Tag Archives: African American Teachers

Teacher Juanita Harris supports frontline educational workers

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Arkansas kindergarten teacher Juanita Harris supports frontline educational workers through her Teachers Support Teachers program. Photo Credit: Juanita Harris

We know that educators dedicate themselves to taking good care of their students. But there are cases when these teachers dedicate themselves to taking care of their fellow educators, too. One of these is Juanita Harris, a kindergarten teacher from Texarkana. In addition to her work in the classroom, Juanita is founder and CEO of Teachers Support Teachers, an organization whose mission is to provide care and support to fellow educators.

Teachers Support Teachers provides much-needed self-care for frontline educational workers, a group which includes teachers, paraprofessionals, school librarians, cafeteria workers—anyone who spends at least 85% of the instructional day working directly with and for students. The self-care comes in the form of massages, pedicures, funds for supplies, celebratory cookouts, group therapy sessions, and more. “Our mission is to encourage the hearts that shape the minds,” declares Juanita.

This effort is especially important now, asserts Juanita. She notes that educators struggled greatly through the Covid-19 years, but even though those years are behind us, teachers continue to struggle. Many teachers are feeling under-appreciated, under-valued, and under-paid. All over the country, large numbers of them are choosing to leave the profession. “I don’t believe we have a teacher shortage problem,” she says. “We have a teacher retention problem.” She founded Teachers Support Teachers to help address the emotional and professional needs of teachers so that they will stay in the profession.

Through her efforts, Juanita not only provides self-care for educators, but she also supports small businesses in her area. For example, at a recent teacher appreciation event, she partnered with a local teacher supply store, neighborhood restaurants, the community bank, and even a local balloon store.

In the five years since Juanita has founded the organization, the effort has spread to other states, and she is actively working to create a more widespread movement. To learn more, to find out how to become a partner with the organization, or to make a contribution, simply click on this link: Teachers Support Teachers.

Elem teacher De’Shawn Washington named 2024 Massachusetts Teacher of the Year

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Elementary school teacher De’Shawn Washington of Lexington, Massachusetts, has been named his state’s 2024 Teacher of the Year. He is the first African American man to be so honored. Photo credit: Massachusetts Teachers Association

It is always my pleasure to share the story of an outstanding educator who has earned accolades for their work in the classroom. One of these is De’Shawn Washington, an elementary school teacher from Massachusetts. He has been named his state’s 2024 Teacher of the Year.

The honored educator is the first African American man to be honored with Massachusetts’ top educator honor. “It starts with having the Black students in the classroom seeing their future selves as an older person, as a teacher, in a classroom,” De’Shawn asserts.

De’Shawn teaches a fourth grade inclusion classroom at Maria Hastings Elementary School in Lexington. His career as an educator spans eight years, four of them at Hastings Elementary. “It’s all about the passion, right?” declares De’Shawn. “Teaching is a calling. I’m very fortunate to be in education and be in this work today,” he concludes.

In addition to his work with his young students, De’Shawn is a member of his district’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Community Input Team; the Elementary Schedule Review Committee; and the Student Success Team. He is also a member of the School Site Council. Prior to his work in Lexington, he taught in Boston Public Schools.

As if all that were not enough, De’Shawn organizes workshops at the University of Massachusetts, Boston, to help pre-service teachers pass the Massachusetts Tests for Education Licensure. He has presented and published about culturally responsive instruction. He also volunteers as a Big Brother.

He received Lexington Public Schools’ Core Values Award in April 2021 for building and sustaining a sense of community in his classroom.

De’Shawn earned his Bachelor’s degree in Accounting and Finance in 2013. He earned his Master’s degree in Elementary Education in 2018 and a second Master’s degree in Special Education in 2022, all from the University of Massachusetts, Boston. Currently, he is working on his PhD in Educational Leadership and Policy from Vanderbilt University.

 

Award-winning actress Quinta Brunson inspired by her teacher, Joyce Abbott

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Joyce Abbot with her sixth grade student, Quinta Brunson. Photo credit: University of Maryland, Eastern Shore

There are many praiseworthy educators in classrooms all around our country, but not all of them receive the praise they are due. One of these teachers, though, has received more praise than she could ever have imagined. She is Joyce Abbott, a retired elementary teacher from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Joyce is, in part, the inspiration for a character on the award-winning television show, Abbot Elementary. She was the teacher of sixth grader Quinta Brunson. When Quinta grew up, she became the creator and star of the show, and while writing the show, she didn’t forget her former teacher.

Abbott Elementary highlights the difficulties faced by an inner-city school staff as they teach their young students. Those difficulties include substandard facilities, underfunding, lack of educational resources, and, in some cases, poor leadership.

The show has garnered an Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series in 2022, a Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series—Musical or Comedy in 2022, and an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Comedy Series in 2023.

Joyce taught for 27 years in inner-city schools within the Philadelphia School District. Most recently, she served as a climate manager at Andrew Hamilton Elementary, a K-8 school located in West Philadelphia. In this role, she ensures the campus environment is safe and conducive to learning.

In addition to her work in the classroom, Joyce is also a veteran of the US Army, where she attained the rank of staff sergeant. She spent ten years in the military, including a ten-month tour of the Person Gulf during the Persian Gulf War.

Joyce has admitted publicly that it wasn’t always easy for her to succeed in the classroom. “At the onset of my journey, it was very difficult. I had 36 students my first year, very limited textbooks, several behavior problems, and in addition to several students academically challenged,” Joyce recalls. But she says that it was her passion that kept her in the classroom.

Joyce admits that teachers in the classroom today continue to face obstacles in their profession. “It’s difficult with the many outside challenges that teachers are facing today,” she asserts. But she encourages them to keep up the good work. “Know that you can do it, believe in yourself, and believe in that child. They need you, sometimes you’re their only hope,” Joyce says. “Just know that every day that you’re going in, even though every day may not be great, you are making a difference,” she concludes.

This Chalkboard Champion earned her Bachelor’s degree in Business and Economics from the University of Maryland, Eastern Shore, in 1983, and her Master’s degree in Education from Cheyney University. She is listed in the Who’s Who Among America’s Finest Teachers.

The intrepid Susie King Taylor: Civil War teacher, nurse, and author

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Susie King Taylor was an intrepid teacher, nurse, and author who practiced during the Civil War period. Photo Credit: National Park Service

Every once in a while I come across the story of an intrepid teacher who has made a signifiant contribution to our nation’s history. One of these is Susie King Taylor, a teacher, nurse, and author who practiced during the Civil War Period.

Susie King Taylor, whose birth name was Susan Ann Baker, was born into slavery on August 6, 1848. Her place of birth was a plantation owned by Valentine Grest located in Liberty County, Georgia. Susie was the oldest of nine children born to her parents.

When she was a child, her grandmother, Dolly Reed, made sure that Susie received an education, despite the fact that in that day, it was illegal to teach enslaved persons to read and write. Susie attended secret “underground” schools and her teachers were free women of color. Even at a young age, Susie demonstrated an unquenchable thirst for knowledge.

When the Civil War erupted, Susie and her family were led to freedom by her uncle. The family escaped to the South Carolina Sea Islands, an area under the control of Union forces. She was only 14 years old at the time. The Army officers Susie met there were impressed by her education and kindness, and so they asked her to teach newly-freed African American children in an emancipation school sponsored by the government, even though the war was still raging. She became the first African American teacher in the area. In 1862, Susie married Sergeant Edward King, and she joined her husband’s regiment. During this time, she taught illiterate soldiers to read and write, and at the same time, she nursed injured soldiers back to health. In fact, she became the first African American Army nurse to serve during the Civil War. She was well-known for the dedication she demonstrated while caring for sick and injured.

Once the war was won, Susie and her husband relocated to Savannah, Georgia, where she hoped to continue her career as an educator in a private school of her own. Unfortunately, the death of her husband left her without the financial means to realize this dream. In 1872, she moved to Boston where she met her second husband, Russell Taylor. She married him in 1879. In her later years, she devoted her time and attention to working with the Woman’s Relief Corps, a national organization that provided services for female Civil War veterans.

In 1902, Susie penned and self-published her memoir, Reminiscences of My Life in Camp with the 33rd United States Colored Troops, Late 1st S.C. Volunteers. The volume became a valuable historical account of her Civil War experiences.

This amazing woman passed away on October 6, 1912, in Boston, Massachusetts. She is interred in Mount Hope Cemetery. Today, Susie King Taylor is celebrated for her significant accomplishments as a teacher, nurse, and author.

Science teacher John M. Lewellen served in the Arkansas State Legislature

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Arkansas teacher John Lewellen served his community as a member of the Arkansas State Legislature. Photo Credit: KATV

Many fine educators also make a name for themselves in politics. One of these is John M. Lewellen, a science teacher who also served his community as a public servant and as a member of the Arkansas State Legislature.

John was born in Forest City, St. Francis County, Arkansas, on Sept. 16, 1930. As a youngster, he attended Dansby Elementary School and Lincoln High School in his home town. After his high school graduation, John served a four-year stint in the US Air Force, and is recognized as a Korean War Veteran.

Once he earned his honorable discharge, John enrolled at AM&N, the Agricultural Mining and Normal College located in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. He was the first member of his family to go to college. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Agriculture in 1958. Once he earned his degree, John moved to the Altheimer and Hermitage areas, where he accepted a position as a high school teacher. Later he served the school as its principal. “I think his proudest moment was he took five of the outstanding seniors to our alma mater, AM&N, and introduced them to the president and helped them get scholarships,” remembered John’s wife, Wilhelmina Lewellen.

Later, John relocated with his wife and children to Little Rock, Arkansas. There he worked within the state government. He served in positions as a probation officer, a state rehabilitation counselor, and a contractor officer for the Arkansas Department of Human Services. His career there spanned 30 years.

In his later life, John decided to pursue a career in public service. He was elected to the Little Rock City Board in 1991, the Pulaski County Quorum Court in 1996, and the Pulaski County Justice of the Peace for District 6. In 1999, John was elected to the Arkansas State House of Representatives, where he served until 2004. He represented the 34th District on the Democratic ticket. During the six years he served in the State House, John co-founded the Democratic Black Caucus, chaired the Children and Youth subcommittee, and worked for growth of businesses owned by minorities and women.

This former educator passed away from a lengthy illness in Little Rock Nov. 25, 2017. He was 87 years old. His remains were interred at Pinecrest Memorial Park in Alexander, Arkansas.