May Alcott, the author of the classic American novel Little Women.

Amos Bronson Alcott passed away from natural causes in 1888. Read more about him at this link to the National Park Service.