Tag Archives: African American Teachers

Teacher Verda Welcome: An Accomplished Maryland Civil Rights Activist and Legislator

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msa_sc1545-2824[1]Many teachers dedicate themselves to social and political causes outside of the classroom, knowing that to improve opportunities for American citizens as a whole specifically helps their students in the classroom. One such teacher was Verda Freeman Welcome, a teacher, politician, civil rights activist, and community activist from the state of Maryland.

Verda was born on March 18, 1807, in Lake Lure, North Carolina.  She was one of fifteen children of farmers John and Docia Freeman. As a young girl, Verda attended North Carolina and Delaware public schools. The young scholar always planned to pursue higher education, but following the death of her mother in 1928, she found herself with limited financial resources to pursue her goal. Undaunted, she worked as a domestic during the day and attended school in the evening until she eventually earned her high school diploma. She once recalled, “I had to make the daily sacrifices needed to keep my dreams intact.”

In 1929, Verda moved to Baltimore and to continue her education at Coppin Normal School, where she earned her teaching certificate in 1932. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree in History from Morgan State College in 1939, and she completed the requirements for her Master of Arts Degree from New York University in 1943. In her later years, she was awarded honorary doctorates from Howard University, Morgan University, and the University of Maryland.

During her youth, Verda learned first-hand that African Americans were often underpaid, undereducated, and underprivileged. She determined to make a positive impact on the black community as an educator, and so she taught in the Baltimore City Public Schools for eleven years.

In 1959, the dedicated teacher was elected to the Maryland House of Delegates to represent the Fourth District. She was the first black woman to achieve that distinction. Verda served as a delegate until 1962, when she was elected to the Maryland State Senate, becoming America’s first African American female state senator. She served in the Maryland State Senate until 1982. Between the State House and the State Senate, Verda devoted a total of twenty-five years of service in the legislature. Significant among her accomplishments there was the passage of legislation dealing with such issues as discrimination in public accommodations, equal pay for equal work, the harassment of welfare recipients, illegal employment practices, voter registration, the abolition of capital punishment, and reforms in the state’s correctional facilities.

On the personal side, Verda married a physician, Dr. Henry C. Welcome, in 1935. The union produced one daughter, whom Verda named Mary Sue Welcome.

For her many important achievements in the area of civil rights, this chalkboard champion was inducted into Maryland’s Women’s Hall of Fame in 1988. Verda was 83 years old when she passed away on April 22, 1990, in Baltimore.

Math Teacher Kay Toliver: A True Chalkboard Champion

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kay_toliver_conversation[1][1]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,” she 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.”

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. The program was designed for gifted students; however, because of her strong belief that all students can learn, she accepted pupils from all ability levels.

The program 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 thoroughly 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 mathematic 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.

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 Awards; the Kilby Award; and the Essence Award.

Kay Toliver: a true chalkboard champion.

On Veterans’ Day, We Honor Our Chalkboard Champions Who Are Also Veterans

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When celebrating our nation’s veterans today, I like to remember that many of them are also Chalkboard Champions.

cameronface[1][1]I think about Henry Alvin Cameron, an African American schoolteacher who served as an officer in the United States Army during World War I. Henry taught science and coached basketball at Pearl High School in Nashville, Tennessee. At the age of 45, well past the usual age of enlistment, Henry answered the call for African Americans to serve as officers in all-black regiments that were deployed to Europe. Henry served in France and, tragically, was killed in the Battle of the Argonne Forest just days before the war ended. Henry Cameron is pictured here at right.

And then there is Braulio Alonso. Braulio began his teaching career as an instructor of physics and chemistry courses at Henry 0002910439-01-1_06-07-2010[1]B. Plant High School in Tampa, Florida, but when World War II erupted in 1941, he became part of the United States Army. He was immediately sent to officer candidate school, and later he became part of the 85th Infantry Division in North Africa. The teacher-soldier was promoted to Battery Commander for the 328th Artillery Battalion, taking an active part in the Italian campaign. He was among the first Allied soldiers to liberate Rome. By the time he was discharged from the service, Braulio had earned a Bronze Star with Cluster and a Purple Heart. This distinguished veteran is pictured here at left.

Another Chalkboard Champion is veteran LouAnne Johnson, an educator, author, journalist, and former servicewoman in the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Marines. LouAnne is best known for her book My Posse Don’t Do Homework, which was adapted as the film $R05470FDangerous Minds  starring Michelle Pfeiffer in 1995, and a television series starring Annie Potts in 1996.  LouAnne enlisted in the Navy in 1971, and served at Clark Air Base in the Philippines. She served nine years on active duty, achieving the rank of Petty Officer First Class. She later transferred to the U.S. Marine Corps, where she rose to the rank of Second Lieutenant. Throughout her military service, LouAnne earned the Navy  Commendation Medal and the Air Force Achievement Award for her work as a  journalist and ​radio-television broadcaster.

After her years of service in the military, LouAnne became an educator at Carlmont High School in Belmont, California, where she began teaching reading  and writing to non-English speakers as an intern.  Two years later, she was appointed department chair of a special program for  at-risk teens. During the government evaluation of ten similar pilot programs,  LouAnne’s group was rated first in academic achievement, increased self-esteem,  and student retention. Since then, LouAnne has taught English, adult basic  education, developmental reading, and writing at high schools and colleges. LouAnne is pictured here at right.

These are but three examples of remarkable Americans who have given years of devoted service to our country in our military, and who have also given years of dedicated service to our kids as fine teachers. We thank them for all their service!

Carter Godwin Woodson: The Chalkboard Champion That Originated Black History Month

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$R6HLTM7Carter Godwin Woodson is often credited with originating annual Black History Month celebrations. He is also recognized as the first African American of slave parents to earn a Ph.D. in History. To be sure, these are noteworthy accomplishments. But there is so much more to this brilliant man’s life story than is usually publicized. Did you know that Carter was required much of his childhood to work on the family farm rather than attend school? As a child he taught himself to read using the Bible and local newspapers. He didn’t finish high school until he was 20 years old. Were you aware that he once worked as a coal miner in Fayette County, West Virginia, and then later went back there to teach school to black coal miner’s children, offering them a model for using education to get out of the mines? Did you know that Carter taught school in the Philippines, and then became the supervisor of schools, which included duties as a trainer of teachers, there? All these biographical details and more can be found in the book Chalkboard Champions.

Charlotte Forten Grimke: She Taught Emancipated Slaves

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One ofcgrimke[1] the most heroic teachers I have ever heard of is an African American woman named Charlotte Forten Grimke. This amazing woman, who was born a free black in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on August 17, 1837, became a teacher of newly emancipated slaves in Port Royal, South Carolina, during the Civil War. After the Union Army pushed through the area, freeing the slaves as they went along, the U.S. government recognized that these newest American citizens desperately needed assistance in basic literacy skills and vocational training on how to take care of themselves. Charlotte agreed to travel to the South, despite the high risk to her own personal freedom and her rather delicate health. While the war raged on around them, she set up a school and diligently held classes for students who ranged in age from kinders to grandparents. When the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, an all-black regiment, suffered high casualties in battle at Fort Wagner on July18, 1863, Charlotte left her classroom with a substitute teacher and went to the soldiers’ aid as a nurse and letter writer at the nearby hospital where the injured had been taken.

You can read her fascinating story in her own words through her very copious journals, The Journals of Charlotte Forten Grimke, or you can read a shorter chapter about her life in my book, Chalkboard Champions. Either way, the story is a good read.