Tag Archives: African American Teachers

Mississippi teacher Samara Rand succumbs to Covid-19

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With great sadness we report that high school English teacher Samara Rand of Lexington, Mississippi, succumbed to Covid-19 on November, 19, 2020.  Photo credit: Rory Doyle for the Hechinger Report

With great sadness we report that Covid-19 has claimed the life of yet another talented educator. Samara Rand, a high school English teacher from Lexington, Mississippi, succumbed to the disease on November 19, 2020. She was only 25 years old.

Samara was raised in Holmes County, Mississippi, and lived in Lexington at the time of her passing. In 2017, the young teacher graduated from Alcorn State University in Lorman, Mississippi, summa cum laude. Once she had earned her degree, Samara launched her career as an educator in the Holmes County School District. She was in her second year of teaching.

Last spring, Samara spoke to reporter Bracey Harris of the Hechinger Report about how she was helping her students make it through a tough semester. A dedicated educator, Samara started adapting her lessons for online learning. She reached out to students who weren’t logging in, and she worried about how families would find ways to make graduation special. “Even though some students say they don’t like school, some depend on school as a safe haven,” Samara told the reporter. “Everyone misses it.”

Before being stricken with Covid-19, Samara had not demonstrated any previous health issues, and she was pregnant. About three months ago, as a result of complications from Covid, she began experiencing shortness of breath. Her breathing problems worsened to the degree that doctors decided to deliver her baby so she could be treated. The young educator was placed on a ventilator and never came off. Her baby, now three months old, is being cared for by relatives.

To read more about Samara Rand, click on this link to an article published by the Hechinger Report.

Emancipation schools educated newly freed African Americans

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Emancipation schools were organized by the US Freedman’s Bureau to educate newly freed African Americans. (Photo credit: New Georgia encyclopedia)

When enslaved African Americans were finally freed by the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, an entire group of people who had been previously been denied the opportunity to go to school were suddenly in need of education. (Before the Civil War, it had been declared illegal to teach a slave to read and write in many Southern states.) The schools that were created to meet this need were referred to as emancipation schools.

The United States government and the African American community realized that education was critical to advancement as free individuals in society. It wasn’t just the children, individuals in every age group from grandparents to toddlers needed educational opportunities, and they needed these opportunities right away.

The need was met in a variety of ways. Many intrepid educators from the North traveled to the South to establish schools under the auspices of northern aid societies. These educators were both liberal-minded, abolitionist white teachers and civic-minded, educated Black teachers. Some African Americans were offered educational opportunities in schools created by the army during the Civil War. In these schools, Black soldiers could learn to read and write through the army. In addition, the US government established the Freedmen’s Bureau, and this department was responsible for organizing many educational opportunities for newly freed slaves.

For a more informative discussion about emancipation schools, see this link to the American Experience.

 

Wisconsin Special Ed teacher Koren Jackson earns top state honors

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Koren Jackson, a high school Special Education teacher from Milwaukee, is one of five educators selected for their state’s top honors as Wisconsin Teacher of the Year. (Photo credit: Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction)

I always enjoy sharing stories about excellent teachers who have been recognized for their work in the classroom. One of these is Koren Jackson, a high school Special Education teacher from Milwaukee, who is one of five educators who have earned their state’s honors as Wisconsin Teachers of the Year.

Koren has been employed at Milwaukee Transition High School in the Milwaukee Public School District since 1999. She works with post-expulsion or adjudicated students.To help her students succeed, Koren created a project-based curriculum which gives them multiple opportunities to earn credits towards graduation. In addition to her classroom responsibilities, Koren does volunteer work for the Milwaukee Hunger Task Force and the Wisconsin Special Olympics.

Koren has earned other accolades in addition to her state’s top honors. She has been recognized as one of 86 stellar Wisconsin educators to earn a place in the Herb Kohl Educational Foundation’s Teacher Fellowship Program. The program honors and supports teaching excellence and innovation across the state. The honorees were selected by a diverse committee to represent voices, contexts, and perspectives as educational leaders throughout Wisconsin.

Koren earned her Bachelor’s degree in Physical Education and Health at Carroll College in Milwaukee in 1996. She completed the requirements for her post-baccalaureate certification in Special Education (learning disabilities and emotional behavioral disabilities) from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 2002. She earned her Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis in Special Education from Concordia University in 2012. In addition, in 2018, Koren earned an alternative education certification from Concordia University.

In addition to Koren, the other four who were selected as Wisconsin Teachers of the Year were Trisha Kilpin, Brooke Kintzle, Derrick Meyer, and Susan Richardson.

To learn more about Koren, see this link to the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.

Alabama teacher Idella Jones Childs worked to better her community

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Alabama teacher and historian Idella Jones Childs worked tirelessly to improve her community. (Photo credit: Alabama Women’s Hall of Fame)

I believe that teachers are among the most dedicated individuals when it comes to their classroom communities, so it comes as no surprise to me that they are often among the most dedicated individuals when it comes to working towards improving society as a whole. This is certainly true of Idella Jones Childs, an elementary school teacher and historian from Alabama who was involved in the Civil Rights Movement.

Idella was born on June 21, 1903, in Marion, Perry County, Alabama.  As a young woman, she attended Lincoln Normal School, a teacher-training college, where she earned her teaching credential. She later earned her Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Alabama State University. For over 35 years, Idella taught history, social studies, biology, and algebra in segregated elementary schools in  her home town of Marion.

All her life, this amazing teacher was a tireless advocate for the equality and dignity of all people. During the Civil Rights Movement, she even volunteered her home in Marion to be a meeting place for activists.

Idella established the Perry County Arts and Humanities Council in 1982, and she became the first Chairwoman of the organization. The Council provided the disadvantaged children of the rural county with unique cultural experiences. For this work, President Jimmy Carter named her an honorary member of the National Commission on the International Year of the Child.

This was not the only work Idella did to improve her community. She also served on the Library Board and was a member of both the Retired Teachers Organization and the Association of University Women. In 1985, at the age of 79, Idella was appointed to served on the City Council in Marion. She was the first African American woman to serve on the Council. In 1988, she was re-elected to the position. That same year she was appointed to the Board of the Alabama Historical Commission.

For her work towards improving her community, Idella garnered many accolades. She earned an Unsung Heroes Award from NASA in 1993, during the agency’s commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. She was inducted into the Alabama Women’s Hall of Fame in 2002. In addition, every year, the Alabama Historical Commission’s Black Heritage Council bestows the Idella Childs Distinguished Service Award, which “recognizes people who have contributed to the preservation of African American historic places.”

This amazing Chalkboard Champion passed away on August 8, 1998. She was 95 years old. Her memorial service was held at her alma mater, Lincoln Normal School. She was interred at Marion Cemetery on Lafayette Street.

To read more about Idella Jones Childs, see this entry from the Alabama Women’s Hall of Fame.

Covid-19 claims Kentucky school counselor Pamela Harris

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Beloved school counselor Pamela Harris of Fort Knox, Kentucky, passed away from Covid-19 on Sept. 15, 2020. (Photo credit: Facebook)

Sadly, Covid-19 has claimed the life of yet another beloved educator. Pamela Harris, a school counselor from Fort Knox, Kentucky, passed away from the disease on Sept. 15, 2020. She was 60 years old.

Pamela was a veteran of the United States Army. She had been employed as an teacher and school counselor by the US Department of Defense for several years. She worked at Fort Knox Middle/High School, which is located on the military base about 40 miles southwest of Louisville in Hardin County. Approximately 600 students from the seventh through twelfth grades are enrolled at the school. Pamela served students in grades nine and ten.

“Her kindness, energy, and love for her job, was seen daily as she greeted students, and co-workers, with a smile and an encouraging word,” remembered spokespersons in a Facebook post. “The joy she possessed in her heart spilled over on to everyone in the building and in the surrounding community,” the spokespersons continued in the post. “Ms. Harris was an amazing example of an Energetic, Dedicated, Educator and she always Exhibited Eagle Pride. We send our deepest condolences to all of her family, friends, and loved ones. Ms. Harris leaves behind a legacy that will never be forgotten,” the post concluded.

Fort Knox MIddle/High School Principal Lonnie R. Gilmore, Jr., agreed.  “Mrs. Harris dedicated many years to the Fort Knox Community in service as an Army veteran, teacher, and school counselor. She was also a beloved staff member who was known for lifting up others with her smile, encouraging words and jokes,” Gilmore expressed in an email.

To read more about the passing of this beloved educator, see this article published in the Courier Journal.