Tag Archives: African American Teachers

North Carolina teacher Eugenia Floyd named her state’s 2022 Teacher of the Year

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North Carolina elementary school teacher Eugenia Floyd has been named her state’s 2022 Teacher of the Year. Photo Credit: North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching.

I always enjoy sharing stories about exceptional educators who have earned accolades for their work in the classroom. One of these is Eugenia Floyd, an elementary school teacher from North Carolina who has been named her state’s 2022 Teacher of the Year.

Eugenia has taught fourth grade for eight years at Mary Scroggs Elementary School in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. In her classroom, the honored educator says she emphasizes equity. To achieve this goal, she teaches a unit on social issues. She facilitates discussions about such topics as bullying, racism, and sexism. “Not only do I want to make sure I teach my students material that can connect to the world around us,” Eugenia says, “but I also want them to be able to use what they have learned in order to make themselves and the world a better place,” she continues. “When students are able to connect to their lives and world around them, learning will most definitely happen and stick,” she concludes. In addition, Eugenia says a key element of her approach is having high expectations of all students, rather than imposing any limits on their capacity to learn.

The honored educator earned her Bachelor’s degree in History from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She completed her K-6 teacher certification at North Carolina Central University in 2013. In 2020, she earned her Master’s degree in Gifted Education from Elon University located in Elon, North Carolina.

As North Carolina’s Teacher of the Year, Kimberly will serve as a state ambassador for teachers and as an advisor on the State Board of Education for two years. The honor includes a cash award of $8,500, a trip to the National Teacher of the Year Conference and International Space Camp, a leased car, a mobile phone, a foldable laptop computer, and the opportunity to travel abroad.

Congratulations, Eugenia!

Kimberly Johnson named Alabama’s 2021-2022 Teacher of the Year

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Kimberly Johnson, a junior high school teacher from Auburn, Alabama, has been named her state’s 2021-2022 Teacher of the Year. Photo Credit; The Anniston Star

It is always my pleasure to share the story of an exceptional educator who has earned recognition for their work in the classroom. One of these is Kimberly Johnson, a junior high school teacher from Auburn, Alabama. She has been named her state’s 2021-2022 Teacher of the Year.

Kimberly works at Auburn Junior High School as an interventionist and study skills teacher for at-risk eighth and ninth grade students. The honored educator says she strives to get students involved and interested in their coursework by using a student-centered approach. Her approach involves giving students options and holding them accountable when it comes to their schoolwork. Kimberly believes one of the most important aspects of her teaching is showing students that she cares. “Relationships are first, and then you can get students to do hard things,” she asserts. Once those relationships are established, she says, then she can create a safe space where they can work through any issues they may face.

Kimberly’s career as a professional educator began in 1998 and has spanned 23 years. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Communications from the University of Alabama, and her Master’s degree in English and Language Arts Education from Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University. She also completed the requirements for a degree as a Specialist in Education in English Language Arts Education from Auburn University.

As the Alabama Teacher of the Year, Kimberly will serve as a full-time ambassador for the teaching profession for one year. She will spend this time speaking to civic and professional organizations, PK-12 schools, colleges and universities; conducting workshops for teachers; and writing newspaper and magazine articles.

Congratulations, Kimberly!

 

Ohio’s Kurt Russell named the 2022 National Teacher of the Year

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Congratulations to Kurt Russell, a high school history teacher from Oberlin High School in Ohio, who has just been named the 2022 National Teacher of the Year! Here he is in his appearance on CBS Mornings on April 19, 2022, being interviewed by co-hosts Gayle King, Tony Dokoupil, and Nate Burleson.

DC educator Sheri Frierson-Chenier garners PAEMST

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Washington DC educator Sheri Frierson-Chenier has garnered a Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. Photo Credit: Sheri Frierson-Chenier

It is always a pleasure to share news about a fellow educator who has earned accolades for their work in the profession. Today I can share that Washington DC teacher Sheri Frierson-Chenier has garnered a Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching.

Sheri, who is originally from Los Angeles, California, once revealed that becoming a teacher was her childhood dream. Her career as an educator has spanned 15 years. She inaugurated her work in the classroom at Glenn Dale Elementary School in Glenn Dale, Maryland, where she taught kindergarten for three years. She has also taught third grade. Currently she teaches fifth grade and works as a STEM Coordinator at Kimball Elementary School in Washington, DC, where she had been employed for the past 12 years. There she also advises student programs such as the Robotics Club, the Science Fair, the STEM Career Fair, and the STEM Expo.

In addition to her work in the classroom, Sheri chairs the school’s Personnel Committee, the Local School Advisory Team, and the Academic Leadership team. And as if all that were not enough, she was a Fellow of DC Teaching is Central to Learning (TCTL), a program which enabled her to engage  in professional development to understand the role of education policies and programs designed to improve teaching and learning.

Sheri’s PAEMST is not the only recognition she has earned. In 2018, she was a finalist for DC Public Schools Teacher of the Year, and in 2020, she was a finalist for the DC Office of the State Superintendent of Education Teacher of the Year.

Sheri earned her Bachelor’s degree, magna cum laude, in Human Development in 2006, and her Master’s degree in Elementary Education in 2012, both from Howard University.

Bertha Boschulte: Talented teacher and tireless women’s suffragist

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Teacher, principal, and public health official Bertha Boschulte of the Virgin Islands was also a tireless women’s suffragist. Photo Credit: Public Domain

Many talented educators devote their considerable energy to social issues. One of these was Bertha Boschulte, a teacher, principal, and public health worker from the Virgin Islands who dedicated herself to women’s suffrage in her home territory.

Bertha was born on March 30, 1906, in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands. After her graduation from Charlotte Amalie Junior/Senior High School, she taught for one year. Then she moved to the mainland, where she settled in the state of Virginia and enrolled in the Hampton Institute. There she earned her Bachelor’s degree, with distinction, in English and Mathematics in 1929.

Following her graduation from college, Bertha returned to the Virgin Islands, where she accepted a teaching position at her alma mater, Charlotte Amalie High School. During the next few years, while teaching and serving as the secretary of the St. Thomas Teachers Association, Bertha became a champion of the women’s suffrage movement. She was one of numerous women teachers who attempted to register to vote and had been denied. The teachers’ union filed a lawsuit, and earned a ruling in their favor.

By 1938, Bertha had been promoted to be principal of the Charlotte Amalie school, but after a few years, she decided to return to the United States, where she enrolled at Columbia University’s Teachers College. There she earned her Master’s degree in Educational Administration in 1945. After securing her teaching credential in 1946, Bertha accepted a teaching position at New York’s PS 81.

While in New York, the forward-thinking educator became involved with the International Assembly of Women, a conference organized by First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt to advance the goals of political equality for women and support the establishment of the United Nations. In 1947, Bertha returned to the Virgin Islands, where she worked with colleagues to establish a teachers’ institute to offer training to educators who wanted to improve their instructional practices.

Bertha launched a new chapter of her life in 1950 when she relocated to Ann Arbor, Michigan, to pursue a Master’s degree in Public Health. The following year, her goal achieved, she returned to the Virgin Islands, where she was appointed the Director of the Statistical Service for the territory’s Health Department. She served in that department until 1963. In 1964, this amazing former teacher was elected to the Legislature of the Virgin Islands, where she served one two-year term as a Senator. In 1969, Bertha was appointed to serve on the Commission on the Status of Women, and in 1970, she was elected to the Board of the Territorial Department of Education, where she was served as the Chairperson.

For her tireless work as an educator, public health official, and women’s suffragist, Bertha was named Woman of the Year by the Federation of Business and Professional Women in 1965. In 1981, the Bertha C. Boschulte Middle School in Bovoni was named in her honor. This Chalkboard Hero passed away on August 18, 2004. She was 98 years old.