Tag Archives: African American Teachers

New York’s Kay Toliver creates dynamic math programs

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New York educator Kay Toliver  creates innovative and dynamic mathematics programs. Photo credit: The Futures Channel.

Many chalkboard champions have been recognized nationally for creating innovative and dynamic programs in their subject area. One such educator in Kay Toliver of New York City.

Kay was born and raised in East Harlem and the South Bronx. As a youngster, she attended Harriet Beecher Stowe Junior High, Walton High School, and Hunter College, where she earned her Bachelor’s degree in 1967 and her Master’s degree in 1971. Additionally, Kay completed graduate work in mathematics at the City College of New York.

For more than 30 years, Kay taught mathematics and communication arts at P.S. 72/East Harlem Tech in Community School District 4. Prior to instructing seventh and eighth grade students, she taught grades one through six for 15 years. “Becoming a teacher was the fulfillment of a childhood dream,” the dedicated educator once said. “My parents always stressed that education was the key to a better life. By becoming a teacher, I hoped to inspire African-American and Hispanic youths to realize their own dreams. I wanted to give something back to the communities I grew up in,” she continued.

At East Harlem Tech, with the support of her principal, Kay established the Challenger program for grades 4-8. The program presents the basics of geometry and algebra within an integrated curriculum. Although the program was designed for gifted students; because of her strong belief that all students can learn, she accepted pupils from all ability levels.

Challenger offers events that are similar to science fairs but involve students in creating and displaying projects related to mathematics. Participants had to be able to explain the mathematical theories and concepts behind their projects, which were placed on display at the school so that students from the lower grades could examine the older students’ research. Students have created mathematics games such as Dunking for Prime Numbers, Fishing for Palindromes, and Black Jack Geometry.

Kay also developed a lesson called the Math Trail to give students an appreciation for the community as well as an opportunity to see mathematics at work. To create a Math Trail, the class must first do some research on the history of the community. Then, they are instructed to plot a course, starting from the school building, that leads the class through the community and back to school, with stops along the way to visit several sites and create math problems about various real-life situations.

To show teachers throughout the country how she creates enthusiasm for mathematics among her students, Kay has worked with the Foundation for Advancements in Science and Education (FASE) to create a number of educational video products. Most recently, she has worked with The Futures Channel to present staff development institutes and parent engagement events at schools and districts throughout the country. Most recently, Kay has worked with The Futures Channel to present staff development institutes and parent engagement events at schools and districts throughout the country.

For her efforts, Kay has earned many awards, including the Reliance Award for Excellence in Education, Middle School; Outstanding Teacher for Mathematics Instruction, Disney American Teacher Award; the Kilby Award; and the Essence Award.

To learn more about Chalkboard Champion Kay Toliver, see this link to her page at The Futures Channel.

Educator, Civil Rights activist Ida B. Kinney honored by NAACP

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California educator Ida B. Kinney and other Civil Rights activists were honored by the NAACP with stamps issued by the US Postal Service. Photo credit: US Postal Service.

Throughout our country’s history, there are many examples of classroom teachers who have also worked tirelessly for the Civil Rights of African Americans. One of these is Ida B. Kinney, a 20th-century educator from Southern California, who was among those who were honored by the NAACP with special stamps issued by the US Postal Service.

Ida was born on May 25, 1904, in Lafayette County, Arkansas. She was raised by her grandparents, who were former slaves. In 1920, when Ida was only 16 years old, she moved to California, where she lived with her mother in Santa Monica. Following her graduation from Santa Monica High School, young Ida returned to Arkansas where she attended Philander Smith College. After one year, she returned to California, where she enrolled in the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). It was there she met and married Carl Minion. The couple settled in the San Fernando Valley in 1940, where Ida completed the requirements for her Bachelor’s degree in Sociology at San Fernando Valley State College. The institution is now known as Cal State Northridge.

Because she was an African American, Ida’s application for her teaching credential was denied. She sent a petition to then California Governor Pat Brown, who ordered a credential be issued to her. She received the coveted document within ten days. Ida inaugurated her career as an educator as a substitute in Kern County. Later she worked in the Los Angeles Unified School District.

In addition to her work in the classroom, Ida became dedicated to improving conditions for African Americans. She was influential in securing access to medical treatment for Black women which had been denied them by a hospital in Van Nuys. She inaugurated a local Head Start program for children. She also worked tirelessly to secure the rights for Black workers to join the union at Lockheed Aerospace. During the remainder of her life, she joined such Civil Rights giants as Medger Evers, Rosa Parks, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., to participate in marches, protests, and other activist practices.

After her retirement from the classroom, Ida was appointed to the Commission on Aging for the County of Los Angeles. She served in this position for 12 years. She was also instrumental in establishing a senior center in Pacoima, California. The facility opened in 1971. In addition, Ida played a key role in creating the Pacoima Boys & Girls Club.

On her 100th birthday, Ida B. Kinney was honored with other Civil Rights activists for her work in securing rights for African Americans. When she passed away from natural causes in Lake View Terrace, California, on Jan. 1, 2009, she was 104 years old. To read more about this Chalkboard Champion, see this obituary published by the Los Angeles Times.

 

Indiana educator Ann Grissom-Wilkins succumbs to Covid-19

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Indiana educator Ann Grissom-Wilkins succumbed to Covid-19 on Jan. 19, 2021. She passed away just one day after her husband of 33 years. Photo credit: IndyStar

With great sadness we report that Covid-19 has claimed the life of yet another beloved educator. Ann Grissom-Wilkins, a public school teacher in Indianapolis, Indiana, succumbed to the disease on Jan. 9, 2021. She was just 59 years old.

Ann was born in 1961 in Detroit, Michigan. As a young girl, she attended Cass Technical High School in her home city. After her high school graduation in 1979, she attended Butler University, a private university located in Indianapolis.

The fallen educator had taught for 13 years in Indiana Public Schools. During those years, she also worked for local teachers’ unions, the Indiana State Teachers Association and for the Indiana Education Association.

According to family and friends, Ann was always promoting public school education. “She (was) deeply committed to her profession and her fellow educators,” recalled Indianpolis Public Schools Superintendent Alessia Johnson. “I think what she did well was holding everyone to account, because at the end of the day, her goal was kids were getting served as well.”

Since last March, the couple tried to do everything they could not to get sick. Family members said the couple were very careful because Ronald was a diabetic and Ann had recently completed radiation therapy for Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Despite all their precautions, both became ill and were hospitalized with a diagnosis of Covid-19. Ronald passed away on Jan. 8, and Ann succumbed one day later. Heartbroken family members note that Ann and Ronald had met as youngsters, while both were students at Indianapolis Public School #43. The couple had been married for 33 years, and they had three children.

To read more about this hardworking and dedicated teacher, see her story published by WRTV Indianapolis.

William Spaulding: Teacher, politician, and dedicated public servant

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Washington, DC’s William Spaulding: Exemplary teacher, engineer, accomplished politician, and dedicated public servant. Photo credit: Historical Council Photographs.

Many fine educators have also earned distinction in the political realm. One of these is William Spaulding, a teacher who was elected as a member of the inaugural Council of the District of Columbia when Washington, DC, earned home rule.

William was born on June 15, 1924, in North Carolina. William attended Howard University, a traditionally Black institution of higher learning located in Washington, DC. There he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering.

Once he earned his degree, William taught school in DC public schools. His career there spanned from 1947 to 1952. He also taught at Howard University from 1950 to 1960. In addition, during that period he served as an engineer at the National Security Agency (NSA) from 1952 to 1974.

When Congress passed the District of Columbia home rule bill, the former public school teacher left his position with the NSA. He was elected on the Democratic ticket to a seat on the newly-formed DC Council, where he served from 1975 to 1987.

In 1980, William became a professor at the University of the District of Columbia, another historically Black college. He also served as the Chairman of the Fort Lincoln Foundation, a Board member of the Kidney Foundation, and a member of the American Heart Association. He also served as the Director of the Department of Administrative Services for the District of Columbia Court System.

In 2013, the University of the District of Columbia conferred upon William an honorary doctorate, in recognition of his nearly 60 years of “dedicated service to DC Public Schools and other organizations on behalf of the city’s youth, reflecting his unwavering support of education as a means of improving individual lives and the whole community.” To read the entire proclamation, see this link: Conferral of Honorary Degree.

Fannie Motley made contributions to Civil Rights Movement

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Alabama’s Fannie Motley, an elementary school teacher, made important contributions to the Civil Rights Movement. Photo credit: Encyclopedia of alabama.

Many distinguished educators, both Black and White, made important contributions to the Civil Rights Movement during the 1960’s. One such educator was elementary school teacher Fannie Motley.

Fannie Ernestine Smith was born on January 25, 1927, in Perdue Hill, Alabama, a small town near Monroeville. As a young woman, she attended all-Black Selma Baptist University from 1944-1946. There she met her future husband, D.L. Motley, a ministerial student. Fannie interrupted her education in 1949 when the couple married and had two children.

Shortly after the 1954 Supreme Court decision of Brown v. Board of Education, Fannie overcame her strong fear of reprisals from the Ku Klux Klan and enrolled in previously all-White Spring Hill College in Mobile, Alabama. Fannie was the only African American and, frequently, the only female in her classes. She graduated from Spring Hill with honors in 1956, the first African American to do so. This was her contribution to the Civil Rights Movement.

Fannie first taught second grade at A.F. Owens School in Mobile, Alabama, but in 1963 she relocated to Cincinnati, Ohio, when her husband was given a job as the pastor of Peace Baptist Church there. In the Cincinnati public school system Fannie taught for 24 years, returning to school to complete the requirements for her Master’s degree in Guidance Education from Xavier University in 1969.

Fannie’s alma mater, Spring Hill College, established a scholarship in her name to be awarded to an individual who advances diversity on campus. On May 9, 2004, Spring Hill conferred an honorary Ph.D. in Humanities on Fannie Smith Motley in recognition of her efforts to promote diversity.

This Chalkboard Champion passed away in Fairburn, Georgia, on May 18, 2016, and was interred at Vine Street Hill Cemetery in Cincinnati, Ohio. To read more about her, see this biography published by the Encyclopedia of Alabama.