Tag Archives: African American Teachers

Melissa Collins inducted into National Teachers Hall of Fame

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Dr. Melissa Collins of Memphis, Tennessee, is one of five educators that has been inducted into the 2020 class of the National Teachers Hall of Fame. (Photo credit: Chalkboard Tennessee)

I enjoy sharing stories about exemplary educators who have earned recognition for their work. One of these is Dr. Melissa Collins, a second grade teacher from Memphis, Tennessee. Melissa is one of five educators who have been inducted into the 2020 class of the National Teachers Hall of Fame (NTHF).

For the past 21 years, Melissa has taught at John P. Freeman Optional School in Memphis. She is passionate about global learning, teacher leadership, and STEM. In fact, she is well-known for nurturing curiosity in science with her students. “We need to turn our classrooms into learning labs,” asserts Melissa. “That’s what I try to create. You have to give students total autonomy. At this age, they’re curious about the world around them and ready to ask questions. They’re always asking questions! We need to recognize the importance of them asking questions. They need to be able to pose the questions and then seek out their own understanding,” she continues.

Melissa is one of 145 teachers who have been inducted into the Hall of Fame since the organization was founded in Emporia, Kansas, in 1992. Inductees have at least 20 years of teaching experience across Pre-K to 12th grade.

For her work in the classroom, Melissa has garnered many accolades. In addition to her NTHF honors, Melissa garnered the 2013 Horace Mann Award for Teaching Excellence and the 2008 Presidential Award for Excellence in Science Teaching. She was named a 2014 finalist for Tennessee Teacher of the Year. She is a member of the National Network of State Teachers of the Year, a National Board–Certified teacher, a founder of the National Board Network of Accomplished Minority Educators, and a Top 50 Finalist for the 2018 Global Teacher Prize. Melissa serves as the 2019–2020 Co-Chair of Shell Science Teaching Award and the Co-Chair of the EdTech Genome project.

To read more about this Chalkboard Champion, click on this link to an interview with her published by Scholastic Teacher.

 

Educator Bonnie Bracey Sutton: Spokesperson for the profession

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Educator and consultant Bonnie Bracey Sutton is a spokesperson for the profession.  (Photo credit: Educational Technology & Change)

I think it is wonderful when a fellow educators become spokespersons for our profession in Washington, DC. One such educator is Bonnie Bracey Sutton, a former elementary school teacher who now works as a technology consultant.

Bonnie taught at the Ashlawn Elementary School in Arlington, Virginia, and was a teacher-in-residence at the Arlington Career Center, where she taught all subjects. Since 2004, Bonnie has served as the Education Director for Digital Equity and Social Justice. The Digital Equity Network enables educators, researchers, and educational reformers to be aware of policies, news, and new technologies. She is also an active member of the Digital Divide Network and does preventative work on cyber-bullying.

Bonnie was one of the first teachers to promote the role of the internet in classroom instruction. She was the only teacher selected by the Clinton administration to serve on the National Information Infrastructure Advisory Council (NIIAC). Bonnie also served as the lead educator on President Clinton’s 21st Century Teacher Initiative.

This remarkable educator is a graduate researcher at George Mason University’s Telecommunications Department, where she evaluated new programs and technologies. She was also a member of the George Lucas Educational Foundation advisory board.

Throughout her career, Bonnie has earned many accolades. She was named a Christa McAuliffe Educator for the National Foundation of Education, and she is a faculty member of the Challenger Center. She was  named a Young Astronaut teacher and, in 1990, was named a Challenger Fellow. That year she received the President’s Award in Teaching in Science. Bonnie has also attended the Hubbell Space Science Institute and holds honors in a variety of fields in educational fields, including technology, aerospace, physics, geography, and multicultural education. She has also earned a graduate degree from Marymount University SED program.

Bonnie Bracey Sutton: Truly a Chalkboard Champion. To read more about her, see her articles published by the George Lucas Foundation on Edutopia.

Civil Rights leader Martin Luther King continues to inspire us

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Today our nation celebrates the birthday of Civil Rghts leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The holiday offers teachers an excellent opportunity to share the story of this prominent and inspirational figure in American history. The observance provides an opportunity to guide young people in their reflection on what lessons about life this great leader’s life can offer to all of us.

I was just a young child in the 1960’s, but I can still remember avidly watching the historic “I Have a Dream” speech on television that hot August night in 1963. I was only eight years old then, transitioning from third to fourth grade, and quite impressionable. I’m all grown up now, but throughout the five and a half decades since that historic March on Washington, DC, whenever I watch video of that inspirational speech, I am impressed all over again. I am impressed by the possibility that the world we share could, and should, be a better place. I am reminded by the fact that no matter how young—or old—I am, I can take action, even if it’s just a small action, that would make such improvement come about. This is one of the most important lessons MLK has taught us all, not only then, but most especially now.

The video of King’s historic speech is below. To learn more about this amazing man, click on MLK Biography. To examine the website of the MLK Center for Nonviolent Change, click on King Center.

Jessie Redmon Fauset: Teacher and Harlem Renaissance-era author

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New Jersey’s Jessie Redmon Fauset: Teacher and Harlem Renaissance-era author. (Photo credit: Biography.com)

Many talented educators have earned renown in fields other than the teaching profession. Such is the case with Jessie Redmon Fauset, a high school Latin and French teacher from New Jersey.

Jessie was born in Fredericksville, Camden County, New Jersey, on April 27, 1882. although she was raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She was the daughter of Redmon Fauset, an African Methodist Episcopal minister, and Annie Seamon Fauset. When she was just a child, her mother passed away and her father remarried. Jessie’s father was not wealthy, but he instilled in all his children the great importance of education.

As a youngster, Jessie attended the highly-respected Philadelphia High School for Girls, where she may have been the only African American student in her class. Once she graduated, she wanted to enroll at prestigious Bryn Mawr College. Unfortunately, the institution was reluctant to accept its first African American student, and instead offered to assist Jessie in acquiring a scholarship to Cornell University. Jessie excelled at Cornell, and so she was invited to join the distinguished academic honor society Phi Beta Kappa. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in classical languages in 1905, and later earned her Master’s degree in French from the University of Pennsylvania.

Even though Jessie had earned a superior college education, her race prevented her from gaining a job as a teacher in Philadelphia. Instead, she accepted teaching positions first in Baltimore, Maryland, and then in Washington, DC, where she taught French and Latin at Dunbar High School.

In 1912, while still teaching, Jessie began to submit reviews, essays, poems, and short stories to The Crisis, a magazine for African American readers founded and edited by author and civil rights activist W.E.B. DuBois. Seven years later, DuBois persuaded the talented educator to become the publication’s literary editor. Jessie did this work during the Harlem Renaissance, a period of prolific artistic output within the Black community. As the magazine’s editor, Jessie encouraged and influenced a number of up-and-coming writers, including Langston Hughes, Jean Toomer, and Claude McKay. She also continued to write her own pieces for the magazine. In addition to her work at The Crisis, Jessie also served as co-editor for The Brownies’ Book, which was published monthly from 1920 to 1921. The goal of the publication was to teach African American children about their heritage, information the former educator had fervently wished for throughout her own childhood.

After reading an inaccurate depiction of African Americans in a book written by a white author, Jessie became inspired to write her own novel. Her first book, There Is Confusion (1924), portrayed Black characters in a middle-class setting. It was an unusual choice for the time, which made it more difficult for Jessie to find a publisher. In 1926, Jessie left her position at The Crisis in 1926 and looked for work in the publishing field, even offering to work from home so that her race wouldn’t be a barrier. Unfortunately, she couldn’t find enough work to support herself.

To make ends meet, Jessie returned to teaching, accepting a position at DeWitt Clinton High School in New York City. James Baldwin, the acclaimed African American novelist and playwright, may have been one of her students there. Jessie was employed in the New York school system until 1944. During her New York years, Jessie wrote three more novels: Plum Bun (1929), The Chinaberry Tree (1931), and Comedy: American Style (1933). Jessie’s primarily upper-class characters continued to deal with the themes of prejudice, limited opportunities, and cultural compromises. Because her last two novels were less successful than her previous works, Jessie’s extensive writing output decreased.

In 1929, Jessie fell in love and married businessman Herbert Harris. She was 47 years old at the time. The couple made their home in Montclair, New Jersey. They lived there until 1958, when Herbert passed away. After her husband’s death, Jessie returned to Philadelphia, where she died on April 30, 1961, a victim of heart disease. She was 79 years old.

E. Alice Taylor: Educator, social reformer, and community organizer

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Educator, social reformer, and community organizer E. Alice Taylor of Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo credit: African Americans in Boston)

I truly believe that teachers are among the most dedicated social reformers in any community. One such teacher is E. Alice Taylor, an educator and community organizer from Boston, Massachusetts.

Alice was born in 1892 in Alexander, Arkansas. She was a graduate of Arkansas Baptist College, earning her degree in 1913. At some point, she established her home in Boston.

In 1927, Alice founded a branch of Annie Malone’s Poro Beauty School and Beauty Shoppe in Boston. She managed the vocational school for 15 years, until the outbreak of World War II forced its closure. By then, the facility had grown to employ 15 teachers and to serve 150 students each year, and it had become one of New England’s largest minority-owned businesses.

In addition to her work as an educator, Alice founded and served as the president of the Professional Hairdressers Association of Massachusetts. She also served as an officer and a board member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) for 50 years. She was a member of numerous community service organizations, including the League of Women for Community Service, the Charitable Health Association of Massachusetts, Massachusetts State Union of Women’s Clubs, and the Massachusetts Human Relations Committee.

This amazing Chalkboard Champion passed away from natural causes on January 1, 1986, in Boston. She was 94 years old. To read more about E. Alice Taylor, see this link to African Americans in Boston.