Performing Arts teacher Jim Doughan is also an accomplished actor

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There are many examples of talented teachers who are also accomplished actors. One example of this is drama teacher Jim Doughan, who is probably best known for his role as Detective Doyle in the hit movie The Mask (1994). He also delivered notable performances as the voices of Detective Phil Allen and Lucky the Cat in the movie Stuart Little (1999) and as Mr. Pole, the driver’s ed teacher, in the popular TV show Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997).

Jim was born James Frances Doughan on August 2, 1959, in Apple Valley, Minnesota. After his graduation from Apple Valley High School, Jim enrolled in the University of Minnesota, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in fine arts in 1977. He has taught history, English, and drama at Westridge School in Pasadena, and is currently employed as a performing arts teacher at Harvard Westlake School in Los Angeles.

Jim has donated much of his time as a mentor for student writers, serving as a director for the Harvard Westlake School Playwright’s Workshop. In addition, he has taught at the Summer Intensive Actor’s Workshop sponsored by Harvard Westlake School, and he has conducted a master class in improvisation at the University of Southern California and at Execuprov in Orange County, California.

Teacher Sarah Wu and her “Fed Up With Lunch” Campaign

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Those of us who work in public schools have long been aware that school lunches are, shall we say, less than appetizing. I’m sure the cafeteria personnel do the best they can with the resources they are given, but the truth is none of us eats a school-prepared lunch unless we are incredibly desperate. And I, for one, was almost never that desperate. But one educator who became determined to do what she could to call attention to the school lunch problem was Sarah Wu, teacher and a speech pathologist working at Haugan Elementary School in Chicago, Illinois.

One day, Sarah didn’t have enough time before going to work to pack her own lunch. After purchasing a lunch from her school’s cafeteria, she was shocked to see what was being served to the students. To spotlight the problem, every school day during 2010, the determined educator bought a cafeteria lunch, took it back to her classroom, snapped a photo of it, and wrote about it on her online blog. Sarah posted her observations on Fedupwithlunch.com using the pseudonym Mrs. Q. She kept her identity a closely-guarded secret because she was afraid she might get fired if school officials knew she was the one behind the blog. Eventually, her blog attracted thousands of readers, many of whom shared her concern about the quality of school lunches. In 2011, Sarah published a book about her project. The book was entitled “Fed Up with Lunch: The School Lunch Project: How One Anonymous Teacher Survived a Year of School Lunches” (Chronicle, $22.95).

Sarah’s year-long school lunch project was completed years ago, but she continues to write blog posts about food policy, school issues, and personal health. Occasionally she still posts photos and observations of the lunches served each day at her school. To learn more about this gutsy chalkboard champion, read this story published in 2011 in the Chicago Tribune: School Lunch Blogger “Mrs. Q”.

Melissa Salguero garners 2018 Grammy Music Educator Award

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Here’s a truly inspirational story about elementary music teacher Melissa Salguero, who has just been honored as the winner of the 2018 Grammy Music Educator Award. Melissa inaugurated her career as an educator in south Florida before transferring to the Bronx to teach at PS 48. The students at PS 48 are among the poorest in the city, with most kids coming from a home that has an annual income of less than $25,000 per year and a homeless student population of 22%. When Melissa first started teaching at the school, there was no school song, no instruments, and no school mascot. Nevertheless, she rolled up her sleeves and dedicated her abundant talent and energy to re-launch a music program that had been disbanded 30 years ago. “I feel I was born to teach at this school,” says Melissa. For more, watch this video of this amazing chalkboard champion as she is interviewed by Michelle Miller of CBS news.

Mary Elizabeth Post: Pioneer teacher in the Arizona Territory

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I enjoy sharing stories about talented and daring teachers who were also pioneers. One such teacher was Mary Elizabeth Post, one of the first teachers to work in the Territory of Arizona. In fact, Mary was only the fifth teacher in Arizona.

Mary was born on June 17, 1841, in Elizabethtown, New York. Her father was a carpenter, but he instilled a strong love of learning in his seven children. As a youngster, Mary attended Burlingtron Female Seminary. She was so proficient in her studies that she was landed her first teaching position in 1856, when she was only 15 years old.

In 1872, Mary traveled to the Arizona Territory by stage coach. The trip was rugged, and conditions in her new environment were rough. She established her school in a building that had formerly served as a saloon. Her lessons were sometimes interrupted by thirsty cowboys looking for an alcoholic drink.

Mary soon discovered, to her dismay, that regular attendance at school was not valued by either the students or their parents. Often the intrepid teacher felt forced to track down the truants and virtually drag them back to the school, much to the disgruntlement of their parents. To overcome the hard feelings, Mary ordered a collection of sewing patterns and taught the mothers how to sew new clothes for their children. The mothers were delighted with how fashionable their children looked, and, before long, Mary saw a marked improvement in her daily attendance. It didn’t take long for the dedicated educator to become an integral part of the lives of her students and their families, almost all of Mexican heritage. She was often invited to their family events and celebrations. “I was in love with my work, Mary once expressed. “I think I was born to be a teacher.”

In addition to her untiring work in the classroom, Mary was active in local women’s organizations, and she was an outspoken proponent of the women’s suffrage movement. Mary retired from teaching in 1912, at the age of 72. She became the first recipient of the Arizona state teachers’ retirement fund. Her pension was $50 a month. In 1918, this chalkboard champion and pioneer was awarded an honorary master’s degree from the University of Arizona in recognition of her humanitarian work in predominantly Spanish-speaking communities.

Mary Elizabeth Post passed away from natural causes in 1934. She was 93 years old. You can read more about this amazing educator at tucson.com in the article Western Movement: Mary Elizabeth Post.