Chicago’s Ricky Castro named Illinois Teacher of the Year 2017

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Ricky Castro

Chicago’s Ricky Castro named Illinois Teacher of the Year 2017

It is always inspirational when a member of the teaching profession is recognized for their dedication and hard work. One such dedicated educator is Chicago’s Ricky Castro, a high school World Languages teacher who was named the 2017 Illinois Teacher of the Year.

Ricky was raised in Humboldt Park, a Puerto Rican community on Chicago’s west side. As a youth, he got involved with gangs, ditched school, and struggled in his classes. He credits a caring junior high school teacher for helping him turn his life around. As a young man, Ricky earned his Bachelor’s degree in English from DePaul University and his Master’s degree in Education from the University of Illinois, Chicago.

Because mentoring was such a positive experience in his own life, Ricky wanted to create similar experiences for students who were struggling with making unwise life choices. Shortly after going to work at Elk Grove, Ricky established Estudiantes Unidos, an after-school mentoring program. The program is staffed by 40 high school student mentors who are paired with Grove Junior High School students that are in need of positive influences. The students meet every two weeks to discuss principles of character and leadership, participate in team-building activities, and work on community service projects. The hope is that these mentors will encourage their younger peers to make wiser decisions with their lives.

Ricky also helps lead Elk Grove High School’s Latino parent outreach organization, Familias Unidas. This organization helps parents become part of the school setting. As part of the outreach, Ricky inaugurated Saturday outreach events out in the community where Spanish-speaking teachers host parent-teacher conferences.

“What makes Ricky remarkable is his constant dedication to long-term solutions,” asserts Elk Grove High School Principal Paul. “He’s not a teacher who only thinks what a class day should be like. He thinks about what a whole society should look like.”

Under his teaching, 80% of Elk Grove’s ninth grade Latino English Language Learners qualified to move into “mainstream” courses in just one year, according to the Illinois State Board of Education website. For his outstanding work with his students and their parents, Ricky was named the Illinois Teacher of the Year in 2017. This award is sponsored by the Illinois State Board of Education.

To read more about this amazing chalkboard champion, read this article published in the Daily Herald.

Elementary school teacher and celebrated folk artist Frances Curry Brown

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Frances Curry Brown

Elementary school teacher and celebrated folk artist Frances Curry Brown

Talented educators very frequently earn acclaim in fields outside of the classroom. Elementary school teacher and celebrated folk artist Frances Curry Brown exemplifies this.

Frances Louise Netherland was born in Indianapolis, Marion County, Indiana, on October 19, 1925, the daughter of Harley and Lenore (Spencer) Netherland. As a child, Frances was raised on her father’s farm in Jennings County, Indiana.

After her high school graduation, Frances earned her Master’s degree in Elementary Education at Ball State University located in Muncie, Indiana. She also earned a Doctoral degree at Earlham College in Richmond, Indiana. After her college graduation, Frances accepted a position as a third grade teacher in Liberty, Indiana.

When her son moved his family to Mississippi in the early 1970s, Frances began to create picture cards to send to her two-year-old granddaughter, Margaret. Over time, her art earned her a reputation as a gifted primitive artist. Known as Grandma Fran, the talented teacher typically painted scenes from her childhood in Indiana. Her pictures often depicted her life on the farm before electricity and plumbing.

Frances earned patronage from those in high places. In the late 1970s, former President Jimmy Carter indicated he was seeking artworks for his cabin. When he called for artists to submit their art pieces for a presentation, Grandma Fran’s art was chosen as one of the winners. In 1981, Luci Johnson Turpin, the daughter of President Lyndon B. Johnson, was traveling through the Ozark Mountains when she came across Grandma Fran’s works in a gallery. Over time, the president’s daughter commissioned two paintings from Frances. Today, Grandma Fran’s paintings hang in numerous galleries around the world, including the Smithsonian and the National Museum of American Art in Washington, DC, and the Museum of American Folk Art in New York City.

In 2006, the former teacher was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Three years later, she was placed in a nursing home in Eureka Springs, Carroll County, Arkansas. She passed away at age 87 on December 4, 2012, and was interred in Sylvan Abbey Memorial Park in Clearwater, Florida.

To read more about this amazing teacher and artist, see Leaving a Legacy: Grandma Fran.

"Moving Day"

“Moving Day” by celebrated folk artist Francis Curry Brown

Dr. Mary Frasier: Trailblazer for under-represented students who are gifted and talented

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Dr. Mary M. Frazier

Dr. Mary Frasier,, a trailblazer for under-represented students who are gifted and talented

Often, classroom teachers identify a concern in their classroom, and then go on to produce groundbreaking research to address that concern. This is true of Dr. Mary Frasier, a trailblazer for under-represented students who are gifted and talented.

Mary Frasier was born on May 17, 1938, in the segregated town of Orangeburg, Orangeburg County, South Carolina. An extremely intelligent youngster, she skipped two grades, and enrolled in college on a scholarship when she was in the 11th grade.

Mary earned her Bachelor’s degree in Music Education when she was only 19 years old. While teaching school, she earned her Master’s degree in Guidance and Counseling from South Carolina State College. She earned her Doctorate in Educational Psychology from the University of Connecticut.

As an educator, Mary devoted her considerable energy towards improving education for gifted and talented students, especially those in low-income or minority populations. She developed the groundbreaking F-TAP, the Frasier Assessment Profile, an assessment tool that was significantly better for assessing the abilities of low-income and minority children than tests previously used.

Then, to advance educational opportunities for minorities and low-income students who were gifted, Mary founded the Torrance Center for Creativity and Talent Development in the College of Education at the University of Georgia, Athens. Also, she served as the president of the National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC) from 1987 to 1989.

For her work in the field of education, Mary earned many honors. In 1990, she received the EVE Award for Achievement in Education from the Athens Daily News/Banner-Herald. The NAGC awarded her their Distinguished Service Award in 1991. In 2002, she was recognized as the Aderhold Distinguished Professor, one of the highest honors the College of Education at the University of Georgia, Athens, can confer.

This gifted and talented educator passed away on February 3, 2005, in Athens, Georgia. You can read more about her at the website of the University of Georgia at Mary Frasier. If you prefer, here is a very nice YouTube video about Dr. Frasier created by Amy Hill in 2016.

Teacher, veteran, and Kentucky State Representative DeWayne Bunch

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DeWayne Bunch

Teacher, veteran, and Kentucky State Representative DeWayne Bunch.

I am always eager to share stories about fine educators who have served our country in our armed services and in politics. One such teacher is DeWayne Bunch of Kentucky. In addition to serving in the National Guard, DeWayne also served in the Kentucky State House of Representatives.

DeWayne was a teacher of science and math at Whitley County High School in Williamsburg, Whitley County, Kentucky, for seventeen years. DeWayne was also a member of the Kentucky National Guard for 23 years. The intrepid teacher completed a tour of duty in Iraq, where he served as a first sergeant. His valor there earned him a Bronze Star.

A multi-talented individual, DeWayne was elected in 2010 to the Kentucky State House of Representatives. There he represented the 82nd District. As a legislator, he served on House Committees for Education, Veterans’ Affairs, and Transportation.

Sadly, DeWayne’s story does not have a happy ending. One morning in 2011, while the former soldier was at school, a brawl between two students broke out in the cafeteria. DeWayne was the first of three faculty members who rushed in to quell the fray. Unfortunately, DeWayne took a direct punch meant for another student, and was knocked to the floor. He hit his head on the hard surface, and sustained severe head and spinal cord injuries. DeWayne was rushed to the nearest hospital. and spent the next year in extensive rehabilitative therapy. Because of his condition, DeWayne resigned his position in the Kentucky House of Representatives. His wife, Regina Bunch, a special education teacher at Whitley County Middle School, was elected to fill his vacated position.

DeWayne died as a result of his injuries just over a year after his accident, on July 11, 2012. He was only 49 years old. Our country lost a true hero and chalkboard champion that day. To read more about this amazing man, see this 2011 article published in the Lexington Herald Leader: State Rep Bunch Critically Injured.

Teacher and motivational speaker Dr. Danny Brassell offers inspiration for the classroom

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Many successful classroom teachers go on to become excellent motivational speakers and/or superb trainers of neophyte teachers. Dr. Danny Brassell, a former elementary school teacher, does both!

Danny Brassell

Teacher and motivational speaker Dr. Danny Brassell

Danny was born into a middle-class family in upstate New York. While he was growing up, his family moved frequently, but his parents always emphasized the importance of education. Danny was ingrained with a strong work ethic, and even at a young age he was a hard worker. He took many jobs as a youngster, including newspaper delivery, babysitting, sandwich making, and busing tables. As a young man, he worked as an attendant at a health club, a paralegal, an assistant to a US Congressman, an archivist at a homeless shelter, and a freelance journalist. In addition to being well-traveled within the United States, Danny has also traveled to over 50 countries worldwide.

Danny graduated from Durango High School in Durango, La Plata County, Colorado. He earned Bachelor’s degrees in Sociology and Print Journalism from American University in 1994. In 1996, he completed the requirements for his Master’s degree in Multicultural Education from California State University. In 2001, Danny earned his PH.D. in Education from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.

Danny inaugurated his career as a classroom teacher at an inner-city elementary students in Compton, California. In 1996, he began teaching at California State University. A tenured professor in the Teacher Education Department, he works with beginning teachers and administrators. He has taught courses in educational theory, reading, second language acquisition, and multiculturalism. Danny helped coordinate alternative teaching credential programs that served over 4,000 teachers in 150 schools throughout 14 school districts. In addition, Danny taught international students English as a Second Language at the American Language Institute at the University of Southern California. He is the founding director of a Master’d degree program offered by Loyola Marymount University’s, in partnership with Teach for America.

You can find out more about this amazing chalkboard champion at his website, dannybrassell.com. You can also view the short excerpt of one of his motivational speeches from March 6, 2017. Simply click below.