Author Terry Lee Marzell shares the story of the remarkable Mary Tsukamoto, strawberry farmer cum elementary school teacher. This Chalkboard Champion was incarcerated along with many other Japanese Americans in a US relocation camp during WWII.
View the video below to learn more about Mary Tsukamoto:
Middle school teacher Katrina Abdussalaam of Washington, DC, recognized as a leading mathematics educator. Photo Credit: PAEMST
Our nation’s students are fortunate to have many exceptional educators working diligently in our schools. One of these is Katrina Abdussalaam, a middle school school teacher from Washington, DC.
Katrina currently teaches mathematics to fifth and sixth graders at Friends School in College Park, Maryland. She has been at the school since 2017. Previously, she taught in Washington, DC, where she worked from 2001 to 2013. While there, she pioneered the innovative Singapore Math program. She also wrote cutting-edge mathematics curriculum for Common Core. She also specialized in adapting the New York State Common Core mathematics curriculum for English-language learners, students with disabilities, gifted students, and struggling students.
For her work as an educator over the course of the last two decades, Katrina earned a coveted PAEMST Award (Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching) in 2012. The PAEMST recognizes the dedication, hard work, and importance that America’s teachers play in supporting learners who will become future STEM professionals, including computer technologists, climate scientists, mathematicians, innovators, space explorers, and engineers. The PAEMST program, founded in 1983, is administered by the National Science Foundation (NSF) on behalf of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. The honor comes with a visit to the White House and a $10,000 cash prize.
Katrina earned her Bachelor’s degree in English Language and Literature from Haverford College in 1998. She completed the requirements for her teaching certificate from American University. She earned her Master’s degree in Education from the University of Maryland in 2024.
Former high school teacher Maxine Hong Kingston is well-known today as a talented author. Photo Credit: Library of America
Many people are familiar with the famous author Maxine Hong Kingston. She wrote The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghosts, a critically-acclaimed autobiographical account. In the book, Maxine details the conflicting cultural messages she received as the daughter of Chinese immigrants growing up in America in the 1950s. She also wrote China Men, Tripmaster Monkey, The Fifth Book of Peace, and Veterans of War, Veterans of Peace. But did you know that this talented writer is also a teacher?
Maxine was born on October 27, 1940, in Stockton, California. Her parents were first-generation Chinese immigrants. In order to immigrate to the United States, her father had to give up a career as a professional scholar and teacher in his home village of Sun Woi, near Canton. Maxine was the third of the couple’s eight children, and the eldest of the six children born to them in the United States.
Maxine earned her Bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1962, and then obtained her teaching credential. She taught high school in the city of Hayward for a year, and then moved to Hawaii where she taught in various positions. From 1970 to 1977 she taught at Mid-Pacific Institute, a private boarding school. In 1990, she was invited to join the faculty of her alma mater, UC Berkeley, as a senior lecturer in the English department.
This remarkable educator has earned many awards. She garnered the Writers Award from the national Endowment for the Arts in 1980 and again in 1982. She was honored by President Bill Clinton with a National Humanities Medal in 1997. She has also received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Asian American Literary Awards (2006), and a Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters from the National Book Foundation (2008). In 2013 this former English teacher was honored by President Barack Obama with a National Medal of Arts award.
Dr. Roy Biñas Basa of Zuni, New Mexico, has been named his state’s 2024 Teacher of the Year. Photo Credit: New Mexico Public Education Department
I always enjoy sharing the story of an exceptional educator who has earned accolades for their work in the classroom. One of these is Dr. Roy Biñas Basa, a STEM teacher from Zuni, New Mexico.
Roy teaches natural science and career and technical courses to high school students in grades nine through twelve at both Twin Buttes Cyber Academy and Zuni High School.
Most of Roy’s curriculum involves project-based activities, such as making fatty acid methyl esters from selected plant seeds as an alternative biofuel. That project garnered the 2022 New Mexico Governor’s STEM Challenge. Roy’s students also make motors and generators, solar panels, simple robots, and windmills.
Roy earned his Bachelor’s degree in Secondary Education with a major in General Science; his Master’s degree in Education with a major in School Administration and Supervision; and his PhD in Educational Management. He earned all of his degrees at the University of Negros Occidental, Recoletos. While studying there, Roy’s academic excellence was recognized with awards such as High Academic Distinction and Outstanding in Dissertation. While still engaged in ongoing studies for his Master’s of Education in Special Education at Western Colleges, he also earned a Master’s of Education in Natural Science from the University of St. La Salle. He has also obtained Teaching English as a Second Language (TESOL) certification, an International Teaching License, and successful completion of the Licensure Examination for Teachers in the Philippines. He has also authored a number of books. To view a list of his books click on this link to roybasa.com.
Roy is a dedicated educator who has made significant contributions to the field, being recognized with numerous awards and honors from local, regional, national and international organizations. His pedagogical priorities revolve around fostering an inclusive learning environment where every student’s unique needs and perspectives are valued, ensuring that high-quality education is accessible to all and empowering students to reach their full potential.
To read more about Roy Biñas Basa, click on this link to the New Mexico Department of Public Education.
Elementary teacher Caryn Anderson of Portland, Oregon, garnered on OnPoint Prize for Excellence in Education award. Photo credit: OnPoint
It is always a pleasure for me to share the story of an outstanding teacher who has earned recognition with their work with young people. One of these is Caryn Anderson, a fourth grade teacher at Abernathy Elementary School located in Portland, Oregon. Caryn has garnered an OnPoint Prize for Excellence in Education award.
Caryn has been an educator since 1999, and she has taught at Abernathy for eight years. She says her passion for workin with children comes from the students in her classroom. Caryn also says balances individualized student attention with an inclusive classroom environment. Over the years, she revealed, she came to understand that she was too absorbed in delivering her lessons. This caused her to shift her focus to building community first.
This Chalkboard Champion says her connection with her students fosters not just academic, but also emotional growth. “I have found new meaning in what I do every day and the purpose behind my work and the importance of it,” she declares. “This (award) is for all of the students who grew up like me that didn’t have a place, that they didn’t have a community who saw who they were,” she continues. “And so, the work that I do is for them and for all the other students who are allies and support in this work,” she concludes.
Caryn is one of four teachers in Oregon who have been recognized with an OnPoint award. The other three recipients were Lucas Dix of Milwaukee, Oregon; Willie Williams of Portland; and Samuel Platt of Bend. As part of the award, all four honored teachers will have their mortgage paid for an entire year. In addition, each teacher’s school will receive a $2,500 donation. To learn more about the OnPoint Prize for Excellence in Education, visit OnPointcu.com.
