Tag Archives: Asian American Teachers

California teacher Mark Takano serves in US House of Reps

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Former California English teacher and member of the US House of Representatives Mark Takano works to improve educational opportunities for learners of all ages. Photo credit: The Advocate.

Many fine classroom teachers go on to successful careers in politics. One of these educators in Mark Takano, a former teacher who now serves in the US House of Representatives.

Mark was born on December 10, 1960, in Riverside, California. He spent his entire childhood there. As a Japanese American, he grew up listening to stories told by his parents and grandparents about their internment in an American camp during WWII. As a young boy, Mark attended La Sierra High School. When he graduated in 1979, he was named the school’s valedictorian. After his high school graduation, Mark attended Harvard, where he earned his Bachelor’s degree in Government in 1983. He earned a second Master’s in Fine Arts with an emphasis in Creative Writing for the Performing Arts, from the University of California, Riverside, in 2010.

Once he earned his degree, Mark worked as a substitute teacher for various public school systems in the Boston area. Later he returned to Riverside, and, in 1988, he inaugurated his teaching career in the Rialto Unified School District. He taught British Literature at Rialto High School. Only two years later, he was elected to the Board of Trustees for the Riverside Community College District. There he worked diligently to increase job training opportunities for adult learners. In 1991, Mark was elected Board President. In all, Mark taught for 23 years in public schools.

In 2012, Mark was elected elected on the Democratic ticket to represent the 41st District in the US House of Representatives. His District includes Riverside, Moreno Valley, Jurupa Valley, and Perris. As a Congressman, he serves on a variety of committees, including the Education and Labor Committee; the Science, Space and Technology Committee; and as the Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs.

To learn more about Mark Takano, see his Congressional website.

Kimberly Stock named Delaware’s 2021 Teacher of the Year

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Kimberly Stock of Wilmington, Delaware, has overcome a rocky childhood as a child abandoned in Korea to become her state’s 2021 Teacher of the Year. Photo credit: Delaware.gov.

I enjoy sharing stories about excellent educators who have earned acclaim for their work in the classroom. One of these is Kimberly Stock, a Language Arts teacher in Wilmington, Delaware, who has been named her state’s 2021 Teacher of the Year.

Kimberly teaches Advanced Placement Literature, eleventh grade Language Arts. and oversees English-language acquisition courses at McKean High School in the Red Clay Consolidated School District. In addition to her work in the classroom, Kimberly serves as a District Diversity Champion, where she advocates for students of color in her district. In this role, she has spoken on panels and social justice committees, has led professional learning programs on diversity, and has empowered student leadership through her school’s Student Voices and Cultural Celebrations advisories. In addition, Kimberly has presented at the PENN Teachers of Speakers of Other Languages conference held at Temple University.

This amazing teacher also works as an administrator of the Claymont Community Center, an educational nonprofit. The organization secures partnerships with school districts, other nonprofits, and local agencies to create basic education and GED programs for adult learners. During her tenure there, the center’s adult ESL program served a multitude of immigrant students.

The honored educator has overcome many obstacles to reach this point in her life. As a child in Korea, Kimberly was abandoned. She once confessed that she does not know her actual age, birth place, or given name. “After living with a foster family in Korea, I was adopted by a white family in Nebraska,” Kimberly revealed. “Despite experiencing moments of trauma, racism, illness, loss and death caused by ethnic violence, I have been given new opportunities and second chances,” she said.

Kimberly earned her Bachelor’s degree in Education from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, in 1996. She earned a Master’s degree in Education from the University of Pennsylvania in 2005. There she conducted research on the recruitment and retention of teachers and administrators of color. Additionally, Kimberly earned a Master’s degree in Teaching English as a Second Language from the University of Delaware in 2020. Her work has resulted in a proposed curriculum for a course entitled Methods of Teaching English Learners for all new Delaware educators.

Hawaii’s Lori Miki Kwee named her state’s 2021 Teacher of the Year

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Elementary school educator Lori Miki Kwee of Hawaii has been named her state’s 2021 Teacher of the Year. Photo credit: Honolulu Star Advertiser

I love to share stories about innovative educators from all over the country. One of these is Lori Miki Kwee, an elementary teacher in Hawaii who has been named her state’s Teacher of the Year.

Lori currently teaches fourth grade at Ala Was Elementary School in Honolulu. Interestingly, her mother was also a teacher at that school. Lori’s career as an educator in public schools has spanned 31 years.

During the pandemic, Lori and her students created a business, which they have named #Sharealoha, to promote kindness and fellowship among others and to raise funds to build a student-designed “peaceful oasis” on the school grounds. For this business, participants created and sell unique Jars of Aloha, #Sharealoha T-shirts, and face masks.

Lori has long invested in programs with her students that attempt to eliminate bullying. Through active inquiry, her students explore forgiveness, compassion, and methods to manage emotions. Her students engage in student-led learning projects based on their interests and curiosities, and they explore how kindness affects health and well-being. For these efforts, Lori was honored by the National Life Group as their National Life Changer for 2018-2019.

In 2017, Lori’s students chose to launch a class project to save the Vaquita porpoise, an endangered species endemic to the Gulf of California. They spent hours writing reports, letters to policy makers, and social media posts in their effort to save the Vaquita porpoise. As a result, their attendance and test scores increased, and they became skilled in their pursuit of information and finding answers to their questions.

Lori earned her Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from the University of Hawaii. To read more about this Chalkboard Champion, see this article published about her in the Honolulu Star Advertiser.

NJ educator Christine Lim garners Princeton Prize

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Congratulations to Christine Lim of Pennsauken, New Jersey. She has been named a recipient of the Princeton University Prize for Distinguished Secondary School Teaching. Photo credit: Christine Lim.

Congratulations to Christine Lim of Pennsauken High School in Pennsauken, New Jersey, who has been named a recipient of the Princeton University Prize for Distinguished Secondary School Teaching.

Christine teaches Advanced Placement Literature, Composition, Honors, and SAT Prep at Pennsauken. Her career there has spanned 12 years. In her classroom, Christine practices the philosophy Kaizen, a Japanese word meaning “continuous improvement.” In doing so, she promotes a culture of self-growth in her 9th and 10th grade English classes. To accomplish this, her students actively engage in Socratic Seminars, writing spoken word poetry, and book club study. Through these activities, says Christine, she creates a family atmosphere in her classroom.

Since Christine expects continuous improvement from her students, she also expects the same from herself, says Caroline Steer, Curriculum Supervisor at the Pennsauken School District. “As a result, Mrs. Lim is the finest example to her peers as not only an education leader, but as a kind and thoughtful human,” Steer continued. “Mrs. Lim takes her responsibility as an educator to the next level.”

Daily mood check-ins and weekly evaluations enable Christine to tune in to her students’ emotional well-being, though many are fully remote learners. To reflect upon their successes and their struggles, students write Anything Journals as a validation of their unique stories.

In addition to her responsibilities in the classroom, Christine is the adviser for the Asian Student Association. In this capacity, she organizes the annual Lunar New Year celebration and an Asian Pacific American Heritage Month assembly, among many other social, cultural, and charitable events.

Christine earned her Bachelor’s degree in Secondary Education and English, maxima cum laude, from LaSalle University in 2007.

 

Utah’s John Arthur named finalist for National Teacher of the Year

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John Arthur, an elementary school teacher from Utah, has been named one of four finalists for 2021 National Teacher of the Year. Photo credit: Utah State Board of Education.

I always enjoy sharing stories about educators that have earned accolades for their hard work in the classroom. One of these is John Arthur, a teacher from Utah who has been named one of four finalists for 2021 National Teacher of the Year.

Currently, John teaches sixth grade at Meadowlark Elementary in Salt Lake City. He has taught there for eight years. John garnered widespread attention through teaching his students to create music videos that they share on the class YouTube channel, 9thEvermore. John’s students have received national recognition for their work. “I feel so blessed,” says the honored teacher. “Children are the best people and teaching is the best job. There’s just no better way to spend a day than working with kids,” he continued.

In addition to his classroom responsibilities, John has chaired the social justice committee for the Salt Lake Education Association. As a Korean American, he currently represents the Asian community on the Utah State Board of Education’s advisory committee on equity. He is also helping revise Utah’s K-6 social studies standards. John has been a speaker at numerous conferences, including the National Association for Multicultural Education, the Utah Education Association, and the Open Education Resources Project. He also delivered the keynote speech at the 2018 Leadership and Inquiry for Turnaround Conference. Furthermore, John serves as an Adjunct Professor in Graduate School of Education at Westminster College in Salt Lake City.

John graduated from the University of Utah with a Bachelor’s degree in English with a minor in History. He earned two Master’s degrees, one in Teaching and the other in Education from Westminster College. In addition, he has earned endorsements in English as a Second Language and K-6 Special Education (mild/moderate disabilities). He is a National Board Certified Teacher.