Tag Archives: African American Teachers

Teacher Carter Godwin Woodson: The Father of Black History

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Carter Godwin Woodson, the American school teacher who created Black History Month, an annual celebration of the many outstanding contributions African Americans have made to our country. Photo credit: Public Domain

This February, educators all over the country are sharing Black History Month with their students. The observance is an annual celebration of the many important  contributions African Americans have made to American society. But did you know that Black History Month, itself, was the brainchild of a brilliant African American teacher?

Carter Godwin Woodson (1875-1950)  is credited with organizing and advocating annual Black History Month celebrations in American schools, starting in 1926. Certainly this is an admirable accomplishment in and of itself, but there is so much more to learn about this outstanding educator.

Did you know that, as a youngster, Carter was forced to work on the family farm rather than attend school? Nevertheless, he taught himself to read using the Bible and local newspapers. He didn’t finish high school until he was 20 years old. Did you know that he once worked as a coal miner in Fayette County, West Virginia, and then later went back there to teach school to the children of Black coal miners, serving as a personal role model for using education as a means to get out of the mines? And did you know that Carter taught school in the Philippines, and then became the supervisor of schools, which included duties as a trainer of teachers, there?

This Chalkboard Champion was one of the first to study African American history, to collect data, oral histories, and documents, and to publish his findings in a scholarly magazine he published, The Journal of Negro History. For these accomplishments, and many more, Carter Godwin Woodson has been called the “Father of Black History.”

To read more about this fascinating historical figure, check out the chapter I have written about him in my first book, Chalkboard Champions.

Louisiana teacher Maura Lewis featured on local news station

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Here is a story about Maura Lewis, an exceptional teacher from Woodlawn Middle School in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She teaches Algebra, computer science, and STEM to seventh and eighth graders. Maura was recently named exceptional educator by her local television news station, WVLA NBC Local 33, and BRProud. She was featured on a recent segment on the television network.

Congratulations, Maura!

Educator Willa Brown Chappell taught Tuskegee airmen to fly

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Public school teacher Willa Brown Chappell also taught Tuskegee Airmen to fly airplanes. Photo Credit: Aviation Heritage Park

Many exceptional teachers can boast achievements outside of their classroom. One of these is Willa Brown Chappell, the first African American woman licensed to fly in the United States.

Willa was born on Jan. 22, 1906, in Glasgow, Kentucky. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Education from Indiana State Teachers College in 1927. She also completed the requirements for an MBA from Northwestern University in 1937. Following her college graduation, Willa was employed first as a high school teacher at Roosevelt High School in Gary, Indiana, and later as a social worker in Chicago.

Willa was always seeking challenges and adventures in her life, especially if they could be found outside the limited career fields normally open to African American women at that time. She decided to learn to fly airplanes. She studied with Cornelius R. Coffey, a certified flight instructor and expert aviation mechanic at a racially segregated airport in Chicago. Willa earned her private pilot’s license in 1938. Later, Willa and Cornelius married and founded the Coffey School of Aeronautics at Harlem Airport in Chicago, where together they trained Black pilots and aviation mechanics. Willa conducted the classroom instruction and Cornelius conducted the in-flight practice.

In 1939, Willa, Cornelius, and their friend Enoch P. Waters founded the National Airmen’s Association of America. Their goal was to secure admission for Black aviation cadets into the US military. As the organization’s national secretary and the president of the Chicago branch, Willa became an activist for racial equality. She persistently lobbied the US Government for integration of Black pilots into the segregated Army Air Corps and the federal Civilian Pilot Training Program (CPTP), a system established by the Civil Aeronautics Authority just before the outbreak of World War II. The CPTP’s purpose was to provide  civilian pilots for service during national emergencies. Willa was given the rank of an officer in this first integrated unit.

In 1948, when Congress finally voted to allow African Americans to participate in civilian flight training programs, the Coffey School of Aeronautics was one of the few private aviation schools selected to provide training. Later, her flight school was selected by the US Army to provide Black trainees for the Air Corps pilot training program at the Tuskegee Institute. Willa was instrumental in training more than 200 students who went on to become Tuskegee pilots. Eventually, Willa Brown became the coordinator of war-training service for the Civil Aeronautics Authority and a member of the Federal Aviation Administration’s Women’s Advisory Board. She was the first Black female officer in the Civil Air Patrol and the first Black woman to hold a commercial pilot’s license in the United States.

This remarkable educator and pioneer aviatrix passed away on July 18, 1992. In 2010, Willa was awarded the Distinguished Alumni Award by the Indiana State University Alumni Association. She was inducted into the Aviation Hall of Fame in her native Kentucky in 2003.

To find out more about this remarkable Chalkboard Champion, you can read a chapter about her in my book, Chalkboard Heroes, which is available on amazon.com and the website for Barnes and Noble.

Florida music educator William Coleman earns recognition

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William Coleman, a choir teacher who hails from Palmetto, Florida, was recognized last month by his local television station, ABC7. Photo Credit: Manatee School for the Arts

I always enjoy sharing stories about one of our nation’s exceptional educators. Today, I will share the story of William Coleman, a choir teacher who hails from Palmetto, Florida. He was recognized last month by his local television station, ABC7.

William’s career as a music director spans a total of 26 years. Currently he teaches at Manatee School for the Arts in the Florida city of Palmetto. In addition to his choir courses, this amazing educator teaches music theater workshops and organizes productions. Some of his productions include Little Shop of Horrors, Mame, Jekyll and Hyde, Assassins, Nine, Baby, Annie Jr., Seussical Jr., My Way, The Andrews Brothers, and the premier productions of Boynton Beach Club and Practically Perfect.

Manatee is a public charter school located in Palmetto that offers performing arts programs to middle school and high school students. The school provides academic courses that infuse many opportunities for expression through the performing arts. In addition, students can participate in dual enrollment for college credit. Members of the faculty are professionals in their field, from local performers to internationally known professionals. To read more about this institution, click on this link to MSA.

As part of the school’s mission, William Coleman says he works hard to provide a welcoming atmosphere in his classroom. “I love connecting with my students, be a safe space for them, be comfortable, and be able to explore their love of music,” he declares. As a reward for his dedication to his students, William was profiled by his local television station, ABC7, and he received a $500 award.

William earned his Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Sciences from Purdue University in 1990. He also completed undergraduate work in Piano Performance from the University of Tennessee. He earned his Master’s degree in Piano Performance from Middle Tennessee State University in 1997 and completed a second Master’s degree in Pedagogy and Performance at the University of Oklahoma in 2001.

Louisiana educator Ernest Hill developed lesson to celebrate MLK birthday

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Educator Ernest Hill (at left), who was recognized as Louisiana’s 2022 Middle School Teacher of the Year, developed an annual lesson to celebrate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Photo credit: Monroe News Star

Louisiana teacher, assistant principal, and author Ernest Hill planned an annual observance for the birthday of Civil Rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. Ernest, a former social studies teacher at Holly Ridge Elementary School in Richland Parish, was recognized as his state’s 2022 Middle School Teacher of the Year. Currently, he works as an Assistant Principal at his school.

As a classroom teacher, Ernest led his annual lesson about MLK by showing his students a video about the historical icon, followed by a period of self-reflection to think about how to apply King’s actions to their lives today. Ernest emphasized that the holiday is best celebrated with action. “I often tell them that if we live our lives the correct way and if we put ourselves in a position to to be successful, that at some point we have to become the answer to people’s prayers,” Ernest declared. “I just try to make sure that they understand the overall message of King and then how we can apply it to our lives in terms of the opportunity that we have in this country to be whatever we want to be—and the obligation we have to give our best effort to make sure that sacrifices of people like King were not in vain,” he continued.

Next, Ernest would launch his annual movement for reading. As the author of the book A Life for a Life, the former teacher encouraged reading while at the same time introducing his students to stories where they could see themselves. And then he encouraged them to go beyond the text, to imagine themselves in history. In this way, he helped young people understand the emotional aspects of past events. “It’s sort of a continuation of everything that King talked about,” Ernest explained. “I believe in movements; I believe in doing things in a large way in order to create a winning culture or mindset among the masses so that we move in one step towards an ultimate goal of success—and that’s education,” he said.

While literacy is an issue statewide in Louisiana, Ernest says that illiteracy is especially high among Black middle school students. Through his movement to encourage reading, the award-winning teacher hoped to change that.

To learn more about this Chalkboard Champion, see this article about him published in 2021 by the Monroe News Star.