Tag Archives: African American Teachers

Georgia educator Venola Mason publishes instructional strategies

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Former classroom teacher Venola Mason’s book Teach Up! offers resources that demonstrate the importance of positive relationships between teachers and students and the value of high expectations. Photo credit: Venola Mason

Many excellent classroom teachers go on to share best practices to help students excel. Some of them even publish books offering proven strategies. One of these is Venola Mason, a former elementary school teacher who wrote the inspirational book Teach Up! Empowering Educators through Relationships, Rigor, and Relevance.

Venola’s book offers information and resources that demonstrate the importance of positive relationships between teachers and students, and the value of high academic expectations. The volume also explores issues related to social and emotional learning, the impact of childhood trauma, and the influence of the classroom environment. In addition, the book presents best practices and step-by-step procedures that can be used in any classroom, for any subject, and at any grade level to increase critical thinking skills through authentic learning experiences. Teach Up!  was published in 2021 and is available on amazon.

This remarkable educator has a wealth of experience to back up the strategies she presents in her book. She  taught fourth grade in Atlanta Public Schools for five years, between 2003 and 2005. She has also served as the Director of Alternative Certification in the Teach for America Program. Currently, she is an Associate Partner for the International Center for Leadership in Education. She has spent 12 years with the company.

“My love for learning blossomed as a small child playing ‘school’ with my older brother and younger sister in the East End of Louisville, Kentucky,” recalls Venola. “With limited opportunities in our community, my mom, determined to offer a better life to her children, moved our family to Los Angeles, California when I was eight years old,” she continues. “She worked hard as a certified nursing assistant caring for elderly patients. She didn’t make a lot of money or have any fancy degrees, but she taught me the importance of working hard, caring for others, and not being afraid to take chances in life,” the educator says. And it is these values that inspired Venola to inspire others to excel in their educational endeavors, too.

Venola earned her Bachelor’s degree in Spanish from Colby College in Waterville, Maine, in 2001. She earned her Master’s degree in Educational Leadership and Technology from Kennesaw State University in Kennesaw, Georgia, in 2009.

Arkansas teacher Juanita Harris selected 2023 Teacher of the Year by the AEA

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Elementary school teacher Juanita Harris of Texarkana has been selected 2023 Teacher of the Year by the Arkansas Education Association. Photo credit: The Texarkana Gazette

The Arkansas Education Association (AEA) has named Juanita Harris of the Texarkana Arkansas School District (TASD) their 2023 Teacher of the Year.

Juanita teaches first grade at Harmony Leadership Academy in Texarkana. A native of the city, she attended this very school when she was a child. She describes her students as being her children, and asserts she can relate to them because she comes from the same neighborhood as they do.

“Originally, I wanted to be a social worker,” Juanita once revealed. “I remember coming home after church and I talked to my uncle Van and said, ‘I don’t know if I want to be a social worker or work in education,'” she confessed. “He asked me what I was passionate about, and I said teaching,” she continued. “He tapped me on my shoulder and said, ‘You should teach,’ and walked away.” That was the turning point. Today, Juanita’s career as an educator spans 13 years. Obviously, she is working in the perfect profession for her. “Teaching is one of the reasons I was born,” she says.

In addition to her work in the classroom, Juanita is also founder and CEO of Teachers Support Teachers, an organization whose mission is to support fellow educators. They do this by providing one opportunity per month for self-care for teachers and anyone in a PreK-12 setting through services such as group therapy sessions, massages, pedicures, funds for supplies, cookouts, and more. “Our mission for Teachers Support Teachers is to live out our vision of ‘Encouraging the Hearts that Shape the Minds,'” Juanita declares.

Her selection as the Teacher of the Year is not the only recognition Juanita has earned. She was named the Union Elementary Teacher of the Year in 2017, the TASD Teacher of the Year in 2018, and a regional finalist for Arkansas Teacher of the Year in 2019. With her recognition from AEA, Jaunita becomes a candidate for the National Education Association Foundation Award for Teaching Excellence in 2024.

Juanita earned her Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Southern Arkansas University in Magnolia in 2010. She earned her Master’s degree there in Education in Curriculum and Instruction in 2013.

NYC honors SpEd teacher Andre Clark with a Big Apple Award

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Special Education teacher and Assistant Basketball Coach Andre Clark has garnered a 2023-2024 Big Apple Award. Photo credit: Andre Clark

New York City is very proud of their public school teachers. In fact, city leaders regularly recognize exceptional educators with their annual Big Apple Award. For the 2023-2024 school year, one of the educators honored was Special Education teacher Andre Clark.

For the past three years, Andre has taught at Frederick Douglass Academy, a co-educational public school for grades 6-12 located in West Harlem, New York City. In fact, the school is Andre’s own alma mater. He graduated from the institution in 2011. In addition to his work in the classroom, Andre has worked for the past seven years as an Assistant Coach of the Varsity Boys’ Basketball Team. In this role, he  has been able to use his experience as a former captain and excellent player at Fredrick Douglas Academy to help guide his scholar athletes.
And as if this were not enough, the honored educator has also served as an instructor of the Special Olympics for 15 years. He has worked as a mentor at LaVelle’s School of the Blind in the Bronx, where he combats bullying. And he has been a Big Brother for the past 11 years.
Andre earned his Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from the University of Saint Mary, a Catholic University located in Leavenworth, Kansas, in 2016. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Special Education and Teaching from the City College of New York in 2023.
This year, the Big Apple Award was presented to 49 exceptional New York City teachers. Each one was nominated by their principal for work in the profession that inspires students, models great teaching, and enriches school communities. The recipients were chosen through a rigorous selection process that included community nominations, principal recommendations, classroom visits, an interview, and a review by a board of judges. To learn more about the program and this year’s recipients, click on this link to Big Apple Awards.

Lillian Lowery completed a remarkable career in education

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Former English teacher Lillian Lowery logged many accomplishments as an educator. Photo credit: Newark Post

I always enjoy sharing stories about teachers who have completed remarkable careers in the field of education. One of these is former English teacher Lillian Lowery.

Lillian was born in Gastonia, North Carolina. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in English from North Carolina Central University in 1976. She earned her Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in 1978. She completed the requirements for her Ph.D. in Education and Policy Studies from Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia.

Lillian inaugurated her teaching career as a middle school English teacher at Gaston County Schools in Gastonia. She also taught in schools in Alexandria, Virginia; Fairfax County Public Schools in Fairfax, Virigina; and Fort Wayne Community School in Fort Wayne, Indiana. With each new position, Lillian expanded her experience as an educator, serving as a high school English teacher, an assistant principal, a minority student achievement monitor, a principal, and an area coordinator.

In 2004, Lillian accepted a position as the Secretary of Education in Delaware, and then as the Superintendent of the Christina School District in Newark, Delaware. While living in that state, she also served as the Secretary of the Delaware Department of Education. Next she moved to Maryland, where she served as the Superintendent of the Maryland State Department of Education.

In September, 2015, Lillian became the first President and Chief Executive Officer of FutureReady Columbus, a non-profit specializing in early childhood education located in Columbus, Ohio. In March, 2017, she was appointed Vice President for PreK-12 Policy, Research, and Practice at The Education Trust, a national nonprofit working to identify and close opportunity and achievement gaps in K-12 education. This organization is located in Washington, DC.

For her work as an educator, Lillian garnered many prestigious awards. In 2015, the National Association of State Boards of Education honored her as the “Policy Leader of the Year.” This honor is awarded annually to a national or state policymaker in recognition of significant contributions to education. Lillian has also garnered the Second Mile Award from the University of Delaware; Wilmington, Delaware’s Junior Achievement Award; the City of Fairfax Mayor’s Service Award; and the Outstanding Service Award from the City of Fairfax School Board.

During her career, Lillian served on the boards of several organizations, Delaware State University, edreports.org, and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Her final appointment came when, in 2018, she became the Vice President of Student and Teacher Assessments for the Educational Testing Service (ETS) in Princeton, New Jersey.

Lillian retired in January, 2022, and, sadly, she passed away three months later, on April 13, 2022. She was 67 years old.