Chalkboard Champion Mary Hatwood Futrell: Teacher and former president of the NEA

Posted on by
Mary Hatwood Futrell

Chalkboard champion Mary Hatwood Futrell, teacher and former president of the NEA

One of the most amazing chalkboard champions I have ever researched is Mary Hatwood Futrell, a high school business teacher from Virginia who was eventually elected president of the National Education Association (NEA).

Mary was born in Altavista, Campbell County, Virginia, on May 24, 1940. Young Mary was raised by a single mother, who worked as a housekeeper and factory worker. When she became an adult, Mary established a relationship with her biological father, a construction worker.

As a teenager, Mary attended Dunbar High School in Lynchburg, Virginia. There she participated in cheerleading, student government, Future Business Leaders of America, and the National Honor Society. After her high school graduation in 1958, Mary enrolled in Virginia State University, where she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Business Education In 1962.

Mary accepted her first position as a teacher at Parker Gray High School, a segregated school located in Alexandria, Virginia. She taught there from 1962 to 1964. In 1965, the young teacher moved to George Washington High School, where she was instrumental in integrating the teaching staff. She taught business courses at George Washington until 1980. While there, Mary pursued her Master’s degree in Secondary Education from George Washington University. She completed the degree requirements in 1968.

In addition to her work in the classroom, Mary was active in the teachers’ union. She worked her way up the ranks, and was eventually elected president of the National Education Association (NEA) in 1983. Only the fourth person of color to be elected to that office, she served there until 1989. During her three terms as NEA president, Mary led the organization to achieve gains in civil and human rights, especially women’s rights. Because of her tireless efforts, the NEA created the Mary Futrell Award to recognize individuals who have made a significant impact on education and on the achievement of equal opportunities for women and girls.

In 1992, this amazing educator joined the faculty of George Washington University. In 1995, she was promoted to Dean of the Graduate School of Education and Human Development. She also served as the director of the George Washington Institute for Curriculum Standards and Technology. She did all this while earning her doctorate in Education Policy Studies. Mary has also served in a number of other important organizations. She was the president of the World Confederation of Organizations of the Teaching Profession; The Virginia Education Association; Education International; and ERAmerica.

To guide fellow teachers in their search for best practices, the former classroom teacher has published numerous scholarly articles about the pedagogy of teaching. “When the uncapped potential of a student meets the liberating art of a teacher,” Mary once wrote, “a miracle unfolds.”

For her work in education policy and reform, Mary has been awarded numerous honors and awards, including more than 20 honorary degrees. To learn more about this amazing chalkboard champion, see her biography at History Makers.

How did I choose the teachers I wrote about in Chalkboard Champions?

Posted on by
Terry Lee Marzell

Author Terry Lee Marzell with her book, Chalkboard Champions

When I give presentations, one question that often comes up is how did I select the teachers that I wrote about in my book, Chalkboard Champions.

Two of the twelve were easy: Anne Sullivan, the teacher who worked with Helen Keller, and Jaime Escalante, the teacher who was the subject of the movie Stand and Deliver. Any book about outstanding teachers must include these two. It helped that Anne Sullivan worked with handicapped students and Jaime Escalante worked with inner city Latino youth, since the thrust of this book is teachers who worked with disenfranchised student populations.
After I selected these two, I began to think about other groups of disenfranchised students. I thought about minority groups such as Native Americans and African Americans, which led me to Elaine Goodale Eastman, Charlotte Forten Grimke, Carter Godwin Woodson, and Sandra Adickes. I specifically looked for a teacher in Hawaii, and discovered Gladys Kamakakuokalani Brandt. I have to say, the chapter I wrote about Gladys is among my favorite chapters. I stumbled across Eulalia Bourne, the Arizona teacher who worked with Mexican American students, and couldn’t resist her.
Next I considered underprivileged students such as the poor, orphans, and newly-arrived immigrants. Researching these groups led me to Julia Richman, Clara Comstock, and Leonard Covello. And then I specifically looked for a teacher who was working with students in World War II Japanese internment camps, and after much effort found Mary Tsukamoto.
When selecting the teachers I wrote about, I tried to include a good cross section of ethnic groups, both as teachers and with regards to the student groups they served. I strove to include both men and women, although frankly it is easier to find women teachers to write about because there are so many more of them. I also attempted to include representation from a variety of geographic regions within the United States. Lastly, I tried to select teachers that came from different time periods in American history, starting from the Civil War era and continuing through to more contemporary times.
I love to tell stories about remarkable teachers, and although I selected twelve very extraordinary teachers to write about, there were, of course, many more that I did not have room to include in the volume. That led me to my second book, Chalkboard Heroes.

The amazing educator and football coach Jeff Carnazzo

Posted on by
Jeff Carnazzo

Palma High School Varsity Coach and educator Jeff Carnazzo

Football is the lifeblood of many high schools, so it’s no surprise when a football coach works incredibly hard for his team. But when a varsity coach also teaches Advanced Placement classes, you know you have a very impressive educator. This is the case with Jeff Carnazzo, a high school teacher and football coach in Salinas, California.

Jeff was born on February 10, 1967, in Omaha, Nebraska. As a teen, he attended Palma High School, a private Catholic all-boys high school located in Salinas. Before his graduation in 1985, Jeff lettered in two sports: football and baseball.

After his high school graduation, Jeff enrolled at California State University, Fresno, where he earned his Bachelor’s degree in Exercise Physiology. Later he completed the requirements for his teaching credential and his Master’s in Education at Chapman University.

Jeff Carnazzo

Jeff Carnazzo

In 1990, Jeff returned to his high school alma mater to teach. In addition to his classroom duties, he served as the trainer for the junior varsity linebackers. He held this position for ten years. In 2000, Jeff was promoted to the position of varsity football coach. During this time, he has led the Palma Chieftains to three Central Coast Section Open Division titles, including two in his first two years as head coach. In addition, Jeff instructs courses in US History, Advanced Placement US History, and physical education.

Jeff takes his work with young people very seriously. “It’s an honor to be involved in the lives of young kids,” he once said. “I get the opportunity to see them grow. The older I get, the more appreciative I am. The staff and I get to have an impact on their futures.”

Learn more about this amazing teacher and coach at Alchetron Jeff Carnazzo.

 

Pioneering broadcast journalist and schoolteacher Nancy Dickerson

Posted on by
Nancy Dickerson

Pioneering broadcast journalist and schoolteacher Nancy Dickerson

Because of their experience as leaders in the classroom, educators are ideally suited to professions that require grace on a stage. One former teacher who exemplified this grace is Nancy Dickerson, a pioneering broadcast journalist, who was once an elementary school teacher in Wisconsin.

Nancy was born on January 19, 1927, in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, a suburb of Milwaukee. After her high school graduation, she first attended Clarke College in Dubuque, Iowa, and then transferred to University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Education in 1948.

After earning her college degree, Nancy accepted a position as an elementary school teacher in Milwaukee. In 1951, she moved to Washington, DC. But Nancy dreamed of a career as a broadcast journalist, specifically as a reporter of political news. To achieve this goal, she completed courses in speech and drama at The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC.

The former teacher worked diligently, and was able to realize her goal. In 1960, Nancy was selected to be the first woman reporter to cover the Presidential elections for CBS News. During her time at CBS, she covered the presidential campaigns of Hubert Humphrey and Lyndon Johnson, the assassination and funeral of President Kennedy, and key events of the Civil Rights Movement, including the 1963 March on Washington. In 1971, Nancy took a major step forward when she launched her career as an independent broadcaster and producer. From 1971 to 1974, she was the first woman to have a daily news program on network television, Inside Washington. In 1980, Nancy founded the Television Corporation of America, where she produced quality documentaries for the Public Broadcasting System.

For her outstanding work as a journalist, Nancy earned many awards. She earned a Peabody Award and the Silver Gavel Award from the American Bar Association, and received honorary degrees from American International College and Pine Manor College.

Sadly, in 1996, at the age of 69, Nancy suffered a stroke. She passed away the next year in New York City on October 18, 1997. She was interred at Arlington National Cemetery next to her husband, John C. Whitehead, a Navy veteran.

To read more about this pioneering chalkboard champion, see her obituary at the The Washington Post.