Students nationwide mark the one-month anniversary of tragic shooting at Parkland high school

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Today we mark the one-month anniversary of the devastating shooting that took place at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, on February 14, 2018. Fourteen students and three teachers and staff members were killed in a murderous rampage by a troubled former student. Since the incident, survivors at the school and others nationwide have been calling for gun reform in an effort to decrease the number of gun deaths in our country. Today, over 185,000 students from 3,100 schools in 50 states participated in the observance, which occurred at 10:00 a.m. local time in each time zone and lasted for 17 minutes.

It’s amazing and wonderful to witness our youth using the democratic process to express themselves about an issue they feel passionately about. I think the photo below, obtained from NBC News, speaks eloquently for the movement. To read the entire NBC article, click on this link: Students Demand Action.

Teacher and Television Personality Jedediah Bila

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Many former educators have distinguished themselves in the entertainment world. This is certainly the case with Jedediah Louisa Bila, a middle school, high school, and college educator who has earned a name for herself as a prominent television personality.

Jedediah was born on January 29, 1979, in Brooklyn, New York. As a youngster, she grew up in Staten Island where she attended an all-girls Catholic high school. Upon her graduation, she enrolled at Wagner College, a private liberal arts college in Staten Island, where she majored in Spanish and minored in business administration. She graduated from Wagner as the valedictorian of her class. After her college graduation, Jedediah earned her master’s degree in Spanish literature from Columbia University.

As an educator, Jedediah has taught various courses at the middle school, high school, and college levels. She has worked with learners from age three to adult, teaching them such subjects as creative writing, academic writing, Spanish, and public speaking. She has also been employed as a high school academic dean and adviser.

In the entertainment field, Jedediah served as a co-host on the popular television show The View from August, 2016, to September, 2017. In fact, in 2017, she was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Entertainment Talk Show Host. Jedediah has also served as a Fox News contributor and as a regular panelist on shows such as Red Eye, MSNBC, and Lou Dobbs Tonight. She has also published a book, Outnumbered: Chronicles of a Manhattan Conservative, in May of 2011. She has also held several leadership positions in the marketing field.

You can learn more about this amazing educator and television personality at this link: Jedediah Bila Biography.

Benjamin Abbot: Teacher of Influential Politicians

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It is fascinating to learn about prominent and influential teachers throughout American history. This post is about Benjamin Abbot, an educator from Massachusetts who was the teacher for many influential eminent politicians and great thinkers in our nation’s past.

Benjamin Abbot was born on September 17, 1762, in Andover, Essex County, Massachussets. The son of John Abbot, Benjamin’s ancestors had settled in Andover since the earliest days of that town’s existence. In 1872, Benjamin enrolled in Philips Exeter Academy, a prestigious private institution founded in 1781 by prominent New England banker and businessman John Philips. Following his graduation from Philips, Benjamin enrolled in Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He earned his undergraduate degree there in 1788. In 1811, Benjamin earned a doctorate-level law degree from Dartmouth College located in Hanover, New Hampshire.

Benjamin accepted his first position as a teacher when he went to work at his alma mater, Philips Academy. There he taught Latin, Greek, and mathematics. Among his students were political figures Daniel Webster, Edward Everett, George Bancroft, and Lewis Cass, and educators Jared Sparks and Francis Bowen. Later, Benjamin served as the school’s second headmaster. When Benjamin retired in 1838, Daniel Webster honored his former teacher with a tribute.

Benjamin Abbot passed away on October 25, 1849, in Exeter. He was 87 years old. In 1815, Benjamin was elected to the American Antiquarian Society, an academic society that maintains a national research library of American history and culture. To learn more about this organization, click on the link American Antiquarian Society.

San Francisco Educator Ninive Clements Calegari, Champion for Improved Teacher Salaries

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Many successful classroom teachers campaign vigorously to improve the professional conditions of everyone in the profession. One such educator is Ninive Clements Calegari, an elementary school teacher from San Francisco, California.

Ninive attended Santa Catalina School, where she graduated in 1989. She then enrolled in Middlebury College, a private liberal arts college located in Middlebury, Vermont. There she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Studio Art in 1993. Ninive earned her Master’s degree in Teaching and Curriculum from Harvard in 1995.

Ninive, a classroom teacher in San Francisco public schools for ten years, has worked tirelessly to increase respect for accomplished classroom instructors. “We can’t overestimate the importance of teachers who are able to survive a demanding schedule, day after day, and bring magic into the classroom,” declared Ninive. “I’m completely awestruck by teachers who can do both.” The indefatigable educator founded and currently serves as CEO of The Teacher Salary Project, a non-profit organization designed to build the political support necessary to transform how American society values effective teachers. In addition, with writer Dave Eggers and Daniel Moulthrop, Ninive co-authored the book Teachers Have It Easy: The Big Sacrifices and Small Salaries of America’s Teachers, published by New Press in 2005. The book argues that an essential element to meaningful school reform is increasing teachers’ salaries.

You can purchase Ninive’s informative book at amazon.com by following this link: Teachers Have It Easy. It is available in both print and kindle versions.