Tag Archives: Asian American Teachers

Former English teacher Mark Takano serves in US House of Reps

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Former 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 Press Enterprise.

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.

Music educator Louise Smith named 2024 Mississippi Teacher of the Year

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Middle school music educator Louise Smith has been named the 2024 Mississippi State Teacher of the Year. Photo Credit: Gautier Middle School

I am always excited to share the story of an exceptional educator who has been honored for their work in the classroom. One of these is Louise Smith, an instrumental music teacher from Gautier, Mississippi. She has been named her state’s 2024 Teacher of the Year.

Louise teaches seventh and graders at Gautier Middle School in Gautier. She has worked in the Pascagoula-Gautier School District for 22 years. The honored educator passionately believes that music literacy is essential to literacy in general. And her work shows this passion. Because of her commitment to teaching young people to read music, her students have achieved success at regional and state levels.

Raised by a single mother of Filipino descent, Louise credits her family and her teachers, particularly a college band director she met at a high school band clinic, with her success as an educator. She encourages teachers to recognize their importance in the lives of children. She says being a teacher is not an easy job, but she knows the impact she has on students and will always advocate for them.

Her selection as the 2024 Mississippi is not the only recognition Louise has earned. She was featured on the cover of NEA’s magazine in their August, 2020, issue, with an accompanying story entitled “Helping Students and Educators Recover from Covid-19 Trauma.” The article detailed her work dealing with teacher stress and mental health. Furthermore, in May, 2021, US News and World Report profiled her as one of the professionals who made a difference for her students during the pandemic.

Louise earned her Bachelor’s degree in Music Education in 2002 and her Master’s degree in Administration and Leadership in 2005, both from the University of Southern Mississippi. She is also a National Board Certified Teacher. In addition, Louise is an alumnus of the National Education Association (NEA) Teacher Leadership Initiative, and she has served as a state coach.

DC’s Katrina Abdussalaam recognized as a leading math educator

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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 teacher Maxine Hong Kingston is a well-known author

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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.