Tag Archives: Elementary Teachers

CA elem teacher Ofelia Valdez-Yeager served her local community

Posted on by

Former California elementary teacher Ofelia Valdez-Yeager also served in many capacities in her community in many capacities. Photo credit: Hispanic Lifestyle

Many excellent classroom teachers go on to influential positions within their community. This is true of Ofelia Valdez-Yeager, a former elementary teacher from Riverside, California.

Ofelia was born in Tayoltita, Durango, Mexico, in 1947. The following year, she moved to Tijuana with her family, and ten years after that, they relocated to Montebello, California.  When she enrolled in American schools, she couldn’t speak English, but education was an emphasis in her home, so by the end of the year she finished at the top of her class. Once she graduated from high school, Ofelia began her college yeas at the University of California, Riverside (UCR), in 1965. There she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Spanish in 1969, and her elementary teaching certificate in 1971.

Ofelia inaugurated her career as an educator in the Cucamonga School District as a bilingual-bicultural Follow Through teacher, focusing on grades K-3. In those early years, she also worked as an Upward Bound residential tutor and counselor, a high school counseling assistant, and a bilingual resource teacher. Having married Ley Yeager in 1969, she also raised a family during those years.

In 1992, Ofelia was elected as the first Latina board member for the Riverside Unified School District. While in this role, she increased the school district’s outreach to Spanish-speaking families, thereby improving access, equity, and inclusion for Latino students. In her later years, this Chalkboard Champion also helped to raise $3 million to establish The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture in Riverside, which opened in June, 2022.

For her work in the community, Ofelia has earned many accolades. In 2016, she garnered both the UCR Distinguished Alumna of the Year and the UCR Alumna Service Award. In 2019, she garnered the Mission Inn Foundation’s Frank Miller Civic Achievement Award, and in 2022, she was named the Athena Award recipient.

Sadly, Ofelia passed away on Jan. 7, 2024, days before her 77th birthday.

Oregon teacher Caryn Anderson garners OnPoint Prize for Excellence in Education

Posted on by

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.

 

Nevada teacher Liz Barnum garners prestigious 2023 Milken Educator Award

Posted on by

Elementary teacher Liz Barnum of Las Vegas, Nevada, has garnered a prestigious 2023 Milken Educator Award. Photo credit: Milken Educator Awards

I always enjoy sharing the story about a talented educator who has earned accolades for her work in the classroom. Today’s story is about elementary school teacher Liz Barnum of Las Vegas, Nevada. She has garnered a prestigious Milken Educator Award for 2023.

Liz currently teaches third graders at Katherine Dunn Elementary School in Sparks, Nevada. She. has taught there for the past seven years. In her classroom, Liz creates a positive and supportive classroom environment, and she recognizes the value of building strong relationships with her students and their families. Her curriculum includes student-led discussions, partner talks, and visual strategies to support her literacy goals for vocabulary and comprehension. In fact, almost all of Liz’s students are functioning at grade level by the end of the year, regardless of where they started.

In addition to her work with her youngsters, Liz collaborates with colleagues to improve school culture and student outcomes. She has served as a mentor teacher, a new teacher liaison, and as the Chair of the School Organizational Team.

Liz sometimes speaks about her humble beginnings. “Being the daughter of an immigrant family, receiving a free public education was a huge privilege,” she says. “In my family, doing well in school and continuing to higher education were hailed as a huge accomplishment. With opportunity at my doorstep, I wanted to become the first generation in my family to receive a college degree,” she continues. “It felt like a natural progression to pursue a career in education with a focus on English language learners,” she concluded.

The Milken Educator Awards are hailed by Teacher Magazine as the “Oscars of Teaching.” For more than 35 years, the program has recognized excellence in the world of education by honoring top educators around the country with a $25,000  cash prize. The honor includes membership in the National Milken Educator Network, a group of more than 2,700 exemplary professional educators from all over the country. To learn more, click on Milken Educator Awards.

Joyce Abbott: The teacher who inspired Quinta Brunson

Posted on by

Philadelphia teacher Joyce Abbot with her sixth grade student, Quinta Brunson. When Quinta grew up, she modeled her character, Janine Teagues, on the award-winning television show Abbott Elementary, in part on her inspirational teacher. Photo credit: University of Maryland, Eastern Shore

There are many praiseworthy educators in classrooms all around our country, but not all of them receive the praise they are due. One of these teachers, though, has received more praise than she could ever have imagined. She is Joyce Abbott, a retired elementary teacher from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Joyce is, in part, the inspiration for a character on the award-winning television show, Abbot Elementary. She was the teacher of sixth grader Quinta Brunson. When Quinta grew up, she became the creator and star of the show, and while writing the show, she didn’t forget her former teacher.

Abbott Elementary highlights the difficulties faced by an inner-city school staff as they teach their young students. Those difficulties include substandard facilities, underfunding, lack of educational resources, and, in some cases, poor leadership.

The show has garnered an Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series in 2022, a Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series—Musical or Comedy in 2022, and an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Comedy Series in 2023.

Joyce taught for 27 years in inner-city schools within the Philadelphia School District. Most recently, she served as a climate manager at Andrew Hamilton Elementary, a K-8 school located in West Philadelphia. In this role, she ensures the campus environment is safe and conducive to learning.

In addition to her work in the classroom, Joyce is also a veteran of the US Army, where she attained the rank of staff sergeant. She spent ten years in the military, including a ten-month tour of the Person Gulf during the Persian Gulf War.

Joyce has admitted publicly that it wasn’t always easy for her to succeed in the classroom. “At the onset of my journey, it was very difficult. I had 36 students my first year, very limited textbooks, several behavior problems, and in addition to several students academically challenged,” Joyce recalls. But she says that it was her passion that kept her in the classroom.

Joyce admits that teachers in the classroom today continue to face obstacles in their profession. “It’s difficult with the many outside challenges that teachers are facing today,” she asserts. But she encourages them to keep up the good work. “Know that you can do it, believe in yourself, and believe in that child. They need you, sometimes you’re their only hope,” Joyce says. “Just know that every day that you’re going in, even though every day may not be great, you are making a difference,” she concludes.

This Chalkboard Champion earned her Bachelor’s degree in Business and Economics from the University of Maryland, Eastern Shore, in 1983, and her Master’s degree in Education from Cheyney University. She is listed in the Who’s Who Among America’s Finest Teachers.

Deelah Jackson named a finalist for 2023 Florida Teacher of the Year

Posted on by

Exceptional educator Deelah Jackson of Manatee County, Florida, has been named one of five finalists for her state’s 2023 Teacher of the Year. Photo credit: Florida Department of Education

There is a classroom of fourth grade students at Samoset Elementary School in Manatee County, Florida, that are fortunate to have Deelah Jackson as their teacher. This exceptional educator engages her students with high-quality lesson plans, and incorporates singing and movement into her curriculum. And she is especially passionate about teaching math.

Deelah has worked at Samoset Elementary since 2015. In addition to her classroom responsibilities, she is a member of the Samoset School Advisory Council, and the school’s emergency response team. She is also the Site Director for the Extended Day Enrichment Program (EDEP) and helps coach the school’s VEX Robotics competition team.

Deelah originally hails from Indiana. After graduating from high school, she first attended Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, on a scholarship. However, she completed the requirements for her Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. After earning her degree in 1995, she worked with at-risk youth

For her work in the classroom, Deelah has been named one of five finalists for 2023 Florida Teacher of the Year. The other four finalists were Jennifer Jaso, a social studies teacher at Sarasota Middle School in Sarasota County; Melissa Matz, a seventh-grade math teacher at Lakeside Junior High School in Clay County; Trinity Whittington, a fourth-grade English Language Arts and Social Studies teacher at Bell Elementary School in Gilchrist County; and Seema Naik, a fourth-grade teacher at Eagle Ridge Elementary School in Broward County.

Congratulations, Deelah!