Tag Archives: African American Teachers
Singer Conya Doss: This Queen of Indie Soul teaches special needs children
Singer Conya Doss: This Queen of Indie Soul teaches special needs children.
Gifted teachers often find unique ways to connect with their students or convey their curriculum in their classrooms. One teacher who is notable for doing this is Conya Doss, a junior high school teacher from Cleveland, Ohio, who is also well-known as an innovative Indie musician and songstress.
Conya was born on June 13, 1972. As a youngster, she attended the Cleveland School of the Arts. This specialized school offers an interdisciplinary approach to learning and academics which integrates the arts into the curriculum. The institution is recognized for its exceptionally high rate of graduation, and for an unusually large number of graduates going their education in institutions of higher learning. “It’s phenomenal to have a school like that, especially for kids,” Conya once said. “It’s definitely good to have a school where kids can channel their creativity where it needs to be channeled.”
After Conya earned her college degree and teaching credential, she accepted a position as a teacher of children with special needs in the Cleveland Public School system. She started using music in her classroom as a way to connect with her students. “I may have them do what I call a copy tune, where they listen to a song, like, as an example, R. Kelly’s I Believe I Can Fly, and then they have to take the title and do creative writing,” she once explained. “It could be a poem or it could be a picture that’s related to that title,” she continued. “I just try to think of innovative ways to keep them motivated. And sometimes I have to stick to traditional teaching, versus progressive,” she concluded.
As a singer, Conya prefers Rhythm and Blues, Funk, and Neo-Soul. In fact, she is known as the Queen of Indie Soul. She inaugurated her career as a professional musician in 2000. Her first album, entitled “A Poem About Ms. Doss,” was released in 2002. The album was inspired by a heartfelt letter she received from one of her young students. Her debut album was quickly followed by two more: “Just Because,” released in 2004, and “Love Rain Down,” released in 2006. Her breakthrough album, entitled “Still,” was released in 2008. In 2010, Conya released her fifth album, “Blu Transition,” which was followed by “A Pocketful of Purpose” in 2012. Conya released her seventh album, “Seven: VII,” in 2015.
Conya’s skills as a singer and musician have earned honors and recognition. In 2007 she was named the Best Female Vocalist at the Ohio Hip Hop Awards, and in 2008 she garnered the Female Vocalist of the Year Award from Soultracks Readers’ Choice.
In addition to teaching and her career in music, Conya is involved in mentoring teenage girls, she tutors, and she is an active philanthropist for breast cancer, AIDS awareness, and mental health issues.
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Honoring teacher and New Jersey US Congressman Donald Payne, Sr.
High school teacher and former US Representative Donald Payne, Sr.
In American history, there are many examples of successful educators who later became noteworthy politicians. One of these is Donald Payne, a former teacher who was elected as the first African American to represent New Jersey in the US House of Representatives.
Donald Milford Payne, Sr., was born in Newark, Essex County, New Jersey, on July 16, 1934. Following his graduation from Newark’s Barringer High School in 1952, Donald enrolled on a scholarship in Seton Hall University in South Orange, new Jersey. There he earned his Bachelor’s degree in Social Studies in 1957. Later he pursued post-graduate studies at Springfield College in Massachusetts.
After his college graduation, Donald taught English and Social Studies in Newark Public Schools. He also coached football. While still a teacher, Donald became the first African American president of the National Council of YMCA. From 1973 t 1981, he served as the chairman of the World YMCA Refugee and Rehabilitation Committee.
After leaving the classroom, Donald worked for a time as an executive for the Prudential Insurance Company. He also served three terms as a Municipal City Councilman, but he had always wanted to become a Congressman. In 1988 he finally achieved that goal when he was elected on the Democratic ticket to represent New Jersey’s Tenth District. “I want to be a congressman to serve as a model for the young people I talk to on the Newark street corners,” Donald said during his campaign. “I want them to see there are no barriers to achievement. I want to give them a reason to try.”
While in Congress, the former teacher served on the Committee on Education and the Workforce, including the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education. In addition, he was a part of the Committee on Government Operations and on the Committee on Foreign Affairs, including the Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health and the Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere. From 1995 to 1997, he was the Chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus. He was elected to Congress a total of eleven times, and some of his wins were by the widest margins in New Jersey history.
In his later years, Donald suffered from diabetes and he experienced several small strokes, but it was colon cancer that finally claimed his life on March 6, 2012. He was 77 years old. Donald Payne: a true chalkboard champion.
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Inspiration from educator Marva Collins
Matinga Ragatz: Globally educated and global educator
Matinga Ragatz: Globally educated and global educator
It’s always a pleasure to share stories about exceptional educators. One of these is Matinga Ragatz, a former high school social studies teacher who is globally educated, who has become a global educator.
Even as a youngster, Matinga traveled the world. Born in Spain, she was an elementary student in such places as Equatorial Guinea, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Morocco, and Spain. She earned her high school diploma from Black Forest High School in Kandern, West Germany.
As an adult, Matinga earned her Bachelor’s degree at Messiah College in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, in 1988. She completed the requirements for her teaching credential at Spring Arbor University in Spring Arbor, Michigan, in 1989. She earned her Master’s degree in Teaching at Marygrove College, in Detroit, Michigan, in 2015.
After earning her undergraduate degree, Matinga accepted her first teaching position at Lansing Christian Schools in Lansing, Michigan. She taught social studies and world language there until 1993. That’s when she moved to a position at Grand Ledge High School in Grand Ledge, Michigan, where she taught until 2011. Matinga spent the next year in Arusha, Tanzania, working as a Curriculum Development Specialist in Flood Garden School. When she returned to the United States, she worked for three years in professional development at the Eaton Regional Education Service Agency. Currently, this chalkboard champion works as an Instructional Innovation Specialist and Learning Coach at Communications by Design. She has led instructional activities in Africa, Asia, Europe, and Lain America, and she has been an innovator in developing online learning spaces. In all, Matinga has spent 22 years as a professional educator.
For her outstanding work in classrooms around the world, Matinga has earned many honors. In 2008, she garnered a Microsoft Partners in Learning Innovative Teacher Award, and in 2010, she was named the Michigan Association of Computer Users in Learning Outstanding Educator Award. In 2011, she was honored as Michigan’s State Teacher of the Year, and in 2017, she was inducted into the National Teachers Hall of Fame. She has been honored at the White House by both President Obama and President Trump.
To learn more about this remarkable teacher, her teaching philosophy, and her work, view this three-minute YouTube video below:
