Elem educator Heidi Cornell named Idaho’s 2025 Teacher of the Year

Posted on by

Elementary school teacher Heidi Cornell has been named Idaho’s 2025 State Teacher of the Year. Photo credit: IDED News

There are many outstanding educators working in our nation’s schools. All of them are deserving of accolades, and every year some of them receive the recognition they deserve. This year, one of them is Heidi Cornell, an elementary teacher from Idaho. She has been named her state’s 2025 Teacher of the Year.

Heidi teaches third graders at Orchards Elementary School in Lewiston, Idaho. Her career in education spans 16 years. In her classroom, she develops curriculum that is student-center, collaboration, and hands-on learning experiences.

But her major emphasis is on relationships. “My mission is that you feel deeply loved when you are with me,” Heidi declared. “When I state I want you to feel deeply loved when you are with me, that includes the easy to love, the unlovable, and the ones who disagree with me,” she continued.

In addition to her third grade curriculum, Heidi serves as her school’s Professional Learning Community Lead, the PBIS Tier 1 facilitator, as a member of the Guiding Coalition team, and as a participant on the Crisis Assistance Support Team. And as if all that were not enough, she also mentors student teachers.

In addition to her selection as Idaho’s Teacher of the Year, Heidi was recognized as the Martha Baskin Outstanding Elementary Teacher of the Year in 2020 and the Best of Inland Northwest Elementary Teacher finalist in 2024.

Heidi earned her Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Nyack College in Nyack, New York. She earned her Master’s degree in Curriculum, Instruction, and Innovation from Northwest Nazarene University in Nampa, Idaho. 

The Idaho Teacher of the Year program, in partnership with CapEd Credit Union, honors the state’s most outstanding teachers by selecting an educator to serve as spokesperson and representative for Idaho at a variety of local and national events. Heidi was selected from 40 applicants from all over the state. In addition to being Idaho’s nominee for National Teacher of the Year, Heidi received a commemorative plaque and a check for $10,000.

Read more about Heidi Cornell at this link to a press release by the Idaho State Department of Education.


 

Educator Ida B. Wells was also a Civil Rights activist

Posted on by

Educator Ida B. Wells was also a Civil Rights activist.  Photo credit: State Library of North Carolina

Throughout our country’s history, there are many examples of classroom teachers who have also worked tirelessly for the Civil Rights of African Americans. One of these is Ida B. Kinney, a 20th-century educator from Southern California, who was among those who were honored by the NAACP with special stamps issued by the US Postal Service.

Ida was born on May 25, 1904, in Lafayette County, Arkansas. She was raised by her grandparents, who were former slaves. In 1920, when Ida was only 16 years old, she moved to California, where she lived with her mother in Santa Monica. Following her graduation from Santa Monica High School, young Ida returned to Arkansas where she attended Philander Smith College. After one year, she returned to California, where she enrolled in the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). It was there she met and married Carl Minion. The couple settled in the San Fernando Valley in 1940, where Ida completed the requirements for her Bachelor’s degree in Sociology at San Fernando Valley State College. The institution is now known as Cal State Northridge.

Because she was an African American, Ida’s application for her teaching credential was denied. She sent a petition to then California Governor Pat Brown, who ordered a credential be issued to her. She received the coveted document within ten days. Ida inaugurated her career as an educator as a substitute in Kern County. Later she worked in the Los Angeles Unified School District.

In addition to her work in the classroom, Ida became dedicated to improving conditions for African Americans. She was influential in securing access to medical treatment for Black women which had been denied them by a hospital in Van Nuys. She inaugurated a local Head Start program for children. She also worked tirelessly to secure the rights for Black workers to join the union at Lockheed Aerospace. During the remainder of her life, she joined such Civil Rights giants as Medger Evers, Rosa Parks, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., to participate in marches, protests, and other activist practices.

After her retirement from the classroom, Ida was appointed to the Commission on Aging for the County of Los Angeles. She served in this position for 12 years. She was also instrumental in establishing a senior center in Pacoima, California. The facility opened in 1971. In addition, Ida played a key role in creating the Pacoima Boys & Girls Club.

On her 100th birthday, Ida B. Kinney was honored with other Civil Rights activists for her work in securing rights for African Americans. When she passed away from natural causes in Lake View Terrace, California, on Jan. 1, 2009, she was 104 years old. To read more about this Chalkboard Champion, see this obituary published by the Los Angeles Times.

 

Flossing and the Frustration of Undone Homework

Posted on by

Homework. Hmmm…yeah. The topic is as controversial today as it was when I began my 36-year teaching career in 1981. Although I am now retired, this exasperating subject surfaced a while back when I was veritably blasted by my periodontist for my failure to floss. Let’s just say I really got schooled. In a nutshell, he said he was a highly trained professional, and furthermore a very busy man, and if I couldn’t be bothered to do my share of the work at home, then I should not come back.

Wow. I mean double wow.

So let’s be honest. Hasn’t every teacher run those same thoughts through their head when confronted by a recalcitrant student who refuses to do their homework? Educators everywhere have wrestled with this problem for decades. Every teacher knows that there are some students who will do all their homework, some students who will do some of it, and some students who will do none of it. And in my experience, unless you’re teaching an honors class, the amount of homework that doesn’t get done is greater than the amount that does.

So what strategies can the teacher use to increase the amount of homework that gets turned in? We’ve all experimented. Here are a few I tried. First, I increased the weight of the homework category so a student could not pass my class unless they completed at least a large percentage of it. The result? The students still didn’t do their homework, and tons of kids were failing. Then I tried reducing the number of assignments from four nights a week to two nights a week. That helped with their grades, but it did not increase the number of assignments that got turned in. Next, I tried giving assignments that couldn’t be quantified, such as, “Your homework tonight is to study for your test tomorrow.” And then I just hoped they would do this, although I was pretty sure they wouldn’t. Finally, I gave them classwork assignments and told them if they didn’t finish in class, they should finish for homework. And then I gave them enough time to finish in class.

I can’t say I felt very professionally satisfied with any of these strategies. One thing I can say with certainty, though, is that if I had given voice to my frustration in the same way that my periodontist did, if I had pounded them into the ground for their errors, I could add another failed strategy to my list. Even if my students showed up empty-handed, I was always glad to see them come back the next day. Because every day a student shows up to class is a new opportunity to guide them, to help them be more successful, and to lovingly plant that suggestion one more time that, yes, homework is an important part of continued progress. And seizing these opportunities is never a waste of time or energy, even for a busy, well-trained professional.

I understand full well my periodontist’s exasperation. I empathize. I am truly sorry that my failure to floss provoked such an angry outburst from him, and I forgive him for losing his temper. After all, I’m not a kid. I know the man is right. Since that day I have attempted, in New Year’s resolution fashion, to mend the error of my ways. But I also found a new periodontist.

Ohio STEM teacher Annette “Ann” Drake garners a coveted PAEMST award

Posted on by

Annette “Ann” Drake of Brookville, Ohio, has garnered a coveted PAEMST award. Photo credit: Ohio Northern  University

There are many outstanding educators working with America’s young people in our nation’s public schools. One of these is teacher Annette “Ann” Drake of Ohio. She was recognized in January, 2025, with a Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST) by President Joe Biden.

Ann teaches junior high school mathematics at Brookville Intermediate School in Brookville, In a career that spans 25 years, she has taught 23 of them at Brookville.

But the award-winning educator didn’t begin her professional life as a teacher. After earning her Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from Ohio Northern University in 1989, she accepted a position at an engineering consulting firm in Indiana. It was there that she began volunteering at her daughter’s school. “It was awesome!” Ann declared. And that was when she began to plan a career change. She went back to school, earning her Master’s degree in Elementary Education from Wright State University.

As a teacher, Ann believes that every student can learn science, they just need a teacher to believe in them, to support their learning journey. She places an emphasis on differentiated learning, inquiry lessons, and problem-based learning. She works diligently to foster creativity, higher level learning, and problem-solving skills, student-created experiments, hands-on activities, and a variety of labs.

For her work as an educator, Ann has earned many accolades. She was named the recipient of the 2015-2016 Dayton Regional STEM Center: STEM Education Collaboration Award and the 2014-2015 Ohio STEM Educator. She garnered the Air Force Association Award and attended the 2007 Honeywell’s Space Academy for Educators. In addition, she has been awarded multiple grants and held several leadership positions in state organizations, including the Science Education Council of Ohio, the Environmental Education Council of Ohio, and the Ohio Earth Science Teachers Association. Furthermore, she has presented science sessions at the state and national level.

To learn more about Ann, click on this link to an article about her published by Ohio Northern University.

The PAEMST, Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching, recognize the dedication, hard work, and importance that America’s teachers play in supporting learners who will become future STEM professionals, including computer technologists, climate scientists, mathematicians, innovators, space explorers, and engineers. The PAEMST program, founded in 1983, is administered by the National Science Foundation (NSF) on behalf of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. The honor comes with a meeting with the President and a $10,000 cash prize.