State Senator Joyce Elliott of Arkansas: High School teacher and champion of education

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Joyce Elliott

State Senator Joyce Elliott of Arkansas: High School teacher and champion of education

Many talented classroom teachers are also excellent politicians. One educator who exemplifies this is Joyce Ann Elliott, a high school teacher who has also served in both the House of Representatives and the State Senate for her home state of Arkansas.

Joyce Elliott was born in Willisville, Arkansas, on March 20, 1951. After her high school graduation, Joyce earned her Bachelor’s degree in English and Speech at Southern Arkansas University (1973). She earned her Master’s degree in English from Ouachita Baptist University (1981).

For more than 30 years, Joyce taught Advanced Placement and College Preparatory courses to high school juniors and seniors in Arkansas, Florida,
Minnesota, and Texas. Then she joined the College Board to focus on expanding access to Advanced Placement courses for under-represented groups of students.

From 2000 to 2006, Joyce served in the Arkansas House of Representatives. As a State Representative, she served on several committees, including those for Education and the Committee for Aging, Youth, and Families. In 2009, Joyce was elected to the Arkansas State Senate. Her responsibilities in the State Senate included her service as the Vice Chairperson of the Education Committee, the Chairperson of the Subcommittee on Educational Institutions, and a member of the Committee on Girls State. In addition, she played an integral role in funding and implementing a Pre-Kindergarten education program known as Arkansas Better Chance for School Success. As a former member of the American Federation of Teachers and the National Commission on Writing in America’s Schools and Colleges, Joyce also served on the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, the College Board of Trustees, and the National Commission on the High School Senior Year.

For her outstanding work, Joyce has earned many awards. Her honors include being named one of the Ten Best Legislators of the 2003 General Assembly by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (2003); the Working Families Hero Award, the Arkansas Spirit Award, and the Arkansas Heroes Award for Peace and Justice by the Omni Center for Peace and Justice and Ecology (2005). She has also garnered the Humanitarian Award by the National Conference for Community and Justice (2006); the Legislative Friend of Children Award by Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families (2006); and the Pillar Award for Education by the Arkansas Chapter of 100 Black Men (2007).

To read more about this chalkboard champion, see her State Senate biography at Joyce Elliott. You can also view the YouTube video below where Senator Elliott shares her views about leadership.

Educator Jeanie Smith runs for office in Kentucky State Senate

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Jeanie Smith

Educator Jeanie Smith runs for office in the Kentucky State Senate.

In the current highly-charged political climate, there are many opportunities for civic-minded educators to work towards important social changes. One educator hoping to do this is Jeanie Smith, a junior high school social studies teacher who is running for office in the Kentucky State Senate.

Jeanie is a graduate of Western Kentucky University, where she earned her degree in history and social studies in 2005. As a young woman, she and her husband served as missionaries in Australia, where she developed an outreach program for the needy, managed a food bank, and worked with her church to foster a greater sense of community. She also created a Sunday School curriculum for children there.

When Jeanie and her husband returned home to the United States, the couple settled in Bowling Green, where she began working with a local farmers’ market to establish a program that would help low-income families have access to fresh locally grown foods.

Jeanie has been in the classroom for five years. She currently teaches 7th grade history courses at Drakes Creek Middle School in the Warren County Pubic School System located in Bowling Green, Kentucky.

This indefatigable educator is seeking election to Kentucky’s 32nd District. Her goal is to unseat the Republican incumbent, Mike Wilson. “Teachers see the realities of our communities,” the candidate asserts. “We put food in backpacks to send home on weekends. I have students with parents in jail, students with parents working two jobs. And I realized we can do better. We need lawmakers who understand the middle class and those striving for middle class. Who better to do that than a teacher?”

If elected, Jeanie says she will advocate for increased pay for the hardworking families of Kentucky and create an improved tax system. She is opposed to a new charter school law and a state pension system that’s grossly underfunded.

To learn more about this amazing educator, see her campaign website at Jeanie Smith for Kentucky.com.

Teacher Tom Niermann bids for seat in US Congress representing Kansas

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Tom Niermann

Teacher Tom Niermann bids for seat in US Congress representing Kansas.

Many teachers dedicate their boundless energy and talent to improving America’s social conditions, and this is often accomplished through public service. So it’s no surprise that in today’s political climate, educators are running for office in record numbers. One such educator is Tom Niermann, a high school social studies teacher from Prairie Village, Kansas, who is campaigning for a seat in the US Congress.

Tom was born in Wichita, Kansas, one of three sons born to working class parents. His father was a minister and his mother was a music teacher. Majoring in history, he earned his Bachelor’s degree at Valparaiso University, his Master’s degree at Wichita State University, and his Ph.D. from the University of Kansas.

In a career that has spanned 26 years, Tom has always demonstrated a keen interest in politics, but this is his first bid for public office. The current political climate inspired his run. “I’ve always told my students that our freedoms come at a price,” Tom expressed, “and that price is participation. If we don’t participate, we witness the slow erosion of our democracy.”

Two of Tom’s goals are improving the economy and making health care more affordable. “People often say it’s so refreshing to have someone run for office who knows what it’s like for working families, people who are working as hard as they can, following the rules and still finding it really hard to make ends meet,” says Tom. And he has lived the struggle. There was a time when he had to hold down three jobs in order to pay his bills. During the day, he taught American and world history at the high school. After school, he hauled furniture. Nights and weekends, he instructed courses at the local community college.

Tom is also dedicated to enacting legislation that addresses safety in school settings. “My first teaching jobs were at a psychiatric hospital and a juvenile detention center,” remembers Tom. “I went on to teach in the Wichita public school district, where I had students killed by gun violence, and even a gun brought into my classroom. I worked hard to improve my students’ lives outside the classroom, and help them resolve their conflicts non-violently. But it became clear to me that policymakers were failing my students, who faced incredible hardship at home, and expected few opportunities ahead of them.”

This accomplished educator has taught at Blue Valley West High School in Overland, Kansas, and also at Shawnee Mission East High School in his home town of Prairie Village, Kansas. He has also worked for Pembroke Hill School in Kansas City, Missouri. More than a thousand of Tom’s former students have volunteered to help with his campaign.

Learn more about Tom’s campaign at his website Niermann for Congress.com.

Social Studies teacher Jeff Erdmann runs for Congressional office in Minnesota

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Jeff Erdmann

Social Studies teacher Jeff Erdmann runs for Congressional office in Minnesota.

Excellent educators often throw their considerable energy and talent into helping solve important social issues. One such modern-day educator is Jeff Erdmann, a high school social studies teacher who is currently running for US Congress in his home state of Minnesota.

For 29 years, Jeff has taught American government and history at Rosemount High School in the Twin Cities area. At the same time, he has served nearly 20 years as his school’s football coach. During his tenure as coach, the Rosemount Irish have gone to the state tournament in 7 of the past 11 seasons and they have participated in two state championship games (2010, 2013). Twice Jeff has been named the Minnesota State Coach of the Year.

Jeff is running for Minnesota’s 2nd Congressional District, which represents the Twin Cities area, on the Democratic ticket. The candidate contends his work as an educator makes him uniquely qualified for a job as a legislator. “My preparation as a teacher is fantastic for being a representative, because every day in my classroom I’m held accountable by my students,” he asserts. “I’ve got to do my job in challenging them and in educating them. That is kind of what the representative is supposed to be about, so I think I’ve got 28 years of preparation for this.”

In addition, Jeff says that during classroom debates, he often argues the less popular viewpoint. He says this practice has taught him to see issues from all perspectives. “I think that helps dramatically when I have conversations with people that tend to vote Republican,” he theorizes. “I can understand what they’re thinking.”

Jeff earned his Bachelor’s degree in Secondary Education and Teaching from Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minnesota (1990), and his Master’s degree in Athletic Administration from the University of St. Thomas in the Twin cities, Minnesota (1995).

High school English teacher Christine Marsh runs for Arizona State Senate

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Christine Marsh

High school English teacher Christine Marsh runs for Arizona State Senate.

In today’s highly-charged political climate, there are many opportunities for hardworking and civic-minded educators to make important changes that create improved classroom conditions. One educator who hopes to do this is Christine Marsh, a high school English teacher who is running for office in the Arizona State Senate.

Christine’s impressive career as an educator spans 26 years. For 24 years, she taught at Chaparral High School in the Scottsdale Unified School District. Her teaching assignment there included courses in Advanced Placement. She currently teaches at Cactus Shadows High School in the Cave Creek Unified School District. In 2016, this amazing educator was recognized as the Teacher of the Year by the Arizona Educational Foundation. Following her selection, she traveled to Washington, DC, to meet President Barack Obama.

If elected, Christine hopes to improve pay for classroom teachers in her state. “I’ve seen the impact systematic cuts to education have had on teachers and students,” Christine comments, observing that currently Arizona is next to the bottom in the nation for high school teacher salaries and at the bottom for elementary teacher salaries. “We lose a lot of teachers because of that, including really good ones who leave the profession and go do something that’s more lucrative, so they can sustain a family.”

Christine, who is running on the Democratic ticket, is hoping to oust Senator Kate Brophy McGee, the Republican incumbent who currently represents District 28. At present, Republicans control the Arizona State Senate by two seats. “I see an opportunity to flip the Senate, or at least create a tie,” she says.

Christine was raised in Scottsdale. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in English Literature from UCLA in 1989, and her Master’s degree in Educational Leadership and Administration from Grand Canyon University in 2016.