Florida Language Arts teacher Barbara Goleman was recognized as the National Teacher of the Year in 1969. Photo Credit: Barbara Goleman High School

The 1960’s were a politically turbulent time in American history, a time when many Chalkboard Champions made significant contributions toward the social evolution of that time period. One such educator was Barbara Ann Goleman, an award-winning high school teacher from Florida.

Barbara was born and raised in Florida. She attended Florida State University, where she earned her Bachelor’s degree in 1952 and her Master’s degree in 1954. She inaugurated her teaching career as an English literature instructor at Miami Jackson High School in 1954.

At the beginning of her career, the school’s enrollment was 90% white middle-class students. In 1963, in response to the 1954 Supreme Court ruling Brown vs. Board of Education, the racial segregation that had been prevalent previously in American schools became prohibited. To comply with the desegregation order, Florida began to admit African American students to white schools. By 1966, the student body at Miami Jackson High was 85% African American, predominantly from impoverished families.

To respond to the needs of her new student population, Barbara helped develop innovative instructional programs and demonstrated a nurturing attitude towards all her students. For her efforts, she was recognized with the National Teacher of the Year Award in 1969. She was the first Southerner in 18 years to be so honored, and President Richard Nixon presented the award to Barbara in a White House ceremony.

In 1975, Barbara transferred to North Miami Beach Senior High School as a teacher and staff development specialist for internship programs. Ten years later, she became an administrator for Language Arts at the District Office.

This remarkable educator retired in 1990. In her honor, Barbara Goleman High School, opened in 1995. It was the first school in Miami-Dade County to be named after one of its teachers.

At the school’s dedication ceremony Barbara directed her remarks to those assembled. “What do I wish for you, the students, the teachers, the full staff of this exciting brand new school?” she began. “I wish that every student will feel that people in this school truly care about her or him, that people here believe that learning is the most exciting human endeavor—far beyond mere textbook encounters; that understanding and compassion in our hearts can replace intolerance and animosity and prejudice; that service, not greed, carries honor and self-fulfillment; that we as human beings can make our own meaning out of life; that we can make mistakes and still go on and create new meaning,” she continued. “I wish for every teacher and administrator and service person that this school environment will be warm and supportive, that there be opportunity for growth, that teamwork and cooperation and mutual respect prevail. I wish for this school the highest form of school spirit, love of excellence, honor for sportsmanship and citizenship and scholarship, respect for diversity, simply caring for one another,” she concluded.