Tag Archives: Celebrity Teachers

Teachers who have become famous for achievements outside the profession of education.

Chalkboard Champion and Actor John Cho: His Course Is Laid In

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Jeffrey MayerMany wonderful educators throughout history have been multi-talented, achieving professional successes in addition to their accomplishments as teachers, and Hollywood actor John Cho is no exception.

John is probably best known for his portrayal as a young Hikari Sulu in the 2009 and 2013 Star Trek movies, but he has also earned recognition for his roles in the Harold and Kumar films, the American Pie movies, and various television appearances. He’s set to star as part of the main cast in the upcoming TV show Sleepy Hollow.

John was born in 1972 in Seoul, South Korea. The Cho family emigrated to the United States in 1978 settled in Los Angeles, California. John graduated from Herbert Hoover High School in Glendale, California in 1990. He enrolled at the University of California, Berkeley, where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in English in 1996. John then went on to teach English at Pacific Hills High School in West Hollywood, California, while simultaneously pursuing his acting career. In addition to teaching and acting, John has enjoyed some success as a musician with his band Viva La Union.

The teaching profession is fortunate to have had such a multi-talented individual as a member of its ranks. John Cho is truly a chalkboard champion.

Roberta Flack: An Iconic Singer Who Was Once a Teacher

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$R3DK9IKMany people have heard of the Grammy Award-winning songwriter and singer Roberta Flack, whose best-known songs are “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face,” “Killing Me Softly With His Song,” and “Where Is the Love?” But did you know that this famous jazz, folk, and R&B icon was once a public school teacher?

Roberta Flack was born February 10, 1937, in Black Mountain, North Carolina, although she was raised in Arlington, Virginia. Her mother was a church organist, so Roberta grew up in a musical household. At the age of nine, Roberta began to study classical piano, and by the time she was fifteen, she had won a music scholarship to Howard University. She completed her undergraduate work and her student teaching as the first African American student teacher at an all-white school near Chevy Chase, Maryland. Then Roberta accepted a position teaching music and English in Farmville, North Carolina, a gig which paid her only $2,800 per year. She also taught junior high school in Washington, DC, and at the same time she took side jobs as a night club singer. It was there that she was discovered and signed to a contract for Atlanta Records. The rest, as they say, is music business history.

In recent years, Roberta’s contribution to education came when she founded an after-school music program entitled “The Roberta Flack School of Music” to provide music education to underprivileged students in the Bronx, New York City.

Actor Tony Danza: The Unexpected Chalkboard Champion

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9780307887863_p0_v1_s260x420[1]It seems to me that in every teacher’s career, there comes a desperate moment in which we just want to be understood. We fervently wish that the public, the parents, and the media comprehended just how dedicated we are to our students, and just how hard we work on their behalf, and just how tough the job is. Tony Danza goes a long way to build this understanding in his 2012 book I’d Like to Apologize to Every Teacher I Ever Had: My Year as a Rookie Teacher at Northeast High.
Having already earned his degree in history and  his teaching credential, Danza accepted a position as a first-year teacher in an inner-city school in Philadelphia, partly because he had always wanted to teach and decided now would be a good time in his career to explore that option, and partly because the experiment could be turned into a reality show that, Danza hoped, could accomplish some genuine good by turning an empathetic spotlight on our nation’s over-worked, over-criticized, and under-paid teachers.
Throughout the book, Danza provides an insider’s perspective on many of the topics that dominate political discussion in the media and professional conversation in the teachers’ lounge, including such topics as funding cuts, high-stakes testing, high absenteeism,  student apathy, and lack of parental involvement. It’s amazing how he hit the nail on the head with every chapter.
I loved this book, and how Danza eloquently voiced the frustrations of practically every teacher in America. Most importantly, I loved how much his genuine affection and respect for his students, and his strong commitment to do right by them, shines through the frustrations. It’s an inspirational book I recommend you read before going back to the classroom in the Fall. You can find it on amazon at I’d Like to Apologize to Every Teacher I Ever Had.

Cory Schlesinger: The "Sledge" that Became a Chalkboard Champion

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$R36E4DGCory Schlesinger teaches computer-aided design, drafting, and vocational education classes at Allen Park High School in Allen Park, Michigan. But every one of the 120 students in his classes is well aware that Cory is a retired NFL fullback who played twelve seasons with the Detroit Lions. His nickname then was the “Sledge,” a player who blocked his opponents and brought them down like a sledge hammer. In fact, Cory was famous for destroying his face masks—sometimes as many as twenty in a season— in the game’s violent contact.

Despite this reputation, this mild-mannered hammer has a great heart, caring for his two young daughters, patiently instructing his students, conducting a school-wide strength and conditioning program for both boys and girls, and donating his time to charitable events organized by the Lions. “Cory’s such a generous, kind and wonderful person,” described Janet Wasko, principal of Allen Park High, in an article by columnist Mike O’Hara published on the Detroit Lions website January 11, 2013. “He doesn’t stand on ceremony, but everyone knows who he is. He cares about the whole student body. It’s not just about football,” she said.

Cory Schlesinger: the sledge hammer that became a true chalkboard champion.

Margaret Hamilton: A Wickedly Wonderful Chalkboard Champion

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$RCMXYF2Not many people would recognize the name or photograph of actress Margaret Hamilton, but just about everyone knows the iconic movie roll she played. Bedecked in green make-up and black pointed hat, this pleasant face was the Wicked Witch of the West in MGM’s version of The Wizard of Oz. It’s ironic that this very sweet and loving former kindergarten teacher is best known for her her frightful disposition and her villainous behaviors, not to mention for scaring the daylights out of generations of little children. The true Margaret Hamilton was a lifelong advocate for educational causes, devoting much of her energy and money to benefit causes that improved the lives of children and animals. She passed away in 1985 at the age of 83.