Tag Archives: Asian American Teachers

Teachers who were Asian Americans, or who worked with Asian American student populations.

Benjamin Santiago garners Guam’s 2021 Teacher of the Year honors

Posted on by

Dr. Benjamin Santiago has ben named the 2021-2022 Teacher of the Year for the American territory of Guam. Photo credit: PNC

I am always excited to share the story of an exceptional educator who has earned recognition for their work. One of these is Benjamin Santiago, a journalism and cultural dance teacher in the American territory of Guam. He has been named the island’s 2021-2022 Teacher of the Year.

Benjamin teaches journalism and cultural dance at Agueda I. Johnston Middle School in Guam. In addition to teaching cultural dance, he also serves as his school’s Native Dance Squad Director and works with the choir.  He is also currently working on his latest fitness program for students with autism. In addition to his work in the classroom, Benjamin serves as his school’s advisor for the National Junior Honor Society and the Mock Trial advisor. He also works as his school’s curriculum coordinator, a Teacher Administrator Effectiveness (TEF) mentor, and the coordinator of the accreditation self-study. He is part of committees that develop curriculum instruction, sheltered instruction observation protocol, and standards-based grading. And as if all this were not enough, he has represented his school at conferences for the International Society for Technology Education and the Summit of Innovative Teaching Strategies.

As the Director of the Native Dance Academy for the past 25 years, Benjamin has promoted the perpetuation of indigenous culture through the performing arts. As a native culture advocate, he has made appearances in the Mariana Islands and elsewhere throughout Asia, as well as in the United States and Russia. He captured international trophies in Hawai’i for the quality of his performance in both ancient and modern hula. In fact, he earned the title of Kumu Hula, from the world-renowned hula master George Lanakilakeikiahiali’i Na’ope in the art of hula.

And even all this is not everything Benjamin has accomplished. He is a small businessman, having opened his own fitness studio in 2021. There he promotes an active lifestyle as a certified teacher of Zumba, Body Combat, Body Pump, CXWorkx, Grit, and Mixxedfit. In fact, he is the program developer for the national fitness program known as Mixxedfit. For this effort, Benjamin won the 2013 Governor’s Award for Outstanding Male Fitness Instructor in 2013.

“What’s inspiring about Dr. B,” declares Jon Fernandez, the Guam Department of Education Superintendent, “is that his passion does not end in the classroom. He continues to perpetuate our cultural practices in community events and brings these lessons back into the classroom to help our kids develop into young citizens. When we talk about legacies, that is what we are talking about – lessons and skills that go above and beyond the classroom.”

Benjamin earned his Bachelor’s degree in Secondary Education, Language Arts, his Master’s degree in Educational Leadership, his Ph.D. in Educational Leadership. His career as a professional educator has spanned 25 years.

To read more about Dr. Benjamin Santiago, click on this link to a story about him published by PNC.

 

Teacher Angela Duckworth studies “grit”

Posted on by

Angela Duckworth, former high school math teacher and current CEO of Character Lab, developed the concept of “grit” as an indicator of student success. Photo credit: John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation

There are many examples of individuals successful in the world of business who leave lucrative positions to teach in America’s high schools. One of these is Angela Duckworth, a psychologist, social scientist, author, CEO of a nonprofit,  who also taught mathematics in a San Francisco public school.

Angela was born in 1970, the daughter of immigrants from China. Her father was a chemist with the DuPont Chemicals Company. Angela was raised in New Jersey and graduated from Cherry Hill High School East. After her graduation from high school, Angela attended Harvard University, where she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Neurobiology in 1992. She earned her Master’s degree in Neuroscience from the University of Oxford in 1996. She completed the requirements for her PhD in Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania in 2006. In 2013, Angela garnered a MacArthur Fellowship.

Originally, Angela accepted a position as a management consultant with McKinsey & Company, but she left that job after about one year in order to accept a teaching post at Lowell High School in San Francisco. Lowell is the only public high school in San Francisco that admits students on the basis of academic merit. The school is the largest feeder to the University of California system, and many of the school’s graduates go on to enroll in the country’s most selective universities. She also taught at schools in Philadelphia and New York City. In all, her career as an educator spanned five years.

Angela left the classroom to become the founder and CEO of Character Lab, a nonprofit organization that studies the importance of what she called “grit”—the quality that contributes to an individual’s success in life. Angela defines “grit” as passion and perseverance in the pursuit of long-term goals. As a result of the studies, Angela published a best-selling book entitled Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance in May, 2016. In fact, she is credited with introducing the concept of “grit” to the conversation of education policy.

Today, Angela continues to run Character Lab, and she also instructs courses in psychology at the University of Pennsylvania.

American Samoa’s former First Lady, teacher Susana Lutali

Posted on by

Former Governor A.P. Lutali with his wife, former teacher and First Lady of American Samoa Susana Lutali. Photo Credit: Marion Malena

Many a fine classroom teacher has also earn fame as a celebrity. This is true of Susana Lutali, an elementary school teacher in American Samoa who became the territory’s First Lady.

Susana Legato was born May 23, 1932, in Fagaitua, American Samoa. Fagaitua is a village located on the south coast of American Samoa’s Tutuila Island. She attended St. Francis Sister School and then studied at Teachers Institute. As a young woman in the early 1950’s, she became a teacher at Fagaitua Elementary School.

In 1954, Susana married A.P. Lutali, a former teacher and public school administrator. When A.P. was elected Governor of the territory in 1985, and then re-elected in 1989, the she became American Samoa’s First Lady. She was also during her husband’s re-election, from 1993 to 1997. In her role as First Lady, the former teacher led the way for numerous landscape beautification programs throughout the island. She established committees of women who planted new trees and ornamental shrubs along the roadsides, and many of those originally planted can found found throughout the territory today. She also initiated many renovations to the Governor’s Mansion, called Maugaoali’i, and operating the governor’s residence in high style. Susana became known for her elegant manner of dress, from her beautifully coifed hair to her tailored puletasis,  a traditional outfit worn by Samoan women, which she wore in nearly every public appearance while she served as First Lady.

Sadly, Susana Lutani was diagnosed with terminal cancer of the uterus in 2011. She succumbed to the disease on June 15, 2012. She was 80 years old. Her funeral was held at St. Paul’s Catholic Church and was buried next to her husband at their family compound in Illiili, American Samoa, on June 29, 2012.

Making sure AAPI students feel seen, affirmed, and included

Posted on by
Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month recently came to a close, but supporting AAPI students is important all year round. In this short video message provided by Teacher2Teacher, educator Natasha Akery of South Carolina shares her suggestions for making sure that every student feels seen, affirmed, and included. Take a look:

 

 

Music teacher Sarah Mae Lagasca garners coveted Milken Award

Posted on by

High school music educator Sarah Mae Lagasca of Newark, New Jersey, has garnered a prestigious 2021-2022 Milken Educator Award. Photo credit: milkeneducatoraward.org

It is always a pleasure to share stories about talented educators who have earned accolades for their work in the classroom. One of these is Sarah Mae Lagasca, a high school music teacher from New Jersey, who has garnered a prestigious 2021-2022 Milken Educator Award.

As a music teacher at Arts High School in Newark, Sarah Mae strives to increase her students’ proficiency in music theory, composition, sight reading, vocal technique, music history, recording and production technology, marketing and branding, and personal artistic growth.

Sarah Mae has long been recognized as an innovative instructor. Throughout the pandemic, the honored educator culled and shared a variety of strategies to keep students engaged in her virtual classroom, including breakout rooms, hand signals, recordings, and online programs such as Music First, FlipGrid, and Soundtrap.

As if all that were not enough, Sarah Mae has made significant contributions to music outside of the classroom as well. She has conducted Newark’s All-City Choral Ensemble and organized workshops with professional musicians through the VH1: Save the Music Foundation and GRAMMY Museum. She has performed with the Berlin Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Orchestra, and contributed to various recordings, including Arturo O’Farrill’s “Four Questions,” which won the 2021 Grammy Award for Best Latin Jazz Album.

Sarah Mae attended the Westminster Choir College, where she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Music Education in 2013. Westminster is a residential conservatory of music formerly located in Princeton, New Jersey. In the Fall of 2020, the college relocated to Rider University’s Lawrenceville campus.

The Milken Educator Awards have been described by Teacher Magazine as the “Oscars of Teaching.” In addition to the $25,000 cash prize and public recognition, the honor includes membership in the National Milken Educator Network, a group of more than 2,700 exemplary teachers, principals, and specialists from all over the country who work towards strengthening best practices in education. Sarah Mae is one of up to 60 educators to receive the Milken Educator Award for the 2021-2022 school year. To learn more, click on Milken Educator Awards.